Bessie's Last Decade List.

Now I'm very excited to share this next Decade List with you because it's from my real life friend, Bessie. Although she does have a blog over at windows down., she is a very sporadic blogger (unlike me!). I've been friends with Bessie since freshmen year of high school. I don't actually recall initiation of friendship, but it's been a long and good one. If you've been a follower long enough, you will remember the post I did to her on her birthday (if you missed it, go check it out now, lots of funny photos!). Check out her Last Decade List, it's rather interesting as she truly has had ten years full of lots of twists and turns. 

Oh and yes, her real name is Bessie and she likes cows. :)

….worked as a server, freelance editor, soccer coach, intern and waitress.

….got my first kiss

….watched as my brother boarded the plane for Marine Corps boot camp, 3 months before Sept.11, 2001.

….watched as my brother again boarded planes for Iraq, Afghanistan and Japan; and was lucky enough to safely return from those deployments.

….graduated high school

….bought and paid off my first car—Basel, a yellow Dodge Neon

….studied abroad in England for a semester

….got my passport stamped in Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France and my ancestor's homeland, Hungary.

….graduated college with a journalism degree and realized that I was born to be a teacher; with this new decade starting, I'll be back in school for teaching

….realized what love really meant after giving the ring back

….put 110,000 miles on my car road tripping to New Hampshire, Illinois, Indiana, up-north Michigan

….found my true love

….lost a friend who I thought would be in my life forever. Made friends who will be in my life forever.

….moved out of my parents' house and into a really cute old apartment

….DJed a wedding

….became an aunt, 10 times over

….realized that life is what you make of it. There's no time to waste worrying about "what might have been."

(( See the other fun and unique Last Decade Lists here ))

Let's Pop Bottles!

Happy New Year's Eve ladies and gentlemen! 

I hope you've all got big plans to ring in the new year that include...

Poppin' Bottles

Dancing the night away with friends

And that beautiful first kiss at the stroke of midnight

Even if you decide to spend it in cuddled under a snuggie with your sweetie on the couch, I want to wish you all the best wishes for the new year. Bring on twenty ten!

Thank all of you for making my 2009 pretty dang wonderful. Lots of love.

ps- don't forget to check out all the wonderful Last Decade Lists! 

Kateigh's Last Decade List

Now this girl is a chick that knows the best way to get a point across - in a list format! Yup, I'm speaking of the lovely Kateigh's over at {poprocks} & photography. This girl always has fun things to talk about on her blog. And she is always making fun lists, be it for her weekend fun, reasons why she loves her loved ones, a 101 things list as to what makes life fabulous and even a super great list of her tasks in striving to be a bigger & better person. Seriously, they are almost as awesome as she is. Now here's what you need to do:

1. Read her Last Decade List
2. Get jealous over all the amazing places she's traveled and things she's done in ten short years
3. Go visit her pretty blog
4. Send me over your Decade List! 

Now get onto it!

• I watched the ball drop ten times. Each in a different place.
• I've broken hearts. Ones I never meant to break.
• I've fallen in love with Pacey Witter, Logan Huntzberger, Seth Cohen and many other boys who walked across my television screen.
• I've seen over 5 thousand movies.
• I wiped tears and cried on shoulder of friends & family as we watched the most horrific terrorist act of my time. Then mourned loved ones as their lived were ended by such a catastrophe.
• I graduated high school.
• I went to college in my favorite city and had a blast.
• I changed my major 7 times.
• I said goodbye to my mom mom and pop pop...... forever.
• I worked my butt off, got promoted a bagillion times, then decided I wanted something else.
• I watched 2 amazing world series wins  by my favorite boys in pin stripes.
• I watched my dad fight cancer... and win.
• I watched my big brother get married. and cried my little eyes out.
• I watched my best friend get married to her best friend. and cried harder.
• I watched my drug addicted uncle get clean. for good. and become an inspiration.
• I felt a brother grow into a best friend.
• I witnessed friends become strangers and strangers become best friends.
• I started blogging and found a whole new world of friends.
• I watched the miracle of 2 nieces and 2 nephews embrace my heart and my world.
• I adopted a puppy. The puppy of my dreams. She tickles my heart.
• I rekindled a 7th grade love for a rockstar.
• He asked me to marry him @ Six Flags over Dippin Dots.
• I obvi said yes and we rocked converse at our wedding.
• I celebrated 10 spectacular birthdays. each better than the last.
• I was in a near death motorcycle accident. in a foreign country.
• I caught waves in Cali, went to an aquarium in Baltimore, went shopping in Boston, drove with best friend to North Carolina, walked the boardwalk in Seaside, cruised in the Bahamas, romanced in Bermuda, attended weddings in Florida and Alabama, rode jet skiis in Ocean City..... and celebrated the best decision of my life in Costa Rica.
• I grew up (though there's still more growing I have to do), I found myself (though there's still more to find), and I had an amazing 10 years!

(( read the other fun Last Decade Lists here ))

Megan's Last Decade List

Not only American's can participate in the Last Decade list as proof by my next friend, Megan over at Time After Tea. This super adorable Australian is a new blogging friend of mine and a very loyal commenter. She always leaves the nicest thing that sure do make me smile. Her blog is full of beautiful things filled with lots of happiness from her life down under (although I'm yet to see a kangaroo photo, I know they have to be in Australia!). After you check out her list, go visit her blog, you won't be disappointed.

• I travelled overseas
• I fell in love, more than once and had my heart broken, more than once
• I made amazing friends, lost amazing friends and sometimes refound them
• I started my own garden after years of telling my mum gardening was boring
• I graduated high school, finished my journalism degree and have a year left of my law degree
• I found out that I love music festivals
• I learnt to drive
• I skydived
• I became addicted to handbags and sunglasses that I cant afford
• I learnt that I am a summer baby and hibernate during winter
• I discovered blogging and it’s my new favourite hobby (is blogging a hobby?)
• I learnt that I can’t make everyone happy and sometime I have to concentrate on myself
• I got my first pet, Chuckie who is a very cute little guinea pig
• I became a Godmother
• I moved out of home
• I am still trying to find out what I want to do and who I want to be

(( check out other Last Decade Lists here ))

Kim's Last Decade List

I am so excited to present to you guys this next Last Decade list. One of my very dear friends, Kimberly, over at Wouldn't Stop if I Could, decided to join in on the fun! We meet over blogger many moons ago and since have become great friends chatting over text and (very long) emails almost on a daily basis. This girl is amazing and even though she doesn't blog nearly enough (Kim!) when she does it's always of beautiful, stylish, and funny things. No wonder I love this girl, right? Okay, I'll stop blabbing now... without further ado, I present to you Kim's Last Decade List.

...discovered the joys of solitude.

...met my father for the first time at 19 years old.
...drove to Illinois on a whim to see a band.
...watched as my sister became a mother and the one person I can always turn to.
...bought four dogs.
...lost two of those dogs to ex-boyfriends and gave one as a birthday gift to my best friend in college.
...paid for my Jeep in cash and paid off my Lancer completely on my own.
...chose to have male roommates for the majority of college.
...temporarily moved to a beautiful island in the Caribbean.
...fell in love for the first time.
...fell in love for the fifth time.
...put myself through college.
...slurged on pretty dresses and ate ramen for weeks.
...hiked in Arizona, bet on the ponies at the Kentucky Derby, skied in New Hampshire, drank green beer in Savannah, snorkeled in St. Croix, and rode horses in West Virginia.
...learned that unhealthy relationships aren't worth the effort, even if that's with your own mother.
...cried a whole lot, but laughed even more.
...was a hostess, an office clerk, a sociological researcher, a boat driver, a sales associate, a teacher, and a waitress.
...legally changed my last name.
...learned to shoot whiskey and a gun.
...made the conscious decision to make my life as awesome as possible. Thus far? Mission accomplished. 

Wonderfully little exercise, Jenni! A great way to recap how far we've come, but also a wonderful way to think about the greatness that is yet to come! 2010 is gunna be our year... I can feel it in my bones! ;)

(( check out the rest of the Last Decade Lists here ))
And don't forget to send me yours!

Meghan's Last Decade List

I'm so excited that Meghan over at the perfect compilation tape joined in on my little Last Decade project. I had so much fun reading her list and with it I learned so much about her (like she isn't a fan of professional sports, what?!). Check out her list below then go visit her fun blog, she's a sweet gal!

• I graduated from college
• I started my first teaching job, which I've had for 8 years.
• I paid my way through grad school and worked on a second masters degree.
• I purchased my first car - a 2002 Hyundai Elantra.  She ROCKED, even if I did look like an old man driving her.
• I traveled to DC, Baltimore, San Diego, Orlando, San Francisco, Napa Valley, New York City and the happiest place on earth, LAS VEGAS.
• I read lots of books.  I usually read the last page of each book first.
• I trained for two marathons but never actually ran them.
• I learned how much I love running.
• I learned how much I love my husband.
• I learned that, despite some people's disapproval, I am really a city girl at heart, and moved to Chicago AND in with my future husband all at once. 
• I watched no less than 20 friends get married.
• And they watched me get married in 2009!
• I learned that sometimes, a trip to Urban Outfitters is all I need to feel better.
• I learned what a neat freak I really am.
• I learned that professional sports bore me to tears.
• I started a blog.
• I made new friends, lost some friends, reconnected with some friends, and figured out who my true friends were.
• I sorted out who I am, what I want, and how to get there. 

Jason Mraz and Ukulele Boy

What do they have in common you ask? Watch this video and find out. It's only a minute long and well worth your time.

It's too cute and so funny. And you know it must be becasue I'm normally not one of those people to post videos of kids.

Also, have you checked out my Last Decade list yet? If not, scaddatle down and do so. I'm still hoping that some of you will join in on this fun project! It's been a decade people - let's salute it in style!

The last Decade

Well not only is it almost the end of 2009, but it is the end of a decade. And a decade that has had lots of excitement, love, happiness, sadness and challenges. 

Here's my Last Decade List...

• I've graduated high school and college.
• I've traveled to Las Vegas (for free!), New York, Canada, Myrtle Beach, Amelia Island, Daytona Beach, Cincinnati, Chicago and Nashville.
• I worked at my first job, got a killer internship then started my first career job.
• I started my first blog and have held with it for almost six years.
• I watched and listened to 9-11 happen in my 11th grade counselors office. 
• I watched my father move out of our home because of a divorce.
• I moved out of my mothers house and into my fathers.
• I watched old friends disappear and new friends walk in.
• I celebrated my 16th, 18th and 21st birthdays.
• I celebrated in Canada for all my friends 19th birthdays. 
• I celebrated in the USA for all my friends 21st birthdays.
• I've went out every Friday and Saturday night for weeks on end.
• I've fallen in love.
• I've had my heart broke.
• I've celebrated the Detroit Pistons win a championship.
• I've celebrated the Detroit Red Wings win a championship.
• I've celebrated the Detroit Tigers almost winning a championship.
• I've watched the Lions lose year after year.
• I've obsessed over shows such as The OC, Grey's Anatomy, Laguna Beach, Real World, Friends, Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl.
• I've laughed until I've cried.
• I've cried until I can't breathe.
• I've saw countless concerts fitting in all genres of music: pop, rock, classical, country and rap.
• I've worked 90 hours in one week.
• I've worked no hours in one week.
• I've got in my first accident.
• I've got my first speeding ticket(s).
• I've bought my first cell phone.
• I've voted for the first time.
• I watched my father have a stroke then go through brain surgery.
• I've saw in person President Bush Jr., Al Gore and John Kerry.
• I've been in the hospital for days on end.
• I've gained some weight and lost some too.
• I've saw people I grew up have kids, get married, and move far, far away 
• I've seen people follow their dreams and others let their dreams go.
• I've kissed total strangers and kissed people I've known for years.
• Watched my Grandmother pass away.
• I paid $0.99 and $4.50 for a gallon of gas.
• I was given my first car from my dad (the Buick) and purchased my first car on my own (the Passat).

Thought I'd try a little project with this decade list. Shoot me an email with your Last Decade List and I'll post it on my blog for all to see. You can have as many or a few things on your list - that's up to you. 

Let's recap this past decade in style. 

Now get too it - email me!

Maybe the Grinch was Right...

I think he is right. 

This Christmas was much less about the gifts and more about the family. Our family is close, but not in the way that we see each other very often (although we all live within 20 miles of each other). Here is my "little bit more" Christmas...

(( We are beautiful children ))

(( Four margaritas deep for me and six Brisk ice teas for brother ))

(( She was three margaritas deep ))

(( And her boyfriend was her designated driver ))

(( All the families on my mom's side ))

(( My wonderful, fabulous Grandparents ))

(( All the cousins - we pretty much rock! ))

(( Oh and us kids again, I think we're cute ))

(( The day after Christmas my dad's side of the family all went out to dinner and the movies to see Avatar in 3D. Here is everyone is our super cool glasses - this photo was my idea, hehe ))

May All Your Days Be Merry & Bright

(( via here ))

Merry Christmas everyone!

And Happy Birthday Jesus.

I wish you all lots of love, health, joy, hope, faith, prosperity and lots of kick azz gifts!

(( all photos via here ))

Welcome To My House

Happy Christmas Eve's Eve!

Sticking with my Christmas theme, thought I'd share a few photos from around my house. As I can't invite all you beautiful people over for the holidays (flights are a little too much for my budget), I figured I'd give you a view into my home through photos. So here is what Christmas looks like at my humble abode...

(( I made this snowflake ornament in a chemistry class many years ago. I still pull it out every winter ))

(( My father hand painted all these beautiful scenes when he was in his 20's and we still put them out throughout the home each year because they are so adorable ))

(( Love me a lit Christmas tree ))

(( My Christmas card tree with all my lovely cards ))