a few things i did in twenty ten (that i hadn't planned on)...

... dyed my hair blonde.

... sold my coffee shop.

... had a short distance relationship with my neighbor.

... participated in water sports - water skiing & kayaking.

... jumped off the top of a dock.

... learned how to cut the grass.

... started eating meat again.

... started watching LOST & got addicted.

... got my own apartment where i live by myself.

... ate a 14 course meal by chef sean brock.

... drank a wine pairing for each of those 14 courses.

... saw sufjan stevens in asheville.

... drove a stick shift in the mountains.

... experienced snow in charleston... twice.

... got a dog named lollipop.

... celebrated 25 years of life by baking my own cake.

... stood beside one of my bfs at her wedding (although that was planned).

... had one of my bfs move away to Brooklyn.

... had another bf go live on an atoll with no electricity.

... met kt's future (and current) husband, tripp.

... had three "permanent" Bath & Body Works homes.

... lost two associates to unexpected death.

... ran the Turkey Day 5k.

... canceled my pretty, pink & sparkly Vickie's credit card.

... had my car vandalized with red spray paint.

... attended a gay pride party where a drag queen yelled at my friend.

... was kissed unexpectedly.

... used (and delighted in) paid time off.

... got health insurance after two years of living on the edge.

... attended an alumni party for Homecoming.

... watched USC win the College World Series, beat Clemson, go to the SEC Championship & (tonight) the Chickfila Bowl.

it was a good year with good people and good experiences.

and now i'm going out to celebrate it and anticipate the next 365 days!

be happy & safe tonight. xo.


You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. - C.S. Lewis

a look back at twenty ten.

"Start doing the things that look like what you want to change into... A wish is an unfulfilled want. A Hope, hope is the fruit of desire and the action for change. A hope." - Paul Rienzo

i did a lot of those things.

i read harry potter. and a million miles in a thousand years.

i still don't wake up when my alarm goes off.

i can't run 5 miles but i did run my first 5k & i fell in love with the stair stepper.

i saw john mayer! (and dmb - twice! and sufjan stevens!)

i didn't start my LB SARP, but my IRA is going strong & i put those $$ into savings.

my cali roadtrip was an epic fail. i had my car fixed instead.

nola trip. check. it was a week long dirty south adventure.

weddings. i went to several. i didn't go to several. (see previous blog...)

i started going to a small group. and going to church when i can. and finding community. bit by bit.

and... i am a co-manager. i did it! and i'm better at it than i thought i would be. i'm not sure what's after that though. hm.

more than anything, i'm happy. i moved out and i'm on my own. i still have a good life and good family and good friends (old and new). and i hope that i encouraged them as much as they encouraged me.

xo.

Caffeinated Owl from Etsy.com

things i love about charleston:

my family
my friends
the smell of the marsh
the water
the (general) lack of snow
fresh seafood
local restaurants with local ingredients
tomatoes in the summa time
shem creek
BAKED
red orchid
flippy floppies (10 out of 12 months)
all the old stuff (aka. the history)
crosstowne christian church
sunsets when i drive over any bridge after work
it's getting a trader joe's
hyman's gives out free hush puppies on the sidewalk
live music is everywhere
all of the boats
water sports
summer. duh.
the farmer's market
downtown
porches
sweet tea vodka
the amazing praline place on market street

there are a lot of other things, too. when i was younger, i hated it here, but now i can't imagine living anywhere else. isn't that crazy? of course, i'm relocatable and ready to go wherever, whenever.

i do know that wherever i live one day (my house) must have two things:

1. a laundry room with a nice washer & dryer and cabinets and a bar to hang clothes and a counter for folding. i'm serious.

and 2. a porch with ceiling fans and a swing. if the windows had shutters, that wouldn't hurt.

ok. end of blog today.

So, the holidays? Which ones are actually included in that? Thanksgiving, Christmas & the New Year, right? Two down, one to go. The days themselves have been quite enjoyable. Yummy food & time with family sandwiched by exhausting days at work. The New Year won't be quite like that. I'll probably stay in Charleston for the eve and go to Columbia the next two days. Chickies is getting married and then I'll get to relax and visit with my friends. I think it will be nice. I hope it will be nice. It might even be perfect if a crazy warm front moves through the Southeast.

Anyway, the end of the year always gets me thinking about life. I try not to think about my past in relationship to my present or future. It gets confusing. Things happen. Things change. People change. Life goes on. Sometimes life recycles itself with events & people, but it's never quite the same. And it's too tiring to hold onto the past. I've learned to let things go, to give second chances, to believe more in caring than in hurt. And to just see what happens.

However, despite my c'est la vie attitude, there is one thing I would change about twenty-ten.

December 20 - Beyond Avoidance
What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)

I would have un-volunteered myself from working, stopped worrying abt money/time/micromanaging/myself, and would have gone to Virginia for Andrew & Brittany's wedding. At the time, it seemed physically & financially impossible for me to attend. I was busy working in a retail mgmt position ending holiday and starting sale, plus owning my own business. Whether I could have made it happen or not is irrelevant now, but it is the one thing I regret from the past year. And, unfortunately, it's not something I get a redo on and for that I am truly sorry.

Evidently, I learned a lot from weddings this year. Five of them. And I only went to two...

From Andrew & Brittany's, I learned the value of family. You cannot be photo-shopped into a memory - only a photo. And, at the end of the day, family comes first.

From Matt & Cristy's, I learned the value of being yourself. You can find friends in the most unexpected places. You can realize you've created relationships at unexpected times. Don't ever doubt your ability to be you and have people like you. Don't ever doubt your ability to be you and have people not like you. And either way, don't ever let you stop you from being you.

From Alison & Hugo's, I learned the value of good friends (and the pain of separation anxiety). Sometimes it's just a phone call or text. Sometimes it's a tank of gas to Columbia or New Orleans. But time spent with those who know and love you best is priceless.

From Lou & Micah's, I learned that people can change and they deserve second chances. And that you should never say never to people because when you touch someone's life, you change them and they change you. And, even if you take different paths, that point where you crossed will always be a very important place.

From Kt & Tripp's, I learned the value of an honest relationship. We often build walls to defend ourselves from pain or from truth and sometimes we end up blocking out other people. And the tragedy in that is you miss out on life-changing moments with them. Don't be honest out of anger. Be honest out of love.

They say you learn a lot from marriage. Clearly, it's true. And I'm not even married, yet. Oy.

This blog seems to have turned into a bit of a self-help, discovery lesson which is not what I intended, but maybe I just needed to remind myself of these things. Or maybe someone else needed to read them. I'm not sure.

Maybe I'll write a book called My Life in Weddings : Lessons from the Guestbook. Ha. I'm totally kidding. I promise.

so i'm told. so the story goes...  (the 2008 edition)

today i got a text that said:

you're awesome. just wanted to let you know in case you forgot.

i have the best friends.

Christmas Song

things i am thankful for today:

majesta's birthday - 23! woop!
tangerine chicken w. brown rice
having leftovers
white wine
fb chat with friends in other countries
starbucks breakfast sandwiches
my sweet little tupelo pig from T
my job that pays my bills
the newest taylor swift album
the smell of the marsh
strawberry green tea
living alone so i don't have to do my dishes
good good friends

why in all this anger do you fill me up with love love love?

i just spent three hours shopping for a dress. i went to tjmaxx, marshalls, jcpenney, express, charlotte russe, target, the loft, and belk. i bought two. i have two dress occasions, but only one requires a new dress. anyway, the point is that i shouldn't be allowed to have money. i just spend it. on dresses and shoes. and wine. i bought a bottle of my favorite red wine (wandering grape - malbec/merlot blend). and a box of my favorite rosemary & olive oil triscuits. and some protein bars for when i go to the gym. and neosporin, but that's logical, so it doesn't count.

one day, when i'm grown up and married, i would like my husband to take care of our finances. he can give me an allowance, i don't care. i need to be set on the straight and narrow.

so dear future husband, please make a lot of money or put me on a tight leash. xo. erin

also, christmas? oy humbug. those shoppers are crazy. i mailed my christmas cards and finished christmas shopping. it was a light year for me - perhaps not if i didn't buy dresses and shoes - but i just need to wrap my gifts for my family and i'm done. i shouldn't even have to be at a mall. it's miserable. long lines. cranky customers. get a grip. it's one day a year. and it's the thought that counts, not the dollars that you spend. matter of fact, it should be the time that you spend with your family and friends. go out to eat together. get a cup of coffee. hang out and watch a movie. i hate christmas shopping. i hate dress shopping. next year, everyone is getting quality time for christmas & i'll wear jeans. bah.

and one more thing... why is it so cold? i live in charleston, sc. i should be able to wear sandals all year long. where can i do that? i'm moving there asap.

alright. rant time over. it's time to drink my oj, wrap some gifts and go to bed! xo.

i don't have time for as many blogs as i used to bc i'd rather be visiting with someone or sleeping, but i always read this one (caffeinate me). and i like this post. and i like when "new year posts" aren't abt resolutions or adding things to your life, but abt making changes or savoring what's there. so, eleven things in two thousand eleven it is...

last night was girls night in with jen skoy! frozen pizza, beer, break & bake cookies & a chick flick - julie & julia.

have you seen that movie? so good. inspiring. even if you're not into cooking, the idea behind it is to find your passion. so many things to think about there, BUT it really did make me want to cook. (that and the article abt sean brock in charleston magazine.) so, i've been checking magazines, looking at cookbooks and reading real simple in hopes of extra inspiration, but now i want to hear from you!

what's your favorite thing to cook? what's your "go to" recipe? is it cost effective? is it simple? can the leftovers be used again? is it best when shared with friends? rally the troops & send me your recipes! invite me over & teach me how to cook (better)! be my inspiration!

life rarely goes as planned.

i'll probably go crazy by christmas.

listening to: horse feathers radio on pandora.

also, i built a tv stand today.

xoxo.

this is awesome. i think i'll play sandstorm at my wedding.

hanneke sends wise words from somewhere in the pacific.

"meanwhile, the cross comes before the crown and tomorrow is a monday morning." - c.s. lewis

she often reminds me of things i didn't know i needed to be reminded about.

also, i just turned the heat on in my apt. it's so cold. i miss my flippy floppies.

a thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new & glorious morn.

the past 24 hours have been frustrating. hmph.

via curious girl

it's (really) cold.
(fyi) i'm against it.