Closure

With the new year just around the corner, it’s no doubt time to take stock of the blessings in your life, make resolutions, and of course, tie up any loose ends that may be holding you back a little (or a lot, depending on how loose those ends really are).

Whether it be a project you’ve been working on but never finished or a relationship that ended with some unanswered questions or things left unsaid, there’s something about the end of the year that forces us to take action and get things done. There’s probably a reason why December is Procrastination Awareness Month – we all want to push things to the last possible moment!

If you find yourself looking for answers you never got or the need to say things to that someone in your past, might I recommend the following:

1. Have a plan. Write your thoughts and questions down, talk them over with a friend (if you’re comfortable), and be prepared for the answers or response, whether you like what is said or not.

2. Decide if you are comfortable having the conversation in person or over the phone. E-mail and text should be a last resort, but if needed, be careful with the words you use because your tone and feeling may not translate the way it would if you spoke to the person.

3. Be sincere. Remember, this is for your benefit – the closure you’ve been seeking. Don’t mask your feelings or emotions and be yourself. If you want to cry, cry. If you want to laugh, laugh. If you want to throw something at the other person (like your fist to their face), well...maybe don't do that! :)

No matter what your situation, closure can bring you one step closer to a happy, healthy future. And remember, “If one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window.” Those inspiring words compliments of Rascal Flatts.

Here’s to closing the door on one year and opening the door to another. Cheers friends!

Have tool belt, will travel ...

I'm now convinced that there are very few things sexier than a man with tools who knows how to use them. Take "D," the guy I'm dating, for instance. We're nine Wednesdays (our date night) into our relationship, and last night he whips out his wire cutters, a box overflowing with wires (yes...only wires) and splices into a strand of outside Christmas lights and connects them to a new wire with a plug...and POW, they're once again usable. Girls, doesn't that beat the guy with the Abercrombie abs ALL DAY LONG!! So far, he's connected a light kit to my ceiling fan, hooked up my new HD tv and VCR, checked and replaced my air filters (without asking), fixed the hose on my washing machine, and oiled my garage door. And that's just a sample. Now that's hot. Super hot.
Fixes like that in my world typically get placed on hold indefinitely, or I end up overspending on a Handy Bob housecall. Definitely one of the drags of being a single, working mom. Sure, I could have lived without a ceiling fan light, or gone a little while longer on my filters. But how nice, to have the icemaker that never worked right, now working like a charm (true story, and Fix #1).
BTW, don't get me started on his kitchen utensils. I'll save that for another day.

It’s all in the icing

Every year my girlfriends and I get together for an annual holiday cookie exchange. Basically, it’s an excuse for us to get together, eat, drink and be merry! You never know the conversations that will be had around a table of 10 women, especially after a few festive cocktails, but this year’s party took the cookie (yes, pun intended).

While the actual “cookie decorating” part of the cookie party is typically my least favorite part, the conversations around the decorating table kept me more than entertained. Conversations spanned the grid from the usual kids, husbands, families, etc. to the not-so-typically-covered bad kissers and naughty comments about the sugar cookie icing, particularly the “white” icing. Ahahaha!

The bad kisser conversations really got me thinking though…can you really have a relationship with a bad kisser? The overwhelming answer from the group, NO, and I agree. One friend even went as far as to say she’d take a good kisser over a really hot guy.

No doubt we’ve all experienced a bad kiss or two in our lives, but the good ones more than make up for it. Cherish those moments and the person those kisses come from. And if you're lucky enough to still be with that great kisser, find some mistletoe my friend – tis the season! Whether it’s a first kiss or the 1,245, 976 kiss, if it’s a good one, it’s like the icing on the cookie!