Days 86-91 - My 365, How do you measure a year?

Days 86-91
Monday January 9 - Saturday January 14, 2012

This week was crazy busy.  Intense.  Hectic.  Stressful.  Tiring.  Surprising.  Fun.  Unexpected.


A little play on the reflection in the lamp base.  Love.

Take out Thai food.  Yes please!

Today's snow was so peaceful and beautiful.  There wasn't any wind and so it all stayed lined beautifully on the trees.  That might be one of my favorite things about snowfall.  I love the quiet of it and the way it makes the trees look completely different and new.

So far, I have been enjoying the slow down.  Even though it isn't particularly slow.  It's still pretty great.

Three weeks, she sleeps (Days 62-85)

So now it has been three weeks since I've been keeping up to date with my photo project.  Still taking pics for the most part, but haven't felt much like posting.  

Plus I'm feeling a little quiet.  A little reserved.  

And in my head, I keep hearing the song...

3 weeks, she sleeps

through the rain

I've gotta try to keep her dry

or I'm out of ways

self books, love cooks

steel her away

through you know, where you go 

all in a day

Three weeks... catching up.  Kind of.   Days 62-85.

By the way, the Stieg Larsson books were part of the reason I wasn't posting or always taking pictures.  Those books were amazing and they owned me until I finished them!  SO GOOD!  :)

Coming back

I sort of took two weeks off of my project.  Sort of.  I took some pictures.  But definitely not every day.  And I definitely didn't post any of them.

But it was really nice and I enjoyed it.

The funny thing about the last few weeks is that I was so looking forward to a slow down in the pace of life.  A little time to breathe.  When the semester ended, I had hoped all things would slow down.  In the month of December?  Really?  So in the midst of my slow down, I was surrounded by different kinds of to do lists... shopping, errands, driving, family, friends, obligations, traditions.  You know the normal list.

But here I sit, on the other side of all of the holiday craziness.  Some of the tasks I completed, but others went unfinished.  This year I didn't do much baking on my own.  Certainly no cake balls (bummer!).  But my mom made sugar cookie dough and I made those cookies with my dad.  How is that for a new tradition?  That was a special moment.  I didn't do very personalized, thoughtful gifts this year.  But the gifts that I did give were out of a spirit of love and that is all that matters.

It was a good holiday season.

As we anticipate ringing in the new year, I am still reflecting on the year that is coming to an end...

Day 61 - My 365, How do you measure a year?

Day 61:
Thursday, December 15, 2011

I don't know if it is because I'm lazy or not but today is another Pacey picture.  You give him a box and he is ALL about it.  

I went to yoga tonight after work.  Hopefully I can start going more often now (ahh, the slow down).  I had tried a different studio on Sunday (a room temperature studio) but tonight it was back to the hot yoga studio (funk yeah!).  When I first started hot yoga, I wasn't sure if I would like it.  Now, it doesn't seem to feel right if the room isn't at least 95 degrees.  What a progression!  Actually, I feel like my threshold for hot has changed in all my life (time to crank the water heater up!).

Who would have thought hot yoga could be so liberating?

Tonight was a good class even though it wasn't my favorite teacher.   She kept talking about being fully present in the moment (ironic of course, since that is kind of my theme right now).  She talked about how 'the now' is all we have.  Accept your reality, she said.  Be there.  Be in the moment, whether it is busy or still.  Be there and accept it.  Know how it makes your body and mind and heart feel.

If you really accept your reality, only then can you really be in the moment.  Ahhhhhhhh.  It so often comes back to acceptance.  Maybe this is a valid point.  If you accept your reality for what it is, and really own it, then why would you need to be anywhere else?  Besides you'll get there eventually... as it turns out, contemplation leads to action.  Contemplate your moment, accept it, and then follow your desire to act.  Who knows where it will lead?

Day 60 - My 365, How do you measure a year?

Day 60:
Wednesday, December 14, 2011

I'm obsessed with the lights!  But I think I'm getting closer and closer to what I'm aiming for.  I like this one (except for the spot in my camera but you almost can't see it in this photo).

Tonight was a little happy hour work party and we took our Christmas spirit to a new level with our sweaters.  My boss wore a leopard print Santa hat and there was a specially written Christmas carol.  We definitely brought our A-game holiday spirit to the party!

Good times.  :)

Day 59 - My 365, How do you measure a year?

Day 59:
Tuesday, December 13, 2011

This isn't quite what I'm going for.  But it is closer.  As long as I'm taking baby steps, then it is all good.  It's all about growth.  And the journey.

Well, kind of...

Except that I cannot get rid of the black speck in my camera.  Seriously.  Am I missing something here?

Day 58 - My 365, How do you measure a year?

Day 58:
Monday, December 12, 2011

The semester is coming to an end.  My students take their final on Tuesday (actually I'm writing this a day late so they are taking their final in just a few moments!).  Then there will be grading of course.  Lots of grading.

But then...

The slow down.

I've been thinking of all of the things I will do with this slower season of life.  I'm most looking forward to reading more again and knitting!

I love books.  I love to own them.  I gather them and put them in an obscure order of priority for reading them.  And then I switch the order because I get so excited about one.  But there is always a stack of books waiting for me.

This is my stack...  and I have a virtual stack in my Amazon wish list.

I'm going to start with 'The girl with the dragon tattoo' because that one has been in the pile since last Christmas.  And because the movie comes out next week!  So here I go - setting some crazy goal of finishing the book by Christmas.

Go big or go home, right?

I'm playing with my camera a little more and am looking forward to doing a little more of that during 'the slow down'.  Above we have no flash (also no tripod so maybe kind of blurry) and below we have flash.

On the left you'll see, that my spot is back.  Aaaghh!  I can't get rid of it!  I don't understand.  I got rid of it.  Why is it back?  What is it?  So now I need to go to the camera store and have them look at my macro lens AND my camera.  I'm falling apart here.

Another part of the slow down... knitting.  I can't wait!  My first project is going to be fingerless gloves.  I've been wanting to make a pair for awhile.  I even have the yarn and pattern.

Ahhh, the slow down.  This is going to be good.