New Year, New Me.

It's almost three weeks into the new year. My thoughts are that this is about the time when people start to slack on their resolutions. For example, last year, I resolved to floss more. Three weeks in, I ran out of those floss stick thingys and so my resolution kind of went by the way-side until late March when I finally got around to buying more. This year, I still resolve to floss more, but I added some new things into the mix.



1. Stop telling little white lies. When I actually started looking at it, it was ridiculous how much a part of my everyday life they had become. And so, I resolved to always tell the truth. And let me tell you, it's a lot harder than you think. Example:



Q: "Why didn't you volunteer this week?"

A: "Oh, I got stuck at work and couldn't make it in time."

Truth: I couldn't drag myself out of bed. And yes, I am a little ashamed of the fact that I can still sleep in until 10 or 11 in the morning.

Basically, if the lie got me out of something easily and made me look less lame than the truth, than it was usually the path that I took. It started to feel natural to me. And that's when I realized that I had a problem. And so, if I tell you I can't make it to your party because I had to go into work or I already made plans to baby-sit, then you can count on the fact that I will actually be at work or watching Dora the Explorer with my favorite 3 year old.

2. Stop heading down the path towards chubbiness! Somehow, it seems that as my age increases, so does my weight. Thankfully, I am not the only one. Four members of the Circle of Trust (I will probably have to do a seperate post now that I've introduced the COT) and I have started our own weight-loss challenge. The prize: $250 and years of bragging rights. So far, Nanny seems to be winning. Just wait until I actually start going to the gym! (Yep, I'm definitely starting out on the right foot. But here's a plus: No McDonalds since the beginning of January!) Come May 10th, not only will my face still look like I'm a 21 year old, but my body will too!


I decided to just pick two things, so that I can better focus on them. I will try and keep this updated, but who really wants to know how long I was able to force myself to stay on the elliptical?



In other news, I'm back to a contemplative state, which is never good, because I always seem to end up with more questions than I started out with. And so, I won't bore you with the details until I figure out exactly what I'm contemplating.

A story...

Once upon a time, it was Emily's 25th birthday (yes, she is old and yes, she knows it.) Because Emily really loves food and really loves entertainment, she decided to go to Sakana, a japanese hibachi grill for dinner. She was accompanied by two awesome ladies.




As Emily was using her chopsticks to eat her food, she noticed that the other two ladies were not. And so she yelled at them. Don't be fooled by the picture below. She ate maybe 1/4 of her meal with the chopsticks. She does not have the skillz to pay the billz like her older, wiser sister does.




This is an onion candle, created just for Emily by the hibachi chef. She didn't get to blow it out and make a wish, so instead, when the shrimp came flying through the air and Emily caught it (ten points!), she made her wish then.

Emily's dear sister made her this delicious birthday cake, which was enjoyed by all. Including the honey bear, who tried unsuccessfully to beat Emily when blowing out the candles. Good thing his mouth was fake.

Because New Year's eve is so close to the holiday that is Emily's birthday, Emily decided to have a birthday/New Year's extravaganza! She even decorated for the occasion, which never happens.

Her great friend El Prego (who is due any day now!) came with her husband and adorable son who is already a champ at beer pong( not really-he just loved throwing the extra balls around). And do not worry-husband was not allowed to jump off anything onto the Love Sack (a story for another time!).

Emily's new dining room table was converted into a beer pong runway, of sorts. Later that night, the birthday girl and her sister dominated in said game, and will take on any competitors, any time. And we won't even spill a drop on the carpet.

This is Eddie. Eddie was THISCLOSE to peeing on Emily's neighbor's head. Needless to say, the neighbor was not too happy and Eddie spent some quality time with a bucket of water.

*Sidenote: when someone tells you to just go pee outside, make sure you're not peeing onto someone else's porch.

Let's play a fun game. Which sister do you think is older? If you're like Emily's friends and the clerk at the liquor store, you will make the wrong choice. But, Emily is learning to just accept the fact that EVERYONE thinks she looks like she's 19 years old. She just hopes that is really does pay off when she's 40 like they all say.

When Emily first planned her party, she decided that it should have a sequined theme. And so, A Sequined Soiree was born. However, Emily ran out of time to come up with a completely sequined outfit and was forced to rely on a sequined headband. Richard came through with flying sequins however; complete with blinged-out boots!

As midnight struck, champagne bubbled and confetti poppers popped. But the party didn't stop there.

An expedition was taken to visit a creepy monk diorama. Creepy monk later turned out to be St. Francis, the very saint that Emily's apartment is named after. Who woulda thought?

After the expedition, an experiment was conducted to see what would happen when confetti is placed into a glass of champagne. Hopefully, the dye used in said confetti is non-toxic because it leaks like the roof in Karcher Mall. No worries however, for the champfetti was not consumed by anyone.

Good thing the confetti dye did not leak onto Emily's brand-spankin'-new couch. That would have not been a good start to the new year!


All in all, the extravaganza was extravaganzily fun and 2009 started off just fine!
My resolutions post will follow shortly!

Sparkly Jesus, hot buttered rum, and more sparkles!

A couple of people wanted to know what the super awesome white elephant present I bought was. And so I shall post a picture. Please don't be offended. It was all in good fun, and I really did buy it with a good message in mind. Christmas is all about celebrating His birthday right? What better way to do that than with a sparkly Jesus bank? Teaching remembrance and good saving habits all at the same time!

We were originally going to do a white elephant gift exchange at The COT's Christmas party. Sadly, I was informed that it was canceled due to lack of planning. But, thanks to Tony's somewhat-clever planning, everyone still got a chance to enjoy my gift. He came up with COT Trivia. Unfortunately, I did not do as well as I should have. Hillary, however, kicked some trivia ass and got to take home the fabulous prize. Good thing Whitley actually thought it was fabulous!

*Sidenote: When making hot buttered rum, find a recipe that uses less butter and make sure you don't heat it up too much. The sweetness can get way too overpowering. I also recommend using regular, light rum instead of spiced. But that probably depends on how sweet your recipe turns out.

We bought Hillary tickets to The Nutcracker for her birthday and it was AMAZING! They built completely new sets and had a brand-new ballet theatre perform. Honestly, one of the best performances I've seen, and I've seen a lot. We're definitely going back next year. And the year after.

Other than that, I've been busy with work, work and more work. I know I should be grateful for the business, because I know we will be sllllloooowwwwww in January and February, but it's hard to enjoy the season when you're in the mall everyday and not to shop. Here are some pictures of my Christmas decorations. They actually go really well with the apartment.

I probably won't be blogging until January, so until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwaanza, and may 2009 be amazingly fine!

*Can you tell I love sparkly things? That includes jewelry, if anyone needs birthday ideas!

One of those days...

Today has actually been a really good day. I woke up to some amazing snow, got so much done at work (which is actually working out really well, despite the fact that I am now officially a commuter), and ate some really delicious food (food is always a good thing.) And yet I still just feel kind of melancholic. Not sad, per say. Just kind of like I want to curl up in bed with a really good, really sad book. Unfortunately, I just read the 7th Harry Potter book not too long ago and I don't think Wicked is going to cut it.

Thank goodness for Love Actually. A happy-sad-Christmas movie all in one.

I can't wait to go home for Christmas. Even if it is just for 36 hours.

The most wonderful time of the year...

So far this year, I haven't really gotten into the Christmas spirit. I still feel like it's just barely time for Thanksgiving. But tonight, when I was decorating my room (pictures to come soon), I watched The Santa Claus and that definitely helped. And with a 50% chance of snow, a C.O.T Christmas party, and The Nutcracker all this weekend, I should be good to go by next week. But just to make sure, here are some of my favorite Christmassy things.

*The French definitely know how to celebrate Christmas. When I was in Paris last November visiting my sister, we went shopping at the Lafayette Galleries. Seven floors consisting of designer clothes, designer shoes, awesome accessories, and the best Christmas decorations ever and my favorite thing to do was just look at the gigantic Christmas tree in the center. I was literally mesmerized by it.

(These are the pictures I took last year. The white cord things are actually lights that zoomed across the ceiling in a falling star-ish kind of way!)

(These are pictures of the tree this year.)

*Snow. It's not Christmas without it.

*I usually just sleep in shorts and a tshirt, but at Christmas, even I like to sport a pair of matching pajamas. My latest ones are red and have dogs on them. My sister has the same pair. I know you are jealous.

*I truly love the idea of Santa Claus and in some ways, I definitely still believe in him. Just like Judy the elf in The Santa Claus says: "Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing." And so I choose to believe. And whether he appears in the form of a Christmas miracle or just lives in the heart of any child or child-at-heart, life is always a little more fun when you believe in magic.

In case I don't get to say it in time, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannuka, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Chrismuka, and Happy Holidays!

A new blog...

I have a lot of things I want to accomplish in my life. Like eating real Chinese food in China. And sometimes, when I think of things I need to do in my lifetime, I forget to write them down.

Problem solved.

http://emilysmillion.blogspot.com/

Give me more ideas. I'm not very adventurous, but who knows? I do need a New Year's resolution.

Bon Anniversaire Diane!

*Just a little sidenote-I did actually write this on Diane's actual day of birth, but apparently I saved it instead of publishing it! But better late than never, I suppose! And do not worry Diane-I am ready to party it up on Saturday!


Happy Birthday to Diane, one of the craziest and most wonderful people ever. A few things I especially love:
1. How you used to wear tights with shorts. I especially miss the neon green ones!
2. How you gave me a Spongebob pillowcase and how I still sleep with it!
3. How you are literally THE BEST Guitar Hero player I know.
4. How you force me to branch out of my food comfort zones, no matter how much I resist.
5. How you literally help me plan and sort out my entire life. I would be nowhere without you!

Here's to 25 more years and more after that!