Wow. Just wow. I usually spend the week after Christmas clearing my “To Do” list that chased me through the year, cleaning my house and digging in my heels to welcome the new year. I start by looking at the previous year and then attempt to decide what I would like to see from the coming year. I just ran across this blog entry I wrote last year going into 2011 and it brought me to my knees...
As 2011 rolls in I make this resolution. I just want to be me. I want to be me all the way. I want to do what I am kinda of doing, only way bigger and better! I want...that is, I WILL, dream bigger, work harder, run faster, push beyond the normal limits more than I already do.........I have a lot of weird crap happen in my life. Finally, I believe I am to the point I just don't care or question it anymore. I have so many incredible weird blessings too! I like to think I welcome blessing more than others too. This year it's going to rain!!!!!..........between now and then there will not be any "I wish"'s or "If only I had"'s. We will live! Live fully and deeply. Welcome 2011! I have big plans for you!
Well, holy cow. I declared it and by golly, it happened. This was one incredible year. Full, absolutely overflowing with amazing experiences. It rained.
In 2009 my “theme” I had somehow determined for myself was “Just Keep Swimming”. I picked it up from the movie Finding Nemo. As long as I was moving, I was moving. In 2010 I found myself always thinking of those penguins from that Disney movie that shuffled their way across a continent. It was a step up I guess because instead of just moving I was actually headed somewhere. I could slap myself looking back but at that time, in those moments it’s what I had. 2009 I was pregnant with Charlotte. Pregnancy sucks for me. After she was born, I was tired. I was trying to hold it all together. We realized around that time that Abbi could be starting her family while we were teaching Charlotte to ride a bike. That gap in age has been rewarding but was also exhausting. In 2010, I struggled to even walk for the first 6 months. Tons of x-rays, MRI’s, physical therapy and injections consumed half the year after falling down the stairs and then on our icy driveway. By the second half I was able to find where I had left myself and was ready to get on with things. Going into 2011 I stood myself up, brushed off the dust and looked UP. Wow! What a difference. What I declare for 2012 is this: There was a song that really struck me when Matt and I saw the broadway musical WICKED in New York. It’s called Defying Gravity. The green witch, Elphaba, declares if she is going to living her dreams and be what she was intended to be she must defy gravity.
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!
I'm through accepting limits
''cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
As someone told me lately:
"Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!"
It will be my newest theme! The whole Oprah extravaganza taught me there are no real limits. Now that I believe there is no ceiling, I want to fly above them.
The things that top the cool or memorable list for the year for me and our family are (best things first):
-I wrote an article that was purchased by Disney and was the feature article in the March edition of Family Fun. What a fun experience.
-In March I entered my friend Kara for the final makeover episode on the Oprah Winfrey show. She was chosen and by the end of April we were in the HARPO studio in Chicago surrounded by big names drowning in opportunity and fun. It was an experience I will forever cherish and one that was life changing. I learned a lot about myself and others throughout this experience. It has set a new standard for what is possible and encouraged me that the only limits you are are ones you give yourself.
-In June, I followed a random Twitter request to meet a bunch of famous strangers at the Grand Canyon as part of an awareness road trip. I had an overwhelming feeling I should go. A photographer I admire was taking portraits of people sharing their Dreams vs Fears. I was hesitant but my girls said, “you would make us go for it so you should too”. They were right so I did. Though a chain of super weird events and against many challenges I ended up meeting up with them. It was pretty cool and I ended up in a video for TWLOHA. It became part of a special on MTV. My portrait is featured in the video but better yet my voice sharing my fear opens the video and then my dream closes it. I still have no idea why I had such an overwhelming feeling to join them. Maybe someday I will get to know....maybe not.
-I attended a super photography convention in Las Vegas and learned so much. The rest of the year was spent putting it into practice. I feel like I grew a lot, improved and look forward to continued growth.
-Charlotte was watching a hockey game between Ryder and Izze on the stairs. Somehow she got clipped with the stick and received her first (and hopefully last) plastic surgery. It’s healed well!
-It must have been an “eye” year because shortly after that I ripped my own cornea. It was incredibly painful and irritating. The treatment included a bandaid applied right to my eyeball. I was so utterly impressed and amazed by the device and how well it worked that I am still in awe. I did learn an important lesson, don’t cut onions while wearing an eyeball bandage.
-Matt spent most of the year achieving goals in areas he has wanted to pursue for years. Ryder started hockey and he has had a ball helping him learn the game and coaching his team. He accomplished a ton of work on his 1968 Camaro. In order to do so he had to learn many skills such as welding. He has had fun posting the photos and accomplishments to a blog. His goal it to finish it in 2012.
-Abbi finished her first year of high school. It was adventurous and fun for all of us. She loved her first season of high school volleyball, loved playing soccer in quite a different format and excelled in track and field. As a freshman she ran varsity and received her first Letter in Athletics. She also got her permit. I think we were more excited than she was. What a milestone. However, it’s proven to not to be like I imagined it. As parents we have been given the opportunity to learn a new level of patience and communication skills. I am confident we will come out on the other end....I hope. She has maintained great grades and received a second Letter for Academics.
I continued in real estate even though the market makes it very difficult. To supplement I increased the property management side of my business and built a photography business. What fun that has been. I took photos of weddings, families, newborns, sports and businesses. There is no way to even measure what I learned this year in the business and about myself.
- Izze started at a new charter school and has enjoyed it. It’s much harder than anything she has done before but she is smart and strong and the challenge will pay off. She has many good friends. In May she tore her MCL during a soccer game so a lot of her year was recovering and getting back in the game. We were on a mission (that we continue) for several months related to stomach pain and sickness when she eats. We have some solid avenues to pursue and are confident 2012 will be much better for her.
-Somewhere during the spring while waiting for kids in a parked car (as I frequently do) I discovered my first defining proof that age will get me in the end. I spotted a crease in my earlobe. You can hide gray hair, Botox your way out of facial wrinkles, grease yourself up, stuff your self like sausage into anti-jiggle apparatus but you can’t hide an earlobe crease or neck wrinkles. It was funny how sad it made me. I surprised myself really. The plan was to embrace the changes and war wounds and “my story” but the earlobe crease got to me.
-I tried to really celebrate things this year. It started with Christmas 2010 and carried into about summer of 2011 before I faded. The fun things available and seasonal traditions were stacked in plenty. St. Patricks morning I dressed Charlotte and I in green and headed down to make a green breakfast. When I came downstairs I pinched Matt immediately for not having green on. Then I pinched Ryder. It was a firm love pinch but it horrified him. After Matt left the bathroom he declared there were green stripes on his underwear. He gave me a hearty pinch and declared a refund. Ryder scolded me all the way to school and told his teacher the second we walked in the door. He was literally mad for 4 months about it. I tried to increase my steam going into fall with the “celebrations”. I ended up declaring September Apple and Caramel month. August is always the back to school whirlwind, October has Halloween, November has Thanksgiving and of course Christmas consumes December. From here forward September has a new purpose.
-I had a stretch of funny and odd experiences. A couple of shirt incidences come to mind. Don’t know why but it was both embarrassing and hysterical. The first was at Walmart. I was pushing my super heavy full basket uphill with two kids hanging off the side. It was really windy and the climb was a struggle so I was leaning forward with both hands on the basket. There was a huge gust of wind that blew my fairly snug fitting shirt up and over my head. When I tried to let go the basket would spin to the side and nearly flip because both kids were on one side. I had to work my way around, blinded, until I could free myself and hide my ladies. When I got into the car I laid my seat all the way down and just howled. When I was finished laughing I thought about the poor man that had probably been dragged there reluctantly and was waiting in the car, bored. Ha! I made his day. That started an entirely new round of laughter. Not a week later I was handing out pizza to the kids at opening day of Micro soccer and another gust caught the same shirt and flipped it up over the ladies. I quickly pulled it down. I looked up to see a little boy right in front of me with eyes wide open. I just moved on hoping he didn’t find it worthy of a news report to anyone. It was a totally normal fitting straight t-shirt but since it was apparently possessed, I donated it to Salvation Army. I wish I could have followed it like the story of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I wonder who else became a peep show because of it.
-We were temporarily addicted to coconut oil as a family. I bought our first jar from Whole Foods while in Phoenix for a soccer tournament. It was magnificent. Everything we used it on was so much better. I rubbed it on my skin, conditioned my hair, soaked my heels, added it to eggs, cakes and even coffee. It is expensive and magical. I tried several local brands but they never cut it. We don’t go to Phoenix between May and October because it’s hotter than the face of the sun. Because I couldn’t replenish I accidentally weaned us off.
-Ryder and Charlotte were absolute riots this year. A couple I can think of: We watched the movie 127 Hours. Within 127 seconds Ryder declared he would not be cutting his own arm off. The next day we walked into his preschool and he announced loudly to everyone, “I am not going to cut my arm off when I play in the rocks”. Another morning he said to me while the song from Flashdance was on the radio, “turn this song off. It’s making my heart feel so sad and I am going to cry. Find me a man song”. He approved when I put on a heavy metal song. Charlotte was an amazing sleeper for the first two years of her life. Went to sleep without bargaining, slept long hours and took great naps. One night she just wouldn’t sleep at all. She wanted to watch, “Doo Doo Dora”. She stayed awake the whole next day as well. In the afternoon we concluded Izze had given her a Crystal Light lemonade water mix that had energy supplements. Yikes. She has not slept right since. She wanders around, talks in her sleep, goes to bed late and gets up early. Darn that energy drink!!! Charlotte was successfully potty trained this year but not before creating a lot of poop related memories. She delivered it by the handful, hid it, rubbed it on her lips and painted with it numerous times. I am glad going into 2012 the Poop Stories are in the past.
-Matt and I spent a week in New York, alone. We celebrated life, love, his birthday and 17 years of marriage. We did and saw a ton. The weather was amazing and we have a treasure chest of memories.
-We experienced tragedy as well. Early in the year Matt’s cousin Andy died. He was only a few years older and died from a heart condition Matt had only be saved from literally weeks before. It was really hard on his family and they miss him terribly. Matt and his dad flew to Kentucky for the funeral. On the way they got stuck in the Atlanta airport for several days. No way in, no way out, no food and limited access to his medicines. It was very stressful but the were able to make it to the funeral and arrive safely at home. Andy had many special qualities and will be always loved.
I experienced one of the most emotional and difficult things of my life this year. My friend Kim died after a tremendous battle with cancer. She was 38, mother of 4, incredible inspiration and true friend. She lived a life that others were changed and affected by in powerful and positive way. Her way was one that was peaceful, energetic, comforting and genuine. My life is so much richer for having had her in it. I will pay it forward and feel God is leading me to do so in helping her family share the journal she wrote during her struggle. I aspire to affect people the way she did. I will do anything and everything I can to honor the person she was and the life she lived.
On a worldly level, it was a nut house out there!
The economy, job market, debt ceiling and real estate market continue to be a mess.
Twitter and Facebook rule the social scene and have created a whole new way of “community”.
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military was a constant focus.
Japan was hit with a tsunami after an earthquake that caused tremendous damage and death. A nuclear power plant was affected and continues to cause environmental issues.
Prince William married Kate Middleton. I really don’t care but the world pays a lot of attention to Royal Weddings.
Occupy Wall Street was a movement of folks protesting the financial decision of our leaders. People everywhere camped out and tried to make their point. When we passed the “center” of it all in New York there were only a handful of folks still yelling on a sidewalk. It certainly fizzled but I do hope people were at least open to what they were trying to communicate.
The founder and mastermind behind Apple computers sleek brilliance, Steve Jobs died. His life was scrutinized after his passing. What I believe shakes out in the end is the strength and perseverance that got him to where he was.
Smart phones are in nearly everyone’s pocket. Tablets and the ipad have climbed their way into mainstream.
A new astrological sign was entered in although I didn’t follow it and have no idea why.
Kim Jong the leader of North Korea died. His death has the world holding their breath. What will follow? His power was passed to his son that is believed to have the same views and beliefs as his father.
Goodbye 2011. I have a lump in my throat letting you go. You were amazing. The only thing that encourages me forward is the amount of unknown blessing and possibility in our future.
