Back in the Grind!

Well I didn't even make one day back to school without missing a blog post... Oh well!  I had a rotten night of sleep Sunday night but made it through the day.  The kids were great... I do love my class and what I do.  It took me most of yesterday and today to get things organized thanks to the snow day the last day before break.  I am actually pretty much planned for the rest of the week and am feeling pretty good!

I procrastinated and had to spend last night and tonight doing grad school homework.  Oh well... it was nice to have a break while it lasted!  I finished the paper and read one chapter.  I need to read two more chapters and outline a few things for my thematic unit before class tomorrow, but I am feeling much less stressed than I was on Sunday night.

I have managed to walk both days after school. We've only done a little over a mile, but that is more than I have done in months!  Hoping I can keep the momentum going and maybe even get up to running a little next week.  We will see.

Still trying to think about how I want to document my journey to becoming a woman of grace... that is my word for the year.  I have caught myself thinking about it each morning, so I think it is starting to become a part of who I am.  I just have a great deal of work to do before I get there!  :)

No deep thoughts tonight... must go finish some homework!
I will leave you with this photo of my sweet Patches. She is getting rather demanding in her old age!

Sunday...

My break is over... and the reality is starting to set in. Chris treated me to dinner out tonight, which was VERY nice. I am trying to get everything together so that when then alarm goes off at 5:00 in the morning I am not rushed and can glide into the school day. :) I had high hopes of getting lots done over break, but for the most part I just took a break. It was a much needed break. Lots of days in pajamas and yoga pants. I do feel refreshed and ready to face the world again. There is the little dark cloud in the back of my mind full of all of the stuff I need to get done in the next week. I need to just take it a little at a time. Routine is good for me. It will be GOOD to be back in a normal routine. I know Romeo will be rotten this week as he gets used to me going back to work.

So for now, I sign off. I have high hopes of keeping up with my daily blog entries, but we will see!

Feeling Creative

I am avoiding work... at least for one more day.  I wanted to get some creative time so I spent a few hours over the past few days on a few layouts and cards.  Here are two of the layouts I did.  Both are 6 x 12... a fun new size for me.  Now that I am using the Library of Memories system, I can mix page sizes.  I bought 6 x 12 page protectors and have been wanting to try a few layouts at this size.

Simba:

 

2008 Intentions:

I also did a few cards, but haven't scanned any of those.  I have a few more projects that I would like to do today.  Tomorrow will be all about getting ready for the week ahead... back to work.  :(

DeChristmasing/End of Break :(

I really loved decorating the house this year. It was fun and I did most of it over Thanksgiving weekend. I really don't like taking it all down. I had good intentions of working on it yesterday, but we really just lounged around yesterday. I am sad that my break is just about over... today is the last real day of break. I had so many things that I wanted to get done over break and many other things that I *need* to get done. So I am trying to cram it all in today!

The decorations are all down except for the lights on the tree. That is Chris' department and he will do that when he gets home tonight or tomorrow. He is at an all day swim practice today so I have the house all to myself. :-) It's been good that he has had practice and private lessons. This has given us the right blend of together and alone time over break. We even had some bonus time thanks to snow before break started.

One of my Christmas gifts was a small point and shoot camera that I can keep with me at all times. I love my Digital SLR, but it is just too large to carry around. I have wanted to document some of the day to day parts of my life, and this camera will help. I am hoping to participate in Project 365, where each participant takes at least a photo a day. We'll see! So far I am at 100% for 2009.

Off to get some more cleaning done. Can't believe I actually have to go back to work in a few days!

Happy New Year... One Little Word

Happy New Year! We had a wonderful evening with our friends closing out 2008 and welcoming 2009. It is amazing how hopeful a new year can be... full of possibilities and new challenges.

I have been a long time fan of a woman who is considered one of the icons in the scrapbooking world, Ali Edwards. I have been inspired by not only her creativity and scrapbooking style, but also by the way she chooses to live her life. A few years ago she challenged her blog readers to choose one little word to focus on for an entire year. This one little word is your guiding philosophy for the coming year. You can read more about it on her blog here.

Last year I chose a word but didn't do much with it. This year I was really inspired to choose a word that truly would be my guiding force for the year. After much thought and reflection yesterday, I chose my word...


Grace has many different definitions according to the dictionary. All of them fit as to how I want to lead my life in 2009 (and beyond.) Here is the dictionary definition:

grace

Noun

1. elegance and beauty of movement, form, or expression

2. a pleasing or charming quality: architecture with few redeeming graces

3. courtesy or decency: at least she had the grace to laugh

4. a delay granted for the completion of a task or payment of a debt: another year's grace

5. Christian theol the free and unmerited favour of God shown towards humankind

6. a short prayer of thanks for a meal

Another poster on Ali's blog chose grace and commented on the definition from another source, Style Statement: Live by Your Own Design by Danielle LaPorte & Carrie McCarthy. I really liked the quote that she gave from the book:

Graceful is poised and dignified and, at her best, is a giving, generous spirit who seeks to impart kindness and dignity. Love is her fuel; goodwill is her motivation and guide. Graceful prefers meaning and substance but will practice courtesy and compassion rather than forcing her views about a situation. Graceful has a sense of fit and propriety, a craving for balance and good form and proportion. She adores harmony and material and immaterial luxury—from finery to leisure. Rooted in feminine power, Graceful has a quiet and steady confidence. She endeavors to make everything special in the most considerate and ultimately charming ways, and she tends to make it all look effortless.

This really sums up how I want to live my life. I want to be more graceful (and with my recent falls on ice, this is a literal goal as well as figurative!) I want to be a better friend and teacher who listens and provides compassion to all those around me. I want to work in improving my confidence and get it "all together"

I am hoping to write more about this word in the coming year. For now I am going to create some kind of art to hang up here in my studio that is a constant reminder. I am also planning to order one of these so that my word is always close to my heart.

So my challenge... choose one little word for yourself. What will YOUR word be? How will you bring this word to life in the coming year?

Looking back on 2008

Here it is... the end of 2008. I wanted to take some time to reflect on the year before looking forward to 2009.

A few years ago I stopped making resolutions and making INTENTIONS for the year. Here were my intentions for 2008:

1. Complete Adoption Homestudy and become licensed foster parents
We really didn't do anything with this as I think we still needed time to heal from the failed adoption. Recently I have really felt a calling to look into becoming foster parents, so I know this is something we will continue to reflect on in 2009.

2. Make a decision regarding fertility treatments
This is the 800 lb gorilla in the room right now. We have talked about it, but we REALLY need to make a decision. 2008 was not the year, but I am hoping to finally find some closure in regards to treatment in 2009. I really think the failed adoption had a deeper impact than either of us realized. I think 2008 was a year of healing and learning to hope again. Both Chris and I are in a better place now and are looking forward to making some decisions in the coming months.

3. I will finish a 5k without stopping
While I didn't run an entire 5k, I sure did a lot of running in 2008! Who would have thought that I would participate in 3 separate events in one year. One of them was even an 8k! This is something that I plan to continue this winter. I plan to participate in several races again and really hope to be able to RUN a complete 5k in 2009. We even used running as the "theme" for our Christmas card this year!

4. I will have dinner with Grandma twice a month
I suppose by now you see the trend... While I had good intentions, this didn't really happen. I have recently been stopping by to see her more often and realize how precious she really is. She is a big part of the woman I am today and I am working to spend more time with her regularly.

5. I will start a Master's Program
Finally, something I can say YES I did. I started a program in August and will finish in November of 2009. It is a very intense program, so much of my time has been devoted to homework and readings for class. I am so happy that I started the program and really am enjoying being a student again. I am getting a degree in Reading and Literacy which will allow me to become a reading specialist if I choose. I already feel that I am a better teacher and feel a new sense of energy and purpose in my teaching. I wish I had started a program sooner, as I realize now how important it is to nurture myself. It is nice to put something other than infertility in the front of my mind for a change.
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I have also worked on cultivating my marriage and being the wife I know Chris deserves. I know it is cliche' but I really love him more today than I did the day I married him all those years ago. We've learned to love our uniqueness and challenges. Our marriage is truly stronger than it has ever been. I know this is all part of the plan for us and I truly hope that we have laid the foundation for us to complete our family in some way or another in 2009.

We are both happy in our careers and love what we do. We are blessed to have many close friends that we spend time with. We are getting more and more financially secure and learning how to manage our money. We continue to work on our home and have created a place that is not only comfortable for us but also a place we are proud to share with our friends and family. We are fortunate to have three pets who shower us with unconditional love (and the occasional slobbery mess!)

While I didn't accomplish most of my intentions, I don't regret any of my decisions in 2008. It was a good year, and one where I learned a great deal about myself. My life is full of many blessings and I look forward to the new challenges of 2009.

May 2009 be full of love and joy for everyone who is a part of our lives...

Christmas 2008

Wow... it has been a LONG time since I posted here! Christmas is now over, and 2008 is drawing to a close. Hard to believe that another year has passed!

In years past, I have completed Shimelle's Christmas journal. This year it was just more than I could even consider with grad school. But I love looking at the finished albums to see what we did each year. I am hoping to make a little mini album that will cover the highlights of this year to add to the collection. So... I thought I would post a little recap of Christmas here so that I can remember all of the details!I started the season on December 7th with my 2nd annual girlfriend's luncheon. It was great to have a day with the girls once again. Sadly, I only took photos of the decorations and totally forgot to take any photos of the actual event! :-( One new tradition was creating little boxes for each guest. I then asked each person to write a little note to each other and place it in the box. (The idea was from Oprah of course!) This was one of the best things I have ever done. Once everyone left I was able to read the notes each person wrote to me. Several of the guests also commented on how much they loved their little boxes. I plan to do something like this again!

We also had my staff Christmas party on December 5th at Cubbie Bear North. That was a fun night with friends. I am so fortunate to work with people that I truly enjoy spending time with. Saturday was the Swim Team Christmas party at a local Mexican restaurant. It was nice to take some time to celebrate with families that have become such a part of our lives.

The following weekend was a cookie exchange that Miriam and I co-hosted at her house. I was a little stressed since I am not a baker by any stretch of the imagination. I can do all sorts of creative things with paper... but food... that is another story all together! However, before we could even get to baking cookies.... the four of us (Rinaldi's and us) went to a BEARS game on Thursday December 11th. It was a night game of course so it was a little chilly, but we had a good time. We were out way too late and I had to work the next day before baking cookies. But I am honestly THRILLED with my cookies. We had a great turn out and had another great day. I also made little recipe books for each person to take home as a favor. These were put together LAST minute, but I loved how they turned out!

I was glad to have some time off from Grad school. It gave me some time to actually do some Christmas shopping and spend some time with Chris. Time together has become quite a luxury, but we know that this is the way our marriage works best. :-)


Once again I hosted Christmas Eve for my immediate family. I really enjoy having everyone over and decorating the house. It was nice to have everyone over for a casual meal and some quality time together- coloring, talking, and even playing Wii! I was a little worried about how things would go with some recent drama, but things really went well. We had lasagna, salad, and lumpy white stuff (made with vanilla pudding instead of pistachio... yum!) and then pumpkin pie for desert.

I must have been a very good girl this year because Santa (aka Chris) really spoiled me on Christmas morning. It was nice to have some time just the two of us, even if it is rather bittersweet. It's hard to face another year passing without our family being complete, but we know that we are truly blessed to have each other. The dogs were also spoiled with some new toys and treats as well!

We headed to my Aunt and Uncles for Christmas Day. Another quiet day spending time with family and the kids. We even got to spend some time with our newest family member, Lexi. She is Kristen's new puppy... cute as cute can be! It made me remember just how we ended up with this beast of a dog. :) He once was a cute little puppy, too!

We went to see the movie Bedtime Stories with the Rinaldi's that night. It was nice to get out and spend some time with friends. The movie was light hearted and a great way to end Christmas Day! We later celebrated Christmas with the Rinaldi's on Sunday. It was nice to just relax and enjoy some Chili. Too bad our Bears LOST and are now out of the playoffs. Seems to be the trend with our Chicago teams. :(


I am sure I am forgetting things. I really am going to try to be good about updating here.... maybe even once a week! :-) I know there is at least one of you who read this! :-)