Bonjour, October!

Can you believe it's already October? I've said it before, and i'll say it again - 2009 is FLYING by at an almost terrifying speed. My one-year anniversary with the firm is in a few days - crazy!!

I love October for a number of reasons (the start of Fall, <100tres long time. As a kid, I adored Halloween. I mean dressing up in fun costumes and eating obscene amounts of candy? What's not to love?? But Halloween becomes something else entirely once you're of the post-trick or treating but pre-baby age. In short, it becomes Slut Fest 2000 whatever, as evidenced by the majorly ho-ed out girls at college campuses across the nation (or at least at UT). I admit, I'm guilty of it, too. My costume first year of law school was appalling (i went as a pussycat doll, as in the pre-singing group stage dancer. think corset, tiny bottoms, fishnets and TONS of makeup.).

Somewhere in late 2007, much to my mother's relief, I wised up and realized that slutty dressing for any occasion was a bad idea. (Seriously, I can't believe some of the stuff I wore to go bar-hopping... ew.) So now Halloween is just Halloween. I typically gorge myself with mini Snickers and candy corn and do something lame like stay in. Last year I dressed Lola up in a pumpkin t-shirt (sooo cute), and that was the extent of my Halloween festivities. This year I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I promise you this, I will not be walking the streets of downtown Austin. It's downright scary the things you can see...

Anyway, all that to say that it's October, and I'm not really into Halloween, BUT I am into goal-setting! My September wasn't that great on the goals front so i'm hoping to vamp up October. Let's revisit them, shall we?

September Goals:

~ Improve/reduce dining out spending - Yeah, not so much. I mean they didn't get worse, but they didn't get much better either.

~ Love my body as it is RIGHT NOW, not 5 years ago or sans 30 lbs, etc. Semi-success! Admittedly there were some low moments in front of the mirror, but I overcame them with a different attitude than before. This is a work-in-progress, my friends.

~ Finish book club books before book clubs meet (The Lovely Bones and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society). Yes! I loved TGLPPS (way too long of a name). I didn't read The Lovely Bones, but I've read it before so whatevs.

~ Create and stick to my Balancing Rules, aka the rules I have implemented in order to maintain balance in my life. As a dear friend said, I. Come. First. YES! And when work overwhelmed me, I canceled any and every obligation to ensure I could meet my deadline and maintain my sanity. Best. idea. ever.

~ Work on my morning ritual. Uh huh yeah absolute FAIL.

~ And most importantly, DO NOT FEEL GUILTY! Definite improvement, but another work-in-progress.

Okay I guess I didn't do too badly. But moving on...

October Goals

1. Stop swearing - i've been swearing like a sailor these days, and it's awful! I think it's so unclassy and crude, but for some reason the words keep popping out of my mouth, even in passing. Must stop.

2. Re-implement 11 p.m. lights out rule. I've been staying up soo late the past couple weeks! I blame the TV, which leads to me to my next goal...

3. Stop mindless channel surfing. The curse of free cable is that i'm so terrified it'll go away that i keep it on ALL the time. This inevitably leads to a late bedtime and a drastic decrease in productivity. From now on, i will watch my fave shows and that's IT!

4. Find balance. I'm struggling a great deal with finding balance. I let myself get so overwhelmed and stressed by certain work projects that the rest of my life suffers. A lot. Must remember that i have control and can maintain my sanity by finding balance amidst the chaos.

5. Work. Out. I've been majorly slacking in this area, and it should be a priority. I went to yoga for the first time in awhile on Monday, and i've never felt better (despite my soreness - ouch). My running class starts Oct. 12 and meets every Monday night and Saturday morning. I know me, and I know I'll want to skip so I'm making it a goal of mine to stick with it!

6. And last, but certainly not least, focus on MOI. I mentioned before that I'm working on being obsessed with myself. I'm not sure how else to describe this phenomenon except to say that i have a history of becoming infatuated with others (from celebrities to fellow bloggers to yes, Rachel Zoe). I realize that my obsessions tend to breed when something in my life isn't going so well. In other words, I become obsessed with their lives in order to escape mine. Most of the time the obsessions are harmless and fun, BUT I no longer want to escape my life. I want to live it, enjoy it, revel in it! Me and my life? We're pretty fabulous, too.

So tell me, dear friends. What are your October goals?