goodbye 2007

I was in such a hurry to start a new year, so unlike me, that I didn't give 2007 a proper goodbye. I think I may have done that last year which bothers me because it's such a great opportunity to look back and be grateful for all that has happened and the changes you've made.

So here's to 2007. It was my best year yet.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Traveled to Europe, cruised around the Mediterranean for 13 days, lived with one outfit for 10 days, left my children for 16 days, and went to a photography workshop.



2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I kept many of them and am proud of myself for that. My favorite being my project a week which I will be doing again.



3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. My sister-in-law, my good friends Crystalyn, Dani, and Johanna, and many blog friends.



4. Did anyone close to you die?
No. Thank goodness for this one.



5. What countries did you visit?
Italy, Greece, France, Spain (more stop in than visit), Turkey.


6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
food storage

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 1st. The day of my controversial surgery that helped me feel like myself again.



8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year?
My marriage grew 200% this year. Adam and I came closer together than we have our 11 years of marriage. If I could define 2007 it would start and end with us. But something more just me...definitely letting go of my love and need for a mac.



9. What was your biggest failure?
Not living enough. Letting what other people think get in my way.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, however, I did have sleeping issues. Does that count?



11. What was the best thing you bought?
My passport and IKEA bookshelf




12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I'd have to say Adam's. He was a rock for me this year. Supported and loved me through my craziness and helped me find where it is I want to be.



13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Let's just say enough people.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Definitely target and costco and toward my projects.



15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Photography and Working on my projects



16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
First thought I'd have to say Bubbly by Colbie Caillat because every time my kids got in the car they would ask for it. For me it would be Gravity by Sara Bareillis.



17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
A. Happier.
B. I don't really know, but my clothes fit the same so I'm going to have to say the exact same.
C. Richer in more ways then one.



18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Spent more time with my girls, written more of my thoughts down, created more, and also I wish we had taken a real family vacation.



19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Being afraid and complaining

20. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Yes, with reading.


21. What was your favorite TV program?
30 Rock and So You Think You Can Dance.

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. Does anyone really actively hate?

23. What was the best book you read?
History of Love by Nicole Krauss



24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Fray

25. What did you want and get?
a best friend, happiness, and an iphone



26. What did you want and not get?
food storage, kids who eat, and a new lens

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
Becoming Jane.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31. My birthday was on a Sunday this year so I went shopping Saturday and then to dinner with Adam at Flemings that night. On Sunday I was spoiled by Adam and my girls (he helped them give me my favorite gift ever...their art framed) and I remember it being a lovely day at home.



29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I could have lived life fully everyday.



30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Same as always...Jeans and a t-shirt, though I did branch out a bit and bought some trendy new shirts.



31. What kept you sane? Family, photography, time with friends, blogging, and reading.

my favorite kind

It's one of those Saturdays. My favorite kind when there's not much going on and you get to decide the pace.

I guess the photos show what pace I'm at today.



I'm lying in bed enjoying my new past time, reading, which led to thinking. I have a project brewing in my head that deals with my word for the year. I'm five days behind, but hey I'm ok with that as long as I get started. I love it when inspirations strikes. I'll share once I'm up and going.

Happy Saturday :)

clothes and more clothes

I've been wanting to get up to my attic and go through all the kids clothes I have just sitting there wasting space. So when I woke up this morning, knowing I wouldn't be going anywhere because of my sick Megan, I decided today was the day to tackle the ever growing kids clothes (including my 7 years of girls and hand me downs from my sister's two girls). After working for 4 hours this morning I was able to create this



12 bags, yes, 12 bags full of clothes to take to the DI. Can you believe how much this is and it doesn't even include the two bags Adam took the other day of our own clothes.

I also created
* 2 boxes of clothes I want to keep for sentimental reasons
* 3 boxes of clothes that my kids can still use
* and a huge pile of clothes I think are good enough to sell.

Pretty much that is where my time has gone organizing the clothes I want to list on ebay and taking photos. All I can say is if I don't make some money I doubt I will be doing it again. This takes so much time (I'm already 4 hours in and I haven't even listed them yet) I think I might just rather give them away.

Megan came in while I was taking photos and asked what I was doing. When I told her she started crying and pleading with me not to give the clothes away. It was interesting to see her like this. I was thinking it must be the sickness talking, but then I realized I have a huge problem on my hands...I knew she liked clothes, but now I know she loves clothes. Yikes. When I turned my head I watched her run out of the room with 2 pairs of 3 month old shoes. I'm not sure what she is planning to do with them, but it made me laugh.

I must say it feels good to look at those bags and think of all the decluttering I was able to do this morning. Now I just have to get those 12 bags out to my car and take them to the DI. I really like knowing that someone else will find use in them instead of them cluttering up my attic.

January 3, 2008

I feel I am half here today. Megan had me up with her all night with a fever and her tossing around in bed. I tossed and turned myself by her side hoping her fever would break and that rest would find her and me. It didn't until about 4am and boy was it hard getting myself out of bed to get the other two off to school.



I finished These Is My Words last night and although I thought about chucking the book across the room like Hannah, I resisted and clung to her beautiful poignant final words and then cried myself to sleep. What some of us are asked to bear at times seems unfathomable, but the person we become on the other side of heartache is what makes living possible and what keeps us moving. I was content in knowing Sarah was able to move on with her new life still keeping him in her thoughts always.

As I was reading through the book it occurred to me what a novel idea it is to have a journal. I know silly right? My blog is basically my journal, but it's definitely missing some things that I find so beautiful about a book of ones words. 1. privacy (your not writing to an audience) 2. my own handwriting 3. you don't have to spell check or check your grammar. It's your unabridged thoughts written down on paper bound up just for you. I have missed writing with my hand and the randomness of my thoughts that I find I weed out to make my blog readable. So i think I will start a journal this year. It will definitely not take me away from blogging, but hopefully encourage me to keep thinking, which will in turn help me formulate and then share my thoughts as they come.

Do you have a journal on top of blogging?

my word my focus 2008

Is anyone else spinning by the recent renewal of another year?

I've had a lot on my mind the last few days, thinking about this last year and what it has meant to me. It was a big year for me with a lot of growth opportunities that I am very grateful for. I grew in many areas and surprised myself tremendously by doing things I didn't know I was capable of.

I was amazed to see as I focused on DO, my word for the year, just how one simple two letter word could make such an impact. I guess it's true when something is in your heart and mind you start seeing it everywhere and for me it just happened to help put and keep me in action. It was the exact reason why I needed to choose DO, I really needed a jump start, and one of the reasons why I seriously considered keeping it for 2008, but I won't and this why.

Once I realized how important choosing a word could be I prayerfully thought about what I need to work on this year. I have had a word in my mind the last few week, but told myself if I didn't feel strongly about it I would definitely keep DO because it made such an impact. Then yesterday I got a package (Adam forgot to tell me the package came Monday) from my friend, Heidi, and in it enclosed the book Dance While You Can by Lance Wubbels (I can't find it on amazon). It's a book with gentle reminders to help you live life to the fullest with beautiful photos to match. As I went to flip through it the first page I came to was the introduction and this is what I found...

First I was dying to finish high school and start college.
And then I was dying to finish college and start working.
And then I was dying to marry and have children.
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could get back to my career.
And then I was dying to retire.
And now I am dying...and suddenly realized that I forgot to live.

author unknown

The moment I read these words I knew that my initial thought, the word I had been thinking about for a few weeks had been right all along.


Live.

It is a lot like do in many ways, which is why I had been holding on to it, but evokes more passion and love of life that I could ever get from DO. It implies letting go of fears and focusing on the good of my everyday. Being ok with my mistakes, learning from them, and moving on. It implies living in the present, at 31 with all it's challenges. Enjoying my children at their current ages and not wishing that time away. Giving my Adam all of myself. Being grateful for the life I have and everything in it. It implies intentionally going about my day making it the best I can.

Adam once asked me, what is one thing you're afraid of and the first thing that came to my mind was I wouldn't live my life to the fullest, that I would die regretting how I lived. This year living shall be my focus and hopefully my focus every year after that. I don't want life to just happen to me anymore. I want to take it by the reins and create a beautiful story that wasn't there before. My story. A story of life, passion, happiness, and love.

a good relaxing sunday

I think I could be in a lot of trouble tonight. I just got up from a 2 1/2 hour nap and if Adam hadn't come in and woke me up I think I would still be in dreamland. It felt good to sleep, to rest my mind. I hope I won't have trouble in a few hours to get back in bed, but I guess if I can't sleep I can finish "These is my Words". So either way I feel go about how this afternoon played out.

My talk is finally over (YEAH) just in time to find out we get to do it again in a few weeks in the other ward. I knew it was coming so I don't know why I'm surprised, but I am. I'm just grateful we get to use the same talks so really it's just going to be like take two.

I wanted to share with you a quote from Elder Holland that I used in my talk that I just loved.

“We must go forward. God expects you to have enough faith, determination, and trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. He expects you not simply to face the future; He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it, rejoice in it, and delight in your opportunities."

Have a great Sunday. We are about 8 inches deeper in snow so hopefully we can dig ourselves out tomorrow.

MIA

I feel like I have a million and one reasons why I've been MIA the last week, but really my computer hasn't been calling to me like it has in the past. Once it freaked out and needed a little visit to the repairman I didn't look back. My computer has been sitting in my studio waiting to be hooked up until this morning when I decided to finalize my talk.

I have missed everyone. I have missed feeling connected with the world, the blog world, but as crazy life goes, I'm doing what I can to make it what it will be and I guess blogging hasn't fit in the last month or so. So I apologize for not making it to anyone's blog, for being MIA. I didn't even peak for fear of getting sucked into your ideas and thoughts, but I have heard it is going strong.

I feel I am at this strange place right now, like I'm not sure where to go next. Is anyone else there? It's strange when 6 weeks are devoted to this one day and now that it's over I'm not even sure where to begin. I mean I have a game plan, declutter declutter declutter, but it's as if I'm lost as to how. I guess it's with all things...just do and the rest shall follow. Interestingly enough my talk in church on Sunday is on looking forward so I have two days to figure it out so I don't feel like a complete hypocrite standing up there giving my two bits about how to move forward when I feel a bit stuck at the moment.

Enough of that. Good news I'm down to one book, I finished Atonement and The Thirteenth Tale. The jury is still out on Atonement. It's just such a depressing story and I'm trying to find a lesson in it. I guess that our lives are intertwined and are affected by each other's decisions and actions. It has made me think twice about how something I do or don't do could affect another's life. I liked the Thirteenth Tale. I enjoyed the mystery it provided, trying to unravel it as I read, though it was a bit strange. I was way off in the end to what I thought would actually happen and I liked being wrong. I would give it 3 stars on GoodReads.


sorry for the angle but light was reflecting off the glass from straight on.

Here is a project I did several weeks ago, but am just able to share now. I love the way it turned out and that I get to see it every time I leave my kitchen, which is every 10 minutes or so. I put it together in photoshop and then printed it 20x20.

Ok so I'm off to have a kidless day at least until the afternoon rolls around. Adam has taken my car and I'm stuck at home, which I am so happy about. A quiet day getting stuff done...a dream. Perhaps this is what I need to figure out the how in following my game plan.

Have a great friday :)

christmas morning

My parents joined us this year for Christmas morning opening gifts and a delicious breakfast. I wasn't sure what time to have them come because I didn't want them to miss anything, but I also didn't want my kids to have to wait. They ended up coming around 7am and we had to wake Megan up. Apparently she's not there yet.

christmas eve

It started at the cemetery. I know not really what your thinking about when you think of Christmas, but bring Christmas to my brother has been something we've done, well, since he's been gone. Although I know it probably doesn't really matter to him much, I do it to remember and share a piece of him with my children.

















After we parted ways with my parents we had a brief visit with Adam's grandma.



Then we headed to the compound for our annual Christmas Eve gathering with Adam's family. We have good food, open gifts and play games. This year we spent a lot of time playing playstation (guitar hero, singsong, and dance dance revolution).