October gave a party - the leaves by hundreds came....

I LOVE the month of October. It is truly my favorite month and the month the most difficult to get through during the decade I lived in South Florida where there were no season changes. I always feel a sense of energy and rejuvenation when I start to smell fireplaces burning, feel the crunch of leaves under my feet and see the beautiful colors as the leaves change. And then there's Halloween. My favorite holiday to decorate for. Some of my favorite childhood memories revolve around deciding on, and assembling, a trick-or-treat costume; plotting the best streets and routes with my friends to score the most candy; and then laying in the floor of the living room going through my "haul."

I started my annual October re-reading of To Kill A Mockingbird last night. I think this will be my 18th time to read it. I love curling up in bed at night and reading it out loud trying to sound like the narrator in the movie with that genteel southern accent.

I'll miss the cabin at Bear Creek -- seeing the leaves change, tromping around the cabin through the falling leaves and sitting in the filtered warm sun in the rocking chair on the porch. I'll miss being there with Eric. It's one of those special places that just shines in the Fall and conjures nothing but happy memories and warm thoughts.

SMALLER pieces of me!

After EP and I broke up in November I decided I had to take that opportunity to make some positive changes. The most looming issue I had was how much I've let myself go since moving back to Memphis. So I stopped eating fast food as of January 1st and set up a myfitnesspal.com account so I could track calorie intake and calories burned. As of today I've lost 20 pounds. It was falling off faster the first 6 weeks and progress is moving more slowly lately but there's still progress. I have 30 pounds more to go to hit my goal of weighing what I weighed when I started college. It's not been very hard. I eat pretty much whatever I want, just not as much of it. I do eat healthier, especially since I banished fast food from my life. Some people are noticing but the change isn't really drastic yet. I think the next ten pounds will make it much more noticeable. I feel better. I sleep better. It feels good.

Good riddance 2010, hello 2011!

Today's date is 1/1/11. Every "first day of the year" seems like a fresh start but how can you go wrong with 1/1/11? It's just screams "new start." I'm not going to make New Year resolutions this year. They'll just be forgotten by March, as usual. Instead, this year I simply promise to treat myself better: take a little nap now and then, guilt free, so I can get that little bit of extra sleep; take a nice leisurely bath (complete with bubbles) as often as I can to just relax; cook more good food and enjoy the process of meal prep, rather than scarfing down crappy food that isn't good for me because I'm in a hurry; let my hair down now and then and just have fun without worrying about being so responsible; and lastly, spend more quality time with the people I love.

2010 wasn't awful but it wasn't a fabulous year. EP and I limped along until, sadly, we broke up in November; the economy was crap; my job was unsatisfying and lacked any challenge whatsoever; and I didn't make any headway toward becoming an appraiser because of the depressed mortgage industry. If I had to sum up 2010 in one word it would be "torpid."

So, instead of making a list of things like "grow my nails" and "get in better shape," I'm going to go for the bigger picture of just being happy. I think with happiness will come balance. So bring it 2011, let's make it a good one!