Goals for 2012: The Concrete List

Hello again!

So, rather than make a million resolutions that I'm not likely to stick to the entire year, I'm going to make a list of some goals. This, of course, excludes the resolution I made in an earlier post. Still want to lose 20 pounds.  I realize that goals and resolutions are remarkably similar, but goals work better for me. So here's the list:

1. Run a 5K in March. 
2. Train for a half marathon in the Fall/Winter of 2012
3. Drink more water (I have an aversion to consuming this liquid)
4. Eat healthier
5. Be a better listener
6. Grow closer to God
7. Find the right church for me
8. Compete in at least one flute competition
9. Blog more often

These are just a few goals that I'd really like to accomplish in 2012.  What are your goals for 2012?

I hope you have a lovely day. I'm going ice skating with my family and we're visiting the brand new art museum in Bentonville called Crystal Bridges. I'll take lots of pictures and talk about the experience tomorrow!

Lots of love,

Anna

How I spent my NYE

Hi guys!

I hope you had an awesome New Year's Eve!  Yesterday, I worked from 9-3:30 and it was great. I love my coworker, Payton.  We have a good time serving customers, chatting, joking, and cleaning.  When I got off work, I realized that I hadn't made any NYE plans!  I wasn't really surprised by my lack of planning (I like to think of myself as the spontaneous type).  So, I called my family to see what their plans were.  Imagine my surprise when they all had plans. All of them. Traitors.  So, I texted a bunch of friends to see who wanted to have a little shindig.  I was feeling kind of like a desperate loser, but one of my best friends replied.  One person came over. I am not a loser! Yay!!

It was actually really fun!  I made homemade broccoli cheddar soup (recipe http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2011/12/creamy-broccoli-cheddar-soup.html) and whole wheat garlic bread (it was all gone, so it must have been good).  Then we played Scrabble while listening to Frank Sinatra and joked about being old people.  One of my friends made an appearance and helped me get a 34 point word--amazed! Then we watched Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.  That movie is pure cinematic genius, guys.  I mean, really, all those awesome special effects and witty one-liners are pure 80s-90s glory.  My friend Flannery came for the last hour and we watched Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve 2012.  We made fun of Justin Bieber and counted down the last 10 seconds while watching the ball drop.  Then we toasted 2012 with gingerale.  Cool kids right here!  It was great! I couldn't ask for better friends!  If you guys finally discover my blog name, then I hope you read this and know that I love you guys for coming to my lame party and making it awesome!

Here's some photos from the festivities:

Me and Flannery mastering the "duck face"

Group duck face!

Scrabble and homemade soup! 

I am so thankful for all my great friends, good food, and this new year! Happy 2012 everyone! Hope it's your best year yet!

Love so much,

Anna

Some new photos and resolutions

Hey everybody!

I really don't have anything much to talk about today.  I've been working and doing absolutely nothing when I'm not working. Okay, not absolutely nothing--mostly eating and watching Netflix.  I'm getting all of the unhealthy eating out of the way before January 1st. Yes, I'm that cliche person who sets a resolution to get healthy by eating right and exercising.  My reasoning is that I can control what I eat and how I spend my time.  I have no excuse for overeating and not exercising. Therefore, 2012 is the year when I get in shape.  I would like to lose 20 pounds.  That puts me well within my "healthy weight range" or whatever and at my exact medically recommended weight.  It's going to be difficult, but it needs to be done.  My other resolution is to get involved in a college-aged church group. I'm ready for some accountability with people my age. 

Now for those new photos...

Those adorable new boots I was talking about in my last post

Dress up!! New jeans, new scarf, new shirt, new boots

An off-centered picture of the topknot I learned how to do!

Why does pasta have to be so dang good?!! Homemade spaghetti

Family photo complete with Kelly doing her bid'ness (From left: Dad, Mom, Claudia--holding Sophie, Ana, Eric, me, and Kelly)

Christmas was such a blessing this year!  We opened presents at 6AM (yes, I'm still a child and I barely slept at all)!  I didn't really ask for anything because I like to be surprised.  I received lots of warm sweaters, scarves, gloves, and socks as well as a digital camera!  I'm so excited about the camera! I love taking pictures (even if I'm not very good)!  It was a really great time to relax with my family and enjoy food and a worship service and tradition.  One of our traditions is to see a movie on Christmas Eve (complete with drinks, popcorn, and candy).  This year we saw Puss in Boots. I was a little wary when I heard that this was the choice, but it was really cute.  It was nice sharing all of our traditions with Ana.  Ana is our foreign exchange student from Madrid, Spain.  She is so sweet and has learned SO much English since arriving in October. 

Ana, our sweet Spanish exchange student

                                        
Today, my mom and I went shopping at 8 to swipe some of those $15 jeans at Old Navy and exchange a coat I received for Christmas.  I got two pairs of skinny jeans, two long sleeved solid tees, a plaid flannel shirt, a new black cardigan, and an adorable pair of olive green wedge ankle boots for under $100!!! I played dress up all day.  I also watched a hair tutorial over at http://ticktockvintage.blogspot.com/2011/12/messy-bun-tutorial.html. It's a great go-to style for day-after-showering hair.

I bought three new flute pieces: Night Soliloquy by Kent Kennan, Serenade by Howard Hansen, and Bloch's Suite Modale.  I'm very excited about learning some new music! And, I must confess, I finally did the ultimate flute nerd thing--I subscribed to Flute Talk. It's a magazine all about flute stuff. Super nerdy. 

Here's a recording of the 4th movement of Bloch's Suite Modale. It reminds me of The Princess Bride soundtrack

I also did some research on churches in the area.  I've got a few that I'm looking forward to visiting.  I'm also kinda scared.  I really want to get involved in a college group; but despite all of my outgoing-ness around my friends, I'm afraid of meeting new people in church settings.  I know that God will point me to the right place and will give me the courage to meet new people at these churches. I am eager to see what He has in store for me this semester!  It will be so exciting!
I am extremely grateful for this past semester.  I've learned a lot about myself and I know that I have a lot of room to grow.  I'm thankful for my family, friends, work, music, and school.  I hope that everybody else has so much to be thankful for, too!

Until soon,

Anna

Well, it's sort of been forever...

So, this semester has been super crazy. I love college and school and friends and work, but sometimes it's a little bit too much to handle.  I took 17 credit hours this semester and worked 16 hours a week.  I know that a lot of people do more, but this was a lot for me. Especially because I was waking up at 4AM Tuesday-Thursday in order to get to work by 5AM.  Needless to say, I was a little exhausted.  Being in marching band (a 1 credit hour course requiring 2 1/2 hours of rehearsal four days a week plus entire Saturdays for games) really added a lot to my plate.  If I had the option to not be in marching band this semester, I might have said no. But, despite all of the exhaustion, I still have so much to be thankful for from this past semester:

                          This is me and Emily on the tuba. You didn't believe me, did you?

1. I have a 3.5 for the semester.  All As and Bs! So proud of my Bs in Biological Anthropology and Aural Perception II.
2. I made 4th chair Wind Symphony! So excited and surprised by this, but really thankful!
3. Lots of progress on the flute. My teacher, Kristen Predl, really rocked my world with tips and tricks this semester!
4. Making new friends and strengthening friendships.
5. Being a member of the tuba section in marching band. I love all those crazy boys! They made being last chair so fun!
6. Being on Care Committee for SAI. I love my committee members so much! We had a blast making cards and really showing the music department how much we love them!
7. Having an awesome job! Seriously, I got to decorate Christmas cookies for almost 2 hours one day. It's great.

                      The members of SAI Care Committee (from left: me, Kaitlin, and Emily)

As great as this past semester has been, I'm really looking forward to next semester! I'll be working 18 hours a week, but it'll be great because I'll only be working Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  I'll be in a challenging ensemble with two of my very best friends, Emily and Jacob.  And I'm going to find a new church with a great college ministry to get involved in. I really need to reconnect to God this next semester.  And I'll actually have time to work out this semester (this is important)!

I have so much to look forward to and I really hope to have more time to blog this semester.

How about you? How has this semester/fall been for you?

Love so very much,
Anna

My Addiction to Ice Cream

Do not laugh at this title. It is not a laughing matter. My addiction to ice cream is deep-seated and unbreakable.  When I'm sick all I want is ice cream. When I'm sad all I want is ice cream. When it's hot outside, all I want is ice cream.  Ice cream has and always will be my favorite dessert. I am kind of picky about which flavors and brands I like.  I don't like Edy's ice creams because they have a somewhat grainy texture. I like almost every flavor by Blue Bunny and Ben & Jerry's.  My very favorites are:
1. Haagen Dazs Pistachio
2. Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia
3. Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath bar Crunch
4. Brahms Cherry Limeade Sherbet (not quite the same, but still awesome)
ALL TIME FAVORITE:
#1 Blue Bunny's Spumoni ice cream (limited edition around Christmas)

Some things I've learned about myself throughout this lifelong addiction:
1. I should NEVER buy a 1/2 gallon carton. Why? Because I'll eat half of it in one sitting.
2. Only buy the carton when there's an especially good reason (e.g. really bad day, super crazy craving, sharing with a friend, just cuz you want it, etc.)
3. I only keep the prepackaged 100 calorie Great Value brand ice cream cups in my freezer because they taste pretty good and I don't feel immensely fat after I eat just one little cup.
4. When left to my own devices, I will consume the entire container (pint or otherwise) within 1-2 days. THIS IS NOT HEALTHY (but sometimes I do it anyway)

Courtesy of Cupcakes and Cashmere blog

I recently read a post on Cupcakes and Cashmere, a lovely blog that you should check out, about her favorite ice cream.  She lives in LA and has a place nearby that sells a Salty Caramel ice cream.  Does that not sound divine?? My favorite flavor combination is caramel, chocolate, and sea salt. I learned this when visiting Two Dumb Dames chocolate shop in Eureka Springs, AR. They sell these dark chocolate caramels with sea salt that are THE BEST THING I'VE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH (other than my mommy's apple pear cranberry pie). So, that is why I want to go to LA. Yes, just to try salty caramel ice cream. It's an addiction people. Few things make me more excited than a trip for ice cream. Okay, a lot of things make me more excited, but I'm being overly dramatic about food right now.

This whole post is revealing a whole lot of FCI's (fat child instincts). Yes, I had an ice cream cup for my snack this morning and it was so good. Don't judge me for my love of ice cream. Everybody loves ice cream, but few will ever recognize their addiction. 

What about you? Do you share in my love of the creamy frozen goodness that is ice cream? Would you consider yourself an ice cream addict? If so, what is your favorite flavor and brand? 

Have a lovely weekend! Be sure to eat some ice cream in honor of this post!

Love so very much,
Anna

P.S. Now you can laugh.

Disappointment

Today is the first day of my sophomore year of college.  Rather than feeling excited, I'm feeling disappointed and kinda sick.  I think I'm catching that summer cold I thought I'd avoided.  The disappointment is because of audition results.  Yesterday, I auditioned for the fall concert bands.  I was really hoping to make Wind Symphony, but I was just one chair away....again.  You see, this happened in the spring as well.  The only difference between now and then is that I practiced less for this audition and I didn't cry when I saw the results this time.

The lack of crying kind of disturbs me because I always cry when I care a lot about something. So, this leads me to believe that I just don't care as much anymore. Is this a bad thing? Am I learning to not take myself as seriously?  I didn't stress about this audition. I practiced for 3-4 weeks ahead of time. I just didn't worry as much and I take that as a small achievement even if it yielded disappointing results.  Sometimes I wonder why I'm a performance major when I'm really not that great at performing. Then I remember the other music major options: Music Theory-boring and really pointless unless I want to be a professor, Music Composition- difficult and I have no desire to write music, and Music Education- dear Lord, can you imagine me trying to conduct a group of young musicians?!! You might be thinking, "Why is she a music major at all?" I wonder this sometimes, too.  I always come up with the same answer-- I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have music.  I've been in band since I was 9 years old (almost 11 years ago).  I've always had band to help me make new friends when I'm in a new setting.  Music has been my hobby and pretty much my life.  So, when I was thinking about majors, I knew that music couldn't be left out.  Plus, I got a whole lot of scholarship money that more than covered the costs of a double major.  So, here I am, a flute performance major failing to meet my own ridiculously high standards and feeling immensely disappointed in myself. 

Now that I've typed out all of my feelings of inadequacy and depression, I'll end with a good thing, bad thing overview.  Good thing, bad thing. Good thing, bad thing.
Good thing: I have Criminal Procedures class next which I'm looking forward to.
Bad thing: I didn't do as well as I'd like on my concert band audition
Good thing: I'm about to go get some coffee. I love coffee.
Bad thing: I'm getting a summer cold.
Good thing: My boyfriend brought me orange juice, cough drops, and sorbet yesterday just because he loves me. : )
Bad thing: It's a long wait til my next class.

Any ideas on how to see the good in a disappointing situation?  How do you avoid setting ridiculously high standards for yourselves?

I hope everyone else's day is going well and that you're not disappointed about anything.

Much love,
Anna