A red wine winter sangria with brandy, orange liqueur, citrus, apples, pears, and pomegranate arils.
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Winter Sangria with Pears & Pomegranate
Tag: new years
Thyme French 75
The thyme simple syrup in this French 75 perfectly compliments the floral notes from the gin and the fruitiness of the champagne.
New Years House Party
2016 is over!!! Can we all just breathe a sigh of relief, already? From what I’ve seen & heard, it seems as if 2016 was a difficult year for a lot of us, soooo…solidarity and all that jazz. While 2016 was pretty rough, I’m so excited for everything that will happen this year! Some things to look forward to:
- Spring Break trip!!!
- Graduation!!!
- Europe!!!
- New career (???)
- Probably tons of things I don’t even realize are going to happen yet!
Seriously, 2017 should be pretty amazing! Although I realize not all of my problems will be thrown out with my 2016 calendar, it does at least feel like an opportunity to take control and make this year much better than the last. I’m especially looking forward to improving my mental health and taking some risks in my life! I definitely don’t always choose the riskier option, but I’m hoping to step out of my comfort zone and see where it takes me.
I’m also beyond grateful for all of the positive people and events that helped make my year brighter: my new job, friends & family, therapy, continuously learning, and some self-love helped me through my difficult moments and made me stronger! Mental health illness can be a bitch, but I feel so very lucky to have a strong support system!
I will be spending this New Years with some close friends eating good food (of course), and venturing the downtown crowds for the 2017 count down! Since New Years is always for celebrating, I put on one of my favorite 1920s-inspired party dresses, shook last-night’s curls out of my hair, and threw on some red lipstick. Every time I wear this dress, my situation goes something along these lines:
Stranger: “I love your costume!”
Me *on the outside*: “Thank you so much!”
Me *on the inside*: “Actually I just dress like this all the time!”
It’s always a good laugh between me and my friends, but I love when people notice my unique outfits! Talking about vintage, thrifted fashion is one of my favorite things to do (;
I hope your night is filled with messy hair, cheap champagne, and some wonderful people! Have a beautiful 2017 filled with love and adventure!
And as for you, 2016, tonight I’m dancing on your grave.
XO Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: What Are You Doing New Years Eve? by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Zen and Polka Dots
Ten days later, and I’m finally writing my New Year’s post. I had intentions of doing this long ago (like 10 days ago for instance), but I got busy with family and traveling and now here we are.
Like every other blogger on the internet, I’m here to tell you all about my New Year’s resolutions, or rather, my version of New Year’s resolutions. Instead of writing out a whole list of things that I’m going to do in order to “improve” myself, I’ve decided to pick out one word that I will focus on, and work toward integrating that word into my life as much as possible. The word is a goal, but it is also a type of lifestyle that I would like to work toward.
And while my word (at the moment) should *probably* be procrastination, I’m actually choosing the word “zen”. Zen is thrown around a lot on the internet to the point that it has become slang more than anything. There are also a million and one definitions for “zen” online, meaning I have a lot to work on. However, my favorite definition is the Sanskrit version, which means “to see, to observe, to look”. To me, this means simply living in the moment, observing my surroundings, and not worrying about things that I cannot change.
I personally could use some zen in my life, for multiple reasons, but mostly for the vast changes that will occur this year—and also because I have anxiety issues that could be worked on. While I know that I cannot change the inner workings of my brain and make myself not anxious, I know that I can do my very best to manage. For me, this begins with living in the now, leaving the past in the past, and not worrying about inevitable changes in the future.
To help create more zen in my life, I plan on singing more, playing piano more, drawing, painting, writing down my goals, making more pour overs, and taking time for myself whether that be a day trip to Tahoe with my friends or writing a new song. So far, my year has included looking for a new job that aligns with my current goals, changing my hair, and listening to Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey on repeat.
My hope is that by choosing a word to focus on, I will not limit myself to one or five or ten goals, but let myself have limitless goals that will help better myself as a person and make me overall happier. The method seems more foolproof and affects my life more than specific goals.
If we’re being honest, I’m getting pretty anxious talking about the changes taking place in my life right now, but I’m also very excited for what these changes will bring. Right now, my goal is to not worry about these changes, but embrace them. So far this year has been truly amazing; I know that it will get more difficult, that there will be ups and downs, that I will have to adjust and change and grow, but I look forward to what is to come.
Feel free to tell me your goals, thoughts, words to live by, aspirations…
Thanks to Zia Records and my brother, Garrett, for the pictures.
*Song of the Day: Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison*