personal growth

Why We Need to Learn to Be More Spontaneous…

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Indy let us sleep in until about 0730, at which point Joey went out to wrangle her and I tried to sleep a bit longer, but to no avail. I weighed myself this morning (first time in a month) and was pleasantly surprised with a MAJOR success (post to come).

Holy crap, was she terrible. I had to occupy her while Joey was making breakfast and I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind. She’s doing this thing now where she dives under the couch and comes back out with something that we didn’t know was under there and that she undoubtedly should not ingest. Deep in the dark part of my heart, I’m eagerly anticipating the day that she’s too big and ends up in a bad predicament when she tries to fling herself under there.

Joey took her for her morning walk and I took the opportunity to vacuum the living room and kitchen. Those of you who’ve read for a while know that I’m slovenly. To voluntarily choose to vacuum is not only completely foreign to me, but also a frightening-yet-heartening development. I felt immediately peaceful when it was done.

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This is definitely a trend that I hope continues. I could really use an inner drive to clean.

Anyway, a Facebook message from my friend Katie led a group of us into an impromptu gathering at a local park to BYOM (bring your own meat……to grill y’all…geez) and let the children (both two and four-legged) play for awhile.

Indy made a new puppy friend..

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while the rest of us enjoyed hanging out in the great weather together.

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Just the girls here…the boys were doing their own thing.

Indy is exhausted.

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Times like these remind me that I need to be able to be more spontaneous. Usually, an impromptu hang-out request would give me immense anxiety, but this time, I just rolled with it, and turned an otherwise boring Saturday into an excellent day (and a great way to wear Indy out). Spontaneity can be a good thing.

It was an afternoon well spent.

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The Blur That Was 2009

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This year:

  1. I started graduate school and completed five classes, getting straight A’s in each.
  2. Joey and I went to the beach for a short weekend getaway.
  3. We spent every moment possible hanging out with James before he left for Iraq for the year.
  4. I made a lifelong friend in Shannon and we got to be a part of the Garzoni family.
  5. We camped in July and October, the latter in tents and with sleet.
  6. I sprained my ankle.
  7. We took James to Indy to report for duty and, for the first time, I had to say goodbye to a friend as he went off to war.
  8. I learned to knit cables.
  9. I finally got control over my depression and anxiety and found out that I’m stronger than I think I am.
  10. I made an almost-100% handmade Christmas.

I also started a food blog, started writing as a featured publisher for FoodBuzz, and I started writing for Examiner.com as Charlotte’s Frugal Living Examiner (yes, I’ve been super-slack this month).  And, one of the most important things that happened this year was that I became a vegetarian after we lost Lady in February.

Time always goes so much faster than you want it to.  I’ve noticed this already…last month, Joey and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary.  My ten-year high school reunion (which I couldn’t attend) was this past weekend.  Ten years.  I don’t feel that much older.  I don’t feel like my family is that much older.  It all went so fast.

However, this year, I think I’m ready for 2010.  While I am proud of what I was able to do in 2009, I also left a lot undone:

  1. I was not successful in my diet/exercise endeavors and, in fact, gained ten pounds this year.
  2. I continue to procrastinate at school, which makes me feel like I’m squandering a huge opportunity I’m being given.
  3. I let my frugality go for the sake of convenience…takeout, the grocery store near the house, etc.
  4. I did not declutter my house.

So, there are things that I want to tackle in 2010…a list will come later, but I know that I’m ready to let 2009 be the past and to jump headfirst into 2010.