Pizza, Wine and Cuddling

  I miss Saturday night, date night with my hot handsome husband.  I miss relaxing nights in and cuddling on the couch too.

  Tonight I have decided to have a relaxing night in with my second favorite cuddle buddy, Cheyenne.

  I was craving pizza but decided to make Pepperoni Cheese Roll Ups instead of ordering a pizza.  I used the recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything except I used reduced fat crescent rolls, turkey pepperoni and reduced fat string cheese. I wanted them to be a little healthier than eating an entire pizza all by myself.  They were super easy to make (took less than 5 minutes to prepare) and delicious too!

My Helper/Cuddle Buddy for the evening

Mmmm look at that ooey gooey cheesy goodness

 
 Cheyenne and I have quite the exciting night planned. We are going to cuddle on the couch and watch Harry Potter. I borrowed all the movies (except for the last one) from my neighbor a couple months ago. I started to watch them but I have this horrible habit of doing a million other things while I am watching a movie and not really pay attention to what is going on. That is exactly what I did when I started watching the Harry Potter movies. I have seen bits and pieces of a few of them but decided (out of the blue) I wanted to see the entire series.

  I watched the first two earlier today. Yes, I actually sat down and watched the entire movies. Now it's time to pop in the third one and get this exciting Friday night started.

  Hopefully I don't waste my whole weekend on the couch catching up with this series. I have lots of things I need to do before I leave for Disney next week! So excited!

Happy Friday!

Healthy Home, Happy Heart

  Today is a new day and it's going to be a great day!

  I started my day with a cup of hot water and lemon. It's supposed to jump start your metabolism. Then I laced up my running shoes and hit the pavement.  It is wicked foggy and drizzling here in Charleston and all I kept thinking while I was running was, "now this is dedication!"

  I felt like I ran a marathon when it reality I think I only ran 1.5 miles. I was out of breath before I even made it around the block. Oh boy, I have a long way to go BUT I will get there! 

  I am very serious about 2012 being my healthiest and fittest year yet.  For breakfast today, I made a green smoothie. They seem to be the "it" thing on Pinterest so of course I had to give it a try.  I used this one from Brown Eyed Baker, except I didn't have any fresh ginger so I just sprinkled in some ground ginger and I cheated and used fresh lemon juice and not a whole lemon.  This recipe makes about 32 ounces. I drank half and put the other half in the refrigerator for tomorrow's breakfast.

  I was a little nervous to drink my green smoothie but to my surprise it was actually quite delicious.  Its not as filling as my other smoothies (with yogurt) but I would definitely make it again.  I feel healthier already!

  I don't know if you figured this out yet, but I love food!  Yesterday, I was a healthy food making fool.  Remember how I told you when I am hungry I need to eat ASAP?  Well, I wanted to be fully prepared this week. I started off by roasting some broccoli and tossed it with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and sunflower seeds.  I just ate some for lunch as a side to my sandwich and it was delicious.  My sandwich was pretty darn good too.  It was a veggie burger on a spinach wrap with hummus, sprouts, arugula and mushroom. Yum!

  I made a healthy mac and cheese.  I NEED my comfort food while my hot handsome husband is away. It was so easy to make. I used only three ingredients. Please ignore the empty box of pasta, I didn't think to take a picture until after I started cooking the pasta. And as a side note, I love the garden delights pasta because each 4oz serving contains a full serving of vegetables! Who doesn't need more vegetables in their life?

Pasta, Broccoli with light cheese sauce and Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese

 
 While you are cooking the pasta, steam the broccoli in the microwave and then mix all the ingredients together until the cheese is melted. It is super creamy and looked yummy but I love me some baked mac and cheese so topped mine with some panko bread crumbs. I popped it in the oven on broil just long enough to brown up the bread crumbs.  I can't wait until my need for comfort food hits.

  I also made my famous pasta salad and tossed in tons of vegetables. Okay, so maybe this dish is only famous with my hot handsome husband but it is one of his favorite meals.  He'll probably be a little heart broken when he finds out I made it.  The secret to my pasta salad is all in the dressing! And it tastes better the next day! This will be my dinner tonight. I just hope I have the will power to portion myself!

this picture doesn't do the taste any justice

   Lastly, I made these great little "energy bites" that I adapted from Smashed Peas and Carrots. I made two batches, a sweet and a healthy version.  I popped mine into the freezer mostly because I knew I would just have to eat one every single time I opened the refrigerator and these little babies are full of calories. I am going to try to limit myself to one (two at the most) a day as my mid afternoon energy boosting snack.

Sweet Version: peanut butter, honey, oats, vanilla, mini chocolate chips and coconut

Healthy Version: toasted whole wheat berry & flax seed cereal, peanut butter, honey, vanilla, coconut, raisins and walnuts

Yummy Energy Bites

 
My refrigerator (and freezer) are now officially stocked with lots of healthy foods.

  Here's to a healthy week!

What are some of your favorite healthy recipes?

A Kind of, Sort of Semi-Productive Day

  It's finally Sunday and today was supposed to be my "reset" day.  I was supposed start back to running today but my body had another idea.

  I woke up yesterday not feeling so hot and and then today...BAM! I woke up feeling like a truck hit me. My head hurt, body ached, I had snot dripping down my face (beautiful picture, I know!) and I was winded just from walking from my bed to the bathroom. There was no way I could possibly start running today.  I was so mad at my body for failing me that I declared today "Refuse to Get Out of Bed" Sunday. Cheyenne thought this was a great idea.  We stayed in bed until 2:00 PM and it was glorious.

My Little Fur Ball

  My body thought it was a great idea to stay in bed but my mind kept telling me I have to "reset" my healthy living today or I would have to wait again until next Sunday (dear OCD, you can be a little ridiculous sometimes!). I decided to end my refuse to get out of bed holiday and be productive. I made myself a healthy grocery list because god knows I cannot make a trip to the grocery store without a list (are you surprised?).

  Usually when my hot handsome husband is home, I decide what recipes I am going to make for the week and make my list from there. However, I see no reason to make real meals when my hot handsome husband is not home. Have you ever tried making a meal for one? Its not easy or fun! Therefore I tend to eat horribly when he's gone.  I usually eat out a lot or eat quick, easy unhealthy food. But not this year because 2012 is going to be my healthiest and fittest year yet!

   Off to Publix I went. I purchased all healthy food except for one thing...Publix fried chicken. It came highly recommend and I needed something to make me feel better since my hubby is not home to take care of me. Comfort food cures all! And oh my goodness the chicken is AMAZING! No seriously, I am not a a fried food person (well except for maybe fried pickles) and I could eat this chicken at least once a week, but I won't.

  After thoroughly enjoying some fried chicken, I decided to prepare some of my healthy food. Since I need to eat as soon as I start to feel hungry (my hot handsome husband says bad things happen to good people when I need to eat) and healthy food can sometimes take some prep time I decided to get a head start. I made lots of great things that I cannot wait to eat this week!

  I think its time for my "Refuse to Get Out of Bed" holiday to start back up. NyQuil is calling my name! And I better feel better tomorrow because no matter what is going on with my body, I am going for a run!

  Oh and in case you live under a rock, THE PATRIOTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!

  Yay! Go Patriots!

A Friday Full of Facts

I stole borrowed this idea from my friend Lauren at Souls to Squeeze but I don't think she'll mind because I think she found this fun survey on another blog. 

Current Book:

  I just finished Matched. Reminded me of the Hunger Game Series, except the Hunger Games Series is so much better! I am a little obsessed! I can't wait for the movie!

  I have started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for the THIRD time. I have literally started to read this book two other times but the beginning is so slow and detailed I am having a hard time getting through it. People keep telling me it gets so much better after the first 50 pages or so. I'm hoping I can make it past that point this time. Third times a charm, right?!

Current Play List:

Lady Gaga & Sugarland - You and I

Adele - Set Fire to the Rain

  Whenever I hear either of these two songs I ALWAYS turn the radio up and jam out. I usually feel the need to scream sing at the top of my lungs. I know I am totally off key but I love every single second of it. I am pretty sure I missed my calling.

Michael Franti & Spearhead - Say Hey I Love You

  And whenever I hear this song I can't help but bust out some dance moves.  Just ask my hot handsome husband, I play this song when I am getting ready and he always catches me shaking my booty.

Katy Perry - Firework

  I  made up my own dance (and of course I sing too!) for this song that I bust out whenever and wherever I hear it. Yes, that means my car, the mall, the bar, out in public and in the privacy of my own home. My hot handsome husband finds it hilarious! If I don't start dancing, he will actually request that I start busting a move.  

Current Food:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Smoothie

  I am currently obsessed with Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Smoothies. I add a frozen banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter, cup of skim milk and a scoop of cocoa powder to the blender and blend until smooth. OH MY GOODNESS! This is heaven in a glass! Seriously, I am pretty sure that this smoothie right here will get me through the fact that my hot handsome husband will be gone for a majority of the year.  

Current Favorite Color:

I love all things pink & girlie!

Current Favorite Show:

  I originally started watching Parenthood because Lorelai from Gilmore Girls (AKA Lauren Graham) is on it but I ended up falling in love with the show for so many reasons. Modern Family is just hilarious! And Jersey Shore is a train wreck I just can't stop watching!

Current Needs:

  There is nothing I currently need. I have a hot handsome husband who loves me, a beautiful home, a perfect fur baby, a job, a loving family and a great group of friends. What more could a girl ask for?

Current Triumphs:

  My back is FINALLY on the mend and for the last month or so I have been getting back into a running/walking routine which was my goal when I started physical therapy back in June.

Current Banes of Existence:

  Oh scale how I hate you! I cannot wait for the day when you read "goal weight." Now I just need to find my motivation to step away from the junk food and I will be one step closer to having a better relationship with my scale.

Current Celebrity Crush:

Yes, I know I may be 9 years a couple years older than him, but when Taylor Launter takes off his shirt my heart starts to race. 

 And my future husband Tom Brady will always have a special place in my heart. 

Current Blessing:

  I am so blessed to have a hot handsome husband, a beautiful fur baby and my Daddy.

Current Excitement:

  I leave for Disney World in 12 days, need I say more?!

Current Mood:

  

E- X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D! So tired that I have had my pajamas on since 4:00 PM and I cannot wait to crawl into bed ASAP. Yes, I know its a Friday night. I live an exciting life, what can I say?!

Current Favorite Quote:

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around" - Leo F. Buscaglia

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart" - Unknown

Current Favorite Product:

  Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion is AMAZING! It does great things for my wild and unruly hair. It makes my hair soft and gives it extra body. Its not greasy, even after the second day (I don't wash my hair daily!). You find this in the African American hair product aisle for only $3. Such a steal!

  Happy Friday Everyone!

Oh and as a side note, I just realized all my blog comments were going to my spam box so I apologize for not responding to any of your comments. I just assumed no one loved me! From now on, I plan to respond to each and every one of you! Love to all of you!

Today I don't feel like doing anything...

...I just wanna lay in my bed!

 I'm sure you will now have this song stuck in your head all day. You're welcome!

  I am seriously exhausted today! My mind feels fried. The past few days I have found myself not thinking clearly and forgetting what I was doing. If I think of something I need to do, I either need to do it immediately or write it down or it will not get done.

  I have been nonstop since I left for my Premier Designs Rally last Thursday morning. It was a great weekend of learning and quality girl time but we were literally busy from sun up to way past sun down.

  I returned home Sunday evening and prepared to start my week (or so I thought).  I'm not sure where Monday went! I picked up my beautiful fur baby from the kennel and did some things around the house and before I knew it, it was time for work. 

  Tuesday, I worked the day shift, which is a foreign concept to me. I'm used to having my days  for myself, having time to get my to do list done and then going to work in the evening.

  

  Tuesday night, my Dad was passing through town and stayed the night at Case de Froehlich.  It is so nice when my Dad comes into town. He is usually just passing through on his way to or from Florida. He'll stay the night and we'll spend half the day together and then he's off again. I absolutely LOVE having my Dad around, even if it is only for a day. It's just enough time to enjoy each other's company. I'll always be my Daddy's little girl.

  On Wednesday, I spent the morning running errands with Dad. I spent my afternoon organizing all of my Premier jewelry because it was seriously all over my house. I still had not unpacked my jewelry from our cruise in November (horrible habit I have! I hate unpacking, I put it off as long as possible!) plus the new spring line had come in the mail too! It looked like Premier Designs exploded in our living room! I should have taken a picture. I'll get better at this blog thing, I swear!

  And now here we are...Thursday! And I am exhausted! I am not sure where the rest of the week went?! I feel like I have not accomplished ANYTHING! And my to do list...forget about it (insert your best mafia accent here). I seriously have not crossed off a single thing on my to do list this week. Remember how I told you that crossing things off makes me feel like I have found the solution to world peace, well the exact opposite happens when I don't cross anything off.  I feel like I have let the world down! Okay, okay so I probably only let myself down but man, it doesn't make me feel good.  

  And running/working out?! That hasn't happened this week either! The 2lbs that took me 3+ weeks to lose, they showed back up and I have only been off track for less than a week! I know most people would be able to just head to the gym today or tomorrow and be right on track again but not me!  I will now have to wait to get back on schedule on Sunday. Dang you OCD!

  So needless to say, I am feeling stressed because my to do list isn't getting done, feeling tired because I have not had a spare moment to think, feeling fat because I don't have the time or energy to workout. Its a vicious circle and I am my own worst enemy!

A little Inspiration

 Is it Sunday yet so I can press my reset button?

Showing my Love for all things Tom Brady and Patriots

  My love of Dane Cook and the Patriots comes together...

"Forget the Teblow pose. Fellas take a pic in your Tom Brady Uggs (borrow your gfs) in support of our Patriots." - Dane Cook

"If I'm the son of God, Tom Brady gotta be the guy's nephew"

Go Patriots!

Turn that Frown Upside Down

   "Oh poor me!" That's the attitude I started my day with!

  I woke up before the sun to drive my hot handsome husband to the airport.  Being half asleep had its benefits. The fact that my hubby was leaving for 2 months didn't completely register until my ride home when the sun was starting to peek up over the clouds. Don't get me wrong, I've been acting like a five year old stamping my feet and saying "I don't want you to go" in my best whining voice for over a week now! But reality hit on my drive home and I was convinced my hot handsome husband took all my motivation with him.

  I came home and crawled back into bed to watch some mindless TV. After an hour or so I realized I needed to change my attitude or this was going to be a long, unproductive 2 months. I needed to stop feeling bad for myself (and I didn't want others to feel bad either) because I'm not the one who had to leave everything/everyone behind. I get to stay in our beautiful home with our perfect fur baby here in gorgeous Charleston while my poor husband has to go to one of the most boring places in America: Altus, Oklahoma.  It was time to wrap up my pity party!

  And the BEST way to feel better about yourself...some pampering! Off to a mani and pedi I went! My day just kept getting better from there.  I came home to my very first package from BIRCHBOX!

  First of all I LOVE to receive things in the mail (hint, hint) and second I'm a little bit of a beauty product whore so Birchbox is just my thing. For $10 a month, you receive a box of beauty samples based on your beauty profile. I'm in love already.  January's theme is clarity! Included with my samples was a great little index card with ways to detox your mind, relationships, closet, diet and beauty cabinet! I can't wait to try out my new samples. I love the pale lavender-gray nail polish so much I was tempted to repaint my freshly manicured hands!

Yay for beauty samples!

  

  I finished my day with a delicious cupcake from Cupcake. I still can't kick my sweet addiction! Maybe printing this out and hanging it on my fridge will help:

  I am still looking for other suggestions on how to handle my sweets habit because I am sure I will start some serious emotional eating when I am REALLY missing my hot handsome husband! I already made sure I have ice cream in the house but it my defense, its light slow churned. AND I only ate half of my delicious dark chocolate coconut cupcake. Dark chocolate is good for you, right? I can keep the excuses coming to rationalize my sweet tooth. HELP ME!!

How can I resist this, especially when it has that cute little pink cupcake stamp on the bag?!

    

Tomorrow is a new day, with a new to do list!

Little Miss Motivated

    Well, its almost the end of the first week of the new year and so far so good. I have been going above and beyond my To Do List!

  My workout schedule has been right on track. I have been shaking my booty with some Just Dance on a daily basis and using a Couch to 5K plan to get back into running.  When I missed a day of running (it was too dang cold outside!), I woke up the very next morning, laced my running shoes up and hit the pavement! My hot handsome husband and beautiful fur baby even joined me this morning. The Froehlich Family will be in shape in no time!

  I've been eating better, except for maybe my sweet consumption! I CANNOT give up my sweets, no matter how much I try. I have willpower for lots of things but not that. If I don't give in to that temptation, bad things happen. Just ask my hot handsome husband!

  As a matter of fact, I had a craving for a baked good last night. At 10:15 PM I decided to whip up some homemade cookie dough. I used this base recipe from Picky Palate but I threw in some peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips because that's what I had on hand. I managed to make 6 decent sized cookies from this recipe. Oh but I forgot to tell you the best part. We didn't have any eggs in the house and I was DESPERATE for my baked goodies so I substituted milk. I had no idea if this would even remotely work but I knew for my hot handsome husband's safety I had to try. It was a success! The cookies cooked a lot quicker than suggested but they were oh so delicious! Any suggestions on how I can kick this sweet addiciton? Any and all advice is welcome.

  The house is clean (well except for the kitchen but that's on today's list and I will do it before I go to bed). I've been following a plan I found somewhere on the internet, most likely on Pinterest. Its supposed to only take 15 minutes a day but the woman who came up with this schedule obviously doesn't have a dog that sheds a small fur coat a day. Here is my adapted routine:

        Mondays: swiffer, vacuum and wash the floors.
        Tuesdays: dust
        Wednesdays: clean master bathroom and laundry
        Thursdays: clean guest bathroom (I plan to do this every other week because we don't use this bathroom much)
        Fridays: clean kitchen
        Saturdays: laundry
        Daily: make bed, put things away after we are done with them, rinse off dishes and put in dishwasher, put any clean dishes away

  I have to admit, this has made my life easier and happier. I am no longer spending a whole day cleaning. Plus, my back isn't killing me by the end of the day!

  I also started using this Declutter Calendar to organize our house. However, it is a little on the slow side for me. It's probably great for someone who works all day and has kids but I work evenings and only have an adorable fur baby. This week alone, I have organized my purses, belts, hats, wallets, clutches and scarves (a project in itself), all of our master bathroom cabinets and drawers, guest bathroom cabinet, linen closet, coat closet, pantry, junk drawers, utensil drawer, baking drawer, my recipes, our medicine and spice cabinets! Just a tad bit OCD! I'll post pictures of my organized master closet once its complete. Hopefully I can tackle that tomorrow while my hot handsome husband is at his sim (yes on a Saturday!).

Can you tell that I clean and organize like crazy when I am stressed? I guess my hubby's departure in 3 very short days is affecting me much more than I like to admit.

A disorganized mess gives me anxiety. A clean and organized home makes me happy.

Just call me Little Miss Motivated because I'm off to finish today's To Do List...

The Soundtrack of My Life

  Have you ever had one of those days when the radio (or Pandora) plays EXACTLY the songs you NEED to hear?  As I was getting ready for work last night, it was like Pandora was in my head! It played song after song bringing me right down memory lane. I absolutely LOVE how you can hear a song and you are instantly reminded about a memory, whether it be a specific person or an event.  Last night, I was reminded A LOT of Rhode Island and of all the people I have left behind and miss like crazy!

I started reminiscing about the summer before last when I went home for a little over a week and spent so much time with the ones I love. It truly was an amazing week that I think about often. At first the trip down memory lane made me smile but I quickly became sad and even started to shed some tears which is very frustrating when you are trying to put on eye makeup. 

  I seriously miss my not so little cousins! I don't think they even realize how much they mean to me. I would jump in the car right now and kick some serious booty if anyone hurt any one of them! I am so sad that I am missing all of them grow up. I am missing high school graduations, college graduations, birthdays, cheerleading competitions and so much more! It absolutely kills me! I'm starting to cry right now even thinking about it but as I look over at the picture hanging on my wall of all of us from my wedding I can't help but smile. I just hope they all think of me at least half as much as I think of them. I adore my not so little cousins!

Summer 2010

Summer 2010

What a good looking group of people!

 
  On a MUCH happier note, I will be seeing my beautiful cousin Jenni in just a few short months! She is coming to visit me the first week of May. I am beyond excited! The good news does not stop there! There is a good possibility that my cousin Jillie is coming to visit in March but that's still in the works (fingers crossed). Yay for visitors! I'm so happy I could burst! I may not let either of them leave once they get here!

Jenni and I

Jillie and I

 
  Being away from family is hard but it's all part of the military life. For now, I have my music, my pictures and my memories to get my through.

  What are some of the songs that bring you down memory lane?

My Newest Addicition

  Hi, my name is Crystal and I am addicted to Pinterest.  If you don't know what Pinterest is, OH MY GOODNESS, you are missing out! It is an online pinboard where you share (and steal) other peoples' ideas. I have attempted several new hair styles, a few recipes, some organizing tips and found an awesome pair of shoes that I just had to run to Dillard's and purchase! I sometimes find myself browsing through Pinterest for HOURS, no exaggeration! There are many nights I lay in bed and before I know it, its midnight. Sad but true story.

  So last night I attempted yet another Pinterest inspired project. I made these great ready made smoothie freezer packets. Lacey in Love came up with this idea and I just loved it! Check out her blog because she has much better instructions and pictures! The summed up, Crystal version is as follows: You freeze scoops of yogurt in a mini muffin pan and some sliced up bananas for a couple hours. I purchased the rest of my fruit frozen just to make my life easier. 

the ingredients

  After keeping everything in the freezer for as long as I could handle it, I assembled my bags. I put 4 frozen yogurt cups and about one and a half cups of fruit in each baggie. I mixed and matched different fruit combos. The end result was just as great as I imagined!

  This morning, I could not wait to enjoy a smoothie for breakfast. I dump all my ingredients in my blender and I'm ready to go (or so I thought)! As I struggled away, cursing my blender, my hot handsome husband (he is back from his trip, YAY!), lovingly watching me over my shoulder says, "I don't think the frozen yogurt is going to work. And you need some liquid." Now I HATE when people stand over my shoulder and watch me do something. That and because of the fact that I was already struggling, I made some smart remark back to him. But then I decided to go back to Lacey in Love and sure enough, you have to add milk or juice! Major fail on my part! And yes honey, you were right!

  My hot handsome husband is now home for 6 whole days!  We both have to work, he has a sim everyday before he's off to Altus and I of course work the complete opposite schedule but nonetheless, I am wicked excited to at least be in the same state as him for a few days. 

  My hot handsome husband returned back from his trip to Germany with wine which is my absolute favorite part about him going on trips. Hey, I have to have a bright side to my hubby leaving me all the time! Oh but my hubby didn't just come back with a bottle he came back with a case of Spatlese (panty dropper wine to my AF friends because its so good you drink the whole bottle and well, you get the point). When he gives me the case, he says "this should last you the year." Uh obviously my hot handsome husband does not know me too well because 12 bottles a wine WILL NOT last this girl a whole year! 

  On a positive note, my new wine bar that my hot handsome husband bought for me in Turkey is now filled (but probably not for long)!

  So, come on over! Enjoy a glass of wine (or even a smoothie) but not for another week because my hot handsome husband is home!

A Fresh New Start

  It's that time again, time for everyone to make their resolutions. But not me! If I even attempt to use the word resolution, I manage to break it before the day is through. I do however set goals. I know what you're thinking, but they are not the same! Okay maybe the two are very similar but I prefer to set goals rather than make a resolution. 

  I'll let you in a little quirk, I HAVE to start any new goal, idea, workout regime, etc on a Sunday.  It's my fresh start day (I may be a little OCD). You will not see this chic starting to eat healthy on a Wednesday! And guess what, this year just happened to start on, you guessed it, Sunday! Fate is stepping in telling me that 2012 is my year! And since my hot handsome husband will be gone for a large portion of the year, I think this is a great year to work on me! And not in a selfish way but a "make myself a better person" way.

  A few months back, I purchased myself a date book, solely on its layout and nothing else. Well, a few weeks ago (around the time I realized this year started on a Sunday) I took that date book out and really starting looking through it and made the decision that its going to be my goal/life to do book.  I have to admit, I LOVE lists (again, I might be a little OCD!)  When I cross something off my to do list I feel like I have found the solution for world peace.  I have already planned out the month of January, jotting down (in pencil of course) my workout routine, work schedule, cleaning/laundry schedule and organization plan (more on the last two at a later date, they are some new projects I am starting in 2012).

  But back to my date book, it is so inspirational. The cover says "Live with Intention" and that's exactly what I plan to do this year. I want to look back on this year and be proud of everything I accomplished and the person I shaped into. 

"May the longtime sun shine upon you, all love surround you and the sweet light within you guide your way on."

  And it gets better, each month has a new inpirational/motivational quote!  I have decided to set myself a new goal for each month. I figure that gives me 29 - 31 days to meet my goal! Now, I do have some year long goals, the normal eat healthier, get back into shape (in my defense I started back to running 2 full weeks before the new year started!), organize the house (I started this prior to 2012, too!), try more crafty projects and of course my favorite, live with intention!

Here is this month's motivation...

"Ah, there you are, you're beautiful!"

  It might be silly but I smiled when I read this, because even if it is only a calendar giving me a compliment, it still felt good. Which leads me to my first goal, to give someone (a friend, a coworker, a stranger) a compliment every day in the month of January because receiving a compliment makes people feel good. Don't you agree?

  So, what are your goals or resolutions?

New Year, New Blog

  I've been thinking about writing a blog for quite some time now. I decided that the first day of the new year is the perfect day to start...

  I had myself a low key New Year's Eve (thank you to all my wonderful Charleston friends who invited me to go out with them.) I wasn't able to spend it with my hot handsome husband (big bummer, thank you USAF!) so I did the next best thing. I cuddled on the couch with my favorite furry friend. Cheyenne and I lit a fire, put in a movie and enjoyed some wine. Okay, so maybe I was the only one drinking but I was nice enough to enjoy a glass for her!

 

doing some serious partying

 

 

 

 

 

seriously mom, all these pictures are getting a little ridiculous!

our beautiful fire

    

I have to admit, we were laying in bed by 11:15 PM but we did manage to stay awake to welcome in the new year. We watched the ball drop, I turned the TV off, texted a few people and was ready to roll over and got to bed but my neighbors had a different idea. 

  They had enough fireworks to put one of those roadside firework stands out of business. Oh and did I mention Cheyenne HATES doesn't care much for fireworks. She felt most comfortable sitting on my chest. I was crying from laughing so hard. Now yes, I felt horrible for my baby girl and I wanted to go storming over and be that grumpy neighbor, but it was hilarious to me that my 40lb dog felt that sitting on my chest was the best way for me to protect her! I just had to share this moment with my BFF (we live 932 miles apart, I mapquested it!).  I was sure glad I called her because I was the first person she talked to in 2012 (and vice versa).   As we finished our conversation, I thought to myself, I started this year with a good laugh and a chat with my BFF, this is going to be a GREAT year!

 

 

If you can't beat them, join them!

Welcome 2012! You have a lot to live up to but I look forward to what you have to bring! 

HAPPY (and HEALTHY) NEW YEAR TO YOU!