Time Flies, and a Video

So it's already February. March. (Yeah, see what I did there?)

What the heck. How is this possible?

I know my parents always told me not to rush this whole growing up thing, that one day I'd want to go back instead of rushing forward, but I mean... I didn't think they'd turn out to be so right. At least not this soon.

But the thing is, I'm 25—26 soon enough, and now I feel like time is flying.

And not just 2013 specifically, although true enough, it seems like I was ringing in the New Year just the other day and definitely not over two months ago. Just in general, I wish time would slow down.

Every year has me reevaluating where I'm at, what I'm doing, what I've been doing, and what I'm planning to do. It's not like my future is bleak, but am I really living up to the standards I set for myself as a child? All those fantastic dreams, like being a New York Times Bestselling author, or a critically acclaimed artist, or a highly sought after lawyer, or a dinosaur?

And then I start to stress about how I'm not doing any of those things, and I start freaking out thinking I'm running out of time because I'm 25-almost-26 and what have I done with my life?

But then I take a deep breath, and tell myself to calm the heck down because I'm only almost 26, and I have plenty of time and I really shouldn't panic.

Besides, mid-midlife crisis aside, I'm actually pretty happy with my life right now.

Now, to wrap up this mildly introspective and very random post, a video. (Notably, the first personal video I've ever posted here, just sayin').

This is my blogging process.

The Post-Christmas Blues, and New Year's Eve, too!

I don't know about you fine folks, but this Christmas really snuck up on me. And as such, I feel I've been cheated out of anticipatory excitement time.

You know, the Christmas countdown that begins as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is devoured. That time when you pull the tree out of the attic, untangle lights (for several hours), unbox ornaments, and are just in general super excited for December 24th, and 25th.

My new festive snowman!

I think sometime just before Thanksgiving, someone hit the fast-forward button on my life. Everything has been flying by, and when the week of Christmas finally came, I felt very inadequately prepared, quite a bit lacking in Christmas Spirit, as my Super Granny called it.

This year was an interesting one, though. A little topsy-turvy and probably more turbulent than most. Not in bad ways, quite the opposite, but things being hectic and new and different kind of took over and I had less time to let my merriness develop.

We took longer than usual to get the tree up and decorated. My mission to deck the house in lights and sprinkle snowmen and reindeer and icicles outside was a fair bit more complicated than I'd envisioned. Three strands of lights have blown fuses. And who knew swag lights are so hard to find now? And candy canes don't seem to want to stay put in loose garden dirt.

Reindeer and candy canes. :)

To call it a disaster would be throwing it out of proportion, but in my world where Christmas is supposed to be the best, most festive, happiest time of the year? Well, suffice it to say I've been feeling a bit pessimistic.

Let's face it, I'm not a kid anymore. I miss the childish glee, the ease at which that Christmas Spirit came. It's harder as you get older, to find time between work and relationships and life in general. And when the week of Christmas came, I was basically a pessimist about the whole thing. This Christmas will suck; that's what I thought, and I was glum.

But then I had this great discussion with my Dad, about how we should be thankful for what we have, about how it's okay to be content—because I, of course, was stressed about not knowing what to ask for for Christmas, as if it's the worst thing in the world not to need anything. And you know what, this was one of my favorite Christmases, one of the ones where our gifts are silly, random, mostly small, but still so thoughtful.

Presents under our tree!

And actually, one of the most popular Christmas gifts turned out to be the warm fuzzy blanket I got for Tucker. We all seem to be vying for use of it (because hey, it's super cozy).

But now, even considering how hectic it was, now that Christmas is over, the usual post-Christmas blues have rolled in.

In fact, pre-2013 blues are here, too. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to next year! But I always get a little nostalgic at the end of the year, especially when December 31st sneaks up on me. And this year I definitely felt it was a bit sneaky.

So my first Resolution is to focus on the positives—all of the things I want for my 2013. And trust me, there are plenty of things I want out of this next year. Even with the nostalgia, I'm really excited to see what the coming year will bring!

I hope you are, too! As far as my NYE plans, they're pretty mild. Spending some time with the family, watching movies, and ringing in the New Year at midnight. But honestly, that sounds just about right—starting the new year with my family, doing some of the things we always enjoy doing. What better way to bid farewell to 2012 and say hello to 2013?

So, as this is my last post of 2012, I'm wrapping it up with an adorable picture of my dog, wearing his new Christmas sweater, lounging on his new Christmas blanket. Too. Cute.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Tucker, cozy and cute.

30 Day Itch

It's only four days until November. If you've been following this blog for awhile now, you probably know what that means...

It's almost time for NaNoWriMo 2012!

For those not up to date, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and I've been participating in it (both successfully and...less so) since I first learned about it from a certain creative writing teacher back in 2007. Basically, you spend the thirty days that make up November writing like a maniac in order to reach the goal of 50,000 words in one month. It's kind of wild, a little crazy, and very fun.

But my feelings about it this year are a little different. I'm maybe a little more excited, and maybe a little more anxious. Because, if I'm being honest, aside from the rare blog post here and there, I haven't really been writing at all since I graduated in December. So this year, NaNoWriMo means a little more to me and for me.

I'm expecting several things to happen next month, and hoping for others.

I'm expecting a rocky, slow, maddening start. Because, like any other craft or skill, the longer you go without keeping your tools sharpened, the duller they are when you get back to them. I don't doubt that I have a talent for writing, but I also don't doubt that it'll take some time to dust the cobwebs off of that talent. There are bound to be a few "dark and stormy nights" those first few days, maybe even weeks.

But I'm also expecting, hoping, to be energized about writing again. Excited about interesting settings, feisty characters, unexpected plot twists. Inspired and encouraged.

I'm looking forward to reconnecting with my love of writing, and, not that I need any excuse to do it, NaNoWriMo is always a time I eagerly look toward as that extra push to just drop the insecurities and let the words flow.

And I'm also looking forward to December 1st, when I can sit back, take a breath, and be proud of what I wrote, no matter how good or bad it is, because I wrote it.

So bring it on, November. I really can't wait.