Now that Christmas is over (not sure if that’s a good or bad thing yet), it’s about time to start thinking of the new year. Next Friday means 2016, which means all the ‘new year, new me’, ‘fresh start’, ‘clean slate’ mumbo jumbo is here.
I don’t particularly believe in any of those things. 2016 is just a new year. A new calendar.
BUT that doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s a great idea to set some goals to achieve in the next twelve months!
I just wanted to wish everyone, followers or just other WordPress bloggers stopping by for a visit, a merry Christmas!
I hope you have a wonderful day today, however you get to spend it.
I’ll be all over town with different parts of Brad’s family, making the best of it.
Right now though, I’m watching A Christmas Story for the first time ever. GASP. I know. Please don’t judge me too hard.
Well, I’ve had a personal twitter for awhile, but upon looking at it, it’s a bunch of complaining and political tweets/retweets. Some drunk tweets too O.O. I’m surprised those didn’t stop me from getting my job (because they looked! They told me they did after I got hired!).
So I made a new one specifically for engaging with the blogging community. Pardon me for awhile as I get a grip on the best ways to do just that. I have updated my About Danielle page with this info.
Check it out here, and I’ll follow back!
@daniellemusings
Do you have an about you post like this one? Link to it in the comments! I’d love to learn more about the people who enjoy my blog!
This week is clearly sidestepping to a more personal tone. I will get back to writing about writing soon! And eventually finish the book I started (writing and reading lol).
I’m trying to be excited about Christmas this year.
The weather is great, just like when I grew up in Texas. Christmas this year in SW Virginia is forecasted to be 74° F. How great is that?
Well, some would argue it’s not. But I for one am glad I have not had to pull my winter clothes out of the closet yet!
I hate winter. I only like the snow about once a year, and ONLY if I’m not expected to venture out of my apartment.
My dog is adorable in the snow though (well she’s adorable all the time but just look!). This was the one big snowfall we got last year. I was able to hide and chill an entire bottle of wine in it!
Xena in the snow!
Weather aside, the biggest suck of all this year is it’s the first time I don’t get to spend Christmas with my family. We alternate holidays right now (as long as we can), so my family got Christmas last year. Brad gets his this year.
My post from Monday gives a glimpse of why I’m not super excited to spend the day with Brad’s family. Will I do my best to have a good time? ABSOLUTELY. Please don’t get the idea that I’m going to make myself have a terrible time over there!
I’m going to miss all the traditions back in Texas though. Christmas Eve with Dad’s side of the family, usually involved tamales! Christmas morning breakfast and present opening, and Christmas dinner with Mom’s side of the family. The holidays are always a huge family affair.
I’m not 100% on the plans this year. I’m just hoping we can all have a good time and do our best to hold back the resentment.
All I want for Christmas is for Brad’s family to let me feel like I’m part of them. That I don’t have to feel awkward going to grab a soda out of the fridge, or a pack of Goldfish out of the cabinet. If I can do it at my friend’s, I should be able to do this at my in-laws too!
Christmas also stresses me out because I’ve surrounded myself with some very financially stable people who like to give for Christmas. 
Brad is getting me a $400 gun this year (woo! Pew pew!). I’m probably getting him a video game and some jeans. Or a wallet. He doesn’t care what he gets. His list is always practical. But I feel like my gifts never stand up to his.
And maybe that’s just how it’s always going to be. Our first Christmas together (we’d been dating a month), he bought me a huge pink stuffed unicorn with a diamond necklace around its neck, and a $100 gift card to Kohl’s.
I bought him a phone case. And he loved it!
Yeah, he’s definitely a giver.
I quit my second job in October for reasons I have seriously considered calling corporate on, but I don’t care anymore. It was my extra spending money, about $300-400 a month. I had to apply to lower my student loan payments (from 298 to 65!). I’m not in the best place financially, and I can’t go into debt buying Christmas presents. It’s how my parents got into financial trouble.
But gosh. I feel so bad only spending $20-30 a person when I know they’re spending more.
I can’t believe Christmas is next Friday. Or that the last day to ship USPS Flat Rate boxes is Monday.
So that’s where I’m at right now. I’m trying to not dread Christmas this year. It should be the happiest holiday of the year! Or maybe that’s New Year’s because it’s socially acceptable to get drunk and feel like it’s a clean slate come midnight. Who knows.
Tell me: What are you doing for Christmas this year? Are you looking forward to it?
Shameless plug for myself today, because 24 years ago I was born!
Started the day off with my birthday Frappuccino from Starbucks (the only time I ever order them anymore). We have our work Christmas party at 2:00 this afternoon (I’m pretending it’s really birthday party lol). Then I get to go to the DMV! Because my DL expires and I put it off for too long, whoops! Next I’ll probably take my dog to the dog park. And then we’re off to our regular Mexican restaurant where I will drink a jumbo margarita and probably forget that I still have to work tomorrow.
But oh well. We’re super slow this week anyway. That’s what they make Ibuprofen for. 🙂
Hope you all have as good a day as I do! ❤
an old article I found in my Facebook memories. It’s from 2011, but I thought self-publishing readers/followers would enjoy reading a motivating article about success.
See, it is possible!
A new laptop.
I mean, that’s not all I want for Christmas. My list is actually pretty extensive of things I need (mostly clothes. I really need new sweaters for winter – although I’m hoping this is my last real winter…we’ll see about that), but I want to write!
(I won’t lie, I also want to be able to play The Sims again)
Right now, my laptop is a clunky Dell Inspiron that I bought the summer of 2010, right before I left for college. It’s gone through it’s share of drama, including a large-scale malware attack (perpetrated by me trying to watch episodes of ‘House’ for free on shady Internet websites) that resulted in it being completely reformatted.
It’s miraculously still alive, however it’s on its last legs. Right now, I can’t install any new software, I can’t open any Microsoft Office programs, it won’t recognize my iPhone so I can’t put new music on it (frownyface), it will not play videos, the sound doesn’t work, it has to stay plugged in or it’ll die within 5 minutes…the list goes ON AND ON.
It’s time for that computer to have a proper burial. But I need a new one first. I can write on it still (and I did during NaNo this year), but only online via Google Docs.
I can tell you what I wish I could have. Definitely on the Christmas list of my dreams, but I so bad want a Macbook. I had one in high school supplied by the school as a test to see if a “Digital Campus” could work. (Considering all the restrictions we ended up having by the time we graduated, I sincerely doubt it worked.) It’s just too bad they start over $900. Nobody is going to buy that for me. I’ll get one one day. I don’t need a Macbook to keep succeeding at writing. But someday down the road, my student loan payments won’t eat up half of my pay every month, and I can splurge on something like this.
So we’ll see. You can find a good laptop for $300 or less. The other big thing on my Christmas list costs more (possibly), but I can’t say for sure yet which one I want more at the moment.
If you have recommendations, please send them my way!
Hate to double post, but hey. Unrelated to NaNoWriMo, so…this is okay.
I’m going on vacation!
My fiance and I are spending Thanksgiving with my family in Texas this year. We are leaving today in about 4 hours and DRIVING straight through. And we’re sticking around there until Tuesday night, when we have to leave so we can DRIVE SOME MORE.
On this 20-hour road trip, I will be attempting to catch up on my word count (which I have allowed myself to get a little behind on again), and reading some books that I’ve promised to review for some people.
I will probably at least post an update WHEN I win NaNo this year, but that’s about it.
Have a good Thanksgiving if you celebrate it, and good luck finishing your novel if you’re not finished with it yet!
Danielle
Well, here we are. I took this screenshot at 11:30 last night.
I FREAKING CAUGHT UP.
I’m so proud of myself, and knowing I’m sooo close to the homestretch is pushing me forward so hard.
I know I haven’t won yet, but I really want to thank you wonderful readers/followers for your kind words and motivation. I truly appreciate it. Really, thank you.
I’ll probably thank you again WHEN I win NaNoWriMo this year. And if I ever publish this thing (right now I scoff at that idea, but anything is possible), I’ll thank you all there too.
Now, I’m going to try to push ahead some more. I can’t handle the stress of getting behind again this month. Especially not so close to the end.
I really am going to try and find an excerpt to post later today. No promises though. 😉
The Caffeinated Writer 
