Happy New Year| 2013

New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday. For one, I get to wear sparkles. Two, Champagne. Three, Paul and I met two years ago on it. It's a holiday all about the glamour and a fresh start. What could be better?

2013 Please Be A Good One.

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Resolutions:

1. Get Healthy: I want to eat clean, cook, and run more.

2. God: I want to spend more time reading my bible every morning.

  3.  Budget: I want to be able to save money for traveling and not spend it carelessly.

4. Be Kind: I want to love people more, be a better friend, and be less judgmental.

5. Work Hard: I want to finish this year strong with school.

Resolutions are always hard to stick to, so I plan on just chipping away at them slowly throughout the year. Hopefully by the end of the year they will be more defined and well accomplished. 

Lazy Days

There is nothing I love more than on a Saturday morning off, staying in bed with a good show and a bowl of cereal. I am not looking forward to going back to school after a month off and having to do homework, especially after being able to just work and focus on friends. Sometimes the best cure for stress is a lazy morning in bed or a month vacation...whichever....

NOÉL, NOEL

I had a very wonderful and intimate Christmas this year with my immediate family. Usually, we go to my aunt's and spend it with a million of my family members, but this year we decided to keep it low key. My favorite part of Christmas is looking for the tree. Living out on a farm has its perks, our neighbors let us pick and cut down a tree for free. I picked the winning tree this year. 

Christmas morning was spent in footie pajamas, an omelette buffet, mimosas, and gift giving. It's a tradition for all four of us kids (and our pets) the night before Christmas to sleep in one room and stay up watching Christmas movies together. 

I really enjoyed just spending the whole day with my family, all together under the same roof.

Golden Birthday| 23

I had a wonderful Golden Birthday this year celebrated over the weekend. First, was a Saturday morning brunch with some lovely ladies. I was bummed that a lot of my friends couldn't make it, but I'm glad that it ended up being smaller because it was more intimate and we were able to fit all at one table. The most important part was that we were able to split our huge bottle of champagne equally and have mimosas, which are my drink of choice.

Later that night, Paul surprised me by picking me up and taking me out to dinner. He also brought me an orchid (which is smart because I hate how flowers die so quickly, usually I'm the cause) which usually last six months or longer. It is so beautiful and HUGE!

The night before he also took me to the Portland Zoolights. I unfortunately only got one picture of the excursion because I am an idiot and always forget to take pictures. I love this picture of Paul because he's wearing his dorky Elmer Fudd hat and looks adorable on the train ride around the zoo.

After dinner, a whole group of people went out for drinks and dancing, but of course I did not take pictures. The next morning one of my High School girls (Sabrina) made me a birthday cake and we had it for breakfast. We ate most of it before I remembered to get a picture.

After the breakfast cake, Ashley called me to meet her, her boyfriend Michael, and Paul for a late lunch of Mexican food. Afterwards, we got an ice cream cake, champagne and went home to open presents and have a relaxing evening with my family. We watched Home Alone 1 & 2 on the projector screen,

Had champagne & popcorn, and

Then took a family picture with ugly sweaters and footie pajamas.

I normally hate that my birthday is around Christmas, but there is something wonderful about having all the decorations up and the beautiful tree as party of my birthday decor.

Life is Beachin'

My sister and I decided to plan a little getaway to Beverly Beach after finals week. We decided to take our boyfriends camping in a yurt for the weekend. Oregon beaches are usually cold and horrible even in the summer, so I really was not expecting to get any great beach action in early December. I was pleasantly surprised, luckily. The moment we arrived Paul had planned a hike for us up the Cascade Head Trail, just north of Lincoln City. It was an incredible hike and the view of the ocean was gorgeous. I just wish I wasn't so gross and sweaty when I had my picture taken. 

The hike wasn't that grueling and even if it was, the view was so worth it. I didn't even have to edit any of these photos because it was spectacular on its own. 

That night Ashley, Michael, and Paul staged a very early birthday surprise for me that caught me completely off guard. Ashley made me a banner and Paul brought ice cream cake. We had gin & tonics, Paul made delicious kabobs, and we played card games with Ashley's 80's Chippendale dancer cards. 

On our last day, we spent our time on the actual beach. I wish mermaids existed and I was born as one because all I want to do is be in the ocean. It took all I had not to get into the freezing cold water and actually go swimming. It's a good thing I didn't because I ended up getting a cold from the trip and if I had actually gotten in the water I probably would have gotten pneumonia.