Saccharine Thoughts

You guys! Can you believe the year is halfway over already?! Well, 7/12 over, to be more accurate. 2010 has kept me oh-so-busy, but it has treated me oh-so-well. Let’s be honest: 2009? It kind of sucked. I dreaded going in to work at HomeAway each morning, as my job there had become utterly mind-numbing. I stumbled through two fickle, overdramatic attempts at dating. Throw in a roommate who bailed on a 14-month lease and a fourth knee surgery, and you can see why I was pretty ready to see the year come to an end. 2010 started off with a bang… and a clangor… and a crash, as I resolutely ended the second of ‘09s wavering relationships, and left my reasonably-well-paying employment... and benefits... and 4 weeks of vacation for the great unknown. During a recession. Whee! As it turns out, the Universe had much bigger things in store for me—I was unexpectedly reunited with a year-old crush over a game of pool which, nigh 6 months later, has blossomed into a fulfilling friendship and ...

I got the job . *happy dance*

... that Facebook would provide so many reasons to smile in just a few days :)

After watching yesterday's RT Pajamachievements and sulking about how much I dislike hearing my own voice (it's a personal source of annoyance) I embraced Sarah Von's idea here of assembling a "marching band of our own horns" to toot in unison. Per her suggestion, I will be balancing out all that self-voice-loathing I did yesterday. Yes and Yes is a source of encouragement, inspiration, or in the least a good giggle for me almost every day, so here goes: 5 physical things that I adore about myself, and you should too! My eyes - blueish/greenish/grayish with an occasional hint of amber, they are extremely expressive and change according to my mood. My smile - While I have been told it's mature, genuine and encouraging, who knows how much of that is fluff and flattery? What I do know is that it comes completely natural to me to smile approximately 87.5% of the time. My nipples - yes, weird and probably TMI for anyone reading, but I am incredibly thankful that ...

Things I want to do in the month of April: Make cookies and brownies for people who helped me out last month, while I was all laid-up with the post-surgery gimps. Take, upload and edit Jon's headshots Continue going to the gym Make Rice Krispie Easter eggs Hostess a dinner Make tilapia tacos for Chloe again Finish my tattoo design Get glass cut and painted for my desktop Paint the blank canvas hanging over my bookcase Pretty-up my kitchen. It's blah, and I need to put the shelf liners in and reorganize everything. Finish 3 logo designs for Megan Finish reading Nightwatch and Ultimate Gift, read From Russia With Love Practice drawing caricatures Go to the Farmer's Market Plant jasmine on my patio Smile. A lot. Ready, set, go!

2009, where have you been all my life? I’ve waited anxiously for you to arrive and wipe my slate clean. A fresh start, a new day, another try is just what I have needed. I have my resolutions, a few good ones at that: stop being late. Better yet, start being early. Make time for things that make me happy – climbing, cooking, reading, painting. Finish my second degree. Travel; go someplace I’ve never been that will make me want to stay there. I have much higher expectations for the coming year than just these short term goals. 2009, I want you to sweep me off my feet. Push me beyond the boundaries I know and give me opportunities to prove to myself in them. Give me reasons to laugh and smile. No more disappointment lines; from here on out any wrinkle I get will be from something joyful. Give me something that sparkles every day; jewels of love and friendship, trinkets of happiness and memories that will embellish the rest of my life. Give me adventures to pur...