One Word - 2010

One word. That's it. No lengthy resolutions spanning into paragraphs of promises that are hard to keep. No spectacular goal that seems to get farther and farther out of reach as the new year progresses. My friend, Connie, has inspired me to choose one simple little word – a word that will ring in my thoughts throughout the new year. A word that can be easily be remembered and called upon when I need it most. One word that I will apply in my life to make me a better person in the year twenty ten.
As I contemplated my life and what 2010 may bring, I knew I needed a powerful word. A word that would represent resilience in old battles and entrepreneurship in new endeavors. I have a lot planned for the coming year, many of these plans have been in the works for a very long time. Plans that have now become a passion. In all my efforts, in my relationships with people, old and new, past and yet to come I need THIS – this one word:



You see, I lack courage quite often. I cower down in the name of peace and relent myself to the world around me. I receive 100 praises and allow one criticism to send me plummeting. I tend to care entirely too much about the one and don't appreciate enough the 100. I'm a lot like the lion, in the Wizard of Oz. If I can only get my courage, and keep it, I will be okay – more than okay. So, in 2010, I'm following my yellow brick road. I'm getting my courage.
My beautiful – oh so beautiful – children will give me courage, my unbelievably wonderful husband will be my rock, my friends will be my sounding board and my courage will remain. I will be able, with courage, to melt away the wicked witches of self-doubt and hopefully sway the arrows of mean people as well. No, I wont be perfect, but I will have the courage to keep trying.

I look forward to building on budding friendships this year. I feel my friends – and you know who you are – are kindred spirits. We will be courageous together!! Happy New Year to all. We are all blessed to see 2010 and to have the freedom to follow whichever yellow brick road that takes YOU where you need to be!

10 Again....

Most people don't know that I love Science Fiction. I'm a serious Trekkie - one of the things Travis and I had in common when we started dating which I thought was WAY cool. Anyway, while perusing Amazon, where I spend way too much money on books, I stumbled upon a title that stopped me in my tracks and opened the flood gates on many wonderful memories. There it was, "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet." I read this book when I was 10. I vividly remember picking it up at the bookmobile and reading it constantly until it was finished. I renewed it over and over all summer long. Upon it's completion, I forced my little brother to read it - and then the incredible adventure began. We spend all summer building pretend spaceships in the woods - designing control panels, concocting recipes for rocket fuel, drawing sketches of designs for space travel. This was probably the last summer I was really a "kid" before the middle school years kicked in. This book made me a SciFi fan. I ordered it a re-read it with very different eyes. I was worried that re-reading it would spoil the magic of it all, but it didn't. It re-lit my belief that amazing things are possible. And to quote a main character from the book,"You can never doubt. You must not doubt." I can't wait to share this book with my boys. This should be exciting...




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POTW

I think the one reason I loved college so much was that I loved a good challenge. Challenge keeps the motivation going and prompts learning, and learning new things is good! Challenge also makes up step out of our comfort zones. So, I have a challenge for all my friends who love to take pictures!! If you click a pic with your cell phone or are more high tech, everyone can do this! POTW stands for Photo of the Week. Starting in January, our goal is to try to take one photo a week that fits our theme/assignment and blog it. There are no rules – it's all in your interpretation of the theme. We should get some very different photos depending of the interpretations of these themes. I hope some of you will play along. I can't wait to see what we all come up with. NO RULES – just FUN. If your photo leaves a lot to the imagination you may want a brief explanation of why you took that particular photo. I found a list very similar list to this but changed it all up to suit us! We can't exactly take many snow pics....
I will email this list to anyone who wants it!

POTW

01/04 beginning
01/11 home
01/18 sweet
01/25 handmade
02/01 signs
02/08 peace and comfort
02/15 books
02/22 personality
03/01 time
03/08 simple pleasures
03/15 old
03/22 spring has sprung
03/29 then and now
04/05 shoes
04/12 goals
04/19 nature
04/26 favorites
05/03 eye spy
05/10 keys and locks
05/17 planes, trains, or automobiles
05/24 barns
05/31 storytime
06/07 talents
06/14 color
06/24 architecture
06/28 action
07/05 sunrise or sunset
07/12 water
07/19 bloom
07/26 round things
08/02 from the garden
08/09 frolic and play
08/16 sand/dirt
08/23 into the wild!
08/30 in the air
09/06 style
09/13 travel
09/20 shadows
09/27 autumn beginnings
10/04 windows and doors
10/11 paths, or walks on them
10/18 family
10/25 haunted
11/01 the little things
11/08 old school
11/15 words
11/22 light
11/29 laughter
12/06 soft and fluffy
12/13 loose ends
12/20 brrr!
12/27 finales

Lovin' Life!

Are you loving your life? I'll have to say that despite typical ups and down and frustrations that plague even the best of us, I can actually say that I am enjoying my life. I am where I want to be doing what I want to do – what else is there? I have four healthy, growing, annoying, hilarious, crazy children and Travis – the love of my life!! I've been up late studying and reading lately and the sleep-deprivation is even thrilling. I'm learning so much and everyday I can put something new into practice. There is so much this world has to offer - we just need to embrace it. I'm learning to ignore negative influences and contention – let's face it, misery DOES love company and I don't care to be there to appease them.
Found this quote and I love it, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck So let's do it people!!! Use what you have, follow your passion.

This is my happy girl on Thanksgiving Day. All the boys were passed out in the house after too much of Grandma's cooking!