I got this from SimpleMom.net. I haven't really given a lot of what's happened in the past year much thought so it will be interesting to try to answer these questions. Why don't you try them yourself?
Reflection Questions for 2008
1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
We bought our 1st house! It's such a pretty little 3BR/2BA house with a great backyard for the kids to run around in. I love where we live and look forward to all the wonderful memories we will make in our new home!
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Working 50+ hrs per week as an Event Coordinator for the Zoo (while taking care of the kids at the same time) for less money than what I expected.
3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
The Mexican Riviera cruise my in-laws took us on in September!
4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
Having to pay for my dental implants ($5,000) at the last-minute due to an emergency.
5. Pick three words to describe 2008.
Fun, adventurous, and stressful.
6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2008 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).
Stressed, confused, and happy.
7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2008 (again, without asking).
Fun, adventurous, and stressful.
8. What were the best books you read this year?
Crazy Love by Chan (the most recent one I read) was by far the most thought-provoking and life-changing book I've read in the past year. I honestly don't remember the others after reading that one.
9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
Jeramy, my kids, my sisters, my inlaws, and my girls (Corinne, Ling, Sammie, the Jen(n)s, and Jess).
10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
I became a true stay-at-home mom in May. I was always working (ie, volunteering) on small projects on the side and focused on those things rather than just spending time with my kids.
11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
I usually talk about everything else, but never about what really bothers ME. I have had enough breakdowns this year to realize that it's OK to cry, to let it out and not internalize everything.
12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
I have become more spiritual in a sense that I am trying to build a more intimate relationship with God.
13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
I gained 10 lbs last holiday season and weighed 162 lbs at the beginning of 2008, fasted for 5 days and lost quite a few lbs then gained a few back. But in August, I discovered the South Beach Diet and have managed to keep my weight around 140-145 lbs. It has been REALLY challenging, considering the cruise and all the traveling we've done in the last few months but I intend to stick with this lifestyle for good.
14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
I have lost some friends this year which was a really painful process. However, I have learned a valuable lesson...to never take things for granted. I've also given every person I've met the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are good from the get-go, but over time, I find that I am wrong. I need to listen to my instincts from the very beginning and try to build better relationships with people who are worth my time and effort. Fortunately, we have created our own little "Sex in the City" group and I have gotten closer with these girls this past year and am looking forward to becoming even better friends with them in 2009.
15. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?
Believe it or not, it's the kids/guest bathroom. I managed to keep that bathroom clean almost every day since we've moved in! I don't know if it was exactly "enjoyable" but I enjoyed the fact that it was the one room in the house that was clean the majority of the time.
16. What was your most challenging area of home management?
The kitchen. I hate washing dishes, cleaning the counters, throwing out the trash, etc. But I like cooking and eating, so go figure.
17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
Working for the Zoo.
18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
Traveled and spent a lot of time with family/friends! We went to LA in Feb for our 4th anniversary, enjoyed the concerts and festivities at the Fair in the summer, went to San Clemente in June for my brother's graduation, had family/friends come visit in August for our housewarming, went on the cruise with J's parents in Sept, had Lefse reunion in Phoenix & early Thanksgiving with my mom & bro in Laguna Niguel in November, and celebrated early Christmas at my sister Charmaine's new house (which she purchased a month after we bought ours) in San Diego in December.
19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
That friends come and go and that I'm old enough now to pick & choose who my friends are. We are ADULTS, so let's act like it. We're not in high school anymore!
20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2008 for you.
Whoo-rah!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
How to stay young as the years go by...
I received this in my email today. I think it's perfect to start out the New Year with...
Harvey Mackay's Column This Week
How to stay young as the years go by
Youth, it has been said, is wasted on the young. That would be a travesty if it were true. Fortunately, youth is not only a time of life; it's also a state of mind. I stopped counting after my 39th birthday, but I still consider myself young. And I intend to stay that way!
Having a youthful outlook and attitude is possible at any age, just as being an old fogey can start at a very young age. As I said, I choose youth!
Want to stay young at heart? Here are some ideas to help you:
*Keep only cheerful, positive friends. You can pick your friends, and I like to choose those who are positive and people who challenge me. They make me feel good. They don't drag me down or make me angry at the world. Negative people see the difficulty in every opportunity, while positive people see the opportunity in every difficulty.
*Keep learning. I think Henry Ford put it best when he said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." I've always said that you should be in school all your life—never stop learning.
*Enjoy the simple things. Don't forget to take time to enjoy the things that you like to do—go for a walk or to the movies, read a good book, watch a favorite TV show, spend time with your family. You have to have a good balance in life.
*Laugh often. Starting your day with a good laugh, or at least a big smile, is as beneficial to your health as it is to your mood. Scientific studies at Northwestern University and Fordham University concluded that laughter benefits the heart, lungs, stomach and other organs. It relaxes tensions, changes attitude, and increases the body's natural painkillers. And it has no harmful side effects.
*Stay in shape. Exercise is good for your mind as well as your body. Studies show that healthy employees have decreased absenteeism, better performance and improved morale. I've always felt that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce. The human body is the only machine that wears out faster if it is not used.
*Cherish your health. There is nothing more important than your health. Stay in shape so you can improve your chance for good health. If you're healthy, do what you can to preserve it. It your health is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
*Be happy. You are responsible for your own happiness. We sometimes convince ourselves that life will be better after we get a better job, make more money, get married, have a baby, buy a bigger house and so on. Yet the accomplishment of any of those events may not make any difference at all. There is no magic secret to happiness. Happiness starts in your head.
*Don't stress out. You can't escape stress, but you can avoid creating unnecessary stress. You just need to find a stress reliever. Mine is sports—going to a sporting event, playing golf, swimming or jogging. If the stress just won't go away, then you have to make some changes in your life that might be more stressful in the short-term but healthier in the long run.
*Don't take guilt trips. Rather, take a trip to some location or maybe it's just the mall, but escape occasionally. I remember a story about the worry tree. At night an accountant would go home from work and place all his worries on a tree in his front yard. The next morning he would pick up those worries on his way to work, but surprisingly, they weren't as heavy the next day.
*Visualize yourself as youthful and with endless energy. I learned years ago that visualization is the most powerful means of attaining personal goals. Visionary people can achieve whatever they want by determining a plan to attain it and expecting positive results. It doesn't do the planning and it doesn't anticipate the obstacles. It gives you a real idea of what is possible, if only you want it bad enough. Vision is not so much what you think as how you think. If you can visualize it, you can make it happen.
Mackay's Moral: If you want to stay youthful, stay useful.
Harvey Mackay's Column This Week
How to stay young as the years go by
Youth, it has been said, is wasted on the young. That would be a travesty if it were true. Fortunately, youth is not only a time of life; it's also a state of mind. I stopped counting after my 39th birthday, but I still consider myself young. And I intend to stay that way!
Having a youthful outlook and attitude is possible at any age, just as being an old fogey can start at a very young age. As I said, I choose youth!
Want to stay young at heart? Here are some ideas to help you:
*Keep only cheerful, positive friends. You can pick your friends, and I like to choose those who are positive and people who challenge me. They make me feel good. They don't drag me down or make me angry at the world. Negative people see the difficulty in every opportunity, while positive people see the opportunity in every difficulty.
*Keep learning. I think Henry Ford put it best when he said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." I've always said that you should be in school all your life—never stop learning.
*Enjoy the simple things. Don't forget to take time to enjoy the things that you like to do—go for a walk or to the movies, read a good book, watch a favorite TV show, spend time with your family. You have to have a good balance in life.
*Laugh often. Starting your day with a good laugh, or at least a big smile, is as beneficial to your health as it is to your mood. Scientific studies at Northwestern University and Fordham University concluded that laughter benefits the heart, lungs, stomach and other organs. It relaxes tensions, changes attitude, and increases the body's natural painkillers. And it has no harmful side effects.
*Stay in shape. Exercise is good for your mind as well as your body. Studies show that healthy employees have decreased absenteeism, better performance and improved morale. I've always felt that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce. The human body is the only machine that wears out faster if it is not used.
*Cherish your health. There is nothing more important than your health. Stay in shape so you can improve your chance for good health. If you're healthy, do what you can to preserve it. It your health is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
*Be happy. You are responsible for your own happiness. We sometimes convince ourselves that life will be better after we get a better job, make more money, get married, have a baby, buy a bigger house and so on. Yet the accomplishment of any of those events may not make any difference at all. There is no magic secret to happiness. Happiness starts in your head.
*Don't stress out. You can't escape stress, but you can avoid creating unnecessary stress. You just need to find a stress reliever. Mine is sports—going to a sporting event, playing golf, swimming or jogging. If the stress just won't go away, then you have to make some changes in your life that might be more stressful in the short-term but healthier in the long run.
*Don't take guilt trips. Rather, take a trip to some location or maybe it's just the mall, but escape occasionally. I remember a story about the worry tree. At night an accountant would go home from work and place all his worries on a tree in his front yard. The next morning he would pick up those worries on his way to work, but surprisingly, they weren't as heavy the next day.
*Visualize yourself as youthful and with endless energy. I learned years ago that visualization is the most powerful means of attaining personal goals. Visionary people can achieve whatever they want by determining a plan to attain it and expecting positive results. It doesn't do the planning and it doesn't anticipate the obstacles. It gives you a real idea of what is possible, if only you want it bad enough. Vision is not so much what you think as how you think. If you can visualize it, you can make it happen.
Mackay's Moral: If you want to stay youthful, stay useful.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
2nd Annual Holiday Party
The holiday season means so much more when you're surrounded by friends and family. Jeramy and I started a tradition last year by hosting a Christmas party at our home for some of our closest friends and I hope that it continues for many more years to come. Having it in our new house makes it even more special. Thanks to all our friends who celebrated with us!
(I'm sad that I didn't take too many pics tonight. Oh well.)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Snow!
Well kind of. We haven't taken the kids to the snow yet (we plan to soon). Every time I get a huge box filled with styrofoam, I let the kids play with it and they love it. I hate having to clean-up after, but it's so worth watching them break it all apart and throw it all up in the air. It's close to the real thing...without the cold, freezing sensation.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Prayer for Serenity
I feel like I needed this today (and these past few weeks really)...
God, grant me the serenity to
Accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it;
Trusting that You will make all things right
If I surrender to your will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
AmenMonday, December 08, 2008
Re-evaluation...
I had to take a step back from blogging this past month because of a comment a friend made from one of my posts. She made me feel as if I didn't have a right to post my feelings online, for everyone to see. Although I can see her point (and point taken), I have to admit that it really threw me into a loop. I am a pretty open & emotional individual. But at the same time, I am also a pretty private person. I am the kind of person that needs to vent, to speak my feelings and opinions, and am pretty much a "tell it like it is" type of person. However, I do not intend anything in a malicious or hurtful manner. I don't even know why I feel the need to have to explain myself here but I just had the urge to do so. I don't want to feel guilty for posting something here that comes from my heart. I shouldn't have to feel guilty.
I subscribe to Today's Inspiration and the Quote of the Day says:
"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth."
– Benjamin Disraeli
Such perfect timing to receive that in my email today...
I subscribe to Today's Inspiration and the Quote of the Day says:
"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth."
– Benjamin Disraeli
Such perfect timing to receive that in my email today...
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