5 New Year's Resolutions You Should Definitely Keep This Year

I don't usually make many (if any) New Year's resolutions. 

I think I've come to realize that in many ways, they are a waste of time. Historically, I haven't fully followed through--usually I get halfway and then got distracted. Why make a resolution if I'm not going to keep it? I also have come to the conclusion that I often make resolutions throughout the rest of the year. Whenever there's something I feel the need to work on, I do it then and there instead of waiting for the new year.

But I do recognize the value in setting aside specific time to make changes in your life and change the things about yourself that you don't like. And if the turn into a new year is what gives you the motivation to finally get it done, then that's great! Even if you aren't making any official New Year's resolutions, here are five things we could all do a little more in our lives.

Laugh more. It's scientifically proven to improve your life and make you live longer. They even say that faking your laughter eventually leads to real laughter. If you don't think you have a reason to laugh, force yourself to laugh at lame jokes or dumb cartoons, and you just might find yourself feeling happier and laughing for real.

Help others. It just takes so little effort, and it leaves you feeling better about yourself and the world and life. Of course there will be times when helping someone isn't within your financial or physical or emotional grasp. But often it is, and we should jump on those chances. Helping someone carry their groceries, make someone a casserole, assist in setting up for an event... the possibilities are endless.

Learn something new. This one is so EASY you might have already done it. Here's the secret: learning something new doesn't have to be a huge undertaking or a big consumer of your time! It can literally be ANYTHING. It can be as simple as looking up facts about your favorite historical vacation site or learning how your french press actually works. You might learn something about a coworker or friend that you never knew before. If you're feeling ambitious, you could learn a new skill at work or figure out a new hobby. Learning enriches your life, and it makes you feel good about yourself!

Make something. Again, so easy you probably have already accomplished it. But there's a huge sense of satisfaction in making something for yourself. Making yourself dinner once in a while instead of always going out to eat totally counts! If you're up for it, dive into the DIY world and pick a project that you can use in your house. There are endless ideas out there, and chances are good that if you can imagine it, someone has already tried it and written a tutorial for it. If not, experiment for yourself and then write your own!

Invest. Especially in things that make you happy. Take the time to truly invest in the things that are worth it. Spend a few extra moments with the kids in your life or work a little harder to complete your projects. Don't forget about the little things. Don't let your life pass by without putting in the time and reaping the benefits. Invest.


My one, actual resolution this year is to blog more. So hopefully we will all enjoy the fruits of my labor. :)

Love is a Pretty Great Thing

For most of my life, Valentine's Day has just been another day in my life. And in many ways, it still is. The most exciting thing that happened this year is that my mom bought me chocolate and a mug, and fixed my coffee just the way I like it (and really, who needs more than that?!). I usually try to just ignore the commercialism that surrounds the holiday. But leave it to my baby sister to remind me in the simplest way possible that love is always worth celebrating, whether you're in a romantic relationship or not.

"I know Valentine's Day is generally just 'singles awareness day' for us (at least it has been for years) but this is still a special day. Because I love you. And let's be real... whether romantic or not, love is a pretty great thing. Happy Valentine's Day... You are dearly loved!"

Nothing fancy. No crazy deep moment. But profound nonetheless. So happy Valentine's Day y'all.... Choose love <3

The 12 "Days" of Massanutten

Vacation time at Massanutten! It might have been 10 degrees outside this week, but inside it was full of love and laughter and warm hearts <3

12 wonderful women whom I am so very happy to call my friends (yes, there's a baby in there too!)

11 movies watched throughout the week... Including, but not limited to, Sweet Home Alabama, Walk the Line, Maid in Manhattan, Princess Bride, Italian Job, Safe Haven, Mamma Mia, and The Holiday. Also, we watched a lot of Price is Right. We might have sat on our butts for 50% of this trip. What are vacations for?!

10 hands dipped in paraffin wax. It makes your hands oh-so-soft, but you look like a kid with chicken pox while doing it. Regan, Sara and I have great chicken pox faces.

9am = average wake-up time every morning. This takes into account that Missy regularly stayed in bed til 11am, while Lil got up at 7am.

8 spacious bedrooms with 12 beds... everyone could have their own bed!

7 rounds of Crazy Uno, also known as "Everything Sara Wants, Sara Gets"... because no one else can keep track of whose turn it is so all we can do is listen to her. Crazy Uno is like regular Uno on steroids... you can play out of turn at any time by laying down a card identical to what has just been played. This skips the people in between, and also doubles the penalty of the card. This means that if all 4 Draw-Four cards are played at the same time, the person who gets hit has to draw 16 cards. It's awful.

6 pots of coffee at IHOP. There were only 3 of us who even ordered coffee, so we're not quite sure why they brought us so many pots. But yay, breakfast for dinner!!

5 sequin outfits bought at Plato's Closet... We are quite sure that we will use them in the 2014 stage shows, which will somehow include music and dancing from the 80s. Everyone agreed to model them, but only if their faces weren't showing (the internet, ya know, it's permanent). It was a 20 minute ordeal to get this picture.... couldn't stop laughing. We can have so much fun for only $30!

4 late nights, full of snacks, movies, and lots of pillow talk. But also Sara getting up at 4 in the morning to feed and burp Cassidy. I have a new appreciation for being the mom of an infant.

3 home cooked meals... Donna makes awesome food. Enough said.

2 hours of tubing out on the mountain! Super steep hills and fast lanes and not very many people meant that we got a lot of rides out of the afternoon. Totally worth braving the cold!

1 adorable baby who officially captured our hearts. I think most of the pictures we took of this weekend were of Cassidy Page... just look at this face!!

 How can you not love her??

 Seriously. The cutest. 

PS, huge shout-out to Sara, Donna, Lil, Mel and Missy for helping me with all these numbers! 

4 Reasons Why ALL Birthdays are Worth Celebrating

I love birthdays. I love my birthday, I love my family's birthdays, I love my friends' birthdays.... I love them all. I seriously don't believe there's any reason to hate birthdays. Here are four great reasons why:

1. Ice Cream and Cake. Or even better.... ICE CREAM CAKE!! If you don't like cake, you could have birthday pie, or birthday cupcakes, or birthday cheesecake, or birthday apple crisp, SO many possibilities.

2. Presents. I don't really know anyone who doesn't like presents. Even if the present is something boring like a household item, or something you're going to end up using to help someone else, it still counts as a present. It's still awesome. 

3. Wishes. Don't tell me you've never secretly wished for something! I know it may seem silly to still expect birthday wishes to actually come true, but there's still something magical about them. I don't often see shooting stars or remember to look at the clock at 11:11, but I always make a birthday wish when I blow out the candles on my cake. And whether or not it comes true, I'll make one again next year. 

4. Celebrating YOU. Even if you hate birthdays because it reminds you of how old or young you are, and you don't want to think about that, your birthday is a great time to just celebrate YOU. Celebrate your life! Celebrate that you are awesome human being who is worth it! Celebrate your quirks and your unique traits! I try to think of other people first on the other 364 days of the year, but on my birthday, I'm going to dish myself a big piece of cake first, because it's my day.