In 2015:

I'm really terrible at resolutions, like REALLY terrible. I never follow through. So instead of setting myself up for failure every year, I tend to just NOT set any. But then at the end of the year I always feel like I haven't accomplished very much. So, this year instead of setting myself up for failure with a list of things that I have to accomplish in 365, I've thought of some things that I'd like to do this year. If they don't get done, no harm no foul, if they get done, go. me.


1. Manage Spending: Roland and I are pretty lucky with well paying jobs (mostly him). But we don't manage it well, at all. When we were saving for our wedding we buckled down and budgeted like nobody's business, but after the wedding was all paid for and the honeymoon was over and we got back to the everyday-ness, it didn't seem as urgent to stick to the budget. 3 months later, our savings account stays the same, and our spending habits haven't changed (mostly me).

2. Pay off debt: The main reason why I want to manage our spending better, so we can pay off more of our debt. Most of it is credit card debt, but there's also a nice sized student loan and some hospital things that I'd at least like to see shrink. This one we'll probably set a specific goal to meet by the end of the year so we have something to work toward.

3. Take a vacation: Another reason I want to manage our spending. This year there's a lot happening, my brother graduates from PJ (parajumper... he jumps out of helicopters and planes and trucks.... pretty much anything that moves.... maybe he has a career as a stunt double in his future) school. Roland and I are planning to go down for that and hopefully visit with some friends that live there as well. Mine and Roland's 1 year anniversary is this year and we'd both like to do something special for that. I'm voting for a cruise! But I'd like to be able to save for that so we don't go on a vacation and then come back with no money, because that's always stressful and bills DON'T go on vacation.

4. Read more: In 2014 I started reading earlier in the year, but then it kind of died off. Towards the end of the year I picked up a couple more books, I'd forgotten how relaxing it is to just sit on the couch and get lost in someone else's world and in your own imagination. So I'm doing the Goodreads 2015 challenge and I set myself up to read 50 books this year. I've already read 2 this week, so I think I'm on a roll.

5. Move: I hate our town house. Sure when we moved in it was great, more room, people could come over and hang out in the living room without also being in the bedrooms and kitchen. We loved it. But two years later and 600 trips up the TWO flights of stairs later, we're tired of it. And Toby's tired of it. Granted this one we don't have as much control over. It's more something I hope happens in 2015.

6. Declutter: If we're going to move I don't want to move all the crap we never use with us. AND all the unopened wedding presents....

7. Last but not least, Do something Creative: I'm currently taking a stab at making my own printouts for a family binder with a budget section, an emergency section, meal planning/grocery section... We'll see how this goes.

Those are just some main things I'm hoping to accomplish this year.

Happy 2015! (7 days later)

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2014! It seems like just yesterday I was trying to  make my two's look like three's.
This is going to be a year of wedding craziness. This week I asked my mom to send me a list of her ideal guest list -her family and friends, my dad's family and friends etc.- as soon as I opened that email and attempted to download the file, I realized I had made a grave mistake. My mother -who should have been a politician she knows so many people- the social butterfly, had made a list of everyone she'd ever known it seemed like. Under the family column, there were people I've never heard of, much less met.... but I digress.

I've never really been a resolution's type of person. I pretty much set myself up for failure by coming up with resolutions that I know will never happen. My best friend is a goal driven person, she always sets crazy resolutions, and sticks to them. In high school she set resolutions to not drink soda and to not eat fries, she followed through with both of them, and she still to this day doesn't eat fries and only drinks soda once in a blue moon. She's crazy goal driven.

So this year, instead of having resolutions that I'll never accomplish and have to "re-set" in 364 days, I'm going to pick some specific things -that I've been procrastinating- to better myself.

1. I'm going to stop picking at my cuticles. This one has been a long time coming. I've been picking my cuticles since I can remember. I get told its out of anxiety or whatever, but when I have my gel nails on, I don't pick. -possible because they're harder to grasp, besides the point- so this year, Roland will have a pretty hand to hold.

2. "getting healthy": This is a cheater one/two fold. I'm getting married in October, so I have to be healthy anyways to make sure I fit my dress -that I've already had for a couple months- that and Roland is eating healthy and I buy our groceries -we're usually together, but I like to think that I'm the final say- so our fridge is packed with yogurt, apples, and spinach -not to be eaten together mind you-

3. To relax: I get overwhelmed easily -I'm sure that's part of why my skin is always seeking revenge in the chin area- seriously though, more than 4 things going on at once, I can't handle well.. The day will end, a new one will begin, and it'll be ok. That's what I have to keep telling myself.

4. Obviously to blog more, I've really come to enjoy having a place to go and share the same interests with so many different people.

5. This isn't a goal, but it will better myself. I get to marry my best friend, my better half, this year, and I couldn't be more excited! I'm so ready to be married to him, so I can tell him I don't care if my cold feet are annoying him, he can't do anything about it. :) Just kidding, but seriously I'm so excited to spend my life with him!

Well that's it, my hopes for 2014. What are some of your goals or resolutions?

Happy New Year!