2015 Blog Goals - How Did I Do?

At the beginning of this year, I made some blog goals that I thought would be pretty easy to achieve. Now that it's the end of the year, I think it's time to look back and see what I did and didn't quite get around to.


1.) Get More Followers - I can honestly say that I was able to accomplish this! I'm so happy. I still don't have thousands and thousands of loyal (or hell even occasional) readers but I do have more followers over all my social media accounts. So yay!

2.) Make a Sitemap - Nope. This one did not get done. At all.

3.) Do a Guest Post - Yes! I did this one. I actually did a few guest posts this year and I totally loved it.

4.) Post More Recipes - I did this one also. I cooked a lot more in the beginning of the year but I was able to post more than I did last year. Win!

5.) Get Personal - I'm not too sure how to judge this one. I feel like there isn't much in my life to discuss but at the same time I did feel that I got a little more personal. Maybe this one will roll over onto next year's goals too.

6.) Amazon Associates - I did become a member of Amazon Associates but didn't receive any money from it. Still, I consider it a win.


There were a few things I accomplished this year (blogging-wise) that I never set out to do so I thought I'd update you on those as well.

• Sponsored Posts - I did about six of them in all and I really loved it. It helped me tie in products that I actually use to anecdotes that fit on the blog. It was a lot of fun and I was able to try out some really neat products. 
• Media Kit - I did my first media kit this year. I don't have a lot to put on it yet, but I like the way it turned out. Hopefully in this next year I'll be able to work on it more and send it out. 

There were a few things I need to work on in the next year. Most notably the amount of posts I wrote. I was doing really well in the beginning of the year but after leaving my job(s) blogging kind of fell to the wayside. It probably would have been the best time to focus on the blog but that's not the way my mind works. So hopefully this year with a job, and a routine, and more planning and organization I'll have more posts to share.


What were your goals for the year? Blogging or otherwise? How did you feel you did on those goals? What are some of your goals for next year?

2014 - In Hindsight

This year seems to have gone by even faster than the last one. I remember when I was younger I'd hear older people say that all the time but I never believed it would happen to me. It has sadly. It has.

Even though it seems to have whizzed by, this year was full of new experiences, first times, old traditions, and new friends. Here are some of the highlights.

• We had a New Year's Eve get together at our new place and rang in the new year with friends and a fire pit. 
• John and I celebrated our one year anniversary.
• I had my one year work anniversary. 
• I tried a new exercise - lyra. 
• I finally stuck with and USED my planner for an entire year. I think I'm hooked. 

• John and I got TWO dogs this year: Boyboy & Belle. 
• We road tripped to San Diego! Day 1, Day 2, Day 3
• I learned how to paint...sort of. 
• We got third place at Lion & The Rose Pub Trivia! 
• I've been trying to sew a lot more. Hopefully I'll post some more updates in the future. 

• I've gotten a lot better at cross stitching and am kind of ashamed I haven't shared any finished projects on here yet. 
• I started cooking a whole lot more. 
• Da, Brother, John, and I went kayaking downtown! 
• We re-redid the living room. 
• We had a Halloween party at our house. 
• I turned 26! 

• I volunteered for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. 
• I found a new idol - her name is Martha Stewart.
• I've started becoming more aware of current events and how biases and prejudices shape a lot of our future. 

• We went to see Matisyahu in Austin.
• We visited an old-timey town - Enchanted Springs. 
• John and I pretended to be tourist and took a barge ride on the Riverwalk. 

• We took in a stray poodle for two nights and I miss him so much. 
• Two of my favorite things - books and snail mail - were combined when I participated in my first Book Swap! 
• I was nominated for a Liebster Award.

As for my fun goals for the year - I didn't even do half of them but the ones I did do were pretty awesome.

This year was seriously great. I love going back and looking at all the things I've done. It kind of puts things into perspective. The year may have felt like it went by in a flash but I got a lot of things done and am in a good place. I've got a roof, a family, a full time job, and the rest is basically up to me to make happen. And I'm confident I can continue to do that.

Most Embarrassing Moment - High School Edition

It's the last week of Spanish class so of course the teacher is making us watch a movie in Espanol instead of even trying to get us to work. I'm sitting in the back of the class, as always, when HE walks in. The guy I've been crushing on since the first day I learned we were destined to sit together all year because of our last names. He takes the empty seat next to me, looking excited.

"What are we watching today, amiga?" he asks me.
"Scooby Doo." I say. Even though I can talk to him without tripping over all my words I still find that the less I say, the better.
"Oh good. I have something to show you."
"What is it?" I ask him instantly curious.
"Wait until the lights go down. I don't want everyone to see."

Because I have something to look forward to the teacher goes on and on about who knows what. She keeps talking for another ten minutes before she plays the DVD and turns down the lights.

"What is it? Can I see it now?" I ask him barely containing my excitement.
"I don't know now. Maybe I shouldn't. You're not going to freak out are you?" he asks me with scrunched up eyebrows.
"No? I dunno. Why? What are you going to show me?"
"Well, I wanted to show you but you can hold it if you want."
"Hold it? What is it? Why would I freak out about it?"
"Because it's my snake."

As soon as he says it, I freeze. His snake? Here? In 5th period Spanish? I know that he probably knows I've had a puppy-dog crush on him since forever but he can't honestly think I'm going to...what? Perform some sort of sexual act in the back of the classroom, in the middle of the day, with Scooby Doo in the background does he?

I start to panic. My face goes into horrified mode and he catches it.

"See. I knew you would freak out. I thought you were cool but I guess not."

Oh my god. Now he thinks I'm some sort of prude. I have no idea what to do. I should probably yell at him and call him something horrible but my mind is still trying to catch up.

"Look," I start, "I - I like you. But I guess you already knew that. And I'm, uh, super, uh...flattered? that you would want me to um...But the thing is that I don't do that, you know? I mean, we only talk in class. And. Um. Maybe if we get to know each other better. And, um well, we're actually in class," I gesture around at the other students,"so I'm not going to...you know...here."

I trail off not looking at him. He doesn't say anything for a few seconds so I turn to see if he was even paying attention. I'm stunned to find him trying to stifle his laugh, his eyes watering from the effort.

With gasping breath, he reaches down to the backpack at his feet and opens up one of the zippers. He gently reaches in and pulls out a long, writhing, definitely real, brown and black snake.

Then he throw his head back and laughs and laughs and laughs.

My Biggest Regret

When I was in college I met this girl named *Ally (not her real name). We were introduced through a mutual friend and soon Ally and I were hanging out all the time.

At 16, she was two years younger than me and obviously twice as smart. We bonded over our mutual love of books. She worked at Barnes & Noble and was artsy and sophisticated in ways I had only ever seen on TV.

I'd hang out in her dorm room a lot even though mine was usually roommate free. She had posters of famous paintings and stacks of books. She'd brought her entire book collection; they filled the space beneath her 4ft high bed.

She was a student in the honors program which meant she was more often than not in her room doing homework. She never skipped class and went to bed early to wake up for her morning shift at work.

At first her knowledge and her passion for politics and history intimidated me. I could hardly keep up with her conversations half the time, but instead of thinking me stupid - she taught me.

I remember when I introduced her to World Market. We drove thirty minutes to visit and we spent two hours touching everything in the store and collecting candy we'd never heard of from places we'd never been to.

She never finished the last bit of her drinks. An inch or two of liquid in various bottles and cups littered her room. Always making me nervous that my flailing limbs and unsteady feet would knock one over onto her bookstacks.

And then she had to leave college. She got cancer and wouldn't be able to continue. I visited her two more times before I moved back to San Antonio.

When I returned back home, our friendship was continued through letters and emails. She didn't have a Facebook or Myspace. She was and old-soul. Believed that being able to have such constant contact with people strained the friendship.

She'd tell me how her remission was going. She was excited to be able to go back to school. They had let her back in the honor's program. We talked about whatever recent foreign film we both had watched.

Our correspondence eventually dwindled. Emails and letters in the mail came few and far between.

But then, I got one - an email. It had no subject line and contained only one sentence.

My cancer came back. 

And I apologized to her. Told her how sorry I was. But I really had nothing else to say. Why would she want to hear about all the good things going on in my life when she had to go through chemo and radiation all over again? What was I going to tell her to keep her spirits up? "Don't worry champ, things will get better?"

So I stopped writing. At first, I just didn't write for a day. Then the one day turned into a week. The week turned into a few weeks and the longer I didn't write the longer I couldn't write.

What excuse would I have for not writing? My life was too busy at the moment? My life wasn't going exactly to plan? The longer I didn't write, the more I thought that I just couldn't jump back into our friendship. Yeah, I hadn't written in months but I couldn't very well write now as if nothing had happened.

So I didn't have the courage to write to her.

For a year. I didn't write to her for a whole year.

But by then it was too late. She had passed away.

I regret that I didn't let her know how much of an impact she had on my life. From her love of foreign films, bottled Starbucks frappuccinos, and Portugal. The Man all of which stayed with me.

I regret that we didn't get to reminiscence enough about the flyers we posted around our dorm that provoked a meeting with our entire floor, the RA, and an official counselor. The flyers that no one knew we had put up because we spent hours making sure no one would see us. Setting our alarms in the hour where no was still awake from the night before but no one had yet gotten up for classes.

I regret that we didn't steal all of her stupid roommate's animal crackers.

There's none of that "No Regrets" bullshit here. I regret everyday I didn't write her. Everyday I didn't take the ten fucking minutes of my not-so-busy day to keep our friendship alive. That I was too embarrassed, or stupid, or ashamed to say "I don't know what to say".  I regret that no matter how much my letters may have sucked, or how incompetent I was to deal with this whole situation I wasn't at least there to be there.

A Letter in Hindsight to my High School Self

Dear Valerie,
To Valerie,
To The Me That Still Doesn't Know What Awaits Her,

High school may be the scene of many a John Hughes movie but if your experience were to be filmed...it would probably be a rip-off version played on public access and edited, badly, for time constraints. High school can be the best years of your life (so said someone or other) or it can be just something you do. For you, well let's just say that you might want to work on all of your high school reunions.

Freshman Year will be the worst year, which all things considered is actually good to get all that out of the way in the beginning. It's the year you realize you're not at all sociable, that your private school education failed you, and that for all you know about sex - every one else in your school knows it first hand - not through the book that Mum bought you.


Speaking of Mum, you will hate her because of her tyrannical curfews, old-fashioned morals, and over all not-understanding-you.

It's OK, you both still don't quite understand everything about each other but later in life - it doesn't matter so much. Plus, now you can do whatever the fuck you want. Though, now you'd rather NOT stay out all night or pretend to listen to bad hardcore music.

You will FINALLY get a boyfriend but even though he's sometimes nice, he's very probably certifiable. You feel flattered to be acknowledged but there is so much more than just being with someone who notices you. As hard as first breakups can be, you get over it and though you continue to date shit-to-okay boyfriends none of them will ever be that crazy, so Future You calls it a win. Remember, not everyone can have a perfect Dean/Rory relationship their first time, besides you always shipped Rory&Jess anyway.

Rory&Jess 4eva! 

Sophomore Year yields better results all around. You have a few friends you talk to, you finally get out of remedial classes and are now taking an advanced two-hour math class. In this class you will meet a girl who could have very possibly changed your life but you were too boy-crazy and caught up in your own world to pay attention to what was right in front of you. Your arrogance and ignorance will ruin the friendship but you will forever be more invested in those who are kind and meaningful, rightly ignoring those who don't matter, which will make you a better friend to everyone you know.


Junior Year brings about new friends and your most traumatic first date ever. But don't fret, the story will provide great fodder in later years when you're trying to win a free drink at a bar.

This is the year you will sneak into the trunk of a car to blow off your last few classes of the day. You'll also get with, and break up with, and get with again, your first "real" boyfriend (meaning lasting longer than a month). This on-again off-again trend will last longer than you think.



Senior Year will be exactly like you dreamed...if you dreamt that you'd have a full course load, no friends, two freshman PE classes, and still have to take the bus home.

Even though that sounds pretty awful to you, this year you will also discover your love of movies and fall hard for a guy who has a girlfriend. Even though you're a senior, (which obviously means you're all grown up) you're still young and naive and believe that moving out of state for college will turn you from grubby, fat caterpillar to a big, beautiful butterfly.

All in all high school was a time in your life you will probably not remember too fondly. But you will survive it, have some good times, meet some good people, and end up meeting someone who has a much bigger impact in your life than you ever could have imagined because he obviously has already seen how low you can go.

How low can you go? 

This was the time of your life where your later years start. Your work in TV would never have happened if you hadn't taken that one film class. Your hard work paid off and the things you learned, albeit usually not in your actual lessons, shaped you to be grateful, passionate, and snarkily humorous. You may have skipped prom and (rightfully) decided against raising a cow, but the times you've had -or didn't- weren't things you missed out on. By not doing everything that everyone else was doing, you learned to appreciate and work for the things you wanted to do. You learned to do things because they interested you, not because it interested others.


In high school you learned to listen and believe in yourself and if nothing else, at least you've got that.

High School Memory # 1

Doing the Sunday Social about high school got me to thinking about some high school memories I am actually fond of. Though I was a moody bitch then (still am) I know that there were some good times and people there and just because we don't talk now, doesn't mean that they were/are any less important to my past.

So the first memory that comes to mind is my senior economy teacher, Lemmon. He was a nice guy, funny, played around with the students and hardly ever got mad.

An artist rendition. 

Once, coming into his classroom I had my headphones in and my MP3 player on. I took the headphones off, turned the player off but left it on the corner of my desk. I had forgotten about the "No iPod" rule, that said even if you weren't listening to it but it was out he'd take it up. While passing by my desk he saw it, took it and said I would be able to get it after class. I had him the last class of the day so it wasn't that big a deal. But when class ended I completely forgot to pick it up.

So, fast forward to the next day. I'm in my first period, Physics, dozing off as usual when a student worker comes in and hands me a grocery bag with a yellow Post It note with my name on it. I was seriously confused because my mother wasn't one to bring me a forgotten lunch. I opened the bag and found my MP3 player and a brand new set of headphones with a note attached.

My old "defective" headphones weren't defective so much as falling apart. I had used electrical tape to hold them together. One ear-bud didn't even work anymore. He must have seen the state of them and either really had some "lying around" or bought me some new ones. Either way, it was very kind of him and to this day I still have that Post It note.

Sometimes there are some truly horrible teachers. Some don't give a shit about you, but some, some were meant to be teachers and enjoy the gratification teaching kids/teens brings. I realized then that a simple act, even something like this, unasked for, can be a great joy and make you feel special.

I thanked him for them that afternoon and used them until they wore out.

2013: In Hindsight

• John and I got together.
• I changed jobs. 
• I got to touch and swim with Beluga whales.

• I went to Roswell, New Mexico and took pictures with aliens.

• Went to SXSW. 
• I went rock climbing again and loved it!
• Ate some fancy quail and dessert.
• Went to Fort Worth and Dallas. 
• Visited the Fort Worth zoo. 
• Moved to a house!
• Saw The Sound of Music on the big screen.
• Starting interning at this wonderful organization. 

• Got my first ever hand-made present. 

• Picked up a new hobby. 

All in all 2013 was a really great year. One of the best I can ever remember having. I feel like I'm finally comfortable with the person I am. This year I met some really cool people. I went to new places and did new things.

As far as my love life goes - I've never been happier. John is great and I think we're pretty great together.

Though I sometimes feel bored or stuck in my life, I have to remind myself that I'm just impatient. I am doing new things and I am trying to create a happy life for myself; it just takes some time.

So really it was a great year. It felt short! Time is flying by and I don't want to miss a second of it.