happy new year.

happy new year!

I spent most of the day yesterday reflecting, like all people do on new years eve and I came to the conclusion that 2014 was ok.

Just ok.

Not super-duper fantastical like I wish every year was. But not disappointingly disgusting and poopy like it could have been.

Here are my favorite highlights:

~ Rex. We started 2014 right by finding and being saved by this precious little cupcake of a pit bull. He definitely saved us as much if not more than we saved him.
~ We survived the frigid winter in Rexburg.
~ I graduated from college. Finally. With a bachelor's degree. yay me!
~ We left the icy tundra of Idaho for the beautiful beaches of California. (or close to the beaches)
~ Alex and I both got jobs relatively quickly after moving at Geekatoo and Target respectively.
~ I got the chance to spend a lot of time with my mother-in-law and just soak up the amazingness that she exudes. She's great. I'm lucky. I always laugh at things on the Internet that talk about "How to deal with your mother-in-law" because mine is fantastic.
~ We significantly decreased our debt and successfully figured out how saving money will work for us (trust me when I say that saving money works differently for everyone and we finally figured it out).
~ We had our first anniversary! I just love this guy so much and we went through a lot of crap during that first year that brought us much closer together.
~ We took a lot of trips. I went to Sacramento for my sister's bridal shower, Alex went to San Luis Obispo to visit friends multiple times, we both went to Sacramento for my sister's wedding and then to Texas to visit Alex's nana, and Alex went to Portland to scout out the city for our move.
~ We finalized our feelings and plans to move to Portland (even if it was just in our own minds and not on paper, it was still a good feeling).
~ We got to spend all the holidays with family.
~ We road-tripped to Reno to spend a Christmas weekend with my family and had a blast. We were pretty spoiled by everyone.
~ I quit my job at Target. It was a blessing.
~ We found an affordable apartment in Portland and signed a contract just three days before the new year!

There is a lot of not so good stuff that happened too, like running out of money and not having jobs for a while, but this good stuff is actually really good.

So here is to making 2015 a lot better and with a lot more adventures!!

lists.

I am a constant list maker. The Notes app in my phone is full of lists that I've made about everything. I have daily task lists, Christmas lists, book lists, movie lists, travel lists, food lists, recipe lists, grocery lists, quote lists. You name it, and I've probably put it in a list.

I have noticed that as the holiday season has gotten underway in the past few weeks, and I have picked up a lot more hours at work, my list making has increased. It's not just because of Christmas gift buying and preparations for moving in a few months. I realized that when I have days off from work I rarely get anything done if I don't have a list. So I constantly make new daily task lists so that my days off aren't spent mulling over what needs to get done and when and instead are spent actually crossing items off my list. I am highly motivated by the cross-out (I made epic homework lists for school and Alex would constantly make funny of me when I would smile and scribble an assignment out. He also endlessly mocked me when I forgot my hardcopy lists at home and would make him send me a picture. Then I would make a list of the items I needed to cross off my hardcopy list when I got home. My life is an endless cycle of lists and crossing off).

For me, lists create a sense of calm and structure, since I can't really rely on my mind for either of those. Lists also help increase my personal feelings of self-worth and self-esteem. It's much easier to feel good about myself when I spend a day off from work doing things like laundry, shopping, and gift making instead of watching TV and painting my nails (though both of those things are sometimes included in my lists).

My Tuesday list:
Finish making christmas presents
wrap presents
laundry
vacuum
last gift shopping (components)

Obviously my lists make much more sense to me than anyone else, but that's all that matters right?

thanksgiving.

My thanksgiving this year was spent staring at this beautiful view, eating a lot of delicious food that I did not have to cook, and laughing and having fun with family. Alex's family is awesome and I always have a good time when we get around them.

My grateful list:

~ laughter
~ beautiful views
~ someone else cooking dinner (and cleaning up!)
~ having a job. and not having to work black thursday!
~ my wonderful husband who always works so hard for our family
~ rex. mainly because he's cute and cuddly
~ all of my family and alex's family for being supportive and loving

california.

I am a california girl. Born and raised. For the past five years I have spent the winter months in Idaho at school. The snow and cold were fun for a minute before I missed the California winters.

This year I get to spend the winter in California and I am so happy. Here are a few of my favorite things about California winters.

~ fresh fruit readily available

~ cloudy beach days

~ cold meaning 55 degrees

~ being able to wear light layers of clothing and be warm enough (no need for huge heavy jackets!)

~ the sun still shines and you can actually feel its warmth

~ regardless of the warm weather, still being able to enjoy holiday things like hot chocolate and Christmas tree lots. You don't need snow and icy wind to enjoy those!

gratitude.

I have had a rough little while the past few weeks. Just stress and discomfort and a little sadness come my way that I've had to deal with. Nothing too serious but enough all at the same time to just wear me down. In the past I always noticed that when I was helping other people or very aware of my personal blessings, it was a lot easier to deal with stress and other issues. So here's a list of some things I'm grateful for:

1. My husband. Alex is amazing at making me feel good about myself and helping to defuse situations. I am a high stress individual and he is very calm. We have a nice balance.

2. Rex. This little baby dog is wonderful. He is so cuddly and sweet. Anytime of day he has a way of making everything ok with his goofy smile and sweet kisses.

3. My mom. She is a gem. Even from a different state she is always looking out for me and Alex and makes sure that we are ok.

4. My job. I am grateful to have a job and the ability to work.

And...

Cold weather

Sunshine

Freedom

Books

Cozy beds

The holiday season

Laughter

Juice

Caramel apple lollipops 

Sales and clearance items

Food

Hugs

Walks

Health

Love

Inspirations

Fresh mown grass

manic monday.

Monday's always seem to get me down. Working retail means that I don't have set weekends. Actually it usually means that I always work weekends and I have random days off during the week. Even with that, I still get down on Mondays. To combat this I usually make a mental list of things to look forward to, things I love, things that inspire me, things that excite me to get me through the Monday and on to the Tuesday which is somehow easier.

1

≈ Halloween is in two weeks. I love Halloween because I love to see the creative costumes and treats.
≈ The in-laws are throwing a kickass annual Halloween party this Saturday that I have never been  
    around for, so it is bound to be a lot of fun.
≈ For said annual Halloween party, I am making cupcakes. I love cupcakes. And I am trying to eat a
   little healthier recently, so a splurge on delicious cupcakes is much needed.
≈ I only work one more day this week! Boo for my next paycheck…but yay for my sanity!
≈ We are having a date night this week and seeing the movie Gone Girl. I read the book and was so
    torn because I loved the whole book until the ending. The end just killed me. But my sister said the
    movie is amazing so now I have to go.
≈ I just started the last Harry Potter book, after having finished the other six over the past two and a
   half weeks. This is time number…a million…that I am reading the series. I like Harry Potter a lot.
≈ My next weeks work schedule is jam packed with hours so I can finally feel busy again after the
   hours cutbacks of the past six weeks.
≈ The weather is cooling down and the nights are getting crisper. That means sweaters, cuddling, hot
    apple cider, and thick wool socks are on their way!!!

Happy manic monday!

texas.

We had the opportunity to go to Texas last weekend to visit my husband's grandmother. Neither of us had ever been to Texas so it was nice to be able to experience it all together. We were in the very small town (population 3,338) of Winnsboro. 

A few things I noticed:

≈ The sky is bigger in Texas. I do not know why exactly, but it is. I think it was especially noticeable 

    because of the small town we were in. No big buildings, no towering skyscrapers, no mountains 

    blocking the horizon. It was really crazy to see so much sky and so many clouds unencumbered by 

    buildings and towers. 

≈ With the sky being bigger, the sun was also brighter. So much California smog and pollution has 

    clouded my view of the sun apparently. Texas has shown me exactly how bright the sun is and how 

    much I appreciate my prescription sunglasses. Such a lifesaver. 

≈ Apparently the saying "Everything's bigger in Texas" is just plain true.

≈ Everything is deep fried. Fish, okra, zucchini, chicken, steak, shrimp, frog legs, onions, potatoes, 

   PIE. It was the pie that threw me off. I saw it on every menu we looked at and I never had the 

   courage to ask what that meant. I think I was afraid they would make me try it and I would like it. 

   Oh, Paula. 

≈ Some of Texas is green! It's not all tumble weeds and dry air. We were seriously misinformed and 

   shocked at all the green trees and grass.

≈ People can be really friendly. Everyone we met was so welcoming and curious about who we were. 

   It was nice to feel listened to and welcomed in every situation. I liked the southern hospitality.

≈ The weather is wonderful. Storms and lightning. Sunshine and sweat. Clouds for days. I liked that.

It was a good trip. Fun to see family and meet some family for me and fun to experience a new state. This little trip did spark the travel bug for us. If only our little dog bug could always come with us.