peek into the week

standing on the star on the Dallas Coyboys field

This past weekend I had friends in town. It was such an amazing weekend. Not only did I get to spend time with my oldest friend and her husband, but I also got to have a little staycation of my own. I feel like I saw more Dallas/Fort Worth in that one weekend than I have seen since I moved out here 9 months ago. We took a VIP tour of the Cowboys Stadium, got lost in Fort Work (where we wound up at the opening weekend of the Fort Worth Stock Yards), ate at my favorite restaurants, toured downtown Dallas, and more. James got to play golf, I got to teach my BFF what a kolache is (think pig in a blanket, but a million times better). Needless to say, it was a fun-filled weekend. That meant that this weekend, my only mission was to sleep in and relax. Mission accomplished. Bring on Monday!

BFF attempting to balance on the railroad tracks

Opening weekend and the Stock Yards

the hilarious book I finally started this week    

finally having a Saturday to sleep in. Looks like she might have needed it more than me!

breakfast for lunch on a lazy Saturday

my Saturday night. blissful.

peek into the week

my angel

waking up to snow and rain Tuesday morning

a little snuggle time with a friend's pup

surprise snacks at work

flu shot and blood drawn in the same arm - ouchies

finally broke down and bought a TV - exscuse: I'm having guests in town this weekend

Friday lunch with a sweet friend

instant gratification

  It's the little things...

resolutions

  I don't have a lot this year.   1. Drink more H2O - at least one full glass at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That is in addition to the ones I drink (or plan to drink) throughout the day.   2. Brainstorm every day - I can't make a promise to myself that I will blog every day, or paint every day, or even create something every day. But I do want to make sure that I intentionally block time everyday for brainstorming.   3. Simplify & enjoy my fitness - Pilates/yoga on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays. Run/walk on Tuesdays and Thursdays.   4. Take more pictures of beautiful things - this one is pretty simple.   So, there you have it folks. Here we go!

a new day

New Year's Eve has always been one of my least favorite holidays. I'm not sure why. Although I do love dressing for it. I just feel like there is too much pressure. It forces you to look at the previous year as a whole, and judge it to be successful or not successful. I just don't think that is very fair. A year is a long time! And there are so many reasons why things happened they way they did. If you look at the past year in terms of whether or not is was a successful year, you will more than likely make yourself worried with stress. Either by having an "unsuccessful year", or feeling pressure to make the next year "even better than the last."

We should make promises to ourselves daily, not annually. Live out this beautiful life day-by-day. Take away the pressure of reviewing the year as a whole - "pass" or "fail".

This is why I feel that New Year's Day is so much more uplifting. This year I got to spend it with good friends and good food. And I savored every minute of it. Because it was a day to move forward - in whichever direction I choose.

new year's eve

Any excuse to don some sparkles is a welcomed occasion!

Elf's glitter liquid eyeliner. Just enough, but not too much.

Rose gold + sequins = my new go-to

Happy New Year, y'all!

* mental note for next year: now that I'm living in Texas, I will miss the ball drop in Times Square if I look for it at midnight central time.