Well, here it is. My 365th entry on Naked Thanks. You, my dear readers, are the recipients of today’s note, and I hope you understand how much I appreciate your reading this blog.
Truth be told, I’ve never done anything every day for a year. Well, except maybe wipe my ass and brush my teeth. And some days, not even that (I mean, brushing my teeth…I always wipe my ass). But in all seriousness, I’ve LOVED doing this gratitude blog. Finding some little (or big) thing every day for which I am appreciative has been something that I’ve throroughly enjoyed. Plus, I think it’s made me grow as a person.
Going forward, I’ll still be posting to Naked Thanks, I’m sure, but definitely not as often. I’m going to try to put up pictures and snippets here and there, and I’m sure I’ll continue my thank-you writing for the rest of my life, but with a new baby, I just don’t think I could manage forming a coherent sentence, let alone writing, scanning, and posting these entries any longer. I mean, geez, I can barely write with any semblance of grammar or readability now, so with a new infant, fat chance! So truly, the timing on this blog couldn’t have worked out better. It ends and just mere hours later I have a baby popped out of my belly. You’d think that was planned, but it wasn’t.
So, I’m me signing off! NAKED THANKS, everyone, for reading my drivel for the last 365 days.
XO
Stacey
This is how I'll remember this year: having a gut and some serious FUN with my wild little boy in tow. BYE!
Isn’t it nuts how time really does fly? How is it mid-November already? It seems like just yesterday, Karin and I were chatting over sushi in the summer of ‘09 about how we wanted to start a daily blog together. I wasn’t pregnant, had no plans to move any time soon, and actually, wasn’t even writing at all at the time. Now, just 14 months later, I’m about to have a baby, an official Delawarean, and a magazine columnist. Plus, our year-long blog is mere DAYS from being completed! How did that happen? Isn’t it crazy how much can change in one year?
I am so happy Karin and I decided to partner together for Naked Thanks. Just knowing I’d let her down if I decided to skip writing my note for the day made me motivated to make it to 365 entries. And even though Karin couldn’t publish her final entries due to a conflict with her new job, just seeing her unpublished notes on the back end of this blog made me want to continue with it. Because honestly, sometimes, at 1AM after a long day, taking an hour to come up with a reason to be grateful was kinda hard. At least harder than I initially thought.
Plus, as much as Karin and I are alike, we’re also so different. Whereas I think sometimes I let my nerves get in the way of living my life (uh, my fear of flying, my worry about leaving Ollie with a sitter, my anxiety about meeting a totally irrational premature death), Karin is honestly the master of living in the now. Whereas I’d be about as likely to climb Mount Everest as I would be to eat a piece of candied cow shit, Karin did it of her own accord, under no duress or offer of large amounts of money.
Then there’s the fact that I always have the intention of doing something, but never actually do it. For example, I think I’ve signed up for ten marathons now but never run in one. Karin, on the other hand, is almost ready to complete her fourth real marathon! She’ll get out and run fourteen miles on a rainy day when I’m too lazy to even get up to brush my teeth. That alone has been a lesson in perseverance for me, but add to that the fact that she’s a carreer-driven go-getter and, well, frankly, I’ve found it very inspiring. I think my tendency would have been to settle down, have kids, and almost let my career dreams fly out the window, but seeing her work her way into a dream job at a national newspaper has been a good example for me. It’s made me realize that motherhood doesn’t mean I have to give up my life — or goals.
Going into the next year, I’m sure Karin and I will still talk all the time and continue this blog, though not in the same write-a-daily-thank-you kind of way, but I must say, I’m sad this project is coming to a close!
Good thing we did the photo shoot for the masthead BEFORE I was pregnant!
Speaking of labors and birthdays (ala my last few posts), I can’t believe Karin and I are celebrating our 9 month Naked Thanks Anniversary. AND, what’s even crazier, I can’t believe she’s had to stop publicly writing it. I’m sad, yes, that I will continue on solo with actually publishing these notes (like she said, she’s going to still do it, but privately), but I AM extremely happy for her because she landed a fantastic new gig.
I think it’s ironic that we’ve done the blog for almost nine months now. Naked thanks has come full term and, to be honest, seems to have taken on a life of its own. Writing my daily gratitude notes to everyone from the mailman to my plumber to my husband to the inventor of Q-tips has changed me.
Now in my life I find that I’m constantly thinking of things I am happy about — little bits and pieces of my existence that I find joy in or that bring a smile to my face. Not that I was super negative before; I’ve always appreciated the power of positive thinking, but I truly believe that due to this blog even more good things have happened to me. Even the fact that my second baby’s due date coincides almost perfectly with the year anniversary of the blog. I pretty much know for a fact that one of the best days of my life will serve as the culmination for this whole year-of-thanks goal. That’s uncanny, at least to me.
So, like I said, I am sad Karin can’t continue on this journey with me (at least publicly), but so so so grateful to her for being my partner in Naked Thanks. I am at least happy I can continue to read her posts from the secret back-end realm of the blogosphere…I can tell you that seeing her posts (like the one she uploaded today but didn’t publish) will be incentive for me to keep writing even when I’m sleep deprived or just plain lazy. And, hopefully, the rest of you find me at least mildly entertaining enough to keep reading the site. Fingers crossed…
Ah, pearls and naked note writing...thank, you Karin for founding this site with me!
It is with a really really really heavy heart that I write this entry. Due to professional reasons, this will be my last public thank you. Ugh, I want to shed a tear just writing that.
Wednesday I start a new job and as a lot of media companies have rules about personal blogs now, I will no longer be writing Naked Thanks publicly. I will of course continue to write my thank yous everyday, but I will have to do so in private for the last three months of our journey.
I can’t begin to explain how much I have loved writing this blog with Stacey and I’m not exaggerating when I say that writing my Naked Thanks every night is the best part of my day. Even when I’m exhausted and nodding off between paragraphs or in a horrid state of mind and in no mood to thank, putting pen to paper and thinking about who or what has made my day better has really changed the way I think.
It is easier to be pessimistic. Being thankful sometimes takes a little more work, but what a difference it makes. For me, the changes I have noticed thanks to writing Naked Thanks are that I really appreciate people more and am thankful to be loved. I think I’m also sweating the small stuff less and am more thankful for the little things. It’s those everyday niceties that change the tenor of my day.
Writing Naked Thanks has become as much a part of my day as eating dinner. And I love chatting with my friends and colleagues about my entries and hope that it has made them laugh a little and be thankful about the positive things in their lives. But of course, this is a journey to become a more thankful, happier person and I suppose having others read my thank yous should not be what makes me more thankful. But heck, it was part of the fun.
Stacey, thank you for being my Naked partner in crime. I couldn’t have embarked on this journey with anyone but you. Your vivacious positive attitude is always something I’ve admired and I know few people who can light up a room (or a webpage) like you. You’re also funny as hell and are really good at applying self-tanner.
To all of you who have read Naked Thanks over the last nine months, thank you all for following Stacey and I on this amazing journey. I know Stacey is hilarious enough to carry the site for the both of us for the last three months. She has always made me laugh till I fear wrinkles, which is exactly why I knew I would love writing NT with her.
Know that I’m still thanking everyday and will continue to do so in one way or another for the rest of my life. It’s been incredible, and I’m thankful thankful thankful to Stacey for keeping the ride going. NT4ever. Sniff.
Wow, this photo shoot seems like so long ago! Now we are 270 letters in and definitely more thankful for the little things.
This week, I’ll admit, while I’ve been up in Erie, I’ve been getting a tad lazy and thinking, “Aw, it’d be nice to skip writing a thank you note today.” I’m on vacation; I’ve been staying up late, sleeping in, and just acting generally careless. Consequently, writing thank yous hasn’t seemed so appealing.
But then I think of Karin, on vacation in Nepal and I imagine her scrawling notes into some mountain climbing manual with the burnt edge of a stick and I feel ashamed to be so lazy. Seriously, Karin is a die-hard thanker. I mean, I’m here in Erie PA and I find it hard to keep the routine of posting and she can do it while climbing the world’s tallest mountain? Uh, that’s kind of pathetic on my part. But really, if you’ve been reading this blog at all, you probably don’t think that’s so crazy. Because while I thank the makers of Cheez Balls Karin thanks her marathon running shoes. While I can be sloth-like and loafing, Karin is determined and persistent. Truly, we are opposite creatures in so many ways (but yet bonded together in friendship by things like a shared love for efficient hair removal and F. Scott Fitzgerald novels…you know, the important stuff).
When we started this blog almost 9 months ago we figured it was good that we were so opposite. I’m a mom, she’s a single gal. I’m blonde, she’s brunette. But we never really took into account that we’d learn so much from one another’s differences. Yet now, with only about three months to go on our year-long thanking goal, I’m realizing just seeing my thank yous so close to hers on a daily basis has definitely enhanced me as a person because it forces me to compare myself (and life) with hers.
So maybe it’s as little a change as not reaching into the chip bag to devour that last handful of salt and vinegars after reading a post about her running 21 miles. Or it could be something as simple as me deciding to shave my legs and dress myself in something other than sweatpants after reading about an extra glamorous gala or fashion shoot she attended. Whatever the small change, this blog has been a great experience even just to look at someone’s life outside my own and compare mine too– something for which I’m very grateful (the main point of this blog!).
It’s amazing how dependent Stacey and I have become on WiFi with our blog. Since we started, we have never not had our posts up by the wee hours of the morning and part of me always fears my WiFi exploding at 2 a.m. and having to post later in the day. Luckily, like the tech savvy girl I am not, I scouted out all the places in my house where I can pick up someone else’s signal and at what time.
I know that between the hours of midnight and four a.m. I can randomly get on one of my neighbor’s signals from the edge of my dining room or near the back window in my bedroom. Sometimes it just seems easier to drive around the neighborhood at midnight until I can pick up a signal or just sneak into my neighbor’s yard in my pyjamas and blog from their hedges than calling for help.
So I really have to hand it to Stacey for being able to blog on time and so wittily from her life on the road. When Stacey and I first worked together at Bisnow on Business, I was always so impressed by what a doer she was. She could write five articles a day, photograph power-hungry realtors, be a great wife and a fabulous friend all while nine months pregnant. So what’s a little blogging from the side of the road every now and again?
Thanks to Stacey for keeping the dream alive while in house limbo. I’m so sad that she’s leaving DC, but of course thrilled for her new life of beach living and nautical-inspired ensembles. Bon voyage!
Here we are at Gold Cup this year. I'm going to miss Stacey soooo much! Waaaaah!
Ahhh, the WiFi steal. It has definitely saved me a few times when my WiFi was down and I just couldn't stomach a call to India at 3 a.m.
Good thing Karin remembered (albeit a day late) that the 14th was the six month anniversary of Naked Thanks! I totally forgot until I saw it posted on our Facebook page. Oops. Shows you how this whole sleep deprivation thing is getting to me…yeah — I still haven’t really slept (baaaah). But I digress…
I’m very thankful to have started this blog with Karin. Truth be told, setting aside time every day to take stock of something I am thankful for has been really beneficial for me. You might laugh, but I feel like it generates positive energy which brings me good luck. Not to sound all “The Secret” on you, but I think focusing on something happy every day helps bring more happiness my way. Yeah — I know, cheesy and new age sounding, but it’s the truth.
Plus, I love living vicariously through Karin’s posts and thank yous. Since I’m taking care of Ollie (not to mention brewing another baby), it’s fun to read about Karin’s single gal in the city stories. And hopefully our posts balance one another’s out; I’m sure you’d all abandon our blog if you were forced to read about my world of nipple balm, Elmo, and raw BisQuik cravings exclusively.
So (naked) thanks to Karin and thanks to all of you for reading our little blog for the past half a year!
Today I ate a grasshopper. It was dead and cooked and even seasoned, but it was still a grasshopper. I was trying really hard to be the weenie who didn’t eat it, but when every other journalist on the trip consented, I went for it too. Our tour guide gave me a second one for good measure but I slipped it in my purse when everyone had their eyes closed so as not to see the winged creatures go down their traps. Now I have a seasoned dead grasshopper in my purse that I don’t want to touch, but better than in my stomach!
Though very memorable, eating bugs was not all I did today. I also went to Frida Kahlo’s house, which was absolutely amazing. It’s this electric blue sanctuary of art and love and eccentricity. I saw a family celebrating their daughter’s Quinceañera. I went to the spa and had a hot stone massage. And I ate more food than anyone should eat in a week. Then to top it all off, I ate another animal that dwells in the ground. This time it was a worm in the form of worm salt which I licked off my hand before I shot tequila and mescal during dinner. A day of fun and vermin.
Tomorrow we head to Punta Mita and I am so excited to put my body slathered in SPF1oo on a beach. This trip has been so relaxing and I am thankful thankful thankful to be on it. And speaking of appreciation, it’s our belated anniversary for six months of Naked Thanks!! I have loved writing our blog and I can’t think of anyone else I would rather do it with than Stacey. I immediately loved working with Stacey way back when we met in 2007 and I’ve learned so much from her in the past six months. If you fear getting married or having children, just watch Stacey for a few minutes and you too will believe. She’s the coolest, chillest, most fun wife and mom and it has really helped quell my extreme fear of growing up. Thanks for being my partner in crime Stace, and thanks to all of you for reading. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it!
Jenn and Erin holding the grasshoppers looking really thrilled to eat them.
Erin downing the bugs. She was amazing. She actually ate several while I hid them in my purse. But then tonight she had to leave dinner early because she was a bit sick, so maybe a bug binge isn't the best idea.
Frida Kahlo's gorgeous house. The whole thing is painted bright blue with yellow floors.
We visited the first church the Spanish built in Mexico City and this girl was having her Quinceañera. Considering the closest I have gotten to a Quinceañera was when someone's sister had one on the L Word, I thought this was rather cool. I would have loved this at 15 except that I would have forced my mom to tie-dye my dress.
I think I’m still a tad tipsy writing this. It makes perfect sense considering I have been drinking for eight hours straight in the hot sun. But it’s all just part of Gold Cup! An ode to horses, booze, big hats and men in pink.
This year, Washington Life sponsored a tent along with Becky’s Fund, a non-profit to combat domestic violence, founded by Survivor star Becky Lee. And man did we pack it in. The Washington Life gals in their horse racing finery took full advantage of the open bar and knocked em back while our men in pastels talked about genteel things like funneling beer. It was also great to have Craig and Grey meet after six months of Stacey and I blogging.
I’ve always loved Gold Cup and have spent the past few years walking around member’s hill analyzing everyone’s finery, but I must say, this was a real choice year for clothing. I saw hats covered in a dozen plastic horses, pants with five different kinds of crustaceans on them, and dresses that would look amazing on a five-year-old. But I must say, our little crew was very dapper. And I am especially thankful to Vineyard Vines for being the depot for all this sartorial splendor!
After Gold Cup ended, our Associate Publisher John Arundel, kindly invited the four of us to his family’s beautiful house which is high on a hill and overlooks the rolling hills of the Plains. It was a gorgeous way to unwind and watch the Kentucky Derby and the poor rain-soaked folks in Louisville while we got to stay dry in good ol’ VA. Next up, fall gold cup and all the tweed and houndstooth that goes with it.
The women of Washington Life in their horse racing finery. Nothing like 90 degree heat and a lot of liquor!
The significant others of the women of Washington Life! Oh how I love a pastel on a man.
Stacey and I decided to head to IKEA this weekend. To buy what? Well I needed a frame for a 20 x 30 inch photo that I ordered drunk and we were craving some Swedish cafeteria food. So off we went to the land of plenty. I have always loved that IKEA is incredibly affordable and most of their wares are pretty chic considering the cost. But I also love that you can try out absolutely everything in the store. They would probably let you have sex on the beds or prepare Thanksgiving dinner in their model kitchens if it really came down to that.
Our impromptu visit to IKEA started out innocently enough. We spied a canopy bed, a creation I just adore, so we decided to innocently snap a photo while reclining like concubines on it. Then we found the perfect kitchen and started photographing ourselves mock making casseroles. Then it was the sewing room, the study, and the bathroom. Oh the joy that was had in there. And that’s the fun with IKEA, you can manhandle all their wares until you decide that the $49.99 won’t break the bank.
I decided I needed a hammock while there, which I can’t wait to force Craig to nail to a tree. Did I go in needing a hammock? Of course not. But it’s IKEA! Everything has fun Swedish names and they sell hotdogs. It’s impossible to leave empty handed (or to refrain from taking pictures of yourself dressed as a green terry cloth alien – see below).
Stacey “cooking” up a storm in the kitchen.
An homage to my love of canopy beds. Though this might seem a bit much for a store, there were entire families cozied into some of the sample beds.
Stacey testing out the model bathroom. The Swedes, they're just so hospitable.
I don't actually think the staff would have minded if we showered in the store. They're ever so hospitable at IKEA.
And the greatest section of all - Kiddie land! We found these matching towels complete with critter hood rather fetching.
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