This is probably a first for me making a list of resolutions.  I'm not even sure if that's what it is or it just happens that a new year is starting at the same time that I am in need of changes.  Either way, I am ready for a fresh start.  

~stop over committing myself.  i am the worst at this.  i say yes to everything and then i feel rushed and have a hard time enjoying it all.

~sew more.  learn to use a pattern instead of "eyeballing" everything.  

~teach me things!  i want to learn your hobbies.  so far i only have jack bringing me to shoot.  i'd like someone to teach me to knit and crochet also.  let me know if you have something you want to teach me.

~craft nights.  my ladies and i always say we are going to get this going and it happens too rarely.  i want to make time for this.

~game nights!  my rad neighbors (rachel, david, morgan, cecil, aggie, john...) and i have toyed with this idea, but life gets busy.  i want to make time for this too.  

~potluck dinners with friends.

hahaha....wasn't my #1 to stop over committing?! 

~finish up projects in my house.  a friend came over for the first time and said "you can tell your house is a labor of love for you."  this is so true.  

~surround myself with love.  this is pretty easy considering my life is so full of amazing, loving people.  lately i have been focusing too much on the one person who has fallen out of love with me.  i need to do myself and everyone around me a favor and just stop.  i could be scaring away future love.  they see me and are like "whoa, emotional basket case!"  i'm kidding.  sort of.  

~ride my bike, go to more shows (i'm lucky to live in walking distance to great shows almost every weekend), spend more time at the beach, paddle board, read more.

~juice daily.  i've been doing this and i really look forward to it everyday.  i'm missing it while i'm gone.  eat clean, healthy, organic living foods.

I'm sure this list could just go on and on.  I am looking forward to starting a fresh new year with y'all.  It's going to be a great one!

*give this a read.  good stuff.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!  See ya in a week!  I'm enjoying soaking up the cold, brisk air even though I'm sure I will come home with rough, chapped alligator skin.  That's hot! 

xoxo, Kelly

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas!  I sure did.  

Fun, relaxing time with my family.  

No complaints here.  

I didn't take a ton of pictures, but here is a peak.  My sister brought English crackers.  We always had these as kids because we had English friends that came over for Christmas every year.  I'm a sucker for the crowns.  I brought the Christmas photo props.  Duh.

My grandma is the cutest.  

the momma and the poppa

You have to love that a few years ago I decided to put my grandparent's faces over my sister and her prom dates faces (sorry Jason!) and I hung it up in their house to be funny.  They still have it hanging up.  I laugh every time I see it.

And I went to Erin & Jack's house for dinner last night.  We grilled pizza and laughed a lot.  They are the best.

Oh Snoopy!

I need to go pack now.  I'm leaving for Park City in the morning.  So far I have only gotten out a lot of scarves and gloves.  I love accessories.  I hope everyone has a happy & safe New Year.  I can't wait to see your faces.

2012 is going to be a great year.  I can feel it in my bones.

love love love, kelly

Crybaby Sadpants

It's not any news that I'm feeling a bit heartbroken these days.  I was starting to feel like myself again and I'm enjoying a night at home putting up the rest of my decorations and being festive.  I'm feeling content.  I'm feeling all Stewart Smalley ala SNL.  "Kelly, you're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you."  Then bam Piano Man comes on Pandora.  It's like I was punched in the heart.  I believe I stopped breathing for a minute.  This is where my fear of growing old alone and dying and cats eating my body come in.  Just kidding.  I don't even have any cats.  Anyways, at what point will stuff like this not feel like a kick in the balls?  I'm ready for the time when I can hear a song like that and remember how great and funny it was that we always ended Singstar with that song.  Scream-singing and on occasion wailing on harmonica and laughing because I really think if you can breath you can play harmonica and he thinks it takes skill.  We can all agree to disagree.  So, here is to pulling myself up by my bootstraps and carrying on.  Tis the season to be jolly, right?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This time of year always just flies by.  It's definitely the busiest time of year for me.  I am the project manager for Jingle Jolly Holiday Elves transformingkids.org (toot toot.  that's me tooting my own horn.)  We are almost wrapping it up (pun intended) for the year and I get so excited thinking about how happy these kids are going to be on Christmas morning.  Today we had a gingerbread party at The Milagro Center.  They got creative and came up with some pretty fun houses.

I have done very little shopping.  I really need to get on that.  I've been trying to take in the holidays any chance I get.  

I've attended a cookie party at the Cleary's casa.  Olive was the star baker.

And an ornament party at Danielle's house.  Craft party?  Hell yes!

And the boys and I had a slumber party at my parents house over the weekend and had our own gingerbread party/competition.  

I love Lake Worth and our sad little tree.

Also, a certain 10 year old told his not-so-ready-to-hear-the-news 7 year old brother that Santa wasn't real.  His whole world fell apart as he then discovered that the Easter bunny, tooth fairy and (in his own words) leprechauns also were not real.  His mom explained the spirit of giving and he took it upon himself to modify his list to "Santa"

I really need to get to shopping, but I would much rather bake, craft and plan a holiday party.  

Focus Kelly, focus!

Also, this boy is starting school in January.  I'm really going to miss our days together.