Goodbye 2010

Last year my word was acceptance.
(Ali Edwards has some great ideas about this.)

I put my list up in my studio, and I had kind of forgotten about it,

so I was surprised when I returned to it yesterday to find that

I had actually done some of them.

2010: Acceptance

1. Fill my house with pictures.

 I filled a book shelf with pictures. I still need to fill the empty frames on the wall.

2. Go on a one week family vacation.

A week in Big Bear this summer & time in the snow this winter.

3. Write letters to Compassion kids.

4. Concert in the park. Pirate Band in June, a Motown Band in July, and acoustic guitar group in August.

5. Art journal in a pretty place.

6. Take an art class online. Carla Sonheim's silly drawing class.

7. Camp.

8. Listen to live music. See # 4.

9. Send cards to people I love.

10. Make healthy lunches.

11. Take more home videos.I got a Flip and posted my first video on You Tube. Worth every penny.

12. Make breakfast at least once a week.

13. Go kayaking.

14. Get published. Here in May & here in December. Highlight of my year.

15. Make ice cream.

16. Live within our means. I went back to work full time in August to pay off some bills so we can make it with me part time next year & forever.

17. Go to church. We have found a home church. That doen't mean we always go, but now we have a church to go to when we go.

18. See a play outside.

19. Laugh hard.

20. Serve God with my family.

21. See a movie outside.

22. Go away with Darryl two times.

23. Lose 30 pounds forever. Ummm... got pregnant instead.

24. Celebrate birthdays well. I can't really figure out what this really means.

25. Get out of credit card debt. See # 16. We are half way there...

26. Get into a small group. This is nothing short of a miracle with our schedules. One of the best things that happened to our marriage this year. It is the hardest thing in the world to get there every single week, but so worth it. 

27. Eat dinner with people we love.

28. Move for 30 minutes every day.

29. Make my studio cute.

2010 was full of unexpected joys & challenges:

 

 

*In January I had my first art show at the Pannikin.

 

 

* In March my art dream came true. Honestly, I can't even think up something that I needed or wanted more. I won a scholarship to Artfest  in Port Townsend, near Seattle.  I met amazing people. I made art. I am determined to make (or find, or win, or borrow, or steal) enough money to go again. It is that important.

 

*Last spring we made the really tough decision for me to back to work full time for one year.
Honestly, it's really hard.  really. hard. I'm half way thorough now.We are paying off our
credit card so that I can go part time again when the baby is born. 

 

*This summer my husband and I took an intense marriage class called Dynamic Marriage.

To say it was good, or even great, is an understatement. It changed us, how we see & relate & care for & understand each other. It's for everyone: young, old, newly married, oldly married, strong marriages, marriages on the brink of disaster. Everyone benefits. I can't even explain it. I'm just thankful.

 

* In July Jack & I played to our hearts content & I discovered this life-changing salsa.

(Almost as life-changing as the marriage class. Seriously.)

I've made it about 73 times since.

 

*In August my baby turned two

I got my first big commission  for paintings from Sharp Hospital.

and I went back to work full time.
It was a busy month.

 

*In September we got our best news of the year:

We found out I'm pregnant.

We are thrilled.

 

*In December we went to the mountains and played in the snow.

I was reminded of why we need get away together.