Don’t get me wrong. This is not one of those “I Hate Valentine’s Day” posts…I promise.

Valentine’s Day is coming up. Throughout my life, I have never understood the hullaballoo around making a reservation and celebrating a special day with your sweetheart, when everyone else is doing the same thing. Bryan and I both have done a lot, and not done anything at all for this holiday, and honestly, I am ok with either one. I’m a Libra after all. I’ll admit, it does make me feel special to get a delivery of my favorite flowers in the office. This year though, I want to do something different.

In Alice in Wonderland, they have Unbirthdays, where they celebrate birthdays on days in which it is actually not anyone’s birthday. This year, I want to celebrate the month of February like it is Unvalentine’s Day. I want to feel special every day of the month, and take time to tell Bryan how special he is in my life, and how much I love him. On February 14th, who knows what we will do. I will be fine with staying in, ordering takeout, and watching Battlestar Galactica. I would be fine if I get surprised.

What I will be doing is writing short and long love letters to my love. I will be sending him emails and hand-written notes throughout the month to let him know that I cherish him. I invite you to do the same for the one(s) in your lives. Maybe this is to your family, friends, and yes, sweeties.

Good luck & much love.

There are some days that my dogs bring me so much happiness. I thought since I tend to slip them into photos, I would give them a proper introduction.

Buster
(Named after Buster Bluth)

Buster is a pomchi (from what I understand). He’s pomeranian and chihuahua. We rescued him in 2007 and he has been my little angel ever since. Everyone tends to fall in love with him petty quickly, even people who don’t like little dogs. He is very loving and sweet and will always jump at the opportunity for a photo opp.

Lucille
(Named after Lucille Bluth)

Lucille was a recent rescue. We picked her up in April of this year after making a quick decision that Buster needed a friend. She is very full of life and will play with almost any toy you throw her way. She’s learning to adjust and has been teaching us patience.

So those are my little ones for right now. They are a big part of my life, and always bring a smile to my face when I get home.

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind. With the holidays, a trip to Utah, getting sick, New Year’s, friends in town, starting a new job…it’s safe to say that I am a little behind.

I have been reading everyone’s resolutions for the year and I am reminded of the goals that I have already set for myself, but I need to have them completed by my birthday in October. My timeline is a little rushed. I thought instead of writing out all my goals for the year, I would reflect on the bigger picture.

I feel like a lot of opportunities are right around the corner. I just started my new job and I am really enjoying it. Bryan’s brewery is up and running and I couldn’t be more proud. Now that our lives are getting more “settled,” and we are becoming more “adult,” we are able to focus more on our happiness verses making sure we are taken care of. This has led to an overwhelming sense of peace. I hope with this peace, I can focus on more of my goals that revolve around growing myself. Learning to sew, reading more, practicing yoga, all of these are things that I have felt like I didn’t have time for, but I DO.

Yes, this is quite the rambling post. The point of all of this is that I am happy, blessed, and I love my life. Even if I don’t achieve all of my goals, I will still be all of those things.

Here it is! This is our 2012 Christmas card, drawn by the very talented Paul Michel of Mountain versus Plains. We are so thrilled with it!

The card features a new addition to line up of Christmas cards, Lucille! Paul did such an amazing job capturing Bryan and me, and our little pups. This is my favorite card yet. What do you think? Have a favorite part. My favorite thing about the whole card is Buster’s little face.

So to you, from me… Merry Christmas!

Visit Mountain versus Plains’ facebook page and etsy store to purchase prints and cards and see all the other fun things he draws.

Bryan and I are getting our holiday cards ready right now. I am very excited about them and will share what they look like with you very soon (don’t want to spoil any surprises)! I wanted look back through the years at our past cards. Most of them still make me laugh. We tend to lean towards silly vs serious.

What do you send out?

2007. Our first year. We tried to be funny, but most people thought it was just cute. The tradition began though.

2008. The second year. We upped the cheese. Buster loves to dress up – I promise.

2009. The third year. We played my Dad’s train set from his childhood. I loved this year.

2010. This was the fourth year. I spent a few minutes photoshopping this one together. Everyone was a little creeped out.

2011. The fifth year. I did a half-tone printing on this to make it look very vintage. I loved it. Buster… did not.