What's Your New Year's Resolution?

Happy New Year's Eve, friends! When I was younger, I had the same ritual every single year. I'd sit down on December 31, open my journal and write...

My plans for the New Year

My resolutions were usually the same, or variations of the same ones: exercise more, be more outgoing, tell [insert boy's name] how I feel about him.

But you know what? I'm not doing that this year. Honestly, I could name a handfull of things I'd like to do (like become a songwriter, for example), but really, the only thing I really want - deeply and truly want - is to be happy. With or without any sort of romance to speak of. I want to be happy with myself. I want to be happy with my life. I want to do things that make me happy. I want to make those I love happy.

This is the year I'm going to be myself. I'm going to be who I am (a little quirky, of course), and not care what anyone else thinks. So many people try to be someone they're not, and if I've learned anything over this last year, it's that you have to be who you are, no matter what. In life, in love, in your career. Being anyone else is just letting yourself down. Why wouldn't you want to show off all the awesomeness that is you?

Oh, and I'd also like to smile and laugh. A lot.

Period.

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? What are yours?

[Photo via Audrey Hepburn Complex]

Letters To My Future Husband: Letter #63

Dear Mr. Melissa Blake:

Happy New Year's Eve, Sweetpea. I'm about to ring in a new year and new decade back here in 2010, and wishing I could hold you in my arms and kiss you when that big ball drops at midnight (well, that's assuming I can stay awake until then...you'll come to know, dear, that I don't have the best track record. The last time I stayed up to shout HAPPY NEW YEAR at midnight was 1999).

But then this morning, I came across this poem that reminded me of you. I know it doesn't make up for ringing in the new decade together, but wherever you are right now, I hope you're smiling and happy. That's all I ever want for you. I love you; does that sound creepy? Until we meet...

I dream of you sometimes
Yearning for your image to exist outside my mind
Hoping that it will only be a matter of time
Before we meet and allow our eyes to speak
Knowing more than what our eyes can see
Patiently waiting to begin our destiny
This is where my soul will lead
Letting go of the thoughts of your physique
So that I can see through
Wanting to explore
Deep into the truth
Knowing that you are because he already knew
That I was the rib to fit inside of you
No other will ever do
See we never had to choose
He never asked us to
He just wanted us to trust and believe
That I'm for you and you're for me
I'm just waiting for this to be
A sudden sigh
As I drift off to sleep
Dwelling in my unconscious mind
I dream of you sometimes…

[Photos via Audrey Hepburn Complex]

Decade Love: The '00s.

I sort of feel a little sorry for this decade. After all, it had a lot to live up after all the Y2K hoopla. I'm not sure it delivered on its promise, either. It was supposed to be the decade of the future, but I'm not sure it delivered.

Historical Milestones

*Y2K came and went without any major glitch.
*The 2000 Presidential Election took a twist with voting disputes in Florida.
*Hillary Rodham Clinton wins a seat for the United States Senate from New York. It is the first time a former FIrst Lady wins public office
*Terrorists attacked The World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001.
*The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan begin in 2003.
*After more than thirty years in suspense, the identity of Deep Throat, the contact for reporters Woodward and Bernstein in the uncovering of the Watergate scandal, is revealed when W. Mark Felt, the second in command at the CIA at the time, confirms that he was their contact.
*Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast, inundating the city of New Orleans with water from Lake Pontchetrain when the levees that maintain the below sea level city break.
*The first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Representative Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, California, is sworn into office.
*Barack Obama, Democratic Senator from Illinois, the land of Abraham Lincoln, wins a landslide margin in the Electoral College, 365 to 173 in the election for the 44th President of the USA over John McCain, making him the first African-American president in the history of the United States of America.
*The H1N1 virus, named the Swine Flu, is deemed a global pandemic by the World Health Organization.

Pop Culture, Fashion & Fads

*Technology continued to evolve with cell phones, iPods, Blackberrys, the Internet eco-friendly cars.
*New ways of communication include texts, sexts, blogs, Twitter, Myspace, Facebook.
*The nation gobbles up weekly celebrity magazines with a new zest.
*Some stars of the '90s (read: Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan) battle professional and personal demons.
*Stephen Colbert made politics a contact sport once again.
*Disney again becomes king with such hot sensations as High School Musical, Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers.
*Vampires become blood-red hot - Twilight, anyone?
*Reality TV becomes hot (The Bachelor) and over-the-top (Jon & Kate + Eight).
*Two words: Taylor Swift.

[Photos and info via America's Best History and Google Images]

Home Sweet Home.

Welcom back, friends! How was your holiday? After a long day of traveling and nearly falling asleep on the flight, I'm home from the sunny South. Gosh, I'm already missing life down there, but it feels so good to be home.

The only problem? How do you get back in the swing of things post-holiday? I know a jolt of caffeine always helps, but what else works for you?

I'm so looking forward to catching up on all your blogs in the next week and getting back into my "writing-mode" mentality. xoxo

[Photos via Oh Me, Oh My]

Decade Love: The '90s.

I might be biased (or maybe it's just because this is the first full decade I lived through and remember), but the '90s sure was a special time, wasn't it? I came of age during this decade. It was the decade that spawned the Digital Age. It was the decade that gave us a glimpse into a certain president's very, very private life. It was the decade that had us screaming over the revival of teen pop music. And it was the decade that had the nation brimming with fear over a little something called Y2K.

The '90s By The Numbers

*Population: 281,421,906 (2000 Census)
*Unemployment: 5.8 million, or 4.2% (Sept 99)
*National Debt: $5,413.l Million (1997)
*Average Salary: $13.37/hr (1999) | Teacher's Salary: $39,347 (1998)
*Minimum Wage: $5.15/hr (1997)
*Life Expectancy: Male 73.1 Female 79.1(1997)
*Auto Deaths: 49,772 (1997)

Historical Milestones

*The Americans With Disabilities Act, effective in July, 1990, began the decade on a positive note by protecting the rights of all Americans with physical or mental disabilities.
*The decade began with Sadam Husein's invasion of Kuwait and the resultant Gulf War.
*Big issues were health care, social security reform, and gun control - unresolved and debated during the whole decade.
*Violence and sex scandals dominated the media.
*In 1992 South-Central Los Angeles rioted after four white policemen were acquitted of video-taped assault charges for beating a black motorist, Rodney King.
*Americans were glued to their TV sets in 1995 as the football hero, O.J. Simpson, was tried for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her male friend, Ron Goldman.
*The shock of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19,1995.
*In the months between February 1996 and April 1999 there were at least fourteen incidents of school shootings with the most lethal being on April 20, 1999 when 14 students and 1 teacher were killed and 23 wounded at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

Pop Culture, Fashion & Fads

*For youth, the fashion of the decade began with Grunge on one hand and preppie on the other. Hip Hop style was popular.
*Boys' jeans have grown bigger and bigger, worn low on the hips, and girls are wearing bellbottoms and poor boy tops reminiscent of the 70s.
*Fads included Tae-bo, in-line skates, beanie babies, Furby, Tickle Me Elmo, Yo-yos, tattoos and body piercing, and the ubiquitous video games.
*Popular musical artists included Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Hootie & the Blowfish, Alanis Morrisette, Janet Jackson, Garth Brooks, Celine Dion and Madonna. The Spice Girls were a group created by the music industry for their diversity and sex appeal.
*For teens, it was all about *Nsync, the Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore.
*Television graced 98% of the households in the U.S. in 1998 (according to the Statistical Abstract chart 910, online p. 5) with the average viewer spending seven hours a day watching 'the tube.'

[Photos and info via American Cultural History and Google Images]

Would You Like To Advertise In 2010?

Would you like to advertise on So about what I said...? I am accepting sponsors/advertisers for the beginning of 2010 at the moment - January, February and/or March. I'm so excited to offer advertising opportunities to online shop owners, Etsy sellers, photographers, bloggers and designers. Ads are displayed and rotated weekly on the left sidebar.

Stats:

*Site: melissabxoxo.blogspot.com
*Founded on November 14, 2008
*Number of subscribers (via Feedburner and Google): 1,740
*Daily readers: 500 + unique IPs
*Weekly readers: 2,964
*Daily page views: 600
*Weekly page views: 3,964
*Number of visits in last 12 months: 123,700

I have an array of awesome readers who shop online regularly and are always looking for unique and beautiful items. My blog and ad rates are ideal venues for small businesses.

I'd also be willing to do a giveaway with some of your beautiful products.

Please email me for details at mellow1422 (at) aol (dot) com. Thank you so much, and I look forward to working with you!

Have a great day!

[Image designed by the wonderful Ez]

How I Feel (In 5 Photos) Wednesday.

"Men always want to be a woman's first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a man's last romance." --Oscar Wilde

[Photos via nothing is impossible]

Decade Love: The '80s.

Finally, friends, we're up to my decade. The decade of my birth. The decade of my formative childhood years. The decade of me. And quite fittingly, the '80s was the Me, Me, Me decade. The decade of excess. The decade of social- and career-climbing. The decade of...big hair and shoulder pads.

The '80s By The Numbers

*Population: 226,546,000
*National Debt: 1980 - $914,000,000,000
*National Debt: 1986 - $2,000,000,000,000
*Average salary: $15,757
*Life Expectancy: Male 69.9 Female 77.6
*Minimum Wage: $3.10
*BMW was $12,000; Mercedes 280 E was $14,800
*Attendance: Movies 20 million/week

Historical Milestones

*Science and technology soared to new heights as people began using pagers, cell phones, computers and video games.
*The Challenger space shuttled exploded 74 seconds after lift-off, killing all seven on board, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe.
*President (and former actor) Ronald Reagan introduced the world to Reagonomics. The stock market tripled in 7 years yet survived the 1987 crash
*Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman Supreme Court Justice.
*Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman presidential candidate, Jesse Jackson was the first black candidate.
*The two-earner family was even more common than in previous decades, more women earned college and advanced degrees, married, and had fewer children.
*A 1980 study by UCLA and American Council on Education indicated that college freshmen were more interested in status, power, and money than at any time during the past 15 years. Business Management was the most popular major.

Pop Culture, Fashion & Fads

*Eighties' mothers ran carpool after work, kids had after school and week end cheerleading, baseball, football, soccer, gym, dance, jazz, etc.
*Nerd's became a hot commodity in the 1980s. Who didn't fall in love with Cameron, Ferris Bueller's best friend and partner in crime?
*Teens ruled the scene (think Pretty in Pink, 16 Candles. The Breakfast Club). The Brat Pack was king.
*Collectibles were big in the 80s. Smurf and E.T. paraphernalia, Cabbage Patch dolls, camcorders, video games (Nintendo, Pac Man, Game Boy), Rubik's Cube, Teenage Mutant Nija Turtles, and Barbies (now Hispanic, Black, Asian) were big. New were discount air fares, lite foods, aerobics, minivans, talkshows, and Valley Girls (grody to the max).
*Power dressing was in. Anne Klein, Perry Ellis, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein were the top designers.
*The Flashdance look had young and old in tank tops, tight-fitting pants or torn jeans, and leg-warmers.
*Cable was born and MTV, orginally intended to be promos for albums, had an enormous impact on music and young people.
*VCR sales rose 72% in just 12 months.
*Everyone and their brother sat captivated trying to solve the Rubik's Cube.
*Care Bears, My Little Pony and Cabbage Patch Dolls were a girl's best friends. So were the girls from The Babysitter's Club and the twins from Sweet Valley High. So were Smurfs, PEZ and Hello Kitty.
*Girls the world over screamed for Bon Jovi, New Kids on the Block and Vanilla Ice.

[Photos and info via American Cultural History, Mable's and Like Totally '80s]

Tweet Cloud.

I don't know why on earth I am so darn addicted to Twitter. but I am, and I've decided it's best not to question a mild addiction such as this. Have you made yourself a Tweet cloud yet? OK, it may be hoky and cheesy, but I think mine came out pretty, don't you?

My top three most tweeted words were: blog, thanks, love.

What about you?

Tales From The Trenches: Tale #16

In anticipation of a new year (and new decade!), my mind has been overly focused on New Year's Eve for some reason this year. I've never had a main squeeze to kiss at midnight, so this week, can I live vicariously through you, friends?

*What's your most romantic New Year's memory.

*Did you kiss your love at midnight?

*Did you meet your love from across a crowded room?

Let's chat.

[Photo via Oh Me, Oh My and The English Muse]

Decade Love: The '70s.

Some call it the swinging '70s. Everyone was experiencing Disco Inferno and probably having a few seizures from the bright glow of that disco ball.



The '70s By The Numbers

*Population: 204,879,000
*Unemployed in 1970: 4,088,000
*National Debt: $382 billion
*Average salary: $7,564
*Food prices: milk, 33 cents a qt.; bread, 24 cents a loaf; round steak, $1.30 a pound
*Life Expectancy: Male, 67.1; Female, 74.8

Historical Milestones

*U.S. troops were withdrawn from Cambodia.
*Cigarette ads were banned from TV and radio.
*On May 4th, Ohio National Guard troops killed four students at Kent State University who were protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia.
*President Richard M. Nixon resigns following the Watergate scandal.
*The Apollo 13 crew returned to Earth following a harrowing mission in which they repaired their ship with duct tape following an oxygen tank explosion.
*The Army appointed the nation's first two female generals.

Pop Culture, Fashion & Fads

*David Cassidy and The Partridge Family become household names
*The Brady Bunch teaches a lesson in every episode
*Disco is all the rage
*Star Wars took everyone to another universe
*The Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac and other groups filled stadiums.
*Two words: Leisure suits.

[Info and photos via Archer and Stuck In The '70s]