New Year...New Me? Not Really.

Welp, how long has it been since I've sat down to write a blog post? Truth be told, I don't even know if I'll push 'post' and thus dive back into the world of blogging after being away for so long. (What if all my friends have left? Will they still like me??) I've been going back and forth with the idea of starting things back up around here, whether it's here on this blog or starting a brand new blog. But the question is, what would be the benefit to starting a brand new blog? It's not like I've undergone any kind of transformation nor do I feel the need to start a new blog about something completely different, because quite honestly not enough has changed to warrant a brand new start. No babies or pets, no new houses, no major haircuts (not even bangs! I have restrained myself! Go me.) 

When Ian and I were reflecting back on the year, we pretty much had the same consensus--it was a fairly uneventful year. Not a BAD year, but just not a super exciting one! Although we DID buy a new car on New Years Eve, which was pretty much the only major purchase of the year--nothing like waiting till the last minute! Truth be told, a boring year is not a bad thing. I have had some friends and family members go through some tough things in 2013, and am feeling extremely blessed that we experienced a pretty quiet year. Even our New Years Eve was low-key (aka the perfect New Years Eve) as we rung in 2014 in front of the fire with some good friends. 

Last night we got a bit of a snowstorm in our area, and after having just enjoyed a movie in our basement Ian asked, "Do you want to go for a walk in the snow?" Even though it was late and we had already settled down in our comfy pants, we both put on our coats and hats and stepped outside hand in hand to walk around the quiet neighborhood in the glow of the Christmas lights that were still up. Then we turned into little children and starting throwing snowballs at things, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, the whole thing was spontaneous and I LOVED IT. I am a planner. Once I have one thing in my head (curled up on the couch watching a movie) it's usually pretty hard to change my mind to do something completely different (put on some boots and walk around in the cold snow.) So why was I so loosy goosy last night? Maybe it was the wine? Who knows, but one thing is for sure--playing in the snow with my husband was definitely something I will remember more than a night on the couch.

When thinking back on the past several months, I realized that the essence of why I've been feeling off is because my hobbies have been virtually non-existent. The things that I once loved and gave me a sense of purpose have been absent--how lame is that? Of course I'm going to feel down in the dumps when I'm not doing the things I love. I haven't been blogging, haven't been making crafts, and I even haven't been thrifting in months (I KNOW RIGHT). It's so unlike me and last night's little play date made me realize that I need some more spontaneity in my life. Not everything I do in life needs to be planned down to the minute. If I want to write a blog post, I should just do it and not worry about having the perfect pictures or when the next time is I'm going to want to do it and whether or not people are going to read it. Maybe I'll pose for awkward self timer portraits, maybe I won't--depends on how cute the outfit is. Or if I want to finally organize my craft room, I should just find time to do it and not sit around and wait for an afternoon with nothing to do (because that clearly has not worked out). Or maybe finally learn how to take some decent photos in Manual. Let's just take it one day at a time, and if you would like to follow along with me here on the interwebs let's be friends! I'd love to promise that I won't disappear again for 6 months, but hey, let's take what we can get.

Here's to life and spontaneous decisions in 2014! Except for the decision to get bangs. If I get the urge, I promise to at least sleep on it.

-Brenda