A Year to Remember

As I head into my last year of my twenties (yikes – where did the time go??), I decided it was time to go back to documenting my life. There things that I would like to remember and they may seem like small details now, but as I was looking back at a diary I kept for a few months last year, I realized that it was a lot of those little details that made me smile the most. Cute moments with friends and family, small, passing comments made by co-workers, and changes in my life kept popping up at me, and it was nice to reminisce of the good times (and the bad) and see what has happened since. Are those moments still significant? Were they as important or bad as I thought they were at the time? It’s interesting to see if and how I’ve changed, even in just one year.

So let’s get started on my “first” 29th birthday, and my 29th year of life!

Long time, no blog.

So I know no one checks this anymore, so it will become more of a timeline for me. Looking back, it looks like 2011 was a pretty pathetic blogging year for me. I've been catching up on other blogs, and it always amazes me to see how much people really keep up with it!! I know I've been good in the past, but since this summer, I haven't really done much.

I still have a ton of pictures from this summer that I haven't posted that I want to get around to...I just hope I can remember what all happened! That will have to be a totally different post.

And it's also not so much that I don't have any free time - I have a ton of free time! It's so weird that I find myself each day just wishing it would be 5 pm sooner, to only have that thought immediately followed by "Why? So you can go home and eat dinner and then...what?"

I have tons of books to read, and movies I want to catch up on, and craft projects to complete. I also have an almost 4 year old dog that has been cooped up all day and who wants to play all night!

So I don't really know why I don't blog. I guess I feel like I don't have much to say.

I will follow this blog entry with another one for New Year's Resolutions. In the past, I have always hated making them because I always break them. Then a few years back, I thought, why must I already be defeated before I start? So I started making them again...and upon looking back...Yep - definitely didn't accomplish them all. Previous years shown here (2011) and here (2010).

This year - I am making resolutions, and I WILL stick to them. I'm so sick of hearing other people always complaining about making them and then failing, and I'm also sick of myself doing that exact thing!!

So stay tuned, anyone that's out there - and I will get back to my old ways of creative photos and clever writing!

Brief Update

Well it' s been more than a month again. And I can't say I haven't visited this site during that time; I have been catching up on your blogs! I keep checking the website and reading other blogs and thinking "wow I'm boring". But you know what? I've never been happier. I recently got out of a bad relationship. It's like a breath of fresh air. I spent almost 2 years being miserable, but now only have to think about ME finally. I recently moved into my "own place". Granted, my parents own it, but now (again), it's finally all about ME and what I want. (On a side note, I went out and bought a combo modem/router So, as I promised over a month ago, I will update you all on the remaining "topics" I had listed:

• Recently, the lady who runs our employee events and employee newsletters (things going on at work, weddings, babies, etc.) moved to another department in the hotel. So her role was open. It was filled briefly by someone else at the hotel, but she then decided to go back to her original department, so it was open again. Basically, I was handed all of the newsletters and any kind of graphic design stuff that the position used to do! Another lady I work with got the party planning stuff (which is fine with me) and now I get to be much more creative. It's GREAT!


• At the time I wrote my last entry, a Hungarian named Luca was living with my parents. She came to the US a year ago to work at the hotel, and my parents became her "host family" - basically, when they come work in America for a year, they're away from all their friends and family, and my parents would have her over for dinner, and to do laundry and basically be there for her. It was like having a roomate! She's my same age, and we talked about boys and family and life. She went back to Hungary, but it was nice having her around!


• My New Year's resolutions (Yea, they're pretty much all broken by now). Not much else to add. But again - I'm just happy.


• Don't remember about my reading list - but I haven't touched a book in a month. I should really start reading again!


• Phone Saga - I switched to a Samsung Instinct back in October. I hated it. Other than the phone calls and texting, it didn't do a single thing I wanted. So I switched back to a Blackberry over a month ago. Again, another breath of fresh air. I LOVE it!!! And I have 2 sparkling rhinestone-type cases. HEAVEN.


• Necklaces - for about a month back in Feb/March, I was making beaded necklaces like nobody's business. Well, that has slowed down a bit, but it was creative and sparkly and it felt good.

Whew. Well, that was my list. Hopefully another month won't go by before I blog again.

What happened?

Well...I feel like I should really blog, because it's been almost a month. But at this point, it's already 10 pm, and I have to be at work at 7 am tomorrow. And it's a very hairy day ahead. So I think instead I will watch some Netflix and doze off. But I have every intention of blogging a REAL blog soon, so to help my anal-retentive and somewhat spacey mind, I have to make a bulleted list so I remember.

• I had a dream last night that someone walked up to me and just cut a huge chunk out of my hair for no reason. I did some googling, and I think I have the answer.


• A major change in my life that happened a few months ago, and another one coming up in a month or two. (*Disclaimer - no, I am not pregnant!)


• A promotion that I'm stressed/excited about at work.


• A Hungarian student named Luca (pronounced "Lootza", like "pizza" but starting with "loot")


• My New Year's resolutions (Yea, they're pretty much all broken by now)


• My reading list


• My phone saga


• My necklaces

On second thought, maybe I should space those out into other blogs. Yea, that might be good. For the 8 followers!! :) Maybe I could get to 10 if I posted more??

And on that note, I wanted to share a picture that makes me happy:This is the cover of this month's Texas Monthly magazine. I may be in Colorado, but I'm still in love with Texas!!

Last Day of NaBloPoMo and First Snow!!

Today is the last day of November and the last day of National Blog Posting Month!! I must say, much like last year, that I'm somewhat relieved. I managed to post at least once each day, but if you go back and look, you'll see that most of them were pretty sad. I must not have that much to say anymore!! Part of the reason is that I moved in the middle of it all and can't find the cord to get pictures off my camera, and then, lost my camera! I know it's somewhere in the house, but that's pretty much it. I know it's all excuses, but I can at least say I did it!!

I mentioned it on my last post, but we had our first snow on Sunday!!! I was SOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!! It started Sunday night, probably around 6 pm and snowed pretty consistently for a few hours. I had to go out and put a towel on my windshield so I could save time the next morning when I left for work. Which worked! (Yay!) We got several inches of snow (maybe 2-4 in places) and it was all fresh and sparkly and calm....LOVED IT!

So you may not hear from me again soon, since I might be taking a few days off from blogging to build up a good post! Have a good one!

More Saturday details...

Sorry about the very abrupt post last night!! I was busy all day and realized at 11:30 that I really wanted to get my post in for the day, even if I did cheat a little bit. :) But...I did post twice on one day a few weeks ago, so I would still officially get 30 posts in 30 days. This is harder than I anticipated it would be, and I even mentioned that I wouldn't have a problem! I have posted every day, but I'm not totally proud of most of my posts - I really pride myself on coming up with what I feel are creative or fun posts, and some of them have been very boring.

So about yesterday...

I was able to get up early for me on a Saturday, probably around 8:30. I made myself some breakfast and Justin drove up to Woodland Park to go fishing with his dad. I took my time getting chores done around the apartment, and it couldn't have been nicer! 30 - 45 minutes of cleaning swapped with 30-45 minutes of Lego Star Wars. Before I knew it, I was hungry. Thought that was weird, until I realized it was 1:15! What happened to my morning!

I fixed myself lunch, then continued the cleaning/video game cycle from the morning. About 4-ish I drove to Sears to return a few items, and then drove over to my parents to greet my sister and her family and have dinner. I swear, her kids get cuter every time they visit! Now I'm totally pumped for Christmas in Dallas!! Then I get to see even MORE family, and all at once!

I got home around 8:30 and just chilled at the apartment until 11:30 or so before writing my mini-blog and going to bed. It was a great Saturday - I was able to relax and do absolutely nothing, AND feel that I got some work done and fit in social time too. The perfect mix and a perfect Saturday.

Today, I slept in a little later and have been watching the Cowboys for an hour or so. I'll be going to lunch with Justin, his parents, and his brother and his girlfriend. Not really sure what this afternoon holds, but I'm sure I'll enjoy another day of relaxing.

Almost missed it!!

It's 9 pm Colorado Springs time, and I almost missed my post! In honor of not missing it, and the fact that it snowed last night, please enjoy my snow pictures!! (And Bailey's "bed rest" proof!

Forgetfullness

I had a few extra minutes at work today, and wanted to jot down some thoughts about my family to blog about later. I suffer from a bad case of if I don't write something down, I'll forget about it forever. Normally when I make a blog "list" I e-mail it to my personal address so I'll have it when I get home.

I forgot to do that today. Oops. But I still wanted blog each day for NaBloPoMo, like I said I would! So expect that post tomorrow!

On another note, I finally finished my fictional book!! I gave myself a personal goal to read more books, by starting to read one non-fiction and one fictional book at the same time. I actually got more into my fictional book, because my non-fiction choice is a hard read. But now that I'm "down" to one book, I really want to finish it and really focus on what I'm reading. The good news is, my mom gave me another book to read last night, and I already have a good stack of more books on Ancient Rome, so I'll be able to start Cycle #2!

So, I will be reading:
"206 Bones" by Kathy Reichs - the famous author who wrote the books that inspired the FOX tv show Bones.



And "Roman Warfare" by Adrian Goldsworthy. Looks like a heavy read, but at least is has pictures and charts. I'm actually really looking forward to this. And to make matters worse, this was one of th books I was supposed to read on my Spring Reading List - that shows how far behind I am.

Blogging Addiction?

It's weird to say, but it really bothered me all day long that I didn't have anything to blog about! I totally forgot about it tonight, and then out of nowhere - I need to blog! I couldn't concentrate on anything I was doing because all I could think of was that I was supposed to be blogging every day, and I couldn't let one day go by. It would have driven me more nuts all day tomorrow, knowing that I could never go back and blog on November 10, 2009 ever!

Does that mean I'm addicted?

So, here's my blog! It's not much, but it counts!

I also realized that I haven't given an update on Bailey in a while...

It’s been a week and a half since he initially started limping on his front left paw. Last Thursday and Friday he was looking really good and had almost completely stopped limping. When I woke up Saturday, I watched him for a while and determined that he was “healed”. So I decided to take him to the dog park for some exercise, and work on the 10 pounds he needs to lose. I’m such a bad dog mommy. Bad idea. He limped really bad for the rest of the weekend.

He’s been getting better each day since my big mistake, and limps less and less each day. Today, I would say I only saw him limp collectively for 60 seconds. So I’ve learned my lesson and he’s taking it easy for real this time. And now, some updated “beauty shots” of my little monster!

Weekend Update

Friday night: We did absolutely nothing. I was able to watch Jurassic Park! It was really great to watch it again after such a long time – brought back so many memories!! And the T-Rex is still extremely freakin’ scary! Next weekend, the 1st sequel!

Saturday: Justin and I had no official Halloween plans and no parties to attend. So on the plus side, we didn’t have to create costumes! I’m not totally into Halloween, so normally if I don’t have plans, I’m not really bothered by it.

The weather was really nice, so I was able to take Bailey out to the dog park, and boy, was it PACKED!! Of course he had a great time at the park and we were there for about 45 minutes. However, a few hours later he began limping. There seemed to be no reason why, and he limped on and off through Monday morning. He was fine personality-wise, was putting weight on his foot, and doing everything normally. Since he wasn’t bleeding out of multiple holes, I made an appointment for Monday afternoon with my regular vet.

All night we got no trick or treaters, but just in case any showed, I put out a “Sorry – no candy” sign, because we didn’t go out and buy any. Turns out we didn’t even need the sign! However, we put out 3 tiny pumpkins on the porch as décor, and the next morning we only had 2. Who would steal a $1 pumpkin??? I spent the rest of the night watching “Ghost Adventures” on the Travel Channel. Those guys have no idea what they’re doing. It’s basically 3 Frat guys trying to piss off ghosts. And they will believe anything! Every other word is “Dude” or “Man”. For example – “Dude, I totally just had something touch my leg, man”. Funny to watch though. And the stories and “evidence” are still pretty chilling. And it was Halloween. Here's a picture of the host (and can I say...YUMMY!!)

Sunday: Slept in and made sure to keep Bailey off his legs as much as possible. I didn’t want him walking around if he had sprained or fractured something. Sunday was also filled with organizing the apartment and watching some games. Cheers: The Cowboys won! Jeers: The Broncos got their first loss (a killing!) and the Yankees moved to 3 games up in the World Series.

**Update on Bailey** – I took him in to the vet Monday afternoon, and by the time I got to the office, he had completely stopped limping. The vet looked him over for 15-20 minutes and could find no reason why he would be limping. In her professional opinion, he’s fine. We’re not really sure why he’s limping, but he seems to be in no pain. The only thing she could think of was to maybe have him lose 10 lbs or so and see if that takes some “stress” off his joints. So there’s more exercise for him in the near future!!

I could eventually get x-rays or put him on medication, but the vet didn’t really press either option because he’s not visibly in any pain and it seems that it comes and goes which means he can work it out by walking on it. So who knows what’s next for this little monster in the next few days. Gotta keep an eye on him.

And as of 8 pm MT tonight, he's still limping. But only on and off. So I don't know what to do!

And as for 30 Posts in 30 Days - - 3 posts down, 27 more to go! Can you handle it?

NaBloPoMo

So not to piggy-back off of other people's posts, but apparently November is National Blog Posting Month. If you have a blog, you're supposed to blog at least once a day, or at least 30 blogs total for the month.

Everyone seems to be making this out to be a little overwhelming, but I don't think it will be that challenging! I can totally do it! And I'm going to try and do 1 a day. It works out perfectly, because even though I only found out about it today, I had already posted yesterday!

So, NaBloPoMo - ready or not, here I come!!

New idea...

Since I only had 2 comments on my last post, and only 1 new follower, I shouldn't be indulging my new idea (because I said I needed at least 5 comments!) but I had a great idea as to what my one "theme day" could be...

I scrapbook, but not as much as I'd like. I was working on one page the other night, and brought one completed album to work to show other "dog moms". I thought - hey I really enjoy scrapbooking and I also enjoy sharing this with other people! I'm definitely no expert, and I'm limited budget-wise, so I have to get creative, but I have a great time doing it, and I least I feel that I'm doing a good job! (So don't burst my bubble! :o)

So, my idea was to pick one day (probably Saturday or Sunday) to update with photos of the progress of pages I'm currently working on, or something I've completed. Or, share some photos and ideas on how I'd like to add it to my never-ending album.

Here are some pictures of pages I've made so far:

I also started thinking, if people liked this, and I got a little better, I might be able to make some money doing something I love. People are always telling me that they used to scrapbook, or wish they could, or bought all the materials but then never got around to it. I would love to help them put it together, and I wouldn't charge much. Then they would be happy that they had a nice scrapbook of their memories put together for them!

Now, how to get started on that without peddling myself or feeling like I'm asking people to just give me money out of the blue. Maybe I'm not meant to start my own business!

But, is the idea worth it? Would you read it? Any scrapbookers out there that would start following or sharing ideas/comments? Should I start "Scrapbooking Saturday"? Help!

Themes?

I think it would be fun to do a blog “theme” or two. That way I can interact with people who may read my blog, and maybe attract more people to follow! So, general poll:

Would you be interested in or willing to comment/follow my blog if I had something like:

• One day a week, I shared about a book I was reading, gave a recommendation, or asked for reading suggestions?
  
• One day a week, I shared a recipe, or asked for suggestions/if you made it, did you like it?
  
• One day a week, I mentioned a wish or random thought or observation, and asked for opinions or responses?
  
• One day a week, I posted my favorite picture of the week (whether I took it or found it), and asked for thoughts the picture may “stir up” for you? Or for you to share a picture similar, etc.?

I want at least 5 comments posted before I decide!! Please help! I’ll also take any other suggestions, if you think I may already have a very light theme in my previous posts, that I could bring more to light. I thought about doing a “doggie theme” one day a week, but that would limit the people who could respond, and I talk about Bailey all the time anyway, so that might be difficult.

Let me know! So, comment and make sure you sign up to follow my blog! Thanks!!

Return to Blogging

And it feels good to be back! I was still pretty busy over the past month and made sure to keep taking pictures. I knew one day I would be able to have my computer fixed and could upload photos.

Fortunately for me, both of Justin's parent's are I.T. geniuses! One night over dinner, either Justin or I mentioned my problem, and his dad said "well bring it over and I'll take a look at it". My first thought - if he can do ANYTHING for free, then it's worth it! It's not like he could make it any worse. So I brought it up to them on a Friday night, and then by Tuesday - he'd fixed it! He even updated my version of Internet Explorer and put Microsoft Office 2007 on it. And all for free, which was just awesome of him!

I cannot express in words how EXCITED I am to have my computer back! I've been alternating between my BlackBerry and my iTouch for internet and I can't tell you how much I underestimated opening the lid to my laptop and being able to type normal and see things in full scale! So if I can give out any advice, cherish your computers!!

And so now, I’m relaxing on the couch with my dog while uploading pictures and, of course, blogging. I can’t wait to get back into blogging and posting the fun random thoughts and pictures. And to keep up with everyone else! But in the meantime, I kept myself busy by going camping twice, hiking and dressing up Bailey. Oh yes, I'm one of those dog owners. But at least I take him to do "manly" things, like camping. It was a great finish to this summer. Enjoy!

Hello?

I'm still alive!! Who knew? :) Anyone even check this still?

My computer is still broken and I'm afraid to take it in and see how much it will cost to fix it. Justin keeps telling me that he can try to fix it, but then I'm also afraid to let him play around with it. But it's not like he can make it worse, if I can't even get past an "error" screen, right?

I wish I had new pictures to post, but since I'm on a library computer right now, I don't have the ability to upload or save any pictures to post. Any pictures I have taken are either still on my camera, or are on my phone and were uploaded to Facebook already.

Anyway, there's nothing really new going on but I really miss blogging and I especially miss coming up with all the fun, thoughtful, interesting posts I used to. Maybe I should suck it up and just take the first step and at least see how much it would cost to fix my computer (just get an estimate) and then determine if it's worth it. But all my pictures are on there!

What to do, what to do...

In the meantime, I guess I'll keep trying to update on my iTouch or at another computer.

Until next time...Bailey weighs 112-113 lbs right now! It was hard for the number to land on something definite, but he's right around there! My baby's lost some weight! :)

Where, oh where, has my creativity gone?

I have been feeling nostalgic for a little while, and decided to go through my old blogs. Now, granted, it hasn't been a full year yet, but it's still interesting to look back. I noticed that in my first few months, I was coming up with creative images and thoughtful stories. Even if I didn't have anything too interesting that day, I at least took time to give a little laugh (so I'd hope), with stories about no coffee. I had "creative moments" firing all day.

What happened?

My more recent blogs haven't had anything interesting at all. A co-worker has told me multiple times that I'm a great story teller, and I can make even the simplest stories entertaining and funny. But it hasn't translated into my blog, which is "writing" for me, and I've always taken pride in how I can tell stories in writen form.

So, I vow to make myself proud and to be more creative! I believe part of the way I can bring that around is by reading more, and GOSH DARNIT I will read more!! Justin is going out of town in about 2 more weeks for a whole week this time. I just read my blog from the last time he went on vacation and I had a hard time filling a weekend. So I know for sure that a week will give me plenty of time to catch up on reading - no excuses!!

And in a totally random burst of creativity, and a previous blog post on travel, here's an amazing parting shot. I wish I could be there right now.

Posting Drought

So it has been a while, but I have been moving. No worries though, for those of you who like pictures as much as I do - I took quite a few before and after that I can't wait to post! I also can't wait to see what I took pictures of since I haven't looked at them in forever! Probably Bailey doing silly or cute things.

Stranger

I'm still here! I'm just being very bad about blogging. But I've been doing very well on that resolution so far. Unlike my other ones. It just sucks that I can't find my camera cord otherwise I would have about 20 other posts. So once I find it, or a replacement, then be prepared!

Everybody’s Gone for the Weekend

At this moment in time (in my life), my mom, dad and boyfriend are all out of town. All of my options for entertainment are currently not viable options, so I am forced to find my own alternatives. It’s like a blessing and a curse – I have the freedom to do whatever I want, but I have so many options, that I can’t decide what to do, and I’m afraid that eventually, I’ll end up coming out of this weekend having done nothing I wanted to at all!!

I have actually written out a list of things I want to get done this weekend, but at the same time, I don’t know what to start with! As of 4 pm today until 9 pm Sunday night, I can do the following:

- dog park
- clean the apartment from top to bottom
- clean the house (the areas I used)
- catch up on my Spring Reading List
- blog
- go for a jog or two
- laundry
- organize at least 2 closets in the apartment
- watch movies I’ve bought but haven’t watched yet or go see Slumdog Millionaire, or watch My Name is Earl on DVD
- nap

For those of you who know me well, I’m a planner. I like to plan out as much as possible of my days, and then if something doesn’t take as long as planned, it’s like I’ve “earned” some free time. Part of me wants to sit down and schedule times for me to do all of the things to do on my list. I’m a practical thinker when I plan and try to multi-task my “chores” by organizing them all so that it all gets done in the most logical amount of time – for example, I can watch my movies tonight, and then the dog park first thing tomorrow so that they’re tired out, and then I can read a book while they’re sleeping. Then when they’re running around the backyard, I can do my laundry and clean up the house. The apartment can be Sunday. And so on.

I know. Nerdy!

But, I’m also a procrastinator. If I can wait until the last possible minute to do my “planned list”, then I will! When I can’t figure out where to start my planning, I stress! That’s not to say that I’m losing my mind right now, but Planner Karen is getting annoyed with Procrastinator Karen and I’d just as soon avoid them both completely!

Fortunately, work has kept me busy during the day this week, but I’m so bored at night without my “options” in town, that my mind wanders!!!

Homemade Fort

Bailey has his own "fort" at home now. Go check it out here.

He also has a new header for his page, courtesy of the coolest "Mommy" ever!! ;-)