in reality I'm somewhere in between

Things that make me sound meaner/grumpier than I am:

• I am pro-pregnancy and pro-reproduction, but there are few things I dislike more than bare belly pregnancy shots, especially at like 6-12 weeks when it's an excuse to flash your nasty snicket midriff.  BLECH! Okay, okay, we get it, we get it.  You're slender and buff and vain.  What do you want, a trophy? 

• I am pro-gratitude but sometimes, thank you notes can add distance and in certain situations they are weirder than they are nice.  Agree or disagree?  Example: I don't have a sister, but if I did, I wouldn't send her thank you notes for basic things, because that would be treating her like my great-aunt instead of my sister.  Once in a while, for something special?  YES!  But when you're good, good friends and/or closely related, most of the time you're kind of past thank you notes.  Certainly, there are occasions that call for a thank you note here and there, but in general, if we are close, I just assume we are grateful to/for one another, period.  Ubiquitous thank you notes add a layer of awkward formality, and it also makes me think about all the times they probably think they should have received a thank-you note from me and didn't.  COME ON.  If you are reasonably close to someone, they love what you got them and can just TELL you they appreciate it, note = redundant, mmmkay? (I am pro-thank-you notes in most situations, but regular ones involving dear, dear friends or relatives are always startling.)

• There are some notable exceptions but generally speaking, owning an ipad makes you 35 times more likely to be intolerable.

Things that make me sound nicer than I am:

• Remember how I just learned to sew?  I made our sister missionaries rice bags!  I couldn't help it!

• I love my new-ish job and feel a startling and somewhat absurd amount of pride when things "click" for students and it melts my ice-cold heart.

• I can't help but leave babysitters little treats because my 13-year-old self loved that.

bulletin board voodoo

The other day I found our two-year-old perched on a chair, leaning on our bulletin board and poking holes veeerrrry carefully in a few Christmas cards that are still up.  What?

She quickly explained, "I'm just making it so they can seeeee!"

Sure enough, there are holes right in the eyeballs of a number of you.

So if you're coming over any time soon, our creepy-looking level is at an all-time high.

the truth is

...last year I rocked my two goals.  Do you remember what they were?  I do!

(1) Give birth
(2) use only reusable grocery bags.

First one?  Check! I have an adorable 11.5 month old kid and a supersized bum to prove it.  Second one?  Semi-check!  Meaning, I brought and used reusable bags more than I didn't, which I consider not bad at all.  Basically, high five, self!

Want to hear my latest goals?  Oh, good!  There are two.

(1) Don't buy anything until March 1 (besides food and toiletries).  GAA!  Can I do it?  Well, of course I can.  And I'm hardly a shopaholic.  But like most people, I just buy too much stuff for no reason. You know what?  I have more than I need, end of story.  And the time and energy that goes into the accumulation of STUFF is starting to gross me out.  Is that hippie enough for you??  Booyah!  But seriously, it is sort of freeing to just stop buying stuff, because it's like I stop seeing stuff or even entertaining the idea of buying stuff.  (Let's see if I feel the same way in a few more weeks.)  But this means I have more time and energy which I can devote to....

drumroll....

(2) Being generally more awesome.  I should probably be more specific, right?  Well, I don't really know what I mean, exactly.  I'm just trying to do things like make my own fun.  What bums me out?  Do less of that!  What makes me feel great and less self-absorbed and like a cool chica?  Do more of that!  In sum, my 2011 task is to be more proactive about doing things that help me like my life and myself.  I don't know if there is a less Steve Covey word than "proactive" but hey.