Hello 2014!

An instagram photo from New Year's Eve because that's all I got. We weren't that grumpy, we're just modeling.

Happy Belated New Year, y'all! I hope you brought in the New Year well, doing whatever it was your heart desired to be doing on New Years. It was a challenge and an achievement, but we (I) stayed up all the way until midnight! Kind of. We went out to dinner at the sweetest and yummiest little Italian place, Enoteca Vespasio. (I highly recommend it, it was majorly delicious and I'm not even crazy about Italian food.) After stuffing our faces we came home, watched a movie, and then tried very hard to stay awake until midnight. We dozed off on the couch around 11:50 and were awoke right at midnight by the most insane amount of fireworks. We live all up in the concrete jungle, where fireworks are illegal, and people all around us were blowing stuff up. Including folks a building over from us. We threw on our slippers and watched some fireworks, then came back in, had a little bubbly toast, and went promptly to sleep. It was a perfect New Years Eve.

But really, how insane is it that it is 2014? We're rewatching the OC (more on this later) and it started in 2003. That's now over ten years ago. How is that possible?? I remember watching that when it came out! Insanity.

But unbelievability aside, I am very ready for 2014 and whatever it's got planned for us. 2013 was great and I think 2014 will be too. Brendon will finish his third year of school and his last year of classes. He will start his fourth year which consists of rounds of rotations, which will be who knows where. There's an excellent possibility they will be in another city (Temple) and I am not quite mentally prepared for that, but I'm getting there. I am tough. I can hold it down here in Austin. Maybe.

There's nothing exciting on the horizon for me honestly, but I have some little personal plans. I think they're called "resolutions". Heard of them? I don't usually make them, but this year I'm feeling proactive. Here they are:

Run more. Seriously. I love running and need to do it more often. Running only when you're signed up for a race (like literally, just running the race) is unacceptable and is not going to make me any better of a runner. Being tired can only be an excuse for so long. Yes, I'm tired. I'm always going to be tired. Fact of life. Running is always worth it after, I just need to get out and do it! I think these long legs may have been made to run, my laziness is just preventing them from living the dream.

Sew better. I can sew. Decently. I can make a dress in a few hours. A cute one. But I want to make quality garments, and that means departing from the patterns and instructions more. Splurging a wee bit on better fabric. Taking the extra steps to make whatever I'm making something I'd be proud to show off, inside and out (LINING!).

Stop being lazy. I bust my ass at work, but when I come home, I loathe doing anything. All I want to do is sit on the couch, for real (see first resolution). I am whiny and seemingly incapable of doing anything for myself. Just so so so lazy. And poor Brendon has to deal with my sloppy ass; my shoes everywhere, my clothes everywhere, fabric everywhere, and dear god my desk... I'm just a big ol' mess. Clean it up, girlfriend.

Be nicer. To everyone of course, but also one person in particular. Mr. Hogan. He gets the worst of me. Always and forever, sorry B, you married into it. He sees the crappiest Marie and I hate it. I'm the grumpiest with him, the feistiest, and the meanest. He of all people in my life does not deserve that. He deserves the best of me all the time. And all the time is impossible, but I want to give him the best of me more often. I'll try to take the worst out on the house plants.

Simple but there they are. I'm not going all out and doing anything life altering here, but these are just little things I want to focus on right now. Putting them down for all the internet to judge may or may not help me keep them, but it sure can't hurt!

So welcome to my life, 2014. I am looking forward to you and hope that you bring fun things! No cars dying this year, okay?