Friday Frenzy

I know, I know...no post yesterday. But I have an excuse!

I had a great day off and completely enjoyed every minute of it. I met one of my guy friends and we went for a long walk around downtown. We stopped and got coffees (and some jamo nips haha) and enjoyed the gorgeous day we were blessed with here. And then out of nowhere is started to snow! It was like a moment out of movie. It was gorgeous & sunny with small glittery snow flakes everywhere. Its those moments that make me feel so blessed to live here. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than watching the snowfall over the ocean during the wintertime.

We then stopped in to see my roomate at work and had a few blue moons at the bar. The restaurant group that we work for owns three restaurants on the island and I was transferred to our newest one over the holidays. I love working there, but definitely miss all the fun people I used to work with. I love dropping by and catching up with everyone.

Yesterday concluded with probably one of the best first dates I've ever had. Its obviously something very new so I don't want to jinx anything, but I had so much fun! We actually stayed in and had a casual night. We made waffles together and watched movies. It was such a breath of fresh air to hang out with a normal adult (that can be a rarity with the guys on this island).

Great day all around.

Now I'm off to do lots of laundry, run to the post office & bank, cook, and get ready for work....gotta love crazy Fridays!

Winter on the Vineyard

So day one went pretty well...blogged, commented, cooked...

Yummy salmon with sauteed crimini mushroons, wilted spinach and aged balsamic

Wintertime on the Vineyard holds a special place in my heart. I have always and will always love summer through and through, but when I moved here last fall I fell in love with the island through the interesting off-season. It becomes a completely different world than it is in the summer and my own little safe-haven.

There are so many people that grow up summering here and believe that they know the real island. They don't. Not even close. June/July/August is such a busy time here. The population explodes and it becomes a whole new world. I had an amazing time this summer going to the beach, going out at night and working my butt off lol. But when the crowds and summer folk leave, the rest of us are still here and have the pleasure of enjoying the other 9 months in tranquility.

Don't get me wrong, you certainly have to be active in keeping yourself entertained throughout the winter. Planning vacations are a must! (Miami vacation recap tomorrow!!) Dinner nights with friends, game nights with friends...all a necessity.

A lot of people also "wife-up" during the winter time haha. During the summer no one has any time to actually carry on a relationship. Also, there's so much fun to be had...who would want to?! But when the wind starts to blow and the temperatures drop, we all need someone to help keep us warm :) Its not like I sought the opportunity out last year, it just kinda happened. So we'll see what this winter has in store for me...

Tonight my friends are having a game night that they're hoping to carry on every week. Hopefully my Wii bowling skills are up to par! Should be a fun night, and any excuse to get together & drink with friends is wonderful in my book.

Do you have any winter time rituals or activities that you fall back to every year?

Soooo let's give this thing a whirl

I was reminded over at One Twenty Five that all it takes is 21 days to change/rebuild old & new habits. I've known for years that changing things in your daily routine is a day-by-day process, but it's interesting how easily I can forget this!

I don't believe in New Years resolutions because although they start off with the best intentions, I find myself leaving them by the wayside pretty quickly. Looking at the year as a whole can seem extremely daunting, but breaking it up by segments of 21 days seems pretty doable in my book.

Although I have a laundry list of things I would like to change in my life, I'm starting with two: blogging & cooking. I'm always reading through posts on here, but rarely comment or draft posts of my own. WTF mate? So for 21 days I would like to try and write a post each day and comment on at least one other blog a day as well. (Finger's crossed my life isn't too boring for this goal lol). As far as the cooking...I would like to do just that. Actually cook at home in my own kitchen! Because I work in the restaurant industry, it is so much easier to eat things on the go or at work. And while I am fortunate enough to work at a restaurant that has an amazing menu, I hate seeing everything in my fridge end up in the garbage.

So here we go ladies...

Day 1: Draft personal blog post, check. Comment on another's blog post, check. Cook meals at home, (the day is still early but I have meals planned...so basically check haha).

21 days from now is February 6th...here goes nothin'!