It's been a long haul

This is the post I've hoping to write for the past year.:) Luke received a job offer from Charles Schwab today and will begin his new job a week from Monday. We are very excited and grateful to be able to move on with life. Luke's birthday is tomorrow, so this is probably the best birthday gift ever!:) Thanks for all the prayers and support over the past 15 months!

apparently football could be even more awesome:)

Thursday

I enjoyed today. I only worked a half day, in which I was quite productive (if I do say so myself). After that I kicked it at my studio for a bit. I did some drawing and then worked on a few paintings and ideas. This was followed by an eye appointment, which I have been excited for due to my deteriorating night vision. As I suspected my eyes had worsened and while this is unfortunate, I'm glad to finally have an updated prescription. Plus I got contacts and I've got some purple plastic frames coming my way in a couple weeks here. The day ended with a pleasant evening at Mom and Dad's for dinner and then some amazing desserts (courtesy of Alaina:).

a petty complaint

I wish cars would just miraculously not need gas during the winter. Pumping gas in the freezing cold is probably my least favorite pastime. And while I'm on the subject, I hate when you get the pumps that not only pump slow, but don't have the little lever so that you can prop the handle and not have to hold it the entire time. I also hate when I don't realize I need gas until I get off work at 9 p.m. Thankfully Luke had some warm mac 'n cheese waiting for me when I got home.:)

new studio space!

As I mentioned before, I recently switched studios within the Harrison Center. I'm very excited about my new space. It's cheaper and artsier and it's all mine.:) I still have quite a bit of organizing and hanging to do, but I already feel more inspired. Next open studio is the first Friday in March. You should be there!:)

better late than never

I'm not much of a new year's resolution person, but I have a few goals for the year and I figured maybe if I put them in writing, for all to see I might be more likely to stick to them.:)

1. Put together and stick to a workable budget.

We've already started working on this, but we need to finalize it and the real key is sticking to it. An aspect of this will be working towards getting as debt free as possible as quickly as possible, but also saving some money for future goals. Seems like every time we get close to working all this out, something is missing or something changes etc. Enough of that. This time we're doing it.

2. Menu plan.

Marge and I have started collaborating on this. We figured two heads were better than one and this way we could share ideas, recipes etc. We still have some kinks to work out, but we're both excited about it and feel that it will help our busy lives (not to mention our pocketbooks:). Working full time makes it an extreme challenge to feel like cooking or being creative, so I'm hoping that planning ahead and having groceries in the fridge will spur me on to success in this area. I know everyone does menu planning differently, but our idea is to have 5 or 6 different week menus (complete with recipes, side dish options and a shopping list) that we can cycle through either at random or in order. This way we can plan meals in the same week that might use some of the same vegetables or other similar ingredients that would need used up. Each week will have 5 planned meals, which leaves room for leftovers or spontaneous ideas (or restaurant visits:). If we get bored with the weeks, we can make up some new ones!:)The accomplishment of this goal should go hand in hand with goal number 1.

3.Complete Jillian Michael's 30 day shred in 40 days or less.

Yes, I said 40 days. Unless you are an exercise maniac who loves this stuff, it would be hard to complete this in 30 days. It's quite challenging, not to mention exhausting, and I value a day of complete rest here and there.:) Even though it is an extremely intense workout, I like it because it only takes 30 minutes a day and after working on my feet for hours on end, that's about all I can handle.:) So my plan is to buckle down and complete it, just not in the 30 day time slot. After accomplishing this, i hope to do it a few times a week for maintenance purposes.:)

4.Get to my studio more frequently.

I've had a painting studio at the Harrison Center for a few years now and I love having that available. I have 24 hr. access to my studio, which is great especially since I feel more creative at night. However, I never feel like I'm getting there enough. Between my work schedule and trying to maintain things around the home, I often feel too worn out or don't have enough time to get there as often as I'd like. I've held onto the space as a way of holding on to my dream of being able to pursue art more fully in the future, and I'm very glad that I have even though it's been an added expense. I recently switched studios within the building and I love my new space. It's half the cost of what I was paying, I'm no longer sharing the space (although I loved my former studio mate), and it has a much more creative atmosphere to it. (I'll post pictures of it soon!) I've been feeling much more of an urge to be there, especially since I know I'll be able to work alone and in my own way. So hopefully this goal will accomplish itself with my excitement over my new studio.:)

5.Read more.

Stephanie is always putting me to shame in this category.:) My list of books to read is endless, which is not helped by the fact that lately I've been a very slow reader. I especially would like to read some more classics as well as art related books. I've started reading more before bed at night, so maybe that will help me plow through them. I won't set any particular goals in this area (pretty sure those don't work for me), I'll just try to read more frequently. It's good for the mind.:)

6.Start a movie review blog.

I've already mentioned the possibility of doing this and I would really like to get this going sometime this year. We watch a lot of movies and it would be cool to share some of those with others. I love watching, thinking about and discussing film, so a film blog could be a fun extension of that. No promises as to when this will happen, but hopefully before too long.:)

7.Grow in my walk with God.

This is always a goal for me at the outset of each new year. Some years are definitely more successful than others, but I know that God rewards faithfulness and my meager efforts. I know that focusing on this goal will also help and encourage me to accomplish the goals that I have previously mentioned.

Beta

Our little beta fish that was part of a centerpiece at Elliot and Ashley's wedding bit the dust today. He lived for about a year and a half, which is longer than I ever expected.:) He survived much harassment from Clio and lived to tell about it. R.I.P Escher!