Recap: Mission - September

To keep me on track, now is a great time to check on how I did for my missions.
Mission: September
Keep taking pics. I will get better, i know it! Kachow! I kept my camera close and have even started to figure out some pretty basic click things.
Get laundry put away and organize baskets. This mission has taught me that in a house with two children, there is no such thing as "laundry put away." I'm going to check this one off because I have a semi-system in place for the task.
Stay on top of studying. FLUNK! Yup, I've bombed this one for the month. October is mega stuffed with the textbooks and assignments. I'm lining up the train on the right track.
Complete the birth announcements. Completed, mailed, woot!
Book the baptism. After a bit of unnecessary panic, this has worked out. Booked and ready to go.
Celebrate out 1st anniversary. We sure did!
Create 2 picture boards. I have started the picture boards. Apparently I don't have as many pictures floating around as I had first thought because the boards looking a bit too empty for me.
Walk every day. YES! This has been awesome. Even on the day that we had rain I was pumping my legs.
Blog at least once every week. Finally! I've got this blog starting to roll. No more complete randomness - only semi-randomness.
Create my to do board. I get a half star on this one. I've got the board set up *Thanks Lisa and Steven* but it isn't functioning yet. I am going to get it in order and working. I must.
Read one full novel for fun and my sanity. Candidates this month are The Glass House, The Bone Garden, Lisey's Story, Water for Elephants, and The Road. High Fives here! Maybe this is why I've found so much energy to rock this month. I read TWO full novels this month. The Shack, which wasn't on the original candidate list, made me think. It still has me thinking about my perspectives. The Bone Garden I devoured. It was crazy. I think I raced through it so fast because it had my pulse racing with every turned page. Wow.
Complete my Secret Mission for some wonderfully awesome people. Stay tuned. I'm sure this will make the blog. The cards are signed, sealed, and delivered. They were great.
Create ONE FULL scrapbook page layout and put it in an album. All right. I'm saying yes to this even though it became a slightly modified project. I realized that before I can create a page, I want to know what pictures I'm incorporating into it. Since I couldn't make up my mind, I changed my focus. I created a cool mini-project. It works for me.
Organize the misc. living room tub and mantle. FLUNK! I looked at the mantle a few times and did get rid of some junk off it. The tub I touched once. Rifled through thinking to myself I really need to sort this out and then walked away. Soon.
Prepare my xmas planning list. Check to a modification here. I'm working on the planning list. But for the few items that I did figure out, I have already bought and put away. Yes to that!
Find my kitchen table and all 4 chairs that belong with it. Set up the high chair. FLUNK! Only because I can't admit to myself that my baby girl is growing so fast. I don't want the high chair up here yet. That turned into me not wanting to see the table because I associated the table with the high chair. Soon. This mission taught me to be careful when listing my missions because they may stir feelings that I'm not ready for.

Overall, September was a success! Hooray!

So long September

Thanks for being a beautiful month! We managed to pack a ton of fun into this month. It was great! Nursery started up again and that is going fantastic. Little Miss has started smiling for us and that is perfect. I've started biking my butt back into shape and that makes me happy. We were able to spend some quality time together enjoying life as a family of four. Sensational! There were as many quiet moments as there were loud ones. A great balance. Beautiful. Tranquil. Fresh.

Today is pretty busy. Run run run run run run! I've found a new mega book store in town and can't wait to get out and absorb it. Hopefully later this week.

Rock on World, i'm ready!

Keeping Up and Keeping On

That's the scoop around here this week. I was looking over my missions and was impressed by the progress and slightly panicked about some of the slack. I'm refocusing things because i have to and because i want to.
Our baby girl is a month old ALREADY! I hope things slow down a bit or a whole lot because i just don't want time to travel as fast as it is.
For whatever reason i can't post pics up on the blog. Go figure...when i could, i didn't. Now that i want to, i can't. That'll teach me. Thanks internet-world.
Enough chatter. I'm ready!

Pretty flowers

These were the wonderful roses my husband gave me for our special day. Twenty-four of them - just like on the day we married.
Catch ya later, Blog. i'll be here with more to say!

Anniversaries

I would like Time to pass just a touch slower, please. This last year has been so full and so fast. Yesterday we celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. We looked at pictures and remembered the moments. As time passes and memories fade, the pictures we have left become what we see. A huge thank you to Carrie for spending the day with us and taking the pictures.

A Matter of Heart

Every now and again moments come up intended to wake my senses. They spark memories and swirl thoughts that I may have thought were laid to rest. They reveal emotion. They unearth parts of me I keep otherwise nestled safely away in a place only I know, only I can walk through. An internal battle of mind and heart unfolds leaving me beaten, bruised, sensitive, raw.
In the midst of the conflict I struggle to make sense of each word, each thought, every idea. I weigh options, think of outcomes, measure possibilities, anticipate consequences. I grapple with the mayhem in an effort to maintain control and not succumb or be wholly consumed. How far do I go believing I am strong enough? At what point do I say, "I give in"?
I know I will come out on the other side a touch stronger, a tad wiser, and a whole lot more aware.
Let's chin up, Folks. I have to be ready.

Gratitude

Too often in life we let moments slip by. In reflection we may think "I wish I would've..." I'm not letting that happen this time. I've inked words from my heart to share with some very special people just how grateful I am.

Until tomorrow . . .

Three Cheers!

Over the top! My first blog post commenter. How cool is that? WOO HOO! It's seriously so exciting. I had no idea. I'm flattered. Thank you :)
I have a few things on the go and it's creating a touch too much chaos for me to be comfortable with. I need to shorten the list which means I need to get some loose ends tied up. I need this because there are other things I'm anxious to start. I'm inspired and want to move on the inspiration.
I am not going to touch The Shack until I go to bed. I can't seem to put it down so this is pretty big for me.
I am going to put away some laundry that is making me crazy.
I am going to address some mail. I will deposit it into the postal box tomorrow for mailing. I absolutely MUST get this done.
I am going to send an email because I need to know the status of an order I've made. It's essential to the completion (actually to the start) of one of my missions for the month. Talk about a temporary road block. Eeek!
I am going to make a delicious apple crisp from a random recipe since I can't seem to convince my mother to share hers with me. I'm beginning to think that her "a touch of this and a splash of that" is just to keep me begging her for more. Mamma, don't feed me fish, please teach me to fish.
I'm turning off the TV and turning on the radio. Beautiful music seems to help me more than deafening buzz.
Ready!

Sweet and Slow

That's what today has been. We slept in, lazed around, went for a wonderful walk, had a beautiful visit, held hands, and smiled lots. This evening, I have an adventure planned with my bestest sister always! It's going to involve a dash into Starbucks somewhere because I've heard that Pumpkin Spice is back...YES! That definitely means a wonderful season is growing. Then, off to wherever the car drives. Good coffee, fun company, sensational conversations. I'll take a double!
I picked up a book to read for me - just like I had hoped in my missions for the month. Never did I think such a random find would grip me so fast. It's been a very long time since I've delved into a book this deep this fast and enjoyed it this much. The Shack by William P. Young. 110+ pages and I can't wait to read the next ones. Check out the link. See what it means to you.
I have to do some serious studying. I have learned that classes are Monday nights which poses quite a conflict for me but one that I will work through. I need to reconnect my computer speakers pronto. They are quite significant for my work around scheme.
That's enough chatter out of me for now. Perhaps later, perhaps another day. I'll be back.

Get to it!

That's the motto for this week. There are a tonne of things that need to be done and I'm seriously running out of time. I don't like feeling this way and I'm going to change the way I feel. Buckle up! I'm going to capitalize on every moment I have to make sure that I can get what has to be done done. What a list (that I haven't even written down yet!). I'm listening to the ideas as they float around inside my mind. Me oh my! so here I am, blogging - productive ;-)
I finally finished reading Eat, Pray, Love and can't understand what took me so long to get to the end. It was such an inspiring story. I can't wait to read the next edition (coming in early 2009 hopefully in paperback). I am eager to pick up another novel and plug away BUT I can't let it interfere with the pounds of reading that I need to keep up with for my course. Too bad accounting has to be just a slice on the dry side and in a large hardcover textbook. If they could spice it up just a shake and compact it into a single-hand-holdable-novel type of medium, I am sure I would be that much more enthusiastic about it.
I've started a knitting project and am completely excited. I love this pattern and I really like the yarn that I've chosen. A dark royal purple colour. I'm going to need to waltz out soon enough to pick up an accent colour or perhaps just another ball of the purple as I know I won't have enough to finish the project. We'll see...
Kamila is starting to fuss. She just looks oh-so-sad and in need of a hug and about a million kisses :) plus I'm pretty sure I can hear a novel or two calling to me from my bedside table. Which tale to choose next?
I'm pretty sure I'll be back soon enough. Let's do this. Yes, I'm ready!

Dreams part deux

Different ones today. Today is for the dreams you see when you're awake. The wishes you make for yourself.
What are you willing to sacrifice to watch someone else live their dream? If you knew someone was sacrificing their dreams so you could live yours, how would you feel? Would your dreams be different? Is there ever a middle? A halfway point in which everyone can be happy? I sit and think of the dreams I've known and wonder if the conversations were real or just words spoken on the wings of a butterfly in erratic flight. Words sung into a summer's breeze. Truths were buried inside words strung together to make phrases, sentences, conversations. Was I so naive to believe or is it you blinded by a vision that is not your own?
To coin a phrase from Disney's Robots, "A dream that you don't fight for can haunt you for the rest of your life."
*****
My great-aunt got her call, grew her wings, and flew to heaven this week. I am happy she is in peace and not pain. I am selfishly sad. I continue to steal moments to grieve. Bless her soul and all her wonderfulness. She will always be amazing and an inspiration to me.
*****
Thanks Saturday! Thank you for being today. And beautiful. And mine. Yesterday was productive. I kicked some serious tail on my missions. YES TO THAT! Today was pretty good, too. I'm alive. The kids and i did some visiting, some shopping, and some connecting. Steven and I caught a flick together, ate popcorn, and just hung out. A big applause to perfect Kamila who was so sweet and let us do that. An extra big applause to Steven for being so cool. The rest of today will be filled with remembering and honouring and love. Sweet wonderful love.
*****
So many emotions, so quickly, so strong. I have to find my ready.

Dreams

I've been having bizarre dreams these last few nights. The first two i understood (or so i think). The one from last night has had me buggin' all day. Aquariums with swimming piranhas and swimming frogs. They were in separate tanks but all together. i definitely need to do some digging.
Please, i need courage.

Wondering

why Life throws moments like this one at me. I'm searching within my soul for answers i'm sure i can see but i just don't want to admit that i see or accept that they are.
Please send me courage. Teach me to learn to let go.

Mission: September

September is looking like this for me. On your mark, get set, MISSIONS:

1. Keep taking pics. I will get better, i know it!
2. Get laundry put away and organize baskets.
3. Stay on top of studying.
4. Complete the birth announcements.
5. Book the baptism.
6. Celebrate out 1st anniversary.
7. Create 2 picture boards.
8. Walk every day.
9. Blog at least once every week.
10. Create my to do board.
11. Read one full novel for fun and my sanity. Candidates this month are The Glass House, The Bone Garden, Lisey's Story, Water for Elephants, and The Road.
12. Complete my Secret Mission for some wonderfully awesome people. Stay tuned. I'm sure this will make the blog.
13. Create ONE FULL scrapbook page layout and put it in an album.
14. Organize the misc. living room tub and mantle.
15. Prepare my xmas planning list.
16. Find my kitchen table and all 4 chairs that belong with it. Set up the high chair.

Yikes! Seems like a whole lotta jazz when i look at it but it all seems possible. Time management. That's what it's about right now. So without further ado, i'm ready!