in 2011...

I had some firsts...

• work trip with my boss to Washington, D.C.
• eating sushi and pasta (not at the same time) with my friend John in Virginia
• visit to North Carolina for a training
• visit to Providence, RI for a conference
• eating at the Cheesecake Factory in NC
  
• trip to Madrid, Spain via Korea for World Youth Day 2011 with side trips to Fatima, Portugal; Avila and Burgos
• teaching a class geared towards foster parents and child caregivers
• a secretary who knew what she was doing (of course I knew she could step up to the plate because I stole her from the school I used to work at)
  

I had some stress...

• writing 2 grants for a home visiting program set to begin in 2012
• early mornings (4am is an insane time to begin working, but at least i could do it in pjs)
• late nights...working after 5pm sometimes till 8 or so
• deadlines on EST and figuring out what time that was in ChST. Lots of triple checking with the time and date website
• putting together power point presentations and compiling resources for my first class
• a health issue that I won't have news about till January
  

I had some big changes (I hate changes)...

• the realization that a two-month summer break was no longer in my life
• falling off the exercise and good eating wagon (going step back on that wagon in 2012)
• the auntie moving home after 9 years (finally! but, this change I like)
• the selling of my silver V-6 4 runner (the 'Nerds finally have reliable transportation)
  
• the buying of my salsa red pearl 4 cyl. 4 runner (3 months earlier than planned)
• taking time off means signing a leave form

I experienced some sadness...

• the loss of relatives during the holiday season
• the loss of a dream for a family member (maybe loss is a strong word...postponement, maybe?)

Even with all the stress and the sadness and the big changes, I still have much to look forward to in 2012...

• the birth of my newest nephew in February
• the excitement of seeing all that hard work of grant writing pay off when the home visiting program gets started
• getting back on the eating well and moving more wagon
• seeing what matchmaking Cupid can do
  
• the wedding of my cousin Jes in August
  

hello joy

Had to dust off some cobwebs on the blog...haven't been feeling "with it" lately. November was b.u.s.y. If I posted a picture of my November calendar, some may seriously run for the hills and not look back. Aside from the busy-ness of work, life has been... LIFE. Life hasn't been all sunshine and roses.

Dealing with a health issue that I hope is resolved without slicing and dicing. It's a little scary for me. It helps that a friend has dealt with something similar, but at the same time I worry because I'm me and not her. Does that make sense?

Dealing with disappointment and life-altering changes for one of the daughters of my heart. Her life plans have changed and with that, my mind set has to change. It's hard to be strong for someone you love when all you want to do inside is curl up and sob.

I haven't made any Christmas cards. Don't think I'll be sending any out at this point, and I think I'm okay with that.

All this stuff going on has wreaked havoc on my sleep. I wish I could really let go and let God. Gotta have a little faith, huh?

So, I really haven't been feeling all that creative. I have been keeping up with my December Daily album, mostly catching up on the weekends but I haven't posted my pages anywhere. I think I made two cards with my Studio Calico November kit and then bagged it up when December kits arrived. I ordered the Silhouette Cameo and it sat unopened for a while. I even forgot I was expecting it in the mail. I set it up yesterday to get my gift bags made for my friends' Christmas presents. I knew they'd be expecting some handmade paper crafts to house their gifts. I couldn't disappoint.

We celebrated my birthday and Christmas just a little early last night. Being with them put a few things into perspective. These friends are sisters of my heart. They're the ones I can depend on outside my family to hold me up when I feel like falling down. We had a great dinner (SUSHI), walked around the mall for a bit (parents need to stop dropping their kids off at the mall unattended), and then saw "New Year's Eve." Got some much needed laughs and maybe shed a few tears (thought I shed them all already).

And this... this silhouette cut file that Ali Edwards posted in the Studio Calico December Daily forum... invited some joy into my life this week. It came at the right time.