It's a New Day.

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It's a new Year.


December flew right by and left in its wake a mess of stress, plenty of tears, more fun than I can handle, and precious time with family and friends.
Then just when you're starting to get into it, they're gone.

After GLAM in Gainesville, we traveled down to SRQ for the Atomic Holiday Bazaar. It was fun and profitable (even if not as much as GLAM) and I was so happy to share my craft with our loved ones in the area. I don't know if it would have even been a money making situation if not for so many wonderfully supportive family friends who came down and purchased gifts for the holidays. Lessons were learned and the biggest was that stress does not help anything, and that even if not 100% done to my satisfaction things will turn out great. What matters is your attitude and your grace.
Then we came back to Gainesville for another couple weeks where work ramped up (as usual) and the obligations of the holidays hit me. I worried, worked too late, didn't eat enough and came home exhausted every day. Next xmas, it will be different. I realize now that I just have to have no shame in starting projects far in advance and be strong in saying 'no' when I need a break.
We made it through though, and traveled down to SRQ again just in time for Festivus and Christmas. Friday to Sunday were blocked solidly by family. By the end of it all we were both really really tired of talking about our jobs (which we did with everyone at Thanksgiving, when we were down for GLAM, and then again at Christmas!) and when Collin is going to do grad school. Ask him enough and he won't, okay? But Monday and Tuesday relaxation, friends, and hanging out recharged our batteries enough to get home, work one day and then enjoy our New Year's.

We invited friends over to celebrate with way too much tasty food, champagne punch, beers, and fun. Some came over and hung out while others were no-shows and still more were out of town. I was a little disappointed that so few people came, but those who did had fun and I got to end the night watching 200 Cigarettes on TV in my pj's. We were even able to break out the leftovers during the football game (which we won!) on Saturday.
Good times.

And now another year is over, and the new one begun. I've made a few resolutions that are casual and constant (budgeting/saving, eating more healthfully, walking the dog) and a few that are bigger and more unfamiliar (eating lunch every day, drinking more water, reducing stress and my reactions to stress, cutting back on bad habits around June). Many of my tasks on the life list are not yet done and I am certain that by September when my 1001 days are up won't be finished either. Can I edit it this late in the game?? Maybe I'll outline the new resolutions later, maybe I'll keep them to myself as to reduce the pressure. Maybe we have a big resolution/goal that the two of us want to accomplish in the Fall that we're not ready to tell people about yet.

Either way,
Cheers to 2011
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Gator Bait

Saturday the 4th Collin's Granny Carol came up for the first football game of the year.
It was over 90 degrees out with some serious humidity.

But we still won! I'm not going to comment on how they've been playing this year because people have had lots of opinions and know much more about football than I do. Check them out elsewhere. All I can say though is that when you win, by a lot, for almost every game of the last 3+ years... it's kind of hard to live up to the hype right from the start.


I'm happy I skipped the game the next weekend because oh man it was even hotter. No clouds and far too many people being treated for heat exhaustion if you ask me. I'm happy to host some of Collin's college buddies for a night or a family member or two and for now stay in the comfort of my air conditioning. This weekend's game against Kentucky should be nice because it starts at 7pm, but I really am looking forward to the first 'Fall' game. That one where I need a sweater and won't get a farmer's tan from my t-shirt.

I don't know how my favorite football team will do this season. But I can tell you that I'll have lots of fun while they're at it.
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proof

That I was once a high school cheerleader.

Came across this on the sidebar slideshow (say that 5 times fast, eh?) and had to reminisce for a moment. Ahh the bruises and sunburn and fabulous arm muscles.
I actually wore that uniform to school on many an occasion. And I'm pretty sure the skirt came to just below my ass. How can you respect a dress code after walking the halls in things like this?

Truth is, I quit cheerleading at the start of football season after it was revealed to us that because of 9/11 we weren't allowed to fly to Dallas for the national competition we'd won a bid for at cheer camp that summer (sidenote: that was the first time I ever went to Gainesville!). What a bummer. I was definitely not in it for the football or social implications. The cheerleaders weren't really at the top of the totem pole as far as popularity went at VHS.
We had a great football team (State Champs '00) and still do actually - whatup Trey Burton. That's just not what I loved about the sport.

So goodbye tiny skirt and bloody noses.
I went back to the world of ballet and blisters.
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hello 2009

NYE was the jam.
Very fun, although I wish I'd been able to have a little more to drink. Plenty to eat though :D it was great to see all our friends stuffing their faces and talking about cross-dipping theories regarding the sweet potato latkes and basil dressing. It was a good crowd and not too big, a few people we invited who we really wanted to see didn't make it but overall, the night was a success.
It makes me want to have more parties.

I've been working on figuring out my new year's resolutions... it's hard.
I may make one of those 101 things in 1001 days lists that I see people making all over the internets.. 1001 days seems like a better timeline - but that's a lot of fucking things to do.

Maybe I will just try in the next year to:

Really, actually, 100% quit smoking cigarettes. I "quit" late last spring and haven't bought a pack since, even went over a month with zero smoking to get that hundred bucks from the boss man at work... but I still take drags from Collin's when we're on the porch and that means I haven't yet quit. I think I'm just being lazy.

Read 5 new books... and the His Dark Materials trilogy that I devoured in a week doesn't count. #1 will be Atlas Shrugged because I've been putting it off for years due to the small print and looming 1k+ pages. Whatevs, when I get into a book I could be done with that in days. Others may include the newest Palahniuck book that got a good review by my book soul-mate Regina when I saw her at the christmas party.

Get myself to start hitting the gym before work at least twice a week. I'm hoping I can get this going by March when it's not quite so cold. A reminder: I already wake at 6:40ish to get to work around 7:30. I'm guessing that to get to the gym, work out, and get to work by around 7:30 will require me to wake up on those days at 5:45 or so.
Not terrible, but I'll have to work it out so I don't mess with Gabe's normal morning routine of waking up around that time or shortly before to get to work by 6. Can I make it at 5:30?

Pay off 1/2 of my credit card debt. This is a big one, and it's going to be a bitch because I don't really have any extra money and I'm still sitting on debt incurred from those good ole college days when my loans and scholarships didn't really cover enough. Oh, and those couple months before the wedding where we kind of said fuck it and just put shit on the cards to deal with later because we needed all the cash for vendor payments, rent, and making up for each taking 2 weeks off work.

Finally, I really want to be a better employee. I do realize that I'm saying this while wasting half an hour lj-ing instead of working. Mostly I need to cut the frivolous wedding websites out of my habits since, you know, I'm kind of done with our wedding.


Oh, and Go Gators! Kick ass in Miami tonight, let's get another national championship title so I can run around celebrating with strangers in the streets. Yes, this is my husband and roommate battling to keep control of their "champion cock".
Let's make this year equally as badass.
Watching this makes me want to stop by XTC on my way home to keep the tradition alive - the original was destroyed by people trying to steal it. I think Gabe still has it in his room though.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

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