2011 Goals-Reviewed.

I thought I would take the time to review my 2011 goals to see what kind of follow through I had this year. For the most part, I’m pretty happy with the results, but I do plan on trying to improve the quality and achievement of my goals in 2012.


Here are the 2011 Goals.

1. Resurrect our backyard deck that has been mutilated since the Daytona 500 in February 2010. Note-do not remedy a boring race with alcohol and home improvement projects.

• This definitely did not get done. We did manage to get nice grass growing in both the front and back yard though.



2. Plan NY & Bama trips. I need to see and spend time with my Nana and Grandpa and will possibly try to make that trip in the spring. (if it’s not still snowing-gasp.) We would also like to make a trip to Ryan’s dad’s lake house over the summer.

• Done & Done!! We went to NY in May and Alabama for the 4th of July.



3. Start referring to Hank as "Big Sexy". He is striking enough to call for such labeling.

• Unfortunately, this never really caught on fire like I thought it would.



4. Read more. I plan on backing off from the memoires, autobiographies, and published essays that I’ve been reading and getting back to reading more fiction. I’m planning on starting with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I didn’t choose this one based on the title alone, although it probably would have been enough for me.

• I did a lot of reading this year! I read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, Water For Elephants and You Had Me at Woof, just to name a few.



5. Write more. It’s therapeutic to communicate and I’m beginning to prefer blogging as my medium. Words in print are far more permanent and concrete than those that are spoken. I like to think about what I want to say and how I want to say it in order to accurately document my life at any given time. For instance, I can look back at this in a few years and wonder, why the hell did I ever want to call Hank, “Big Sexy??”


• I would say I accomplished this for the most part, but I’d like to take it a step further in 2012 and take a couple of writing classes.



6.  Prepare for and run a 5k in the spring. This one’s for fluff. I’m capable of doing this now, but still need to find a race to participate in.

• I did two of these! The Waxhaw Town and Country Run in the spring and The GingerSnap 5k in December.



7. Plant a garden. I’m thinking small at first. Tomatoes, cukes, onions, lettuce, green beans, etc. Luckily Doreen is a Master Gardener (for real, she’s certified) and will be able to help me manage growing in red clay.


• I didn’t even come close to doing this. We had so many other needs in our yard, that it seemed a little crazy to spend the time and money on a veggie garden. I probably won’t even attempt it in 2012 because we have some landscaping issues to address that will take priority over the garden.



8. Save for a new camera. I’ll only be saving this year because I won’t allow myself to buy anything until I complete the next goal.


• Done! I did this a little backwards though. I’ll explain when reviewing the next goal.



9.  Learn the ins and outs of my camera and expand my overall knowledge base of photography. I love photography and want to be better at it.


• I did this, but I bought the new camera (totally going against what I said) and then learned the ins and outs of it, instead of learning on my existing camera before buying a new one. Classic Liz move, but I got the job done.



I hope to post my 2012 goals sometime in the first week of January!

-liz

B.T.S.~Part II Questions 31-60

All right, so questions 30-60 are pretty boring. I mean, I am all for self-discovery, but I don’t want to be put to sleep while doing it.

31. What’s something new you recently learned about yourself?

That I’m getting old. I’ve been in denial for a while so this is a recent discovery for me.

32. What do you sometimes pretend to understand that you really do not?

Organized Religion, Politics, Smart Cars and 4 cylinder Mustangs.

33. In one sentence, what do you wish for your future self?

I wish that I will always feel content and at peace with myself.

34. What worries you most about the future?

How I will cope when something happens to Chico.

35. When you look into the past, what do you miss the most?

Being around my family and my horse.

36. What’s something from the past that you don’t miss at all?

Being young and stupid, the life I used to live.

37. What recently reminded you of how fast time flies?

Being in NY over mother’s day. Some things seemed smaller and older than I remembered and others seemed bigger and more beautiful. It’s funny how age and time can change your perspective.

38. What is the biggest challenge you face right now?

Finding the balance between doing what I want to do and what I have to do.

39. In one word, how would you describe your personality?

Warm.

40. What never fails to frustrate you?

Hypocricy and the reindeer antlers that people put on their cars at Christmastime.

41. What are you known for by your friends and family?

Being a lightweight and having a big mouth?

42. What’s something most people don’t know about you?

It bothers me when my living room is out of order when I go to bed at night. I straighten the pillows on the couch before I go to bed and if I don’t, I can’t sleep because I keep thinking about how it’s going to add to everything else I have to do in the morning. UNLESS, I have been drinking and it’s a Friday night, then I could care less. Cray cray.

43. What’s a common misconception people have about you?

I’m not really sure what people think of me so I don’t know how to answer this one.

44. What’s something a lot of people do that you disagree with?

Putting themselves before their children or having kids without thinking about it.

45. What’s a belief you hold with which many people disagree?

I don’t know. I’m a pretty neutral person so it’s hard to say. I believe in Gay marriage and I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that would disagree with that. Get over it though. Support love and don’t hate.

46. What’s something that’s harder for you than it is for most people?

Leaving my dog.

47. What are the top three qualities you look for in a friend?

Respect, similar interests and goals, fun.

48. If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?


For a good bit, I guess. Weird question.

49. When you think of “home,” what specifically do you think of?

North Carolina.

50. What’s the most valuable thing you own?

I would say my home even though I bought before the market tanked. Its value goes beyond the $ sign.

51. If you had to move 3000 miles away, what would you miss most?

The South and everything in it.

52. What would make you smile right now?

Chico and Ryan fighting for my attention, a McDonalds hot fudge sundae, a bottle of wine and being at home.

53. What do you do when nothing else seems to make you happy?

Curl up with Chico & Ryan.

54. What do you wish did not exist in your life?

Not sure. I’m pretty tolerant and I’ve gotten pretty good at either removing or dealing with things I don’t like in my life.

55. What should you avoid to improve your life?

The wrong people. I need to surround myself with people who lift me up and make me better.

56. What is something you would hate to go without for a day?

Chico, Ryan, my iphone.

57. What’s the biggest lie you once believed was true?

Santa Clause. I was on track to be a life-long believer before my mom and sister had to break the news out of embarrassment for me.

58. What’s something bad that happened to you that made you stronger?

Geez. Cue the Kanye. Life happened. And then you shake yourself off and get on with it.

59. What’s something nobody could ever steal from you?

My resilience.

60. What’s something you disliked when you were younger that you truly enjoy today?

Being isolated and spinach.


-liz

The Weekend.

We played with the boys, like usual.

Ace just rested, mostly. No, I did not stage this photo. This is exactly how I found him...

There was dancing.....

And then some meditation.....

We took a little road trip to Mt. Gilead, NC to do some exploring....

And this is what I found in the gas station bathroom in Mt. Gilead......

Lastly, I got this fabulous t-shirt from my little sister as part of my Christmas present. She also sent me a variety of Adirondack meats and cheeses that I can't wait to take down along with the homemade sweet pickles, dill pickles, and pickled green beans that I got from my momma.

Hope y'all had a great weekend!


-liz

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole.

Here goes my first attempt at food blogging. I needed a break from the "what's the meaning of my life" questions and I thought a little baking post would be at least mildly interesting.

This is a recipe from Paula Deen, so prepare to put on a few pounds by just looking at the ingredients.

Ingredients

8 medium baking potatoes, about 4 pounds
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 pint sour cream
2 cups ( ½ pound) shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided use)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped chives, for garnish
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained and crumbled, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pierce potatoes and place on baking pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until very soft.

Peel and mash potatoes in large bowl with potato masher or back of fork. Add cream cheese, butter, sour cream and 1 cup of cheddar. Stir well. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and stir again.

Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place potato mixture in dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate casserole until ready to bake.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F, remove plastic wrap and bake casserole 30 to 35 minutes until hot. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheddar over casserole and return to oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Garnish with chopped chives and crumbled bacon before serving. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

-liz

Beneath the Surface-Part II.

My cousin recently sent me this link HERE. It’s 95 questions to ask yourself in order to find more meaning and happiness in life. Here is a little synopsis from the site.

“At the cusp of a new day, week, month or year, most of us take a little time to reflect on our lives by looking back over the past and ahead into the future. We ponder the successes, failures and standout events that are slowly scripting our life’s story. This process of self-reflection helps us maintain a conscious awareness of where we’ve been and where we intend to go. It is pertinent to the organization and preservation of our long-term goals and happiness.
The questions below will help you with this process. Because when it comes to finding meaning in life, asking the right questions is the answer."

I thought trying to answer some of these would be a great exercise to help me shape what I want my 2012 goals to be. I thought I’d share them as I go because sharing them makes me actually answer them. Here are #s 1-30.

1. In one sentence, who are you?

I’m a person who genuinely wants to do better, be better and give my best to the ones I love the most.

2. Why do you matter?

Because I can make a difference in the lives of the people I care about.

3. What is your life motto?

Hmm. It used to be, “live to ride or fuck off,” but that hardly seems appropriate anymore. I would say love, kindness and acceptance.

4. What’s something you have that everyone wants?

Great hair? Joking….but not really. It’s what I get the most compliments on.

5. What is missing in your life?

A higher purpose. I want to give more, volunteer more, etc.

6. What’s been on your mind most lately?

Past mistakes and wrong choices. Things I would do differently, etc.

7. Happiness is a_____________?

CHOICE!

8. What stands between you and happiness?

Negativity within myself.

9. What do you need most right now?

My family.

10. What does the child in you long for?

Normalcy, structure.
11. What is the one thing right now that you are totally sure of?

My conviction to become the person I want to be.

12. What’s been bothering you lately?

Death & dying. Turns out I’m terrified of it.

13. What are you scared of?

The dark. I can’t see a damn thing in the dark. And of course, death & dying.

14. What has your fear of failure stopped you from doing?

I would say a lot of things that I have disguised as “not the right time” to go forward.

15. What will you never give up on?

My marriage.

16. What do you want to remember forever?

The way I felt when I knew that I loved my husband.

17. What makes you feel secure?

Chico~Suave, my hubby, my home.

18. Which activities make you lose track of time?

Spending time with my boys, reading, writing, photography.

19. What’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever made?

Deciding to take control of my own life. It was difficult in that it took forever for me to do.

20. What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?

Moving to North Carolina. Hands down. Easiest question ever.

21. What are you most Grateful for?

My hubby, My Chico, My family. All taught me the true meaning of love.

22. What is worth the pain?

Living.

23. In order of importance, how would you rank: happiness, money, love, health, fame?

Love, happiness, health, money, fame.

24. What is something you’ve always wanted, but don’t have yet?

Mini-donkey. A general Lee.

25. What’s was the most defining moment in your life during this past year?

I’ve had a few defining moments this year. The most intense was probably my trip home to NY in May. A lot seemed to click for me on that trip. The importance of family, acceptance of the past, and how fast time passes you by.

26. What’s the number one change you need to make in your life in the next twelve months?

I wouldn’t say that there is one thing more important than the other. I’ll continue to improve on several things for an overall impact.

27. What’s the number one thing you want to achieve in the next five years?

We want a farmhouse, either as a primary residence or second home. Ideally, we’d like to have a townhome or condo in Charlotte for the work week and a mini farm we travel to on the weekends. Best of both worlds.

28. What’s the biggest motivator in your life right now?

The desire to create a full and balanced life for my little family.

29. What will you never do?

Heroin. Duh. Oh and I will never support hate.

30. What’s something you said you’d never do, but have since done?

Wear flats!


-liz

Happy Holidays!

Is it really about to be Christmas?? I just don’t understand where the time goes. I’m sitting in my living room right now and I’ve got to say that I am SO loving the ambiance of a room lit only by Christmas lights. It feels so warm and cozy. It’s times like these that I really appreciate and feel the spirit of the holidays. I’m sitting here and feeling overwhelmed by how thankful I am to have such a blessed life. It’s a pretty great feeling to have and honestly, it’s helping me forget how far behind I am on my Christmas shopping and associated errands. Unfortunately, the holidays can also be a huge bitch.

So what’s new?


I quit facebook. I feel totally cut off from the world and it’s pretty awesome. There was no big catalyst for the facebook deactivation, but it had been coming for a while. I was checking it only out of habit every day and it wasn’t like I didn’t know who was going to be saying what. It had all gotten pretty typical. Unfortunately, the people I wanted to hear from, barely ever posted anything, so I didn’t really feel like I was getting that much out of it anymore. Part of me feels like facebook has the ability to stifle real, meaningful interaction too. It actually feels good to wonder what someone has been up to rather than knowing instantly. Being connected is great, but if it means the quality and meaning of your relationships dwindle, than what’s the point?

Pinterest is my new obsession. I think I’m pretty late to the party on this one, but seriously, It. Is. Awesome. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where you can categorize the things you find on the internet. You can Pin images directly from Pinterest or from the web. For example, when I was planning my wedding, I would scour Style Me Pretty and Southern Weddings for ideas for colors, décor, details, etc. I would try and right click, save the image and put it somewhere on my computer or print it out and put it in my paper binder. With Pinterest, you just Pin the image onto one of your boards and call it a day. Then you can go back and find all of your ideas in one spot. They have so many categories to search through on their site and I’ve already found a ton of new recipes and decorating ideas. Check.It.out.

Review & Refocus. I’m fixin’ to dig up my “2011 Goals” post from the beginning of the year to see how I fared with all of that. I love reflecting back on the highs and lows of the year to see how I can improve and the direction I need to move in to do so. I’ve also been putting a lot of thought into my 2012 Goals and I’ll be getting all of that together over the next few weeks.

To round things out, here are a few more recent snaps of the boys.

GingerSnap 5k.

I ran my second 5k of the year last Saturday, December 3rd. Being that it was a Girl’s on the Run event, I was so excited to participate and help support the cause. I found out about the race a week prior to the event, so I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, but I was determined to take part in it seeing how it was hot off the heels of my niece’s GOTR 5k. I ran it in 27 minutes and nine seconds. I was fairly happy with that considering it was my first 5k where I was actually trying to “get a time”. I ran a 5k earlier in the year, but it was more about having fun and supporting the cause. Now, I can’t wait for the next run. I’ll definitely be aiming for the 26 minute mark. I don’t think I’ll ever be a super competitive contender for a race win, but it always feels good to push myself a little further and do a little better each time.
The race was in downtown Waxhaw and it was soooo freezing that morning. I’m pretty sure I was having some sort of out of body experience during the first half mile. My feet felt like cement blocks and I was pretty sure that my body would never stop being confused about whether it should be hot and cold.

The hubby came along to cheer me on and grab a few pics.

Here I am!

-Liz

T.G.I.F.

high five!

More Film Shots.

I busted out my film camera for the first time in a looonnng time last weekend. I really love, love the look I get from it. It was my first stab at shooting in manual with film, and if you can get past Jr's dirty face and my husband in his pyjamas, you're left with some pretty sweet images. And by sweet, I mean exposed and focused correctly, for the most part....

Canon Elan 7e
Canon EF 50mm f1.2
Kodak ISO 400 film

Madeline.

My niece & goddaughter, Madeline, ran her first 5k in 35 minutes this Saturday. She ran with the Girls on the Run program, which works with pre-teen girls on developing self-esteem , self-respect and an overall healthy lifestyle.  GOTR was started here, in Charlotte, NC, and has spread to over 173 cities in North America. It is an amazing organization and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking to inpire their daughter.

I am so proud of you, Maddy! You are beautiful and there is no limit to what you can do!!

Matt's Eagle Scout Ceremony.

Scout Oath (or Promise)

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean, and reverent.

My cousin, Matt, made his Eagle Scout on August 8th, 2011. It's the highest rank that can be achieved in the Boy Scouts of America program. Less than 5% of boy scouts achieve this honor. I am so incredibly proud of Matt for being able to achieve this accomplishment, especially all while being really, really ridiculously good looking. : )



Letter from the White House.





A flag was flown over the capital on Matt's 17th Birthday in honor of his Eagle Scout.





Pinewood Derby Cars.



Pinewood Derby Cars.

Add caption



Doreen and Mike put together a slideshow of Matt's scouting over the years.





Mike presenting Matt with the flag that was flown over the capital in his honor.





Reception after the ceremony





Blue Steel.