Monthly Archives: December 2010

holidays, husband

“Our” holiday

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My husband and I have spent every New Years Eve together since we rang in 2003 together, and we’ve agreed that as long as its possible, we will ring in the new year together. As such, we’ve spent the holiday all over the place in the last eight years. This is our ninth to spend together. (NINTH!?!)

Welcome 2006!

2003 – Billy Bob’s Texas in Dallas, Texas. I bought tickets to the concert he was playing that night. Why not do something different and ring in the new year with my friend, all while seeing a great show? I had NO idea it would start a tradition!

2004 – Cowboy’s Red River in Dallas, Texas. Same idea as 2003. Same artist, even!

2005 – Sixth Street in Austin, Texas. He didn’t have a show that new years, and this time instead of my traveling to ring in the new year with him. He traveled to ring it in with me!

2006 – Jubitz in Portland, Oregon. Newly engaged, we rang in the new year in a club he used to play in “back in the day” with old friends of his. My new fiance originally had a gig in Buffalo, New York, which was canceled last minute. We lost a lot of money changing our flights, but the fun we had was worth it!

2007 – Star Hall in Cyclone, Texas. Six days away from our wedding, we were surrounded by family and friends as the clock struck midnight.

2008 -Lexington, Kentucky. My husband had a show in Lexington that night, so I drove up from Nashville to see the show and spend our sixth new years eve together.

A kiss at midnight... 2009!

2009 – Fiddle & Steel Guitar Bar in Nashville, Tennessee. My husband didn’t have a gig, so we welcomed 2009 in our “second home” surrounded by our Fiddle Family.

2010 – Star Hall in Cyclone, Texas. We expected the same party we had in 2007. Didn’t quite work out that way, but we were still with friends and family, and definitely were left with a story to tell!

2011 — We will welcome the new year in downtown Nashville again this year. My husband doesn’t have a show, so we’ll go join our close friends and toast to the hope and promise of the coming year.

I have bought black-eyed peas and collard greens to make tomorrow for luck and prosperity. It’s the only “superstition” I really follow… well, that and a kiss at midnight! One of these days, there will be the first new years we will miss spending together. That will probably have to do with our kids, when they come.  But until that time, we will spend every December 31st into January 1st together. No matter where our jobs take us, we’ll find a way to be together.

Do you have any new years traditions? What are they? Where will you be when we click over into 2011?

goals

My take on New Year’s Resolutions

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052: Happy New YearI pretty much never make New Year’s Resolutions. And by pretty much, I mean I think about it briefly and that’s as far as it gets. So, as the new year approaches and everyone is talking resolutions, I thought I’d have a little fun: I Googled  “Typical New Year’s Resolutions.” I discovered that USA.gov has a list of popular New Year’s Resolutions. So, since I really don’t make resolutions, I thought maybe I’d analyze the list from my point of view.

  • Drink Less Alcohol — I actually cut back on that in the last year already. The expense of it, not to mention the fact that its empty calories, forced me to drink less already. I don’t think I’ve sported a “buzz” in well over six months, if not longer. And I’m okay with that! You don’t need alcohol to have a good time. I do drink socially, and I do enjoy a glass of wine or mixed drink in the evening. And I still consider myself a “beer snob.” But drinking less alcohol really isn’t an issue for me already, and thus there’s no need to make it a resolution.
  • Get a Better Education — I do hope to take a few photography “classes” this year. And I would love to make it to at least one blogger conference. You should NEVER stop learning!
  • Get a Better Job — How about instead of getting a better job, I just advance myself and what I am already doing. My goal for the end of this year had been to have a literary agent by, well, today. That didn’t happen, but it doesn’t mean its not a goal I don’t still have. It’s a goal I will continue to pursue into 2011.
  • Get Fit — YES! Something I need to do. It’s not a New Year’s Resolution, though. It’s a life resolution.
  • Lose Weight — I wouldn’t mind still shedding 10 lbs. But I’ll do it at my pace and more in the realm of getting fit more than with the need to lose weight.
  • Manage Debt — This week. The last week of 2010. I already did this one. I’ll only mention this ONCE here: I officially filed for bankruptcy. I was just in too deep with no way to claw my way out. Short of winning the lottery, I was already only weeks away from one creditor filing suit against me. I’m not proud of it, but it was what I had to do. It doesn’t make me a bad person or a slacker. It makes me someone taking matters into my own hands and moving forward with a clean slate in the new year.
  • Manage Stress — See that last bullet? That already made this one happen as well. Now its just a matter of keeping myself striving forward in a positive direction. Reminding myself to keep my eye on my goals, but live in the moment.
  • Quit Smoking Now — The only smoking I do is second hand smoke in the bars. Guess if I were to follow the less alcohol point, I’d lower this one, too. HA!
  • Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle — The house we are moving into next week is in an area that offers curbside recycling. This WILL happen anyway!
  • Save Money — Yes. We’re making huge strides to be able to do that. We have a few friends and family to pay back (who have helped us through this year), and as soon as that happens… the little bit of money that I was still throwing at credit cards will now be thrown into savings. Time to get smart about my money.
  • Take a Trip — We missed Oregon this year. I want to make a trip to Oregon to see my husband’s family happen this year. Which will be facilitated by the whole save money thing.
  • Volunteer to Help Others — I’ve wanted to work with MDA for the last several years. Perhaps this year will be the year I actually make that happen.

Resolutions aren’t bad things to have. I prefer to call them goals, and they can be made at any time in the year. January 1st is just a pretty date to use as a starting point. If it works for other’s, great. But for me, its more just a chance to check in on my life goals and see how far I’ve come… or how far behind I may be.

How are your goals going??