Saturday, January 31, 2009

january progress report

This is my year to create fabulous things, remember? As I look back on the first month of opportunity, these are a few things that have been created in my life. Some were all me, some were very little me and a lot of my partners in this creation process, but nevertheless, all were created.
  • five scrapbook layouts. yes, five! that's more than I probably did all of last year. some of you (kari and jaime) are laughing or rolling your eyes that I'm participating in such an activity, but I've got my reasons! and my last two are awesome... I'm just sayin'.
  • a new running distance. as previously mentioned, this is a pretty small one-digit number, but those miles didn't exist for this body before this month, so we're calling it accomplishment.
  • outdoor adventures with my kids. I use the term "adventures" loosely, but there were at least three times that our entire family enjoyed outside together this month. we moved our bodies, enjoyed fresh air and each other and that's good enough for me.
  • a few yummy meals. my fav was angel hair with spicy shrimp, recipe from real simple. perhaps I'll post it. It's good and everybody ate it. Seneca likes shrimp as much as cooper does.
  • new clients. and new opportunities with clients. I love that energy work provides me the opportunity to be constantly learning new things.
  • new space for toys. dumped all in one enormous pile. sorted, tossed, organized and found everything a place... that isn't in my family room!
  • new preschool experience for cooper. coop had hit a plateau in his learning situation and while he was super comfortable there we decided to try something new. it has been fabulous for him. it's amazing what a week will do. he's being stimulated in new ways that are great for him- this was a good move.
  • laughter. denten's funny. if you don't know this side of him it's too bad. he has made me laugh a lot lately. my children have laughed a lot lately- mostly at each other. I'm happy to have my home filled with this sound all the time.
  • exposure to new books. a much overdue trip to the library has produced a new crop of books for everyone to explore every day. even me.
  • changes in relief society. all but one of my teaching and music staff in relief society is in transition. I'm excited about the fresh perspective we'll have and the new opportunities for our sisters.
  • pockets of order in my home. the house as a whole is not fantastic, but there are a few areas that have had a major overhaul this month and man, that feels good! for instance, I'm typing this on my desktop located in my loft. the reason is crummy, but the point is that two weeks ago this computer was virtually buried with stuff piled on the desk. the storage closet, the pantry, the outgrown kids clothes... all possess order. it's such a beautiful thing.
  • communication. don't underestimate the power of this fine tool in a marriage. does wonders for keeping one another happy.

Not a bad month, in and of itself. A few tweaks for Feb: more pockets of time dedicated to my scriptures, more getting to the piano to create a little music, more opportunities for my family to serve others. how's that for accountability? hold me to it, blogosphere.

8 comments:

Patria said...

holy canoli you got a lot of creating done this month! good job! be sure to share any great books you come across! congrats on the running too- it's tough to come up with the energy to not only maintain, but improve the number of miles. i love the blog banner too- it's perfect!

Lindsay Renee' said...

impressive! lots of things happened for you this month. it makes me want to take a closer look at my january, too. you just might see it on my blog.

Michelle Burk said...

I think you've done enough for the year. Take February off. Great job!

Jaime said...

Umm, stop bragging at how awesome you are. Sheesh! You are nothing short of an impossible standard to live up to. I am stinking impressed.

PS - I contacted Amy to create a blog banner to replace my pathetic attempt. Thanks for doing the leg work on that one - as on many other things.

Love ya guts!

The Qian Family said...

What a great idea. I like the monthly accountability, highlighting areas of accomplishment and creativity. Really great. Very refreshing and I appreciate learning through others' learning. I love this whole blogging thing. Keep it up---the positivity and the growing and learning (and of course sharing).

Amy said...

I love the idea of "pockets of order". Total order would be an impossibility for me. "Pockets"...I can do that!

Becky said...

I loved this post, Amberly! I love your goal to create (that has always been one of my favorite words...hence, the name of my blog). Sounds like a great month :)

T. Bateman said...

You are certainly off and running on your new years goals. Congrats, I know it must feel encouraging, exciting, and hopeful as you accomplish all these great things. Keep up the good work!