2010 - My Year in Review

As 2010 comes to a close, it's hard to believe that the year 2000 was a decade ago. Here is a quick recap of my year.

Business trip to Washington DC in March with a layover in Minneapolis with enough time to go see the Mall of America.

Sisters trip to Utah in April.

Family vacation to the cabin in June.

Wally and I did a getaway weekend to the Olympic National Park. We stayed at Crescent Lake, it was great.

Lillie visited us in Seattle in August.

I decided to stop coloring my hair. I want to see what my natural color is.

Wally's sister Carmen passed away of cancer.

My sister's father-in-law Lloyd Berg passed away.

Best fiction book I read this year - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Best nonfiction book I read this year - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

New fun to read fiction author I discovered - Diane Mott Davidson.

Saw Los Lonely Boys in concert.

Saw Heart in concert at the Puyallup Fair.

Met the Pioneer Woman at her cookbook signing - thanks to Melissa for getting me the ticket.

Developed the habit of going to the gym in the early morning before work. Still going 4 - 5 days a week at 6:15 a.m.

I decided I liked knitting on a loom and made hats for Christmas gifts.

Happy to still be gainfully employed and at the time still working from home.

The family is happy and healthy and looking forward to 2011.

Homemade Christmas Things

Now that the gifts have been given and opened I can post a few pictures of some things I made for Christmas gift - hats and table runners.

The table runners are made in a Chevron pattern and are a quilt as you go design. The hats are made on the Provo Craft circle knitting looms. I'm loving the knitting loom right now. I think because it's something I can actually start and finish!

Now I have a couple, okay more than a couple, of quilting projects to finish. Pictures later.

What to Do

The other day as I was procrastinating, I was thinking that most everything I do falls into these categories: what I want to do, what I need to do and what I actually end up doing.

Some evenings I want to do absolutely nothing, maybe knit in front of the TV. What I need to do is usually clean up the kitchen, maybe some laundry. Sometimes what I actually end up doing is sitting at the computer.

I guess I just have to find the balance in the needs and the wants and then throw in some of the "whatever I do is just fine" and be satisfied.

A Visual Reminder

I found this picture on a blog. The lady had driven past this church in Rhode Island and turned around to have a better look.

When I look at this picture it reminds me that we all have basic needs, some of us have more than others and there is always at least one little thing we can do to help another person, without judgement.

Hair Update

At 5 1/2 months. I'm really liking the color that is coming in. And it even looks like I'm growing new baby hair in my receding hair line.

On Cory Lane

I grew up on Cory Lane in Boise, Idaho. I lived there from 1965 until I went away to college in 1975. We had a big two story five bedroom home with a barn, carport and a pasture with irrigation ditches.

There are times now when I go outside in the late evening to retrieve something from my car or take out the garbage and I look at the dark quiet street and the stars in the sky and it often reminds me of my teenage years when I stood outside at night on Cory Lane.

On Cory Lane

At night the sky hangs over us,

the stars quietly fill in the space.

The moon gazes down

and I am at peace.

During the day time I sometimes stand

before my second story window,

looking down the street.

But no one is there.

I sit in my room and listen

to my records.

I sing along, loudly.

In the summertime we go to

the neighbors garage,

and we get to play

the jukebox.

All the neighborhood kids are there

and we have fun.

Dad convinces me it's fun to help him in the garden,

I play in the irrigation water,

and pretend to waterski on the front lawn.

In the front and in the back

there stands a weeping willow tree.

Did you know you really can

grab a branch and swing from it?

Sometimes in the yard there might be a snake,

or the calf gets out of the pasture

and frightens us outside the living room window.

My dislike of catepillars is from Cory Lane.

They would hang from the apple tree

and drop down on you.

Big, fat fuzzy catepillars.

In the front yard was also a black walnut tree.

The walnuts would fall to the ground,

we would then have to pick them up

and place them in the driveway,

where the cars would run over them

and the outside layer

would fall away.

Revealing a hard black shell.

Mom would sit and crack them,

and then she would put them in her

homemade candy.

(I never learned to like the taste of them.)

We rode bikes, a lot.

And we wore beaded necklaces that we had made.

We wore t-shirts and levi's.

We liked A & W, Dairy Queen and McDonald's.

We liked girls camp.

And eventually we liked boys.

And dancing.

And then we grew up.

And I still like A&W, Dairy Queen and McDonald's,

one boy in particular

and dancing.

Habits

Lately I've been thinking a lot about habits. Good habits and bad habits. Last April I made the decision to start going to the gym at 6:00 a.m. before work. My goal was to go five days a week, Monday - Friday.

In the beginning it was hard, I had to wake up one hour earlier than normal. There were days I wanted to turn off the alarm and stay in bed. There were times when I went out of town and got off my schedule.

But I went right back to it when I could. I think they say it takes 3 weeks before a habit becomes routine. Or if you are trying to break a bad habit, then it would take that long to replace the bad habit with a good habit.

I really like exercising in the morning. I get it done and then when I get off work it's one less thing to do. It makes me feel good to start my day that way. Some days I get to spend some time in the sauna, which is one of my favorite things to do.

I worried when summer was ending, knowing it would get darker and colder in the mornings. But you know what happened? The darkness and the cold were gradual. Because I was still going every morning, I adjusted to it. I've had ice on the windshield this week but that's okay.

I had a few workouts with a trainer and was even given two free sessions. That helped to change up my routine and learn new things. The only downside to mornings are that most of the classes offered are later in the day.

Another added benefit is getting to spend a solid 30 or 45 minutes reading while on a machine.

Now that I have this good habit established, maybe it's time to conquer another one.

Happy Birthday to My Son!

This is my son in 1988 at age 6 at my wedding to Wally. Today he turns 28 years old.

He still has the dark hair, the dark eyes, but he lost the baby fat.

He is a talented artist, loves all kinds of music, takes good car of his car, works hard, likes to fish, likes to go to concerts, he's quiet, he's helpful, he's kind and he has a good sense of humor. And when he was younger he would play Yahtzee with me on Sunday nights.

He was the child at the grocery store check out when I would say, "would you like a candy?" his reply was "no". The child that would have to be physically carried out of Toys 'R Us, (but quietly, no big scenes for him).

The child that played one season of T-ball and one season of soccer and then announced to me that he knew where we could just buy the trophies instead of having to play the sports!

The child that brought home caterpillars in his pocket only to be discovered months later as cocoons hanging on his shirt in the closet.

As a baby, a child, a teen and an adult he has brought great joy to my life.

Happy Birthday Wayne, may this be a great year for you.

Love,
Mom

The View from Above

Wow is all I have to say! Getting there, just taking awhile. (I don't actually wear my hair combed back like this, if you were wondering.)

O is for Orange in October

Things that are orange in October:
Pumpkins

Candy corn

Leaves

M&Ms

Candy wrappers

Decorations

Funny socks

Lights

Earrings

Frosting

Candles

Hair Update - 4 Months

Well, this week it will be four months since I last colored my hair. I have had three hair cuts in that time. You can see the growth at my part and on the sides. So far I like what I see growing in, it's just taking such a long time.

At this rate I figure it'll probably be about 4 to 6 more months before it's all transitioned. The pictures help me see reality which sometimes is different than what I see in the mirror.


To see my transition photos in one spot visit the Going Gray Looking Great website.