Simple DIY Cards

In need of quick and cute cards for Christmas? Don't waste money on the usual boring cards for the holidays... Seriously. It's easy to get that handcrafted look, I promise:

Pick up a package of blank notecards, some 3D scrapbook stickers, and you're all set. Choose a sticker design that is large enough for you to just place it in the middle of the card. Less is more... Don't cover each card with multiple stickers. Write your note on the inside and you're done!

The photo above is of the moving announcements that I made when we moved down here to Texas. For anyone who received one, you can expect this style of card for Christmas as well. Now, I just have to get around to making them!

Goodbye MINI

Yes, you read that title correctly. After 5 years, 2 cars, tons of events, and countless new friends, I am taking a temporary MINI-hiatus. And yes, it makes me want to jump off a bridge sad. I mean heck, I just bought Minja in January... and I nearly killed people fought hard to even get that car. He was my prize, the only thing that made trading in Moxie a little less painful. Now he's gotta go too and I get to drive a new Mazda 3 [insert less than enthusiastic and monotone "woohoo" here]. Does anyone actually get excited about buying a Mazda?

I know this is going to come across as a total "white girl problems" kind of post, but I don't care. It's really sucky and you're all just going to have to listen to me whine for a little bit. In the grand scheme of things, I'm aware that not having a MINI isn't the end of the world... I'm not THAT delusional. It just feels like I'm saying goodbye to a lifestyle and culture... and friends... and it's not just a car that's getting traded in.

Maybe whats getting to me is that this is kind of the final nail in the "moving" coffin: I've already left everything else behind when we moved to Texas. Family, friends, jobs, familiarity, and an area in which I spent my entire life. The MINI was really the only other big thing that I had up there, that came with me down here. Of course I know that I have Jeremy with me and that's most important... but regardless of how awesome our life is down here, it's still really, really hard to give up every single thing that I've come to know over the past 30 years. It's like walking to the edge of your comfort zone and saying, "Oh what the hell... and launching yourself out of it in a rocket ship."

Over the next couple of months I'll be finally able to turn this blog in the direction I've been wanting to take it from day one. Posts about decorating, and crafts, and cooking, and hobbies, and all other sorts of fun stuff like that. What does that have to do with my car? Its simple... money and priorities.

We moved down here for a better life, a simpler life, and a happier life. We came here to start a family and be able to provide for them in a way that just can't be done in New Jersey anymore. In the end, those desires all boil down to money. While we absolutely have a lower cost of living down here, we still need money to finance our dreams. This way of life that we're looking for is our number one priority... which bumps cars, and everything else, down on our list.

Could we afford to keep our MINI and BMW? Absolutely. But in the end, we don't live in our cars. They are an expense that can be minimized, leaving extra money left over for other things. Also, cars don't seem to matter down here like they do in New Jersey. Let me explain...

Where we're from its impossible to buy a new, 3,000 sq ft house in a nice neighborhood and a good school district, unless you have at least a $1mil for the house, and $30K to blow each year on property taxes. You go home at night to your 1,000 sq ft cape-style home that was built in 1950. As an added bonus, it hadn't been updated since the 70's, so you had to gut the house after you paid at least $250,000 for it to begin with. And don't forget, you're still forking over around $10K per year in property taxes on your .00001-acre piece of land.

So, since you can't afford to buy a big, impressive house, what do you use for a status symbol? Simple. Your car. I wish I had a video of what it looks like to drive down a street in some towns in NJ. You'll be in a little neighborhood full of tiny 2-3 bedroom homes and nearly every one has a BMW, Mercedes, or other luxury car parked out in the driveway (...no attached garages in those homes, by the way).

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with a small home... we looked at plenty of them before we decided to move to Texas. I am well aware that it's just how life is in NJ. It has never been a cheap area to live. Unfortunately, it has just gotten worse and has now also become one of the most uppity, materialistic, self-centered, expensive, and socially competitive areas in the country. Your car, your purse, your shoes, your clothes, your kid's stroller... if you can be judged by it, you will be judged by it in NJ. Life revolves around stuff.

Of course you'll find people like this in all parts of the country, but Northern NJ probably has one of the most materialistic societal groups in the nation. And I'm not saying that there aren't people or areas like that here in Texas, but this is what I see down here everyday:

Most people have mid-priced cars and trucks in the driveway garage of their home. A home which is spacious, newer, well maintained, professionally landscaped, impeccably decorated, and full of furniture that didn't come from Ikea. These homes are also full of families who don't need to work 24/7 just so they can spend their money on designer bags, luxury cars, and other over-priced and/or unnecessary items. What happens when people don't work all the time, or have a constant financial strain? They're less stressed and happier. They can spend time with friends, family, and their children. Heck, women can even be stay-at-home mom's without putting a huge financial burden on their husbands. People here have time and money for hobbies, relaxation, and vacations. Basically, they live a happier and healthier life.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm never going to go out and buy another Coach bag or expensive car... that would be a flat-out lie. However, I don't feel the need to get these things like I was so accustomed to in NJ. I just don't feel the materialistic pressure down here. Maybe its all in my head, I don't know. But I do know that I live amongst very kind, respectful, and religious people here... and I know for a fact that those are qualities that have become almost non-existent in NJ.

So, now that I've probably lost all of you with my rambling, I'll return to my point:

While I am very sad to be losing my MINI, it is for the best right now. Sure, we could afford to keep it, but there are so many other things that I'd rather be spending that extra money on. Plus, owning a MINI right now just isn't as important to me down here as it was in NJ. Yes, I loved that car more than a person probably should, but I have big goals for my Texas life. And if I have just a little more money in my pocket, I'll reach those goals just a little more quickly.

So goodbye for now, MINI... its been a blast. Motor on.

Three Zero

Bah! I refuse to give up on this blog. My musings may be sporadic, but they are still there. I intended to post on October 23rd, and then bumped it to November 1st... now on the 7th I'm finally getting around to writing about the fact that I turn the big THREE-ZERO in, what is now, just over 2 weeks (November 23rd).

So, 30... that's a trip, right? Wasn't I just in grade school, or high school, or college for that matter? 30 years. 3 decades. Roughly almost 1/3 of a century. I could go on, but I'm sure you all know math.

What has gone on in my life in the past 30 years? Well, there was the usual: growing up, schooling, college, starting a career. I don't do anything half-assed though, so I also bought myself a few new cars over the years, got married AND divorced, left my job, moved halfway across the country to Texas, bought a house, bought a dog, found the absolute love of my life... I could go on, but then I'd just be bragging. Really the only things I haven't done are get remarried or pop out a kid. The kid thing can wait, I'm cool with that. I'm a busy chick. But it would've been awesome to say, "Yeah, I was engaged, married, divorced, engaged, and married again all before 30." Okay, so maybe "awesome" is the wrong word to use to describe that statement, but if you can't laugh at your own life, then you're pretty much destined to be miserable.

All in all, I certainly don't have much to complain about. I'm actually looking forward to 30. I wouldn't go backwards for anything. I'm more comfortable with myself now than I was at 25, 21, or 18. Sure, I've made enough bad decisions to write a fairly long novel about what not to do in life. But without those failures (and some were epic failures), I wouldn't be who I am today. And today I have the perfect combination of self-confidence and general lack of modesty to be able to say, "I love me!" And its true, I do.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things I would like to, and probably need to, change. Me and perfection don't really get along most times, but at this point in my life I'm okay with that. I've spent a good amount of time getting rid of all the bullshit and drama that infested my life... especially over the past year or so. It has allowed me to fully focus on me, my life, and what I need to do to be happy. And guess what? It worked. I'm happier now that I ever have been.

Honestly, that is the biggest and best lesson I have learned in the past 30 years. Cut the drama! Don't let other people bring you down, ruin your life, and/or get in your way. Someone has an issue with something that makes you genuinely happy? Make that their problem and not yours. Don't live your life walking on eggshells just to please those who take issue with your happiness. Ultimately, those people are unhappy with themselves and constantly feel the need to bring everyone else down to their level. Don't get sucked in. You're better than that, and don't need that kind of drama in your life. Even if you think that you will be totally alone if you cut out those who treat you this way... and truthfully, you might be for a little while... it will honest-to-God be more than worth it in the end. Trust me.

So now, in the last couple weeks of my twenties, I can honestly say, "Bring it on thirty! I'm ready for you." And anyone who takes issue with that, can kindly piss off.

One Month Later

So, its been a while, but I've been busy... busy working. Yeah, that's right. No more unemployment for me. I am now an active part of the Texas workforce. So how is it going?

Well... I really like my job! Its a lot different than what I was used to back up in Jersey, but I've adjusted. Its a very small office, but its a great group of people. Its going well, and I enjoy it. Other than that, I won't go into details. My professional life isn't something I tend to post about on blogs, Twitter, or even Facebook, but I figured I owed an explanation for my lack of posts over the past few weeks. So there it is.

Outside of work things are also going well, although I tend to feel like something of a novelty down here. As soon as I open my mouth people can tell that I'm not from Texas. Its then a game of 20 questions about where I'm from, why I'm here, and if there really are people like the ones on Jersey Shore. And of course, during the conversation the other person will constantly point out words that I say with a Jersey accent... I understand that I say TAWK instead of TALK. And I would bet money that I'll never pronounce it differently, so lets move on with our lives. I think y'all TAWK funny too.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that I feel like an outsider because that sounds too negative... like people shun me because I'm a northerner. That absolutely doesn't happen. Everyone across the board gives me a friendly, "Welcome to Texas! You're going to love it here." No one has told me to go back to NJ... yet.

I guess I just feel like a curiosity... And that's honestly the reaction I get. People are curious about how we live, work, act, talk, etc. As many rumors as we hear about the South, they hear the same amount about the North. And, unfortunately, everyone equates NJ with the Sopranos and Jersey Shore, so that results in a lot of questions in itself: Am I Italian? Why aren't I tan? Why don't I have big hair?

I really don't mind all of the questions... most times they're actually quite amusing. Its just odd not fitting in. I knew it would take time to adjust to a new house, new job, new town, new climate, etc, but I guess I just didn't realize how many differences there really are. Its not like I moved from NJ to NY or something. Its NJ to TX. North to South. Guido to redneck. Okay, maybe not so much that last one, but you get the point.

Don't get me wrong, I do absolutely love it down here and have no plans of ever moving back north. I'm just surprised by the amount of differences and the length of time its going to take to adjust to all of them. What also surprises me are the things that make me feel homesick at times... Facebook posts about going apple picking, photos of autumn foliage, MINI events that I can no longer participate in, even the difference in food can get to me some times. (Tip: for the love of all things good and holy, DO NOT attempt to eat pizza, Italian food, or bagels anywhere outside of the NYC area)

Granted, I'll be BBQ'ing while the majority of my Facebook newsfeed is bogged down with complaints of cold weather and snow in a couple of months, but still... gloating about the weather doesn't always make the transition easier. In the end, I'll adapt. There will always be things that I miss, but I can already tell that there is far more to love down here.