Have you ever smelled something that completely took you to another place in time?  Or tasted something that instantly brought a memory to life?

I just had that happen.  It was random and not at all something I expected from a watermelon Jolly Rancher.

The instant it touched my tongue I suddenly flashed back to when I was little running around outside in the sunshine.  Apparently watermelon Jolly Ranchers take me back to summer and laughter.  Just like homemade lemonade takes me to swimming in the backyard of a friends house and laying out on my little mermaid beach towel.

I wonder if different flavors would bring up different memories?

I think I might just have to buy a bag and test it out.  : )

Something has been on my mind lately…

~ First – what is up with these sayings that “Real woman have this” or “REAL women look like that”??

ALL WOMEN ARE REAL WOMEN!!!

Whether you are tall, short, skinny, curvy, have short hair, long hair, are buff, are weak, shy, outgoing, confident, you name it…if you are a woman then you are a REAL woman and YOU matter.

~ Second – stop the judging and the gossip.  Seriously, just stop.  Life is hard enough on its own without everyone’s negativity.  There is nothing good that comes out of it, no matter which side you are on.

Let’s start celebrating each others differences and encourage each other instead.

Ok?  Ok.

It’s the end of the year already?!  I think I should get an award for the least posts in a year!  To follow up on beginning of the year post – let’s see how I did!

1.

I would definitely like to spend more time in prayer.

–FOLLOW UP — I would like to think I’ve gotten better at this.  I would like to get a couple different books on prayer, I think that might help.

2.

Take more time in the morning. WAKE UP EARLIER. Enjoy some coffee or tea, pray, and check my email/Facebook before I leave for the day.

— FOLLOW UP — I have been getting to work on time, or at least within the 5 minute grace period, yay!! Buuttt…I have not woken up with enough time to enjoy coffee/tea and no time to check my mail.

3.

Be a breath of fresh air to my husband. Be a fun wife. Go out of my way to do thoughtful things. Leave little notes for him. Take out the trash for him every now and then.

— FOLLOW UP — I think this is always a work in progress.  I think it’s important to always try and have fun together and not get so sucked in to the stresses of life that you forget what’s important.

4.

Eat better.

— FOLLOW UP — ummm….still working on this.  We have eaten out much less (haha, this month doesn’t count), but I think we’re getting there.

5.

This sums it up!

— FOLLOW UP — Due to some health issues, I had to take a workout hiatus for a few months.  However, I’m starting to slowly get back into it.

6.

Do more with my hair. This isn’t too big of a deal for me, but it would be nice to actually do something different from time to time, even if it’s just on the weekends.

— FOLLOW UP — I ended up chopping all my hair off and had about 2 different ways to wear my bangs.  It has finally grown back, but also linked to my health issues, my hair has seriously taken a turn for the worse.  Let’s just say Tea Tree oil is my hair’s best friend right now.

7.

Make a quilt!

— FOLLOW UP — I didn’t make a quilt.  But I HAVE picked up crocheting.  I have made and finished the worlds smallest blanket, an almost complete cup cozy (just needs a button), and I’m working on my first baby blanket (not for me) :)

8.

Take more photos and learn to take them well.

— FOLLOW UP — I really haven’t worked on this too much.  I realized having fun and making memories is more important than focussing on making sure I get a good picture.  With that said, I’m definitely still interested and would like to get a nice camera to have fun with.  We’ll see.

(SIDE NOTE) I won a Gopro Hero camera at our Christmas party this year, so maybe I will end up taking more videos ; )

~ Well, there you have it.  This may or may not be my “End-of-the-Year post”, but it’s fun to look back over the year and see how I did.

(Note: thanks pinterest.com for all these photos and inspiration)