Here’s how the bulb looked the day I bought it:

*stock photo

And here’s how it looked after a little over a month:

I was stunned by how fast it grew and am in love with the tiny white blossoms that sprouted from those vibrant green stems. And they smell so so sweet.  I will be buying these again!

And then on Friday the bf surprised me with these beauties:

I think I may have found the next accent color for the apartment. And speaking of the apartment, I’m about due for a home decor update…stay tuned!

This Christmas, my family decided not to exchange gifts out of sensitivity to our pocketbooks. I was 99% on board with the idea. I love giving gifts just as much as I love getting them and a small part of me was going to miss our tradition of gift-giving on Christmas morning. But I was on board, nonetheless.

In lieu of losing one tradition, my mom, C and I decided to start a new one by spending Christmas doing something fun together instead. We bounced around a few ideas and landed on Scandia, where we played arcade games, Laser Tag (which was way too much fun, btw) and a rousing bout of miniature golf. As I was attempting to putt on the 12th hole (which involved a very dastardly windmill) my ball kept getting deflected by the automatic door, sending it soaring back at me. By the third time, my mother was nearly exploding with laughter. By the fourth time, C was laughing too. Next thing I know, we’re all cracking up at the sheer hilarity of the situation. And at that moment, I could have cared less about presents. Or wrapping paper. Or tissue paper-stuffed gift bags. All I wanted was to be in that exact place at that exact time, laughing with two of the people I love most over my wacky putts in mini golf.

Christmas shouldn’t be about the stuff under the tree — nor the buying, the wrapping, or even the giving of said stuff. It’s less about the presents and more about being present; appreciating the fact that I am alive, healthy and able to share in the wonderful moments that come with spending time with loved ones during the holidays. If any year taught me that lesson, it was this one. A few days before Christmas, one of my best friends who I’ve known since elementary school suffered from a blood mass that ruptured in her brain. I am incredibly grateful that she’s okay and that she seems like she’s back to her old, wonderful self. But it made me realize that tomorrow is never guaranteed. My presence on this earth, and that of my friends and family, was given another year — that is what truly makes the holidays merry and bright.

Oh, how I love a new year. It always feels like a fresh start. Although I do realize that swapping out my 2011 calendar for a 2012 one doesn’t mean a clean slate — clearly your problems/mistakes from last year don’t just disappear when January 1 hits. (Wouldn’t that be nice?) But I can learn from them… so in my opinion, the beginning of a new year is as good a time as any to set some personal goals:

♦ Less soda, more H2O — I know, I know. This one is an uphill battle because I LOVE Coke and have tried to quit it many times. But this time, I’m not even going to try giving soda up. Instead, my goal is to drink 1 bottle (aka 33.8 FL OZ) of SmartWater every day. Who knows, maybe it’ll help me curb my soda intake.

♦ Give the dog a bone [aka what Lola wants, Lola gets] — With my work schedule having taken over my life in recent months, I’ve been lax on the needs of the furriest member of my family. Lola is a pet, my pet, and sometimes I forget that she needs more of my attention. She’s also an animal who needs more than just two 10-15 minute walks a day. So my goal is to take Lola to the dog park at least 3x a week so she can burn off her energy… and of course, spend more time with her.

♦ Bring on the sweat — I’ll never be a gym rat, but my goal is to just be active for at least 30 minutes every day — via the gym, running, fitness classes, Bar Method, or playing Just Dance (which just might be the best workout ever — that Black Eyed Peas Experience game is NO.JOKE.)

♦ Get lost — I want to start exploring my new city and surroundings. There is so much to see and do in SF so on weekends, the bf and I are going to spend one day discovering new adventures.

♦ Love better and live in the moment — I’ve always been a planner, looking ahead to the next step, next to-do list item, next milestone. C and I are getting close to the 2-year mark, which is super exciting, but sometimes I miss those early days when we were just dating. So rather than look ahead to the next big thing, I just want to enjoy exactly where we are today. And I also need to remember to always appreciate my wonderful bf… I forget that he’s not always as cool, calm and collected as he seems.

Note that blogging is not on my list of goals… because I am a writer, dammit! So I shall write!

Oh… AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!