Helloooooooooo 2014

2014......seriously????  Weren't we just partying like it was 1999???????  Oye.....time goes by far too fast - but since the clocks don't seem to be slowing down and we keep flipping the calendar pages.....guess I'll just do my best to cram as much fun as we can into each day.


New Year's Eve was perfection.  We toasted with the kid's before they went to bed - and it was such a thrill to enjoy this with the little ones.  Best sparkling cider I've ever sipped!

Grandma Suzie babysat (THANK YOU Suzie!!!), so Mark and I headed out with no real plans.  We started out with a sushi dinner.  YUM.  I heart sushi, but it seems all sushi restaurants are fairly chill and quiet places, which means I don't see them as kid friendly - so sushi is usually just a rare date night treat.

During dinner we discussed how we should ring in the new year....we were both tired so we thought going home sounded good - but we didn't want to be ridiculed for not staying out...so we kept pondering it.  We could go see a movie...but who wants to ring in the New Year watching a movie.  All of a sudden Mark declared - "we have to go - get in the car - you drive and I'll navigate."...he'd found a movie at the drive-in that would be done at 11:45 - giving us just enough time to get downtown Fort Worth - perfect!

We enjoyed the drive-in experience (despite the fact that perhaps we forgot to turn the car on since we were so into the movie so the battery might have died and required a quick recharge before continuing to watch said movie....details) - and then it was a quick trip downtown as soon as it was over.   We found a great parking place and walked to Sundance Square...just in time for the big countdown to 2014.

Last pic of 2013

First pic of 2014 - Happy New Year!

It was a perfect way to ring in the New Year!  Hoping that means that 2014 will be a year of many great things and lots of fun!

2014 To-Do List

Here is a running list of things I hope to do at some point during the year....lots of these are carried over from my 2013 list that didn't quite happen...so we'll see if we have better luck crossing them of the list this year. 
 

• Learn a bit about photography and utilize Mark’s fancy DSL camera 
  
• Ride the TRE to Dallas – Zoo?  Fair Park?
  
• Monthly ‘date nights’ with the hubby that are fun and exciting (even if it’s just sitting home and playing cards or Wii!)
  
• Get a new house that has a big ol’ yard for the kids to play in
  
•  Maintain my blog – and keep it a bit more up-to-date
  
• Partake in random acts of kindness
  
• Utilize the Entertainment Book/Groupon and try out new restaurants or places at discounted prices!
  
• Put my  laminator to use for fun activities for the kids
  
• Host a ‘Pinterest Party’ so we can make some of those fantastic ‘Pins’ into a reality
  
• Make a Key Lime Pie…..from scratch 
  
• Walk the pugs more often
  
• Read More Books! (and/or Listen to Audio Books during the commute)
  
• One-on-one kiddo dates
  
• Paint Brianne’s nails
  
• Bake cookies/treats/bread with the kiddos
  
• Learn new braids and hair styles for B
  
• Enroll Brianne in ballet classes
  
• Get both kids in swim lessons (perhaps Friday night swimming at grandma’s pool will count?)
  
• Make homemade playdough
  
• Check out the Perot Museum (preferably on one of the First Saturdays when it’s free for Bank Of America account holders!)
  
• Check out the C.R. Smith Museum
  
• Weekend getaway to Glen Rose to see the Dinosaur Park and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
  
• Attempt a few recipes with quinoa
• Send snail mail to family and friends

I'm sure there are other activities that should be added to the list...so if you have suggestions or ideas that I should add...let me know!

Wishing everyone a (belated) Happy New Year that is filled with lots of laughter and love!