Tender Mercy Tuesday - 55th Edition

Today's Tender Mercy comes from the other day when I was sitting in church (with Solider Boy!)

I'm not going to go into great deal of why this is such a tender mercy to me - it's very personal and close to my heart right now. However, what I do know is that this song that I stumbled upon during Sunday School was exactly what i needed to read. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir does a beautiful arrangement that i'm sharing, but be sure to read the words below. They're very powerful. The third verse is definitely my favorite. :o) I'm so glad that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and will give me these little mercies to aid me through my trials.

Though deep’ning trials throng your way,
Press on, press on, ye Saints of God!
Ere long the resurrection day
Will spread its life and truth abroad,
Will spread its life and truth abroad.

Though outward ills await us here,
The time, at longest, is not long
Ere Jesus Christ will reappear,
Surrounded by a glorious throng,
Surrounded by a glorious throng.

Lift up your hearts in praise to God;

Let your rejoicings never cease.

Though tribulations rage abroad,

Christ says, “In me ye shall have peace.”

Christ says, “In me ye shall have peace.”

Day 7: Winter Brights

If you know me in real life then you know that the challenge of wearing something brightly colored - even in the dead of winter- really isn't much of a challenge. I wear bright colors ALL THE TIME. (I'm a fan of bright colors. ;) )

ANYWAYS. In order to push myself a bit, I decided to try to wear a bright color in a way that I wouldn't normally. So...here ya go:

you can't tell, but the slacks are pin-striped (Kohl's), as is the shirt (Old Navy) and the t-shirt is from threadless and yes...I'm wearing matching green socks. :o)

I THINK I like this look, but I'm not sure yet. What I wish is that my button up shirt was a tad longer so that it hung out of my t-shirt more...but oh well. Can't win them all I suppose.

p.s. stay tuned for my tender mercy posts. I have a great one!!

Day 6: Decade or Region

Good Monday morning my dear friends.

I just want you to know that life is amazing. That's all.

Anyways, moving on. ;) Today's challenge was to use decades and/or region in our outfits today. I wondered how I was going to do it...but then I had this brilliant idea. I was going to use the 80s as my inspiration. (crazy, I know) But...I really think it worked. So...first, a picture to show you what I was trying to channel today:

I really liked the cut off/bright color look of this outfit - as well as the side ponytail.

So, without further ado, my outfit today:

this picture TOTALLY distorts the colors. :P BUT I'm wearing a darker pink cut off sweater (although it was made that way - I totally think it goes 80s-ish) (also, I have NO idea where I got it...) and a light pink downeast under it with skinny jeans (Target).

THEN I did my hair like so:

a cute side pony tail with a matching ribbon! :o) go me!

This was really fun to put together an outfit inspired by a decade...but that is still modern. I'm awesome. :o)

Day 5: pattern mixing

I have fallen in love with pattern mixing. I really enjoy the challenge of finding two patterns that I can wear together. As I type this, I can't help but think of a few other outfits that I could do....regardless this is what I went with:

I got this infinity scarf from my sister for Christmas and the shirt I got at Papaya ages ago. I loved this look. Like I said...I'm a fan of pattern mixing. :o)

p.s. I had the best weekend full of adventures and I'll give you a post about it someday when I get some time. This next week is going to be insane....but I will do my best to make time for it. Eventually. :o)

Thursday Things

It has been one insanely crazy day at the office, but I just wanted to leave you with a few things before taking off for the weekend. (you'll probably still see my outfit post for tomorrow, but that's about it!)

• Soldier Boy called me last night. It was another 2ish hour conversation. I'm a fan of him.

• Work is crazy.

• changes are coming to my job at work - I get to start helping out and collaborating on everything social media for my company. Facebook, Twitter, Blogging (!) - I'm REALLY excited about it.

• I was on the phone a lot at work today - it was ringing off the hook

• During my (later than normal) lunch break, Solider Boy texted me with this remark: :) 6 hours!!! 

• To say I was giddy about seeing that text was an understatement.

• I've been counting down for the past day.

• Things that are happening this weekend include: dancing the night away with a really cute boy, getting a good night kiss, shoe shopping (desparately needing new black flats), and dress shopping.

• Also, I think we're going to the some hot springs somewhere local. We'll see if that goes down.

• Dress rehearsal at the studio is happening on Saturday. Joy. :P

• ZUMBA! Saturday morning! If you want details on the FREE class that my 2nd counselor is offering, let me know. ALL are welcome! (unless you're a creepy stalker. then probably not.)

Sounds fun, right? I'm just excited to get to spend more time with Soldier Boy. Our phone conversations in the past couple of nights have been FANTASTIC and I know that this weekend is going to bring good things. :o) catch ya on the flip side!

Day 4: Channeling

Today's challenge was to Channel Someone. Oh dear. I had the hardest time coming up with someone to channel. I kept thinking of what was in my closet and wondering HOW in the world I was going to channel some sort of famous character or person and make said outfit work.

Enter Soldier Boy. (he's the new boy remember?)

He and I were talking on the phone last night and I was trying to explain this challenge to him and then I asked him to give me someone to challenge. His answer? Brittany Spears. I know, right? You're all thinking, what the heck Alishka, really?!

Well.....here's the deal. I thought it could work. So today I'm channeling Brittany Spears a la her "Baby One More Time" video. Specifically:

So here's my outfit (again, 2 parts!)

As you can see I tried to channel the prep school girl kind of look. So I'm wearing jean-washed slacks (JC Penney's), a gray button up cargo shirt (Target) and one of my dad's ties that I  borrowed ages ago and never gave back.... (LOVE that tie.)

THEN I decided to do just a little more Brittany channeling:

I saw this hair-do on Pinterest the other day and new I wanted to try it. My hair is NOT quite long enough to take this braid as far over as I would like, but I still like it.

So there you have it. A channel success? Perhaps. I do like my hair today....

Day 3: Embrace a Trend

I'll admit that I struggled trying to put together my outfit for today's challenge. Who's to decide what is "in" right now anyways? Also - I always seem to be behind on the times when it comes to trends. Woefully behind.

Anywho, I went with three (sort of 4) trends in one outfit (call me crazy) and I think I like it. Most of it.

Here is my main outfit of a polka dotted shirt (roommate's), heathered-gray/black pencil skirt (JC Penney's) and my green tights (Forever 21). (I promise those tights are green AND that they look really cool with my outfit. It's just the lighting in my room/stupid iPod camera. :P)

then we have my hair:

a high, ballerina bun. Now here's the dealio as to why this isn't my favorite trend. I am a ballerina. I grew up dancing and had to have my hair in a bun, EVERY day. So...I don't normally want to put my hair up in a bun. However, I thought Id give it a go as a fashion statement and I actually think it worked out fairly well for me. I'm a fan.

So just to review here are the trends I decided to try out today: 1) polka-dots (LOVE. I'm a huge fan) 2) pattern mixing ( this is one that I made up. I feel like everywhere I turn there is HUGE amounts of pattern mixing. I realize this will be a challenge another day...and I'll do something cool that day. but bam. pattern mixing) 3) colored tights. (I LOVE colored tights. I'm just always SO nervous to wear them. But like I said earlier, I think they work with this outfit. and my purple or pink ones would probably look just as cool. something to remember) and 4) the ballerina bun.

Overall, today was a win. Go me! :o)

[ps don't miss the dating battle story below - an introduction/quick run down of all of our adventures in the past week. :o)]

Dating Battle Stories: Soldier Boy

So in case you missed it, I kissed a boy the other day. Well, more like a week ago. And I really liked it. A lot. A few facts about this boy, who we shall hereafter call Soldier Boy, before I tell you a few of my favorite stories that have happened since our first kiss:

• he's in the military.
• he's served a tour of duty in Iraq.
• he taught Salsa dancing in Iraq.
• I know him from Blue Tango.
• He's my favorite dance partner.
• We always have the best dances.
• I've crushed on him for a long time.
• He's divorced and has a daughter.
• this doesn't bother me
• by the time I see him tomorrow night it will have been ~94 hours since I last saw him. I can hardly wait.
• I'm grateful that I am always so busy in the evenings. It's TOTALLY making this easier.
• He lives 2ish hours away.
• Him living 2+ hours away isn't an issue yet....and hopefully it won't ever make it to "issue" status. I think we can make this work.
• We spent all weekend together. ;)
• Last night we talked on the phone for 2 hours without any lack of conversation topic. It was actually one of the best phone conversations I have ever had.

Okay, so now that you know just a little bit about Soldier Boy let me tell you my  favorite moments from this weekend.

Starting with Thursday - hands down my favorite part was kissing him. And yes, *I* kissed him. Not the other way around. I had NEVER done this before...until 6 days ago. :o) Let me just say, going in and kissing someone is scary, but really, really fun. And it's led us on a great adventure so far. So, you're probably wondering how that happened right? right. Well. After dancing on Thursday night he walked me to my car. It was already late and I had to work the next day, but as we’re talking outside of my car, I offer to drive to him to his car (on the other side of the bldg etc.) and we ended up talking in my car for hours. About everything. Random stuff. We talked about kissing. etc. (probably over shared. but that's how I roll. oh well.) 

Well. At one point I sorta lean in (and I had thought about kissing him at this point several times) and he gives me this look...and I say "penny for your thoughts." and he says "right now?" and I say, "yup." and he leans in fairly close and says, "penny for YOUR thoughts." and I was all, "uh-huh, I asked you first." and he said, " I know. This is my response (moves a hair closer). Penny for your thoughts." and the first thought I have is that I should kiss him.  I sorta lean back a tad, had a quick little battle with my mind and my heart...and then I leaned in and kissed him with every part of my being. Guess what? He kissed me back. BOY did he kiss me back. [ps he's a really good kisser. let it be written. let it be done. or something like that] moving on....

Saturday - Soldier Boy had drill all weekend up in SLC. So, he was closer than normal on the weekend and we took advantage of that closeness. He took me on a date! We went to dinner, swing dancing on BYU campus and then back to my place to watch Tangled. We had a wonderful evening and got to know each other a bit. He admitted to having had liked me for a long time, but then Monkey Man got in the way for a short bit. However, here we are making this something happen.

Sunday - after a few texts and a cute snow angel made especially for me, Solider Boy showed up on my doorstep....in uniform. [insert girly squeal here.] Seriously, guys, I know everyone always says how a guy in uniform is the best thing ever. IT'S TRUE. Soldier Boy is cute, but man alive he is even cuter in his uniform. I liked. Anyways. Back to the moment. I made dinner and then we watched Megamind. He totally fell asleep while holding me (something about staying up to late the past couple of days. have no idea why that would be. *wink wink*) and it was awesome. We had some more good conversation where we talked about family and stuff, and then we had to say goodnight/goodbye. sigh. There is a HUGE part of me that hates how far away he lives, but at the same time it's going to be good that he lives far away. It means that when we DO get to spend time together, we're really going to make it count.

Monday - While I was at work late Monday afternoon I got a text message from my roommate of a picture of a long-stemmed rose with a note attached. It was for me! Normally on Mondays I leave straight from work and drive to the studio in southern Utah county to teach at 5:30p and then I don't get back until late in the evenings. Well, this particular Monday I had left my iPod at home and so I run home to get it before teaching and so when I was home for that brief moment, I was able to read the sweet little note that Soldier Boy had left me with the rose. It said "Just Because.  P.S. Smell it [it was a fake rose, but smelled like a man's cologne. very good smelling cologne might I add.] P.P.S. I wasn't sure a real one would survive the cold."  Sweet right? sigh. Seriously the most adorable thing I think any boy has ever done for me. We texted back and forth during the evening a bit.

Tuesday - aka last night. He called me - but I was in the shower following my workout that I had had earlier in the evening. I called him back and we talked for 2 hours. This entire conversation was wonderful and filled with all sorts of new information about each other and it was just really, really good. I know the timing is right for this relationship right now - it wouldn't have worked out a few months ago if this had happened then (we both agree on that fact) but here we are. Having a long-distance relationship. Is it what we planned on? Heck no. Are we okay with that? heck yes. It's going to be a fun adventure and I just can't wait to continue on this little path of ours. :o)

so there you go. Soldier Boy. I'm not sure I can (we haven't talked about it) call him my boyfriend yet....but I wouldn't go out with another guy if he asked me out right now. So there you go. :o)  Have a wonderful Wednesday y'all!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 54th Edition

Well, here we are. Tuesday afternoon. Today has been fairly good to me. I've been pretty much happy all day (I've also been fairly distracted all day - but more on that tomorrow) and that's been a great thing.

For my tender mercy today I wanted to share something that I read in the Ensign [a magazine The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints puts out every month] the other day that has really stuck with me.

In the article called, "Recognizing God'sHand in Our Daily Blessings" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, there was a quote shared by President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982):First Counselor in the First Presidency, which said:

“As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day.”

How brilliant of a statement is that? That little reminder - to remind myself daily that I can keep a resolution for just that day is what it is all about. Stephen R.Covey talks about taking "baby steps" in order to do the things that will get us accomplishing big things and creating habits in our lives. That reminder came at a perfect time for me and I'm reminded that I need to keep on taking baby steps every. single. day.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!!

Day 2: Monochromatic

Well...here we are Tuesday. I'm so glad you came, it sort of felt like you would never get here. sigh.

Anywho, today is Day Two of the Challenge: Winter Edition. :o) Last time I did a Monochromatic outfit I went with a bold color - green. AND.....I felt like I looked like a vegetable. I felt pretty ridiculous all day long.

This time around I went with something safer (and warmer!):

You can't really tell by this picture (stupid grainy ipod!) but this gray shirt (Forever 21) has a vertical stripe to it. I tried to wear a scarf, but it just didn't jive with my hair today. Also, I love these slacks (JC Penney's) because I can wear them with something tucked in or I can wear a pretty tunic/blouse over them. The only downside? No pockets. I hate pants with no pockets. Drives me batty. :P

So there you go, day 2! :o) Until next time!

p.s. I'm going to do my Tender Mercy Tuesday post separately a little later today, I feel like it deserves its own post. ALSO, a dating battle story is coming up and you're going to LOVE it. :o)

Day 1

So...some of you might remember the 21-Day Fashion challenge that I participated in back in late August.

Well, the wonderful April is hosting a Winter Edition that is only 10-days long! I'm really excited about this because I have been getting bored of my closet, but I have a hard time doing something like this challenge on my own. (I know, I should be better and try to do it....but it's just HARD!)

So, today is Day 1: Layers.

So, I went with my white sheer blouse (Kohl's) from the last challenge (it was my mix-in item) with a white DownEast shirt underneath, my brown jean jacket (shopko? who knows, I got it in high school) with my skinny jeans (target) and my awesome brown boots (shoe carnival).  I really like this outfit. I hardly ever wear this jacket. It is a tad on the small side - I don't think I could button it up if I wanted to, and it's very, very stiff which makes it hard to wear.

Hope you all have a fantastic Monday!

p.s. I had a wonderful weekend and time spent with this new boy toy of mine...I'm working on his 'nym and then he'll probably get a Dating Battles post. ;) Have a lovely Monday!

A day late and a dollar short......or something like that

I had EVERY intention of posting Thursday Things yesterday. I'm not exactly sure what happened.

Wait. I lied. I had a 2-hr company meeting + a 30 minute department meeting followed by a TON of data entry that HAD to get done yesterday. So....yeah. That's what happened.

But here we are. Friday. Things. And boy, do I have things for you.

• Blue Tango last night rocked my socks. It rocked last week too....it's just been good times all the way around lately at the Blue Tango. Love it.

• I kissed a boy. And I liked it.

• This boy does not have a 'nym yet. He's new. But he's not getting a 'nym until I figure out what's going on. I don't think it will be 100% a NCMO...but it might lean a little towards the fling side of things. And you know what? I'm okay with that and you should be too. In other words, I'm not suddenly in a relationship again. I'm just having fun with one of my friends...with benefits

• He's a lot of fun.

• And a really good kisser.

• It's movie night tonight. Despicable Me. LOVE THAT MOVIE. hopefully I'm not too tired that I die watching it.

• tomorrow is a Zumba day. YAY!

• I am also working overtime to paint a new addition to our office space. That's exciting stuff.

• THEN i'm going dress shopping with Sister B. I'm super excited and very hopeful that I'll find something adorable.

• My Broadway station on Pandora is hitting the spot 100% today. Love it.

Basically, life is fun. I'm having a blast and it's great times. 

a little bit of news and a request....

Dear Friends,

As many of you know and have heard me talk about time and time again - I have NEVER been to Disneyland. Which is so shocking considering my love for everything Disney - especially the princesses. I mean, even my car is named after a Disney character!!

That is going to change in less than 2 months.

*SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

whew. Okay.

So yeah, I'm going to Disneyland. Well, really, I'm going to L.A. the 3rd weekend in March for my dear friend's runway show and while I'm there I'm going to go to Disneyland (as a birthday present to myself!). I'm so freakin' excited. Some of you know just exactly how excited I am - I get all giggly and excited and I turn into a little girl. It's quite the sight.

ANYWAYS

I need your help. I'm pretty sure that 90% of my readership has been to Disneyland at least once and I need your suggestions. I'm probably only going to have one day there - so what shouldn't I miss? Also, I like to be prepared for everything so any other tips or tricks would be great. The friends I'm going with (I'll post more about that later) already have connections for cheap tickets, place to stay etc so we're covered in that regard.

ALSO. I need your opinion. I know I'm going to want a bag or something of some sort to carry my ticket, any fast passes, chap stick (I'm addicted), water bottle (maybe?) and snacks. So....I figure I'll probably make one to cater my needs. The question is do I go with a sling type of bag like this one:

but possibly smaller in dimensions (I love all the pockets!!)

or something that attaches more firmly to myself (however hideous and tacky it may seem) like this one:

with really cute/fun fabric that expresses my personality....

Sigh. I just don't know. I might just have to make them both..... :o) (I really do have a VERY unhealthy obsession with bags. I love them oh so much!)

So, any suggestions, comments, well-wishes would be very welcome! I am so excited for this trip....it's going to take all of my (non-existent) patience to make it until the day I leave.....  :o)

Love Always,
Alishka Babushka

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 53rd Edition

This is my FIRST tender mercy post of the new year! Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long!

I have been really blessed so far at the beginning of this year with good friends, an understanding family and a Heavenly Father who loves me and is willing to guide me through my crazy moments. Answers to prayers are always the best thing, even when you don't necessarily want to hear those answers.

Life keeps on getting more and more exciting and I can't wait to see what is in store for me in the coming months. I'm rather excited about it all. :o)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

How I deal....

I can usually handle a break-up pretty well. usually being the key word.

This time around has been interesting since I saw the other side of breaking-up. I have found myself still going through the same grief cycle and what not.

First thing that's always on my agenda? New shoes. Oh and did these new shoes deliver...please observe:

Hot, no? I am so in love with these gold glitter stilettos. They make me tall, add some pizzaz to any outfit and are just plain AWESOME.

Next thing on my agenda is to immerse myself in crafty projects and hang out with all my friends. Done and done. I finished my sister's wedding gift (a wedding album of everything from their wedding. I am so awesome) and gave it to her this weekend. I hung out with Surfer Boy and other peeps from my ward and basically just had a fun time.

The next thing that usually happens after a break-up is that I begin to miss having a boyfriend but don't necessarily miss the boy I was dating specifically. I am currently in that phase. It is always a hard phase to get out of, but I will persevere. :o) Today I'm doing that by reminding myself of the awesomeness through a few quotes. Enjoy and have a marvelous Martin Luther King Jr. Day (I SO wish I had the day off. :( )

a relief with sadness sandwich

So. I'm currently chowing down on a relief with sadness sandwich. I know, it doesn't sound like the most exciting sandwich in the world, but it is one filled with everything that my mind, heart, and soul need right now.

Last night I broke up with Monkey Man. Sad, I know. But it had to happen. See....things just weren't jiving for me anymore. There's a whole lot of reason to why I broke up with him, but a lot of it is SO personal that I just don't feel comfortable sharing it here. I do know that it was the right thing to do - without a doubt. It was sad to see his face fall when I told him the things I needed to tell him, but he took it graciously and didn't put up a fight. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe more tears? I'm a really hard person to break up with and so I just figured it could quite possibly be like that. Luckily, it wasn't and after I left his house I drove down to see Sister B and her hubby. We talked a bit and finished a puzzle that's been on their table since Thanksgiving. :o)

After I got home I saw this quote twice in two different places within 5 minutes of each other:

While it isn't perfect, I do feel like it describes what I did. The courage that it took to do what I did didn't roar. And here I am tyring again....not in the same way - but I am not going to wallow. I am not going to throw myself a pity party because I KNOW that what I did was right. I KNOW that there are other things out there for me and I KNOW that I'm going to be okay. I just have to keep on trying. And try I will. My dear friend blogged about courage and having to choose between things that are "good" and things that are "best." Not always an easy choice as I have found out. Her words of wisdom rang true to me last night and this I know..... I will try again tomorrow. Until another time my friends, God bless.

Confuzzled

You guys, I am very confuzzled.

This is going to be a post with lots of thoughts that might be incomplete. You might not know the whole story behind all my thoughts. I'm sorry if that's the case, but I feel the need to share with SOMEONE what is going on and I need to get this written out because maybe it will make more sense. Maybe. I make no guarantees. Also, you can feel welcome to post any advice, but don't feel offended if I disregard it entirely. Remember, you might not know the whole story.

Okay, that being said.....

I like Monkey Man. I really do, but I just don't know if I feel anything deeper. I thought I did, I really did. But then....I don't know it's like someone pushed a button and now I'm not really sure I feel that way. Maybe it's because the thrill has worn off a little bit. Maybe it's because I was super duper emotional all last week, plus I had a slew of extra hormones and the stress of a wedding, my teaching job giving me some grief and teaching relief society weighing heavily on my mind.

This past week there have been more times when I have felt impatient and frustrated with Monkey Man then at any other time in our relationship, but the thing is - we haven't been dating for a super long time. 2.5 months. Which compared to my relationship with SwingKid is like a drop in the bucket. Not that I plan on dating someone for a bazillion years before marrying them....but 2.5 months is not a long time. I know that I don't know everything about him and I realized that in the past few days. We treat different situations VERY differently. We have different thought processes on how certain things should work. It's not on anything that is a deal-breaker for me....but how many of those differences can one have before they equal a deal-breaker?

Before you ask, no I haven't talked to Monkey Man about this. For two reasons 1) I'm still not sure what all of my hang-ups are - I just know they are there and that they seem to be really really big. But that just might be my imagination and 2) I'm nervous that it's going to mean breaking up (or something maybe not! but i just don't know) and doing THAT scares me. Monkey Man is the sweetest guy in the whole wide world and I don't want to hurt him. (Plus I've never had to really break up with someone before. I suck at it.) We get along really well...it's just...I'm not sure if he's someone that I want to be with for forever. He's going out of town in two weeks for a weekend and I think that's going to be really good for me. (even though I just was away from him for 9 days for Christmas...it just....was different then. something changed. Seriously, some elf pushed a button.)

I don't even know what I'm asking, or if I'm asking anything. This is one of those battles in love that bugs me. I just don't know what to do, but right now NOTHING feels right. There's a small part of me that wouldn't mind going on dates with other people right now....and I don't know if that's just because I'm confuzzled and I want to run away from the situation - or if it's a sign that it might be time to move one from this phase of my life. The thing is....I know that if I say anything or suggest even the slightest thing is going to completely blindside this poor, sweet boy. sigh. Any wise words my friends? I certainly could use them.

2012's Word of the Year

k guys. I've thought about this a TON. I've struggled to come up with a word. But I finally picked one.

I really loved my word for 2011: Flourish. It was so good to me and really helped me get over some hard things. It also helped me rediscover myself and the strength that I have inside of me.

For 2012, I had a different goal with my word of the year. I didn't want to be stagnant this year. I wanted to learn, grow, and achieve many things that will get me to where I want to be in the long run. Here's the thing though - I've noticed that lately I am SO focused on the END goal that I forget all of the small, short-term goals that will get me to my ending point. I haven't been living in the moment as much as I've wanted - but instead focusing on some point in the distant future. Some point that I don't even know where/when it would happen. That has got to stop. (in my humble opinion) So this year, my word is all about focusing on the NOW and living in the MOMENT while still doing things to get me to where I ultimately want to arrive.

So the Word of the Year for 2012 is....

(drum roll please......)

Occupy

the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Occupy as the following:

1: to engage the attention or energies of 

2a: to take up (a place or extent in space) b: to take or fill (an extent in time)

   

3a: to take or hold possession or control of  b: to fill or perform the functions of

4: to reside in as an owner or tenant 

I plan on doing all of that. I am going to OCCUPY my life. I am going to take control of my life, reside in as THE owner, engage my own attention in said life and fill my life with everything good. This year will be the year of DOING things and not just dreaming or wondering. I am going to enjoy every little moment and try not to freak out when something awful happens that could throw a wrench into my long-term plans. Occupying my life will help me focus on the short-term goals that I have for myself and force me to live day-to-day. so....here goes!!

Top of 2011

okay guys. Here's the deal. Busy is my middle name right now. Part of me loves it and part of me hates it. However, I just don't feel like I can move on and post other things (one of the reasons why I missed Tender Mercy Tuesday yesterday) until I get this out. It just....needs to get done. ;)

So, without further ado, the top 12 posts (one for each month. give or take) of 2011. I hope you enjoy! Stay tuned for 2012's word of the year, a New Year's Eve recap and a few lovely things I've seen lately. see ya on the flip side!

January - What a busy month! I was all over the place, but the thing I remember the most was being brave. :o) What a great way to start off a new year!

February - February always tends to just fly by in my little world. I think part of that is because it is a shorter month (although not by much this year!). I had a few favorite moments from this month, but performing definitely tops the list. Seriously, it was EXACTLY what I needed.

March - Always my favorite month of they year seeing as it hosts my own personal holiday - MY BIRTHDAY! While that's always a highlight in my life, the best thing was definitely the big surprise I had for my sister late in the month. That rocked.

April - Wow, I was really, really busy in April. Ha. I sort of forgot about April MINUS this one little event. :o) Definitely the highlight of my month. ;)

May - May was a good little beginning to my summer of fun in the (non-existent) sun. May was pretty hum-drum but this post pretty much sums up my entire month.


June - I'm pretty sure all hell broke loose in June. I had, hands down, the busiest week of the year that month. Whew. But through-out all the craziness, this little gem popped up.

July - Well....a lot of my summer plans went to pot when I was casted in Aida, but that was one of the funnest things I did during the summer. Add that to the LOADS of confusion from dating multiple people and you have one intense month. Plus I had to host a funeral.

August - This month was, by far, my "bloggiest" month. Meaning, I blogged the most in August. :o) Mostly I think this was because of the 21-day challenge that in which I participated. August was also full of performances and praying I didn't die from sitting.


September - Definitely a month full of me trying to figure out what I wanted in a relationship. That and my self-imposed challenge that has done good things for my life. ;)


October - The most important thing that I remember happening this month was something that has affected my life in a way I didn't think could happen again. :o)


November - November always feels like the beginning of the end to me. Best thing about November? Being twitterpated. (still am btw)


December - Always an insane month around here. Work is crazy, dance is crazy, life is crazy. EVERYONE is CRAZY! Basically, it was a normal month with lots of festivities and what not. :o)

Anyways. 2011 was a rocking year. I definitely feel like I lived up to my word of the year. :o) Have a great day y'all and I'll see you in the VERY near future with loads of THINGS to share with you!!! ciao!