Happy 2012

Here's to it being better than 2011, no matter how good or bad the prior year was.

I have a list swarming around in my head with "resolutions" to post, but I'm not yet ready to put them all down.

Things like, don't take other people's actions so personally. Be kinder. Relax. Get a new job. Act and BE happier because really? I'm very blessed. Work out and go to church more. As in regularly. As in DON'T STOP DOING IT. Stop playing stuipid iPhone games all the damn time.

Stuff like that. But the list above isn't pretty and bullet-pointed, or even well thought out. So I'm going to take some time and really take them seriously. My goals for 2012. I guess at the top of the list would be, for no one to die (2011 brought too much death and sadness into my life). And while I cannot control these things, I do hope that the year is filled with happy celebrations of life instead of sad ones.

And that's all I'm going to say about that. Because #2 on my list is BE MORE POSITIVE!

Now it's time for a run and then, gasp! Juvaderm injections. I do not subscribe to the philosophy of letting my life show on my face. Pulling out the big guns today and I'm totally excited!

Happy Last Day of 2010!

I was going to create some long-winded blog post summarizing all I've done this year. It would be a long post.

I could talk about Vegas in January and picking up the wrong suitcase at the airport and how it could have been a disaster, but it all worked out well.

I could talk about a ski-trip from hell over my birthday and anniversary in Colorado, but how it all worked out well in the end and for the life of me, I'm choosing to remember ice skating and fabulous birthday and anniversary dinners and skiing with my husband, son, mother, and father and nothing that was negative.

I could talk about doing P90X and my newfound resentment of Tony Horton (Were it not for the results, I'd have quit).

I could talk about the explosion of my culinary skills and how I'm cooking dinner regularly (like at least 5 nights per week), and how it is a big step for me.

Or, I could talk about how my picky-eater son is eating most of these meals, too, and not requiring a separate meal most nights.

I could go on and on about baseball and kindergarten and first grade and tae kwon do and all the things that my boy has done.

I could talk about Mexico and zip lining in a rainforest.

I could talk about a second ski trip that wasn't from hell and makes me want to move to Beaver Creek, Colorado and live there in that winter wonderland forever and ever.

I won't talk about my completion or success of this year's New Year's Resolutions. I don't even remember what they all were!

I could tell you about going to see UFC live and in person and meeting some of the TV guys.

I could tell you about going to see Tool and how it was a crazy concert experience.

I could tell you about the night I went to see Daniel Tosh and how it was absolutely hilarious.

I could tell you lots of things (Oops! Just did!) about my year.

But as I sit here and type, the only thing I can think of is the fact that what made every single moment of 2010 worthwhile and what made the travel, the events, the dinners, the working out, the EVERYTHING special and worth doing is that I did these things with my family and friends.

It's the people in our lives that make both the exciting and the mundane experiences special and something to write about.

I leave 2010 with few regrets and I'm ready to take on everything 2011 has to offer.

Happy New Year!

Sayonara 2008, Bonjour 2009!

I don't know what I'm resolving to do this year… Maybe work on my list a little, along with the usual (work out more, be more attentive at home, find my career "home," etc.). I know I'll make a list. I always do. I also have some revisions in mind for the 101 things list. Later.

I'm thankful for so much in 2008. I know it was a tough year for a lot of people in a myriad of ways. But for us, for the things that truly mattered, the Pop family had a fantastic year.

We faced some challenges, sure. Three ER visits in four weeks this past spring come immediately to mind, actually. Put that little crap aside, though, and as we leave 2008, I think the Pop family came out ahead.

My family is healthy, happy, and prosperous. What more could I ask for in 2009? I'm gonna request more of the same, thank you.

Wishing peace, love, contentment, safety, prosperity, and sanity to all.

Get a designated driver tonight if you are going to whoop it up.

As for us? The three Pops are headed to a nice dinner downtown, then a relaxed ringing-in of the new year (probably at home, definitely in our neighborhood).

Perfection

Here we are on the last day of January and I feel like I haven't accomplished or even come close to accomplishing anything on my resolutions list. Urgh!

So what am I doing here? Avoiding that list, that's what! Instead, I'll take a moment to discuss perfection...

The perfect outfit: Dark, low-rise, boot-cut, well-fitting, long jeans, white or black figure-flattering sexy tunic, strappy stilletto sandals.

The perfect meal: Begins with a glass of Nickel and Nickel Sori Bricco. After that, I share a seared Ahi starter. Then comes the dinner salad with a house-made vinagrette. The main course is surf and turf. A petite filet cooked medium-rare to medium with a lobster tail with lemon and drawn butter. The sides are fresh creamed corn and a potato of some sort. Dessert is Creme Brulee with fresh strawberries on top.

The perfect hangover cure: Drink a glass of water and take three ibuprofens. Depending on what time I wake up, it's either a sausage biscuit and hash browns from McDonald's or a Big Mac extra value meal with a regular coke.

The perfect road trip: In my younger days, that would be driving cross-country to a UT sporting event. These days, the perfect road trip is the one to the "good" mall in town.

The perfect facial feature: Smoldering eyes.

The perfect drink: With alcohol = Martini made with Tito's vodka, fresh pineapple juice, and blueberry-pom juice.
Without alcohol = Giant glass of Iced Tea with plenty of fresh lemon or lime juice.

The perfect song: I don't really have one, but if I'm forced to choose, I have been listening to Ayo Technology by 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake quite a bit lately.

The perfect sign of affection: A squeeze, tickle, kiss, and hug.

The perfect afternoon: Snuggled in a blanket on the couch, watching some horrible and cheesy romantic movie with a large Diet Coke and bag of baked Cheetos on the coffee table while it is rainy and cold outside.

The perfect vacation: A 5-star all-inclusive resort at a Carribbean beach. Doesn't matter which one.

The perfect invention: DVR

The perfect type of wedding: The destination variety with a massive reception/party back home.

The perfect album: Hmm... If "perfect" means one I can listen to all the way through multiple times, then it's a tie between "Stereo" by Vallejo and "Year of the Monkey" by Pushmonkey.

The perfect accent: Sean Connory's Scottish Brogue.

The perfect date: A date that starts with flowers and ends with a kis (and more).

The perfect weather: Sunny, not humid, between 75 and 80 degrees with a slight breeze.

The perfect party: One I host.

The perfect sport: Football.

The perfect thing to say: "Honey, no one can hold a candle to you." and "Quit your job, we just won the lottery and the limo is on its way to take you shopping."

The perfect day of the week: Saturday.

**Posting idea courtesy of Jenni.

The New Year

So it's only the third day of the year. I've finally gotten our New Year's Eve pictures downloaded onto the computer and then uploaded here for the blogging community to enjoy. Riiight...

New Year's Eve was relatively low-key. We had a couple of friends over, ate some snacks, drank poinsettas (champagne and pom juice), lit fireworks, and after Boy Pop finally crashed, we played a rousing game of Wii Olympics.

Oh Lord! We played for two hours. I twinged the right side of my neck, and my right shoulder, arm, and wrist and I'm still sore!

I finally called it a night (morning?) at 4AM. Our friend called a cab at 4:15 that did not arrive until 6AM, at which time, Dr Pop finally came to bed.

New Year's Day, obviously, got off to a relatively rocky start as you can imagine. I woke up at 10, feeling a little hungover and headache-y. I waited until 11:30 to wake up the Boy (Can you belive it??? He slept until 11:30!!!), but finally had to get him up because my parents were coming by on their way to Abilene from my grandmother's house. Dr Pop woke up and felt horrendous. He stayed in bed while my parents were here.

My parents stayed for an hour, during which my mother tried to lay on a guilt trip about me not letting them take Boy home with them for the remainder of the week. She pouted. I ignored it and offered them food, which they declined. Then they left.

Dr Pop was in a very bad way (lack of sleep, lots of beer, bad allergies), so I gave him a phenergan and left him to sleep it off. Turns out he fell asleep with it in his hand and woke up about five hours later, just in time to eat a few black eyed peas and some cole slaw (You know that black eyed peas bring good luck, but did you know that eating cabbage on New Year's Day is supposed to bring prosperity?) and then went back to bed. Boy Pop and I hung out and played and I watched America's Next Top Model for hours until we all finally went to bed.

I have this whole week off of work and I had some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket, so yesterday, we all loaded up and went to the mall. Ugh. I really do hate the mall, but I ended up with about five new tops. Dr Pop bought two new pair of shoes, and the Boy came home with three new t-shirts.

Not satisfied, today I ventured out alone and came home with a pair of boots, two pair of ballet flats (red patent and bronze), and a pair of black crinkle patent pumps, three t-shirts, a sweater, a robe, and a pair of yoga pants (I don't do yoga). I'm done. D.O.N.E. Well, I still need some new brown boots, so I'm almost done. And I could use a new pair of nice pants and maybe a skirt. Later.

Tomorrow is my last official day of vacation, not including the weekend, and I'm not sure what I want to do with it. Our Christmas decorations are all still up because we are lazy like that. I need to clean out my closet. I need to do laundry. I need to throw out a ton of crap (Hey, tomorrow is trash day!). I need to do something more productive than shopping and watching ANTM as I feel my brain is rotting away.

Perhaps I'll figure out some resolutions to share with the world...

New Year's Traditions...

This is the best thing I've read about the history and translation of Auld Lang Syne. It's an interesting read.

What do you do for good luck on New Year's Day?

Do you eat Black Eyed Peas? Cabbage? Anything else?

If you're interested in luck in the coming year, you might want to visit The New Year's site. This is a great starting point if you want to research the origins of why we eat what we do and celebrate the way that we do to ring in the new year.

Happy New Year!