challenging myself.

So I was looking at something fun to do next year for my blog to document my memories in a fun, fresh way.  I have decided on the 52 week project that I've seen Bleubird do in the past on her blog.  I'm really excited about it and think it will be a great memory maker.  However, since I don't have any kids, this will be a 52 week project of Andrew and myself in our daily lives.  I am confident that I can stick to this since it's only 104 photos of the year between the two of us.  I usually do horrible with photo challenges on instagram so here's hoping this pet project gets a better outcome (fingers crossed).

organizing 2015.

Guess what came in the mail the other day?!  My Whitney English 2015 Day Designer.  For those of you who don't know I LOVE a good planner. I NEED a good planner in my life.  I make lists for my lists and then have mini lists of post-it's on top of those.  Imagine post-it notes as far as the eye can see… stuck on my desk, on my desktop calendar, on my computer monitors, on my travel planner for work, on my dashboard in the car, etc.  Making lists (for pretty much everything) keeps me on track and sane when life gets a little hectic.  So I started looking for a planner last month and I wanted to find the PERFECT one because (1) I love planners and (2) life has gotten really busy and I needed to be able to store work, home, blogging reminders, wedding planning, and "life" things all in one organized, pretty place.

My coworkers laugh at me and my color coding system, but I will admit I do enjoy making lists and planning.  Anywho, back to the my Day Designer… The most unique part about this planner is that it starts with worksheets to fill out at the beginning of the year that will help you identify values, set goals, and track progress.  The worksheets push you to think about what you truly want to accomplish in the next year, then give you a place to record those thoughts and revisit at any time.

After the worksheets at the front of the Day Designer, there is plenty of room to plan for day-to-day activities.  At the beginning of the each month, there is a Month-At-A-Glance section, with a full calendar and space for long-term planning.  Finally, each day of the year has its own full page.  Some people (like me) need that room to spread out, doodle with Sharpie pens, and make some big plans.  These daily pages include lines for every hour (5am-9pm), as well as space for a to-do list, dinner planning, budget tracking, etc.  There's even room to record a Daily Gratitude in the bottom corner.

So here's to a new year of new beginnings of organizing 2015.

Until next time...

holiday happenings.

1. Santa visited.

2. Playing around with the color effects on my camera.

3. Baked goods.

4. Dad cutting the ham.

5. Free food.

6. My favorite holiday dish.

7. Chance and his new toy.

8. My lovely mom and her baby, Charlie.

9. My brother got some new clothes.

10. Dad opening gifts.

11. My face expresses my happiness.

12. Charlie boy and his newest victim.

13. Someone had too much ham.

14. Cannot wait to start using this.

15. Andrew: What's this for? Me: It has numerous uses. Andrew: *eye roll*

16. My new storage unit.

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas holiday with their families and friends.  We had a wonderful, low key Christmas this year and even though the weather was quite dreary, it was still nice to have everyone together for the holiday.  We ate tons of sweets, watched ALL our favorite Christmas movies, and opened our gifts on Christmas Eve since I had to work on Christmas Day.  I feel like I say this every year, but Christmas flew by this year.  I always get this melancholy feeling the day after and was talking to my friend (Sarah) about it and was glad to find out I wasn't the only one missing the holiday spirit that seems to loom in the air the month of December.  People are always a little kinder, a little nicer, and little more giving.  I should aim to be that way more often throughout the year (I know, everyone says that. lol). But you never know… New Year, New Beginnings.

Until next time...

New York is always a good idea.

 

1. Celebrating our 30th Birthday in New York City.
2. Not letting the rain (or the cold) slow me down.
3. Street vendors.
4. Got to meet this little cutie finally.
5. Old friends.
6. We don't see each other enough.
7. !!!
8. Optical illusion.
9. Empire State Building.
10. Top of the world.
11. Postcard view.
12. This view doesn't suck.
13. 102nd floor.
14. I love places that make you realize how tiny you and your problems are.
15. My first Broadway play.
16. "Maybe this time..."
17. Lady Liberty.
18. Lovely sunset on the way back in.
19. These colors.
20. Sarah and Blake.
21. Central walks.
22. Too cold to play.
23. You're gorgeous mother nature.
24. Lost.
25. Ground Zero.


So, I decided to go to New York City last minute with my friends Sarah and Blake to ring in the new decade of our lives. It was such a fun, jam packed experience and I'm so glad we were able to go (even though the weather was dreary).  We walked the entire Brooklyn Bridge in the rain, we went ice skating at Rockefeller Center (where I saw Ruper Grint... still can't get over it), saw Emma Stone and Alan Cummings in Cabaret, went to the Serendipity store while Sarah and Blake did a food tour in Chelsea, did the tour of the Empire State Building, paid our respects at Ground Zero, and caught up with our friend Emily... who we haven't seen since we went there four years ago.  We also went to this really neat diner called "Ellen's Stardust Diner" where the waiters and waitresses sing while you eat.  The whole trip was definitely one for the books.  I love New York City so much!  I appreciate the birds flying above me, people running around, blue skies, etc... I never wanted to leave. I love to explore, to document, to observe the world around me, take notes, collect things I find on my travels, and accumulate experiences. 

I often think of the quote from the movie Tuck Everlasting... "Don't be afraid of death; Be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to life forever, you just have to life.".  I drive a crappy car and don't live in the nicest apartment, but that's ok with me cause I would rather use my money for travel.  It's the best education you will ever get.  The unknown. Different races, different styles, different actions... different surroundings.  Go and explore.

Until next time...

fall break.

1. I get it from my mother.
2. Your typical fall picture.
3. "Some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies."
4. We went antiquing. 
5. My little cousin gutting her pumpkin.
6. My mother capturing the moment. 
7. Some of my cousins are camera shy.
8. My beautiful mother.
9. I like to hug trees in my spare time. 
10. The good witch.  
11. Trick or treating.
12. I scare easily.
13. My lovely cousins. 
14. Cute little town of Senoia, Georgia.
15. Lovely store we stumbled upon.
16. We like alleyways.
17. Couldn't resist. 
18. I'm incapable of being cool.


Two blog posts in one night because I don't have to go to work till late tomorrow (lucky me). After my trip to Disneyworld, I met up with my mother in Atlanta so we could spend the week with our cousins.  

We did so many fun things while we were there… we went antiquing, on a hayride, shopping at IKEA (per our usual), went wine tasting, more shopping, went to a German festival, and trick-or-treating.  We always cram a lot into our visits when we are there and they have so many things to do that we don't have available where I live.  I look forward to spending Halloween with them again next year hopefully.  After we left Atlanta we made a quick pit stop in Senoia, Georgia to check out where they filmed the Walking Dead.  They had so many cute (but overpriced) shops there.  It was definitely one of those quirky towns you would want to stay the night in so you could spend the day exploring. Maybe another time…