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One Little Word 2012

One Little Word 2012 by Ali Edwards at Big Picture Classes

I signed up for the class and already got my pre-class assignment done today. Ali is using an 8.5x11 album. I'm going to make mine digital, probably 8x10.

One Little Word 2012 - Album Cover

My word is balance. Both mentally and even physically. I'm going to focus on all the parts of my life and how they fit together. How the tasks and actions in my day affect the people I care about, and vice versa. How I can work hard and still enjoy time with my family and time to be creative. No superwoman complex. Just balance.

I think, for me, that is going to start with simplicity and order. Calm leads to order which leads to balance. For me. Maybe not you. Maybe no one else but me. But that's what I crave when life starts to get out of control. Calm. Order. Balance. I'm not sure how I'm going to get there yet, but I'm going to start the journey. Maybe you should join me with your own One Little Word for 2012. What would yours be?

Make Something Every Day…. um…. maybe?

So, I bought this book, A Daily Creativity Journal: 365 - Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life by Noah Scalin. It was sort of bought on a whim. I was looking for some sort of journaling exercises, creativity prompts, something, anything, to help me get my juices flowing for the new year.

The author made a commitment to create a skull a day and ended up on the Martha Stewart show, with a book deal, and giving lectures. I really don't expect any of that to happen to me. In fact, that's hysterical. The author also said he gained a "toolbox full of new skills and creative ideas". I like that. I read the beginnings of the book, shaking my head the entire time, thinking there is just no way I can make this happen. But I keep wondering. The first thing I am supposed to do is choose a subject or medium. Something I would enjoy, and be willing, to explore for an entire year. I am realizing how difficult this could be, since the thought of doing anything for an entire year sounds rather daunting. I like change, I get bored, I can't even keep a hairstyle for longer than it takes to grow my hair a few inches.

So then I started wondering, at the encouragement of the author, if maybe I could commit to making something every week. And heck, let's just throw it all out the window and go for one thing a month. But that sounds lame. So I'm back to something every day. Or maybe week. Heck, I don't know.

The most important thing the author says, and all of the other artists who are interviewed throughout the book, is to not give up before you even try. Think of it as little steps, instead of thinking about it as a whole year.

So, I'm thinking about it as little steps. I cheated and read the prompts for the first week or so, and they seem manageable. We'll see if I crash and burn on January 1. Or 10. Or 27. And I just picked those numbers at random. They have no significant meaning whatsoever. In case you were wondering.

Wow. Where the heck have I been?

Well, actually, I know where I've been. I've been busy working! My real estate business is doing great and I've been busy creating my website, figuring out SEO (don't ask), setting up marketing campaigns, and just generally getting the job done. I feel good about the progress and am looking forward to an awesome 2012.

At the same time, I am missing my craft room pretty fiercely. Well, that's not exactly true. I'm feeling out of sorts and guilty for having a craft room that is not getting used. I am hoping to resolve those issues in the next few weeks, and start 2012 with no guilt, and lots of patience. I think I am going to sign up for Ali's One Little Word 2012 class, as well as a couple of others, and really start my year with a new attitude.

I have a weekend crop to attend in January that will help me get my year off right. Good times with good women. I like that.

So on that note, I'll try not to be a stranger. I don't know if anyone is even reading this and that's okay. It's mostly for my own use anyway. So there. No guilt or pressure. Feeling better already!

Road Trip 2011. Part 4.

A bit of driving and then O.M.G. as my daughter would say. And did. Yellowstone and Grand Teton in only one day? Are you serious? We've already planned a real visit but we were so glad to drive through and get a glimpse of these amazing parks.

Moose and elk and bears, oh my! And don't forget the boiling water!

Oh this trip just keeps getting better and better.

Road Trip 2011. Part 3.

This portion of the trip only requires one word. Bailey.

Okay, maybe a few more words. This is the famous Bippy and Bappy. You haven't heard of them? Seriously? They've been a really big deal since 2002, when they met at daycare and seemed to carry on full conversations of babble at the age of two. They knocked other kids out of chairs to sit next to each other. Bappy refused to be moved to another classroom at the daycare without Isabella. And I mean refused. Just would. not. go. And here we are today, 9 years later, 2500 miles apart, and still a class act.

Well, classy, except for the cheesy space needle photos.

These friends are wonderful and the time between this visit and the last one was WAY too long. We've already planned the next joint vacation and are SO glad we hauled our rear ends to Seattle. We love you guys!

There was so much other GOOD stuff in this weekend, including a dinner with a whole gang of Scott's cousins. None of my photos of the evening turned out so I will have to grab the others off of FB. We got together with 13 of Scott's relatives, that he has not seen since he was about 10, including their children who weren't even born back then and are now grown. It was truly a great evening!