Monday, December 31, 2012

2013!!

So 2013 is in 2 hours in my timezone and I figured I'd wish anyone that reads my blog a Happy New Year! Also I thought I'd share some of my "resolutions." I put quotes around this because when people hear resolutions they think "Oh you'll never stick to it." These things are more like goals. For me, goals are things that I will actually work towards.

1. Lose 100 pounds. I'd like to get down to 130 pounds. Even if I don't get to that by the end of 2013, I'd like to have lost a good amount of that 100 pounds.

2. Finish the first draft of my novel and start revising.

3. Get a job and keep it.

4. Save money for our wedding.

5. Be happier.

6. Do something crazy just for the fun of it.

7. Write a little bit everyday. You can only get better with practice.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Best birthday ever

Friday was my 20th birthday. I woke up the morning of my birthday especially early. I'd fallen asleep earlier than normal the night before and woke up unable to fall back asleep around 4 in the morning. I was turning 20. It was all I could think of. I was no longer a teenager. I was growing up. Josh snored next to me and I smiled as he mumbled something in his sleep. Around 7 he got up and got ready for work. We had a cup of coffee together and kissed goodbye. The morning past rather uneventfully. Josh's mom, Ann, took me to Coopersville and I filled out applications for apartments and we got lunch at Taco Bell. We did a little shopping for my birthday dinner, picked up my cake, and came back to the house. Ann wouldn't let me see the cake. It was a surprise. She was mad because the bakery had apparently messed up the colors on the cake. She started dinner and Josh got home. I chose Stir Fry and onion rings for my birthday dinner. (Don't judge. It sounded good.) Then they unveiled the cake. At first I didn't know what it was. They finally told me that it was supposed to be the main character from the book I'm writing. I was so surprised. I didn't care that the bakery had messed up on her hair or her gun. It was awesome. I blew out the candles and finished eating. Finally, it was present time. I ripped the wrapping off of the big box. Inside was a bunched up plastic grocery bag and a bunched up paper grocery bag. I pulled them out. Inside the paper bag was a smaller box. I opened it and inside was a smaller box. I pulled it out and opened it. Inside was a little angel pin. Josh said it reminded him of a character off of Doctor Who (my favorite show). I was looking at it, wondering when I would ever wear it when I looked up. Right next to me was the sliding door to go outside. It was dark outside so I could see our reflection. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Josh's reflection and he was getting on one knee. I slowly turned and started crying.
"Will you marry me?" he said.
I cried harder and said "of course I will!" I pulled him into a hug before he could even stand up. I was crying and shaking as he put the ring on my finger.
Ann was crying. She was recording the whole thing. I laughed when I realized the angel pin was just a decoy gift to the even bigger gift I was about to receive. 
If you would like to watch him propose, you can watch it here.


Saturday, December 8, 2012

21 Things to do in your 20's

So, since I'll be 20 in less than a week, I thought I'd read an article about things to do in the 20's. I like most of the things on the list. If you want you can check it out here.
These are the ones I really liked.

1. Don’t feel the need to respond to every text message, phone call, and email the second it reaches you. Once upon a time, it took longer than a minute to reach someone. People used stamps and envelopes; they had answering machines they didn’t check for hours, sometimes days. No one will die if you don’t immediately respond to every message you receive.

2. Ask for what’s owed to you. Half the time, you’re not getting your needs met because you’re not making them known. Your employers, romantic interests, and friends are not going to read your mind and give you what you need unless you speak up.

4. If you’re unhappy and someone offers you a way out, take it. You don’t owe your first job years of loyalty and your first-born; you don’t have to stay in your city just because you’re on a first-name basis with the bodega guy. Do what feels right; the initial fear will give way to excitement.

8. Learn how to cook. Here’s an idea — instead of spending all your money on ridiculously marked-up restaurant food, save your money by buying non-processed WHOLE FOODS and LEARNING HOW TO MAKE A MEAL OF REAL FOOD. A meal of real food is not a box of Annie’s Organic Mac and Cheese — that’s PROCESSED FOOD. A meal is something like sauteed brussel sprouts with onions and pinto beans garnished with salt and pepper. You’ll thank yourself for learning how to cook when your metabolism catches up to you.

9. Keep making friends. Everyone complains that it’s hard to make friends after college, but we still manage to find new people to flirt with and date, right? It’s not that hard. You know yourself better than you ever have before, and your friends can finally reflect that. Don’t cling to old friends because it’s too frightening or ‘risky’ to make new ones.

11. Stay up late. In your 20s, you’re all, “Let’s go to another bar!” “Who wants to eat at a diner?” “Have you guys seen the sun rise from the High Line?” “In this moment I swear we were infinite!” When you get older, this becomes, “What are you doing? Go home. Watch Parks and Rec and go to sleep. What is wrong with you, staying up all night? Who has time for that?” If you’re in your 20s, you do. You have all the time. Do it now and take advantage of how not tired you are. You think you’re crabby now when you stay up too late? You’ll never believe how terrible you feel when you do it in your 30s.

13. Indulge in diner/ fast food at 4 a.m. This is considered depressing behavior once you become a real adult.

14. STOP PROCRASTINATING YOUR TRIP ABROAD. YOUR CHANCES OF TAKING A LONG VACATION ABROAD DIMINISH AS YOU BECOME MORE SET IN YOUR WAYS AND AS YOU GAIN MORE RESPONSIBILITY.

18. Walk into Forever 21 and grab every single crappily-made floral dress available. Is every other girl on the street wearing it? Is it literally falling apart at the seams? Is it also actually five dollars? BUY IT IMMEDIATELY. When you get older, your clothing becomes all expensive blazers and tailored khakis and other pieces that won’t break while on your body. That will be a great day — the day when your closet starts to look respectable. Though those outfits are more expensive, they also last longer and look better on you. You will be a classy human ready to take on the future. But as long as you’re still in your 20s? You know — the demographic of Forever 21? Game on, stretchy black dress with pockets that lasts about a week. Game on.

19. Take road trips. Sitting in a car for days on end isn’t something your body was designed to do forever.

21. Go to/host theme parties. Once people age out of their 20s, no one’s trying to wear pajamas or Saran Wrap out of the house. The only theme parties that exist after your 20s are ‘Wedding,’ ‘Baby Shower,’ and ‘Funeral.’

As for the others, I liked them but I didn't love them. I'm determined to make the next 10 years of my life fun. No more sitting around feeling like I'm in my 40's. There's a lot that you can do in 10 years, and I'm going to do as much as I can.