I am a romantic. I always have been, though I do my best to temper it with a healthy dose of pragmatism whenever possible. All my life I daydreamed about finding my true love, the man I'd love with all my heart and spend the rest of my life with. I didn't neglect my life waiting for Prince Charming, but I was always on the lookout for him - even those years when I was totally against ever getting married.
It's amazing how much mind space and time has been opened up now that I have found the love of my life. Some of the time I spent daydreaming about finding Prince Charming has now been channeled into thinking about Steve and our future together, but there's still quite a healthy chunk of time leftover. I find myself spending more time thinking about the other aspects of my life that, though never neglected, certainly weren't in the foreground of my thoughts. Things like my career and what to do with my time when not at work.
I'm realizing more fully that my life lacks passion...not in the romance department, but in every other one. I'm grateful to have a job, don't get me wrong, but I'm not enamored with it. It's a dead end job with no potential for advancement and it's not really what I want to do with my life - it lacks challenge and definitely is beneath my potential. So, I'm wracking my brains trying to decide what I'd like to do for a career. It's not very easy. I never had an idea of "what I want to be when I grow up". I definitely learning what aspects of a job appeal to me and what don't. Ideally, I'd like something that could eventually enable me to be my own boss.
Anyway, that's a subject for a complete and substantial blog post. I'm also realizing how little passion I have for any hobby or extracurricular activities. I enjoy doing several things; cooking, hiking, walking, reading, tennis, but I don't necessarily feel PASSIONATE about any of them - even cooking, though that's definitely the closest one. I talked it over with Steve a few nights ago and he suggested trying some new hobbies. I may not be cut out for passion in my hobbies, I may just be too lazy to care that much about anything, but I figure it's worth a try. If nothing else, I'll have a little fun.
The first thing I'm going to try is gardening. I'm actually pretty excited about trying it. Steve and I don't have a yard, but we have front and back patios that would be ideal for potted gardens. I anticipate having a good time planning what to plant, spending time with Steve picking out pots and soil and then spending the spring, summer, and fall maintaining our garden...oh and enjoying the fruit of our labor! I'm not known for my growing skills, but I plan on researching how to care for the plants we choose and really spending time nurturing them.
I'd also like to start biking. We're going to buy bikes when the weather turns warmer and we have a great biking/walking path really close to our home. In fact, I'd also like to try rollerblading again! I have art supplies I bought with the help of my friend, Doug, but have always been too busy (and scared) to sit down and paint. I'd like to try my hand at painting. I may be horrible, but there's the chance of finding something I'm passionate about. You never know! We're also getting a dog in a couple months, so that will be fun and interesting. Steve thinks maybe I'll be good at dog training. We'll see. And maybe this winter, when the weather turns bad again, I'll take up sewing. My mom once hinted that she may give me her old sewing machine and if she does, it may be fun to start sewing fun projects like curtains, pillowcases, and maybe even skirts...if I get decent enough.
At any rate, I feel good about what life has to offer. I am blessed to be in love with the most wonderful man in the universe. I have a decent paying job. And, I have the means and opportunity to explore the offerings of life. Life. I guess that is something I'm passionate about. I love living. I love my life.
I'll do my best to record my attempts at these hobbies, successes and failures. Hopefully there's more successes than otherwise. And, hopefully you have passion in your life. If you do, I'd love to hear about your passions!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Saturday, January 08, 2011
New Year's Resolutions
With so much happening lately, I'm kind of behind on my New Year's Resolutions. I haven't really even thought much about them until today. I had set a little mini goal to have this post accomplished by the end of the week...which I consider to be tonight, so I have spent a bit of time contemplating the things I would like to change/improve in 2011. I really appreciated Lori's focus on progress as opposed to perfection for her New Year's resolutions and am going to follow her lead.
2011 New Year's Resolutions
1. Exercise 4x a week. This is less than what I used to do, before I moved and my life turned upside down. However, it's also more than what I'm currently doing. It's going to take dedication but is definitely achievable. And, it takes into consideration my new life and responsibilities.
2. Pay off car and credit card. I'm really close to having my car paid off and should be able to finish it off quickly with my new job's nice salary. My credit card is another story, unfortunately. It's not horrible right now, and I only have a balance on it because of last year's financial difficulties. However, in the next few months, I'm going to have to put a big thing on it, hiking up the balance significantly. That said, I'm positive that with a bit of discipline and tracking of my spending, I'll be able to get both bills paid off by the end of the year...barring unseen circumstances.
3. Go somewhere new in the USA. This should be fairly easy to accomplish since both Steve and I love traveling and going to new places. Also, with a honeymoon in the future, it may be the perfect time to explore a new part of the country. Or maybe we'll go somewhere new for July 4th or Christmas. Lots of opportunities!
4. Pick up a new hobby. My mom said she might give me her old sewing machine, so I may pick up sewing. Or painting...a long time ago I bought some painting supplies but have never broken them out. Maybe gardening. We have 2 nice patios that could use a little sprucing up and planters full of plants and flowers would look great. I'm okay with multiple hobbies, but I definitely want to do new things.
5. Spiritual basics. I need to go back to the basics and strengthen my foundation. There are several ways I could work on this, but this year I'm going to focus on church attendance.
That's it. I don't believe in having too many goals...don't want to spread myself too thin. Okay, I wouldn't mind being thinner (teehee) but seriously, I'm hoping that working on these few items will help me accomplish the progress I know I'd like to make this year.
Wish me luck!
And, good luck to you on accomplishing your goals...if you made some. *smile*
2011 New Year's Resolutions
1. Exercise 4x a week. This is less than what I used to do, before I moved and my life turned upside down. However, it's also more than what I'm currently doing. It's going to take dedication but is definitely achievable. And, it takes into consideration my new life and responsibilities.
2. Pay off car and credit card. I'm really close to having my car paid off and should be able to finish it off quickly with my new job's nice salary. My credit card is another story, unfortunately. It's not horrible right now, and I only have a balance on it because of last year's financial difficulties. However, in the next few months, I'm going to have to put a big thing on it, hiking up the balance significantly. That said, I'm positive that with a bit of discipline and tracking of my spending, I'll be able to get both bills paid off by the end of the year...barring unseen circumstances.
3. Go somewhere new in the USA. This should be fairly easy to accomplish since both Steve and I love traveling and going to new places. Also, with a honeymoon in the future, it may be the perfect time to explore a new part of the country. Or maybe we'll go somewhere new for July 4th or Christmas. Lots of opportunities!
4. Pick up a new hobby. My mom said she might give me her old sewing machine, so I may pick up sewing. Or painting...a long time ago I bought some painting supplies but have never broken them out. Maybe gardening. We have 2 nice patios that could use a little sprucing up and planters full of plants and flowers would look great. I'm okay with multiple hobbies, but I definitely want to do new things.
5. Spiritual basics. I need to go back to the basics and strengthen my foundation. There are several ways I could work on this, but this year I'm going to focus on church attendance.
That's it. I don't believe in having too many goals...don't want to spread myself too thin. Okay, I wouldn't mind being thinner (teehee) but seriously, I'm hoping that working on these few items will help me accomplish the progress I know I'd like to make this year.
Wish me luck!
And, good luck to you on accomplishing your goals...if you made some. *smile*
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Christmas and the Engagement
So, as you know from a previous post, Steve and I had made plans to spend Christmas in Denver, so we moved up our Christmas celebrations one day. One the 23rd, we did what will be our traditional Christmas Eve stuff. We went for a long walk along the river (not necessarily a tradition, but it was nice), then went out to eat in Ogden at an Italian restaurant we really like on historic 25th Street. After dinner, we kept one of my family's traditions by driving around looking at Christmas lights. We drove into some nice neighborhoods in Ogden and saw some really nicely decorated homes. We came home and opened up our stockings. This was Steve's idea and I really like it, unless we have children someday, then stockings will have to be opened on Christmas since Santa fills them. Among the fun things he gave me were a teddy bear wearing a shirt that has "Someone in the Air Force loves me" written on it, mint chocolate truffles, a pedometer, and Mario Kart!! Yay! We watched a The Night Before Christmas and then played Mario Kart several times before going to bed.
Christmas Eve morning, we opened the presents under our tree. We started with gifts given to us by other people, then we opened the gifts from each other. We had limited ourselves to 3 presents each. I gave him a cordless drill and drill bits, a rotary saw, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire for the Wii. He gave me a Peyton Manning jersey, a new digital camera, and a Kindle. I had been skeptical about Kindles when he first mentioned having one, but one week I was sick and ended up reading 6 books on his Kindle and fell in love with it. So, I'm thrilled to have one of my own.
After presents, I was plugging in my kindle and camera and realized that Steve had left the room. He came back in with an odd look on his face and one hand behind his back. I asked what was up and he brought a silver-wrapped present from behind his back. I gave him a hard time about breaking the 3 present rule and he said he hadn't because it wasn't a Christmas present. I started to open it and noticed my hands were shaking. I kept telling myself not to get too excited because it may not be what I thought it may be. With the wrapping paper gone, a Morgan Jeweler's box was uncovered, and my heart started beating faster. I looked at him and he smiled, and I smiled because he looked nervous. I opened the box and pulled out the white ring box. I couldn't believe it was finally happening to me. I'd always wondered what it would feel like and I was finally finding out. I opened the box and saw a beautiful ring, a ring that was better than anything I would have picked out for myself. I looked at Steve and he got down on one knee and asked me if I would marry him. I started to cry and managed to choke out a yes. He stood up, we hugged and kissed, and I put the ring on. It fits wonderfully, loose enough to be comfortable but not so loose as to fall off my finger.
So sparkly!
There wasn't much time to revel in the moment, we had a flight to make, so we got ready to go (after I hurried and called both my parents) and headed out to the airport. The whole time, I kept glancing at the ring, hardly believing that I was engaged! We arrived in Denver, found our hotel, drove all over the place until we found an open restaurant, ate, then went to True Grit. An untraditional Christmas Eve, but then, we had already done Christmas Eve...and Christmas for that matter.
The next day, it didn't feel like Christmas at first. Mostly because, as I just said, we'd already celebrated it. After breakfast at the hotel, we drove to downtown Denver and walked around a bit. Nothing was open except 2 of the 5 Starbucks we walked by. We got hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie at the first one. It was sunny and mid-40's, extremely pleasant and surprising. After a couple hours, we drove to Colorado Springs to spend the rest of the day with Steve's best friend (and practically brother) Jimmy, his wife Jen, and their two boys, Ethan and Brody. Oh, and Jen's family. This is when it started to feel more like Christmas Day. Even though they weren't our family, they were family, and Christmas is about family. We ate a lot, played games, watched the kids play and fight, ate more, played more games, and basically were loud and had fun.
On the 26th, Jimmy and Jen took us and their boys to Garden of the Gods, a really neat park south of Colorado Springs that has awesome hiking trails I'd like to try in warmer weather. Then they took us to the Air Force Academy, where Jimmy works, and showed us the falcons that Jimmy cares for as part of his job and the beautifully unique chapel. They are such nice people and I felt an instant friendship with them. It was fun to see Steve interact with Jimmy - they are pretty funny guys!
This is Jimmy and his family at Garden of the Gods.
Me and Steve in front of Balancing Rock
Steve and Jimmy, Garden of the Gods
Jimmy feeding Athena, one of the falcons at the Academy.
Steve and I in front of the Academy chapel. Isn't it cool?!
Inside the chapel. The whole place is designed around airplanes.
You can learn more by going here
At the aquarium. Fish, sharks, and octopi...Oh my!
Scary!
Can you spot the snapping turtle?
A big fish, though not as big as the BIG fish we saw in SF!
Us at the hockey game
Jimmy and Jen at the game
Pregame warm-up
The players about to enter the rink
Me on the carousel at the zoo
A snow leopard
Kings of the jungle
Hey, the sun was in my eyes! It hurt! :)
Gorilla
An okapi. It looked like a cross between an giraffe and a zebra. Very cool looking!
Christmas Eve morning, we opened the presents under our tree. We started with gifts given to us by other people, then we opened the gifts from each other. We had limited ourselves to 3 presents each. I gave him a cordless drill and drill bits, a rotary saw, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire for the Wii. He gave me a Peyton Manning jersey, a new digital camera, and a Kindle. I had been skeptical about Kindles when he first mentioned having one, but one week I was sick and ended up reading 6 books on his Kindle and fell in love with it. So, I'm thrilled to have one of my own.
After presents, I was plugging in my kindle and camera and realized that Steve had left the room. He came back in with an odd look on his face and one hand behind his back. I asked what was up and he brought a silver-wrapped present from behind his back. I gave him a hard time about breaking the 3 present rule and he said he hadn't because it wasn't a Christmas present. I started to open it and noticed my hands were shaking. I kept telling myself not to get too excited because it may not be what I thought it may be. With the wrapping paper gone, a Morgan Jeweler's box was uncovered, and my heart started beating faster. I looked at him and he smiled, and I smiled because he looked nervous. I opened the box and pulled out the white ring box. I couldn't believe it was finally happening to me. I'd always wondered what it would feel like and I was finally finding out. I opened the box and saw a beautiful ring, a ring that was better than anything I would have picked out for myself. I looked at Steve and he got down on one knee and asked me if I would marry him. I started to cry and managed to choke out a yes. He stood up, we hugged and kissed, and I put the ring on. It fits wonderfully, loose enough to be comfortable but not so loose as to fall off my finger.
So sparkly!There wasn't much time to revel in the moment, we had a flight to make, so we got ready to go (after I hurried and called both my parents) and headed out to the airport. The whole time, I kept glancing at the ring, hardly believing that I was engaged! We arrived in Denver, found our hotel, drove all over the place until we found an open restaurant, ate, then went to True Grit. An untraditional Christmas Eve, but then, we had already done Christmas Eve...and Christmas for that matter.
The next day, it didn't feel like Christmas at first. Mostly because, as I just said, we'd already celebrated it. After breakfast at the hotel, we drove to downtown Denver and walked around a bit. Nothing was open except 2 of the 5 Starbucks we walked by. We got hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie at the first one. It was sunny and mid-40's, extremely pleasant and surprising. After a couple hours, we drove to Colorado Springs to spend the rest of the day with Steve's best friend (and practically brother) Jimmy, his wife Jen, and their two boys, Ethan and Brody. Oh, and Jen's family. This is when it started to feel more like Christmas Day. Even though they weren't our family, they were family, and Christmas is about family. We ate a lot, played games, watched the kids play and fight, ate more, played more games, and basically were loud and had fun.
On the 26th, Jimmy and Jen took us and their boys to Garden of the Gods, a really neat park south of Colorado Springs that has awesome hiking trails I'd like to try in warmer weather. Then they took us to the Air Force Academy, where Jimmy works, and showed us the falcons that Jimmy cares for as part of his job and the beautifully unique chapel. They are such nice people and I felt an instant friendship with them. It was fun to see Steve interact with Jimmy - they are pretty funny guys!
This is Jimmy and his family at Garden of the Gods.
Me and Steve in front of Balancing Rock
Steve and Jimmy, Garden of the Gods
Jimmy feeding Athena, one of the falcons at the Academy.
Steve and I in front of the Academy chapel. Isn't it cool?!
Inside the chapel. The whole place is designed around airplanes.You can learn more by going here
On the 27th, Steve and I hit the Aquarium. Our first date was to the aquarium in Sandy then to a Bee's baseball game. We also went to the aquarium in San Francisco when we were there for the 4th of July. We both love aquariums and it's kind of become our thing. Afterward, we ate at a fabulous Irish pub in downtown Denver then walked around for awhile. That evening, we met up with Jimmy and Jen for dinner then went to an Avalanche hockey game. I'd been to a couple Grizzlies games before, but an NHL game is different. The play is faster and the atmosphere was buzzing. We ended up losing, but it was an exciting game, and I had a lot of fun.
At the aquarium. Fish, sharks, and octopi...Oh my!
Scary!
Can you spot the snapping turtle?
A big fish, though not as big as the BIG fish we saw in SF!
Us at the hockey game
Jimmy and Jen at the game
Pregame warm-up
The players about to enter the rinkThe next day, we returned home to Utah. Oh, but first, since we had a couple hours to kill in the morning before the flight, we visited the zoo. We spent just over two hours there and could have easily spent another two. It is a big zoo with lots to see. We saw some fun animals. We caught the flight to Utah, happy to be headed home.
A snow leopard
Kings of the jungle
Hey, the sun was in my eyes! It hurt! :)
Gorilla
An okapi. It looked like a cross between an giraffe and a zebra. Very cool looking!It was a fun, long weekend. Definitely a Christmas I'll never forget!
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Year In Review - 2010
Last year may possibly be the best year I've had to date. There have been so many changes, some sad and painful times, and some really amazing good things. Great things, in fact. For so long, my life seemed to be a broken record, the same things over and over again, year after year. Some minor changes, but mostly the same. This year definitely broke that mold. I just wish I would have spent a bit more time documenting all the changes, on this blog and/or my journal. Oh well, here's the review of 2010 to the best of my recollection.
Places Visited: (new in italics)
Paris, France
San Francisco, CA
Las Vegas, NV
St. George, UT
Layton, UT
Ogden, UT
Denver, CO
Colorado Springs, CO
Manitou, CO
Riverdale, UT (my new home!)
Salt Lake City, UT
Vernal, UT
Guys I went on dates with: 4 (I think that's all)
Sam
Guy from Cedar whose name I can't remember. We only went out once.
Danny
Steve
Number of boyfriends: 2
Sam
Steve
Guys kissed: 5
Alex (midnight New Years Eve 2009/10 so I'm counting him for both years)
Sam
Brian
Danny
Steve
Guys I got engaged to: 1 - Holy Cow! I'm engaged!!!!
Steve
Craziest thing I did: Skydiving in Vegas with Aly and Cassie
Number of jobs: 3
Intermountain Hearing Clinics
Southern Utah University
Spinal Care Center of Utah (I hated it!)
Number of deaths: 3 (what a year)
Cousin-in-law Annie
Grandpa Merrell
Grandma Rasmussen
Big accomplishment: Maintaining my weight loss, I've lost 180 lbs to-date. Yay!
Least proud moment: dating other guys while dating Sam. I should have just broken up with him, but I learned a valuable lesson.
Brave decision: quitting my good, stable job at SUU to move to Layton to progress my relationship with Steve.
Favorite moment: Christmas Eve morning when Steve knelt on one knee and asked me to marry him.
Fun memories: farmers markets all summer; Bees baseball games; camping with Mom, Cassie, Alyson, and Katie; tennis with Cardine, Kyle, and Jon; sledding with Scott, Robbie, Mom, Jason and Rachel, Kevin, and Steve; dinner with Joy, Cardine, Sarah, Shiree, and Steve before Shiree left for England; sky diving (worth mentioning again); my niece's baptism; Bryce Canyon with Kyle, Jon, and Jon's date in February - the stars were amazing; moving into my new home in November; working at SUU - it was a great job; putting my contact in medicated eye drops and having my eye dilate big time; playing Mario Kart at Kyle's then getting it for Christmas (yay!); exploring Antelope Island with Steve; discovering lots of new restaurants in Ogden, Layton, and SLC; University of Utah football games (we're getting season tix for next year); Christmas in Denver and meeting Steve's best friend and his family; spending lots of times with lots of amazing people. I have the best family and friends!
Hopes for 2011: find a good job, marry Steve, look into plastic surgery for my excess skin, visit a new place.
I know it's a little late, but I hope you all have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Places Visited: (new in italics)
Paris, France
San Francisco, CA
Las Vegas, NV
St. George, UT
Layton, UT
Ogden, UT
Denver, CO
Colorado Springs, CO
Manitou, CO
Riverdale, UT (my new home!)
Salt Lake City, UT
Vernal, UT
Guys I went on dates with: 4 (I think that's all)
Sam
Guy from Cedar whose name I can't remember. We only went out once.
Danny
Steve
Number of boyfriends: 2
Sam
Steve
Guys kissed: 5
Alex (midnight New Years Eve 2009/10 so I'm counting him for both years)
Sam
Brian
Danny
Steve
Guys I got engaged to: 1 - Holy Cow! I'm engaged!!!!
Steve
Craziest thing I did: Skydiving in Vegas with Aly and Cassie
Number of jobs: 3
Intermountain Hearing Clinics
Southern Utah University
Spinal Care Center of Utah (I hated it!)
Number of deaths: 3 (what a year)
Cousin-in-law Annie
Grandpa Merrell
Grandma Rasmussen
Big accomplishment: Maintaining my weight loss, I've lost 180 lbs to-date. Yay!
Least proud moment: dating other guys while dating Sam. I should have just broken up with him, but I learned a valuable lesson.
Brave decision: quitting my good, stable job at SUU to move to Layton to progress my relationship with Steve.
Favorite moment: Christmas Eve morning when Steve knelt on one knee and asked me to marry him.
Fun memories: farmers markets all summer; Bees baseball games; camping with Mom, Cassie, Alyson, and Katie; tennis with Cardine, Kyle, and Jon; sledding with Scott, Robbie, Mom, Jason and Rachel, Kevin, and Steve; dinner with Joy, Cardine, Sarah, Shiree, and Steve before Shiree left for England; sky diving (worth mentioning again); my niece's baptism; Bryce Canyon with Kyle, Jon, and Jon's date in February - the stars were amazing; moving into my new home in November; working at SUU - it was a great job; putting my contact in medicated eye drops and having my eye dilate big time; playing Mario Kart at Kyle's then getting it for Christmas (yay!); exploring Antelope Island with Steve; discovering lots of new restaurants in Ogden, Layton, and SLC; University of Utah football games (we're getting season tix for next year); Christmas in Denver and meeting Steve's best friend and his family; spending lots of times with lots of amazing people. I have the best family and friends!
Hopes for 2011: find a good job, marry Steve, look into plastic surgery for my excess skin, visit a new place.
I know it's a little late, but I hope you all have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas...Past, Present, and Future
As a kid, I loved Christmas: the Christmas music (especially sung at church), the lights on the houses, the tree with all our school-made ornaments, and the traditions of our family. After moving to Cedar, we sometimes we went to Vernal to celebrate the holiday with extended family, but most of the time, we stayed home and celebrated it with just our family. Christmas Eve, after dinner of ham, potato casserole, rolls, veggies, and other goodnesses, we'd drive around looking at the lights on houses, singing Christmas carols. I'm sure us kids would fight at times, but I don't remember. *smile* When we got home, we read the Christmas story from the Bible and got to open one present before going to bed. When I was younger, I'd always hope for some really cool toy to open, but it was always pj's. After a few years, I caught on to the pattern and realized that present would always be pj's and finally understood the coolness of getting to wear brand-new pajamas to bed Christmas Eve. Of course, we would leave a plate full of homemade sugar cookies and a glass of milk for Santa. Then we'd put our individual stocking in our "place". This place signified where Santa was to put our gifts when he came.
Christmas morning, we weren't allowed to get out of bed until a certain time - preset the night before. I remember being awake in bed, willing the alarm clock to go faster so I could get out of bed. (I was an extremely obedient child, as you know.) Corey would come in and get me and sometimes we'd go look at our presents before waking up Jason and Kevin. We'd all play with our new toys an hour or so before waking up our parents (also a preset time from the night before). After showing them our loot, we'd open up the presents under the tree. We took turns (usually youngest, Kevin, to oldest, Dad), opening up one gift at a time, so we all got to be the center of attention for a moment and so that present would get its proper importance. It also stretched out the fun, something I really enjoyed. Oh, and we always had stuff in our stockings, too. Stocking stuffers wouldn't be anything extravagant, especially when compared to what I've heard about from other people, usually just an apple, orange, banana, some candy, nuts, and maybe a small toy. After presents were opened, we'd have Mom's breakfast casserole, then spend the morning playing with our toys and often playing the game(s) Santa had left for the family. For lunch, we'd have Mom's delicious clam chowder. I can eat clam chowder from restaurants, but none of them are as tasty as Mom's. I really need to learn how to make it someday. The rest of the day was really relaxed. Lots of spending time together. It was wonderful.
When my parents divorced, things changed. We developed new traditions, started having two Christmases - one at Mom's and one at Dad's, and I lost a little of my Christmas spirit. I hate to say it, but it's true. It took a few years, but eventually, I started to dislike Christmas. I still enjoyed the music/singing, the lights on houses, and all that stuff, but I started to dread Christmas Day. I hated leaving my mom all alone on Christmas Day when we went to Dad's. Then I felt bad leaving Dad's house because we usually didn't stay there very long. And, I felt bad bringing the gifts from him and Paula home to my mom's. I probably made it worse than I should have, but what can I say, I'm a sensitive gal. *smile* Then my brothers got married and started having kids. Kids make Christmas. That's all there is to it. Having in-laws to plan around, and then a nephew we only got to see on Christmas Eve complicated Christmas. It started to become a 2-day affair. Since Kevin only had Scott on Christmas Eve, we'd spend part of that day with Mom and part with Dad. Repeat that on Christmas Day. I always ended up being the one who coordinated when we'd go where, and frankly, I hated it. I always had fun once the festivities were upon us, of course. I just wish I had relaxed enough to enjoy it beforehand. Ah well. Live and learn, right?
Two years ago, I scheduled my lap band surgery for December 23rd for two reasons; one because it was the best time to take off work and the other to avoid some of the stress that I caused myself at this time of year. It helped. Then last year, I decided to go to Paris on Christmas Day. I was still around long enough to be able to enjoy the festivities, but I was determined to not let the normal frustrations interfere with my excitement. This was a break-through for me. I finally realized that I didn't need to make sure everyone was happy. This wasn't my responsibility. I didn't have kids, I was single. Why did I need to make the plans? So I didn't. And I had a really enjoyable Christmas. I realized how stupid I had been for so many years and was determined that I wouldn't be ever again...at least about Christmas.
This year is the first year in a long time that I won't be spending Christmas with my family. Steve and I are going to Denver for Christmas. We fly out tomorrow afternoon and are coming back Tuesday afternoon. Since we're leaving on Christmas Eve, we're opening our presents tomorrow morning and doing "traditional" Christmas Eve night stuff tonight. After dinner, we're going to watch a Christmas movie (probably the cartoon version of the Grinch since he's opposed to Charlie Brown), then drive around looking at the lights on people's houses. I'm betting I won't get him to sing carols with me. *smile* When we get home, we'll have hot chocolate and open our stocking stuffers. In the morning, we'll open our presents and have breakfast. I'm thinking of making a quiche or maybe Mom's breakfast casserole! (I just thought of that while I typed.)
I don't know what the future holds, but I know I want to be with Steve for every Christmas yet to come. I want to have traditions that are ours, traditions that we establish together and can pass on to our children, if we have them. I know that some years we'll spend with my family and hopefully we'll spend some with his family. No matter where we are, I'm going to be with Steve and that makes me happy. The future certainly looks bright.
Wherever you are going to be this Christmas, whoever you're going to be with, whatever your traditions are, I hope you have a very wonderful day!
Christmas morning, we weren't allowed to get out of bed until a certain time - preset the night before. I remember being awake in bed, willing the alarm clock to go faster so I could get out of bed. (I was an extremely obedient child, as you know.) Corey would come in and get me and sometimes we'd go look at our presents before waking up Jason and Kevin. We'd all play with our new toys an hour or so before waking up our parents (also a preset time from the night before). After showing them our loot, we'd open up the presents under the tree. We took turns (usually youngest, Kevin, to oldest, Dad), opening up one gift at a time, so we all got to be the center of attention for a moment and so that present would get its proper importance. It also stretched out the fun, something I really enjoyed. Oh, and we always had stuff in our stockings, too. Stocking stuffers wouldn't be anything extravagant, especially when compared to what I've heard about from other people, usually just an apple, orange, banana, some candy, nuts, and maybe a small toy. After presents were opened, we'd have Mom's breakfast casserole, then spend the morning playing with our toys and often playing the game(s) Santa had left for the family. For lunch, we'd have Mom's delicious clam chowder. I can eat clam chowder from restaurants, but none of them are as tasty as Mom's. I really need to learn how to make it someday. The rest of the day was really relaxed. Lots of spending time together. It was wonderful.
When my parents divorced, things changed. We developed new traditions, started having two Christmases - one at Mom's and one at Dad's, and I lost a little of my Christmas spirit. I hate to say it, but it's true. It took a few years, but eventually, I started to dislike Christmas. I still enjoyed the music/singing, the lights on houses, and all that stuff, but I started to dread Christmas Day. I hated leaving my mom all alone on Christmas Day when we went to Dad's. Then I felt bad leaving Dad's house because we usually didn't stay there very long. And, I felt bad bringing the gifts from him and Paula home to my mom's. I probably made it worse than I should have, but what can I say, I'm a sensitive gal. *smile* Then my brothers got married and started having kids. Kids make Christmas. That's all there is to it. Having in-laws to plan around, and then a nephew we only got to see on Christmas Eve complicated Christmas. It started to become a 2-day affair. Since Kevin only had Scott on Christmas Eve, we'd spend part of that day with Mom and part with Dad. Repeat that on Christmas Day. I always ended up being the one who coordinated when we'd go where, and frankly, I hated it. I always had fun once the festivities were upon us, of course. I just wish I had relaxed enough to enjoy it beforehand. Ah well. Live and learn, right?
Two years ago, I scheduled my lap band surgery for December 23rd for two reasons; one because it was the best time to take off work and the other to avoid some of the stress that I caused myself at this time of year. It helped. Then last year, I decided to go to Paris on Christmas Day. I was still around long enough to be able to enjoy the festivities, but I was determined to not let the normal frustrations interfere with my excitement. This was a break-through for me. I finally realized that I didn't need to make sure everyone was happy. This wasn't my responsibility. I didn't have kids, I was single. Why did I need to make the plans? So I didn't. And I had a really enjoyable Christmas. I realized how stupid I had been for so many years and was determined that I wouldn't be ever again...at least about Christmas.
This year is the first year in a long time that I won't be spending Christmas with my family. Steve and I are going to Denver for Christmas. We fly out tomorrow afternoon and are coming back Tuesday afternoon. Since we're leaving on Christmas Eve, we're opening our presents tomorrow morning and doing "traditional" Christmas Eve night stuff tonight. After dinner, we're going to watch a Christmas movie (probably the cartoon version of the Grinch since he's opposed to Charlie Brown), then drive around looking at the lights on people's houses. I'm betting I won't get him to sing carols with me. *smile* When we get home, we'll have hot chocolate and open our stocking stuffers. In the morning, we'll open our presents and have breakfast. I'm thinking of making a quiche or maybe Mom's breakfast casserole! (I just thought of that while I typed.)
I don't know what the future holds, but I know I want to be with Steve for every Christmas yet to come. I want to have traditions that are ours, traditions that we establish together and can pass on to our children, if we have them. I know that some years we'll spend with my family and hopefully we'll spend some with his family. No matter where we are, I'm going to be with Steve and that makes me happy. The future certainly looks bright.
Wherever you are going to be this Christmas, whoever you're going to be with, whatever your traditions are, I hope you have a very wonderful day!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Christmas Wish List
Dear Santa,
First of all, thank you sooooo much for the wonderful presents you gave me from my list last year! The trip to Paris was a dream come true, better than I could have ever hoped for. It was exciting, romantic, inspiring, and I got to spend half of the trip with my dearest friend, Cardine. Kissed four guys, saw pages and pages of historical sites (Notre Dame, Montmartre, and the Louvre being some of my favs), and visited TWO amazing cemeteries! Plus I ate an acre worth of pastries but walked so much I ended up losing 7 lbs. Yay!
Thank you for the new job too. The salary was quite a bit less than what I had been making, but it had potential to increase and it had health insurance, retirement benefits, and free tuition. Oh, and I loved the people with whom I worked. I liked it so much that I planned on working there for years to come, if not for the rest of my professional life. That said...
A million merci's for the boyfriend. Actually, you were really generous with this one; two boyfriends (not at the same time) and multiple interactions with several different guys. It was a romantically educational year for me, culminating in Steve, the man I love with all my heart and who I hope to be with the rest of my life. He is perfect for me in so many ways. Definitely the best present you could ever leave for me under the Christmas tree. I must have been a really good girl.
I probably wasn't as good a girl this year, but I'm hoping the scales will be tipped in my favor. On the chance that they are, here is my Christmas Wish List for this year.
1. A job. It's really hard being unemployed. I'm fortunate to have a place to live, renters who pay my mortgage, and someone who cares for me. I'm learning to depend on someone else (which is remarkably difficult though something I need to learn), but my self image is suffering. It doesn't have to be the bestest job ever; just something that pays my bills and gives me money to spend on myself and others. I'd prefer an office job, M-F, evenings and weekends off.
2. A ring. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get one this next year, but why not wish for it anyway. I've never wanted to get married more than I do now. I want to spend the rest of my life with Steve. I want to be his wife.
3. Mario Kart. For the Wii, with 2-4 steering wheel attachments. I love this game. I haven't played it since Kyle borrowed it from his brother and I miss it. I've probably lost all my skills. *sigh* I'm a little disappointed I didn't get it last year, but you gave me so many other wonderful gifts, so I'm not too upset. *smile*
4. A dog. I want a dog. I've wanted a dog for years but just haven't been in the right situation til now. I have a wonderful house and it's surrounded by a great neighborhood and close to an amazing walking path. I'd love a greyhound or a boxer. Nothing small and yappy, please.
5. A local friend. I already have some of the bestest friends a gal could ever wish for. However, they all live far away. I could really use a good friend that lives close...less than 15 minutes away would be awesome. Someone I can just hang out with without having to get on the freeway to see them. Someone to go to chick flicks with. Someone who doesn't want to hang out too often, because, quite frankly, I like to spend most of my free time with Steve.
6. Love and joy for all my friends and family. I am so blessed with the people I have in my life. Please bless them with the things that will make them happiest this year.
Well, that's it. My life is already pretty wonderful, so these items would be the cherry on top (except a job - that would be several scoops of ice cream). Thank you in advance for the presents you'll be giving this year!
Merry Christmas!
Julie :)
First of all, thank you sooooo much for the wonderful presents you gave me from my list last year! The trip to Paris was a dream come true, better than I could have ever hoped for. It was exciting, romantic, inspiring, and I got to spend half of the trip with my dearest friend, Cardine. Kissed four guys, saw pages and pages of historical sites (Notre Dame, Montmartre, and the Louvre being some of my favs), and visited TWO amazing cemeteries! Plus I ate an acre worth of pastries but walked so much I ended up losing 7 lbs. Yay!
Thank you for the new job too. The salary was quite a bit less than what I had been making, but it had potential to increase and it had health insurance, retirement benefits, and free tuition. Oh, and I loved the people with whom I worked. I liked it so much that I planned on working there for years to come, if not for the rest of my professional life. That said...
A million merci's for the boyfriend. Actually, you were really generous with this one; two boyfriends (not at the same time) and multiple interactions with several different guys. It was a romantically educational year for me, culminating in Steve, the man I love with all my heart and who I hope to be with the rest of my life. He is perfect for me in so many ways. Definitely the best present you could ever leave for me under the Christmas tree. I must have been a really good girl.
I probably wasn't as good a girl this year, but I'm hoping the scales will be tipped in my favor. On the chance that they are, here is my Christmas Wish List for this year.
1. A job. It's really hard being unemployed. I'm fortunate to have a place to live, renters who pay my mortgage, and someone who cares for me. I'm learning to depend on someone else (which is remarkably difficult though something I need to learn), but my self image is suffering. It doesn't have to be the bestest job ever; just something that pays my bills and gives me money to spend on myself and others. I'd prefer an office job, M-F, evenings and weekends off.
2. A ring. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get one this next year, but why not wish for it anyway. I've never wanted to get married more than I do now. I want to spend the rest of my life with Steve. I want to be his wife.
3. Mario Kart. For the Wii, with 2-4 steering wheel attachments. I love this game. I haven't played it since Kyle borrowed it from his brother and I miss it. I've probably lost all my skills. *sigh* I'm a little disappointed I didn't get it last year, but you gave me so many other wonderful gifts, so I'm not too upset. *smile*
4. A dog. I want a dog. I've wanted a dog for years but just haven't been in the right situation til now. I have a wonderful house and it's surrounded by a great neighborhood and close to an amazing walking path. I'd love a greyhound or a boxer. Nothing small and yappy, please.
5. A local friend. I already have some of the bestest friends a gal could ever wish for. However, they all live far away. I could really use a good friend that lives close...less than 15 minutes away would be awesome. Someone I can just hang out with without having to get on the freeway to see them. Someone to go to chick flicks with. Someone who doesn't want to hang out too often, because, quite frankly, I like to spend most of my free time with Steve.
6. Love and joy for all my friends and family. I am so blessed with the people I have in my life. Please bless them with the things that will make them happiest this year.
Well, that's it. My life is already pretty wonderful, so these items would be the cherry on top (except a job - that would be several scoops of ice cream). Thank you in advance for the presents you'll be giving this year!
Merry Christmas!
Julie :)
Monday, December 06, 2010
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
I love walking. It calms my soul, energizes my body, and puts me in a good mood, regardless of how I feel when I start out.
One of the things I missed about my home in Cedar was its proximity to a wonderful walking path. It gave me several route and distance options, and I didn't have to worry about traffic. When I moved to Layton, I enjoyed discovering the neighborhoods near my home, but only one route really satisfied my walking requirements and I knew I would soon get bored with it. Then I moved to Riverdale and, happiness of all happinesses, there's a river walking path just a block or so away from my home! Yay!
Most of the walk had been plowed but I thought it was really pretty during this long stretch of walkway that hadn't been. And, it gave my legs an extra work-out. Woohoo!
The Weber river is really close to the path and there are stretches of the walkway that give a perfect view of it. Steve can't wait to fish along the river this Spring.
There are actually 3 wooden bridges along the walkway...at least just 3 that I've found so far. The path is super duper long and I've only scratched its surface. I LOVE wooden bridges, so it makes the walking path just that much more enjoyable for me.
This is a view from one of the bridges, facing away from the river. It's hard to believe that Riverdale Road, a busy commercial road, is just a few blocks away. Instead, I feel like I'm in the middle of the country. I love it.
My pictures fail to capture the wonderful peace and beauty of the moment. The only thing that would have made walking this path in all its loveliness any better would have been to share it with someone I love. Where were you all? *smile*
One of the things I missed about my home in Cedar was its proximity to a wonderful walking path. It gave me several route and distance options, and I didn't have to worry about traffic. When I moved to Layton, I enjoyed discovering the neighborhoods near my home, but only one route really satisfied my walking requirements and I knew I would soon get bored with it. Then I moved to Riverdale and, happiness of all happinesses, there's a river walking path just a block or so away from my home! Yay!
Steve and I started exploring the area even before we moved in and I knew it would be perfect for my walking style. There are several different "routes" for me to choose from, all of which are just variations of the same path but which will keep me from getting bored. It's been fun to see the path change with the season, too. We started exploring in October, with the leaves changing into beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows. Last week, after being dumped on, the walking path became a beautiful winter wonderland. One day, I happened to have my cell phone along for the walk and decided to take pictures, as I was kind of mourning the fact that no one was around to share the beauty of the morning with me. Please keep in mind that A) I used a cell phone to take the pictures and 2) I'm not an accomplished photographer...or even a semi-respectable one. That said, here they are.
Most of the walk had been plowed but I thought it was really pretty during this long stretch of walkway that hadn't been. And, it gave my legs an extra work-out. Woohoo!
The Weber river is really close to the path and there are stretches of the walkway that give a perfect view of it. Steve can't wait to fish along the river this Spring.
There are actually 3 wooden bridges along the walkway...at least just 3 that I've found so far. The path is super duper long and I've only scratched its surface. I LOVE wooden bridges, so it makes the walking path just that much more enjoyable for me.
This is a view from one of the bridges, facing away from the river. It's hard to believe that Riverdale Road, a busy commercial road, is just a few blocks away. Instead, I feel like I'm in the middle of the country. I love it.
My pictures fail to capture the wonderful peace and beauty of the moment. The only thing that would have made walking this path in all its loveliness any better would have been to share it with someone I love. Where were you all? *smile*
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