New Year's Eve, New Years Resolutions, & Taking Inventory

We did absolutely nothing on New Year's Eve. In fact, I think the exact play by play involved eating dinner, browsing the web, and playing video games.We were so socially exhausted and plain worn out from the fab Christmas holidays, that going out was so unappealing. We did surprisingly manage to stay up to watch the Ball Drop at midnight on the West Coast. And it may or may not have just been in my imagination, but I swear Mayor Bloomberg looked terrified of Lady Gaga, and Lady Gaga hit the button to drop the ball a second too early. 

I didn't realize that this New Years Eve was spent almost identical to the last New Year's Eve, until I was doing my 2011 recap. Oye Vay. We are not totally turning into old fogeys yet I don't think, and we've sure had some amazing New Year's Eves in the past. We've spent New Year's Eves watching fireworks on the beach, and New Year's Eve partying with friends in beautiful rooms at resort hotels. So I guess we will just have to make up for the last two years by making the next New Year's Eve uber dazzling.

The one thing I love about New Years is making goals and resolutions, I just can't help myself. I know that everyday is technically a day you can use to start over and try to better yourself, but there is just something that feels so fresh, new, and hopeful about a New Year.

Last year, I simply resolved to do 5 items off my life list, and I actually did it. I was able to learn to make sushi, take my mother on vacation, tour the winchester mystery house, see a broadway play on broadway, and pay off my credit cards. So you know, Yay Me!

This year I resolve to:

1. Try a New Recipe Every Month.

I really love cooking and baking and giving new things a whirl. So I just wanted to commit myself to trying new things. They can be simple recipes or complicated ones (but I refuse to to be intimidated by harder recipes).  And no matter what the results, I will not apologize for making mistakes and just enjoy the process.

2. Work on Expanding my Wardrobe and being more Fashionable.

I have never had much of a fashion sense, and have never had a lot of clothes. Because I will be job hunting and working in a professional atmosphere this year, I want to work on developing my own sense of style. So I'm talking the whole nine yards-more dresses, more shoes, and more jewelry.  And learning how to match them all!

3. Get My Scrapbook Up to Date. 

I've done a lot with the scrapbook this year, but I want to work on getting all the back pages complete so that it will be really simple to keep up with in the future.

4. Complete the Couch to 5k.  

I don't like to make weight loss goals, but I think fitness goals are good. And I've always wanted to be able to run a bit, and I've done well with the couch to 5k before. So this is as good of a plan as any!

5. Land a Job in the Counseling Field.

As excited as I am to graduate and as tired of school as I am, and believe me I'm really tired of school (the other day I was bribing myself like a dog to get my homework done), I am terrified. Terrified, I won't be able to get a job, and then my school loans will come due, and then we will go broke and then we will lose our house, and become homeless and end up on the streets. You think I'm kidding, but I'm totally not kidding.  These are the thoughts that go through my head on a daily basis.

6. Quit Cussing.

I wouldn't say I cuss a lot, but it has gotten somewhat worse since I started working with the teenagers last year at the rehab, they just rub off on you. I don't necessarily have an issue with people cussing, but I don't think it is the best way to communicate, or how I want to express myself. So I'm trying to put a stop to it, I've enlisted the help of people at work and Adam to call me out on it, and it is already getting better.

7. Live Pinterest!

I'm as obsessed with pinterest as the rest of the blogging world is (follow me here). But I rarely do the things that I pin, so I want to do at least 6 projects from pinterest this year. That can be anything from there that inspires me: recipes, crafts, or travel.

8. One Top Secret Resolution.

I have something very special in mind, but I can't share it because it is for people who read this blog, and I don't want to ruin the surprise! But I will share it once the mission is complete.

9.  Accept Compliments.

I have always had the bad habit of negating a compliment when someone says something nice to me. If someone tells me I look pretty, I might say I'm having a bad hair day, etc. But I want to learn to accept compliments about myself. Plus, it is annoying to other people when you don't accept a nice thing they say to you.

10. Stop Biting My Nails.

It is a bad habit. It is kind of gross. I want long, beautiful nails. Enough said.

Song of the Day: My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year) by Regina Spektor