Getaway

It was the annual guys weekend to the dunes. They headed south, to Saturday we girls headed north. Our ultimate goal was Ikea, but we meandered our way in that direction, stopping to shop or eat when we felt like it. How else would it take us 6 hours to get fifty miles?

As I said, we were aiming for Ikea. I went in with a completely open mind. One of the pluses of a new house is decorating. Of course, decorating on a budget can be a challenge. I found a few things and I'll work on getting them put away this week. So far, the only thing I've taken care of is the new silverware drawer organizer I put together.

School Carnival

Friday night Mom and I helped my sister corral the kids at the Preschool Carnival. Face painting and throw the ball in the bucket were popular, the popcorn was a big hit, but the their favorite activity was the fish pond. It's interesting, but I remember that one being pretty popular back when I was in elementary school.

It's Melting!

Yippee! We had another day without school today. My emotions were mixed. I have to figure out how to alter lesson plans for the three days we missed. At the same time I was really happy to not drive through the four inches of cold, melting slush in the streets to work this morning.

After the cold and snowy long weekend, temperatures soared to the mid 40's today which really made the snow melt. I'm happy about that. While snow as it falls is really beautiful, the dirty slush is not. And the roads cleared up enough  for company to come over, a trip out for lunch and some grocery shopping before we try to get back to "normal" tomorrow.

Snow!

Snow. I woke up to none, but snow in other places canceled school today (tomorrow too) so I snuggled back into bed and waited for the urge to crawl out of bed and face a day with no plans, no agenda, and a mile long to do list.

All through the day I watched little flakes drift down. Not much. It never really covered the grass. I took care of a few chores: finished my online GEP class, mopped the kitchen floor, played a few hundred games on FB. Then boredom set in and I called my sister, mom and dad, an old friend.

Snow days were so much fun when I was a kid. As an adult, they just screw up my routine.

By the time the snow finally quit, there was 10 inches on my back deck!

Walking...

A year ago I was on crutches due to a fracture in my foot. It wasn't painful, but it was really inconvenient. Prior to that incident, I had been exercising very regularly and was feeling pretty good. Ironically, being on crutches is a good workout for the upper body, and using them on stairs, which I had to twice a day was an exercise in agility. Since the foot healed, I have been fairly sedentary, and I knew I needed some incentive to move.

Today was the Cascade Half Marathon. I've never done a half marathon, and I don't plan to! Two years ago, I walked the 10K which is a bit longer than I really enjoy. This year, I kept it simple and opted for the 2 mile "fun run/walk". It was a nice, flat course and I was done in 35 minutes. Not too bad for not doing much for the last several months.

The word....

So, within a couple days of the last post, my 2014 word showed up.

Challenge

So I guess 2014 with be the year of challenge. Hopefully that means ways I challenge myself, and not having to deal with overwhelming external challenges. 

Happy New Year!

Good bye 2013...It was a good year.

• My job brought a new adventure. 6th graders are interesting, funny, and child-like. I know. They are children. But they are so different from 8th graders who believe they are very grown-up and mature. 
• I bought a new home...buying a house has been a different adventure. It feels like home which is nice and cozy and yet home ownership is such a huge responsibility.
• I came to some personal realizations. Man (or in my case woman) plans...God laughs. Some of the hopes/dreams/plans don't pan out the way you expect but you get up and move forward.

Hello 2014!

• A new year. 
• A fresh start.
• New opportunities.
• New adventures.

For the past few years I've been working to document my life for a variety of reasons. I've tried blogging, scrapbooking, focus words, photos, journaling....I've discovered that no one thing works perfectly, or best. They all have their ups and downs. Some days/weeks/months I don't feel much like doing any of it. I've also noticed that I have some very regimented aspects of my life. Is it tradition? Habit? Why do I do what I do, when I do it and how I do it? Is it because that's expected? I suspect there is truth to all of these reasons. But I really got to thinking about this as I tried to define my focus word for 2014.

It's January 1 and I still don't have my 2014 word...This is not an auspicious beginning.