Thursday, April 28, 2011

first. things. first.

So, apparently the first step to getting what you want out of life is deciding what you want. Sounds easy, right? I think it could be. My first step is going to be a list. A list of things that I love to do. 

LOVE LIST :

1. Live music: One serious true love. the whole experience... good company, good music, and if there happens to be some cocktails thrown in there - so be it! It's always a really enjoyable time.... love love love. 

2. Magazines & Catalogs ( Hoarder ) - Glamour, Marie Claire, Women's Health, Self, Outside, Us Weekly, Body + Soul, Shape, Nylon, Redbook..... Free People, J.Crew, etc. 

3. Cooking: This is a fairly recent-ish thing... ever since I moved into my own apartment and discovered Whole Foods - I have been cooking! I love cooking / grilling and thinking of creative meals. I also really enjoy the Fondue-ing - my bf & I do that some nights and it is QUITE A DELIGHT! :)

4. Blogs: This is a serious, serious addiction. I've been so hesitant to start a blog because I have so much fun looking at other people's blogs - the thought of starting my own was just overwhelming. :) But alas.... ( I will have to share fav blogs later... when I get to work... not that I look at them at work..... =/ )

5. Shopping: I can't help it.... Dallas has too many good stores. It also doesn't help that Northpark Mall is a hop, skip, and a jump from my place of 8 hours a day/5 days a week. 

Favorite stores include : 
1. Free People : I LITrally gasp for air when I walk in.... I just want EVERYTHING in there. 
2. Anthropologie : UGH - HOME GOODS!
2. The Urb : A good "go - to" for any going out wear. 
3. J.Crew : Duh. 
4. Nine West : Cute shoes, Big Sizes - thats my motto! :) 

6. Friends : I feel very fortunate in the friend department. It's one of those subjects where sometimes I just sit there when I am with any group of friends and I just think... dang, how am I so lucky - I grew up with an amazing group of friends, I went to college half across the country to Savannah, Georgia and made an amazing group of friends, and I moved to Dallas for my first job out of college and I have incredible friends. Blows my mind. 

7. Family : Family is such an emotional topic for me, so I won't go into too much - but I will say.... I can only hope that everyone feels the love and support they deserve from their families. Every family has their happiness, sadness, stories, crazies, etc. That's the beautiful thing about families. Families intrigue me. I am BEYOND grateful ( as I hope you all feel too ) to have been given the exact family I have.  Also BEYOND in debt to my parents for making my life the way its been and for always being a phone call or text ( yeah, cool parents!!) away. BEYOND in debt for raising three kids to love the simple things in life. Lastly, but not lastly ( lastly for now ), BEYOND in debt for taking us to basketball, soccer, baseball, etc practice and games after long days and weeks of work. It's one of those things as a kid you don't realize how tired your parents probably were... and they would come home and play anyway... they would drive you 45 min each way 3 times a week so you could kick around a soccer ball for an hour. UGH. I can only hope I turn out as good as them for my kids someday. 

8. Movies : I love going to movies & watching them from the comfort of my couch.... with a blanket, vino, probably a birdie or a friend, and a home cooked meal or take out ( ummm hello, IDEAL evening! )

9. Decor :  I love cozy, colorful, eclectic spaces. I try to make any place I live - livable, colorful, cozy and welcoming. I love candles, art, big comfy couches, lamps, paintings, pictures, blankets, pillows... you name it. I love it. I LITrally drool over blogs with beautiful / breathtaking lofts, cottages, cabins, houses, apartments, etc - its like a natural high. I am strange. 

10. Design : I am a graphic designer & I melt over delicious paintings, fashion design, editorial design, magazine layouts, store fronts, photographs, interior design, architecture, people & scenery.... everything and everyone is designed after all... :) 

11. Vacation / Staycation : I love going on vacation. I wish I could travel more. Maybe get paid to travel to cool places... who wouldn't want that? Some top places I would like to travel to someday are : Greece, Croatia, Spain, Ireland. 

12. Quotes : I try and start everyday with a quote. I usually make it my mission to not start anything on the computer until I have found one that really inspires me and hopefully inspires someone else. I have been collecting quotes since I was 15ish.... I have a few quote / art books that I worked on in highschool.... then I moved on to college and thats when I learned how to create on the computer... so all the handdrawn / writing stuff got pushed to the side, sadly. 

13. Being Active : Okay, Okay.... so, yes... sometimes I day dream at work about going straight home and taking a nap.... or sleeping in on the weekends and laying by the pool all day. But I know its really important to stay active and exercise. I will mostly just lift weights at the gym and run, walk on incline on the treadmill, run the flights of stairs at my apt or do a workout video on my half Bosu. I live downtown and nothing bugs me more than having to run a block and stop, run a block and stop.... if I run outside its usually at the lake. I also like hiking around in Colorado when I am there, snowboarding, and kayaking ( new fav ). Oh, and I want to get a pair of ROLLER BLADES! Who's with me?! :) 

14. Entertaining : I love having people over, cooking, ordering pizza, parties, pre-partaying, whatever it may be... I love having people over and covering my counter with snacks and goodies. 

15 . Weekly TV shows : They change... but the pretty standard ones these days are : Brothers and Sisters, Real Housewives of OC, Gossip Girl, Bethanny, Modern Family, The Office, Chelsea Lately and SNL.

Well.... I feel like I covered all my daily favorite things. I feel better already. It always helps to write things out. I haven't done that in what seems like 10 years. Realizing all the good things and people you have in your life and good stuff that consumes your dailies is something I think everyone should try. I feel like too many times we focus on the not so good things... things that aren't going our way or things we don't have ( Dream job, house, material wants, that $5,000 Free People gift card, new Frye Boots, Anthropologie house, etc ) and we don't focus on all those other better things that definitely shine a little light on our lives. Life is good when its all said and done. To recognize and realize is the first step. Hopefully with my "List of Loves" written down I can try and focus on just the good and maybe that will push me in the right direction. 


'preciate ya. hb



1 comment:

  1. Absolutely LOVE this Hales!! You are such an inspiring person and everything in this list describes you to a T! love love love. Also, lets plan that trip to Greece!! (Its at the top of my dream vaca list too)...oh..and I own rollerblades...they are great for toning the backside area...we should roll together sometime ;) Love ya Schmaley!

    ReplyDelete