The Moving Process

So sometime last year, my roommate happened to get engaged. The bad news is, she also happened to own the condo I was living in.

You know what that means...

Yep, I've got to move.

Moving may just be one of the most dreaded things in my book. It's terrible. And it doesn't just happen in one phase, it happens in several.

First, you go through the inevitable "where am I going to live" phase. This can be easy if things are being defined for you, like if you and your friends are moving into a place together, or your friend has an extra room and you know you'd be the best roommates ever. However, this has never really been the case with my moves. Every time I've moved, it's been for a stupid reason, and it makes me hate moving even more. So when you find out you have to move, it's like the entire world stops. You spend hours at a time on KSL and Craigslist, looking through the same posts that you've already said no to a thousand times. Can't find anything? Wait an hour. Still can't find anything? Wait another hour, lower your standards and repeat.

Eventually, you find a few places that look promising. But then comes the worst part: setting up a time to look at the room. This is terrible for many reasons. You have to actually call the person and hope it's not A) a scam, or B) a sex trafficking ring. Usually, you feel like it will be both. When you finally work through a million people's schedules, you have to actually go and see the place. You'll also want to take a friend to make sure that it's really not some sex trafficking scandal, so you'll have to find someone willing to suffer through dozens of crappy apartments and single bedrooms that are too small, too expensive, smelly, stuffy and full of roommates and property managers that you wouldn't sit next to on a bus, let alone share a living space with. Thankfully, Nicole is that friend. And boy, have we seen some crappy places.

So you've gotten through step one and step two without managing to get sold to a sex ring in India or suffer a mental breakdown. Yay! After you sign your soul away for the amount of time on the contract and front a whole lot of money, you've got the keys to your new place. But now what?

2013: New Year, New Things

Okay, so I know I"m a little late in the game as far as "New Year's Resolutions" go, but I did want to take a minute and lay out what I am working towards for 2013. I have a feeling about this year, and I know it's going to be crazy and yet amazing at the same time. I have my own little list of goals for this year (Hint hint, Brady...) but I want to share some of the big ones here with you.

1. Breathe
So many times in the past few years, I have been tangled up in one emergency situation or another. This means I have constantly been an emotional roller coaster, and I'm not even a big fan of roller coasters. I have emotional high's and low's and can never seem to find any middle ground. I either love it or I hate it. In 2013, I'm going to rant less, jump to conclusions less and focus on taking a step back when I need to. In short, i'm going to breathe more.

2. Create
This one is vague for a reason. There are SO many ideas in my little head about anything and everything. Businesses I want to start, things I want to do - my mind is literally going a thousand miles a minute each and every day. Coupled with my obsessive need to craft and bake, I feel like this year is the year to get things going. I'm going to bake more, craft more, and most of all SHARE more. This sad little blog has been neglected for so long that I bet you forgot I even had it, and that makes my heart ache. I love to create, to see something in my mind and then make it happen - and in 2013 you're going to see a LOT more of that, I promise!

3. Focus
2013 is the year where I strap on the blinders and get down to business (not to defeat the huns, sadly.) I am going to focus more on tasks that I am doing while I am doing them, and not let my mind wander to other things. This means focusing more on school, on work and on thoughts I am having. I am going to pick a few things to do and then do them, rather than just let all of my ideas spin around in my head, collecting dust. I am going to remember that I can't do everything, and I am going to focus on doing what I CAN do at 100%

I am excited for everything that this year is going to bring! I hope I'm not alone in having these three big goals - I know they may seem to be simple concepts, but sometimes you've gotta work on the basics before you get to the big stuff.

Keeping these goals in mind, you are going to start seeing a lot more of me, so be prepared! (Also, I don't know how to write a serious post without adding in a ton of movie references. I guess today was Disney.)

Welcome Christmas

Alright, it's been a while since my last post. (I feel like I say that every time. Oh well.) But! Do I have a treat for you!

We all know that I have an unhealthy obsession with Halloween, but don't think that means that Christmas gets forgotten. As we speak, I'm mentally designing the Christmas version of my Halloween felt pillows and deciding what kind of wreath to hang on the front door.

Meanwhile, I am doing the best I can to sneak in some Christmas before December officially hits without anyone getting upset. Ikea is selling the most darling Christmas decorations this year, including a cardboard tree that you know I snatched up and stuck in my office. My boss was kind enough to snap this photo of me mid-rant about how cute my happy little Christmas tree was. (Yes, I know I'm eight.)

Christmas music is also a staple during most of my activities - getting ready in the morning, studying, driving, working. In fact, Michael Buble is serenading me as I type, and he'll definitely be home for Christmas, if you know what I mean. 

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the abundance of hot chocolate. Nothing is better than showing up to work with cold little fingers and fixing a nice big cup of cocoa to warm you up. Likewise, I am a huge fan of snuggling up to a good movie with some delicious cocoa. Throw the boyfriend into the mix and it sounds like the best winter night I could imagine. 

After Thanksgiving dinner with Brady's family and my own, he decided to brave Wal-Mart for Black Friday. I, being the sane person that I am, told him that he took a one way trip to crazy town and that I would not be joining him. Instead, I did what I love to do most and snuggled up with some hot chocolate. 

Only problem? 

No hot chocolate mix. 

It was the worst feeling. Not even one little packet! Swiss Miss was nowhere to be found! The roommates didn't even have hot chocolate (at least none that I could find). I almost gave up. But then I remembered - hot chocolate mix didn't always exist. My mother used to make hot cocoa for us on the stovetop, using real cocoa instead of the storebought packets. If she could do it, so could I, right?