Laughing at Myself: Reviewing 2012 in Pictures

2012 was one heck of a year for me. Both good and bad. 

Let's just say that I am glad I lived it, but don't look forward to repeating it!

Anyway, I love when other bloggers post photos for me to creep on, so I figured it would be a much more enjoyable way to do the obligatory "end of X year reflection".

Plus, I don't start my new job until next week ;)

January

Upon returning to school, H and I celebrated our 21st with the notorious 21 signs! 

Clearly mine was Cotton!

Let's just say I can't hear the words "Dirty Shirley" without gagging a little after this night. 

January also brought my last Sigma Kappa bid day, which was Twitter themed!

February

We kicked off the month winning THIRD in Stroll-off! My favorite philanthropy!

My last Sigma Kappa away grab-a-date to see the Orlando Magic play!

And of course, the EPIC sisterhood to Animal Kingdom!

March

My favorite day of Spring--Alpha Gamma Rho's White Trash Bash!

April

Kicked off the month with my last Dance Marathon!

And my last Sigma Kappa formal!

This picture is perfect.

PC 09 Besties!

A bar adventure with our favorite, retired House Mom!

I became an Alumnus of Sigma Kappa

Crying my eyes out after the ceremony...

And our SK themed Senior Sign Night after!

May

I accepted my first job offer and GRADUATED from The University of Florida!!

June

I bought a new car!!

July

No Photos. 

My boyfriend at the time was preparing for the bar examination and both of us were crabby all month.

Not even kidding. 

August

Visited then Boyfriend in NC for his little's wedding.

We also ventured to Chapel Hill, his Alma Mater, for a day.

September

Kicked off football season with then boyfriend.

We also broke up that weekend.

Back to the Sig Kap house! 

Ended the month is Key West to visit our parents and for Little Cotton's 21st!

October

More 21st Celebrations!

And Florida beats South Carolina!

November

Met My GG! Finally! 

Last home game with TP!

Thanksgiving

Black Friday at LegoLand/ Cypress Gardens!

December

First Giveaway! And hit 100 followers! 

My 22nd Birthday!

Christmas!

Exploring Tampa with TP

And ending off the year on a UHaul Adventure moving TP's stuff back here!

(More on this later)

There you have it!! Looking back on the photos of the year definitely made it seem like it was much more fun than I remember it being--not a bad thing! 

What do your photos say about the year 2012?

Today's Pickins:

1.  Love this list of fellow Greek Bloggers!

2.  The inside of the lampshade is covered in sequins!

3.  Get in my home! Now!

Packing for Paradise!

I’m headed off to Key West in the morning with my sister to visit our parents and celebrate her 21^st!

I meant to pack last night but fell asleep so early! I guess tonight will have to do!

Here are some of the things on my packing list:

If you could “get away” to anywhere this weekend, where would you go?

Today’s Pickins:

1.       I met this sweet girl in Gainesville my last semester at a local indie rock show. I can’t believe that she was on The Voice and was probably the most well received artist this whole season! 

2.       This might be the best child’s Halloween costume I have ever seen. 

3.       Hats off to the little entrepreneur out there who thought to sell this GOP button. 

4.       The Perfect Pallette is my go-to for inspiration when mixing colors in my wardrobe!  

Meteorology, Music, and Martinis

Living in Florida, I have an obligation to post about how happy I am when the weather might not actually hit 90 today. I ran out to my car around 6:30 AM to grab my tervis before work and couldn’t believe that I felt a little chilly. “But, it’s still September!” I thought to myself! That’s right, kids! It was 70 outside!

As I mentioned in a few previous posts, I spent this past weekend in Gainesville. While I don’t want to bore you all recapping my escapades, I did want to mention some songs on the awesome playlist I made for the road!

The first song reminds me of my last weekend living in Gainesville. I spent the perfect evening with the perfect person listening to John Mayer. The song Edge of Desire always takes me back to the night and puts me in the happiest of moods. Listen to it ASAP!

The second song has me soooo excited for Friday it’s not even funny! Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes is basically my life mantra. I will be changing my latitude on Friday as my sister and I head down to Key West to spend the weekend, and her 21^st, with our parents!  Here is a little Jimmy to remind you that “if we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane!”

Lastly, Big/Little pairs were decided last night and I am so excited for all of the new additions to our Martini Family, specifically the fact that I am a GGBig!! I’ve been creeping on all of the new littles and I am so in love with each of them! Can’t wait to officially meet them and welcome them into the best of all the families!

Reverse Family Tower at our "What use to be cool" social! 

There you have it, just another manic Monday! What joys are getting you through today/ this week?

Today’s Pickins:

1.       As if Jimmy didn’t already have me in the best mood for my Key West adventure, Ben and Jerry surely topped it off with this KeyLime Pie ice cream!

2.       Thinking about making these Pumpkin ChocolateChip Cookies if this weather holds up! 

3.       Need a cute, custom wreath for football season? One of my sisters is selling the cutest ones on Etsy! Check her out! 

Latest Lusts - 9/17

Here are a few of the things I am lusting after these days!

1.       Brown Leather Tory Burch riding boots are at the top of my lust list! I really need a new pair of brown boots going into the fall!

2.       My trip to Key West is so close!  I have been counting down the days until this getaway!

3.       A few more skinny belts, especially this tortoise one, would be a perfect addition to my fall wardrobe.

4.       Kind of a constant lust, but I have been drooling over the dainty monogram bracelets! I like them so much more than the “super statement” monograms you usually see.

5.       More leopard.  More more more!

6.       Essie’s  “Fishnet Stockings” makes for a sexy fall nail color. I’ve been going with more muted shades but it already feels like it is time to brighten up!

7.       The Orange and Blue Dixie Dress from Twelve Saturdays has me dreaming of cool fall nights spent at Ben Hill Griffin!

8.       The obligatory “I am never going to buy one but I really really want one” mention of the Kitchen Aid mixer.

On a personal note, something special about today:

“Few people of our generation know, but on this day in 1944 Operation Market Garden commenced in Holland. My Oma rode on top of an Allied tank to celebrate their liberation from the Nazi's.Unfortunately the daring plan to end WWII failed, and thousands of American and British paratroopers lost their lives. The ensuing months of revenge the Germans had on my Oma and the Dutch people should never be forgotten.”

I think of/miss my Oma every day, especially when it comes to important “growing up” events.  She was always such an adventurous and courageous woman!

What are you currently lusting after?

Today’s Pickins:

1.     I am actually not a Michael Jackson fan, but this cover could make me one! 

2.     This glitter starfish mirror at the new Lilly Pulitzer store would be a fun DIY! 

3.     I actually won the “That’s why her hair’s so big…” sorority superlative last year. The thing is, I love having big hair!

I Go Back

One of the things I love most about Kenny Chesney is easy it is to relate to his lyrics. In going through boxes of CDs today, I pulled out his “When the Sun Goes Down” album and smiled as I popped it into the CD player. This is one album that, no matter my mood, I can and will listen every song without skipping.

The second song on the album is “I Go Back” which is one of my favorites of his! What I love about this song is how he talks about the songs that “somehow stamped our lives” and how they take us back “to another place and time.”

Every song that I love has some memory tied to it. From riding in the car with my dad to elementary school, to nights spent in my bedroom learning to play guitar, and even my first grab-a-date in Sigma Kappa, so many songs have stamped my life. I always smile when I hear these songs because of the memories associated with them.

So, for today’s post, I’ve decided to share with you some of my “I Go Back” songs, as I like to call them.

The first song, The Joker by Steve Miller Band always reminds me of early elementary school and riding in my dad’s Explorer to school each day. Because we went to private school, it was a 45 minute drive each morning. We ALWAYS listed to the classic rock station so my sister and I were never into Top 40 music at that age.  This song was one of my favorites.

Growing up, we were fortunate to spend any and all breaks (and lots of summers) living in Key West. My parents loved to head over to Sloppy Joe’s for happy hour, among other bars. But they ALWAYS loved the live entertainment at Sloppy Joe’s. One of the regular acts was this local lady that played some crazy washboard instrument. Her signature song was Me & Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin. This song always takes me back to hot weather, tank tops, and Sloppy Joe’s nachos.

I remember how excited I was when I got my first guitar. I was obsessed and played every spare moment I had. The sad thing is, I don’t think I’ve picked one up in nearly a year. In all my middle school angst (lol) Break Down Here by Julie Roberts was one of my favorite songs to play. This was the first song I could play AND sing at the same time. This  takes me back to those nights in my bedroom where I would play for hours.

Days Go By by Keith Urban puts one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen back in my head. On a family trip to Hawaii, I remember this song coming on the radio as we drove through the canyons on a sunny, cloudless afternoon. We had a convertible and the top was down and my sister and I sang this song while riding in the back seat, doing the little hand motion from the video out the car. I can’t help but smile thinking about carefree sense I felt that day!

  

Use Somebody  by Kings of Leon wraps my entire freshman year into one song. My first college boyfriend had just moved back to the US after being stationed in Japan for 5 years and he was totally into Kings of Leon. It was a song that got me through all the worries and transitions of freshman year. Fitting enough, one of our last events of the year was Sigma Stock, a PR concert  that featured local bands. One of the songs that the headliners played was Use Somebody. It weirdly tied my entire year back together.

I couldn’t even listen to this last song without crying! My freshman year of college, one of the local bands, Big Black Dynasty, wrote a song called University Avenue (here’s a cool fact: the guys that wrote/ sing this song helped found GROOVESHARK!) and we’re chosen to play at Gator Growl. These guys played weekly at Swamp, one of my favorite bars in college. This song happened to come on the random CD I popped in on my drive back home after graduation and I BAWLED  while driving on I-75 the rest of the way home.  “If I did it again, maybe I’d try to stand still, soak it all in, hold onto every day…”

Man, that last song realllllly got me just now! Do you have any “I Go Back” songs? What does the song remind you of?

Today’s Pickins:

1.       If you don’t already use GrooveShark, check it out! The guy singing that last song was one of the founders of the site!

2.       This customizable, printable, FREE iphone charger wrap is kind of cute! 

 3.       I LOVE how sweet this wreath is! The tulle and bows make it so friendly (and girly!)!!