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.

Up for Apple

Is anybody else still awake?

I admit, I took a bit of a nap between midnight and one, because work was hectic today and I was exhausted. But now I'm obsessively refreshing two different web pages, both for the same reason.

That can only mean one thing...

It's iPhone 5 pre-order day!

And yes, I am sitting up in bed, quivering with excitement, Visa clutched anxiously in hand as I spend some time debating, last minute, whether or to pre-order from Apple's website, or AT&T's.

Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Repeat.

 I am really, really excited about this phone. Okay, to be fair, I get really excited for most Apple products. What can I say? I'm a brand fan. But I've been anticipating iPhone 5 since last year, when the iPhone 4S rolled out. I waited on upgrading then, even though I really wanted to play with Siri, and now it's paying off—no pesky hassles with AT&T and two-year contracts not-yet-ready to be upgraded.

I'm thinking I'm going to go for the 64gb White/Silver phone. I think it looks slick, modern, and classy.

*UPDATE*

iPhone 5 is now available to pre-order! And I am pretty sure it could not have gone smoother.

iPhone 5, soon you shall be mine!

Oddly enough, while Apple's website (and AT&T's website) sat useless, still not taking pre-orders, the Apple Store App on my iPhone 4 was up and running almost the second it was supposed to.

As you can see, I ordered the White & Silver 64gb iPhone 5. And I managed to not accidentally knock myself off of the several-times-grandfathered-in Unlimited Data plan.

So all in all, this late-night/early-morning was worth it! My shiny new phone should be headed my way sometime on the 21st, and I'm sure I don't have to tell you that you can expect and unboxing post in the near future, with a review post to follow!

Any of you guys trying to pre-ordered iPhone 5 tonight, too—Good luck! :D