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goodbye 2018...

December 31, 2018 Arlene Giddings

It’s New Year’s Eve
and I am wishing that I had thought ahead
and gotten food or treats or diet coke (!!!!)
but now it’s dark out
and I am in my pjs
and don’t want to leave the house.

It’s a sad state of affairs.

Heeheeheehee.

I realize I have not blogged since November
but honestly…
my life was kind of falling apart off and on
all through 2018
so I am actually surprised that I blogged as much as I did (93 times).

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram,
then you likely already know that my marriage of 20 years
has sadly broken into pieces & while I spent a good portion
of 2018 just trying to hold the shards of my heart and head together,
I also tried to appear normal…I didn’t want to admit out loud
for a long time
that anything was wrong…but, eventually, I had to
and, honestly, admitting it was a good thing for me, for all of us, in the end.

So. Anyway. That news is soooo 2018
and I really don’t want to talk/think about it anymore.

This time last year, I wrote about how I wanted 2018 to be a year of fun
not realizing at the time that 2018 was actually still going to be a big year of suck.

Therefore, I reserve the right to re-use my plan of attack & make
2019
a year that I focus on fun. :)

Every year, I go back and re-read my blog & journals for the year that is passing.
This year, well, I just didn’t want to read my journals because…that’s just depressing
and for the first time ever, I am considering burning journals.
But, for my blog, I mainly only talked about the good things, the funny things,
the stuff I love…so here are some of the highlights:

  • I read 36 books! My goal was 24 so yay me! I realize I didn’t write about all of them on here so I am planning to do a short summary again of the ones that I missed writing about. And now, I need to set a new goal for 2019. Is 25 setting the bar too low? Heh. Oh…any recommendations??

  • I sold a bunch of watercolor cards (and journals & a canvas!). This blows my mind. Seriously. And makes me incredibly happy. I have big plans for expanding this in 2019 so stay tuned! :)

  • I sang Mony Mony on a speaker & didn’t get kicked out!

  • I saw real live eagles.

  • I went to the air show and sat in a Hornet (a stationary hornet, but still….)(and I had to line up with 50 little kids to do it…but still….)

  • I joined a writing group, started nanowrimo, got further on a story than I ever have and submitted a story to a contest (I didn’t win…but I submitted it!)

  • I got to talk on a taxi CB….always a goal of mine.

  • I created an online dating profile. This has been both amusing and horrifying.

  • I got my thumb stuck in a box of cold shots at the liquor store which prompted the cashier to say “Well. THAT’S a first.” Heh.

  • I tried cabbage. I learned how not to stir fry it and that stir fried cabbage could actually kill me. And they keep it by the turnips if you are ever looking for it. And cauliflower and cabbage are not the same thing.

  • I got in a car accident. Goodbye little accent…I still miss you. :(

  • I ate a lot of jujubes, broccoli, ice cream sundaes, cucumber sandwiches and popcorn.

  • We had unplanned kittens.

  • I did a whole month of Inktober! :)

I am not going to lie though. I didn’t love 2018.

But I learned
that I can do this…we can do this…
that a separation does not mean the end of the world
and it doesn’t mean we failed…
things happen, people grow and change…
(24 years together is a long time…we should just be proud of that)

And that, yeah, there are days it’s going to totally fucking suck
but there are also little bits of good in every day
if you look for them…some days, you have to look really damn hard
but they are there.

And that it’s ok to accept help or support.
That’s one I am still struggling with.
I know we have such a strong support system of friends & family & co-workers…
and I felt like I should write
”thanks for being there for me even when it
felt like all I was doing was pushing you away
”
in EVERYONE’S Christmas card….
because…that’s what I learned I do…

The truth is we are alive and healthy…
and 2019 will not be about spinning my wheels any longer.
2019 will be about getting some traction
and moving forward…about having fun and being open minded…
making new friends and reconnecting with old ones…
laughing so hard you spit your diet coke through your nose…

and lots and lots of adventures.

Happy New Years Eve to you…if you have stuck through this
long and painful post, hahahaha, thank you.
I am always totally surprised when anyone reads this
(and always always always so appreciative….)
so thank you so much for being here!

Now…is it too late to order Chinese food?
:)

In 2018, we are family, words Tags 2018, 2019, unfold, recap, looking back, looking ahead, you got this, yeah, bad words ahead, gonna be ok
4 Comments

sometimes...

June 7, 2018 Arlene Giddings

you just feel like
chocolate-y chai tea
and
big warm sweater....

a book and
and fuzzy soft blanket...

i think i am still in hibernate mode.

In 2018, words, whatcha doin' Tags tea, hibernate, cozy, why is it so damn cold, junuary?
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they told me this would happen...

February 27, 2018 Arlene Giddings

I mean...
I knew that they would grow up.
That's kind of the point, right?

I just didn't think it would feel like it happened
so damn fast...
that she would be off in another province,
working 3 jobs, taking charge of her life...
that he would get so tall,
and so self sufficient.
That they would take planes and trains
and buses all by themselves.
That the panicky texts would not come from them,
they would directly come from me...
did you get there?
are you on the plane?
have you eaten?
did you check in?
did you get your baggage?
did you ask anyone where to go?
don't talk to strangers!

and that the
short but sweet reassurances
would come from them...
all good!
i'm here.
pretty sure this is right.
love you too

He flew away today all by himself
to Toronto
to take part in a conference that the Student's Commission
puts on...he attended last year
and this year, he is helping to facilitate
and I couldn't be prouder
but I'm not gonna lie...
I miss him already.
The house is too quiet without
the sound of a Jetta revving in the shop...
no stories of paint jobs and
rims he found online
and what plans he has for the tail lights
or who cut him off while driving today.

Tuesday feels a long way away.
♥♥♥

In 2018, my boy, my girl, we are family, words Tags my boy, my girl, family, i'm not good with change
1 Comment

tuesday truths...

February 20, 2018 Arlene Giddings

■  
I just realized there is no diet coke in the house. 
None.

■ 
My hip hurts.  My hip has never hurt before. 
I am not liking it.

■ 
I went to a writing group on Saturday. 
This was my second time going. 
I think this is exactly what I need in order to make myself
actually sit down and work on something...
I need that accountability.
And it is obviously not working to pretend that
I will hold myself accountable
because apparently, I have a very soft heart
that believes every sob story excuse I tell myself.

And the great thing about this month's session
was that I admitted up front
that, while this was the start of a story,
there is a very good chance
that I will never finish it
because I have never finished ANYTHING in my life.
They kindly pointed out that I had indeed finished the story
that I shared the week before
but...that was like
1900 words.
That kind of story I can handle.
A snippet.  A page or two.  A scene.  A scenario.
It's putting a bunch of those together
and calling it a cohesive story that I struggle with.
But after I read the group my story about Bernadine,
they told me I had to write more
because they wanted to know
what was going to happen next...
(and...to be honest...so do I!)
and that they would be expecting to hear more
at next writing group.
:)

In words, tuesday truths, embrace2018 Tags truth on a tuesday, doodles, writing group, writing, accountability, whining a bit
Comment

tuesday truths...winterblues

February 13, 2018 Arlene Giddings

I've been struggling a little this winter...
I haven't quite been myself.
Winter always wears me down but this year
I'm a little bit sadder, a little more uncertain...
my self confidence is a little worse for wear
and my heart feels a little bruised...
I feel like if I pretend hard enough
that everything is A-OK...then...
maybe I can fool myself too.

And for the most part...it works.

But I am starting to feel a shift.
The days are getting just a smidgen longer...
that tiny extra bit of brightness
has been enough to push me forward a couple of steps.
I can feel a little spark of energy...
and I want to turn it into a full blown fire.

I have been getting back out with my camera
and even went back to the gym...
made it to yoga...spent some time in the hot tub/sauna...
walked through snow filled woods...
and started some new art projects that I am excited about.
I'm reading books and joining book clubs
and writing groups...sometimes you just have to
force yourself to keep going...until you realize you
aren't forcing it anymore...

there IS a light at the end of the tunnel...
just keep swimming
(OK.  I might be getting my sayings confused
but you get my snowdrift).

In tuesday truths, she's so weird, words, embrace2018, 2018 Tags sometimes i'm serious, winterblues, just keep swimming, winter
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