Eventually, however, that ceased to happen. And since then, I have given each year end a little bit of a cursory nod, but never the kind of attention I once gave. I’d like to say that this year will be different, that I’ll go month-by-month again. But, I can’t say that, because I, frankly, just don’t have time to go that in depth. I do, however, want to give this year some closure.

My  mom sent me an email with a newsletter giving ways to bring closure to the year. In it, Mike Robbins writes about how we need to give one year closure before we jump into the next one with all these hopes for where it will lead.

Last year at this time, we were in the process of moving. I was forced to find closure on the previous three years of living in the house we were in, and I embraced 2011 with hope and optimism as change was going on all around me. My address changed, and so did many ways I viewed various things. This year, though, I feel like I’m just rolling into 2012 without much fanfare. Its just another year. January 1st, just another day. I don’t really have optimism, but I don’t feel dread either. I’m a bit ambivalent to the whole thing.

So perhaps I am one who has a bigger need to find closure to 2011 than I would normally be as a year comes to a close. I thought I’d tackle the four questions found in Robbins’ newsletter.

1) What were my biggest lessons in 2011?

Absolutely the strong difference between want and need was my biggest lesson. This past year was a rebuilding one, financially, for my husband and myself. With that, I also learned the deep satisfaction that comes with paying for items with cash. I learned how to NOT live on credit and instead was reminded what it meant to put your money in a jar (or in my case, a big envelope) until you’d saved up enough money to purchase that great big WANT.

I learned my love for photography really can be more than just a hobby. I found a deep interest in the creative process of bringing music to life, and I discovered a potential market for documenting that process. I caught myself critiquing other’s photos with a better eye than just, “Oh that’s pretty!” and I soak in how other’s approach photography — both in what to do and what NOT to do.

On the writing side, I finally learned and held my first giveaways. I learned about how social networking in person can help you in the online world. I discovered even more strongly the kindred spirits I have in other bloggers.

Medically, I have learned an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If I will stay on a strict regimen for my sinuses, I won’t be so crippled by infections. You’d think I’d have known that already, but I REALLY learned it this year.

2) What am I most proud of from this past year?

See question 1. I am most proud of the fact that my husband and I ended the year without accruing any new debts. (Outside of an ER bill.)

I am proud that I have embraced myself as a writer and a photographer, not just as “trying to get into it.” I am proud that I’ve kept this blog going and its continuing to pick up traffic and grow consistently. I am super proud of the work I did on Rick’s CD, leading me even deeper down the photography path.

Finally, I am proud of becoming a biggest piece of our work-puzzle. Working more consistently has given me a nice feeling of satisfaction. I’ve met so many interesting people, many of which I’d have never met had I not been behind the bar this year.

3) What were my biggest disappointments in 2011?

I set the bar high for myself. I may not admit that out loud to anyone, but deep down I always set it high. While my blog does continue to grow, its growing slower than I’d like for it to grow. I am disappointed that I haven’t gone to any blogger conferences, nor attended any photo walks. I once again failed to complete NaNoWriMo.

I fully thought I’d be further in making photography profitable for myself, but I have to acknowledge there is still a lot more expense I need to go into first to really get that off the ground. Baby steps… even if I don’t want them to be.

On a personal note, I do wish we were closer to being able to purchase our own house, or maybe be back to two vehicles. And I had hoped we’d be more solidly ready to take steps towards starting a family.

4) What am I ready to let go of from this past year?

My disappointments for the year. They are heavily outweighed by the lessons and successes of the year. When many people look back on 2011, they call it a bust. When I look back on it, I call it a success. Maybe I didn’t grow to the levels I had hoped I would, but I sure didn’t backslide for a change!

But perhaps that is where I don’t feel this big surge into the new year. I didn’t necessarily grow “big time” this past year, but I didn’t backslide. I didn’t stagnate, but I think I easily could do that right now. Just go with the status quo as it stands now, content with where I am for awhile. But I don’t WANT to do that. I want to keep striving forward. I want to keep pushing. I want to build a positive momentum from here on out. And maybe… maybe I am afraid I won’t do that?  Hmm…

5) What else do I need to do or say to be totally complete with 2011?

This might sound bizarre to some people, but I need to clean out my closet. I need to clear out old things physically to be ready to clear them out mentally and emotionally. I may have to actively do this on the 1st since I won’t have time today to do it. But, I need to do something like that…I need to physically let go of things. I need to clean. I need to rearrange a room. Something like that.

⚝

Happy New Year, everyone. See you all in 2012…

Today’s holiday got me thinking about that age old question, “What do you want to be, when you grow up?”

I'm too busy relaxin' out here to think about a career in 20 years...

We ask children that before they can even read. We ask that of each other as adults, half joking, half knowing that chances are, we’ll all have more than one career in our lifetimes.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be a teacher. That was my answer, without hesitation, when someone would ask me that question. I hit second grade, and I loved my teacher so much that I decided I wanted to be a second grade teacher!

I loved that year of school. Amusingly, when you consider how much I hate math today, my favorite subject that year was math. My teacher made it fun with Wanda Ones, Tommy Tens and Harry Hundreds. We earned ourselves a banana split day through our successes (something that would be horribly, horribly frowned upon with our striving to “eat healthier” in school) and however many challenges we successfully completed decided how many toppings we had on our banana splits. Some of my classmates hardly had a banana and a couple scoops of ice cream. Others had every topping we could get. (I was in the later group. SCORE!)

My teacher found fun ways to motivate us to work and to make things stick with us. I loved her. I wanted to be her.

This want stayed strong in me until high school. In 8th grade, we had to sign up for our Freshmen classes. Certain ones were a given, but I ended up with one more elective to fill. A couple girlfriends and I signed up for Journalism. I figured, “Oh that sounds like an easy A!”

It was.

Working hard on getting senior portraits for the yearbook...

But not because it wasn’t a challenge! I had plenty of classmates barely get through that class at all. No, it was an easy A because I fell in love with it. Those hearts I had in my eyes for my second grade teacher turned towards journalism. I loved it. I found my niche! It made sense to me. I won contests in it, and that simply seemed to validate this new love I had found.

I proceeded from that year to throw myself into journalism. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go in the field, I just knew I wanted to be a part of it. So when I went into college, I took both print and broadcast journalism classes. I was so undecided what I wanted to do!

In hindsight, I wish I’d paid more attention in certain classes, because their lessons would benefit me more today. I wish I’d known then that my focus would some day be working freelance. But instead, I tried to just be a sponge and soak up a little bit of everything. I really wasn’t entirely sure where I was going, still. Just Journalism.

I eventually did get a job in journalism — at a weekly paper in Central Texas. It taught me a lot. Ironically it it taught me less about my strengths and more about my weaknesses. It showed me where I needed to improve. (For that, I am grateful! It ultimately showed me where I wasn’t supposed to be after all.)

Just another day on the job...

One of my biggest, “Can I get that day back to redo it?” moments was a day I went to interview a soldier home on leave. I didn’t know what questions to ask! And it didn’t help that I got the feeling he wasn’t that interested in being interviewed, so every question I asked received very short answers. I found myself trying to lead him to tell me what I wanted to hear for a story. I really, really wish I could go back and redo that one. My biggest failure in interviewing.

Just as it showed me places I was weak, that job also showed me an ignored love. A digital camera landed in my hands for the first time, and I found myself wanting to take some great photos. Some were appreciated. Others weren’t. I found myself remembering how much I’d wanted to take photography in high school, but it never fit in my schedule. It ended up off my radar in college. And with that digital camera in my hand, I found myself wanting to push myself.

While it was a few years after that before I started to go, “Hey, I’m pretty good at this!” I still look back on some of the shots I took while at the newspaper with appreciation.

Today, I want to be a published author. I want to write. I want to take pictures. I also have a love for listening and helping people. And I’m finding I’m pretty good at planning parties. I want to start a family, too. I have so many options still ahead of me for “what I want to be, when I grow up.” And you know what? That’s pretty cool. It’s not just little kids who have the world wide open to them. It’s each and every one of us.

So tell me…

What do you want to be, when YOU grow up?

I love painting pictures with words. I love telling a story. I love bringing things to life for others with my words. Come on a trip with me, as I tell you my story. I want to encourage you. I want to inspire you. I want to make you laugh. I want to bring tears to your eyes.

I want to be a published author. I want to be a successful blogger. I want to see my name in print behind the word “by.” I want to be a writer when I grow up.

… want to be a photographer. I love to take pictures. I love to capture a moment.

I love to search for a different perspective. I love to make the ordinary pretty. I love to be behind the lens, looking at you from a macro or a zoom. I want to make you say, “Wow!”

I want to take photos at weddings. I want to take photos at concerts. I want to take portraits. I want to take landscapes. I want to take the obscure. I want to see my name in the corner of a print on the wall. I want to be a photographer when I grow up.

… want to be a counselor. I love to study people and their interactions. I’m a listener, and I care.

I don’t see myself going for a degree in counseling, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find a way to still do this. I like to listen and aid others. I like to be a study of people. I find relationships fascinating, and I like the psychology behind them.

More than anything, I want to help others. Even if all I do is listen. I can be a sounding board. I can avoid giving advice until its requested. I want to be a counselor when I grow up.

… want to be a Mom. I thought I’d already be one, but life has a way of showing you how little you are in control.

I was on the fence about having children for years. And still, the idea of being in charge of a little one scares me! But now? Now I definitely do want to be a Mom. I want to experience this joy that all my Mommy friends tell me about… this love, and this adventure.

It still scares me. Financially. Emotionally. Logistically (to a degree). But more than that, it excites me. I want to be a Mom when I grow up.

… want to be the best person I can be. I want to keep to my values. I want to know I did my best.

Two of my greatest fears: letting myself down and letting those closest to me down. I’ve always strived to be the best me I could be, and within that, always be true to myself.

I love knowing I’ve done my best. I love standing behind my work, behind my opinions, behind those I love, behind everything I do. I want to look back on life and have no regrets. I want to know I’ve been the best person I can be when I grow up.

Ahhhh… we make light of it. I think we kind of have to, at this point. For one thing, I think a lot of people believe this bible verse:

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. -Mark 13:32

Predictions about the end of the world have been made my countless philosophers, radicals, and “church leaders.” But at the end of the day, it stands that no one truly knows when it’ll happen. I could be tomorrow. It could be a thousand years from now. We DON’T know. And when anyone so staunchly believes they know the time and date… well, it’s hard to take them seriously for that reason alone.

Further, I have to confess, I feel my stomach clinch at talk of “the end of the world.” Just as it clinches when I stop to think about any time I’ve possibly had a close call on the road, or if I think about the potential of a plane crash, etc. Because I think we all always have things we want to do. Or people we want just one more minute with… to say good bye to…

Things I want to do before my last day:

• Make sure my family knows how very much I love them. My husband, my parents, my brother and his family… everyone.
• Make sure my friends know how much I cherish them all.
• See my words in print (besides newspaper). I have had a passion for writing for too long in life to not be published some day.
• Find my niche in the photography world.
• Make a difference.
• Help my husband knock off more items on his to-do list.
• See my nephew be a part of a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
• REALLY start my own business.
• Be a mom.
• Never stop feeling young.

There is plenty more things, but that’s a few things, in no particular order. I guess some would call it a Bucket List. I just call it a path I want to ensure I stay on in life. So whether I am here when the world does end, or its just my time, I know I’ve lived the best I knew how to live.

Mardi Gras, literally “Fat Tuesday,” has grown in popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic event. But its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the “last hurrah” before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

– Taken from American Catholic Website

I gotta admit… Mardi Gras intrigues me. I’ve never been to New Orleans. I’ve never flashed anyone for beads. I’ve never stuffed myself silly. I have, though, had a King Cake before. So I’ve got that going for me (which is nice.)

However, I have regularly given something up for Lent. If I recall correctly, I gave up beer last year. A few years I gave up candy. I’ve tried to “list something I am thankful for” every day of lent, but usually ended up failing miserably. So some years I’ve just said, “I’m going to try to do better in general.”

This year, I am still being fairly broad in my Lenten sacrifice, but I’m doing so with some clear cut plans.

• Cut back to 1 soda a day, or as close as possible. I can easily down multiple cans of soda a day, if I am not careful. I need to cut that back for many reasons, so probably my biggest challenge will be to cut it back to 1 a day. (I’m not totally cutting it out because sometimes a soda is the only thing that will settle an upset tummy for me.)
• Drink more water. I’m already doing that with the purchase of my new water bottle! I refill it multiple times a day now, so I know I’m drinking a lot more water than before.
• Stop eating when I am full. This was never a problem back in the day! But somewhere along the way, I’ve gotten to where I eat well past “full.” I want my old habit back!
• Eat only when I am hungry. I’ve gotten into the habit of eating just because it seems like a good thing to do. To curb this, I want to start munching on something like sunflower seeds that gives me the feel of eating without the super-crazy calories! And, besides, if I am not hungry, just don’t eat! Its that simple!

I’d love to be several pounds lighter by Easter. Oh I’m doing fine weight-wise, really. Well within my normal BMI. This is a personal health goal to avoid falling into a pattern that won’t be as easy to stop in the future. (And, really, I want to lose the muffin top, ok?)

Healthier habits for a healthier me!

This weekend’s Gospel was about being fishers of men, and the homily was about how we help one another. With faith that things will work out, we reach out and help our fellow man and as such, we become fisher’s of men in God’s name. That probably isn’t as clear as I mean for it to be, but I think the idea is still there.

A pastor I had through high school pushed using your “time, talents and treasures” to help others. Tonight’s homily made me think of that, and I felt like it went hand in hand with that idea.

I’ve found ideas I have when I’m in church tend to be ones I need to run with… God speaks a little clearer when you’re in a church, after all. I’ve been wanting to write more on faith with a heavier hand toward religion for awhile. After all, writing about it would be using my time, talents and treasures! I really haven’t wanted to do that in this blog, though, and I’ve also felt a lot of fear towards doing it.

However, I’ve decided to start a second blog strictly for my thoughts on God and religion and faith. Like I said, I’ve felt fear about this. It is going to be a big step out of my comfort zone. I’ve sworn for a long time that I wouldn’t talk too much about religion since its so personal to each individual. Its so personal to me, that’s for sure! However, I will strive to keep the blog open and uplifting, but in the same breath be honest and (somewhat) blunt.

It’s a new goal for me! It’ll also be a new challenge… one I am most certainly ready to attempt.

• Drink Less Alcohol — I actually cut back on that in the last year already. The expense of it, not to mention the fact that its empty calories, forced me to drink less already. I don’t think I’ve sported a “buzz” in well over six months, if not longer. And I’m okay with that! You don’t need alcohol to have a good time. I do drink socially, and I do enjoy a glass of wine or mixed drink in the evening. And I still consider myself a “beer snob.” But drinking less alcohol really isn’t an issue for me already, and thus there’s no need to make it a resolution.

• Get a Better Education — I do hope to take a few photography “classes” this year. And I would love to make it to at least one blogger conference. You should NEVER stop learning!

• Get a Better Job — How about instead of getting a better job, I just advance myself and what I am already doing. My goal for the end of this year had been to have a literary agent by, well, today. That didn’t happen, but it doesn’t mean its not a goal I don’t still have. It’s a goal I will continue to pursue into 2011.

• Get Fit — YES! Something I need to do. It’s not a New Year’s Resolution, though. It’s a life resolution.

• Lose Weight — I wouldn’t mind still shedding 10 lbs. But I’ll do it at my pace and more in the realm of getting fit more than with the need to lose weight.

• Manage Debt — This week. The last week of 2010. I already did this one. I’ll only mention this ONCE here: I officially filed for bankruptcy. I was just in too deep with no way to claw my way out. Short of winning the lottery, I was already only weeks away from one creditor filing suit against me. I’m not proud of it, but it was what I had to do. It doesn’t make me a bad person or a slacker. It makes me someone taking matters into my own hands and moving forward with a clean slate in the new year.

• Manage Stress — See that last bullet? That already made this one happen as well. Now its just a matter of keeping myself striving forward in a positive direction. Reminding myself to keep my eye on my goals, but live in the moment.

• Quit Smoking Now — The only smoking I do is second hand smoke in the bars. Guess if I were to follow the less alcohol point, I’d lower this one, too. HA!

• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle — The house we are moving into next week is in an area that offers curbside recycling. This WILL happen anyway!

• Save Money — Yes. We’re making huge strides to be able to do that. We have a few friends and family to pay back (who have helped us through this year), and as soon as that happens… the little bit of money that I was still throwing at credit cards will now be thrown into savings. Time to get smart about my money.

• Take a Trip — We missed Oregon this year. I want to make a trip to Oregon to see my husband’s family happen this year. Which will be facilitated by the whole save money thing.

• Volunteer to Help Others — I’ve wanted to work with MDA for the last several years. Perhaps this year will be the year I actually make that happen.

Resolutions aren’t bad things to have. I prefer to call them goals, and they can be made at any time in the year. January 1st is just a pretty date to use as a starting point. If it works for other’s, great. But for me, its more just a chance to check in on my life goals and see how far I’ve come… or how far behind I may be.

How are your goals going??

Now, I’ve heard it 1000x before. “You don’t need to lose any weight!” Yeah, and you people have never seen me naked. Thankfully.

I’ve actually  been content with where I’ve been the last year. Not an ideal weight, but not too bad either. Lately, though, I know what to blame for a recent spring in my weight: Beer.

Its that time of year, though, in which football just seems to scream, “Have a beer… or four!” So I listen to the scream. And suddenly, my jeans start to feel weird. I find myself looking for looser tops to hide a muffin top. I look in the mirror and see a weird texture to my tummy.

I have no interest in going back to the weight I was in high school. I’m not even worried with going back to my weight when I got married. I’d just like to bring it back to somewhere that I don’t worry so much about how my clothes fit. 10 pounds sounds just about right.

So, time to get my lazy butt up off the couch and back up on the treadmill. Time to cut back on the beer intake. And I really shouldn’t make cookies — which I did last month a couple times. I’ll cheat for my birthday, but otherwise I’m going to keep a much closer watch on what I eat. Am I eating because I’m hungry or because it just seems like the thing to do?

I’m not calling it as “going on a diet.” I’m calling it, “Get my eating back in focus.” I’ve re-set up on the site I used to lose 10 pounds a couple years ago. Current weight. Goal weight. Food and exercise log.

I can do this! It’s just going to take some discipline! I have my cousin’s wedding next year as something to focus on for an extra incentive, but just watching myself in the mirror and how my jeans fit should be incentive enough.

So here we go! Current weight: 155. Goal weight: 145. Totally do-able. Totally.

One thing that’s really risen me up is feeling success is within my reach with my writing dreams. I can see it IS possible. I CAN do this.

For the last few months, I’ve been throwing myself into learning more in-depth about my trade(s). Checking out books from the library. Purchasing books. Reading blog after blog after blog. Reading online magazines. Talking to people who are already doing what I want to do.

If I were to ever allow myself regrets in life, one would definitely be putting my dreams and goals of writing for a living on the back burner for the last few years. I’ve coasted along too long, and today I look around me and realize how much further I could be in my career if I’d only gotten more serious a lot sooner.

I can’t, however, beat myself up for long.  Instead, I am throwing myself into my trade with a sheer determination that I’m not sure I’ve quite had since I wanted to make sure I got accepted into Texas A&M University.

I didn’t have a contingency plan then, and I really don’t have much of a contingency plan today.  I got in then. I’m going to succeed today.

Back then, I did my homework. Today, I am doing my homework.

It’s slowly starting to pay off! I’m SO honored to now be a part of the Blogher Publishing Network as well as writing for Blissfully Domestic. I’m an active contributor to Road Widows, and  I have a separate review blog as a work in progress that I hope to go live with in the next week. I have a secondary “business” in the planning stages, and I’ve signed up with a couple affiliate networks. I’m soon going to be going after clients, submitting guest blog posts, and looking for every possible way to further myself.

This is a no-holds-barred fight to see my goals and dreams come true.

I am open to advice. (Except the kind that goes something like, “Don’t do it!” Too late, I’m past the point of no return.) I’m going to continue “stalking” a lot of other bloggers and authors for every kernel of advice and information they are willing to drop along the way.

It’s a twisty road I find myself running along full speed. In places it been well trodden and smooth. In others, its going to be a jungle. I know this… I’m prepared for it. I can do it.

Love, Luck, Living

The phrase “to thine own self be true” has grown to have more and more meaning for me lately. I am quickly learning not to apologize for following my own heart and doing what is best for ME.

Believe it or not, I think this is a fairly hard concept for people to grasp. I’ve said for years that we live in an “all about me” world; one filled with everyone wanting someone else to take the blame for mistakes or everyone wanting to take credit for successes. (I even blame this mentality for the fact that no one uses turn signals anymore!)

However, when it comes to our personal lives and pursuing our heart’s desires, I think so many fall down. We accept that we’re going to fail at our dreams, so why try? Or, almost worse, someone else thinks we should do something else, so to make that person happy, we follow their dreams for us. In other words, we live to make someone else happy. Be it a boss, or a parent, or a friend, or a sibling. Perhaps its a craving for approval that sends so many down this path of unhappiness for self.

I’ve been following the recent upheaval in the college conferences for the last week. Being an Aggie, my concerns are completely focused on what Texas A&M will do when all the dust settles. I am finding that it comes down to one of two things: does A&M go with Texas wherever they go to keep that rivalry alive, or does A&M do its own thing.

Now, I am the biggest fan of traditions. I always believe that we should honor our past, because it has gotten us where we are today. Traditions add an element of stability in an otherwise tumultuous world. Texas A&M thrives on traditions. Our biggest one is probably the rivalry with Texas. Our War Hymn focuses on it. Growing up in Texas, you were either a Longhorn or an Aggie. End of sentence. Those other schools, the ones you might go to when you graduate high school, really didn’t matter. You were still either an Aggie or a Longhorn.

So why is it I sit here today thinking… I would really love to see A&M take its own stance. For the last few days I’ve said, “I’d love to see A&M go to the SEC, but I want the rivalry with Texas to remain alive more.” And I do want that rivalry to continue forward! But as I read the reviews of the changes. As I look at all the cards on the table. My gut screams for A&M to take its own stance. Go the SEC. Take a chance at being greater than, “Texas’ little sister in College Station.” We’ve always held ourselves to a higher standard, and we’ve always claimed to be our own man. Now is our chance to show that to the world.

Perhaps I feel it that strongly, because I find myself at this crossroads myself. And I’ve already chosen the path less traveled.

It’s not a secret. I’ve said it before in here. I’ve said it to friends and family. My husband and I have been financially strapped for awhile now. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at job sites, or how many times I’ve lain awake at night thinking I should just go find the first job offered to me. That thought always gives me a sad pause, because I know my dreams. I know my goals. And I know giving in to the path of least resistance is not the way to make those dreams happen. Choosing the quick fix doesn’t take care of my family down the road, nor does it make me truly happy.

Things are looking up

So, I have opted to run forward with my dreams full speed, and as a result I find those dreams running ahead of me. I’m just trying to keep up!

Anyone who has been on my blog on the last couple of days may have noticed a few glitches. Its because I’ve moved my blog to its own domain name (http://www.musicianswidow.com) and, as a friend said, “You’re a brand now!” I guess I am! I’m super excited about all the possibilities that lay ahead of me within all of this.  I’ve also found my confidence in my design work, and its no longer a case of me admitting what I can’t do. Its a case of me saying, “I can figure that out. Lets do it!”

The other night, I was writing an email out to a friend. A “what are you up to?” kind of thing. And as I talked about my dreams and goals, they no longer felt so far away. They felt like they were right here with me. I’m ON that path! I felt an excitement and joy professionally that I’ve not felt in far too long.

I’ve run into people lately that I’ve had the distinct impression weren’t happy with my choice to strike out on my own. I didn’t fit the mold they had imagined for me. Or perhaps I’m just realizing how very pessimistic some people can be. Either way, I walked away from my interactions with these people holding on to an even more determined stance.

I refuse to apologize to anyone for striking out on my own. I refuse to fit someone else’s mold.

I am the best possible me. And at the end of the day, that’s all I can and want to be.