Welcome Back Snapshot Sunday

Um oops...so I might have missed a bit. Which is why today I bring you a double dose, you know so that it covers the month I spent slacking!!!

Dose #1:

* Gorgeous Run * Corn Hole * Disney Request * New Faucets(!) * Always Construction * January Barefoot * Tarpon Winery * Greek Market * Gasparilla Beads *

Dose #2:

* After Rain * Tori Stories * Crockpot Love * Best Sandwich * Scholastic Mom * Service Project * Winter Fest * Not Studying * Tarpon Depot *

Gasparilla 2012

In the spirit of New Year's resolution "4ish" (save more $) I hit the Tampa Bay Times looking for something to do Saturday morning and struck gold (yep this is a lame pirate pun!)

The famed Gasparilla invasion kicked off Saturday with family day - kids activities, invasion by air and sea, and best of all the parade. If you all don't know this already, I LOVE a good parade. And this one is the mother of all parades in our area. It is 2 and a 1/2 hours of nonstop floats, bands, pirates and of course the kids favorite part - ridiculous amounts of beads. And best of all it cost us parking and that is it.

To the Krewes of Tampa Bay - thanks for your ridiculous holiday!

Sea Invasion:

Air Invasion:

Look: Todd and I together, in the same picture. Admittedly a terrible picture of me but I am trying to be better about making sure my kids have a few pics of me existing in their childhood!

Chef LeShayne

The title of this post is an oxymoron because those two things just don't coexist peacefully together. But girl tried. I mean really tried.

I kind of thought that due to my excessive viewing of the food network I would have learned to cook by now. Apparently its much like exercise, you actually have to do it yourself to see any kind of progress.

Tonight I made chili. I make good chili. I do not like chili. So I thought I would make some french onion soup.

I do like french onion soup. I do NOT make good french onion soup. And you CANNOT just keep adding flavors you think will make it taste better like the chefs on tv or you will have to throw the whole overly salty overly onion insanely nasty mess away.

Kitchen fail. Stupid cooking, I'm going back to watching.

New things.

1 - Tori decided she is not playing softball. Only one kid in one sport - that's new. Of course she has already since asked to join a leadership team at church, sing in a youth choir and take piano lessons. So stay tuned. Who knows what she'll actually decide to do.

2 - Bikes! Tori's was too small so she got a new one this past week, Tristan got his seat raised so its ready to rock, and Todd traded a computer on Craig's List for this one. Strange but true. And I have trustee rollerblades...new Saturday activity that is both outdoors and free = SCORE!

3 - New cold. Totally messing with my running...oh and also house cleaning, working, feeling human and my very favorite...breathing. Hoping to be healthy again SOON!

Resolutions

1. This should look familiar as it was #1 last year too. Sigh. This year I am going to be a runner...blah, blah, blah, blah. I could give you all the reasons why it might work this time but I won't. I will say this...I have gone TWO weeks running TWO miles every other day. A way better (and earlier) start than prior years. And if at first you don't succeed try again right. So #1 - Be A Runner Take 2 (or maybe 8?!?)

2. I am gonna make my house purty. On a budget. Because I am creative and I have the power of pinterest. And I am sick of living in a house that I don't LOVE. So by the end of the year me and my DIY self are going to make my house gorgeous.

3. I am going to take more time to be with my family. Last year one of my goals was to be intentional and I worked really hard at that and am pretty happy with the results. But I still have a tendency fill our lives with intentional activities and then fill the gaps with a lot of busyness - chores, multitasking, etc. More than ever my kids need me to just sit and have a conversation with them, read with them, watch a silly movie with them, etc. And not while cooking or cleaning or folding laundry. So I am gonna work harder to "just be" with my family.

4ish. Todd and I are hoping to save more/pay of the rest of our debt this year. We are at the point where we need to start saving diligently for things like college and retirement and not just the savings account. But this is a every year goal as well, one that improves slightly each year. And will again. So its 4-ISH!

What's on your list? Do you make resolutions?

I heart NYC

Seriously. LOVE. As in LOVE. And here's why:

* The Food. *
Every kind you can think of. Paninis in a 100 varieties? Yes please. Italian desserts with crusts that are light as a feather? Yes please. Italian made by real Italians? Heaven.

*The many parts being one. *

I love that you can stand on a street corner of Chinatown and know that when you cross the street you will be in Little Italy. You can jump on the subway on Wall Street and get off in Queens. And those are distinctly different. But every person that lives in every one of those neighborhoods is a New Yorker, no matter the differences.

*The architecture. *

Lets face it for the USA it's got more than its fair share for a city.

*The "Famous". *

I love that there are places and statues and fountains and streets you have seen in movies and watched on your tv.

*The passion.*

This is the 9/11 Memorial. It is breathtaking and heartbreaking in one giant moment. Seeing those names...so so many names...brought tears to my eyes. It was like standing on hallowed ground...so many Americans were broken there, both physically and emotionally, and yet instead of ashes laid a monument to this countries greatness, resilience, and strength. There are no words to truly explain it.

*The people. *

They are everywhere, literally just everywhere. Jam packed at stoplights, crowded in traffic, waiting in long lines, meandering in stores. They are bankers and investment analysts, artists and musicians and vendors and chefs and moms and dads and college students. They are loud and they are bold and they will push your right off the curb. They wear wierd things and they play odd instruments in odd places. And they are absolutely awesome.

*The clothes.*

I hate being cold but I so love cold weather clothes. Cute jackets? Check! Scarves? Check. Boots? Check, check, check. Love it!

So I had a great time. Can't wait to go back...or somewhere else :-)