It's still January! It's not too late! Part 2.

I just checked the calendar and good news, there are still five more days left in January!  That means I have just enough time to get my New Year Resolutions posted!  So here we go:

Eat out less.  If I had to pick one goal for 2011, this would be it.  I'm almost one month into the year and so far, so good!  My boyfriend informed me that in order to be a good resolution, it must be quantifiable.  I'm not going to decide how many times I am allowed to eat at restaurants, because with my job and my amazingly cool social life, it's impossible.  And who knows where I will be when I get hungry!  So here's the rule:  I will not be eating lunches out unless I am meeting someone.  This might not be a big thing for most of you, but when you work out of your car, it's so much easier to stop by Panera or Tropical Smoothie to grab a bite than it is to pack a lunch or head back home to eat.  You know, $5 here and $10 there for lunches add up quickly!  And by the way, do we really know what kind of ingredients are in these quick meals?  No.  So this year, lunches will be home made unless I have a lunch date (business or personal!)  

Get organized, and stay organized.  You should see my car!!  That was my first step toward organization in 2011!  It is amazing.  All of my work stuff is organized in my new, colorful Target boxes.  And my back seat is empty of all the random clutter that I had been carrying around for all of 2010.  Next on the list is my bedroom and desk, my laundry, and my closet.  Stay tuned.

Learn more about my camera.  I love my camera and I love taking pictures... now I just want to learn more about it!

Be generous.  I'm not really sure what to call this one, but for the year of 2011, when I buy new clothes, I have to get rid of old clothes.  I have drawers of t-shirts that I love because they are comfy or they have sentimental value I suppose.  Some of these I haven't worn in a while, but I just can't seem to part with them.  So this year, like I said, if I buy a new shirt, I will donate an old one. Simple enough.

Be honest and say what's on my mind.  Communication is key, to almost everything.  Looking back on last year I realize that all of the (little bit) of drama that occurred was because people didn't actually communicate what was on their minds.  Myself included.  So this year, even if it's something awkward or tough to say, I'm going to say it.  Brace yourself.  :)

Focus on work.  With the job I have, I HAVE to be focused on work, or it will get out of hand and I won't make any sales.  But this year I really want to strive for higher numbers and more events.  Whether it's warranties or weddings, I need to stay focused, meet more people, and get more gigs.

Travel.  I know this shouldn't be a resolution because it is typically a given in my life.  But at this point, it is almost February and I don't have a single trip on the radar.  I was supposed to be going to Haiti but that didn't pan out.  I'd like to go to Australia to visit the Kaufmanns.  I'd like to go out west to see those giant redwood trees.  A tropical beach would be amazing.  Decisions decisions.  Time to get one or more on the calendar!

So there ya have it.  What are your resolutions for 2011?

It's still January! It's not too late! Part 1.

It is January 20th.  *30 days in September, April, June and November...*  Okay, so there are 11 more days left to the first month of 2011.  It is not too late to type out my new year resolutions to make them valid!  Last year I wrote about what my 2010 goals were... before I tell you this year's goals,  Let's reminisce. 

2010 Resolution 1:  Be More Positive.  Check.  I would say, overall, that I did pretty good with that one.  I mean, it's a hard thing to say "yes you did it" or "nope, not at all" when you can't quantify it.  That was probably a bad resolution, should've been more specific, some how...

2010 Resolution 2:  Stand Up for Myself.  Check.  Oh boy.  Little did I know the night that I wrote my resolutions that 2010 would be the year for Suz's self empowerment.  I kicked ass at this resolution.  I got in my first ever yelling fight with someone (other than my sister!) where I stormed out of a hotel room, slamming the door behind me.  Only to realize that I forgot my shoes, so I had to go back and knock on the door.  All that over the subject of Communication Studies (yeah, I was a proud nerd that night).  I stood up for myself when it came to business ventures, and especially business ventures with my family.  It was a hard thing to do, and sometimes I felt horrible doing it, but in the end everything worked out and I was much happier because I put myself and my beliefs first.

2010 Resolution 3:  Beat Brenda's Sales Numbers.  Fail.  This is quantitative and can easily be calculated.  And I failed. It was a tough year in the real estate world.  Womp Womp.

2010 Resolution 4:  Walk Chloe & Maybe Agility.  This was kind of a fail as well.  I definitely didn't do the agility with her, but not because I didn't want to... because I didn't have the money.  2010 was a rough financial year for me.  We had to cut costs where we could, and dog agility wasn't even on the radar.  We did walk around the neighborhood more often, but not enough (in my opinion, and definitely not in Chloe's opinion I'm sure!) to consider this a successful resolution.  

2010 Resolution 5:  Go to the gym.  Check.  I can proudly say, that this one actually happened!!  I have been really great about waking up early for trainings on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  I lost a bit of weight, gained a lot more muscle than I had before (I was completely unaware at how weak I was before!) and have made it much more of a habit.  I had a "dry spell" in there for a while when I was dealing with a ton of knee troubles, but I'm getting past it, and still doing a bit of physical therapy, working the "step," and maybe a bit of foam rolling. ;)

2010 Resolution 6:  Stop Breaking My Teeth.  Check.  I can honestly say that I did not break a tooth one time *knock on wood* this past year OTHER THAN January 1, when I wrote that blog post.  So way to go. I had a lot of close calls, and even think I might have a slight chip on the back of one tooth now (from chloe last week) but it's not broken, so HA!  Success!

2010 Resolution 7:  Continue Writing.  Check.  I guess I did okay with this one.  I did write, for a while, then eased out of it a bit.  But to be fair, I went through a break up towards the beginning of the year, and got back into the online dating world for a while, and did a bit of writing with that.  My great friend in Baltimore "Regan" and I started a blog on online dating.  It did okay for a while, we had a group of followers, and I actually received an email from someone last week asking me to write about his Jewish online dating site!  But I did meet a great guy (online) and ended up doing a lot of my writing in the form of emails to him while he was over seas.  So yeah, I guess I did a decent job at "continuing to write."

So that was 2010 in a nutshell!  I'm so glad that I actually typed out my resolutions last year and knew where there were this year!  It was kind of neat to look back at where I was a year ago, and what little I knew about what 2010 would hold.  So what about 2011?!  I have a few resolutions up my sleeve, but not enough time to write about them now.  Let me know if you have any suggestions!  Otherwise, stay tuned! :)

The Vote.

After having long hair for seven years, this past June I finally committed to chopping it all off and donating it.  It was a huge decision.  I just couldn't seem to part with it before then.  Sadly, hair becomes some much of your identity it is almost scary.  I think I used to hide behind my hair a little bit... It was an awesome scarf in the winter, and helped turn me into a beachy blond in the summer.  Folks were floored when I chopped it off, and people stopped recognizing me at work.  I took advantage and embraced the new short do, and quite possibly found a bit more confidence with it.  But of course, I do miss the long locks.  

So here's the question for ya!  Long or Short, you vote!  And if you vote "Long" and you are a girl, you are going to have to give me some optional cuts for getting through the awkward transition period that we lovingly call "growing it out."  For those who don't know, the process of "growing it out" can sometimes be quite painful because everyday is basically a bad hair day!

I'm a pro/con list kinda girl... can't live without them.  I'm not going to get into it over hair, but I will say, a pro of growing it out again is definitely having the ability to chop it and donate it again.  When I donated my ten inches of pony tail in June I was able to give 4 normal sized pony tails to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  This organization works with the American Cancer Society to provide women who are battling cancer with wigs that look real and natural.  It takes 6 pony tails to make one wig, so with my super thick hair, the 4 pony tails I provided complete 2/3 of a wig for someone!  Awesome thought right?  And totally deserves to be on the "pro list" of the long hair! ;)

So cast your vote!  It's your blogger reader duty... :) 

Runs in the Family!

I have a slight confession... I adore office supplies.  There is just something completely awesome about brand new office supplies.  It's like when you were a kid, the arrival of the required supply list was always bitter sweet.  It was terrific because it meant a trip to Office Depot or Roses for a new Trapper Keeper, Lisa Frank pencil box, a fresh composition notebook, and maybe some college ruled loose leaf.  But it was also horrible because that meant summer was almost over and waking up at 6:30am to stand at a cold bus stop was just days away.

However at my age, mid-twenties, with no kids, there is no need for new school supplies.  And I don't actually work in an office, so the need for office supplies is slim.  I do have a supply list, but that is long and boring and involves home warranties, sign riders and highlighter pens.  I want an excuse for something new and pretty, that has that fresh paper smell.  (Don't look at me like I'm crazy, you know you love the fresh paper smell!) 

So every winter, at the end of one year and the beginning of another, shortly after folks clean up the decorations, watch the ball drop in Time Square and finish singing "Auld Lang Syne" I have an excuse to go to Target, wander just past the greeting card aisle, and pick out my fresh new yearly planner!  This is usually a huge process of opening and closing calendars, some with leather, some with zippers, some spiral while others are bound... The possibilites are endless, and the decision is a big one: this is a 365 day decision.  You would hate to pick the wrong one and be stuck carrying it around for the rest of the year, because you know these options will not exist in March, never mind October.  (Although you may luck on in June/July... sometimes they have mid-year calendars, but outside of students, who really has a need for that?!)

I was slightly devastated this year when I realized that I have gone electronic.  I have a droid, and it syncs with everything google, which is all I use (except for my computers, I will say, they are and always will be Macs.)  Anyway, my calendar is color coded and synced with my everything, so I really have no need for a planner this year... Sad face.  

Yesterday I went to Target with my mom.  Boy did I learn something about the genes I inherited!  The poor lady walked back and forth, and back and forth, and actually back and forth again (!!) between the calendar/ diary aisle and the notebook/ binder aisle trying to decide what planner(s) she would purchase for the year.  Big, medium, or small?  Design or plain?  Leather or plastic?  Monthly or Monthly/Daily?  Spiral or bound?  Good Lord, I saw my future.  When she finally decided on a BRIGHT green, large, spiral, semi-designed, monthly/daily my heart sank as I began to feel the need for one as well.  When I gave into the urge, I then heard the same questions flying through my mind!  Decisions decisions.  

I'm solid with my decision in buying a planner, I mean, I've done it almost every other year of my life.  It was a quick decision, and I hope that my gcal does not get jealous.  Not that ya'll should care, but I was playing with my new camera lens, and wanted to show off the planner that made the final cut.  Let's hope it's a good one and it won't let me miss any appointments in 2011!

Here's to a year full of awesome plans, successful business appointments, and wonderful celebrations with terrific friends and family!

Sno Chlo Video

S'more Snow Photos for Kc.

Chloe, trying to see out the front door!

Ready to playyyy!

Sucky day to be a Garden Gnome...

Ready to go play in the snow again!

My road... a 4 lane road, covered in snow

I walked to the grocery store and loaded my pack!

Made it home!!

This was ALL of the stuff in my pack!!

Homemade Soup!

And hot german red spiced wine

Back out to play again!

My roomie sitting on the bench

Caitlin trying to make a snow angel while Chloe just wants to sit on her!

Chloe jumped on Caitlin and knocked her in the snow!  Woops!

All the snow clothes in my living room