Resolutely.

I have been thinking about this a lot over the past few weeks: what will I change in 2011? I'm not really a "resolution" type girl, although I am in love with challenging and bettering myself. I'm fairly certain that by now, in my 29th year, I cannot be changed. While there are plenty of areas in which I can improve...I bite my nails, I stay up late and sleep in, I'm never on time, I speak before thinking, I skip the gym...I have decided that these  flaws characteristics are who i am. I'm comfortable with these things and wish not to mess with them.

So, what to do?

I will try new things.  Things that scare me, things that intimidate me, things that I've never done before. Add to my resume, if you will. For example: attempt recipes that require more than four ingredients and use scary words like 'blanch' and 'dredge', sew a clothing item well enough to become part of my wardrobe (with little to no help from my mom), and play Craps at a real live casino (as opposed to online tutorials). I'm also toying with the ideas of learning a new language and running a (half) marathon.

I may not get around to doing all of these things in 2011. If not, there's always next year. And I'll need some projects to keep my mind off the fact I'll be turning 30. *yikes*.

Chills, Chips, & Chains.

Well, it happened. The ball dropped. It is now officially 2011.

Danny and I spent the holiday in Reno, NV. One of my best friend's parents own a condo up there and so we go semi-regularly for some gambling, bar hopping, outlet shopping, and/or board game pajama parties. We left Thursday night after work, anticipating a very long car ride, but were pleasantly surprised that it only took the usual 4 hours.

I have no idea what i was thinking, but I didn't realize the ground would be covered in snow, which I'm no fan of. But even with the extreme cold it was a super fun weekend with great friends and plenty of shinanigans...

[Please excuse the crappy Iphone photos. I promise to get a new camera in 2011, as I lost gave mine to a complete stranger without meaning to at my bachelorette party.]

[view of the golf course from the back porch]

[Sars and me with our matching friendship bracelets...mines a little rogue]

[My winnings!]

[Happy new year from the Peppermill! Don't look directly into our scary eyes...]

[Then it was time to go home...=(]

The road conditions advisory said that we needed chains to get home. So, we all went to Walmart and got some. (I wish I had a picture of the guys picking them out. It was like they were buying toys). Then we hit up Starbucks and settled in for a long journey home..and this time it really was long. However, we ended up not needing the chains, so that was a huge relief.

And now that I'm clear of that hazy 2-day detox period after New Years, I'm ready to move forward and think about what I want 2011 to bring me...stay tuned.