I am a lucky girl! I have my health and I am happy! I have a beautiful family and my dream job! I travel to fabulous locales every month and I spend other people’s money for a living! You could say my life is grand! But as we all experience once in a while, my last few days have been a challenge. I know it is in adversity that we find opportunity. So if we are trying to be positive here, let’s just say I found about 20 opportunities last week alone!!
When I was at a pretty difficult point over the weekend, going on about 4 hours sleep, not a day off work in 12 straight days, my daughter at mom’s after having been with a babysitter the past 3 nights, and me on my 4th day of a horrendous diet of sugar and caffeine, I started thinking about what is really important in life. I started realizing I needed to reassess my priorities. And I remembered it’s been 3 months since we began this New Year so I though it time to see how my resolutions are fairing so far. My guess…not too good! But let’s take a look…
I will keep fresh flowers in my home all the time! I typically buy them once a month but this year, I’m going for once a week! OK, so not so much! I have probably only bought them once that I can remember. Luckily I have had a lot of exciting things happening to me including awards and publicity, so fabulous friends have been sending bouquets quite often. Note to self, if you can win an award once a week, then resolution #1 will be taken care of…one less thing to worry about! This should be no problem! 
I resolve to use the good china, really use it! At least once a week, my family and I will sit in the dining room and enjoy a gorgeous meal together sans tv! Now this is exciting!!! Ha! This one makes me laugh out loud! Yes, we have eaten off the good china a couple of times but we were probably eating something disgusting like Totino’s pizza rolls or fish sticks or whatever we could find in the freezer since going to the grocery store has not really be on my radar either! Or worse yet- fast food transferred to our gorgeous bone china. And sitting in the dining room…who am I kidding! I barely even remember noticing my dining room as I pass through it on a few hours sleep each morning on my way to the kitchen. This year has been more of a balance your fast food on the good china on your lap while sitting in front of the TV somewhat paying attention to American Idol, while trying to catch up on blogging all the while ignoring the above mentioned family. So let’s call my score on resolution #2 a 50%! (Yes, I am an optimist!)
I will go on dates with my hubby…fabulous dates!! Define Fabulous…The good news here is yes I have been on several dates with said hubby. Most notably McDonald’s drive- through, Chick-Fil-A drive- through and let’s not forget Burger King drive-through. I did however go on a fabulous trip to Costa Rica with hubby and baby in tow. We even celebrated hubby’s birthday there (though I am yet to buy him a gift 3 weeks later). So if we count all 7 days in Costa Rica as “dates” and there were 12 weeks in the first quarter of the year, 7 out of 12 is more than 50%! Yes! Things are looking better than I thought!
I will find reasons to Celebrate life! I’m talking parties!! I love to entertain and I will carry the celebrating I started last month throughout this new year! Dinner parties, luncheons, teas, cocktails! The sky’s the limit!!This is going to be fun! Well I have definitely found reasons to celebrate, hence all the wonderful excuses to eat fast food on the good china and pair it with a fine bottle of wine! All joking aside, 2009 has started off with a bang in many great ways including my recognition by Traditional Home Magazine as a Top 20 Young Designer in America plus many other accolades and awards. I will be giving you a peek in an upcoming post into the fantastic luncheon held recently at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion to celebrate my recognition. The even more exciting news is that there are several more awards and recognitions coming in just the next few weeks! So resolution #4=1 fab luncheon and many excuses for cocktails…let’s call this one 100%! Things are trending in the right direction!
I will read for sheer pleasure! Not just for work but whatever strikes my fancy! This one is gravy!! With all the traveling since January (2 trips to New York, 1 to Palm Springs and LA and another to Costa Rica) this has been easy. And it didn’t hurt that I got a new Kindle 2 reader from Amazon recently! So the count so far…the first 3 twilight books, Eat, Pray, Love, Paintings in Proust (yes this was for pleasure) and now I am starting Bringing Home the Birkin. I’ve got resolution #5 in the bag!
I will take vacations…lots of them!!! I resolve to take my family to places we have never been been!! See above list of trips, 2 of which, Palm Springs and Costa Rica, were new locales for me! Score!!!!!!! #6 is a yes!
I will wear my fabulous high heels…a lot more often! So part 2 of this resolution, pedicures twice a month! Yippee! Part one is a resounding yes!!! I have been wearing the heck out of some Fab high heels! And let just say, I have been buying a bunch too! I try to buy shoes on every trip I take and though there were not any for purchase really in Costa Rica, I more than made up for it in NYC and Palm Springs. Have you met my friends Christian LeBoutin, Valentino, Oscar, and Jimmy Choo?? Now the pedi’s twice a month…I cannot tell a lie! But I did get one today so I think the second quarter is off to a stellar start!!
I will relax! Truly relax! I promise to not find reasons to pre-empt my twice a week yoga lessons!! Unfortunately this one is a miserable and ashamed NO with a capital N!!! I have been far from relaxed and the last time I went to yoga was about 8 weeks ago! BOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Just ask all the fabulous ladies that I work with, my husband, and my mom how many times they have said…”So, when’s the last time you went to yoga?” and after getting a not-so-pleasant “what’s it to ya” glare from me, they followed it up with “Oh no reason…just wondering”! Score on resolution #8…zero, zilch, nada!!! Let’s just call it a no for no comment!
I will be a kid again every single week! Look out Ellison, Mommy is ready to let her hair down!!! Now here is where I am faring better! And I am not talking about the occasions when my mom and my husband have said “grow up Tobi and get a hold of yourself! You are acting like a child”!! No, I mean just the awesome occasions of pure, unadulterated fun with my 3 1/2 year old that have been occurring on a regular basis. Yes, they may be brought on by the guilt I am feeling for working so much on other occasions, but still I think these all count. For instance, just tonight due to remodeling our upstairs, Ellison and I are sleeping on her trundle bed (twin size) on her floor with her Dora tent set up on top of us! Now how much more fun can a girl have then sleeping in the house in a tent…and Ellison really loves it too! Resolution #9…a resounding Yes!
I will drink fine wine any chance I get (okay so maybe this is not really new to me, but I will make a conscious effort to find new great wines to love!) I am embarrassed to say that this is one area that I have had absolutely no trouble keeping my resolution….and let’s just leave it at that! hee! hee!
I will get back to nature! I will get out in the woods as often as possible and enjoy the healing powers of the earth! My nephew is already on board to be my hiking partner! Now I just need a new pair of hiking boots! I won’t even pretend that I have started this one yet, in fact have not even bought the boots yet! But I did run into a friend on Friday at a charity event, who I have been planning to hike with since my yoga retreat in Novemeber. So I am calling her this month (I promise) and lining up a date with her, her son and my nephew for our first expedition! The weather is just starting to get nice here in Arkansas so I am not going to beat myself up on this one. I think this is an early second and late third quarter activity in Arkansas as winter and summer in my state are not ideal times for hiking! So since I am giving myself a break here let’s just not count this one yet!
So let’s get a quick tally:
1. Flowers-No
2. Good China-Ha! 50%
3. Dates with hubby-50%
4. Parties-yes!
5. Books-yes!
6. Trips-yes!
7. Shoes-yes, pedi’s-no! 50%
8. Relax-No!!!!!!
9. Being a kid-yes!
10. Wine-duh! yes!
11. Hiking-doesn’t count yet!
So let’s see here…I’ve got 2 “No’s”, 3 “maybe’s”, 5 “absolutely’s” and 1 “doesn’t count”. I’m gonna call this about an 80% -and in my opinion, that ain’t bad!! Wow! I am so pleasantly surprised!
Now if I can just work on that relaxing part, things will be looking up around here! I hope you are inspired to check in on your list! I bet like me, you are doing better than you thought! And take it from me, when life gets hectic, giving yourself a little “atta girl” might be just the shot in the arm you need! I know it is for me! Go Tobi! Go Tobi! Go Tobi!
reading just for the fun of it…sounds wonderful. and getting back to nature is tops in my book…these are wonderful resolutions.
best, michelle
Given the whirlwind quarter – you are doing fanstastic, girl! All great resolutions for a full and happy life. Wonder if it’s too late to adopt a few myself. I have a vision of you grabbing your husband, your daughter, the wine, and and the china to have a fancy picnic outside. That’s about 5 of them all rolled up into one happy little party.
It’s all good!
Sandy
Enjoyed reading this. I’m proud that you even made resolutions to begin with and furthermore, that you are courageous enough to keep up with them. You are an amazing woman and I think you should be a little kinder to yourself. We all think — we all know — that you are absolutely “off the charts good.”
Those are some great resolutions! I’m going to have to re-read this later and think about adopting some of those myself!!
This is probably one of my favorite posts you’ve made so far!! It has inspired me to think about my list!!
Your resoultions are fantastic and your selection of images is just gorgeous. I have a lot of the same pictures saved on my computer. It sounds like you are making great progress so far!