Less is More

It’s time for…

This Year in Goals 2012 Edition. Since my 2011 Year in Goals went to shit (who knew it would be so difficult to learn to throw ninja stars?). I decided to take a different approach for 2012 (especially since according to the Mayans, there will be a Zombie Apocalypse this will be our last year on earth) Gotta make it count, right!

Aside from the usual “lose weight” and “eat healthier” standard New Years goals, this year is going to be a little different for me; I only have one goal…

*no drumroll needed, but thank you anyways*

My 2012 Goal is to invest in experiences not “things”.
I was standing in our second bedroom my walk in closet the other day and I noticed that I have an insane amount of gorgeous things that I totally need crap, like a whole bunch of crap! I almost started to feel suffocated by it all. I had this sudden urge to get rid of everything I own and start over with just the basics (but that would be a little insane of me, right?). I quickly became ashamed of all of the useless things that I have in my possession. Anyone who knows me knows I have a love for shoes and clothes and bags and jeans and shoes and now, the newest addition, gorgeous watches (none of which even tell the correct time or date). I know many women share this same fondness of “things”, I don’t doubt that I am any different in that department than most of my friends, but it has gotten out of control. I realized I am addicted to the feeling of spending money and having a nice collection of things to look at, wear, touch and feel… It isn’t healthy to feel suffocated by your own stuff, but I do and I have a strong desire to purge, starting immediately. I mean, who needs 35 handbags (other than Carrie Bradshaw)?

So this is going to be the year of experiences. Don’t get me wrong, I will always have a love for nice things and I may even slip and splurge here and there on a nice pair of True Religions, but I will purchase more wisely this year. I am adding one more question to the list of questions you are supposed to ask yourself before every purchase:

A) Do I need this?
{or}
B) Do I want this?
{now adding}
C) Will this give me an experience?

If I answer yes to questions A or C, then I will evaluate the purchase more carefully and choose the purchase wisely. If I only answer yes to question B, without said item adding any value to my life, I will bypass the purchase and add whatever money I do not spend on the wanted item into my “Travel Fund”. My Travel Fund is going to be a big part of my 2012 year, that and my Wedding together will be 2 very sacred pieces of my existence starting in the New Year.

I actually have wanted to be a minimalist much of this last decade, I just chose not to talk about it much or to move forward with purging because, well, it’s so damn hard to get rid of all of my beautiful things useless shit! The older I get, the more I realize, that they are just that… things. stuff of no real value to my life as a whole.

think “Big Picture”

I want to start investing in life experiences. Shoes come and go… soles break and jeans rip, memories last a lifetime.

priorities, right?

This year I want to start ridding myself of things that do not matter as much to me as they once did or more so, ridding myself of things that do not matter to me at all. I want to start focusing on things that matter most to me in the grand scheme of life… I want to start selling stuff that is of no use to me anymore and donating things that are of no real value but can’t be thrown away. It’s a life change and I am finally ready to take the plunge.

This doesn’t mean that overnight I am going to be a bonafide minimalist, but I will take the baby steps necessary to making it happen (all in due time). I want my future with my husband and children to be filled with meaning (not that I was living a meaningless life prior, dont get me wrong, I love my life and I love my current and past experiences, just now I am going to adjust accordingly, focusing more on experiences rather than materialistic things). I want to experience life with travels, food, cultures, good movies and weekend trips. Not shoes, clothes and watches, however beautiful, that dont even tell the correct time (possible user error not important). I will still love those things, but I will choose them more wisely (all in moderation, right?)

Life happens when you are waiting for life to happen and I have decided to change what is most important to me, starting now.

Less is More

Cheers to the New Year!

May we all prosper in wealth, love and success… Whatever meaning those three things have to you!

the year of yes

don’t “we don’t do”, do “we do”

I’ve never quite understood people who put limitations on themselves when it comes to any type of “adventure” in life. It can be as little as trying smelly ass yummy curry for the first time and as big as moving abroad for a year, marrying a local, tattooing a bird on your face and changing your name to Eagle Eye (we are not here to judge)… I understand that not everyone is going to be able to try everything, but why not leave the option open? I am asking you this for purely selfish reasons because, frankly, Jamie and I are getting tired of having to go through our list of “we don’t” friends until we get to a pair of “we do” friends that are down to hang out with us.

I have noticed, over time, as an individual that there are a lot of things people do not like, want to try or have a desire to experience ... This is completely understandable, we can't all like everything or want to try everything (me included). But over the years I have taken note that entire couples have jumped on this "don't do" bandwagon... It's fine if it's a moral thing, dont get this post wrong, we aren't talking about breaking the law or changing your views on religion... But at what point do you sit down in a relationship with a pen and paper and say "alrighty Jane this is going to be a list of all the things we dont do and will never do no matter what. I dont care if we could possibly like said things or enjoy said things, we just don't do it, understand?"

Examples of said issue:

Couple T&S:
J&L: Hey, you guys want to go to this new club downtown? I hear they have killer music, everything from Hip Hop to Dubstep.
T: Ew, yeah we don’t do clubs
S: and we dont do traveling "into the city", too much traffic and weird people that dress different than us
S: oh and we don’t do Dubstep, too much bass { long condescending pause}

Ok, metal note, T&S don’t do clubs or like stuff thats loud

Couple R&G:
J&L: You guys want to go camping this weekend?
R: What? Camping?
G: Yeah, we don’t do camping.

Ok, mental note R&G hate the outdoors, smores, fires and nature

Couple P&E:
J&L: Hey, you guys want to go to a country bar, they have line dancing and bull riding?
P&E: Sorry, we don’t do country
P: Yeah plaid hurts my eyes

Ok, mental note. P&E don’t do country, also need to take back plaid shirt I bought for P's birthday.

Couple C&A:
J&L: Wanna come over and hang out? It’s going to be a low-key night, just hang out and have a few beers
C&A: Sorry we so don’t do low-key we are lounge people

Ok, mental note C&A don’t do low-key, no sitting at the house drinking beers- only sitting at a bar that has couches like a house, drinking martini's, got it.

Couple F&T:
J&L: Hey, you guys want to get out of the house, maybe go hit up a few bars, there is a band playing down the street, they are supposed to be really good.
F&T: Yeah, we don’t go out… like ever.
T: and we definitely don’t do live music

Ok, mental note we will not be hanging out with F&T , like ever.

Couple W&whoever W is with at the time:
L: Wanna go see this new Hip Hop group perform, they are not mainstream, more underground so to speak.
W: I am going to hate it
J: How do you know you’re going to hate it, you haven’t even heard of them
W: We just don’t do hip hop, or like to listen to anything thats not on Kiss 100.7

Ok, mental note, never take W or his girlfriend to a show “on the bad side of town”.

WTF people, how are we supposed to keep track of all of the things you don’t do? (We do actually, sadly enough) So when you see us in between not doing things and say “Hey, why haven’t we hung out in like FOREVER??” It’s because we are busy doing all the things you don’t do.

I am SO not saying Jamie and I are SO incredibly diverse or anything, or that we are totally busy all the time, because we aren’t, like at all. The difference being, is that we leave options open to do cool shit. We are pretty much down for whatever, if the opportunity arises to do anything that does not involve killing people or animals (mostly animals) count us in… All we ask is the same in return, I am posting this because we love you and we want to hang out with you more and because my head hurts from rolling my eyes so much at all of your limitations and judgments.

It could be our fault, Jamie and I are basically walking oxymoron’s when it comes to what we like to do with our free time. One night we are in our PJ’s trying to beat Mario Kart (the original) drinking rum and diets until 2am and the next night we equally enjoy being dressed in our best hitting up a swanky club where we know we are the oldest folks in the place (but don’t care) dancing our faces off. Also, if you called and asked us to come meet you at the local watering shit hole for a game of darts and tall boys on special, we probably wouldn’t answer because we’d already be 3 PBR’s deep and waiting on your slow asses to show up.

So all we I am asking you is to make 2012 the year of yes… Try something new, surprise yourself for fucks sake.



PS: We do have a lot of friends that are down for whatever, this post does not apply to you. We love you and the fact that on Friday we are sitting on a ratty blanket with you in the middle of a field drinking from a flask and eating sandwiches from the gas station, while watching some performance of a singer or whom I can’t remember her name, to, on Saturday we are dressed to impress in a fancy ballroom at the Grand Hyatt drinking champagne and eating fancy $13 dollar tiny hamburgers sliders.

PSS: I am aware that after our “don’t do” friends read this post, they may not be our friends anymore.

PSSS: I take full responsibility for the contents of this post, I just add Jamie in here to make me sound more credible (kinda).

a california tribute

{my San Diego life in pictures}

... because sometimes I just feel like being nostalgic.