Life in Focus

10 things

 I'm doing right now

1.  substitute teaching at our elementary school

2.  having a ton of fun with project 365

3.  assistant directing "Alice in Wonderland" for our youth theater

4.  looking out the window and dreaming of spring

5.  following Bob Green's Best Life Diet

6.  running 3 miles a day and trying to fit in yoga

7.  thinking about celebrating Kevin's 40th birthday next week

8.  writing a new "projects now" class for Big Picture

9.  getting used to green tea instead of coffee in the afternoon

10.  trying to keep my puppy from chewing the carpet :)

a study in contrast

Today we woke up to a crazy cold temperature of -12 degrees!  Yep...that cold!!  It was oh-so-nice to flip on the news at 5am this morning and find that we didn't have to get out of our cozy beds!  All of the schools are closed today so we're planning a warm day inside with some play and some work...but mostly play.

I wanted to post some photos from last weekend's Sunday Funday adventure.  It was (again) a very cold day so we ventured to a place that would bring us a little warmth...both inside and out!  We spent the afternoon here and it was so much fun!  A botanical garden is the perfect  place to be inspired by beautiful brilliant color during these somewhat dark and stark winter months in Michigan.  I was so inspired as I walked around practicing with my camera and I knew others shared my enthusiasm when I had to (ahem!) share the photo taking! Oh, it is not easy for me to pass over my beloved camera...but I did. Luckily, Owain thought to bring along his own point and shoot so he didn't have to wait for his turn!

 

After we wandered and sat and enjoyed the gardens, we bundled up and went outside for a nice (rather long) winter hike through the woods.  It was absolutely beautiful! As we hiked and I shot photo after photo, I was struck with the breathtaking contrast in scenes of our day and enjoyed how each was just as lovely as the next.

It was such an awesome study of color and contrast and I can't wait to go back again!

celebrating my word

Focus

I've been working with my word for this year and it's amazing how it is helping me in so many areas of my life. I've always been a very visual person and I like to be surrounded by things that inspire me, make me think, and help me accomplish all that I dream of accomplishing.  So, when I chose my word for 2009, I knew that I wanted to find ways to keep it right in front of me and celebrate it often.
So far, this is how I'm celebrating my word:

A really cool custom word of the year necklace by Lisa Leonard Designs with my word stamped on it.  I ordered it on the last day of 2008 as a little new year gift to myself.  It should be coming any day now and I can't wait!               

I played with my word on WORDLE and it was so fun!  Have you tried this yet?  There are tons of designs to choose from and it's so easy to do.  When you're finished, you can just print it off and hang it where you can see it often.  I love it!


Have you heard about project 365?  The idea is that you take a photo a day for the entire year and I'm totally on board with it!  Since "focusing" on my life with my camera is a part of my FOCUS this year, I can't think of a better project to help me accomplish that goal.  I ordered the CK kit of the month to make it a bit easier to do and I can't wait until it gets here.  I've already created a folder on my computer and it's been so much fun to see all the bits and pieces of life that I've captured so far this year.  What an amazing time capsule of life I will have in my hands by 2010 AND I will be working on my photography skills in the process.  Cool!


I'm also playing with some other ideas for my studio office and other areas of my home to help me celebrate my word and keep it right in front of me.  Possibly a banner or something with big wood letters....we'll see what I come up with! 

Here's to celebrating something every day and
FOCUSING on what's most important!

My Word 2009

We had a wonderfully relaxing and fun holiday vacation and now I'm ready to start this fresh new year!
With this beginning comes my new word for 2009 and I'm so excited about it!  I know that it will help me bring about many positive changes in my life as well as accomplishments and that it will help me make 2009 the best year yet!

My word for this year is.....

FOCUS

After much thought, I turned to a word that I look at a lot but decided that it was time
to really commit to and connect with this one little word.  In a general sense, I want to fully embrace the idea of "focusing" on my life right now.  I want to be aware and present in my daily routine where, very often, the busyness blurs it all.  I want to find the beauty and joy in the everyday stuff that makes up my existence.  So, FOCUS it is!  To help me categorize and organize my thoughts about this, I also used the word as an acronym.

F is for family.  Sure, my family has always been my priority but this year, I want
to more fully engage in the everyday moments with them.  I want to be there when I'm there. Does that make sense?  My children are growing....and very fast!  They are becoming busy, independent teenagers right before my eyes.  I don't want to be so busy and blurry that I miss out on everyday life with my family.  I know that I need to plan and make time to be together, enjoying each other, if it is to happen on a regular basis.  Part of this focus is to plan  for us to spend that time. So, we now have "Sunday Fundays".  This means that every week, we will put all work and obligations on a high shelf and plan something fun to do together.  It doesn't always have to cost a lot of money or any money at all for that matter, it simply could be a winter hike in the woods with hot chocolate.  The idea is that it's a ritual that we all share, look forward to, and enjoy.  We will play more together, laugh more together, and grow more together in the process.  Along with this idea, my husband and I now have scheduled date nights. That seems to be something that's easy to forget as we raise children.  We understand how important it is and now...it's on the calendar!

O is for Organize.  This will be the year that I truly focus on organization in my life and am starting with our home.  I made a list of each room in our house and all of the cleaning out and organizing that needs to be accomplished.  The idea is that month by month and room by room, we will tackle it!  This way, it isn't such a monumental task that I dread and I know it will feel so good to get it done! And...you better believe I will be soliciting help!

C is for Celebrate. Guess what?  This year, I will be turning the big 4-0!  Believe it or not, I am very excited about this new number and I am going to make this a year to focus on celebrating!  Some of our celebrations will be planned (like the big bday bash my husband and I are planning - he turns 40 this year too) and others will be about focusing on the little everyday things to celebrate.  I'll also be actively looking for things to celebrate and throwing some surprises in there too! Bottom line?  life should be celebrated...and often...so that's my goal!

U is for Unfinished Projects.  As in...finish them!  Am I the only one on earth that has a habit of starting projects, to then put them away and not finish??  I don't  think I'm alone but I've decided that I'm getting frustrated with all of the unfinished projects around me.  So, this will be a year that I focus on pulling out those unfinished projects and making a decision.  I will either put them in a pile to finish or I will be absolutely OK with saying "goodbye" to it.  Then, the important part....making time to finish one before starting something new.  We'll see how this goes but I'm hopeful!

S is for Self.  I have learned that to feel balanced in my life, I need to first take care of myself.  This is not always easy for me as I'm usually toward the bottom of the priority list and then it's hard to get to it.  I will be focusing on three areas of my life as I make myself a focus.  These are mind, body, and spirit.  Each of these areas has very specific points that will help me achieve what I want to achieve this year and beyond.  In this list, I also have "reaching" goals of things I would love to do for me like make time to run in a race, write a book, and get through my photography course and earn my certificate.

One thing is for sure, if I don't plan and schedule these things, I know they won't happen.  So, here's to a great new year full of promise and FOCUS!

P.S. I will be back later to share the ways that I am celebrating my word.