In a little over a week I will be on a plane for 23 hours. What might possess me to do this? Good question. Simple answer: My best friend, Meredith. For eight days I will be vacationing on the beautiful beaches in Phuket, Thailand and the other three days will be spent in Bangkok. I CANNOT WAIT! It's funny that I will be half way around the world yet I know the minute I see her I will feel right at home. Home being the crazy havoc that always seems to ensue when we get together. Oh the fun memories I will have after this trip.

I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately which is never fun.On top of that I haven't been sleeping well for the last month or so. I thought I had figured out the culprit, Green Tea, which I drink massive amounts of daily. Not realizing green tea has caffeine in it I was drinking uppers right before I was trying to go to sleep.Yep, I can be a massive blonde sometimes. Alas, I quit the habit of drinking green tea after 3:00 p.m. and I am still not sleeping. I just started experimenting with Sleepytime Tea right before bed (hoping that will do the trick).


A little off point but being sick gave me a little time to mull over more things I want to do this year. One being taking advantage of nice weather. I need to plan a camping trip of some sorts. I miss being outdoorsy.

Every year when I was younger my family would attend The Boar's Head & Yule Log Festival. It is an ancient celebration of the meaning of Christmas in music, drama and dance. Once we got older and my brothers left for college the tradition fell by the wayside. But, this year my brother Ryan asked if I would like to go. After I wondered why I had not come back on my own or with friends. I forgot how much I really loved this tradition and how it made me feel like it was always going to be a good year.



On a side note: I now live in the same city as two of my brothers (Ryan and Carey) and yet it is impossible for us to get together because of our busy schedules. When an opportunity presents itself I always make an effort to go and spend some time with them. After all nothing beats spending time with family especially one like mine where we all think alike and sarcasm and humor are required. When my brother Carey sent me a text to meet up at a bar I went. We had a few beers while listening to some live music and caught up on each others lives. I love how I got to see two of my brothers in one weekend just not together. That's just how it works sometimes.

I am not the type of person who makes New Year’s Resolutions but I decided to try one for this coming year. Maybe this will make me more accountable for how my 2012 goes. Instead of writing down things I am going to give up I decided to write a cumulative list of things to improve my life, making it more well rounded. While some of these items will be harder and more unpleasant than others I think in the long run I will be happier for it.While I am positive this list will grow with time it's a good little start for now. With that said I would like to propose a toast:

• Let my nails grow
• Work out 5 days a week
• Travel to Portland, OR
• Blog more
• Take more pictures
• Send handwritten letters
• Have a monthly family get together
• Go to church
• Actually cook meals
• Expand my vocabulary
• Go camping
• Make an effort in my daily appearance 
• Explore to find a niche or hobby