Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Currently - Nov 2014

I am currently:


Obsessing over,
Working on, 
Thinking about, 
Anticipating, 
Listening to,
Eating,
Praying for,
Reading,
Happy about.  

1. I am currently obsessing over:
  • My right heel. Haha. Pretty sure I've got a bone spur on it. Man. 
  • I am currently obsessing over NOT obsessing about Christmas. 
  • My retirement. I recently celebrated my two year anniversary at Focus, meaning I now qualify for their RRSP program. Using a handy calculating tool, I was able to see how much money I should set aside each month in order to retire with the lifestyle in which I've grown accustomed. Good gracious. I need to set aside 80% of my income. So. Lower my expectations. Or work until I go to heaven. Or probably both.

2. I am currently working on:
  • Getting walking back into my life again. (Which admittedly, will be difficult, what with the bone spur on my heel.) 
  • Learning how to use all my remotes. 
  • Sticking up for myself now and then.
  • Writing out Christmas cards. 
  • Reviewing the last chapter of that book on book on Apologetics. It's very good, by the way. 

3. I am thinking about:
  • This season. And how hard it is for some. I'm embarrassed by my whining. There are others with broken hearts, broken lives. I'm thinking I need to shut up already. 
  • Dating. And recent conversations I've had with friends who are meeting men on Match and POF. And no part of their experiences sound like fun. Even though they are enjoying themselves, the whole thing just sounds scary awful to me. But they're both extroverts, so maybe that's a key element to the whole online dating process.
  • I am thinking about Sunday afternoon. First day of Advent. And how the kids were over. (To bake and cook. It's our new tradition. TWO YEARS IN A ROW, DOES SO MAKE IT A TRADITION.) And I am thinking about my highlights from the afternoon: 
  • a. There were two girls here. Smelling lovely and adding a touch of pretty to the proceedings. 
  • b. Drew, unexpectedly, and for no reason, as far as I could tell, gave me a hug. A long one. He hadn't just arrived. He wasn't on his way out. It was just a spontaneous hug. In the middle of kitchen. In the middle of the day. 
  • c. Clint. while rolling out dough, looked up said, "Mom? You got some great shots at the wedding. Really good."
  • d. As we were dividing up the soups and baked things at the end of the day, Max took his big tray of baking, removed a few items for himself, and said he'd be sharing his tray with folks who turned up to that evening's NA meeting.

4. I am anticipating:
  • December. I'm anticipating December. And all that this month brings. Dinners. Movies. And shopping. And probably more shopping. And Christmas carols. And seeing my kids. And no travelling to warm destinations. 
  • I am anticipating 2015. NEW LISTS. NEW PLANS. NEW EVERYTHING.
  • I am anticipating watching OUTLANDER in April. On the TV in my basement den. 
  • And other than that? I am anticipating nothing.

5. I am listening to:
  • Additions to my playlist this month include selections by Martin Smith. 
  • And Christmas Carols by Pentatonix

6. I am eating:
  • Nothing right now. BUT earlier? Christmas baking. Eis Gipel by the OBros. And shortbread too. PLUS, we made HUGE batches of two different types of soups. Everyone took home icecream buckets of soup. Because it's almost winter. And nothing says I love you like soup on a cold day. 

7. I am praying for:
  • Martin Smith's UK concerts this month.
  • Upcoming Christmas services and the folks who are leading them.
  • The folks who are turning to drugs and alcohol to help them get through their days. And their families. 
  • My kids. Their friends.
  • My friends. Their kids.
  • The entertainment industry; specifically a few actors, directors, producers, musicians, writers...
  • My Compassion kids.
  • My retirement. Haha. 
  • My kids. 
  • Folks I love who need meaningful work.
  • NA and AA meetings around the world. 
  • My dad and mom.
  • My kids.

8. I am reading:


  • Gathering Blue for the next book club meeting.


  • Plus, in November, I finished: The Funny Thing Is by Ellen Degeneres, The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman, The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen, David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell, Road Ends by Mary Lawson, The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.

9. I am remembering:
  • A very good month. Even though it did start out rough with that tooth extraction 'n all... But Disneyland! Palm Springs! Wedding! Concerts! (Oy. What the heck? Four exclamation marks?)
  • I am remembering last year at this time: First Sunday of Advent - All the kids were over and we baked. And it was a good nite.

First Advent: 2013


















Grey Cup Sunday, 2006. Max, sharing his story. 
































































10. I am happy about:
  • My mouth has healed. It doesn't look like this anymore:


  • This unexpected gift from a friend. It's a cream. That smells like CHOCOLATE. And I'm using on my hands at work. AND I LOVE IT.





  • And I'm happy about my ongoing photo year book project. I thought I'd lost it, but phew. Nope. Picaboo just has a weird saving system. I've formatted 22 page spreads for the months of Jan - April 2014. 


And that's it for November. 

Shalom friends. Peace to you -
xo

1 comment:

Tricia said...

Before I was allergic to fragrance, I had a body wash that smelled like chocolate, and another one that smelled like a margarita. They never tasted like they smelled though.