New Day, New Year, New Decade....same old resolutions!

Amazingly, I just realized that this New Year's will also mark a brand new decade. Since I was born in 1980, I've been lucky to celebrate the end of every decade of my life along with the rest of the world.  


Other than losing my job and a very dear friend (both to reasons I still don't understand), 2010 was a really great year for me - I got engaged in NYC, completed a sprint triathlon in NC, celebrated my 30th birthday in Costa Rica, went to Vegas for my bachelorette party with some of my best friends, had a bridal shower in my hometown with more of my best friends, got married in SC (and gained a whole new family) and went on an amazing honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean! 


This year also brought the end of my 20's and now I'm looking forward to what my 30's will bring.  In preparation, I've made a few goals for the new year.  I rarely stick to these things but maybe putting them out into the universe (instead of on a piece of paper stuck in my undies drawer) will help me keep on track.  

1. Spend more time with family and friends (I say, and mean, this every year but I'm such a recluse in the winters that it always gets put on hold until spring)

2. Lose the wedding weight.  I gained 10 lbs. almost overnight when we got married...the all-you-can-eat honeymoon cruise certainly didn't help!

3. Don't give up on my passions - travel, practice yoga, play golf and run as often as possible (In short, stop being so lazy!  I'll set more defined goals on these soon...)

4. Have a baby - or at least start the process :) 

5. Finally find a job that MEANS something to me (and in the meantime, find a job)

6. Teach myself to cook (better)


7. Use coupons (save $$ wherever possible)


8. Write (this one should be easier since I've finally started a blog but I've always wanted to write a book so hopefully I can get some practice in on that too)


9. Send birthday cards to all loved ones


10. Be happy!




I realize they're very general, but you gotta start somewhere.  What are your resolutions/goals?  Good luck to you whatever they are! 

The End

Today is my last official day of work.  It's been quite a journey since I found out that I would lose my job at the end of the year.  Now that the end is finally here, I feel just a little bit better about things.  I'm still lost...but at least I've begun the process.  


Tomorrow is a new day, year, decade!

Inspiration

Two of my dear friends got engaged last week so I've been all over Etsy looking for a cute gift for them.  In my efforts, I came across this - 

In my world of unknowns, it really speaks to me.  Just had to share.  

Travel Tuesday

This weekend, we went to Houston to celebrate Christmas with Kris' family.  He grew up there and his entire family still lives there so it ended up being one BIG party all weekend.  


Obviously, we had a great time - and even snuck in a little golf!  The nice weather and cheap housing sparked an ongoing conversation in our home....when are we moving to Texas?? 


I'm not a huge fan of Houston, but I adore Austin.  It's so beautiful and filled with unique, interesting people...it seems everyone has a story.  While the conversation continues in our house, I figured we could review pics from a trip we took last spring...I'm sure we'll figure it out one day!


One of the most famous things about Austin (other than the need to "keep it weird") are the food trucks.  It was a quick trip, but we took it upon ourselves to try as many breakfast tacos as we could possibly fit in! 

Then we rented some bikes from Mellow Johnny's and made our way to Barton Springs for a quick dip.  Located in Zilker's Park, Barton Springs is a natural swimming hole where hundreds flock on warm days. 
  

That evening we did some quick shopping on SoCo (my fave shop was Mayastar - the cutest clothes and accessories!) and then made our way out to the famous BBQ joint - The Salt Lick.  No reservations, you just show up and get on the waiting list and then hang out in the BYOB section (shown in the pics below) until it's your turn to eat.  

It was so quick of a trip but we had a great time.  Can you imagine spending every weekend like this?  I'm so jealous of the warm weather!!

Wedding Wednesday

I loved planning my wedding so much that I've thought a lot recently about becoming a wedding planner.  I've got so many ideas floating around my head but I just have absolutely no idea how to go about actually making a career change like that.  


While I explore the possibilities, let's look back at some of the details from my fabulous wedding!


My shoes were my favorite accessory - I got them from here. 

Nearly all of the wedding paper items came from Etsy as well - my place cards, escort cards, menus, table numbers and programs all came from this awesome lady. 

So did these awesome weekend itineraries (which we put in everyone's welcome bag)

In fact, since everyone traveled to Kiawah for our destination wedding, we handed out welcome bags to make them feel more at home and introduce them to the local flavor.  Palmetto beer and handmade items from Charleston's market (like spice blends and the most fabulous pralines from River Street Sweet).  Once on the island, my mom, grandmother and little sis helped me put them together.  Here we are getting creative :) 

  
Wow, there are so many more details I want to share...more next week!

Travel Tuesday

In the spirit of remembering what's important to me, I've deemed Tuesdays to be "Travel Tuesday".  It's my plan to post a weekly travelogue of past, present and future adventures.


Perhaps one of the most important places to me in the entire world is Kiawah Island, SC.


When my family and I started visiting over 20 years ago, it had just started to grow into what it has become today.  As a child it was a place where my younger sister and I could run free, meet new friends at Kamp Kiawah and search for alligators and starfish.  Every summer (and most imaginable holidays) were spent roaming from one end of the 10 mile long island to the other - a constant adventure. 

As a teenager, the adventures continued.  We met new friends at Night Heron pool, went to icecream socials and teen dance parties.  In college, my friends and I would come down for spring break (or any break we got) and enjoy the change of pace from busy college life. 

As an adult, it's been a place to reconnect with my family, ride bikes for hours and play golf while marveling at the scenery.  Last year, I finally got the chance to introduce Kris to Kiawah.  Although it has changed a lot from my childhood (including the addition of a 5 star hotel - The Sanctuary).  A lot of it's original charm is still in place.  Here are some pics from Kris' first trip -  

To me, it's more "home" than the small town I grew up in.  It's peaceful quiet and natural beauty continue to inspire me and offer much needed serenity.  


In fact, I love it so much that we got married there a couple months ago! (more on that later)

Who am I?

I have always been the kind of person who defines herself by her interests, hobbies and loved ones.  So, a couple weeks after being let go, I was very surprised to see how much of my self worth I had wrapped into losing my job.  A job I didn't even like.  

In interest of reminding myself what else makes me who I am, I've compiled a list of things that are important to me (and of which will likely make a lot of appearances on here!). 

1. Family - my family grew quite a bit when I got married a couple months ago! Immediately, it includes my awesome hubby Kris and our two pup babies (Jazz and Max). 

2. Travel - I'm so lucky to have found someone who likes to travel as much as I do.  I don't care what else is going on in life, it's always been important for me to get out and explore the world.  Over the past ten years, Kris and I have been to some really amazing places (and I'll be posting a lot of those trips soon).  Right after we got engaged last year, we went to the most amazing resort - Nayara Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. The volcano erupts every evening and is just incredible.  This was the view...from bed!

3. Yoga - I have found that the ability to return to the mat, take a deep breath and relax has been a lifesaver through this new transition.  Here's a pic of my training buddies when I did Teacher Training at Tranquil Space in Dupont Circle a few years ago. 

4. Running/Triathlons - A few years ago Kris and I decided to train for a half marathon in Miami, FL.  Neither one of us had ever run over 3 miles and the training was intense but well worth it.  It has bonded us and brought us together through tough times.  Since then, I've come back to running many times when I need to clear my head (or lose a few pounds).  Here we are right before the first race in Miami.  

I come from a family of athletes - Mom is an Ironman, Dad does 100 mile bike races for fun.  Here's my first attempt at a triathlon with my Mom - the Ramblin Rose Women's Sprint in Chapel Hill, NC. 

5. Golf - Since Kris first started teaching me how to play (over 5 years ago), I've gotten progressively better and better.  Now, it's a big part of how we spend the weekend during the warmer seasons....unfortunately, it's too cold to play golf in DC year round!  Here I am in Vegas last winter. 

More to come!