"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other."

As the New Year is upon us, I would like to wish everyone a happy 2008. I do hope that I won't be at work as much this year! Haha.

I have a few resolutions for this year. Nothing too difficult, I don't think, but we'll see if I can actually keep them.

1) Get myself up in the morning before work and work out for 30 minutes, 4 days a week. (Maybe this will help me not feel so sluggish.)
2) Watch at least 2 movies a week. (There are so many movies I haven't seen!)
3) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. (This should help with the next one...)
4) Read 35 books throughout the year (I will be posting my list of 50 books to read in 2008 when I complete it!)
5) Try to focus on the positive things about me. (I've had a problem with doing this recently, so, help me out y'all!)

I should be able to handle these. I just have to keep myself focused, and also organized much better than I have recently. I used to be so organized, and I'm hoping to gain some of that back!!


Currently reading: Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon

The day after...

I survived Christmas. It was a long day, but we made it. Actually, it even started on Christmas Eve. I think Dakota had the best picture from the holiday. She received a very cute coat, but wasn't quite sure about it...

I am quite enjoying my time off from work. Getting lots of sleep, we finished watching the third season of "Arrested Development", and now I have lots more movies to watch and books to read.

I'll be heading back to Lansing tomorrow in order to hang out and clean my apartment a bit. I'll only be staying overnight, but I'm hoping to get a little bit done. Then, I'll be back in Muskegon until after the new year. Yay! More sleep!

I hope everyone had a good holiday, and also is having some restful time off. I know I am!!!!

Currently reading: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Let the weekend begin!

Yesterday was finally Friday. This week was incredibly slow and long. In addition, I was having an emotional week - partly because of the holidays, partly because of the news at work this week. Now it's Saturday, and I feel pretty run down. Of course, I couldn't sleep in this morning, but it was for a good reason - haircut!!! It's always so relaxing. :-) As usual, I didn't do the exact same thing as last time, but I did change up the color - got it a little darker, and with some highlights. I really like it, but we'll see how it goes tomorrow when I actually do it! My new profile picture was taken today.

I do want to take a moment and thank all of my friends that have been around and put up with me for the last couple of weeks. I appreciate all the support and just plain understanding. I hope you all have a happy (and restful!) holiday.

I am looking forward to being off from work until January 3rd. I've been feeling really burned out, and I just want to sit around, watch movies, read books, scrapbook, and just be lazy in general. I'm really looking forward to watching lots of football too! GO BLUE!

Currently reading: The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

...

"It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more." - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Today started off pretty well. Then I got to work. I found out that a co-worker of mine in the caucus had a heart attack yesterday and passed away. It threw me off all day. Over the last few months, this particular co-worker is one that I've gotten to know much better, through spending so much time at work together. I was just out to lunch with him on Thursday, which was the last day I was at work.

It's just unreal. Part of me can't stop thinking that it didn't really happen. But then I keep thinking about different things about him. He was always smiling and funny.

On the other hand, I just feel like it shouldn't affect me so much. But it does, and I can't quite explain it.

"Due to lack of interest, tomorrow is cancelled..."

Or, maybe due to excessive snow! On my way home last night, I decided to rent a bunch of movies and make sure that I had enough eggs to bake today. There was a lot of snow predicted! And, it has been snowing all day.

I slept late this morning, got up, decided to get lunch and go get butter, since I had forgotten that last night. I think that started the crazy day today. I went to Kroger, the box of Mountain Dew I had picked up broke and all the cans fell all over the floor. When I got home, I got to my front door, and dropped my large pop from Burger King in the hallway. Somehow, I got through making chocolate chip cookies without an issue, but then while making molasses cookies, I dropped the sifter in the mixture. Sigh. I'm such a klutz somedays.

I'm hoping this week isn't as stressful or exhausting as last week. I still have to do some holiday shopping, and hopefully will tie up some loose ends at work. In addition, I hope to watch some more movies, and read some. Luckily, it's still the weekend!

"You're so wise. You're like a miniature Buddha, covered in hair."

If you saw me right now, you wouldn't know that I'm super excited that tomorrow is Thursday. I have Friday off from work this week. But, I'm starting to feel like I'm getting sick. I am hoping I can stop it by sleeping and drinking fluids. Luckily, I've been getting some rest, as I've been able to leave work early this week.

The next few days are going to be pretty busy. I've been baking cookies a lot, but no more for this week, unless I do them in Muskegon on Friday. I have to do a ton of laundry all day Friday, and while that's in, I'm hoping to watch a movie or two. Maybe do a little baking. We'll see though. I have to head back to Muskegon tomorrow night, which means I have to pack, get the dog ready for the trip, get gas, etc. Then I have to get out of here, spend all day Friday in Muskegon, go to Eric's holiday work party, then drive back to Lansing on Saturday morning.

I will be attending my first ever MSU basketball game at Breslin Center on Saturday. It should be fun. I've been to the UM/MSU game before at Crisler, but I have never been to Breslin, and I'm curious to see it. It should be fun. There will be sushi beforehand, so that makes me happy!

I have a quick gripe, and it's something that I've always kind of dealt with. Clearly, I'm a female. All my life, I've been better friends with guys. I don't know why, I think I just get along better with guys. I'm kind of a tomboy, so maybe that's what makes it easier. Anyway, why can't I just be friends with guys? Is there a reason that whenever a girl and a guy are friends, everyone else thinks there's something going on? I know most of the time, people just joke about it, but after awhile, it just starts to get on my nerves. I'm not sure if anyone else ever has this problem, or if it's just me. Ha.

"No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up."

This is a busy weekend. Last night, I went out to dinner with a friend of mine, and then we went to see the movie "Gone Baby Gone". I really, really liked the movie, and Casey Affleck was just amazing. There were some great scenes, and the overall message makes you think. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I was at a Jaycees event for a couple of hours today. We hosted "Stuff the Bus" to help 6 families we adopted from the Salvation Army. When I left, we had quite a few items in the bus. I hope the rest of the event went well!

And then, I have just returned from Grand Rapids. I met Eric there, since we both stayed at our respective homes this weekend due to scheduling conflicts. Anyway, we went to dinner, then did some Christmas shopping. I hate that I'm at a loss as to what to get for some people. Then, other people are just so easy to shop for. I decided that this year, I was going to try and spread a little holiday cheer instead of being a grinch. Let's hope for the best on this goal!

Then tomorrow is brunch and "Spamalot" with the office. That'll take up a good chunk of the day, then I want to make some more cookies, but we'll see how time goes. I could make cookies, make cards, do a scrapbook page, watch a movie, read a book - there are so many possibilities. Although, I may just be lazy - I'm starting to feel a little run down and sick, but I don't know if that's from just standing outside in the cold today!

Well, off to do something...

"The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated."

I'm fairly certain the title of this blog hits the nail on the head for me. I love a little appreciation! Luckily, I'm feeling appreciated at the moment.

I'm writing tonight in the spirit of being quite at ease. I'm not overly happy, not bummed out. I pleasantly exhausted, and almost ready to go to bed. But most of all, with the crappy mood I've been in lately, I'm feeling a little bit of peace. Which is good - I hope it means that I'm getting myself back on track.

I know this sounds silly, but I'm thinking that maybe I'm having a sense of closure. At some point over the last couple of weeks, my life just got thrown out of whack, in turn, throwing my moods out of whack. Yesterday and today have helped me come back to reality. I've felt productive, had a friend help me get through kicking my own ass, and it never hurts to have a dog that love you unconditionally! All in all though, I'm feeling quite content. Let's hope this continues into tomorrow...

"If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's, well, broken."

Ah, the quote is from Grosse Pointe Blank. That movie always makes me laugh. Maybe a good selection for this week's viewing.

The weekend was pretty good. Got some things moved around in my apartment, and I'm still working on that, but I did get a table to do some scrapbooking and jewelry stuff on. So, that's helpful, especially since I have Dakota this week.

I'm at home for the moment, but I have to leave in a bit to go cover a meeting for my boss. Luckily, it's only a couple of blocks away, and there will be dinner, but I really just would like to be home tonight and finish my book. I'm so close - about 30 pages left! Then, I have to decide what to read next. Rearranging my apartment reminded me of exactly how many books I own that I haven't read.

I will probably bake again this week - snickerdoodles (yum!) and ginger snaps (yum!). That's my plan, anyway. Not tonight though, and not tomorrow night. Woo hoo, the work holiday party is tomorrow night. Should be fun, considering the last one I went to, I had only worked in my office for about, oh, one month. So, I didn't know anyone! Hard to have fun at that type of function...

Hopefully, this week isn't too stressful (it isn't so far!), and I can get some things done both in the office and at home. This weekend is going to be pretty busy. I'm helping out at Stuff the Bus for the Jaycees on Saturday, but not sure what time that I'll be out there (we'll be at the Wal-Mart, ugh, yeah, I know, in Eastwood Towne Center all day Saturday). Then, Sunday, our office is going to Wharton Center to see Spamalot. That makes me happy. I've heard it's funny, and how can you go wrong with Monty Python?