Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right

So, I haven't posted anything in a while but I thought since it's the last day of 2011, why not post a short one?

I'm not so big on New Year's because I think it is overrated. Regardless, I still get excited to dress up, go out, and spend way too much money. To be honest, one of the best NYE that I've had was just staying at home with a few people that I care about.

This year I'm not making any resolutions that I know that I can't/won't keep. A lot has changed for me in the past year and I have grown and learned a lot from these changes. I am just happy to be healthy and in a happy place right now. I hope everyone has a safe and fun night!

"If you choose to celebrate the holidays with alcohol, designate a driver or call WRAP'S SoberRide" 
(free after the first $30)

1-800-200-TAXI

"An excellent New Year's resolution to make this year -- one that will serve you well emotionally for your entire life -- is to not let others bring you down. 

You know the type: they complain about anything and everything, and have a knack for telling you exactly what's wrong with you and your life.

People who exude negative energy such as this are a major risk for your own well-being. If you’re not careful, their pessimism can begin to rub off on you, or make you doubt your instincts or path in life. 

At the most basic level, you can stop a negative person from bringing you down simply by not being around them. As soon as they start droning on about the bad things in life, just leave. Of course, this isn’t always an option, particularly if the negative person is someone you work with, live with or must see often, so you need to have a backup plan -- one that will work every time, no matter what.

Positive people should make it a point to stay positive, and it is their right to stay that way."

Sunscreen and Advice for Life

Wear Sunscreen

by Mary Schmich

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. 
 

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now. 

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Oh nevermind. you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.

But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked.

You’re not as fat as you imagine. 

Don’t worry about the future. or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. 

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. 

Do one thing everyday that scares you 

Sing 

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts.
Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours. 

Floss 

Don’t waste your time on jealousy.

Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind.
The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. 

Remember the compliments you receive.
forget the insults. if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. 

Keep your old love letters. throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch 

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives.
some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t. 

Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. 

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t.
maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.

what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. 

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can.
don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. 

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. 

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. 

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future. 
 Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. 

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. 

Travel. 

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old.
and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders. 

Don’t expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out. 

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85. 

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia.
dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. 

But trust me on the sunscreen…

Finals: Are they over yet?!

Soo, since its finals time I decided to lighten up a little bit and share a funny video with you guys. Watch the video below, I know we are all feeling like this right about now. Also, check out Dom Mazzetti's other videos because they are hilarious and just so right on. Enjoy and I hope we all survive through finals! Payce!

 

The Awakening

The Awakening  by Sonny Carroll   A time comes in your life when you finally get it... When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere, the voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying, or struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes, you begin to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening... You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and you are not Cinderella and that in the real world, there aren't always fairy tale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you and in the process, a sense of serenity is born of acceptance. You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are ... and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process, a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the process, a sense of safety & security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and in the process, a sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness. You realize that much of the way you view yourself and the world around you, is a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche. You begin to sift through all the junk you've been fed about how you should behave, how you should look and how much you should weigh, what you should wear and where you should shop and what you should drive, how and where you should live and what you should do for a living, who you should marry and what you should expect of a marriage, the importance of having and raising children or what you owe your parents. You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with and in the process, you learn to go with your instincts. You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive and that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix. You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a by gone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn that you don't know everything; it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake. Then you learn about love. Romantic love and familial love. How to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship. You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or important because of the man on your arm or the child that bears your name. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with love; and you learn that you don't have the right to demand love on your terms, just to make you happy. You learn that alone does not mean lonely. You look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you "stack up." You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK and that it is your right, to want things and to ask for the things that you want and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands. You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less. You allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you, to glorify you with his touch and in the process, you internalize the meaning of self-respect. And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and taking more time to exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. Just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul; so you take more time to laugh and to play. You learn that for the most part in life, you get what you believe you deserve and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen, is different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help. You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron of all time; FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears, because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear, is to give away the right to live life on your terms. You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions, you learn not to personalize things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers; it's just life happening. You learn to deal with evil in its most primal state; the ego. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted; things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about; a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself, by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever settle for less than your heart's desire. You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind, and you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful possibility. Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side you take a stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

Genuine Meaning to Life

 

Concerts and Friends and Beer: Oh My!

It about that time of the year again friends. Time to start stacking that paper for one reason and one reason only. Even though the weather in the DMV sure doesn't feel like it, it's almost SUMMER! One of my favorite parts of the summer: summer concerts! Right now, there is nothing that excites me more than the thought of being with my friends at a warm summer concert, lawn seats, beer in hand, and flip flops on. What better way to spend the long summer days.

If its not clear from the list below, when it comes to music I think that it is pretty fair to say that I like just about any genre. I'm a fan of anything from country to indie to rap. One thing that you will surely read about in my future posts: music. One of my favorite quotes (also on my Facebook page) is by Plato. It says:

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."

I can't argue that! Music just makes me smile. It is my temporary fix to all of life's problems. Live music just takes that level of enjoyment a step further.

I have already started to put together a list of summer concerts. It'd make for a damn long list if I were to include ALL of the ones I am even a little remotely excited about so, I've chosen to post just those that made my heart skip like a school girl upon seeing them. It's too bad all of the venues are not outdoors but regardless they are sure to be a blast. Of course, I will not be making it to all of them for two reasons: 1) some of them fall on the same dates which I find just rude 2) a girls gotta survive and not go completely broke before the end of the summer. In no particular order of favorites, here's a rundown of the must-see concerts I've come up with so far.

Dust off those party pants and strap em' on tight people because this summer is going to be one for the books!

WMZQfest w/ Jason Aldean 05/21
Starscape Festival 2011 06/04
Rihanna 06/04
Bright Eyes 06/11
Phish 06/11 & 06/12
Katy Perry 06/15 
Rascal Flatts 06/18
Keith Urban 07/28
311 and Sublime 07/29
Taylor Swift 08/02 & 08/03
Journey 08/28

Check back for updates to this AH-mazing list as more summer tours are announced!

Suggestions for Success

21 Suggestions for Success
By H. Jackson Brown

1. Marry the right person.  This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.

2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.

3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.

6. Be generous.

7. Have a grateful heart.

8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.

9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.

10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.

11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.

12. Commit yourself to quality.

13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.

14. Be loyal.

15. Be honest.

16. Be a self-starter.

17. Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.

18. Stop blaming others.  Take responsibility for every area of your life.

19. Be bold and courageous.  When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.

20. Take good care of those you love.

21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your mom proud.