love eVeryDaY

swoosh

I can hardly believe how quickly the holiday has come and gone.  I think that part of the problem is that it was all so neatly contained in one weekend -- Friday Christmas Eve, the hubby was off with me, very little last minute shopping, lots of gift wrapping; Saturday Christmas Day, a morning of wrapping, dinner with the family, gifts for the in-laws, and exchanging presents with family at mom's; Sunday back to the regular groove.  It was pretty surreal. 

Overall, I think I did a good job of constraining myself this year.  Somehow, by Friday I had worked through what may actually happen for the holiday, and had begun to mentally let go of the rest.  Yes, there are things that I wanted to do that just didn't happen, but I am hopeful to fit one or two of them into the last few days of my vacation.  We'll see how well I do.

appreciation

December 14 – Appreciate

What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

(Author: Victoria Klein)

I've seen a few responses that others have for this prompt, and they left me feeling pretty shallow.  Things like their freedom, peace, love -- very conceptual things.  It's not that I don't appreciate these things.  I do.  It's just that they are not the first things that come to mind for me.  Actually, my item is so much more tangible. 

About three years ago, I'd put my car out to pasture.  By this time the hubs (who was not the hubs quite yet) and I were living together, I was working in DC, and I was alright with only having one vehicle.  Because, really, I just was not ready to have a car payment again.  There were so many other things to worry about.  So while I was deciding what to do next, I caught public transportation to work and we spent lots of time running errands together.

Fast forward about 5 months.  I was still stalling on a new car note, when his car began having problems.  So, one crazy weekend, I went to Let's Dish, and he went to the car dealer to pick out our pick up.  We parked his Nissan for a few months, paid two car notes (he was upside down in his) and pondered our next move.

We finally, we got the Nissan into what we thought was good running shape.  We were set.  And then summer set in.  And air conditioning and the Nissan began to disagree.  A lot.  We we just a couple of payments shy of paying off the Nissan, so clearly not upside down in the process anymore.  And, in a second crazy weekend, we brought home a new-to-us crossover for me to drive.

After two really solid years of being a de facto one-car household, it has been absolutely wonderful to have a vehicle for each working adult.  While public tranportation is still an option for me, at a 2 and 1/2 hour commute one way, let's say I like it to be one option among several.

So, as shallow as this may sound (and it's actually not really), the one thing in 2010 that I most appreciate is having a car for every driver in our home. 

eleven goodbyes?

December 11 – 11 Things

What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)

As soon as I read today's prompt, my brain began trying to list out things.  I'm not certain if I ever got to eleven, but I suppose writing them out will help me figure that out. 

1. The abundance of possessions that is threatening to take over the house.  I've been working on this one for a while now and it seems like for every two steps forward, there are one or two or sometimes even three steps back.  I guess the only thing that I can do is to keep moving along with this.  There will be lots of boxing up our stuff that is under-used and not quite fully loved.  There will be more evaluating if there is a need, before I hand over the cash and grab up the bag.  My hope is that getting rid of them will give me more space to enjoy my home; more time for myself and my family; and more money in the bank. 
2. Some of this extra weight I've been carrying around.  This is always a tough one for me.  It's been a very long time since I've had a routine that worked for me.  Or stuck to.  So far, I have signed up to receive YJ's daily email to help me build a home practice.  I also have Zumba for Wii.  Hopefully, I'll really enjoy one of them. . . .What I get in return?  A smile when I look in the mirror.
3. Eating fast food more often than home cooking.  This kinda goes along with the losing the extra weight piece, but the daily fries and weekly pizza can't be good for me in other ways, too.
4. Waiting for the hubs to start (or join in on) projects around the house.  I already owned this house when we got married, and realized that we probably wouldn't be moving to a new place anytime soon.  I really wanted him to feel our home was as much his as mine, and so I waited and waited for him to give input for some things.  What I ended up with was a lot of frustration and incomplete projects.  Goal in getting some of these things done? Making this house a home.
5. Feeling gawky and uncoordinated a dance parties.  Yeah, not so sure how to get rid of this one, but it would definitely be nice to lessen the self-consciousness when we do go out.
6. Ponytails and boring hairstyles.  At least enough so that everyone at the office is not shocked when I change up.
7. The not-quite-Ugg boots.  I'll be just cramming them in the back of the closet.  After all, I still spent $150 for them.
8. Staying up late and getting up early.  I'm not saying that I'll get eight hours of sleep every night, but my goal will be to get as close a possible.  Did you know that getting adequate sleep is also helpful in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. 

Okay, maybe only eight good byes.

~me

one word

December 1 - One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)

Honestly, I think that this prompt is what pulled me in most.  Since I've been selecting a word to be "my" word each year for the last several years, this struck me as a great way to weigh in, and summarize how this year went with regard to "my" word.

This year's word was simplicity.  When I chose it, I was so excited, anxious, and challenged.  I wanted to simplify my life and lifestyle.  Really, it was a nice way for me to suggest that I de-clutter the house more.  I wanted fewer possessions to worry about and take care of.  I wanted to shed all of the clothes and things that I'd outgrown in recent years -- stuffed animals, books I haven't read and likely wouldn't ever read, remnants of hobbies that didn't spark my interest the same way anymore -- I just wanted it all to be gone.  I wanted more physical space in our home.  I wanted more mental space to enjoy the things that I still loved.

But somehow, that did not come to fruition the way that I hoped or imagined.  Yes, there were several trips to the D.A.V.'s trailers just up the road.  And items that I wanted to get rid of for years finally made their way out of our house, but as I look around our bedroom, even now, there is still so much further to go on that journey.  And, I realize that it is a habit and lifestyle in and of itself.  I may move a little further towards those goals, but I certainly didn't reach them all this year.  And that's alright.

As for a word that would talk about this year as it actually played out?  Well, there could be several; challenging, busy, and growth would be a few.

This year, my job played a far larger role than it has ever played; a larger role than I imagined it would.  For many months, I became that person who stayed a bit extra each evening just to write one more email or complete one last report.  I became more accountable for work done in each release, submitting reports to senior management, participating in readiness reviews and managing the versioning for our documentation.  I was the team lead on a huge project.  A project that required more work than I was comfortable completing given the amount of time that we were allowed.  And yet, I was able to rise to the ocassion.  I worked with my team, and  managed the workload so that we could maximize our coverage in a minimal time frame.  I worked to defend and renegotiate our schedule.  All of this was with the support of a great management team.  All of this was incredible to me.  I finally began to see twinges of what I could do when I needed to, and I was proud of myself.  And, humbled by the realization of how much I still didn't know.  And ready to grow some more in 2011.

As far as a word to manifest in 2011?

Well, since I am choosing. . . nuture.  But we know that may well change by this time next year.

~me

reverb 10

 

This year, I had the intention of participating in the annual NaBloPoMo in November; making it a month where I would commit to blogging each day.  Unfortunately, when November finally crept on me, I was completely absorbed at work with completing a huge project.  I was exhausted when I got home in the evenings, and I just wasn't up to it.  Worst of all, even though I hadn't promised anyone more than myself, I felt awful about it.

So, when I saw the information for reverb10 on Ali Edwards' blog, I was intrigued.  A bit more structured than NaBloPoMo, reverb10 provides daily prompts throughout the month of December as a jumping off point for thinking about 2010 and preparing for 2011. 

I have no real belief that I will complete every single prompt, but I would like to play along a bit.  It seems like it will be interesting, and I certainly could use more writing in my life.  (I can't believe how little I journal or write now, compared to when I was younger. )

~me