New Years Resolutions!

I may seem late on this via blog but I swear I came up with these resolutions on December 31st! It was a slow day at work so I had time to really reflect on 2013 and think about what I wanted out of myself for 2014. I made two separate lists: one for resolutions and one for goals. Even though we're only 6 days into January, I think I've been pretty on-point so far! 

New Years Resolutions

1. Bring lunch to work at least three times per week (event depending).
2. Instead of impulsively buying lots of small things, spend your money on quality things that you’ve wanted for a long time, or on things that will last for a long time.
3. Go to zumba and yoga at least three weeks out of the month.
4. Take everyone’s opinions into account and consideration, but make your own decisions based on what you feel will be best for you.
5. Eat well 80% of the time and eat whatever the hell you want 20% of the time. Remember: one “bad” meal won’t make you fat, just like one “good” meal won’t make you skinny.
6. Read one book for pleasure per month.
7. Even when you don’t have plans, get dressed and ready for the day. Lazy bum days are totally allowed, but most days you should get up and make yourself pretty.
8. Don’t waste time, but enjoy the time you waste.
9. Learn to laugh at quirks and accept flaws. No one is perfect.

New Years Goals

1. Go one entire month without consuming any chocolate or coffee and see what it does for your skin (I'm allergic to cocoa beans...lucky me!)
2. Sell three portals by the end of the year (it's a work thaaang).
3. Do 20 minutes of ab work four times per week and have a flatter stomach by cruise time in April!
4. Complete at least 30 minutes of cardio three times per week or more.
5. Make one Pinterest meal and one Pinterest dessert per month.
6. Travel to five places you’ve never been before.

I know a couple of my resolutions aren't S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Bound). For example, I don't plan on marking every time I get up and get dressed and ready on a Sunday when I have absolutely nothing to do. However, I'm pretty happy with my goals and resolutions and I hope to hold myself accountable for them! Here's to 2014 being a happy and healthy year for everyone!

XOXO, Samantha

Bah Humbug.

I always get just a tad depressed the first few days after Christmas as it sinks in that the holiday season is officially over. Secret Santa's have made themselves known, Christmas cookies have made their way to my thighs, and the Christmas tree ornaments go back into a box. And the hustle and bustle of work begins again.

So to cheer myself up, I start to look forward to the plans I have for the new year. Goals to reach, places to go, etc. It didn't even occur to me how crazy of a month January is going to be:

• December 31st (okay, it's not January but whatever!) - New Years Eve! Right now the plan is to go to a nice dinner with Ryan and some of our friends, followed by either World of Beer or a small shindig at his place. As long as I get to dress up in something sparkly, I don't care where we go!
• January 1st - OFF WORK! Woooohoo! Really pumped to have a day to myself to just lounge about and perfect my New years Resolutions.
• January 4th - Debbi & Mike's wedding! Debbi was one of my first roommates in college, and she's now the first of my friends in college to get married! Ryan and I got a hotel for the night so that'll be a fun little weekend getaway.
• January 9th - January 12th - I'M CHICAGO BOUND! I'm so so so so excited to be going to Chicago to visit one of my best friends, Annalise, in one of my favorite cities. I'm gonna freeze my ass off, but it'll be worth it. I can't wait for the shenanigans that will ensue.
• January 18th - Progressive company party with Ryan in Ybor! Apparently they have great food and drinks and a ton of prizes and raffles so it should be a great time. Super pumped to meet all of his coworkers and his lunch posse :)
• January 20th - Off work again for Martin Luther King Day! Pretty sweet.
• January 25th - Gasparilla! I'm normally not too excited about this pirate-themed parade, but I'm finally over 21 (as I have been for a hot minute now) so I don't have to worry about pregaming in the wee hours of the morning. AND now that I have a big-girl job, I'll have the day off. Excited!

So even though Christmas is dunzo, I have so much to look forward to in the coming year...and this is just for January! Happy New Year everyone :)

XOXO, Samantha

Tomorrow's Christmas! It's Practically Here!

What a crazy month December has been. It feels like yesterday that my best friend/coworker Stephanie and I were at Target, hunting down Christmas decorations and getting so excited for the holiday season. It throws me for a loop that we did that almost a month ago! With year end at work, it was hard to really focus on anything else during the middle weeks of December, but I've finally gotten back in the holiday spirit over the last few days. To me, Christmas isn't a religious thing. I just genuinely enjoy all the traditions that come along with it - it's easily my favorite time of year!

Christmas time (and New Years, of course) is when I really start to think about the past year: where I started, what I've done, and where I've ended up. This time last year, I never would have guessed that everything would be so, so different this year...but I guess that's the unpredictability of life! I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, so we'll see what 2014's Christmas brings.

But to focus on the present, I'm really excited because Ryan and I are traveling down to his parents' place in Cape Coral for a couple of days to celebrate Christmas the, erm, "Norwegian" way?! I'll have to see what all that craziness is about :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the few who are reading this now!

XOXO, Samantha

Pre-Turkey Chit Chat.

I cannot believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving (and the beginning of Hanukkah, not that we really celebrate much anymore). But seriously. Where has the time gone?! I feel like ever since I got my "big girl job" aka a Monday-through-Friday-off-on-the-weekends job, time just flies. I hate that phrase because it's so generic, but I can't think of a better way to put it!

It should come as no surprise that with Thanksgiving comes a blog post about what I'm thankful for. So here goes:

1. First and foremost, I'm thankful that my entire family is still alive and kickin'. Sometimes I find myself comparing my family to my friends' families, especially around the holidays. But they're different and they're mine and I love them all to pieces.
2. I'm thankful that I was able to travel around Europe for three weeks pretty much completely paid for. Some people never get to leave the country and I got to explore three new countries in such a short amount of time. It was such an incredible experience and I can't wait to go back!
3. I'm thankful to have landed an internship with the Tampa Bay Business Journal back in January, because I was able to get a full-time position with them this past October. I know countless people who graduated with me that have the hardest time finding a job. I may tell you differently on a Monday morning, but I'm so happy to be starting my career. 
4. I'm thankful that I was able to move back home, rent free, to save money until I get on my two feet. I'm also thankful that I had scholarships/my parents to help me through school so I wouldn't have a bazillion dollars worth of loans to pay off straight out of college.
5. I'm thankful for my group of best friends. I'm so lucky that I don't just have a couple true friends…I have almost ten! Whether I needed a drink or ten, a shoulder to cry on or a backup singer to jam with in the car, I have never felt alone. Ever. Not once. That's an incredible feeling.

I realize the majority of these were pretty generic, but hey, I'm thankful for the small things, too. Like the extra kick the basil from my new basil plant gave my pizza the other day. Or when the barista at Starbucks forgets to charge me for soy milk AND an extra shot of espresso. I'm a sucker for the little things in life.

Now. BRING AWWWWWNNNN THE TURKEY!!!!

Coping.

So I'm finally starting to get adjusted to the many changes that have been thrown my way in the past few weeks. I'm not necessarily thrilled about all of them, but I'm managing a lot better than I thought I would.

I've found extreme comfort in my friends. No surprises there, of course. I've always been really good at surrounding myself with the right people. The kind of people that make me laugh, the kind of people I can really share my feelings and thoughts with, the kind of people that inspire me in more ways than one. Whether it's watching stupid movies or baking something delicious, blowing money at the mall or getting sunburnt at the beach, I really haven't had a lot of time to be sad. I'm sure that'll all catch up with me eventually, but it's okay for now.

I finally started at my new Carrabbas and it's not as awful as I imagined it would be. Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant knows that being the new girl (or guy) is never fun, even if you're a transfer. You have to prove to everyone that you know what you're doing; a lot of people will hardly even acknowledge your existence until then. Thankfully, I haven't had much of that. Even when I do, I just roll with the punches. The restaurant business is never personal.

The days pass by a lot faster now that I'm out of school and not working every single day of my life (yet). I have all the time in the world to go to the gym, go to the beach, get together with friends, paint my nails...silly, frivolous things that I hardly had time to do before and now I get to do them every day.

I'm just in the process of becoming a better version of myself, I think. I'm growing up. I'm putting time into things that matter and not giving a second thought to things that don't. I'm being a twenty-something, and I like it.

XOXO, Samantha.