synchronicity

i have determined that
this
is going to be my year
to evolve into a truer form of myself...
this is the year
i am going to listen to those little voices
in my head begging to learn to knit, to sew,
to paint, to create something...
this is going to be my year.

last year, i asked for and received The Artist's Way
for christmas...i started doing it, and then, stopped...
it just didn't feel right...
i put it away and thought about it from time to time
but as we got closer to the middle of the year
i decided to wait for january to start it again
(i've got a thing about january's and blank slates and fresh starts)
so this week, i started reading it.

and then, i was reading artsymama's blog
and there it was!
an open invitation to join a group online
and work through the book together...
i could barely stop myself from clapping my hands...
alright, so i didn't stop myself...heh heh

and the funny thing is the theory of synchronicity...
the happenstance chance of my decision to hold off
on doing the book, my wish that there was someone
to do it with, and my finding the blog group the same
week that i start the book...random coincidence?
and there other things that are changing in my life
that make me think this is really it, this is my time
to focus on this part of me...
my job is going to be changing to allow me a lot more
free time and less stress...
the kids are both in school and my husband has
developed his own hobby (online gaming, heehee)...
i have more resources at my hand and space that i
have ever had before...

this is my year...
i can feel it.

oh great and powerful ogg...

happy birthday...

i don't even know where to begin
to explain or convey or describe
how much you mean to me...

words fail to grasp the enormity...

i would be lost without you
you are my other side,
rational when i am not...
whimsical and silly when i am being too serious...
supportive to my every plan, idea or theory
no matter how misguided...
always listening, always hearing what i'm saying,
always caring about i think...

i feel so lucky to have shared
eleven years out of your now 32...
you are an amazing husband, father, son, brother
and
best friend...

happy birthday, navy-sock-boy.

unexpected beauty

i woke up this morning and it was cold
and i didn't want to get out of the blankets...
my hair looks like hell and i don't have time to
have a shower and where is the damn brush?
coming down the stairs, i notice out the window
that the neighbors have their compost cart out...
which means today is wednesday, which means
i have to drag that damn cart out there NOW
because if they come and it's not out,
i will have to wait two weeks for the already
overflowing bin to be emptied
so i stomp around the house trying to find
boots, socks, mittens, hat, and coat
and in my stomping, i find the
vomit
that the dog so kindly left by the door...
damn, damn, double damn it...

then i finally get outside
and
it's beautiful...its crisp but not too cold
the sky is still holding onto faint wisps of pink
around its borders
and the english hawthorne tree in my front yard
literally takes my breath away for a moment...

and suddenly, i'm not so cranky
and likely to kick the dog as i pass him,
and the fact that i have to kick the snow away
from the driveway so i can stand the heavy
compost cart up without it tipping over on me
doesn't bother me that much
because all i can think about is
should i get the camera?
should i take a picture?
will it convey what i see right now?
will it convey what i feel right now?
will it remind me through the day to be calm
and breathe and let go?
will it inspire anyone else or change their day
as it did for me?

so i took the pictures.

and if you are still not inspired and haven't seen this yet,
go and watch it...i watched it at least 3 times a day
since i watched it the first time...amazing.

rejuvenation

i think that i love this time of year,
the end of christmas and the beginning of the new year
almost as much as i love christmas
(which is alot, heehee)

i love feeling inspired by the prospect
of a brand new year...
i just had a little thrill of anticipation run through
me a second ago as i read some new years resolutions
that someone else had already made
and thought...hey! i can start that simple abundance
book that i bought 6 months ago but wouldn't/couldn't
start in good confidence until january
soon...yay!

there are just so many things
that i want to do and learn and know and experience
and share and make and build and paint
and write and communicate and take in...
i think that is what makes me who i am...
and i'm ok with that.

good intentions

the picture i did plan to put on our christmas cards
with the caption "merry friggin' christmas"
hahahahahah
too bad i'm such a slacker..
the kids really enjoyed standing in the rain
while i took it tho
:)