happy new year.

Ok, I know every year most people tell themselves, myself included, “This will be my best year” or “This will be my year to make big changes” or “This year I am going to start fresh” etc…you get my drift. 

I have some pretty big goals for myself in life and for whatever reason I think big, start big and finish pathetically.

Is it because I am pushing myself to do too much, to make too many people happy, or because I stretch myself to thin so that each small task becomes daunting?

Its time I finally take steps to set myself up for success— I need to remember what is important in life.

3 Main Goals:

1. Become more fiscally conservative

2. Learn to say “no”

3. Explore new places (art museums, restaurants, bars, attractions, etc. throughout my city)

I have defined these 3 “main” goals in order to achieve lots of other small goals-such as:

1. Stress Less

2. Smile more

3. Don’t over-commit

4. Complete tasks I start

5. Take better care of my health/body

6. Stay organized

7.  Etc…I could go on forever about things I should be doing.

 
I am done going on as I've been wishing for better- I am ready to get off my butt, start doing more, making change and living my life.

Happy New Year.

new read.

So excited to have a new blog to browse when I should be doing productive things—ehem—I mean when I have a free moment at work.  I love when one search leads me to a new blog, which leads me to another new one…every click is like the turn of a page in a book.  I just stumbled upon this one—I was looking for pictures of tile that look like wood (my sister bought a new house and that’s the plan for the flooring) and it brought me to this charming blog full of vintage inspirations and beautiful photography—

Raised In Cotton

Gorgeous Table Scape

Creative

Vintage Buckets

Blue Mason Jars- love.

Christmas.

Pretty Christmas Decor

Cute!

Tile Floors that look like Wood

Spring Table Scape

Love

Enjoy!

be happy.

The Huffington Post is one of my favorite spots to find news, blogs, opinions, etc...

The "Post" has even become an essential widget on my iGoogle homepage. This morning groggy eyed and un-caffeinated I opened my browser and this little inpiration piece was waiting for me. It resonated so deeply with me I decided there must be someone else who would benefit from reading it. 

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life... Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.   -Steve Jobs

3 Simple Steps to Find the Courage to be Yourself:

1) Knowledge Is Power

Socrates said it best: "Know Thyself." This includes understanding what makes you feel alive, what captures your imagination, and also what comes naturally to you. Knowing your strengths is a huge advantage. If you have a great sense of humor, creativity or an ability to communicate easily with people, then you can build on those qualities to create your best life. By focusing on enhancing your strengths rather than trying to make up for your weaknesses, you can move more quickly in your desired direction and have fun in the process.

2) Get Into The Flow

Have you ever been so caught up in an activity that the hours fly by in what seemed like minutes? This is called being in a flow state. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow can happen when you're totally immersed in what you are doing and feeling both serene and connected. This buoyant state can happen many ways, including when deeply focusing on a sport, writing a paper or even playing music. Yoga and mindfulness are reported to increase flow, but it can occur anywhere your skill level is equal to your challenge and you get totally absorbed in the activity.  Think of times when you were engrossed in something: your attention was heightened and you felt that everything was aligned.

3) Embody What You Believe In

Once you know your strengths and where you experience flow, you can consciously tweak your life to include more of that. By stepping into your authenticity, you automatically come into greater alignment and a peace that serves not only yourself but others, as well. Gandhi stated that "happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." Don't underestimate the importance of your own fulfillment and happiness; it ripples out farther than you may know. Rather than rocking the boat by being who you are, you actually give other people permission to do the same.

Follow this link to the entire post: Authentic Happiness
Author Randy Taran

And don't forget to smile.

a to z.

This has been posted to a couple blogs I follow (Dream Book Design and The Epper's Adventures), so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and fill it out too!

A. age: 26

B. bed size: king

C. chore you hate: laundry, I always fail to put it away.

My Little Mountain Man- Riley

D. dog: Riley- best dog ever.

E. essential start to your day: coffee, coffee, more coffee

F. favorite color: green

G. gold or silver: gold

H. height: 5'10”

I. instruments you play: none- I wish I played the drums- maybe I will learn.

J. job title: Client Services Coordinator

K. kids: Not “technically” mine, but I consider Madison (my niece) my child.

Madison with a tadpole!

L. live: Phoenix, someday will move to the Pacific Northwest where the sun doesn’t shine and it rains all the time.

M. maiden name: Rohn

N. nicknames: Trace, Suzie, CiCi (my fav), twinkletoes

O. overnight hospital stays: oh goodness- when I had a concussion and cracked my skull rollerblading- always wear a helmet people.

P. pet peeve: ignorance, self-righteousness, sloppiness, narrow-mindedness

Q. quote: “Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you’ll be criticized anyway.” Eleanor Roosevelt

R. righty or lefty: righty

S. siblings: Two Older Sisters, Two Older Brother—I definitely have the “youngest child” syndrome.

T. time you wake up: about 6 usually.

U. university attended: Graduated from Northern Arizona University.

V. vegetables you dislike: brussel sprouts- I tried them and ICK.

W. what makes you run late: my forgetfulness I must run back into the house at least 5 times before I can officially leave.

X. x-rays you’ve had: where oh where to begin—head, back, both legs, both arms, ribs…all except my back were broken (hence twinkletoes nickname above).

Y. yummy food: Mexican- I swear if it has cheese and a tortilla it’s going to be good.

Z. zoo animal favorite: monkeys.

Happy Friday!