Who's A Beautiful Blogger?

Happy Friday everyone!
Ok, let's face it. I have had blogger's block this week. I just can't think of anything good to write. It's been the same with facebook too - can't think of good status updates! What's wrong with me? Soooooo......if you have any good topics I could jump on, I'd love some ideas.

That being said, I have a few random things to share today!

Today is my sweet Granny's 75th birthday! I'm so thankful that God let her be my granny. Love love love her. And, yes I know I STILL haven't posted pics from her party last weekend! Ugh!

A special thanks to my fabulous friend Heather who so graciously gave me an award!

The rules are simple - just give 7 fun facts about yourself and then nominate 7 people for the Beautiful Blogger Award.

I'm so excited!
Ok, so 7 fun facts about muah:
1. Processed cheese sauce is one of my all time favorite things. You know, like nacho cheese. I could seriously have an I.V. drip of it!

2. My remedies for stress are cooking and scrapbooking. I think it's because I can take a knife or scissors to what I'm working on and pretend that it's my stressor and then when I'm finished, the world is all better again.

3. My best friend and I have been besties for almost 20 years (since 1st grade)! I think we need to plan an anniversary trip next year for our 20th!

4. I like to think that all of my issues are due to conflicting Indian tribes in my head. See, I have part Cherokee Indian and part Choctaw Indian and I think they hate each other. So therefore, all my issues are not my fault. I get migraines a lot too, so I think that's caused when my tribes really get into a big fight. HA-HA. Writing it out makes me sound crazy!

5. I have toilet issues. I can't go #2 in any toilet but my own. When we go on vacations I hold it until I get home. I once went 14 days without going. Too much?

6. I have recently become obsessed with reading! I just can't stop. And as a result I stay up way too late and can't get up for work! Who ever thought that reading could be a problem? I'm on book number 4 for the month of January!

7. I love love love chick flicks! Nothing like a good romantic comedy!

Ok, now for the seven lucky people I want to share this award with(in no particular order):
1.Chasing Rainbows
2. Simple Travels in My Homeland
3.Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
4.Miss Vintage Vixen
5.Faith Barista
6.I'm Waking Up for the Frist Time in Years
7.Annie Blogs

Alright, that's all for now! Go check out all of these fabulous blogs!

It's Gonna Be Alright

"I don't think the way you think.

The way you work isn't the way I work.

For as the sky soars high above earth,

so the way I work surpasses the way you work,

and the way I think is beyond the way you think.

Just as rain and snow descend from the skies

and don't go back until they've watered the earth,

Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,

producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,

So will the words that come out of my mouth

not come back empty-handed.

They'll do the work I sent them to do,

they'll complete the assignment I gave them."

~Isaiah 55:8-1, MSG~

http://www.incourage.me/2010/01/mission-accomplished.html

Just a Couple of Things

It's Wednesday and I still haven't put up pictures from Saturday's party! Fail. They're coming, I promise.

Training for the 6k in April. Hasn't happened yet. Fail.

Remember that great idea I had about a picture a day? Fail.
Maybe this is going to have to be a picture per week. I don't know what's wrong with me!

BUT, I finished Something Blue last night. OHHHHHH, sooooo good!!!!
I cried. For my own personal reasons, but it was so good! I can't tell you much about it without giving goodness away, so I'm going to need everyone to read this. First Something Borrowed, THEN Something Blue! Got it?
Good.

Back to this picture thing. I think maybe I'll try going out on my lunch break every day and taking pictures. You know, just so I can be more in tune with my camera. AND not to mention I'm working on a project for my boss. He wants pics of Atlanta all over our office and he asked me to take them. It's intimidating, I'm not going to lie. I mean, what if he hates them? Then we're still working together with disappointment on both ends!
I think I just get this way in general when I do pics for people I know. Otherwise, I'm completely confident that I can do this.

I have another wedding booked for the summer! SO excited! The bride is absolutely beautiful! She'll be easy to photograph!

Well, that's all the rambling I have for now. Heather's got me stressing about my lack of organization too, so I've got to pull a few lists together! One of them being to finally unpack my apartment. I feel like Chris and I are stuck in the "in between" of life. Kind of like when people die and their spirit is stuck between Earth and Heaven. We're just floating away with no direction! VERY frustrating! But praying VERY hard and we know God is there with us. Just a weird place to be right now.

Alright, I'm done. Have a great day!

Ok, so I'm not this original. I saw this on another blog. It was inspiring, as I LOVE this book!
It was read at my high school graduation.
And I think it's uplifting to read - especially when going through a rough patch.
Enjoy!



I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true
that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose?
How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters?
Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

. . . .

On you will go though the weather be foul.
On you will go though your enemies prowl.
On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike.
And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
. . . .


And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

It's Monday!

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!
Mine was jam packed - but great!
Saturday, we threw a surprise birthday party for my grandmother's 75th birthday. It was a blast.
My aunt, uncle and I have been planning this party for months - like since September. And amazingly enough, we were able to pull it off without her suspecting anything. We had around 60 people show up! And I have to say it was a success. She was completely surprised! I'll post some pictures later tonight.
We had a ton of food - and almost all of it was gone!
I was exhausted afterwards. I haven't been sleeping well lately and I think a mixture of already being tired plus 13 hours of partying threw me over the edge.
Sunday morning I literally felt like I was hungover - well at least my interpretation of what that must feel like.
Last night I managed to pull myself together long enough to head over to Passion City Church. So good. So so good. I love it there. The worship is top notch.
Well that's enough rambling for now. Just wanted to catch up and say hi!
I'll post a few pics tonight.
Have a great day!

A New Project

Good morning and Happy Friday!
So I've decided to start a new project.
I am going to take at least 1 picture a day for the next 365 days.
I think I'll put the pictures up weekly on my photo blog, so I'll link to it every Sunday when the pics are up.
Sounds really fun to me!
Starting today.

Tomorrow we are throwing my grandmother a surprise party for her 75th birthday. It's going to be so much fun!
I am in charge of the dessert tray and a few dips. So I'll definitely take a few pics tonight of all the desserts I'm making.
A sugar rush that includes cupcakes, brownies, cheesecake, lemon bars and cookies!
Yum!
My friend Leslie is a baking queen, so she's helping with the cupcakes - from scratch! I'm just a box mix girl!

In other exciting news, I'm getting ready for the fabulous wedding of my little brother next month. I'm so excited and honored to be their photographer! I talked to his sweet fiance last night, Raegan, and she just sounds so darn cute! I haven't met her yet - they live in Texas and I'm in GA. So in less than a month we'll be making the great westerly road trip! :)

Well that's about all of the random news I have for today. I'll check in with you peeps on Sunday...or Monday!
Have a fabulous weekend!!!

What I Learned This Week

So the fabulous Jo-Lynne over at Musings of a Housewife hosts the what I learned this week blog carnival. Most of the time I never have anything good for this, but this week was an exception!
I learned something very very very imoportant: Read the fine print.
You see this is my favorite soup:


I have been eating this soup and only this soup since elementary school. I hate Campbell's soup - all of it. This is it. Noodle soup. NO CHICKEN. However, I think that I purchased a couple of boxes that were very very wrong.
See typically, the chicken noodle soup by Lipton looks like this:

BLUE.
The GREEN has always been the noodle soup.
Not so for me this week. In the regular noodle soup picture (green), above, do you see where it says "with real chicken broth"? Well on my current box with the green lable, it says "with Chicken".
WHAT????????
So you can imagine the horror when I poured it into a bowl to prepare and saw chunks of freeze dried chicken bits! EEEEEWWWWWWWWW!!!!!
So I tried to pick it all out and eat anyway - after all, I am on the no take out challenge and I'm broke, so very important to eat what I have.
By far, one of the worst lunches I have ever had.
I crushed a whole sleeve of crackers in one bowl to try and mask the taste.
It did not work.
Good thing I'm taking diet pills to curb my apetite.
Just awful and traumatizing.
Yes, traumatizing. I have serious food issues and this is a very serious problem.
Lol.
But seriously, it's serious.

I love that my hubby is in to creative arts:

Look what fabulousness he made me:

Feel Free to Comment

Hello bloggers!
Can I just say I LOVE comments! Not because I think I say anything profound, I just like to see who stops by my blog!
And I know I have lots of people that come along each day and I'd love to check out your blog if you have one.
So please, feel free to comment!

Life is Made of Circles

It's true friends. I have come to the realization that life is just a bunch of circles. Yesterday while pondering this thought, I thought about the circles in my own life. How we start at one point and work so hard to move up, yet it seems we always end up back at the starting point. Always.
So I decided to tell Chris my new found revelation.
He proceeds to be funny and says "Well babe, let's just take a right out of our apartment complex and see where it takes us."
Do you know where it takes us?
I-285.
Significance?
It's an interstate that is one BIG CIRCLE around Atlanta, therefore eventually bringing us back to our starting point.
I cracked up!
I would like my life to take a new shape.
Can't be a square, rectangle, triangle or circle.
Come to think of it, it can't be a shape.
I just need a never ending straight line.

That's my profound thought for the day. Happy Monday!

A Great Read

Last night I finally finished reading Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.


This was a great book! It's all about two best friends, Rachel and Darcy. Darcy is engaged and her bff Rachel is in love with Darcy's fiance. Oh yes, scandalous. BUT this book really makes you want Rachel to end up with the guy. Total chick lit, but so worth it! So what is next on my list?

None other than Something Blue!

Now this picks up where Something Borrowed ended, but is from Darcy's point of view as she is now preggers with another man's baby. I told you it was scandalous!
So the recap: you should definitely read these books!

Speaking of books, last year I read The Lovely Bones. So good. You should definitely check it out too. The movie for it just came out. Chris and I saw it Friday night and I thought it was really good. It actually followed the book pretty close and that made me happy. So you can add that to your list as well!

I'm enjoying a quiet lazy morning. Chris left early to go help out the tech booth at Winter Jam. It's a Christian music concert deal. Me and a couple of girlfriends are actually going to the concert tonight. Should be loads of fun. Check out the website here.
The line up includes: Third Day, Newsboys, NewSong, Tenth Avenue North, Fireflight, Sidewalk Prophets, Robert Pierre, Revive & Guest Speaker Tony Nolan.

Chris and I personally know a couple of these bands so it's super exciting.

I think I'm going to make myself some breakfast and cozy up with my book and read. Ahhh, just sounds so nice! I hope you all enjoy a lazy Sunday as well!

Yes To...

Can I just say how super excited I am about this new product?!?!?! It is absolutely awesome! Everyone needs to experience Yes To Carrots!
Now, you’re probably wondering what is so wonderful.
Let me tell you!!!!! And once I do, you're going to need to mozy on over to their WEBSITE and see all the happiness they offer your skin!

Here's a snippet from their website:
"We have created the perfect families of Paraben Free products especially suited to your face, body, hands and hair.

All of our Yes To products combine the fresh, unadulterated goodness of organic fruits and vegetables with the purifying and moisturizing properties of 26 minerals harvested from the ancient world's most renowned spa- the Dead Sea."

They have 3 main lines of products: yes to carrots, yes to tomatoes, and yes to cucumbers.

Here is the thing I'm loving right now:

It's the Yes To Cucumbers Body Butter and it is AMAZING!!! I have psoriasis on my elbows and this stuff is making my arms as smooth as can be! I also have psoriasis in my scalp which is why I can't wait to try this:

This is their hair and scalp mask! I will definitely let you know how fantastic it is!

So do yourself a favor and go check out this amazing stuff! The great news is that it is avaiable at places like Target and Walgreens and all of it is under $15! That is a great price to pay for fabulous skin! I can't wait to try all of their stuff!!!

Run For Water

So as most of you know, I have a soft heart to the water crisis in Africa. It just breaks my heart that something we use so freely is killing people in other countries.

In an effort to do more for the water crisis, and aligning with my resolution of getting healthy, I am training for a 6k. Yes, a 6k Run for Water. See on a daily basis, most African women and children have to walk 3.7 miles just to find safe water. So, I'm doing it! Now I have walked many a 5k, but I have never ran one. And that is my goal. I want to run the whole thing. I think I can do it. I've got like 12 weeks to prep for it, so here it goes!

I encourage you to check out the website. It's a run that's taking place the same day all across the world in an effort to draw attention to the water crisis. I'm super excited!

http://www.active.com/running/run-for-water

No Take Out Challenge

Happy Tuesday! Well my 30 days of no take out started yesterday. Monday just seems to be a good starting point for things. Now, the no take out challenge consists of me and Chris not purchasing food from restaurants for at least 30 days. Then we will tweak it to allow take out 5 times per month. So if we eat out for lunch, breakfast or dinner - it counts.
That being said, if the take out is free, then we can eat it. :)

So, yesterday my company paid for lunch - which has also given me lunch for today! Last night for dinner I made cheese tortellini and Parmesan crusted chicken. It was yummy! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 package store bought tortellini
1/2 jar store bought spaghetti sauce (I usually use a vodka sauce for this, but any will work)
2 1/2 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
Olive oil
Dijon mustard
Bread crumbs (enough to coat chicken)
Italian seasoning
2 cloves pressed garlic
Grated Parmesan cheese (enough to coat chicken)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a dish, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, seasonings and garlic. Set aside. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Mix about a tablespoon of mustard into chicken. You want to lightly coat the chicken with the mustard. Once chicken is evenly coated, pour into bread crumb mixture and evenly coat. Coat frying pan with olive oil and heat. Once heated, pour chicken mixture into pan and cover. Stir until done.
Cook tortellini according to package instructions.
Heat sauce.
Serve.

It's fabulous. And you can make it as healthy as you want!

Tonight I'm making fish for the first time ever! I'm a little nervous. This will be paired with loaded mashed potatoes. Yummmm!!!
And one night this week - I am making THIS!

Be sure to check out Beauty and Bedlam for some fabulous saving and recipe ideas!

Yesterday I made an extensive spreadsheet of recipes and menus to last through the end of March. I'm ready! It's really kind of exciting to get creative in the kitchen. I love to cook - it's really relaxing for me. AND it helps me with portion control because usually by the time I finish cooking, I'm not that hungry. I guess after smelling everything I get satisfied! Hey, whatever works right?

I'm going to be trying a lot of new recipes, so as I find fabulous things, I'll be sure to share!

I'm really anxious to see how much money it really saves us.

What I Am

With it being a new year and all, I've now decided to focus on what I am rather than what I'm not! So, while this post may sound a bit conceited....it's not. It's just an effort to focus on the good things in my life as I go through my 30 day challenge of deciding what I want to BE. Got it?
Ok!

I am:
*a lucky girl
*a wife - and I think a pretty good one at that!
*a photographer
*creative
*spunky
*a good friend, listener, encourager, etc.
*daughter to the King of Kings - I guess that let's me rightfully be a princess!
*beyond blessed

Ok that'a about all I can stand of me for now! I have found it very encouraging to focus on the good! Gives you a little boost!!! You should try!

What Defines A Redneck? Part 2

Ok, so now you know the redneck basics.

I highly suggest you google "you might be a redneck if..." by Jeff Foxworthy. He is a comedian that has made a nice living making fun of rednecks - and his stuff is so true! Rednecks love him!

Now dictionary.com defines a redneck as:
red⋅neck  /ˈrɛdˌnɛk/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [red-nek] Show IPA Informal: Often Disparaging.
Use redneck in a Sentence:
–noun 1. an uneducated white farm laborer, esp. from the South.
2. a bigot or reactionary, esp. from the rural working class.

I don't necessarily agree with this definition. I think the common redneck is what you'd call a good 'ol boy. Now sure, there are quite a few that take it to the extreme, but I'd say most just have a different way of doing things.

Common redneck stereotypes (and there is truth to these):
*appliances and/or living room furniture in the front yard
*love their beer
*love God
*love family
*LOVE their country
*country
*hunters; actually more like huntin' & fishin' - a deer head on the wall is always a tell-tell sign. I grew up with 2 deer heads and a bass! on the wall!

Well that just about does it! Consider yourself redneck educated! ;)

P.S. And just so ya know - white trash and rednecks are not equals! Big difference! Maybe I'll save that one for another post!

What Defines A Redneck? Part 1

After choosing my favorite post of 2009, I decided it would be fun to post about rednecks! What defines a redneck? (This is for all of you accross the pond ;))
Well, the more I thought about it, the more complicated it became. I mean honestly, unless you live in America, it's kind of hard to describe. It requires a whole history lesson - but I will do my best!
Ok, here we go.

North America is divided into regions. However, the most prominent social regions are the north and south - which only encompass the eastern portion of the country. The blue portion is north and red is south. Northerners are affectionally known as yankees.


Let's go back to the 1800s when America had the Civil War. North vs. South. North was the union, south was the confederates. Thus enters the confederate flag:


Now why is this important in defining a redneck? Well, the confederate flag was the state flag for Georgia for years. It recently has been changed as it kind of causes some uneasiness with the whole slavery issue. Anyway, most GA rednecks for sure, love the confederate flag. Mostly because it represents the "south". My favorite thing to laugh at is the ones who have a pick up truck with their confederate flag flying off of the back. Here's an example:


Ok, so now that we have a little history, let's get into the rednecks. The south is known for two types of people:
1. Southern gentlemen and Southern Belles



2. Rednecks


And for the most part, a lot of us are a mixture of both. I think when you're raised in the south, you have a little inner-redneck. I know I do. Which is why my redneck post was so funny to me.

The official redneck sport is NASCAR - although it has a nice following in the north as well. And as I'm finding, there rednecks all over the country. Back to NASCAR - in my previous redneck post about throwing a football through a tire, it was a NASCAR tire, which made it all the more funny.


So this is a good starting point. Part 2 will include a little more....

The Shack

Ola blogger land! This week I started reading The Shack by William P. Young.

I have to say I have mixed emotions about it. Now, I thought it was really good and loved the story. The book is about a man named Mack and his dealing with the murder of his youngest daughter. He spends a weekend in the shack where she was murdered, 3 years prior, and has a personal encounter with God that mends his brokenness.
I guess what made me a little uneasy was the interpretation of God - a little strange, but very intriguing. But I believe my uneasiness is a result of the preconceived "religious" picture we are taught as being God is completely different from how Young portrays Him. After a couple of days, I have decided I like it. I like that He makes God accessible. And I have to give the author a little credit - he did graduate from seminary.

Anyway, I highly recommend you read it. ESPECIALLY if you have lost a loved one close to you. I think it just might change your way of thinking.

Today I am starting Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I'm super excited!

My Favorite Post of 2009

Happy hump day bloggers! So, I was over at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee today and she's doing a look back at your favorite post of 2009. Now, I must say, looking back at all of my 2009 blogs that I was very disappointed in what I gave you! So 2010 I am promising to be a better blogger with more quality posts!
But for now, I think my favorite post was about our Redneck Weekend back in August. Here it is:

Ok, so a couple of weeks ago, we reached an all new redneck low! One thing I've found is that we all have a little redneck in us somewhere and no matter how hard you try to cover it up...well, it comes out every once in a while. So we went to eat dinner with Chris's parents and then after dinner we went back to their house and did redneck thing #1 - we pulled out lawn chairs and sat in the driveway. Next, we rolled the big garbage can down to the end of the driveway and put a NASCAR tire on top.
***Sidenote: how many people have a used NASCAR tire on hand?***
And then, for the next hour, Chris, his dad, and his brother proceeded to TRY throwing the football through the tire.
Nate succeeded - Chris did not.
This whole ordeal was so funny and about half way through it I remembered my camera in the car! This could not go undocumented! Here are a few pics:

Disclaimer

Ok, so my previous post was a real downer. sorry.
I guess I just needed to get it off my chest, because now I'm ok.
I am so eternally grateful for the life I have. As a result of all that we've been through, I have become so strong in my faith and a better person because of it all.
I guess I'm just ready to be the couple that has something good going for them instead of always the one with the drama. I want more than anything for our families to truly be proud of what we've accomplished.
I know that when God is ready to bless us with a baby it will happen.
I know that somehow I will learn something through all this - hmmm, maybe patience!
And I know that God's timing is always indescribably perfect.

I'm embarking on a new adventure. I am going to spend the next 30 days figuring out who I want to be so I can determine what I truly want to accomplish. Sounds strange, I know, but everything I thought I always wanted just seems so blah now.
I'm 90% sure I am changing schools and my major. Still praying through that one, so I'll let you know as soon as I decide.

Ok ok ok. That's enough.
Have a happy Tuesday!

Is There Something In The Water?

***Warning: the following is a self absorbed pitty party post. Read at your own risk and do not judge me.***

Seriously, everyone I know is either pregnant or adopting. Then when going through the blogs I follow - the theme yesterday was "We're Expecting"! Hmm.
First let me say how incredibly happy I am for those people. Honestly, it's such a blessing.
But then, my selfish worldly self comes out and reminds me of what my life is like.
It all started before I was even born.
I feel confident I was born with a black cloud over my head. And to be honest, I'm really ready for it to go away.
I just feel like I exist among a pile of rubble that is my life. Lots of broken pieces.
I've been married over 5 years. It's time to start a family. I also have not used any form of birth control for 4 years and not even the slightest hope of a baby (I have PCOS). We're not trying, but we're not preventing. Obviously it is not our time.
But when will it be?
When will this dark cloud move away and let a little sun shine on our lives.
I'm tired of being disappointed.
I need some positivity.

I mean seriously, you have no idea the crap we've been through. Sure some of it was our own fault - I'd be completely foolish not to take responsibility. But a LOT of it was not our fault at all.

I read that the prime age to have a child is 23. Well I'm a few years past that! I just want what every woman is designed to be - a wife and a mother.

I think what is most troubling is that I feel like I'm losing hope. My mentality is that of "don't get your hopes up" or "if I have no expectations, I can't get hurt" or "it's too good to be true" or even "that's nice, but we don't have that kind of luck". I've acted this way for so long and it's been just in the last couple of weeks that I've realized what I have become. Hopeless. And that's not what God intended for us. He is our hope. And I know that. I also know that God makes beautiful things out of brokeness.
But today, I just choose to have a pity party. Ok, maybe just for a couple of hours...I'll wallow in my self-absorbedness (i think i just made up a word) and then I'll get over it.
Well maybe not completely over it, but at least over my pity party.

And remember - I warned you this was a self absorbed post and not to judge me :)

Back To Work

After 11 days of vacation, the time has finally come to go back to work! I'm not gonna lie, getting up this morning proved to be quite difficult. I have spent the last 11 days enjoying the luxury of sleeping in until at least 9:00! This is unheard of! So needless to say - it was a shock to my system when the alarm went off at 5:30 this morning!

Today is Day 1 of the no take out challenge. We shall see how it works. I had a breakfast shake for breakfast and I brought my lunch. Now to decide what's for dinner! I've found a few loop holes in my challenge. I have decided that we can eat take out only if it is free. No other exceptions. We went to the grocery store last night and stocked up. That brings me to my next thing. I found the most fabulous Kroger EVER! It's in Buckhead, where everything is nicer, but it was amazing! I was just so excited!!!

I have also started my get healthy resolution as well. I am on day 2 of vitamins! Hopefully all of this will come together for a successful 2010. I'm hoping for a year of fewer disappointments.

Happy Monday to all!

Inspiration for 2010

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
~Benjamin Franklin

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
~Hal Borland

The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!
~Edward Payson Powell

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.
~Oprah Winfrey

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.
~Martin Luther

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.
~Ellen Goodman

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.
~G.K. Chesterton