2016 Goals

I completed all five of my 2015 goals! Now onto 2016!

1. Practice 'positivity, perseverance, and patience'. This can be applied in my daily life, but also with writing. I've realized this year that in order to succeed I must keep a good attitude, work hard, and enjoy the process.

2. Mind & body balance. After five years of dealing with body issues (I have suffered from EDNOS in the past, but continue to struggle with body dysmorphia), I want to restore balance within myself by being healthier and active. My main objective is to reach a happy body weight (one that is healthy and that I am confident in). More on this in February and March ;)

3. Complete a new manuscript and continue to improve my craft.

4. Be financially savvy. This year, I want to be smarter with my money and pay more attention to my spending.

Cheers to a New Year!

My top 15 moments of 2015!

Like last year's post, here are my top 15 moment of 2015 (in no particular order):

1. Vietnam - Such an awesome family trip back to my roots!

2. Korea - Part two of my Asia travels. Though freezing, the trip had its memories.

3. Swan Lake - My first time at the ballet! What a memorable birthday gift from Michael!

4. House - Michael and I moved from Seattle to the suburbs into a new house! It's been a fun adventure making it homey this year.

5. SCBWI WWA Conference - My first writing conference. To attend a conference was one of my goal's this year, so check!

6. Baby on the way - On my sister's trip up to visit me, she surprised me by announcing that she was pregnant!

7. Oregon Wine Trip - Another wine trip for the books! This time in Oregon :)

8. Engagement - When Michael proposed <3

9. Pitch Wars - Getting into Pitch Wars, gaining an awesome mentor, and a whole bunch of writing friends. It's been a crazy, but amazing journey.

10. Alinea - The best meal of my life and celebrating Michael and I's meetaversery!

11. Chicago - The awesome urban exploration trip.

12. Family Visits - This year, just about everyone in my family visited me! This warms my heart.

13. Thanksgiving - Always going back home for Thanksgiving to see my family.

14. The Nutcracker - What can I say, I really enjoy the ballet! A Christmas gift from Michael :)

15. Baby Jasalyn - As of December 27th, I am an aunt!

Christmas 2015: Going home, coming back, and 'The Nutcraker'

Christmas is over! Still a bit hard to believe with the last couple of days being a whirlwind! I'm still coming down from my my ballet high. This year Michael got us tickets to 'The Nutcracker' for one of my Christmas gifts.

'The Nutcracker' was so much fun. The hall was decked out in Christmas decor and all the kids were so excited. The ballet itself was very festive and beautiful. It was my first time seeing 'The Nutcracker' and I loved every minute of it.

Before the ballet, Michael and I went to Petit Toulouse. They're rated top ten in best happy hours in the nation (according to their disclaimer on their menu)! The HH menu is pretty awesome though! Every single bite was delicious and none of the food went to waste.

Oh gosh. This white chocolate bread pudding was amazing. I am currently ranking it two in best desserts in Seattle, with the first being the maple bread pudding at Walrus & Carpenter.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we spent with Michael's family. As usual it was a blast with thoughtful gifts, great food, and great company.

Every year, I do miss my family. It's been three years since I spent a Christmas with them. Luckily, this year I flew down the weekend prior to Christmas to see them, also hoping to catch the birthing of my first little niece, Jasalyn. Of course, she was past due and didn't want to see me! But as I write this blog post, my sister is currently in labor, so I'm thinking good thoughts for her and her baby. By tomorrow morning Jasalyn will be sleeping in this little basinet Michael and I gifted to her.

I do have to admit, kids have grown on me! For awhile I thought I could do with or without them, but I am leaning toward them in the future now (like way wayyyyy in the future :P).

Now I can't wait to meet my niece next year!

How was your Christmas? Comment below :)

Tis the season to be sneezy!

You guys. I spent the ENTIRE weekend sick. I've gotten sick so many times this year, I can't even keep count. Be good to your bodies, guys. Unfortunately for me, I have a weak immune system :(

So what do I do when I'm sick? I become a couch potato. I watched the whole first season of Jessica Jones (and a lot of other stuff on TV), finally finished Six of Crows and The Red Queen, and had plenty of time to wallow about my lack of writing progress this month (on the plus side, I'm getting through my TBR list!).

If you get sick this month, I recommend watching Jessica Jones on Netflix. Great character and plot development throughout the whole thing and it wraps up nicely.

Six of Crows was amazing. I can't believe I put it on the backburner for so long. I bought it the day it came out, but got sidetracked with revisions. I finally picked it up from where I left off and could not stop. The character development and world building by Bardugo was fantastic as usual. I can't wait for the sequel.

 Reading The Red Queen afterwards was a different experience when Bardugo set the bar so high. Though it was a quick read, it didn't grab me as much as Six of Crows. I thought the world building had the potential to be even better, so I'm hoping this is something Aveyard develops in book two. The story was well-written, but the plot didn't seem complex enough for me. Everyone raved about the twist at the ending, but I saw it coming all along. All in all, if you like x-men and court politics, I'm sure you will enjoy it more than I did. I do love this cover though.

With all the fantasy I've read lately, I'm starting to miss contemporary! If you have any recs, comment below!

Hello, December :)

I'm baaaaaaaack from California!

The first thing I notice when I land in Washington? It's so cold. Like bbbbbbrrrrrrrrr I can't feel my feet cold. Winter is definitely knocking.

So, I had hoped to inundate you with a million bajillion photos of my awesome family and my time spent with them, but I regretfully have none to show :( I know. I'm losing my blogging touch. I really, really, need to take more photos of my trips back home. The thing is, when I'm back home, I like to disappear into the moment. I unplug from the computer, I hang out with my family (even if we aren't even doing anything), and all my worries and stresses float away.

But my blog holds so many memories. I love flipping through the archives and reliving the moments so I'm disappointed to know that this awesome week won't be recorded (well, with pictures anyway). I guess the next best thing I can do is write a list of what happened on my trip.

<3 delicious home cooked meals (especially my mom's spicy crab dish)

<3 wedding dress shopping in San Jose (I didn't find 'the one' but it was a cool experience)

<3 quality time with the family through food excursions and fun activities

<3 wine tasting in Napa

<3 shopping with my sisters (aka the only time I really like to shop)

<3 watching the last HUNGER GAMES (my heart still aches)

<3 feeling my niece kick in my sister's stomach

<3 helping my cousin with his reading skills

<3 finally having time to read (I read two craft books and finally finished Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. Now onto Six of Crows)

I'm heading back down to California later this month, so maybe this time I can make up for my lack of photos :)

How was your Thanksgiving? Comment below!