Lots of Happenings!

It's only been two weeks since my last post but what a time it has been! We've said goodbye to another school year, I watched my nieces graduate from elementary school and attended the graduation of another group of high school students that I have followed their entire four years.

The chocolate wonder wiped me out on a wet, slippery boat ramp a week and a half ago. She found a bigger stick and came running at me from behind....BOOM in the water I went, goodbye iPhone 6 that was only a year old, hello scraped knee/elbow and a pretty badly sprained ankle.  I had to hobble over to the ferry dock and borrow a cell phone from the ferry captain to call home. Rather than stay home with my foot up I went into the city to reactivate my crappy iPhone 5, buy Harlow a new crate liner and a new bed.

Sunday was interesting as I had the trolley wine tour previously booked with my mom. It was a very hot and sticky day which didn't help the fresh ankle sprain but I managed to hobble around and enjoy our tour. Two wineries, a distillery, tastings at each, lunch and appetizers made for a fun full day. Purchased a bottle of wine and coffee flavoured whiskey that is to die for...I am not a whiskey drinker but boy is it wonderful.

I did it, I booked my bucket list trip! A seven day self drive tour of Ireland has been booked complete with deposit and some Euros already purchased :) Will apply for my passport and start checking out flights in the fall.  My goal is to purchase some Euros every month so I have a nice little chunk saved up. Really looking forward to throwing my camera in the car and just wandering out on my own. Seems so far away but I know it will be here before I know it. Another bonus is the breeder is going to take Harlow for me free of charge while I am gone.

Photo by Will Pantaleo | Unsplash

Summer vacation is delayed by three weeks for me this year as I applied for a summer learning camp through my school board.  Quite a jump as I went from working with teenagers all day to kindergarten to grade two's. Day 2 and I am enjoying the change although see me definitely sticking with my teens.

Continuing the journey

“Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”

—Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950)

This quote speaks to me, it is where I am right now. I have chosen to be happy and no longer dwell on the past. It has taken me a long time to get here even though I have made the attempts many times before.  On the plus side is I continued to try, chose not to give up and I believe I am finally there. I've stopped comparing and wishing but looked around me and became content with where I am and grateful for what life has given me.  

We always want more and I am guilty of that same as many others but I think in that wanting more we forget to stop, look and appreciate what we have.  Not just in material goods but the world around us as a whole, our little place in the world. I have started to look at what I have accomplished, not focusing on where I have failed. Not to discount the failures as we learn from those but to stop dwelling on them to the point where you stop doing things because you are scared to fail.  This all makes sense in my head and is actually coming clearer. 

It has taken me a long time to get here but I'm glad I have arrived and plan on continuing the journey to me. I think I was kind of forced into this revelation about myself and the need to find happy. The boy moving away to college left me with just me to care for and I realized I had been neglecting me all this time. When forced to deal with yourself you realize a lot of things and some of it is not pretty.  I will never forget this title of a workbook that I used to use with elementary school students and I think it is a good title for all of us on the journey to self-discovery "The Me I'm Learning To Be"--it fits doesn't it? 

Of course now on to my little bundle of chocolate, Miss Harlow. She continues to be a wonderful, crazy addition to my household. Graduation from her first puppy school course has taken place (even got a certificate), the last of her puppy shots have been given as has her rabies, plus flea and tick control started. Harlow weighed in at 33 lbs on our last visit and the vet referred to her as perfect <3. We continue to walk daily, most of them twice with our afternoon one the longest. She continues to bring so much to my life and I simply adore her.  The breeder has redone their website and Harlow is featured on the front page as well as having her picture posted for the Guardian program, proud puppy mum here :)

As always I must end with posting a few pictures of my little gem.

The Graduate

Just being her

Almost the End of the Year

Today is the 30th of December, tomorrow is the end of 2013 and I am in a bit of a reflective mood.  As I look back on the past 12 months I wonder, 'did I move forward?', 'have I made any changes?', 'am I in a better place?' and to be honest I must answer, 'yes' and 'no'.  I think I have made some movement but as is me I have also taken steps back.

There is always improvement and I am definitely a work in progress, but progress seems to be where I am stuck.  I want to make better choices and improve on myself but I lack the knowledge in how to do it. Stuck in a rut and while not happy with doing nothing it is safer and protected.  Yes my life is passing me by and I know I will look back with regret on what I didn't do, accomplish or try.

I have never tried the 'one little word' but this year I am going to give it a whirl.  My goal is choose a word and do my utmost best to make that word a part of my life.  Maybe if I write it all down here then I will feel that sense of accomplishment (and follow through) that I so desperately want to feel.  So my word of the year is 'self'.  This word can be encompassed in so many aspects of daily life; self-worth, self-esteem, self-regulation, self-talk (positive of course), self-reliance, inner-self, self-improvement and more that just escape me at the moment. There we have it, my word and my goal of creating a journal based on 'self' and let's see where this journey takes me.........

While I am talking about end of the year, here are the last 4 art journal/mixed media pages I have created.  These pages use digital products from the following designers; Captivated Visions, ViVa Artistry, Tangie Baxter, Jopke Designs, Heather T and Bren Boone. Some products used in the fourth page (cat) are retired while the other three use current product.

Looking forward to creating more pages in 2014 and trying new techniques.