rambling thoughts on 2012 (also iphone cases)

i can't believe 2013 is tomorrow. this past year has been ridiculous and insane, and i can honestly say that i think my life only gets better and better as the years pass, so i can't wait for the next one.

how was your christmas? basically, i was spoiled - austin and i got new pots and pans, a crock pot, and his mom made me a huge, pretty, yellow quilt. is it just me or do quilts immediately make you think of the future? all i could think about when i opened it was that we were going to have it forever, and how exciting that is..

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i had these grandiose plans of sharing some of my favorite texted-to-becca outfits of the year that i never shared on the blog, because most of them were on days that meant a lot to me, but.. my phone is no longer sending out anything. kind of. sometimes it does, but mostly it doesn't, and pictures are in the ~never sent~ category. bummer.

anyway, one thing that this means is - new year, new phone! so, i spent most of last night eyeing new iphone cases, even though austin is trying to convince me that i need an otter box.. ew. these are my top favorites, share some of yours with me?! i only looked on etsy, because mindless clicking sounded nice yesterday, but i'm sure i'll end up getting obsessed with having a new case every day, so. i think i'm sucking it up and buying a new phone tomorrow..

lady gaga drama

beetlejuice (aka, this is probably the one i'm going with..)

color block

deathly hallows

i don't even really know how this turned into that, but i think i'm going to head into work early anyway.  i need to spend more time with my computer in 2013, i think.. i miss blogging (outfits more than anything) and reading blogs.

happy new year !! xo

reasons i cannot wait for christmas

so i guess it's pretty obvious that this weekend had me giving up on radvent. i liked doing it a lot, but working 3pm-3am kind of messes with a blogging schedule. ;) i'm hoping to get back to it, at least during the weekdays, but we'll see.

i've been really in the christmas spirit lately, which is kind of out of the norm for me. christmas has never been one of my favorite holidays, but i literally can't wait for it this year. i think a lot of it has to do with how excited i am to shower everyone with gifts and love. :)

austin's been really awesome about going along with my really silly whims this year. last week, we went to see the decorated trees at hotel roanoke (i'm going again this week with kendall, avery, and grandma, hopefully). on friday night, we went to the downtown christmas parade. it was overall really silly, but pretty cute, and i'm glad we did it.

this weekend, however, drove home the real reason that i can't wait for christmas: for it to be over. working at the mall has some serious benefits and some off seasons, during which i'm sure to complain of boredom. but, right now.. i just want to kick everyone out. my manager has walking pneumonia, my coworker just came down with what seems like her 5th cold of the season, and i'm crossing my fingers that what i'm battling right now isn't the flu. our bodies are revolting against not only the hours that we're working, but also the stress that comes with people's attitudes during this time of year. for some reason this year seems worse than last year? but i might be wrong. all i know is that i'm glad i finished my shopping, and that people need to grow up. please, if you're out shopping (or out doing anything), remember that people are people - no matter what they're being paid to do for you, they deserve to be treated with respect. i've seen customers yell at 17 year old girls for following store procedures, i've been cussed at for not having any boxes, we've had customers roll their eyes when we tell them that, no, jeans are not part of our 40% off sale BUT EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE STORE IS. i think it all came to a head last night, when, (tmi alert:) i was running back to the bathroom to puke every ten minutes and a customer i rang up said: "you look awful. i bet you're getting sick. i've had a headache all day, so i can totally understand. i have to keep shopping, you have to keep working!! keep it together!" uhhhhhhhhhhh. yeah. it just gets old, being treated like trash day in and day out. i know it isn't going to go away completely after this shopping season, but i also know that it isn't going to be anywhere near as concentrated. kind of unrelated, but, can i also vent about employees not showing up or asking to have their shifts changed 30 minutes before their shifts start? ldjoifjifjf;kr. i'm sorry. i'll stop.

but hey! becca will be home tonight and i get her for like, a month. and she's going to work with me! and i randomly have remicade on austin's birthday so i get the day off to spend with him (post my post-remi nap, obviously). there's cool stuff happening.. i just have to remember that the next time i'm gritting my teeth through a smile at a dramatic person. now, i'm going to go back to sleep. maybe i'll be back later with a radvent. :) <3

if only i was organized

so, this is the time of year that i always wish i had my life together enough to send out christmas cards. obviously, austin and i would not send out cards with our pictures because ... who cares. if we had a puppy, it'd be different. ;) but, with all of the pretty and fun options on etsy, i know i could collect a different one for everybody on my loved list. since we decidedly do not have our lives together enough to send out christmas cards, i thought i would share some of my favorites here.. in case you DO have your life together.

quill and fox

runaway handmade

this one is from my best friend becca's new etsy shop. she has a few others, including a pretty one with snowflakes, that i had to choose from. generally, when i like an artist, i really like an artist and (lucky for me) she's one of my favorites.

the little canoe

this shop was one that i discovered at renegade, and it's still one of my favorites. i had like four of her holiday cards open to choose from!

vintage confections

i just want to be a cool friend who sends you lollipop greetings.

freya art

<3

christmas is all around us

i don't think i've ever been this excited for thanksgiving and christmas in my entire life. this past weekend, austin and i upgraded our past 2 foot tall christmas tree to a 4.5 foot one and picked up our stockings!! we haven't had any since we moved out of our parents' houses, and decided that this was the year. i have to be honest, i just don't really like christmas decor.. so for me to love some cheap little tj maxx stockings and this baby christmas tree is a huge deal. i think it really shows how into the holidays i am all of a sudden. i've been shopping since september (and actually prematurely gave out some of the presents already..), so i wanted to display some of the christmas presents i've wrapped under the tree, too. we've never been able to do that before!

this thanksgiving, austin and i will be making three stops. we're so lucky that none of our family events have overlapped (yet). i can't wait to see everybody all in one day! i've had my outfit picked out for weeks. ;)

then, after a day of eating and relaxing with three families, i get to work my favorite day of the year: black friday! ae is doing 40% off the entire store (i'm allowed to say since they've already announced it, haha) and i. can't. wait. at all! customers on black friday are always really fun, and i think the horror stories actually only apply to department stores and walmarts. ;)

basically, being excited is a lot of fun. <3