Round it up

This afternoon I was looking over W's homework and saw that he was working on rounding numbers. I then thought that if you round my age, you get 30. Ok, wow! Thankfully I'm still a few years away from the big 3-0. Now that life is a bit more settled in the South, and since the year is coming to a close, I have started to get really excited about 2010. Why make New Years resolutions/plans in January when you can start now and once the new year comes around, you're already well ahead?!

So here are just a few of my 2010 (and 2009 leftover, or rounded up) dreams:

1. Visit Meg in LA. It's been almost 4 years since I was out there for her wedding and it's about time I visit my middle school best friend in sunny Cali!

2. Go yachting. Oh how I regret that I missed those yachting classes on the Long Island Sound during Summer 2006.

3. Visit NYC, duh.

4. Run a race/marathon. While I ran cross country in high school, I'm not a Lucy Clement or anything! But I might be running a 10k this Spring with my roomie. Give me the Goo.

5. Speaking of... go to a Goo Goo Dolls concert. Ok, laugh all you want, but really, I LOVE them.

6. Volunteer more.

7. Go to ballets, concerts, art exhibits, plays & performances in Charlotte.

8. Get to know my neighbors and have a summer block party.

9. Pray more, which sounds cheesy, but I'm currently reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller and it's such a powerful book!

10. Go to see MLR graduate and become Dr. Roy!!!

11. Plant a herb garden and make it through the Silver Palate cookbook.

12. Write more snail mail letters and be better at keeping in touch with old friends.

13. Watch all of the Oscar nominated films before the Academy Awards.

14. Take a hip hop dance class.

15. Go to Maine with Tam.

16. Send more care packages to friends overseas.

17. Read all the books on my 100 Classic Book List

18. MAKE/BAKE: sushi, a cake with fondant, creme brulee, and perfect my pancakes (I cannot make a fluffy, perfectly circular pancake to save my life!!!)

19. Go home more often.

20. Learn how to change a tire.

Thanksgiving is fun

Especially with Lucy's new Mac computer!

3rd Annual FG Thanksgiving Dinner

Sadly, I am not in NYC today because I am working a ton and life is busy so I couldn't make it to join my friends for the 3rd annual tgiving dinner!! Two years ago, we started the tradition at my apartment and then last year we had it at my place again and now Perryn is hosting. Hope yall have a wonderful feast- I'm sure it will be a blast! Hope to be back for New Years or some time late winter for Liz's reunion weekend!

A blast from the past....

2007
We look so young!














Sweet friends















My first turkey attempt, ever.














O boys...




















2008
Second year making the turkey. I never had a bite of it, either year actually.














The whole gang! Oh how I love them so!














Girls just wanna have fun.

I just love an apt full of people, and Perr's face :)

Thankful

It goes without saying, we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. And that is what we are, thankful.

I was at J. Crew a few weeks ago folding clothes with a girl I work with. She mentioned that she used to live in NYC and of course I asked her a million questions about her experience, where she lived, etc. She told me she was only there for a year's internship until she had to move back South because her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She took care of her mom right before she passed away. I listened, empathetically, to this girl, who I didn't even know, just because our stories sound so similar. The only difference is the outcome... and I felt like I was going to be sick as I listened to the pain she expressed of losing her mother. And then I was overcome with emotion and thanksgiving that my mom is almost done with radiation, her hair is growing (and feels just like cashmere!) and we are all going to be at the dinner table this Thanksgiving, holding hands, laughing, eating and looking forward to a brand new year and new beginnings.

Things could've been different. But they're not. We're so thankful. We're not promised tomorrow so we've learned to appreciate and live fully in what we have today. Love deeply and be thankful.

Some things just go together

I started Persuasion by Jane Austen a couple months ago, but Harry Potter and Edward Cullen (swoon) quickly distracted me. I picked it back up and finished this sweet romantic novel last night. And what's better is to read it with See's candy!! Oh my word. I've had a few of their lollypops before and this stuff is good! They opened a small venue in front of J.Crew and yesterday I walked past this man who looked like a petite Colonel Sanders holding a basket of free lollypops. Usually I walk quickly past other venues selling Crocs, hair straighteners, lotions, crazy socks, the list goes on... but who can pass up chocolate?! Not me.

I'm going through a '100 classic must-read book list'. What are your favorite classics?

It's that time again!

Ben threw a ring on it

I got an email last night from Sara with above as the subject and the body of the email was just this picture.

Ahhh, Ben and Sara are engaged!!! I am so excited for you guys!

Yes, please

My roomie had friends over tonight and I made the mistake of drinking coffee with them well past 9pm, which is why I'm still wide awake reading Jane Austen and looking through beautiful websites. I found this picture and instantly wished I could click my heels together and be right there. And I would pick Mirabelle & Chris and Katie & Mark to join me! :)

Or perhaps I was also drawn to this picture because it has the sun shinning in it. For the past three days it has rained and rained. I get so tired of people complaining about the weather. Or maybe it's only ok to complain in NYC about the weather since you spend a large portion of your day walking outside. (btw, almost two months out and my heart still misses the City terribly.) But I've enjoyed the past rainy days and think the trees have looked especially grand against the gray skies. Oh how I love the fall.

Tweet

I have just recently begun to really appreciate Twitter. I am following a number of people, news/political accounts and feel like I'm getting a good dose of current events and social conversation each time I'm on. Perhaps this will just be a phase, but for now I see it as an excellent way to network, share information, promote your business or cause or just keep in touch.

So if you're not on Twitter, I think you should consider it and then we could be friends and tweet all day. :)

Alpacs

Well not much is new to blog about and I'm slowly settling into the fact that it's November. Wow, where did the months go? I am enjoying Charlotte more and perhaps found a solid church whose initials are CCC. Good sign, right? (Dad, don't worry, I'm looking for much more than a common initial.) My favorite moments recently have been at home with the roomies making delicious meals, watching movies, laughing and eating brownie batter. It's also quite warm in Charlotte and I have a closet FULL of winter coats and snow boots waiting to be worn.

The most exciting event coming up is a visit from my favorite Allison Parker! It really is a new thing for me since we've had to plan trips far in advance and even then it's only been 3 or 4 times a year. We have lofty plans to do Christmas shopping, take a long walk in my picturesque neighborhood, talk, explore Charlotte and just "visit". Al, we are turning into our mothers, aren't we?! :)