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HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

{Tony + me at a wedding last night}

HAPPY NEW YEAR, lovelies!!!!! I hope your holiday break was as relaxing and rejuvenating as mine was, and I hope you are surviving this first Monday back at work with more dignity than I am. (I’m writing this in pajamas, FYI. It’s almost noon.) I spent 2 1/2 weeks in northern California with my family, eating and drinking as much as I could stuff into my body and spending as much time as possible with the people I love. Highlights of my food/wine/sweatpants bender include:

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Sunsets in Tahoe.

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Dogs in Tahoe.

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Babies in Tahoe. One of my best friends, Jax, and her sweet baby Beckett came up to visit us at the lake and we introduced him to hot chocolate and the possibility of owning 3+ dogs (sorry, Jax.)

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Remnants from our wedding in Tahoe. (This was the homemade sign I made for the days leading up to the wedding so people could find our house, the purest evidence you’ll ever need that I have NO business doing anything DIY.)

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Snowmen in Tahoe. (Full disclosure: We didn’t build this, we found it on a walk and the dogs peed on it.)

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

TAHOE. Just Tahoe. My happy place. Spending time there is one of the greatest joys of my life. We’ve been home less than a week, and I’m ready to go back again.

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Dogs not in Tahoe.

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Maggie snuggling my dad on a footrest way too small for her.

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Introducing Tony to a beautiful walk along the arboretum in my hometown, where everyone (rightfully) judged us as animal hoarders.

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Christmas with my family. We spent the day laughing and eating. It was THE BEST.

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Babies not in Tahoe. Here is Tony cuddling our friend Julia’s son at a New Year’s Eve party. (I had my hands full of sandwiches, but it made my heart melt to see him holding a baby.)

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

Going to the Farmer’s Market with my dad, where we listened to a local bluegrass band and balanced all the cinnamon rolls we bought with some veggies.

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

I love going back to Davis. Even though L.A. is home now, the town I grew up in is still “home base.” Tony and I went for my favorite run through my parents’ neighborhood nearly every day, “traffic” meant it took 15 minutes to get somewhere instead of 10, we never left the house without running into someone we knew… It felt quaint and cozy, and made Tony and me want to work harder to find ways to make L.A. feel like a small town, since we have to live here for work.

We got home Saturday evening, and I went straight to the grocery store to buy ingredients for all the healthy recipes I’ve been feverishly Pinning (ignore the various mac & cheese and cupcake recipes. I’ll try to, too.) This morning, I dragged out my ol’ glass gallon jar and filled it with water, getting back on the wagon of drinking more H20 than wine on a daily basis. The party is officially over. I wrote before about my thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions… So, instead of calling them “resolutions” and setting myself up for failure, I’m instead setting some intentions. Not just for the new year, but for my life. Some are old ones that have been making me feel guilty for as long as I can remember, others are new challenges to tackle. Here goes…

HAPPY NEW(ish) YEAR'S!

{Me, achieving the only New Year’s Resolution I REALLY need: To live life as my best and truest self, as frequently as possible in my snuggie with a kangaroo pouch for dog babies.}

DRY JANUARY(ish). Starting today, no booze until February 4th. I made this choice for a variety of reasons, namely: 1) My pants don’t fit right now. 2) This article. 3) I’m probably/eventually going to have kids, and won’t be able to booze for 9 months. One month is a good test run to make sure I can do it… But I adjusted the date because we had a wedding to go to last night, and I wanted to toast the happy couple. (Instead, knowing what was coming today, I slurped down cocktails like the world was ending, in hopes the joy would last me a month. It had the opposite but equally positive effect – I drank too much and don’t want to see alcohol for another month. So, I’m right on track I guess.)

Be grateful. I know #blessed is gross, but I am blessed. I spend too much time thinking about the things I haven’t yet achieved or accumulated. Instead of being hard on myself, I’m going to try to look at the things I have accomplished and the things I already have.

Read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up without breaking into hives. Actually follow through on the book’s advice without having a nervous breakdown. I bought it as a Christmas present to me, possibly the meanest and most passive-aggressive thing I’ve ever done to myself. But, I really don’t want to end up on Hoarders. So, we’ll see… Maybe 2016 will finally be the year I give away those corduroy pants I’ve been hanging onto since high school!

And, while I’m tidying up my hoarding, clean up my personal life. Stop following people on Instagram whose pictures make me feel bad about myself. Stop hanging out with people who make me feel bad about myself.

LAUGH. A LOT.

Like my body by my 30th birthday. (Even if none of my pants fit. Especially those corduroy ones from high school.)

Piggy-backing on that last one, actually use the gym membership I pay for regularly. What a cliche, right?!

And piggy-backing on both of those last ones (I like the term “piggy-backing,” makes me feel profesh), be conscious of what I’m eating and where it’s coming from. Try to eat less meat (red meat, especially. It’s bad for the environment, and cows’ faces remind me of Maggie and I want a pet pig one day. And also, I don’t want to have a heart attack.) Buy more at farmer’s markets, because that supports local businesses, is a fun date with the hubs and offers an opportunity to get in proximity to food trucks. And even though I will always consider frosting and french fries their own food groups, maybe I’ll make them smaller ones on the top of the pyramid, instead of building blocks on the bottom.

Judging by the anxiety and pressure just writing this list made me feel, on second thought, I’m pretty sure these are New Year’s Resolutions. DAMN IT. Oh well. I guess I’ll just try my best and see. How were your holidays? What are you doing (or not doing) in 2016?

7 Comments

  • Heidi Hawk says:

    I don’t do resolutions myself–I pick a word to live my year by instead (I saw Jon Gordon speak once and he gave me the idea.) This year’s word is Focus—focus on me, my husband, my friends, family–the things that make me happy and bring me to where I want to go. Working out and eating good. Surviving year two of grad school. And stop focusing on the things that don’t make me happy/take me to where I want to go. I do too much unneeded worrying and stressing. Glad to hear your holiday was so wonderful!

    • Annie says:

      Heidi, I LOVE this idea. I’ve never heard of Jon Gordon, but I like his style already! Can’t wait to read up on this more. And that is a perfect word to live by this year, I love all of the things you associated with it and need to do that myself. I got back on the Headspace bandwagon this morning, and am trying to carve 10 minutes out every morning to clear my head and start the day off with the right mindset.

      Thank you so much for reading and supporting me and this blog!! I hope your holidays were so wonderful. Happy happy new year!! X A

  • Tae says:

    LOVE your Tahoe photos – going to have to visit this wonderful place one day and see it for myself! Happy that you had a lovely break with your family. I’m trying to think of my resolutions in a gentler way too; I find the more rigidity I enforce, the more likely they are to feel like chores and of course, the more likely I am to break them. So far (five days in, optimistic I know), it actually seems to be working (KNOCK ON WOOD). All the best with yours – 2016 is going to be a killer year! xxP.S Just wanted to tell you also, I FINALLY watched The Duff the other day (loved it) and Tony was hilarious!

    • Annie says:

      Thank you, Tae!!!! Oh my goodness, you HAVE to go to Tahoe. It’s the most magical place in the world. Let me know when you go so I can tell you all my favorite places!! And that’s a perfect way to put it, thinking of resolutions in a gentler way rather than punishment. I try to remind myself they’re supposed to make my life better and happier. Congrats on making it 5 days!!!!! I survived my (four days late) Day 1!!

      Thanks for the sweet words about The Duff, too. He had so much fun filming it, so happy you liked it!! Thanks again for all the support :) X A

  • Laura Spencer says:

    Thanks for sharing this post about your holidays and your intentions. Your intentions and blog have motivated me to start writing my blog again. My other intentions are to edit my screenplay, write another feature, finish writing the book I have been working on and hopefully get pregnant. I’m also going to have to get that book you are talking about. Sounds like something I need. Happy New Year!!

  • Laura Spencer says:

    Thanks for sharing this post about your holidays and your intentions. Your intentions and blog have motivated me to start writing my blog again. My other intentions are to edit my screenplay, write another feature, finish writing the book I have been working on and hopefully get pregnant. I’m also going to have to get that book you are talking about. Sounds like something I need. Happy New Year!!

    • Annie says:

      Laura, this makes my morning!! I LOVE this. I need to add all of your intentions to my list, too (except the baby thing. Not quite yet :) Do the book with me so I’m not alone in my panic-purging!!!! Thanks so much again for this sweet sweet note. Happy New Year!!