2012: january edition

ringing in a new year is a time for a fresh start, creating resolutions that likely won't last more than a few weeks, and lately for me - a time to try to stay awake until midnight while curling up on the couch in your jammies with your louv and your kitties.  i'm so NOT about getting dressed up, paying an ridiculous amount of money to stand in a crowded bar just to attempt to make it up to the bar for a drink.  no.thank.you. 

i spent most of the month trying out some new tasty recipes thanks to a newly discovered website - skinnytaste.  after a milder-than-usual month of december, we had our first snow storm at the start of the month.  lake shore closed for part of one morning and i saw numerous accidents as i took a detour on my drive to work.  i'm definitely not one for driving in inclement weather!  

at work, our workgroup approved a vote to integrate our seniority list with airtran.  it was highly contentious and i just wanted it to be over.  during the month i flew with a couple friends.  on one overnight in san antonio, we walked around the riverwalk and then saw the alamo.  

finishing off a pathetic blogging year...

it's been almost 6 months since my last post.  i skipped nablopomo last month, ignored requests to post something new, and haven't even been good about reading posts from other blogs i follow.  i decided to take a brief hiatus from posting, even when there's been much to write about.

sadly, up until now, i've only posted 17 times in 2012.  so to make up for the lack of posts this year, i am going to finish off the year with a countdown of each month in 2012.

stay tuned this week for "2012: 12 months in 12 days".  i will include stories, pictures, and a brief recap of what happened each month throughout the year.  for me, it's enjoyable to look back at what has transpired this past year.

....and amuse me by leaving a comment.

Source: businessinfoguide.com via Stephanie Chandler on Pinterest

an update

i know i've been missing for a few months, but i promise i'm still here.  my blogging juices haven't really been flowing though there's been plenty to write about.  i've been quite busy the past few months and have plenty to share.  i'll spend the next several posts catching my (multitude of - lol) readers up on what's been going on with me!

now that spring has come and gone and summer is officially here, there's so much going on in and around chicago.  we've been traveling - abroad, on work trips, and family visits - so i have many pictures and stories to share!

stay tuned for my three-month update!

first up...our transatlantic cruise!

who's out there?

sometimes i wonder who is out there actually reading my blog.  i know of a few faithful readers, but i wonder if anyone else comes across "an observant mind" and takes a few minutes to read some of my past posts.

i know that i could have more readers if i sat down and continually followed (and commented) on other people's blogs.  they would then most likely read what i had to say on my own blog.  another way to gain more readers is to post regularly and about something that others enjoy reading about.  my blog has no set theme, it's just a bunch of random posts.  and i can't say that i'm the best about posting regularly.  

i'm doing nablopomo for the third year in a row, more to challenge myself than anything else.  this year, however, it's seemed like more of a task than anything else, "ugh, i have to blog today".  add to the thought of "who is actually reading this?" and i sometimes wonder why i even bother!

i suppose that is why i take blogging breaks (like i did last month) and don't stress myself out about it too much.  but, don't worry...to the three to four of you reading this, i will finish nablopomo successfully!

pic.  

nablopomo 2011

well here it is, november 1; the start of nablopomo.  after quite the hiatus, i'm challenging myself to 30 posts in 30 days.  i've successfully completed nablopomo for the past two years and i'm confident i can do it again in 2011.

while i cannot guarantee the quality of my posts, at least there will be something to enjoy each day.  so if you find your way here, please take a moment to leave a comment - it gives me the encouragement that i will definitely need!

now the question is, will you join me in posting every day for nablopomo 2011?!

pic.

i'm back!

• i must say that i enjoyed my blogging break.  but here i am, ready for nablopomo '11
• i hate halloween.  hate. (but for those of you that enjoy the spooky day, happy halloween.)
• i'm writing this blog at 30,000 feet.  yay for deadheading on a wifi aircraft!
• i had a great time last week in NYC with teresa and then orlando with my family
• i can't believe there are only two months left in 2011
• will you be joining me for nablopomo?!

hey there wednesday

with lack of an internet connection on monday and a long day yesterday, i've failed to post anything this week. so today is just a bunch of randomness to get caught back up.

• g and i both registered online for a beginning spanish course from instituto cervantes of chicago.  hopefully it will provide us with some basic communication skills to use when we go back to spain next spring. 
• working 6 days in a row is killer.  my only relief has been lighter passenger loads.
• i'm really enjoying the cooler temperatures.  it's really making me want to get out the autumn decorations, but i'm maintaining some restraint. 
• we're finally getting grown-up living room furniture.  after the debacle we had two years ago, we settled on a sectional sofa from ikea.  it's served it's purpose, but now it's time to get the pieces we truly want.  hopefully we'll have the sofa and chair by the end of the month! 
• in addition to the living room furniture, we purchased new bedroom pieces!  we now have closet doors and we won't have to have our dresser in our closet!  we also finally painted the bedroom - i love the color!  (see link for color)
• we set up the dvr for fall tv yesterday...geesh!  watching all that tv is going to be a chore! 
• i could really use a spa day.  i'd like a massage, a mani/pedi, and my eyebrows waxed.  why must it be expensive?!
• i'm really looking forward to going to indiana next week.  we get to spend time with the kids and the rest of my family, meet my sister's boyfriend, and go to the apple orchard!  

photo.

EH!

i know i have not posted in three weeks.  i've thought about sitting down to blog numerous times, but haven't really just felt like doing it.  i've just felt "eh" about blogging lately.  a friend told me yesterday that i needed to blog.  i said i just hadn't had any desire to blog lately.  her response was "then don't. f*@k it."  and that's basically how i've felt about it.

hopefully i'll change that feeling and get back to blogging regularly.  i definitely have plenty to write about!

light as a feather

i'd been having some minor difficulties with my computer the past couple of months.  i noticed that it had been running a bit slower and it was harder to get it to connect to certain webpages, sometimes even the network itself.  i must say that i absolutely love my macbook and would buy no other product.  that being said, i think i got the bad apple in the bunch.  i had the hard drive replaced two times and had some other minor issues (that were thankfully covered with my apple care warranty).  recently i had an issue with the computer staying powered on unless it was connected to the power cord.  sure, it might seem like it's not a big deal, but it becomes extremely inconvenient as you must restart it every time it's unplugged, thus lacking portability.

it's a known fact that i've become an apple fanatic.  i've seriously owned nearly every apple product.  and i absolutely love every one of them.  knowing that i would soon be in the market for a new laptop, i started researching the various options apple provides.  as i said, i love my macbook, but it's a bit heavy and requires being taken out at airport security.  the macbook pro is very nice, but it too must be removed for security.  the macbook air is light, easily portable, and does not need to be removed from your bag to be screened at airport security.  i was sold...mostly.

it's true that apple products aren't cheap, but they're reliable and the workers at the genius bar truly are amazing and can fix almost any problem your computer (or any other apple product) is having.  though i would regularly peruse the apple site, picking out the computer i wanted and pricing it out, i knew that the time wasn't right.

the final straw was the battery/power issue.  it was then that i knew that sooner, rather than later, i would need to go computer shopping.  so, this morning i was checking out apple's site and pricing the macbook air with our company discount.  imagine my surprise when i noticed that the macbook air was updated with a new operating system and few other things...just as of yesterday!  wow!  i waited long enough to get the most up-to-date product?!  g and i already had plans to go downtown for a few things today, so we popped into the apple store where i asked more than a few questions to the product specialist and finally made my apple macbook air purchase!

i love it!  it's very nice!  so maybe this will be my regular blog motivator!

always the intentions...

i've had every intention of blogging regularly this past week.  in fact, i even have a list of things that i want to blog about!  but, for various reasons i've actually failed to sit down and write.  so, i will vow to post regularly next week.  stay tuned!  (i bet i have about three readers on the edge of their seats....)

until then, enjoy this adorable picture of my "badass" nephew on his bike!