Monday, January 03, 2011

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

I decided to not really do a year in review post, since, if I had actually MADE goals for '10, I know I didn't meet them. Suffice it to say, 2010 did not live up to expectations, stitching wise, life wise, or otherwise, through a series of mostly unconnected events. The highlight of the year was my trip to MI in November - THAT was an awesome weekend, and something I need to do more of in the future.

That being said, I do have some expectations for this year, which is 2 1/2 days old already. These are things, life, stitching, and otherwise, that I expect to happen in the next 12 months, god willing (in no particular order):
- Some much-needed updates and improvements to my house; paint, carpet, furniture, a good firehosing to a couple of rooms, etc.
- Projects that WILL get finished: Medieval Town, Knotgarden, Tanglewood, Starry Nights.
- Projects that OUGHT to get finished: Mary Wigham, Murky Manor, Halloween Quaker
- Projects that SHOULD get started (upon completion of any listed above): Tuscany Town Mandala, Secret Victorian Garden, Sleepy Hollow, Anatolia, Rainforest Crunch.
- Get a kid graduated from high school, and hopefully off to college in the fall, somewhere, somehow.
- Get the other kid out of middle school and into high school (for what it's worth - which ain't much).
- No more animals allowed. None. Nada. I'm putting my foot DOWN. Oh, crap....
- Finish my current piece of writing. Then probably burn it :) Or self-publish under a pseudonym (to protect the innocent)...
- Keep on keeping on at work, hoping to get it smoothed out and less chaotic.
- WHEN MTM gets done, send it to Jill Rensel to frame. Sell appropriate organ to pay for said framing (mine or some lucky donor - whatever :) ).
- More time for friends and family IN PERSON, which should be possible with the upcoming fall soccer season no longer consumed by Big Kid and his travel/managerial demands!
- Deal with day-to-day disasters a little more successfully than in previous years. Let go of what needs to be let go of, and take care of what can be taken care of - and know the difference.
- Take stuff to the Fair again - I missed the thrill of the hunt this past year, but NOT the stress of it all - but since I work better under pressure...?
- Get off my ass and get my life closer to where I thought it would be by now, even if I have to crush a few grapes (or heads) to do so.
- Continue learning new things, using new techniques, exploring more ideas in real life, not just in my head.
- Take advantage of opportunities when they fall into my lap, instead of turning a blind eye, or worse, over-thinking them to death (which amounts to the same thing). This over-thinking has been my downfall more often than not, and though I have always known it, I intend to make it not so much of a liability. Conversely, I don't want to skew the other way and give in to impulse, either. A middle ground is what I am searching for, and I think I've spotted it. Now to reach it and claim it as MINE.
- Ask for forgiveness more than permission (don't tell my kids I said that). Forgive and support more than criticize. These aren't necessarily related.

There, that's not too bad a list, and I think attainable. Mostly. Similar to years past, but I feel I have a more concrete direction this year - and hopefully that means this is the year that things fall into place the way I envision. Or closer to, anyway. I'm feeling strangely optimistic - and though, in speaking to me, you might still get that pessimistic overtone, know that inside, I've always been an optimist - but the sarcasm is just too easy, always available and wow, have I had a lot to work with in recent years :) But what you see is not nearly all that you get; deal with it - I do.

Here's to 2011 - may it be a GREAT one....

4 comments:

Edie and Gus said...

Wow, great blog! You are a VERY busy and talented person!! Not to mention the fact that anyone with two teenagers in the house should receive an award... (mine are 15 and 18) Is there an entry in which you talk more about your various pets?

edie

ps I left a comment for you on my blog as well.

Karen said...

The Zoo is sprinkled around in my posts, which are primarily for my needleworking. But my Multiply blog has albums of Critters, and lots of other photos and videos of our walks and things: http://rifestitch.multiply.com/ The current dogs have all arrived in the last few years - there are posts from when they were new :)
Thanks for stopping by - I love your blog :)

too_busy_to_stitch said...

Happy New Year Karen :) Looking forward to keeping in touch this year, at least here ;) even if I am always so late with everything!!

Karen said...

Late, early - it's all relative :) I thought I was ahead once; turns out I had just lapped myself :(