C'est Moi Trois

• That I continue to get to work in the church. I feel like such an abysmal failure in so many areas, but the feedback that I continue to get from the congregation and the pastor is very supportive and encouraging. They seem to think I'm doing a great job. You mean I can't buck a 30 year trend all by myself? You mean I can't snap my fingers, and it all be done?
• Being on the top of the world just over the boarder from Montana in Wyoming. It was like descending into fairy land. Okay, and seeing my family in Minnesota, the reason for the trip. ;)
• I started a new outreach ministry partnering with local community agencies. It's gotten a lot of new people involved.

• I really don't have much that I can legitimately complain about. Lack of instant success in my professional goals really doesn't qualify. I really haven't tried to do anything else. I didn't lose anything. No major health issues. No one in my family died this year, which is really the first in a while.

• The Olympics. I loved seeing the world come together to watch this spectacle. I hadn't really watched in several cycles, but I was transported this year.
• Craig Ferguson's still on the air? No strike that. He's really been pissing me off lately. lol

• The U.S. presidential election. I'll save the explanation for later.
• Because it's fairly fresh in my mind, I would have to say the school shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school. More later.
• Hurricane Sandy -- Because of where it hit and the significance of the damage, it is something that could affect the whole world like no other hurricane before it.

• Red fuzzy Santa socks. When I wear them with my slippers, I feel like my feet are getting a massage. Micro-fiber is really an incredible thing.

• Flameless candles for my mom that have an automatic timer.

• Nothing major. I didn't do enough to regret anything.

• That I couldn't spend longer in Yellowstone
• That I haven't made more friends outside of the church
• That I don't have a meaningful life outside of the church

1. See a medical health professional some time this year.
Nope. Well, I did get a flu shot, and it was administered by a medical health professional, but I don't think that counts.

2. Spend less time on the computer.
Yes, but I did that by watching more tv. More mental balance while maintaining my sedentary lifestyle. So it's a technical yes, but not good. It's like moving a checkers piece between two squares perpetually without getting anywhere. I think that I'll need to chart a new course for this next year.
    
3. I'd like to average about 3 blog posts per week.
I almost did this through June. After that, I couldn't bear to be on the computer long enough to produce the quality that I wanted. Then, I realized that I was creating content for content's sake, and that's never been what this blog has been about. I know that there's a fine line. You have to post frequently enough to keep regular readers engaged while having content interesting enough to make them want to come back. But, I wasn't keeping myself interested. I wanted to change where I had more of a space to give my honest opinion about what was going on in the world (be it light hearted or more serious) without my primary concern being whether everyone would like me or find me witty. I haven't talked about nearly as many things as I wanted to, but at least now, I feel free to do so. 

4. To get involved in some activity that's not church related.
Nope. I've come close. Now, I'm in a "club" that is tangentially related, not directly. But, this is still an area that I have to work on.

5. I still want to get closer in my relationship with God.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but I continue to make the effort. 

1.  I still need to see a medical health professional. I actually have a referral from a friend for a dentist. Now, I just have to verify that they're in-network with my insurance and make the appointment.
   
2. Be disciplined about my savings plan. I have something slightly more complicated for my own use, but this will do for here.
   
3. Make up a new term for "bucket list," something less crass and crude, not based on the euphemism, "kick the bucket." Something that evokes the fun, excitement, and adventure associated with the kinds of things that should be on that kind of list. I mean, buckets are a lot of things, but they're not fun. lol
   
4. Find a non-church activity in town to get involved with, like a ballroom or swing dance club or something. It cannot involve sitting in front of a computer or a tv.
   
5. Make action plans for my goals, so I have a plan on how to get there instead of just wishing that it'll happen. ;)

• The idea of a nuclear Iran and how Israel and the rest of the world should respond.
• The next phase of the Arab Spring.
• Vladimir Putin determined to ensure that there is no Russian Spring, and Russia reasserting itself on the world stage.
• China feeling very much the same and yet being very much its own country.
• How all of the above is influencing what's going on in Syria.
• What's going on in the European Union, and what will happen if it is not able to survive.
• And the list goes on...

I had a few "bests" this year: a) Getting my Masters; b) Getting a job in "my field;" c) Being reunited with my stuff. It's not that I'm the most materialist person in the world (nor am I the least), but there's something to be said about sleeping in your own bed (or lying on your own couch). There's comfort level there that you can't get elsewhere, no matter how nice the surroundings are.

Moving away from West Texas without any reasonable expectation of return. I realize that no one can tell what the future will bring. If someone would have told me this time last year that I'd be living in Idaho, I would have told them that they were crazy. It's just that I think it was the first time that I wasn't more  than ready to leave one place for the next. The only possible exception to that was when we moved from Germany. I really loved it there too. And it's not that I don't love Idaho and love where I'm working. I do love it, but still miss West Texas.

Arab Spring. It's self-determination. It's the French Revolution of the Muslim world. Hopefully, it won't turn as radical as the French Revolution. But the fact that it is organic and not impossed is a wonderful thing.

The stupid political games in Washington. (And the 24 hour news cycle.) Do they have to make everything a crisis every time? They're idiots. At the moment, I'm not sure of whom I have a lower opinion, Republicans or Democrats. Last year, the lame-duck Democrats where winning in spades (in the low opinion poll), but this year it's pretty much neck and neck.

The gift of peace and tranquility on Christmas Day. I had, what I consider, the best of both worlds. I had many invitations to Christmas festivities, so I felt wanted and appreciated. However, after all of the craziness of the last couple of weeks, I just wanted to go home and put my feet up. I did, and it was wonderful.

I'm an introverted person. That doesn't mean that I don't like people or that I'm shy. What it means is that being with a lot of people for long periods of time drains my energy, and I need recovery time, alone. I think that it was one of my happiest Christmases in recent memory. (Though the one the year before last at my mother's was pretty darn good.)

My step-father, Butch, is the winner in this category for the second year in a row. He's a retired mechanic (auto and aviation), and he loves NASCAR. There are some gloves that the pit-crews always wear, and he loves them. He also uses them all the time, so he always needs new ones. Well, I think that because I'm in Idaho, I was able to get some heavier weight ones that 1) will be more durable and 2) will be warmer during the winter. Even though it might not get as cold in Tennessee as it does in Idaho, it gets cold enough. They were a real surprise, and he was very pleased.

Not really. As always, not everything went exactly "as planned," but I can't think of a thing that I would have done differently under the same circumstances.

I wish that I could have seen more of the surrounding area around Washington D.C. before I had to leave. I wish that I could have made it up to NJ & NYC, but it really was a question of the limitations of time and space. I did come to be rather fond of Bethesda.

1. Definitely need to be bold and proactive about pursing employment, both while in school and after. 
I really tried to do this. Perhaps, I could have started looking a littler earlier, but I had to finish my thesis. I certainly didn't put it off until the last minute. Even though I was on the cusp of giving the job hunting a rest for a while, it was the last resume that I submitted that turned out to be the one.

2. Developing the closer relationship with God.
This is always a work in progress. As strange as it sounds, I both feel closer to God, and yet it seems like the same distance. What it doesn't feel is intimately close, like a best friend. I've been there before, and I want to get there again.

 3. Don’t procrastinate.  Figure out the difference between being efficient with my work and procrastinating. I learned with some pretty intense assignments that I can do good work when I give myself adequate time.  It doesn’t look like I’m going to be overloaded with work (except possibly towards the end of the semester).  If I’m smart about it, I should be able to do good work and avoid crisis.

It worked out pretty well, as far as the school load is concerned. That was until I realized that I had to turn in all my papers and take all my finals a week early. (And professors were adjusting the schedules.) However, having that final week to relax and my mom and step-dad to some special places around D.C. before graduation was nice.
 
I, also, think that I've improved with this over-all, but I admit that I'm still a down to the wire type girl. There's that fine line between pacing oneself and poor time management. I'm still working that out. ;)

1. See a medical health professional some time this year. Let's just say that I haven't been to see anyone, besides the pharmacy dept at Wallgreens to have a flu shot, in some years. Maybe it's time.
   
2. Spend less time on the computer. oooOOOooo ... this might be a tough one. But I've already stopped doing some online stuff, and that's helped. It'll give me more time to do things in the real world (and get to bed a little earlier). The problem is that it's part of my routine (and my desk chair is very comfortable). What I don't mean is that I'll stop blogging. This is an important creative and social outlet for me.
    
3. Speaking of blogging. I'd like to average about 3 posts per week. There's still no "obligation." (See the badge in my sidebar.) However, I like there to be something regular. I don't feel the need to do it daily, but one thing that the NaBloPoMo taught me was that it doesn't have to be that hard.
   
4. To get involved in some activity that's not church related. I have loved being immersed in everything at the church. I love the people. I love the things that we do, but I can't make "real" friendships there. I can't talk to them about my worries and concerns. I certainly can't talk about anyone who might be annoying me. I'm supposed to be there for them, but the way things stand now, I really don't have any friends. I need to expand my horizons.
   
5. I still want to get closer in my relationship with God. Yes, this one's still on the vague side. It's also impossible to perfect, but it's a part of life's journey. I have a plan that's more specific, but that's gonna be my little secret. ;)

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