Looking Back

As I was shoveling the driveway yesterday morning, it occured to me that at this time last year we were preparing for Bill to leave for New York to begin training for his new job that would take him even further away from Michael and me, to Massachusetts. Hearts were heavy facing another separation, but I thought surely it would go faster than the last time when we moved from TN to PA (five months spent apart) Oh how wrong I was-and I had no idea what was coming medically for me either, just a little further down the road of the year to come...

But, 2012 wasn't all that bad. I had some incredible friendships that carried me through the hardships. I discovered Zentangle! And what a fun venture that's been this year! I've met so many wonderfully talented ladies through this creative circle-they inspire me with their work, encourage me with their kind words, and light my days with smiles as they share their world, their art, and their lives...I look forward to learning and playing more with Zentangle this new year and hope to get certified as a teacher in the fall (actually meet Rick and Maria Thomas!! Whoa!!)

2013 looms ahead with some still unanswered questions regarding my tremors. Whether or not we'll ever find out the cause remains to be seen. But, regardless, we move forward. I'm training for my first 10k I hope to run this spring. All I can do is take the very best care of my health and the rest is in God's hands, come what may.

I plan to enjoy as much of the ocean as I can possibly squeeze in--to the Beach!!! I plan to paint, to draw, to play, to write, to enjoy this gift of family, to go see the whales and the seals! Yay! I barely made a dent in my list of books to read this year and I've already dumped another good half dozen in there with certainly more to come. So much to look forward to for this coming new year...


10 Questions for a New Year’s Eve Reflection

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year? Moving to Massachusetts!!!

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened? Being separated from Bill for the first nine months of the year.

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year? The amazing friends God blessed me with--Missy and Jenn and Diane, who made the world of difference getting through a very scary time....

4. What was an unexpected obstacle? My tremors that led up to spinal fusion surgery.

5. What were the best books you read this year? The Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin--I'm completely hooked on that world!

6. With whom were your most valuable relationships? My girls!! Coffee dates at Panera!

7. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year? Stupid games on Facebook

8. What was the best way you used your time this past year? Zentangling!

9. What was biggest thing you learned this past year? I want to write something amazingly brilliant here but really...I guess in the very bleakest moments of the year, God blessed me with the most beautiful women I've ever known in my life. I never could've made it through without these three and I am so thankful...What I learned is God will never let me fall. His love will always carry me through, in the gifts of friendship and so many other little amazing ways...we are so blessed...

10. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2012 for you. All's well that ends well...

Our happy little home covered in snow

Boo wantsa go play...

Happy girl!

Loving my new calendar!

A little Rock 'n Roll Diva Dance...

It Snowed!!

Woke up this morning to a gorgeous white wintery wonderland outside-well, I really woke up to lights flashing in the windows a little after three a.m....There was a team of snow plows doing a tango, making quick work of the snow covered streets. It was really fun watching them--I'd never witnessed anything like it before. We'd always just had one big plow run a quick path down the one side of the street and then make another quick pass going up the other side. Here, I'm guessing because of the way our streets run wide in the corners, they worked together-one would push a pile of snow to the middle of the street then another would come from another angle to  push the pile to the curb, back up and they'd make another pile, push it to the curb, working their way around our deep, turn around corners. To me it looked like they were having fun, this little snow plow dance in the middle of the street...I could've watched them all day, I think, but once our corner was all neatly scraped clear, off they went to work on the rest of the neighborhood....

Then I watched as the moon settled over the trees out back and the sun slowly rose in the opposite direction. Pink washed the sky out front as the grey of the night sank softly away. The clouds were a feathery mist, flanking the moon in a ring of red that my camera just couldn't quite pick up. Magical, this first snow, so beautiful...it always makes me feel like a kid again!

Winter wonderland

Watching the moon sinking in the horizon

So wide awake and full of excitement, I pulled out my Tangle A Day 2013 calendar and thought I might start to play (Carole Ohl, of Open Seed Arts and the calendar's creator, said it was okay...) I'm really looking forward to taking some lettering courses this year and fancied up a Happy New Year, then also in awe of Helen William's latest post with Mooka, I went a little Mooka-ish with my numbers....I'll fill it in more and post again--it was just fun getting started this morning! Yay!!

 

Happy New Year everybody!!

Zendala Dare 37

After a good month off from challenges and dares and pretty much any kind of creativity projects, and staring at a nice pile of art goodies from Christmas, it was high time to get back on the horse again this week and start playing! I've got a couple painting projects well under way, jumped back in where I left off with One Zentangle a Day, started Carla Sonheim's Drawing Lab, and found the past three weeks' Zendala templates from Erin over at the Bright Owl. So much to catch up on!! And so many new toys to play with! Too much fun!

Making it in at the very last minute, I finished the week's Zendala Dare this afternoon:

Lanie, Tripoli, and W2

 And tomorrow she'll post a new one!!

I'm so excited about the coming year-I signed up for the Creativity Every Day challenge, there's a few online art courses I want to take, I've started painting again, and I'm also hoping to open an Etsy shop later in the year as well. If I'm really lucky, I just may get to go to CZT training in the fall...It's gonna be a great, great year!!