"A Day in the Life"--The Beatles

My New Year's Resolutions (8 for '08)--for the world to see:

1. Eat healthier.

2. Exercise at least 3x per week.

3. Save $$$, don't spend (as much) $$$.

4. Go to Yoga more often.

5. Learn something new.

6. Start a scrapbook and a photography portfolio.

7. Write in a journal.

8. ENJOY LIFE!!!

i will also be labeling each of my blog entries with a song that i think fits with the topic. :)

"new beginnings"

"Learning to Breathe"--Switchfoot

I've decided to take better care of myself. Mentally, physically, emotionally--I've been injuring myself on all of those levels. (I could start by going to bed earlier instead of writing, but I'll just let that one slide...)


When I started anew over the summer I promised to allow myself to be happy and not to depend on others for my happiness, for I am the only one that can make me happy. I can decide to be or not to be and dammit, I've spent too much time in my life being unhappy. I'm done. I know that life has its ups and downs, but I'm going to go out in the world and create some ups for myself. I quit my job. That was step one. Here we go. Get a new job and start a new independent woman lifestyle. This is what I need. I need to be with myself for awhile. Live my life...nothing holding me back...just be myself.

Tomorrow is a new day and tomorrow night I get to spend time with the girls that I've been friends with for 15 years. Life is a beautiful thing and I don't intend to waste it.




"my oldest friend"

Ice Storm 2007

Photos by Amanda B. Faletra (Me) :o)

so...

...this is one of my favorite poems. it puts me at peace when i'm troubled.

Sure on This Shining Night--James Agee

Sure on this shining night
Of starmade shadows round,
Kindness must watch for me
This side the ground.

The late year lies down the north
All is healed, all is health.
High summer holds the earth.

Hearts all whole
Sure on this shining night I weep for wonder wand'ring far alone
Of shadows on the stars.

stalling

i really shouldn't be blogging. i should, as a matter o' fact, be translating two pages of english text to german. but i'm going to blog because i'm feeling overwhelmed with life and this usually helps.

there are 7 school days left of the semester. there's the first stress. so much to do in so very little time as it is at the end of every semester. and, like me, everyone else is procrastinating and will end up pulling one or two all nighters, but not until absolutely necessary. not until the bitter end. the bitter end for me being next wednesday night around 8:00. but hopefully all is well by then...hopefully. so, i think until then, instead of bitching about all of the things i have to do i'm going to write down some things that i'm grateful for. here goes...

1. for my loving family and friends who can always make me smile and always give me a shoulder to cry on

2. for my dog who always understands me

3. for a great boyfriend who likes me for me

4. for KU football's kick ass season. 11-1 ain't too shabby. :)

5. for my mom, as she is my rock and i am hers. plus, she's taking the pressure off of me and taking care of all of the post-recital food and drink details.

6. for getting snow the day after thanksgiving...it was quite pretty for the time it was there even though it melted pretty fast.

so. time is time. i don't really think it can be wasted or saved, we just spend it, live it and try our best not to rush through it. may we all do a little less bitching and a little more thinking about what we are grateful for in our lives. at the very least, we should be grateful that we ARE alive, for that is a great gift in itself.

"solace"

well life throws you curves, but you learn to swerve...

It's amazing, how you can go all afternoon not thinking about something that is upsetting and then all of a sudden it hits you. My aunt is the third person in the past three years to be diagnosed with cancer in my family. She has breast cancer. My dad (father) is recovering from prostate cancer surgery. My dad (stepdad) is going strong after surviving colon cancer. Several years ago my grandmother had lung cancer and my grandfather died shortly before I was born of leukemia. My stepgrandmother passed away of pancreatic cancer.

It just doesn't seem fair. We live our lives to the best of our ability and many of us end up with this disease in some shape or form. All we can do is take preventative measures in order to "catch it early" and have "early detection." It's frightening. For women, for men, for everyone involved. So quickly a life can change, so abruptly. I can't even imagine what it's like to hear those words from the doctor. Cancer affects families throughout the world. To be quite honest and blunt, it just plain sucks that as we grow older, generations before us (parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles) also grow older and ultimately end up dealing with things such as cancer just as my generation will also deal with illness in our own bodies someday...as some already have. And we fight. Families help each other fight the cancer. It's a will power thing. If you believe it, it can happen.

So, live life to the fullest. Be kind to people as you never know what they are going through. Tell your family and friends that you love them and that you care about them. And have faith that everything will be okay in the end...otherwise, it's not the end.

KU vs. Mizzou

Grandpa Simpson tells it like it is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv1G2-Cz6ek

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK GO KU!!!