feliz ano neuvo

off to puerto vallarta on saturday.

new year's in mexico.

happy new year to you.

org

it's weird to have so much time off.

i'm spending quality sophie time.

and i find myself liking me a whole lot.

grin.

lately, i have been drawn to life organization.

i am usually on top of things.

i send out greeting cards. i write thank you notes. i pay everything on time. i keep lists. i track my payments. i file. i make my bed.

but goodness, there is always room for improvement.

so i bought this:



and i love it. i also know that i am a freak. and i love it.

christmas

merry day to all.

the end of the year is reflective for me. i look back. fall. daylight savings.

things i have learned this year:

1. breathe out. let go. close your eyes.

2. even when you think you can talk about everything, you might find that the hardest thing to talk about is the thing that matters the most.

3. sometimes you can feel at home at work. you can actually love what you do, even if you don't act like it all the time.

4. when all else fails, break into song.

5. friends are people. they will make mistakes. you will forgive them because you will make mistakes too.

6. your parents can still move you to tears even when you're thirty.

7. as you get older, you might get more obsessive. more compulsive. less lovable. and that's okay.

8. your little brothers aren't so little anymore.

9. treat yourself to a new top, new earrings, a greeting card organizer. you deserve it.

10. you will love him no matter what, no matter where. forever.

it's been a great year for me.

bday

i am officially one year older today.

i don't feel different.

but i am surrounded by loved ones.

and i feel so very, very lucky.

yahoo

it's my last day in the office for the year.

i feel like i have found my professional home, and i could not be happier.

i believe in what i do, and i am actually great at it.

but at the end of the day, a job is a job.

and it will not love you back.

happy holidays!

#

i found this draft from 06.18 (it's funny how some things stay the same):

"sometimes i feel like it is more important to you to be married than it is to marry me."

my heart deflated.

and then ignited.

it is important to me that we get married because i love you and i want to be with you.

i don't know why that is so hard to understand.

everytime someone else gets married and it's not me it breaks my heart a little.

if we both know, what would one more step be?

if nothing about our relationship would change, what are we waiting for?

if we are both so scared to give forever to each other, why are we even here?

but fine, i give up. i don't want it today.

classic bf

i now have a key to his house.

he handed a copy without much fanfare.

here.

he shoved it in my open hand.

what's this?

my house key.

what for?

for you.

sometimes i think it's for conversations like these that we deserve each other.

wake

i have many joys in life.

one of the best is sleeping with the bf.

i like his curve, and how he wraps around me.

some mornings, rare mornings, when i am up and he is still sleeping,

i am overwhelmed by how much i love him.

puck

going with the bf to hockey tonight.

the lone fan in the high school stands.

armed with caribou hot tea, a heated wrap (we call it "my little friend"), a blanket, and a heater from above, i will watch.

and i snicker because i am thinking about when special told me about her friend "puck."

why did they call her that?

because the boys hockey team passed her around.

true story.

noir

stop.



buy it all here. now.

nozin

i know this is totally gross, but i am a complete germaphobe:

nozin.



swab your nostils, save yourself a cold.

i can do that.

xxx

most. delightful. evening.

a little taste of the wonderful surprises for me:

1. getting ready when the doorbell rang. e called and asked me to come downstairs.

when i opened the door, she said, the birthday girl should have the perfect bag:



and presented me with the kayak yellow clutch. bam! what a way to start the night.

2. the bf showed up right on time with a bottle of champagne and chambord, and some blackberries. mmm.

3. when we arrived at b.a.n.k., my table was inconveniently occupied. the hostess arranged for an upgrade to a private dining room. behold, the gold room:



4. the cake, omg, the cake that special had made:



like a tiffany box on a silver tray. how fabulous!

5. and last but not least:

a surprise crush cameo, courtesy of the bf.



mike fotis (santa in this image). from the brave new workshop. stopped by post-show for little old me.

i almost fell out of my chair, peed my pants, and had a heart attack at the same time.

thanks to the friends who made my night unforgettable.

not a bad way to ring in a new decade. not bad at all.

cheers!

tonight

is it.

i chose this dress:



it's little. and black.

and i am wearing it strapless.

just the thing to wear while i am celebrating the age of twenty-five.*

close friends for a lovely dinner.

a wonderful evening.

happy 12.07.07, everyone.

* plus five. whatever.

nano

the bf gave me my birthday present early this year.



in black.

and a bedside carafe for the guest room.

i love it. i love it. i love it.

thank you, bf, for my birthday party presents.

i love you. i love you. i love you.

shine

anyone seen a great party dress lately?

something along these lines:



i'm on this friday. birthday dinner.

and i refuse to look my age.

capri

sometimes it take a slap from friends and blogger friends to make you realize what really matters.

thx to wm for reaching out with her slappin' hand.

i know i have it all.

and i know there's more out there for me. it will come my way. in time. i will wait. and i will be at peace.

so i bought this for myself:



i feel much better. thank you.

em

so.

my little baby brother is going to propose to his long-time gf.

i am thrilled.

for him.

and sad for me.

i know it's petty. i know that there are worse things than two people finding love and getting married and living happily ever after. i know that it just hurts because it's not me.

and maybe it's not for me. perhaps the path i have chosen, the only one i can control, is mine. and the only thing i can do, everyday, is do the best i can do.

and someday it won't feel so bad. today already is brighter, and more hopeful. and i don't need what i thought i did, because i can do anything.

phoenix

phoenix was nice.

especially because we stayed at the camelback inn.

a snapshot:

eat
the good egg. light breakfast with french toast and fruit. some cowboy egg and potato breakfast for the bf.

phoenix city grill. best. pot roast. ever. roasted parsnips. yes.

cafe carumba. day starter breakfast (two eggs, english muffin, ham, and potatoes) and huevos rancheros.

see
carefree and cave creek. beautiful rocks. if not for the flood, we would have been climbing! even in my gold ouch-toe flats. fun places to see. boulder resort. frontier town. the town dump.

harold's cave creek corral. spinach and artichoke dip. bloody mary for me. water for the bf.

tempe art festival. de la nuez pop art.

drink
hoppin' jacks. cactus juice margaritas and la pinta tequila.

not bad for two days.