New Year, New (and Renewed) Goals

I don’t know about you but I’m welcoming 2016 with WIDE OPEN ARMS. I’m ready to start a new year and look forward to all the great things that are on the way. I'm already claiming it. In light of the start of the new year I’ve spent the last few days thinking about what I want to accomplish. 

Vision board? Check.

Focus and resolve? Check.

Preparation for new challenges? Check.

I love making lists so this time of reflection is perfect for me. Here’s a look at what I’m planning and some of my favorite moments from 2015.

Star Wars and Gingerbread Houses, a Galactic Match

Once Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released in theaters nationwide it will likely break box office records as droves of fans flock to theaters. The latest installment picks up about 30 years after Episode VI Return of the Jedi ends. With several members of the original story returning, the film will likely be a hit with fans. Leading up to its release today it seems like everything is getting the Star Wars treatment. Including the Gingerbread Village on display at the Sheraton in Seattle. I'll have more on the amazing display in a moment.

Paint Nite Plumage

The peacock on top of the bookshelf is my very first masterpiece.

Watch out Picasso.

Well…

Not exactly.

I’m still proud and giving myself a pat on the back though.

Here’s how it all began.

In elementary school I dressed up as an artist, a la Georgia O’Keefe style, for a Halloween party at church. I wore a long sleeved striped shirt that was a little too big for me, black pants, and some sort of hat. In my mind I pulled off the artist look flawlessly. Later that night I became the queen of bobbing for apples as well. We used tongs instead of submersing our heads into a bucket of ice cold water.

Scored. Every. Time.

LEGO time! Get Your Brick On

Seattle Mariners player and Safeco field.

Over the weekend I ventured over to Seattle Center for the BrickCon Exhibition, an annual convention for adult Lego hobbyists from around the world.

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest Edge family

Mom and I at Seattle Center

Once in awhile I forget 3,000 miles separate me from my family.  When it happens I'm usually venturing out into new territory here alone. I look around and have a "you're not in Kansas anymore" moment. After not seeing my family for nearly two years the distance went to zero when my Mom, Justin (nephew), and Kai (niece) flew into Seattle from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Whoo hoo!

Coming Soon...

If you follow this blog or just check in occasionally you've probably noticed that it's been awhile since I've written a post. Long story short life got in the way and I couldn't quite get it together. I have about five drafts in various stages of completion and my goal is to finish them soon. Fresh content is coming soon. YAY!

I know you're excited.

You should be :)

Until then I wanted to share this inspirational quote. I'm not letting fear get in the way of what I want to accomplish in life. Neither should you.

It’s a Great Day in South Carolina

This morning I woke up at 6:45am, turned on MSNBC, and anxiously waited on the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds. Since I couldn’t fly home to SC to witness it I wanted to watch it live on television from new home in Seattle. As the Honor Guard pulled the flag down I could hear the crowd chanting, "nah, nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye."

This is an important moment in history.

This is the completion of an extremely long and exhausting struggle decades in the making.

Day Trip to Deception Pass

Deception Pass

Impromptu trip to a historic landmark?

Sign. Me. Up.

Recently Jeff surprised me with a plan to drive up to Deception Pass. Located about 80 miles north of Seattle in Anacortes. Deception Pass is a strait between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands. For about a year now I’ve been wanting to go up there so I was elated by this news. Deception Pass offers beautiful views of Puget Sound, Skagit Bay, and Macs Cove. It’s a popular sightseeing destination in the Pacific Northwest that I can now (excitedly of course) describe first hand.

12 books in 12 months: #3 Undead and Unwed by Marie Janice Davidson

In Undead and Unwed, Betsy Taylor is laid off from her job as a secretary, killed in a car wreck, then wakes up as a vampire in a casket at a funeral home. She loves designer shoes (think Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, and Manolo Blahniks), is obsessed with her appearance, and doesn’t mince words. Betsy, along with two human sidekicks, is thrust in the middle of a vampire feud. She doesn’t want to pick a side and certainly doesn’t want to follow any vampire rules. I quickly devoured this hilarious novel and enjoyed every bite.

Kayaking 101 on Seattle's Lake Union

The rest of my classmates returning to dock.

Sunday morning I stepped out of my comfort zone and into a kayak. As part of a bucket list of sorts, I ventured down to Seattle’s Lake Union to attend a basic strokes kayaking class held at Northwest Outdoor Center.

I was nervous and equally excited.

This is the first time I’ve done a water activity. There’s no jet skiing, wakeboarding, canoeing, etc. in my repertoire so this was truly a new adventure for me.