two dolla

#resound 11 – prompt 14: home

When did you feel most at home this year: in your life, in your space, in your career, in your skin? What factors make that situation feel like home? Do certain comforts make your space feel like home? Does being with certain people make you feel complete? Is there an activity in which you excel that makes you feel like you’re doing what you were meant to do?

This is your life. Where do you live? Where is home?

Man, I like this question. A lot. I think about it all the time. Feeling like I’m “home” is just a pure sense of relaxation and not worrying about a darn thing.

Our house feels like home for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to not worry about roommates or someone living above or below me. I played Just Dance 3 the other night (Christmas gift from The Kid!) and, man, there was a whole heck of a lot of jumping around that a downstairs neighbor would totally have not enjoyed. We have pictures everywhere, art that actually works for both of us, and the house actually fits us. Sometimes we forget it’s technically not ours.

I knew I felt at home in the Twin Cities area the first time I visited it. Yes, it was huge and I was lost regularly when trying to drive and I knew nothing about it, but it didn’t matter. It just felt like home. And it still does. More Minneapolis than St. Paul, but that’s probably because I haven’t had my house broken into or ran into anyone with my car since living in Minneapolis.

How will you resound?

#resound11 – prompt 13: best gift

The holiday season is typically a time we focus on others, sometimes at the expense of ourselves. I can get so caught up in the expectations of the season that I have a hard time remembering to enjoy the peace and wonder of the season. I can forget to take time to care for myself. So lets look back on how we cared for ourselves. Maybe we’ll inspire each other to take a few minutes for ourselves today.

What was the best gift you gave yourself this year? Did you buy big, fluffy towels? Did you have a massage on a day when you really needed it? Did you forgive someone and give yourself the freedom from that grudge?

I had to reread this question (and by reread I mean The General had to explain it to me) because I was going down the wrong gift path. There’s no way I could have picked the best gift someone else gave me this year.

One of the best things I bought myself this year: goggles. Seriously. I was burning myself out with the elliptical and getting frustrated when I couldn’t run as much or as fast as I wanted to, so I decided to give swimming a try. Best thing I did all year. I forgot how much I love it and how easy it is to forget how hard you’re working when you’re going back and forth like that.

My membership lapsed (they were closed for a week in September – DUMB) and I’ve been keeping enough freelance work going to not give me all that much free time. Thankfully, we’ve been eating healthier and eliminating crap from our diet so I’ve been able to continue working on getting healthy. But the pool and my goggles are the biggest things I’ve been missing.

How will you resound?

#resound11 – prompt 12: 12 in 12

Take today to talk about 12 things you would like to accomplish in 2012. These 12 things can be 12 resolutions, 12 changes in your life, 12 wines you’d like to drink, 12 cities you’d like to visit, or 12 monthly goals. The decision is yours. Good luck and have fun!

I’m picking 12 things I want to do in 2012, which was a bit tricky since I have a ton of stuff left to go on my 101 things in 1001 days list, too.

1. Jump off the Stratosphere. (I’m planning on it in February; I just can’t chicken out!)
2. Visit the Neon Graveyard in Vegas. (Also planned.)
3. Date night with The General once a month that doesn’t involve running errands.
4. Learn how to tune up my bike on my own (or get a new bike).
5. Spend a weekend in Duluth.
6. Get back into a habit of taking multivitamins, fish oil, etc.
7. Get some legal documents created. (Requirement needed: lawyer)
8. Figure out what to do with these five million Beanie Babies I have.
9. Play poker with people instead of Facebook douchebags.
10. Cross stitch something.
11. Conceive.
12. Propose.

Fairly simple, yes?

#resound11 – prompt 11: best meal

What is the best meal or best food that you have eaten all year? Did you make it? Did you get it at a restaurant? Do your best to describe the food and the experience with us.

Three come to mind.

1) The General and I had dinner at Fogo de Chao this year for Minneapolis/St. Paul Restaurant Week. I joke around about loving meat, but I really do. And to have guys wearing billowy pants running around with freshly cooked meat on sword, just dropping chunks of delicious meat at any given time, well, it was kind of awesome. I couldn’t say no to anyone, of course, because why would I want to turn down any type of meat? It was delicious. So darn delicious. I don’t know that we’ll go back often, mainly because meat sweats aren’t always pleasant, but it was so very, very delicious at the time.

2) The Kid, The General and I stopped at Mesa Pizza in Uptown yesterday after haircuts. It was on a whim, wasn’t planned and totally not something we usually do with The Kid, because new restaurants are a little overwhelming for him sometimes. We each grabbed a slice, which is perfect for our three varied tastes, and took advantage of their all you can drink water buffet. It ended up being the cutest little meal the three of us had had in a long time.

3) Thanksgiving dinner. I ate duck meat. I was surrounded by wonderful people. And that made it one of my top three meals of the year. Easy.

the phone shopping bug

#resound11 – prompt 10: high/low

Today is a bit of a choose your own adventure: write (paint, draw, photograph, record, etc.) about your best experience this year. If that’s not your cup of joe, write about your worst experience. Feeling chatty? Share both your best and worst moments.

I think the reason I’m so behind on these dang Resound posts is because they’re making me think too hard. I tend to spend about 50 hours a week using my brain at work and I wish to not use it anymore outside of then. Does that make me lazy? Perhaps. Do I care? Not so much.

Highs: WRESTLEMANIA pay per view at Matt and Jenni’s. Hell yes, we paid for that. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I think I bowled over 200 sometime this year for the first time and if I didn’t, I bowled a 206 last week, so there. Lynx won the WNBA championship. I gave Vikings pregame tickets to two of my favorite Lynx players.

Low: Taking the math placement test and realizing I have to retake whatever math is right before College Algebra. Turns out I didn’t retain anything at all from my attempt at Algebra when it was being taught by some old cranky teacher at State Fair Community College that reminded us that he had Lyme’s Disease every day. Shocker that one.

Guys, I had to stretch for that Low point and that was the best I could do. I feel like at least one thing a week could be listed on my highs, you know? My life is alright.

#resound11 – prompt 9: best photo

Today, please post your best photo of the year. It doesn’t have to be the best technically, it doesn’t have to be the best visually, but it should be a photo that you consider the best. Does it have special meaning? Is it of a significant event or moment? Share it with us!

Asking me to pick a favorite photo is like asking me to pick my favorite player on the Minnesota Lynx. I love them all for different reasons and you can’t make me choose. Ever. But this picture is the one I’m most proud of, I believe.

The Kid and WNBA Rookie of the Year/WNBA Champion Maya Moore at center court before one of the many games we went to this season. It’s possible I was more excited than he was.

thank you for the internet, dear 8 pounds 6 ounces new born infant jesus

For the first time in a long time, I did the majority of my Christmas shopping online. Let me take that back. I did online Christmas shopping for The General and my brother. And all Christmas shopping season long, we were riding a coupon high and it was good. BestOnlineCoupons.com kept us in the loop on free shipping and random coupon codes and last weekend, we finished our shopping spending less money than we’d intended by printing out a ton of coupons that had come in email.

The Kid and I came close to missing Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2011, but I think we managed to sneak it in under the wire. A gift for The General from The Kid is set to be delivered on Saturday and conveniently, we’re opening presents on Sunday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute on a shipping delay, you know? That tends to be why I just have a ton of gifts shipped to my folks’ house, so I don’t have to worry about hoping to be home or missing the UPS guy when he happens to come during the 2 minutes I’m in the bathroom.

Overstock.com, Groupon (yes, someone’s getting a Groupon!), Amazon, Ebay: you’re welcome for all of my expendable income the past couple of weeks. Internet, thank you for the Kohl’, Michael’s, Joann’s, SR Harris and Best Buy Coupons.

#resound11 – prompt 8: catch phrase

What’s your trademark phrase? Not sure? How about a quote or saying that you repeat often? Bonus points if it’s new for 2011, but we won’t be upset if it’s been around longer than that. Try to put it in context for us if it’s a little abstract.

I have a billion catchphrases, none of which make any sense to most people and that’s okay.

For The Boy, I use “Dude, c’mon” or “Hey, Jojo”. The General hears a lot of “Hey, honey?” and the cat hears “Mess with the bull and you’re going to get the horns, buddy”. I enjoy using catchphrases like “Suck it”, “Pass”, and “How much pay?” at work. When driving, I tend to frequently blurt things out like “Dick Bag”, which has now been changed to “Richard Satchel” in an attempt to curb my swearing in front of an impressionable 14 year old. There’s the classic “Deez  nuts” and I can’t stop using “whatevs”, even though I hate it when other people do it.

If I had to pick one catch phrase, it would totally be: “I’M WENDY AND I’M AWWWWWWWWESOME”.  And I’d have my faux hawk while saying that, of course. Possibly a championship belt, too.

#resound11 prompt 7: achievement unlocked

What goal did you set for yourself and achieve this year? Did you achieve something you didn’t think you could? Did you win an award? Did you set a record? Did you finally get your VCR from 1985 to stop blinking 12:00? C’mon, share it! Today is your chance to brag and get a resounding round of interweb applause.

We almost have our Christmas shopping done a whole two weeks before we’re scheduled to even travel anywhere. That’s an achievement all of its own.

Mainly, this year, I’ve focused on getting healthier in many, many ways and I’m super comfortable knowing that I’ve done that. As of this morning, I’ve lost 32.6 pounds and am at a weight lower than I have been in at least nine years. I ran. On purpose. Once for over a whole mile.

I spent the whole day in suburbs and didn’t want to put someone in a choke hold one single time. Including the hockey team that invaded the restaurant we had brunch at this morning. That was a whole lot of helmet hair.