i've been thinking about this blog for a few days--the first blog of the new year. it should be awesome, i thought. but awesomeness seems to be hiding from me right now. and since i spent the day watching the rose parade over and over again (will i ever get tired of seeing our city's award winning float or the "snow-boarding" bulldogs?) before watching our ducks have the best day and the worst day of their football careers, it was a kick back, low energy, sit in front of the fire (yes, i know it was 72 outside, but it felt chilly in the house) kind of day.
if i were going to make resolutions, this would be a much easier blog to write. there are so many things that i would like to change. but making a resolution won't change anything--i know this from experience. so i decided to take the advice from last year's january 1st blog, and make a list of the TOP TEN THINGS THAT I ACCOMPLISHED IN 2009.
10. i'm a millionaire--well, a virtual one at least. i have over $3,000,000 on farm town. i knew i was rich when i bought a nativity scene to decorate my farm, and then discovered it didn't have baby jesus! (why would they even create a nativity scene without baby jesus? without him, what is the point of a nativity scene??) without even thinking about it, i deleted the baby-less nativity and promptly purchased one with baby jesus in the manger. and there was not a heart palpitation in sight. i guess when you are a virtual multi-millionaire, the cost is irrelevant--unlike when you are just building your fortune . . .
9. i've become more flexible at work. the last two years, enrollment at my school has necessitated different classroom arrangements for me. and while i can be somewhat disorganized at home, i am a robot at school. so making changes in the way my class is configured and using less than perfect classroom space has been hard. but i've tried to keep a good attitude, be thankful that i still have a job, and just figure out a way to make it work.
8. i've learned i am not a gym rat. i really, really wanted to be. i went to the gym pretty regularly for a couple of months. and then i got sick. and while i was sitting at home, i realized that the only reason i liked going to the gym was because diandra was there.
but the truth is that our schedules don't match up very well. and really, i should spend that time walking my pups. and maybe i should learn to use the pilates machine i bought a few years ago, since i moved it downstairs where it would be more convenient . . .7. i've weathered band transitions at church. i lead the worship band in the alternative service at our church, which is mostly filled with teenagers. some days this is a challenge for me, and this has been an especially difficult year. i have wanted to quit more than once. but i am not an island--people depend on me. so i have just had to make allowances, find the humor, put one foot in front of the other one, and keep moving forward. and i have. so good for me!!
6. i'm drinking less soda. i know it is bad for me, and i haven't been able to give it up completely, but most days i am limiting myself to one small soda. when i eat out, i order the small drink and don't refill it. if i spend the day at home, i will just have one can of pepsi one (which is sweetened with splenda, so i don't think it is as bad for me . . . ) i'm trying to drink more water and tea. this may seem like an insignificant thing, but for me it has been a big deal--even bigger than when i learned to like broccoli!
5. i have persevered. seriously. the last couple of years seem to have been full of challenges, and sometimes it is exhausting. sometimes i wish i were an island. some days i just want to get in my car, head out on a freeway and just drive, drive, drive. but i can't. well, i guess i could, because some people do. but i don't. my life is really pretty good. i have a family who loves me,
and a roof over my head and a job. i have two adorable dogs who make me smile every day. 
and a blog that helps me focus on the good things and the funny things that are a part of my life!4. i posted over 300 blogs! i find that amazing! my original goal was to write every day, and i did for a while. but i found there were days when i just didn't have the time or energy to write. there were days when i couldn't come up with anything to write about. there were days when the people in my life had to take priority. i worried about repeating myself. i still worry about that, because i have written so much that i can't always remember what i have written about. but in the last few days as i have gone back and reread some of last year's blogs, i am so glad i did it. it reminds me that each day is different, even though sometimes it seems like i do the same thing every day.
3. my digital music files are finally organized just the way i like them! i thought it would never happen, but it did and my mind is happy. although, now i need a bigger ipod . . .
2. i am learning to let go . . . of stuff, of annoyances, of things over which i have no control. it isn't easy, and some days i grab it all back (well, except for the things that have already been hauled off!) but i know that it is necessary and good for me. so i will keep working on it.
and the number one thing i accomplished in 2009 is:
1. i cleaned out the scary room and turned it into an office for diandra's photography.
i still have to use the closet for my out of season clothes and one large cabinet for my school books, but the rest is dedicated to her business. i thought i could finish this job up in the week that diandra was at camp. i was delusional. it has taken me several months of working a little at a time to whip that room into shape. i let go of a lot of things in the process, and it was harder than i thought it would be. but it was a start. it isn't perfect yet, but it looks good and it is functional, and i am hoping that it will help us both be more organized.i hope that 2010 will be a little more relaxed, a little more fun (like when diandra and i met hawk nelson at fishfest,)
and a lot less stressful. i hope that instead of just keeping our heads above water, we will flourish. i hope that we will be healthy. i hope that i can do a better job of choosing the important over the urgent. i want to read more. i want to take more pictures--even if i can't get them organized. i want to hold my puppies more and my laptop less. and i want to keep blogging--because on new year's day 2011 i need to be able to look back and see how far i have come . . .
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1 comment:
A great blog. One for all of us to think about. Have enjoyed all your blogs and each time I read one, it makes me more proud that I am your mother...
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