Happy New Year! 2009 came and went in a flash...

On new years eve, Scott and I stayed home, watched District 9, (well, I fell asleep after 15 minutes) then watched the ball drop, gave each other a quick kiss, then went to bed. I'm anxious to see what 2010 holds for us. It'll be quite a year - Scott finds out where he gets into residency, graduation, he starts working this summer, we get married (again) this spring/summer (wait, I didn't mention that before, guess I'll explain in another post), supposedly go on a European tour this summer, and finish renovations on the house sometime this year. Sounds like it'll be a busy year. JB should be quite a feat at the rate we're going. Just have to be patient, and diligent. Yep, I'm looking forward to it. It'll be another mile stone year for us.

Christmas has not been so stressful this year...

Our families decided we needed to cut down how big we do Christmas this year, and I'm actually quite thankful, because Christmas should not be about how much money you spend, or how many gifts you get someone. It's about being with your family, friends, and loved ones, and giving more than just material things.

This year is hopefully a much more practical year for all of us with the recession, and job losses. Hopefully, we'll all realize that in the end, the toys, fancy shoes, Ed Hardy designer t-shirts, etc. is just stuff.

Past few months, and my New Years Resolutions

Oh brother - that's been my favorite phrase lately.

1. The house - the exterior renovations pertaining to the front gable, siding, roof, and gutters are done. My house now has green siding with white trim. I think it goes great with the red brick. We didn't plan on replacing the roof, but we did. It looked horrible, and our bathroom ceiling was leaking. Anyway, that was a budget buster, but I'm incredibly happy that we did it. It looks great. Last I mentioned was the master bedroom - it's done along with the office...well, when I say done, I mean it's cleaned and painted, and can be moved into. The finishes, such as electrical sockets and wall plates, crown molding have not been added/replaced, and floors have not been refinished. But that stuff has to be done all at the same time, so we're waiting on that for now.

Starting on the kitchen next. We found our granite, cabinets, and the contactors, purchased a range, still need a couple of appliances. Best case scenario - renovators come in and prep the site mid January - finish in 10 days, cabinet installers take about 1 to 5 days, and granite in about 1 week. By Feb, we'll have a brand spankin' new kitchen. My fingers are crossed. My wallet is getting thinner.

2. Work - We've been in business for almost 3 months now. We are trucking along. Purchased DealMutt.com, and will be starting developments in late January, early Feb. IHTHT has sustained it's growth - and 13Deals is growing faster than we can handle. We hired a guy that worked for Razor in CA - he's been more than we could ever ask for. He is definitely on the same wavelength as the rest of us. We are blessed to have survived these past few months, I know 2010 will be a much better year for us.

Going to CES in Vegas this year again - taking husband with me. I don't feel so guilty leaving the office if it's work related.

I feel like we're outgrowing our new office. We just moved in it last June, and since the first pallet rolled in, I immediately knew we'd outgrow this one fast. Looks like that time is coming soon.

I hope to double in size by this time next year - employees, revenue, everything.

3. Fun Stuff - I did a little bit of traveling this last quarter - visited Boston, Philly, took a trip to Memphis with my mom, and Charleston for a weekend. Ate my first canoli in Philly - anytime I go back up that direction, I'm always going to scour for pastry shops. Its my new favorite thing. It used to just be ice cream, but I'm diversifying my interests.

4. Family - I kinda told my mom that Scott and I are interested in entertaining the idea of trying to have a child next year during Thanksgiving weekend...well, this morning she called me and told me that she doesn't think it's a good idea, and that I should wait til at least 2011. She says I'm too busy right now, and I need to focus on work for at least 1 more year, and that Scott should work at least a year first. I thought about it, and she's right. My house is a hot mess, I still drive my beater, and Scott will have just started working so it will sort of be very inconvenient for us, because he'll be an intern and will be on call every 4th night. We need to finish renovations on the house and buy a new car next year, then we'll be set for a child.

5. New Year's Resolutions -
a. Ack! I always say this, but I need to lose 15lbs BAD! I can't believe I put on 10 in the last 3 months. I tell ya, not having a kitchen is disasterous for my diet. I severely dislike eating out. I prefer to cook my own meals.

b. Finish the last 3 rooms in the house by April. Then the house is done! And I can have dinner parties and stuff here without cringing when someone asks to use our bathroom.

c. Become an American citizen!

d. Visit Europe in the summer.

e. Get a marriage license (long story).

f. Buy a new car (I severely dislike this activity).

g. Go sea kayaking.

h. Change the way I view alot of things.

i. Play more mafia.

j. Throw more parties.

k. Make new friends.

l. Visit old friends.

m. Have no babies.

n. Pay off more debt.

o. Run a 5k (this should be easy, but for some reason it's not for me).

p. Send my parents off to Cambodia for a month.

q. Spend more quality time with my brother.

r. Limit my work hours to 55 hours per week.

s. Do more outdoor activities with my dog.

t. Be more precise.

u. Be more honest with myself.

v. Create more meaningful relationships.

w. Put more thought into my actions and words.

x. Wear cardigans.

y. Get a pair of Toms Shoes.

z. Be more attentive to Scott.

Master bedroom is done!

Well almost...the outlets and switches need to be replaced with new white ones, light fixture needs to be changed, and floors refinished, but other than that and decorating, it's done! It's a cool soft light sky blue color, that makes the room bright and airy. I love the color we chose, and I think we can make it look fantastic once we can start decorating it. I'll post pics when it's ready.

I want to go back to normal...

Normal? What's that these days? I feel like my life has been going through some ups and downs lately...not anything bad...just lots of anxiousness. I've been feeling like I'm running, constantly doing stuff, but without a focus. Work has been incredibly busy, and consuming every ounce of energy and time I have. Not to mention, my house won't renovate itself, so getting off work at 8pm, searching for a quick dinner, then back home to work on the house to about 12 is very exhausting.

I've been getting these anxiety/panic attacks, where literally, out of the blue my heart just starts racing, I become frantic, become angry over stupid stuff , and get blistering headaches. My whole body just feels achy and tired. I hardly sleep much any more, which has caused me to rely on sleep aids to feel somewhat rested the next day. I'm not depressed and I'm very happy with everything, so it's kind of strange for me to have these feelings. So I always feel nervous, anxious, unprepared, and stressed out. It's associated with work and the renovations of our house. I need the renovations to hurry up and get finished so I can focus on work. But if I could stabilize work, then that may help the anxiousness to subside a bit. I just don't want everything to crumble on me. I've worked too hard for everything I have achieved.

Despite the rollercoaster, it has been a fun ride. Hard work does pay off, and I know the rewards will be worth it.

Boston, JB, & Charleston

I'm trying to remain sane these past few weeks. Lots going on -

Husband and I went to Boston for a short weekend trip - definitely helped destress. We got to see many sites of Boston, Harvard, and ate as much seafood as we could. I wished we had enough time to go to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, but we'll try to hit those next time. The city is really neat, I enjoyed the many shops and restaurants. We wondered aimlessly for the most part as we tour whatever part of the city we could by foot. I ended up with a stress-fracture on the second day and cried myself to sleep by 9pm that night because it was so incredibly painful. Surprisingly enough, the next morning, the pain was gone and I was back at sightseeing again.

JB is now in almost full effect - will be working on the website soon. 13Deals.com is now operated by JB.

Brother came over and spent the last week here. He was supposed to help me with alot of stuff around the house, but he ended up doing hardly anything except overfeeding my dog with treats because she whines at him. He left today.

Spent this past weekend in Charleston with Scott and Jess. They rented a beachouse for a month while they did their rotations down there. I came back home with 30 mosquito bites. Had enough shrimp burgers to last me awhile. Slept on the beach for several hours....received a mild sunburn. I think I wanna go sea-kayaking sometime.

Sort of liking the idea that I'll be spending the next 3 weeks alone...perhaps I'll get lots done with no distractions. Will be going to Memphis next week for my US Citizenship exam.

Feeling evoked.

The winner is "Jammin' Butter"! It's unconventional, highly brandable, and very easy to remember. AND, it makes you smile when you say it!