...in a photo session.

Tomorrow I get Thanksgiving with my little family.

Really though, these 3 are my senior year family.

That time the only photo of me and Hil is from the 1st day we really hung out together. #throwback #graffitiparty2009

No worries, there are probably close to 4 billion photos of me and Tes together in existence. 

Me and Justin...haha Jujujujujust kidding! 

me and peanut. 

Jesus Christ, I love them all and tomorrow I will have more recent pics of me and Hillary, and pictures of my senior year security blankets. 

Anyway, tomorrow we get a cute little Thanksgiving, complete with Turkey, stuffing, pie (ahhh!), sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, rolls, ants on a log, the works. 

It is the kind of Thanksgiving I have always wanted. 

I am too excited. 

Hopefully there will be wine. 

In other news, I got to talk to Katie yesterday for nearly 2 hours. 

It really has been one of the most perfect lazy weekend. 

Honestly, I don't have much to say other than I am so excited for my Thanksgiving! I am even excited for a bit of time to myself over break. I may even watch the Macy's parade and pretend that I am home. 

Happy Sunday. 

...cooking

The Holidays. Simultaneously one of my favorite and least favorite times of the year.

Let's start with Thanksgiving.
Hands down my least favorite Holiday. When I get old, I will probably just order Chinese. but for nostalgia's sake, I want a real thanksgiving meal this year.
I mean, who knows where I will be next year, who I will get to eat with.

This is the 2nd thanksgiving I won't spend with my family. Last year I went to Justin's. I was supposed to go to Ft. Lauderdale with Hil, but I have to work. :(

So Thanksgiving day alone this year. I am uncertain how I feel about the actual day, I suppose I will know when I get there. BUT, I am super excited for the Monday before.

I really have the most fantastic friends in the whole entire world. Tes and Justin know how much it is bothering me that I am not doing anything...so we are going to have our own thanksgiving in my room. :) The kind I always wanted. Friends potlucking everything.

Talk about being thankful.

Tes is cooking Turkey.
I am doing sides like sweet potatoes, stuffing (blegh), the harder side stuff.
Justin has the easiest stuff (he does not know this yet) but things you can buy or instant potatoes and green beans. -- you can tell he is the boy.
Hillary is all things baked. Which I REALLY hope includes pumpkin pie.

And we are having our own thanksgiving. It makes me so happy I could cry. Really, I am tearing up now.

Christmas.
It is official. I will not be going home.
BUT, sometime during the Christmas Holidays my family is coming up here! I am going to take them to my favorite thrift store on half-off Monday and everyone gets to buy $15-$20. Christmas present from me. :)

I am also going to get a tree, have Pachan bring some ornaments from home that mean a lot, and decorate it together. I am also going to cook with my Mommy and sister and make a nice "Christmas" dinner. :)

It will be the first real, unstressful Christmas in a long time.
Also the first that we don't celebrate with Mamaw. I need to see her before though. I suppose one of the early weekends in December I will plan a trip home.

I think those few days will be the highlight of my holidays.

Also, I am now on day 6 of the 30 Day Shred. Going strong!

...shreded

Lots of personal posts lately.
(Which explains why they are not making it onto facebook)

So I started the 30 day shred today.
Lets hope I do better at this than couch to 5k. I at least enjoy this more. XD

Anyway, so I did level 1, and Tes is going to do it with me. Nice thing is, sometimes we can do it together, sometimes we can just do it ourselves...regardless, we will do it.
Or at least I will.
...try.

I need to make a little calendar for myself to scratch off the days...and think of a little prize for myself.

I have already taken my measurements and they say inches is where you lose.

We shall see.


Sorry for this all over the place, random post. I thought it was worth sharing though. XD

...having a slice of pie

Blogging was a brilliant idea.
I want to know about people's lives.
I could read them all day.

It is as fascinating to me as looking through people's Christmas ornaments.

I am contemplating not going home for Christmas this year. It is the only day of the year my family knows I will be home.
I just don't know if I can. I mean I really don't know if I can't either. That is the problem.

I remember one year Charlotte spent Christmas night with us. I don't remember why, but it has been hands down my favorite Christmas to date. The routine was morning with family, afternoon hopping between houses exchanging buckets of popcorn and coco and playing with everyone's shiny new things.

I want those Christmases. When the stocking were so full they had to be put on the floor with half of what belonged in there in a Kroger sack beside them.

Not going home would break my mom's heart. Plus Lizzie warned me, this is probably it for Mamaw. Last Christmas, if she makes it to then. We have said that for the last few years...but she fell so fast this year. She can't walk anymore and can't see, and can't remember anyone. Would she even know if I was there?

I am so torn. I want to go home. I want to go to the home I went to about 10 years ago. I guess I could go to my cousins. Honestly, I may do that. That will be hard though. So close to home, but not there. Justin invited me over. He has begged me for the past few years. He is less excited about it this year, and even though I love his family, it is a awkward thing to be at someone else's house for Christmas. It is like seeing someone naked, personal, and something not a lot of people get to see.
He says it is magical though. It takes hours. I would love to see it.

This was not supposed to be a sad post. It is not. I am just confused.

Hopefully I am spending Thanksgiving with Hillary. While staying here and living out my Thanksgiving dreams with a tiny little hen sounds amazing...it is not when you are here by yourself eating your stupid hen. Plus who fucking knows how to cook a hen?

I don't want to hate the Holidays. I don't, but until I have my own place and can bring my family up there to celebrate, it is not easy.

I am not sure if this is a personal post. Kind of ambiguous. For the record, I love my family and I am ok.

Happy Holidays.
Really. :) Happy Holidays.

Now I really want some pumpkin pie.

...with my Great Dane

So, for those of you who don't know I have very slowly (and in spurts) been working on losing weight and eating healthy.

My attention span has kept it in waves, but at the very least even when I fell off the band wagon I would maintain or only gain about 3lbs before I was back on it again.

This last fall off was way different. Before I fell out of it, I was at my record lowest (since HS), I also was below my drivers license weight for the first time (and I am pretty sure I under estimated there). AND I had a goal, still be under a certain weight to go skydiving with Justin.
Well, with a vacation to Florida, Vegas, and really loss of will power on my part, I did not do good, in fact, I did horible.

When I stepped on the scale, I was a good 6lbs above where I needed to be to go. I cried.

So, I decided winging it was not going to work and back to counting calories. (I use lose it, add me! janet_e_wood@yahoo.com) Let me tell you, counting calories is much easier if you have a smart phone and don't have to whip out your computer to look up information in a restaurant.

Thankfully when I am out with Justin or Tes, they look it up, and when I am out with others, they text back quickly. :) (best friends yall).

Side note: all I want in my life is to live in New York, or (now Boston and work for EF corporately ..but, you know) and share this adorable little apartment, you know like the cute one's in Midtown, with Tes and Justin. Then Tes and I will go to all sorts of festivals on the weekends, and tea dates during the week...you know, just to catch up on work...and Justin and I will meet for lunch on the weekdays, and try all the new places, and spontaneously go to the movies, or shows. We will also have 2 pets, a Great Dane named Hugh (short for Humongous) and a tiny black cat that will play with my pen as I draw.
If I got to write the next chapter for myself AND Tes AND Justin, that would be it. :)
Unfortunately, I have to share writing my own chapter with luck, the economy, and the job market...so we will see.

Anyway, after really working on it, I am pleased to say, I am just below the skydiving weight (the day before we were supposed to go) and am back on track. Let's hope I keep it up!!!

ahhh, what a scary thing to post!
Happy Friday.

Speaking of happy Fridays, let me tell you how excited I am for lunch with Kara, Christian, and Marisa, then girls night tonight....ummm so excited.

Now, Happy Friday.