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one down, fifty-one to go! my 2016, its looking to be a good one. we came back from our two week christmas break from work refreshed and ready to rock and roll at logo. seriously, i still can't believe i get to work where i work. every day is a gift and a blessing.

we celebrated my dad's birthday on the 6th. dear old dad, he has set such high standards for any male that may come into my life. sorry not sorry. another year older, another year wiser they say!

so whats on the calendar for 2016? i am excited for the year. its my first full year out of school and living away (yes, my parents are 40 minutes down the road but still). its my year. its 52 weeks of me. i have a feeling about 2016 - if it hasn't already fallen into place, it will. so what is actually on my list for 2016? come 12 months from now, i hope to have this list crossed off.

1. take painting classes 
2. work on my brush script and calligraphy 
3. my first trade show in houston
4. new orleans trip
5. beach trip
6. new york city trip 
7. spontaneity 
8. read more 
9. relax more
10. send snail mail 
11. keep family as #1 
12. try something new that scares me 
13. know the number on the scale doesn't mean everything
14. stay healthy 
15. eat right
16. love right
17. live right 
18. know this list isn't definitive 

some things i won't be able to really measure at the end of the year. was i spontaneous? did i relax more. i hope to live this year so that i can look back in december at the past twelve months and feel like i am able to cross off everything on the list now and what i hope to add as the year goes on. i know everyone makes their new years resolutions and unfortunately, myself included, those resolutions fall by the wayside. this year though, i hope that i can stay on track. 

and now without further ado (and the end of my rambling), here's to fifty one weeks of the claire with red hair. 

xoxo,

clp

2015 rewind

where did 2015 go? it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating its beginning. now, after 12 months that went by as if someone pressed the fast forward button, we are getting ready to press play on 2016.

i know that the second half of 2015 came with much fewer blog posts. unfortunately, theclairewithredhair was put on pause a few times because of the transition from being a full-time student to being a nine-to-fiver. 2015 was a busy year and sometimes i wonder what i was doing the kept me running around so much. but looking back at 2015, i see that i had quite the year, one that i wouldn't change a thing about. so, without further ado, let's rewind 2015.

mountains and coastal trips

many lasts at UT

graduation and a real job

island hopping in hawaii

a new zip code and a new car 

 

old and new friends

dress-up and 23 candles 

honestly, those pictures don't really do 2015 justice. from january to december, its been a big year. one word to describe it: change. i graduated from UT, started a job in franklin that i absolutely love, and had many lasts as and undergrad and many firsts as a young woman in the real world. 2015, you were fun, you were surprising, you were difficult, you were happy, you were sad. you were lessons learned and you were obstacles overcome. you've been the best year yet, but 2015, its time to say goodbye.

2016, i can't wait to see what you have in store for me. 2016, hello.

xoxo,
clp

happy new year

i am starting 2015 right: a traditional new years lunch (pork, greens, baked tomatoes, black eyed peas and cornbread), a low-impact workout, family time, gilmore girls and friends on netflix and pajamas. i feel like i have been going nonstop since i got home for christmas break, all due to my constant need to not sit still. when will i ever learn to relax? maybe that is what i should resolve to do in 2015...

anyway, this past week i have been spending my days at LEONA and i love it there! if you haven't stopped by to shop the bi-annual end of season sale, you should. the spring collection coming out is amazing and will be hitting stores soon. come see me tomorrow and saturday on 12 south! on tuesday, we all went to nashville for the day! we ate lunch at the local taco, a place i had read about and recommended to us by my uncle! with three locations in nashville, it is a lovely little taco shop, with some of the best guacamole i have ever had in a restaurant! everything is fresh and local and i loved my "monster veggie bowl". it is definitely a great place for lunch!

i am a stay at home girl for new years eve. i would love to do the downtown nashville scene, but i am such a wimp when it comes to the cold! maybe one year i'll layer up and see the music note drop in person! last night we did our annual cheese fondue, cheese and charcuterie board and then chocolate fondue for dessert! it has been a tradition that mom, dad and i have done for a few years now and i love it! i was also asleep on the floor by the fire by about 10 PM so needless to say i celebrated the new year in my dreams.

i hope everyone has had a safe and happy holiday season. i am sad to see the holiday season come to an end, but am ready to get back into a routine.

cheers to a happy and healthy 2015 full of family, friends, adventure, travel, sparkle, laughter and love. dream big and work hard.

(picture credit: levo league)

xoxo,
clp

january to december 2014

is anyone else in a post-christmas daze? from the cooking to the eating to church to the laughing to the running around, christmas was a bit of a blur, but i couldn't have asked for it any other way. santa came by and was very good to me, he really outdoes himself year after year. i have eaten more than i needed to, but i guess that is part of the holidays. reigning myself back in is proving to be a challenge, but i know with a little discipline and routine, i will be back on track (especially with the help of my new Misfit fitness tracker - obsessed)!

with the christmas season coming to an end, another year comes to an end. 2014 has many things: a happy, sad, challenging and rewarding. i feel that i kept up with my resolutions from last january fairly well: i am now at a much healthier weight and still eat healthy, i have made myself more social (which i am still working on), i read more, i traveled as much as i could, i relaxed a little (still working on that too) and i have worked towards my future. i know many have noticed a change in me, and i have as well. i am still on cloud nine since my summer in nashville, and am the happiest i think i have ever been. i look better than i did a year and a half ago as well, though i will always struggle with my diet and body image, but that is something i am able to admit to. i have found friends that i know i will keep forever, through all the post-graduation unknown that will soon ensue. i have a strong relationship with my family that i am thankful for.

instead of posting a "claire's year" on Facebook as many others have done, i chose to share some of my favorite moments from 2014 below. they are some of my favorite memories from this year, with my favorite people (and in some fabulous clothes!).

SPRING BREAK CRUISE WITH MY MOM 

MEETING THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR HOUSEHOLD, STELLA

ATTENDING THE WEDDING OF MY SORORITY SISTER THIS SUMMER 

THE LOVELY LEONA CLOTHES

MY HAPPY PLACE ON 12 SOUTH

TWO OF THE BEST ROOMMATES FROM SUMMER

SUMMER ADVENTURES AND TRADITIONS

QUICK TRIP TO CHARLESTON

NASHVILLE BECOMING HOME 

FOOTBALL WEEKENDS WITH FRIENDS

MY BEST GIRLS

CHRISTMAS EVE

so what is ahead for 2015? my last semester at UT (given all things go as planned), a weekend in asheville, a part-time job to finance my shopping problem, barre3 and workouts, a girls trip with my mom and grandmother to florida for spring break, graduation, hawaii, maybe a trip to new york, and fingers crossed, a job. i'm looking forward to what 2015 has in store, i think it may just the year of the claire with red hair. 

xoxo,

clp

happy 2014! & a recipe

2014 is here! i celebrated mine with my parents at home in front of the fire and my ankle in a brace (thanks to me missing a step a few nights ago - if a sprained ankle hurts this bad, i can't even imagine a broken one).! i know that doesn't sound like the usual 21-year-old NYE, but i'm not exactly the typical 21-year-old when it comes to partying...

to ring in the new year, last night we had authentic chicken tamales, homemade guacamole and salsa with sliced veggies (i cut up jicama and bell peppers to use instead of chips... saves both carbs and calories!). we then had our annual chocolate fondue as a NYE treat, complete with cubed angel food cake, pineapple and strawberries! (back to healthy eating tomorrow, right!?) NYE has never been a favorite holiday of mine so i may have been asleep before it actually struck midnight here, but i did ring in the new year with NYC... this old woman couldn't keep her eyes open another minute! nonetheless, it was the perfect way to end 2013 and to welcome 2014!

i don't totally understand the concept of new year's resolutions because i think if you want to make a change or start something new, you shouldn't have to wait until January 1st to do so. however, i am jumping on the resolution train and making a few. in 2014, i resolve to:

1. continue "documenting" my life by taking pictures more
2. continue to eat healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight
3. relax a little & stress less 
4. socialize more 
5. travel more 
6. read more
7. work towards achieving my career goals 
8. stay organized and purge the unnecessary 
9. step outside my comfort zone 
10. just be happy

it may be a cliché, generalized list of resolutions but i think they are good starts to living the life i want to live. 

tonight for supper we are feasting on traditional new year's foods for good luck in the new year. we always make a big new years day supper and my grandparents come over to munch on the good luck with us! our menu this year includes:

• pork tenderloin, so that we can embrace the challenges and adventures that await us 
• black eyed peas, to bring prosperity  
• greens, to bring wealth (recipe below) 
• cornbread, also to bring prosperity 
• baked squash casserole, just because we like it

new year's day greens

6 Canadian bacon slices, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 16 0z package fresh greens of choice (turnip, mustard, collard or mixed)
1 12 oz. can light beer
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp butter spread
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

1. sauté onion and bacon in large dutch oven over medium-high heat until onion is tender.
2. add greens in batches and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted. 
3. stir in beer and bring to a boil.
4. reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes. stir in remaining ingredients. 

(recipe courtesy of Southern Living)

here's to more happiness, more smiles, more sparkle, more laughter and more love. happy 2014 y'all.

xoxo,

clp 

2013 rewind

just like everyone else is saying, 2013 flew by. it seems like yesterday i saying hello 2013 and now i am bidding it goodbye. 2013, as with many years, was memory filled and year full of both changes and traditions. there were many firsts and many lasts, many laughs and many tears. there were losses and wins...

one of my 2013 resolutions was the "document my life more." i bought a new camera last year for my birthday so it was the perfect opportunity. i feel like i have done a decent job, but i am going to try to do even better in 2014. 2013 was a year i will always remember because it holds some of my favorite memories. so, without any further ado, here is theclairewithredhair's 2013 rewind in pictures...

2013 utk winter family weekend in the neyland skyboxes

my little cousin caroline and i at the American Girl Place

new york city with my mama (favorite thing about 2013!) 

my beautiful pledge class 

memphis with my older cousin and brother

annual braves game trip

summer days by the pool with the girls 

5k #1

blake shelton concert

ut at alabama with my best friends 

predators game 

5k #2 with one of my BFFs, megan 

and christmas eve to finish off the year!

its safe to say that i am a lucky girl. my 2013 was nothing short of fantastic and i am thankful i got to do everything i did. from CMA fest to fall saturdays spent in neyland stadium, i got to do more in one year than many people do in five... we lost my grandfather this year and he has been greatly missed by all, but we know he is in a better place. my parents celebrated 25 years together with their dream trip to europe. i fell more in love with my sorority and realized how big of an impact that greek organizations have not only on individuals but also to communities. i figured out what i wanted to do in life and at school. i grew closer to my friends and found girls who can accept me for who i am. i became closer to my family and am thankful that my mom is my best friend, i am just like my dad, and that i have a close relationship with my older brother. i believe that this year was good to me. with that, here's to 2013 - i bid it farewell, with hopes for an even better 2014. happy 2014 everybody! 

xoxo,

clp