Prompt: Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
Author: Alice Bradley Let's Panic About Babies @finslippy
I'm not very good at letting things go. I feel like I am constantly worrying about what other people think, pleasing people, and making sure everything is perfect. Let me tell you it is a VERY hard job!
Take for example Christmas cards that we will be sending out this week. We took a family picture (the Hubs, Rusty and I), designed it online, and picked it up today. Well, the cards are cute, but the family picture is not the best. We took the photo inside with articficial light and a point and shoot digital camera (not one of those cool SLR cameras) and it turned out a but fuzzy. All I can see when I look at the card is what I could have done different to take it, that I should have tried harder, and what other people with think. Crazy much??? I would say so.
So in writing this, I'm going to let this one go. I'm going to think that people will appreciate the card for what it is and not judge. And if they do, I'm going to not worry about it!
Also, here's to being better at letting go in 2011!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Day 4 --- #Reverb10 - Wonder
Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
Author: Jeff Davis The Journey from the Center to the Page @JeffreyDavis108
I don't think that I really did much intentionally to cultivate a sense of wonder in my life this year. It is something that I really want to work on in 2011 - to take a moment each day to just appreciate the wonders of everyday life.
One thing I did do this year that made me really appreciate the essence of wonder was to go to the California Academy of Sciences with my best friend from work and her two daughters, Q and L. Although it is an amazing place for adults to go to learn about nature, wildlife, and the world around us, it was even more amazing to watch Q's eyes light up with wonder as she observed the anaconda, walked through the rain forest looking for butterflies, or played in the touch pool (her favorite activity by far!). For children, everything around them is new, interesting, and exciting and they aren't afraid to show their pure unadulterated joy! It makes me excited to have my own children, just to see the wonder in their eyes every day!
Author: Jeff Davis The Journey from the Center to the Page @JeffreyDavis108
I don't think that I really did much intentionally to cultivate a sense of wonder in my life this year. It is something that I really want to work on in 2011 - to take a moment each day to just appreciate the wonders of everyday life.
One thing I did do this year that made me really appreciate the essence of wonder was to go to the California Academy of Sciences with my best friend from work and her two daughters, Q and L. Although it is an amazing place for adults to go to learn about nature, wildlife, and the world around us, it was even more amazing to watch Q's eyes light up with wonder as she observed the anaconda, walked through the rain forest looking for butterflies, or played in the touch pool (her favorite activity by far!). For children, everything around them is new, interesting, and exciting and they aren't afraid to show their pure unadulterated joy! It makes me excited to have my own children, just to see the wonder in their eyes every day!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Day 3 ---- #Reverb10 - Moment
Prompt: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). Author: Ali Edwards Memory Keeping Idea Books
@aliedwardsSo I've been pondering this post all day long. I find it hard to even remember what happened yesterday, let alone at the beginning of the year. (I guess that is another great reason to have this blog - to document things.) However, I'm going to go with the first thing that came into my head early this morning...
The moment was really an event - the Cal versus Oregon football game.
The Hubs and I went to the game with low expectations (bad Cal Fans!), but with Cal not playing exceptionally well and Oregon being the Number 1 team in the country, I didn't want to expect too much.
Upon arrival, the atmosphere was like none of any of the other games I had been to all season. The place was PACKED with supporters from each team. The smell of garlic fries mingled with that of kettle corn creating the typical sports event enviornment. It was the first evening game of the season and the sky was turning just the slightest pinkish hue as the sun set in the West. If our seats were higher we would have had a beautful view of the sunset over the bay.
This game was one of the BEST I had ever seen. The energy was palpable and Memorial Stadium was the loudest it had ever been. The Cal fans, decked head to toe in blue and gold, were on their feet buzzing on every defensive play. There was pandamonium as Cal's offense scored and took the lead. Here we were an unranked team beating the Number 1 in the country. A short while later, Cal was behind. My stomach was turning with anxiety (only a true sports fan can understand). As we entered the last quarter, the anticipation built as just a single field goal would put us on top. A quiet stillness came over the stadium as the kicker went for it ... the preparation, a slight stumble, the kick, it's GOOD! The crowd went WILD! Then the flags... A penalty on the play. The kick must be redone. The stillness resumed and the kicker prepared once again. He made the kick and it was ... just wide. A defeated groan swept the stadium. I felt a slight sadness that we had come SO close, I could taste it! We were defeated by only a score of 15 - 13.
In the end, I felt pride for my underdog team who really did so well against a team that was SO good! No one expected so much of them. Even though their perforance in the weeks that followed were less than stellar, I still sure do LOVE my Bears!
Deck the Halls!
The Hubs and I had our weekend after Thanksgiving all planned out. We were going to hit up some of the Black Friday sales for Christmas gifts, attend our final Cal Football game against Washington , and then spend Sunday putting up all of our holiday decorations. However, after a busy Thanksgiving Day where we hosted both families at our house, Friday came around and we didn't feel like doing much of anything. We ended up sitting on our butts, in our pajamas, all day long. It was HEAVENLY. The game on Saturday was in the morning and when we woke up to dark rain clouds, we just weren't sure how we felt about venturing out into the cold and rain (Plus, I don't think we could have dealt with another heartbreak after The Big Game). We pondered for a few hours until it ended up being too late for us to go! (Bad Cal fans! They ended up losing anyways... Guess there's always next season for a good run at it!).
So what did we do instead you might ask....
We decorated! It was lots of fun! I thought, at first, that we were just going to do the inside decorations, but next thing I know Kris was outside putting up all of the Christmas lights! The house looks super cute and festive, but I told myself I really don't need any new Xmas decorations considering the size of our house! I LOVE the holiday season! Such a warm and happy time!
The only holiday related issue we are having, is convincing some family members, that we REALLY don't need any presents this year. I think that gift giving is more for kids then for adults, so I assume have our families save the money for when the time comes when there are little kids in the family. We also have no space for anything else (see note about small house above), so the only things I really want to ask for are gift cards (which to some family members, don't count as gifts!).
Is everyone out there ready for the holiday season? Have any of you encountered family gift giving issues? How do you deal with them?
So what did we do instead you might ask....
We decorated! It was lots of fun! I thought, at first, that we were just going to do the inside decorations, but next thing I know Kris was outside putting up all of the Christmas lights! The house looks super cute and festive, but I told myself I really don't need any new Xmas decorations considering the size of our house! I LOVE the holiday season! Such a warm and happy time!
The only holiday related issue we are having, is convincing some family members, that we REALLY don't need any presents this year. I think that gift giving is more for kids then for adults, so I assume have our families save the money for when the time comes when there are little kids in the family. We also have no space for anything else (see note about small house above), so the only things I really want to ask for are gift cards (which to some family members, don't count as gifts!).
Is everyone out there ready for the holiday season? Have any of you encountered family gift giving issues? How do you deal with them?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
DAY 2 --- #Reverb10 - Writing
Prompt: Writing. What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing -- and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)
Considering I haven’t created a habit of writing, ever, there are probably TONS of things I could eliminate!
Normally I only write in my journal when something is going really wrong or when something is going really good (definitely more of the former than the latter). I have tried in the past to keep a gratitude journal by writing down a couple of things that I am grateful for.This has usually only lasted a day or two. I haven't stuck with it long enough to actually create a habit. (Google tells me it takes 21 days of consistently doing something to form a habit. I've never even gotten close to that! Hopefully that will change this month!)
So what is it that is really keeping me from writing? It’s a good question. I think one of my problems is finding the space (both time and location) that allows me the optimum environment to do so. I have a set routine and writing isn't part of it. I wake up at the same time as the Hubs and get home from work after the Hubs so I always feel that I would be sacrificing some of the few hours we have together. Grant it, I know he wouldn't care if I set aside a half hour or so to do something for myself (I spend lots of time reading when I'm home with him!), but setting that time aside for writing hasn't been a priority.
The other problem is my battle with perfectionism. I have to make sure that whatever I write sounds and is grammatically correct. This causes a simple writing session to often take WAY longer than it should. Also, because this is a blog and I have so many AWESOME blogs to compare mine to, I want to make sure my posts are interesting and also try to find pictures and links to jazz them up (both taking up more time than I probably have!).
So to eliminate these problems, I'm going to try writing a few different times during the day (before work, lunchtime and after work) to see if one time seems more convenient than another and when I have the most inspiration. I'll also only proofread this post only ONCE (or maybe twice...)!
Considering I haven’t created a habit of writing, ever, there are probably TONS of things I could eliminate!
Normally I only write in my journal when something is going really wrong or when something is going really good (definitely more of the former than the latter). I have tried in the past to keep a gratitude journal by writing down a couple of things that I am grateful for.This has usually only lasted a day or two. I haven't stuck with it long enough to actually create a habit. (Google tells me it takes 21 days of consistently doing something to form a habit. I've never even gotten close to that! Hopefully that will change this month!)
So what is it that is really keeping me from writing? It’s a good question. I think one of my problems is finding the space (both time and location) that allows me the optimum environment to do so. I have a set routine and writing isn't part of it. I wake up at the same time as the Hubs and get home from work after the Hubs so I always feel that I would be sacrificing some of the few hours we have together. Grant it, I know he wouldn't care if I set aside a half hour or so to do something for myself (I spend lots of time reading when I'm home with him!), but setting that time aside for writing hasn't been a priority.
The other problem is my battle with perfectionism. I have to make sure that whatever I write sounds and is grammatically correct. This causes a simple writing session to often take WAY longer than it should. Also, because this is a blog and I have so many AWESOME blogs to compare mine to, I want to make sure my posts are interesting and also try to find pictures and links to jazz them up (both taking up more time than I probably have!).
So to eliminate these problems, I'm going to try writing a few different times during the day (before work, lunchtime and after work) to see if one time seems more convenient than another and when I have the most inspiration. I'll also only proofread this post only ONCE (or maybe twice...)!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
#Reverb10 - 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)
So here it goes with my first attempt at writing for 31 days straight using the wonderful #Reverb10 guides as prompts!
If I would to choose only one word to describe 2010 it would be CHANGE.
(Ok it took me awhile to even just think of one word since I can barely remember what happened yesterday, let alone January. I was trying to think of a more stylish word to choose!)
At the start of the 2010, my new husband and I had just moved into our new home. (ok..now I'm thinking maybe my word should have be "NEW", but I digress). Together we had to adapt to a new way of life together in a new space. We had to figure out who would be responsible for which chores and how to adapt to living with another person's habits (for example - HIS clothes being left on the floor every day!) Over the course of the year, I think we've done a great job of adapting to our changing relationship and working to merge two lives into one.
About half way through the year, I encountered a few more changes - one chosen, one not.
The change we chose was to bring a new addition into our family - a new chocolate lab puppy named Rusty! We got him at just 8 weeks and he's such a cutie patootie, but boy has he been a lot of work. We had to get him on a schedule, break him of lots of bad habits, and basically babysit 24/7. Since we got him, he's also changed from a 10 lbs little guy to a 55 lb big boy! He's a little calmer, but still mischievous at times! We figured it would be good prepartion of things to come!
The change I didn't choose was a work related move within my company. It has been a difficult adjustment considering I really loved who I worked for and the job I was doing in the previous position, but I've been trying to make the best of it and learn whatever I can from the new experience.
The word I want to use to describe my 2011 would be GROWTH.
I want to grow into the person I really want to be - Oprah style. I know this is going to take a lot of self-reflection so that I can balance growth in both my personal and professional lives. I have however been feeling that growing in one area may prevent growth in another. Hopefully, with a little bit of work and confidence on my part, 2011 will be the year I come into myself and feel happy and successful on all levels.
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)
So here it goes with my first attempt at writing for 31 days straight using the wonderful #Reverb10 guides as prompts!
If I would to choose only one word to describe 2010 it would be CHANGE.
(Ok it took me awhile to even just think of one word since I can barely remember what happened yesterday, let alone January. I was trying to think of a more stylish word to choose!)
At the start of the 2010, my new husband and I had just moved into our new home. (ok..now I'm thinking maybe my word should have be "NEW", but I digress). Together we had to adapt to a new way of life together in a new space. We had to figure out who would be responsible for which chores and how to adapt to living with another person's habits (for example - HIS clothes being left on the floor every day!) Over the course of the year, I think we've done a great job of adapting to our changing relationship and working to merge two lives into one.
About half way through the year, I encountered a few more changes - one chosen, one not.
The change we chose was to bring a new addition into our family - a new chocolate lab puppy named Rusty! We got him at just 8 weeks and he's such a cutie patootie, but boy has he been a lot of work. We had to get him on a schedule, break him of lots of bad habits, and basically babysit 24/7. Since we got him, he's also changed from a 10 lbs little guy to a 55 lb big boy! He's a little calmer, but still mischievous at times! We figured it would be good prepartion of things to come!
The change I didn't choose was a work related move within my company. It has been a difficult adjustment considering I really loved who I worked for and the job I was doing in the previous position, but I've been trying to make the best of it and learn whatever I can from the new experience.
The word I want to use to describe my 2011 would be GROWTH.
I want to grow into the person I really want to be - Oprah style. I know this is going to take a lot of self-reflection so that I can balance growth in both my personal and professional lives. I have however been feeling that growing in one area may prevent growth in another. Hopefully, with a little bit of work and confidence on my part, 2011 will be the year I come into myself and feel happy and successful on all levels.
Let's Try This Again!
So I've obviously been a bad, bad blogger and haven't posted in almost a year! Reading blogs has become one of my favorite things to do this year and I thought that writing a blog would be a fun way to connect with all those people I love reading in the blogosphere. I even ended up convincing my best friend to start a blog ( now she's got TWO! bloem and One Ring Short of a Circus)! Well, life got the better of this wanna-be blogger and well my blog never got up and running...
I've decided to give it another go and what better way then starting out with a full month where the topics of the blogs are chose for me! I've decided to participate in #Reverb10. It is a month long annual online event where bloggers reflect on the year that has passed and manifest what next year will bring. I read about the event on KimberlyMichelle - one of my fav bloggers who I followed to her personal blog from Weddingbee.
I think this is the perfect time for me to reflect on what I really want out of life both personally and professionally and to take the steps necessary to make it happen!
Will you choose to share your story and #Reverb10?
I've decided to give it another go and what better way then starting out with a full month where the topics of the blogs are chose for me! I've decided to participate in #Reverb10. It is a month long annual online event where bloggers reflect on the year that has passed and manifest what next year will bring. I read about the event on KimberlyMichelle - one of my fav bloggers who I followed to her personal blog from Weddingbee.
I think this is the perfect time for me to reflect on what I really want out of life both personally and professionally and to take the steps necessary to make it happen!
Will you choose to share your story and #Reverb10?
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