I found a site with a bunch of pictures...I thought I'd share some...

Daydreaming

It is incredible the amount that my mind has been wandering lately. I try to do something and find myself realizing that so much time has passed and I've just been sitting and daydreaming. But, I'm on vacation and I keep telling myself that it is perfectly okay to keep doing that. I don't have any schedule or anything that really needs to get done (and even while I'm cleaning - which does actually need to get done- I can just let my thoughts go). It's making me happy, so why not, right?

snow

Campus is so pretty right now. Since we're on break, everything has been left untouched. Even when someone leaves footprints in the snow, the wind blows and they disappear. It is so quiet and really peaceful. I've been trying to keep it quiet by leaving off the TV and sitting in the silence...which is definitely contributing to the daydreaming.

So now I'm curled up on my couch with a Starbucks latte and The Fray station playing on Pandora. I couldn't be happier. I'm so glad that December has finally slowed down and I am ending the year on a happy note. I feel like I have started to figure things out (although sometimes I think I'm more confused than ever) and I am finally just letting things happen. There's no rush for me to have everything sorted out and I can't control everything. Last year my resolution was full of rules. This year, I don't want anything like that. I had planned on making my resolution be that I would cook for myself more, rather than going out, but I don't think I want to do that. I don't want a resolution that is so easy to define and break. I just want to tell myself to be happy. That's the only rule. 

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it’s a magical event." - J. B. Priestley

Balance

I started writing out this entry and it was all about how crazy busy things have been lately. I deleted it though because there's no reason to write it. Yes I've been busy, but tonight I finally got to sit in my apartment all night and do things for me. It was wonderful to relax! 

hot chocolate

(No, this isn't me, but what is more relaxing than a bubble bath??

 Although, I can't help but think that she's cold if she sitting up...) 

I am so ready for the snow... It has been so cold lately and you can tell that the sky just wants to let it snow, but it won't. If it snows at this point, it will be just in time for the holidays! 

So, with how stressed I've been lately, I need some things to look forward to.

1. I will be in Disney in 22 days!

2. My family and I are going to see the Rockettes this weekend. I'm more excited to see my family than anything else. 

3. The book I am reading (The Art of Eating In) is turning out to be pretty good. 

4. I found a GREAT new cookie recipe! (Find it here)

The Holidays

I had a really great weekend. I was able to spend some time with my amazing friends. I am so thankful for all of them. I hope they all realize how great they are.

There were birthday parties...

cake

...and basketball games...

...and a girls night out...

...and some shopping!

Today I was able to get all of my Christmas shopping done! I am so happy this year because I feel like I got gifts that people will enjoy.

Although I'm not a huge fan of the cold, I really love the holiday season. It is one time of the year when people really think about what is important to them and say thank you for it. There's nothing better than curling up with some hot chocolate and a blanket.

relax.

I love Mondays that are actually like Sundays and work weeks that are only one day long. This weekend I went out to Amherst (finally) to see Tyler. I took today off, so I had an extra long relaxing weekend. It was so nice and much needed. So, I will end up working tomorrow and that's it! This is amazing.

Our weekend was full of a Saturday night dinner date, where I had a really yummy margarita and a steak (yum). Then we got to spend some time with Tyler's friends. On Sunday we went for a walk and stopped at an amazing little creperie...

The food was so good. I immediately called my sister to tell her that she needed to make us some crepes on Friday morning. Luckily, she said yes. :) 

We also stopped in a bookstore and I found this book. 

I didn't buy it, but I will definitely borrow it from the library. The author was living in NYC and decided to stop eating in restaurants and to cook for herself instead. I'd say about 90% of my meals are from restaurants. Depending on how this book is, maybe I'll have a New Year's resolution! 

Happy Thoughts

I am so glad that Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. I can't wait to spend some time at home. That's going to be a great weekend. On top of Thanksgiving plans, my niece's 2nd birthday party is on Saturday. That will be great.

Although I just had a weekend filled with work, I'm looking forward to this week. I'll be getting away a little more than usual, which I think I need. I don't get out of Boston, or really away from my apartment/work very often. Not having a car makes it hard to take quick trips. My best friend has been in her apartment since this summer and I have only been there once. She only lives about 20 minutes away, so it is crazy! Tyler's also lived in his new apartment since August and I have been out there a handful of times. I wish I had an easier way to get out to them, but until I win the lottery (yes, it will happen) I'll be relying on the MBTA to get me around...

Anyways, recently during one of my staff meetings, some of my students were really upset. Crying. I didn't even know what to do. So, I told them that they needed to share two things that were going really well in their lives at that moment. I've tried since then to do that for myself on a regular basis. Here are some things that are going well or that I'm really looking forward to...

• 53 days until our trip to Disney World! 
• I bought a yummy pomegranate today. 
• I have some great friends (although I'm not sure if I tell them that enough). 
• I get to spend the weekend with Tyler. 
• I have dinners planned for the whole week...real meals! 
• I bought the Taylor Swift cd. 

Well, that's it for today! 

I want it now!

Putting yourself on a budget is just like going on a diet. The more you tell yourself you can't have something, the more you want it. As always, when I decide I'm going to start being smarter with my money, I see a bunch of things that I "just have to have!". My latest obsession? Anthropologie. I wish I could buy everything! I guess online browsing is all I'll do for now...

Vase

Mirror

I mean, think of all the cooking I'd do if I had things like this!

Bowls; Measuring cups; Platter; Apron

Maybe it is because the weather is starting to get colder, but I've been more and more interested in baking, trying new recipes...especially when I have someone here to share them with.

These lemon sticky rolls look amazing. Maybe this weekend, when someone special is here to try them, I'll make them.

You can find the recipe here.

Oh, Tuesday...

A person's attitude holds so much weight. It can completely change the atmosphere in a room. It amazes me when people live their lives with a negative attitude. Why? There are so many great things about life. Think about them!

{http://maluna.tumblr.com}

So, that got me thinking...What makes me happy? Doing little things that I enjoy really gets me through the not so great times. Obvious, right? There are so many things that I want to do at some point. I've decided to make a "to-do list" for my life. I mean, I make one every day at work, why not make a more important one? Now, this is just a start, but I need to start somewhere!

1. Run a marathon
2. Climb a mountain (not a hill...)
3. Play in a fantasy football league (I didn't say I want to win)
4. Spend a worthwhile amount of time abroad
5. Take a road trip across the country
6. Have a yard with a garden
7. Own an apartment or house where I am able to move around the furniture and it actually fits

Hopefully I'll be able to add more to that list and cross some things off. And I'm glad I have someone to do those things with... certainly makes them more fun! 

Today is one of those days. One of those days when I stressed myself out over things that I can't really control. One of those days that I couldn't decide if I wanted to curl up in a little ball or to go for a long long walk until I got lost. One of those days that I just hoped something would happen to snap me out of my mood. And then I got a "thank you for doing what you do" note from one of my students. It was exactly what I needed.

{http://clairefisher.tumblr.com}

{quote-book.tumblr.com}

One thing that I've really been wishing that I could do is buy my own furniture and paint my walls. Right now I live in an apartment that came furnished, leaving me with mismatched furniture. My dream apartment? Couches that you sink into, that you can stretch out on...not the tiny love seats that I have now. Big windows so the light comes in all the time. Flowers.

{http://mydesignchic.com/}

A new beginning

I'm not much of a writer but there's no better time to start than the present, right?

I'm taking the opportunity to explore the world of blogging (again). My first blog was pretty much a failure, with only one post. I guess life just took over and I didn't have the time to put into it and I didn't really have an idea of what I wanted to write about. I sat for hours just thinking about a topic. I decided this time that I don't want a topic. I don't expect or really mind if people read. This is mostly just a place for me to write whatever happens to be going on or whatever I happen to be thinking about.

Lately I've been reading some amazing blogs, full of life, romance, happiness and love. They're inspiring and they're why I've started writing. I've been going back and forth with the idea for a while. I don't know what made me finally start. Maybe it is that I want to be able to look back at everything, as silly as some it may end up being. Maybe it is that I want to (someday) inspire others. Maybe it is that I'm just plain bored.

Whatever it is, I'm here.