Priorities

I'm struggling with something, my loyal readers.  (So, if you couldn't tell already, this might be a serious post.)  Over the past week I've realized something.  I can't do it all.  I just can't.  I like to think that I'm Wonder Woman and that I can do everything I want to do and succeed at everything I try, but....there just isn't enough Nain to spread around.  (Ha, that kind of sounds wrong, doesn't it?)  Plus, I don't have the invisible plane and all....


I'm speaking more specifically with respect to my personal life.  One of the great things about 2010 was that I went back to my passions, the things I love to do.  This included writing, as well as music.  For those of you who aren't aware, I played the viola for about seven years in junior high and high school.  I kept my instrument but didn't play it for about ten years until just last year.  T persuaded me to take lessons through a local music store, and I started those around June of last year.  I do thoroughly enjoy them, but now, I'm wondering if I have enough time to dedicate to both my writing and my playing the viola. 


I haven't had lessons due to the holidays for about two weeks, and I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't picked up the instrument once to practice during that time.  I've ran into this problem more than a few times during the end of last year, and I would go to lessons having not practiced at all for that particuar week.  And for those of you who play instruments, you know that if you want to improve and actually get somewhere with your music - you have to practice, practice, practice.  Quite frankly, I'm not doing that, so I have to wonder, what do I want to get out of taking lessons? 


The same goes with respect to writing.  If you want to succeed at writing you have to read, write, read, write, and write some more.  The wedding distracted me from that, and then just plain laziness distracted me for the rest of last year.  And one of my resolutions is to finish my  book and really get back into my writing.  If I want to really pursue this, I need to put my whole heart and mind into it, and I really want to do just that. 


This past week, I realized how far behind I had fallen in my critiques for my critique group, so I was sitting there at 8:30 at night feverishly trying to get through one of them, when it hit me:  what about my writing?  When was I supposed to do this? Here I am, trying to do all of these things in my spare time, and suddenly there isn't enough spare time to finish everything or at least dedicate myself to all of them.  I was totally half-assing everything or in a less crude way, spreading myself too thin.


So this brings me to my current dilemma.  Something has to go.  It just has to, and I don't want to have to make that decision...but I don't think I have a choice about it.  In listing the activities I have and the things I truly want to accomplish, I'm afraid the viola has to be put on hold for now.  If I had to compare my writing and music, the difference between the two is I don't want to make a living as a musician.  I do want to really go somewhere with writing.    So what do I do? 


I just don't want to completely give it up.  I hope that even if I do put my lessons on hold for now, I can still play the music I do have when I have the time.  My only concern is that it will fall by the wayside along with the other hobbies I have had...I haven't made a decision yet, but I am seriously leaning in this direction.


So I post this question to all of you readers out there - how do you prioritize?  Is it something with which you struggle?  Have you had to let something go in order to focus on something else more? 



AND....for some lighter reading...check out my new post at Skirt!  http://skirt.com/viewfromnain/blog/confession-i-didnt-enjoy-wedding-planning

Send it in a letter...

Did you know that there is a National Letter Writing Week?  I sure didn't!  I was working out on the elliptical at our gym, reading my Real Simple magazine, and I came across a blurb for it.  After doing a little research, what do you know, it's true!  According to the National Mailing Systems Web site, this week is dedicated to writing the simple, old-fashioned letter.  Due to the prevalence of technology and less personal ways to stay in touch - email, twitter, text - the art of writing a simple handwritten letter has fallen by the wayside.  And that's sad.  Because, really, as much as I enjoy getting an email or a tweet, there is just something about going to your mailbox and seeing an envelope from a loved one written just to you!  That person has taken the time and effort out of their busy life to write you a thoughtful note!  And let's face it, with the normal crap we get in the mail, such as bills, notices, etc., getting a nice letter really can just brighten your day. 

I used to be good at this.  Back when I was a kid, I used to have pen pals all over the place.  I would also write my grandparents and my Aunt Linda religiously.  Sure, as a child, I had all the time in the world to do this, but I even kept it up throughout college, writing letters to my boyfriend at the time and long distance friends.  I even kept it up through law school and after the bar exam.  However, as soon as I hit the real world...that all kind of changed...

I hate to admit it but I have become very neglectful in keeping up my correspondence with my friends and family.  Writing an email is even a task now, and it shouldn't be that way.  There is so much going on with me now, and I know there are close and dear friends who should know everything that is going on with me but have absolutely no clue.  And why?  Because I haven't taken the time to really tell them what is new in my world.  Sure, my blog is a means to do this, but is it enough?  It's hardly personal.  And it takes an element of intimacy out of my friendships that I have treasured so much in the past. 

So, after seeing this blurb in my magazine, I made a decision.  Starting Sunday, January 9th through Sunday, January 16th, I am writing one letter a day, each day to a different person.  And I want to encourage all of my readers to do the same.  Snail mail should not be a dying art.  We should be able to communicate with new technology but also utilize the more personal methods of communicating at the same time. 


 

My one hope is that this week will spark a trend that I can keep going throughout the year.  So off I go...to write some letters!

 



I'm on Skirt!

Recently, upon interest from a fellow blogger, LEleana at A Writer's Den and her blogging at Skirt!, I decided to apply to be a featured blogger on their site, and I recently posted my very first blog on there.  I hope that you will go check it out today.  Skirt! is an awesome site that allows fellow female bloggers to network, to share our stories and to explore our creativity.  I'm super excited to be a part of it, and I'm even more pumped about today's blog post:  Oh, Wise Magic 8 Ball

Two posts in one day!  You guys are going to be sooo spoiled!

 



One of the "cool girls"

 I was never one of those popular types in junior high and high school.  I was a late bloomer, extremely quiet, and more than a bit on the nerdy side.  It's not that I got picked on per se, but I just didn't fit in with the "in" crowd.  (Hence, one of the reasons why I don't particularly have positive memories of those years and enjoyed college so much more...) 


I remember back in 8th grade, Bath & Body Works first came out, and it instantly became this fad at my junior high.  If you were cool, you wore this stuff.  You smelled awesome, and you got to carry around those cool bottles with lotion in your purse.  My family never could afford any of the big fads when I was in school - the Peace Frog t-shirts were big, Banana Republic t-shirts, Guess jeans, Jansport backpacks with patches all over them, converse sneakers.  I always wore the rip-off version of those because in my family, if you wanted something extra like that then you had to pay for it.  This is why I started working as soon as I could when I was 14, so I could have the extra spending money.   But even when I did have some spending money, I still couldn't afford some of these fads.  we lived in a pretty wealthy school district, you see....


Anyway, I digress...this story does, in fact, have a point.  I'm getting there....anyway, T and I went shopping the other day because my mother-in-law got me a $10 Bath & Body Works gift card.  Knowing that there are some awesome sales after Christmas, I wanted to spend it in celebration of the new job.  So we went there, and I scoured the store looking for the best sale, and I came across a sign for $3 per bottle.  They were mostly old scents, but I saw an old favorite of mine:

 

Image courtsey of Google Images 

I specifically remember that this was the scent (Country Apple) to wear back when the store first opened.  I loved the smell of it, but I never could buy it for myself.  Spending $8.50 on a bottle of lotion?  Out of the question in my parent's minds. (This went somewhere along the lines of spending $3.85 on a Bonne Bell Lipsmacker, too.)  I immediately grabbed the bottle and smelled it, taking in the scent.  "Oh this brings me back," I told T.  He looked at me like I had lost my mind, so I went into my whole "cool girls" story.

Then it dawned on me...hey, I can afford it now!  "Hey, I can be one of the cool girls!" I exclaimed to T in the middle of the store, several onlookers overhearing us, I'm sure.  I quickly scooped up my bottles and headed to the checkout. 

It's amazing what a little nostalgia can do to you, isn't it?  Now all I need to do is to get my Banana Republic t-shirt, wrap a flannel shirt around my waist and wear a matching scrunchie on my wrist (only on the wrist, NEVER in the hair), and I'll be back in 1995. 

What kinds of things bring you back?

 

New Year, New Changes!

Happy Tuesday! It's time for the first Small Treasure Tuesdays of 2011 with Chantel.  Hard to believe we're already at 2011, but well...there you are...

Anyway, so I always feel like when I write about small treasures when they are really, in fact, big treasures, but this one is too great to not talk about.  Last week I interviewed for a new position (I won't go into what exactly the position is because I do like to keep my work somewhat anonymous here on this blog), but it's not in child protective services and it allows me a lot more freedom and control over what I'm doing.  I was so excited about the job description when I saw the job posting, and I was even more excited when I got called in for an interview last week.  And just yesterday I found out that I got the job! 

The funny thing is that I have been driving myself crazy the past weekend convincing myself that I didn't get the job.  That's how I roll.  If I prepare myself for the worst, then I won't be surprised when what I want to happen doesn't happen.  I think the term is called pessimism.  You know, those people who say that the glass is half empty or half full?  Well, in my little world, there is no glass because it was half empty with beer, someone knocked it over in a drunken stupor, and now there are just glass shards.  Everywhere.  (See what I mean with the negative thinking?) 

But the negative thinking wasn't necessary this time around...because I got it!  I'm so excited because it is something I'm passionate about, and I really think this job will give me the opportunity to grow in my career.  Official start date is January 24th.  Thank you everyone on twitter and facebook (and here, too) for positive thoughts and prayers.  I truly appreciate them!

   



New Year, New Motivation Monday!

Welcome to Motivation Monday, the 2011 edition!  It's the new year, so you know what that means...new years resolutions!  Of course, I don't really like to call them resolutions. I don't know why, but I always feel like that term sets you up for failure.  I don't want to set these huge changes that I'm going to make for myself and then slip up on them a week into the new year and then just give up.   No, I want to set some goals for myself, things I'd like to really work towards in 2011 and hopefully be able to report back to all of you in December 2011 that I made a lot of progress on them.


So what goals do I have this year?  Well, the first of them is to continue with getting into better shape.  I've got a good start so far with working out with a personal trainer, and in May of this year, I will be walking in the Indianapolis Mini-marathon.  13.1 miles, baby!  I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about it, but I think I can do it.  T and I are joining a training program at a local running store here in our hometown, so hopefully having other people around to motivate me will help a great deal.  I am not going to set a certain goal of how much weight I'd like to lose in general, but really, I think I just want to feel healthier and look better.  That's one of my ultimate goals. 


The second goal - my book.  I made some great headway, thanks to my critique girls, but ever since the wedding, my writing has taken a backseat to other distractions in life.  I really want to keep up the progress I was making and hopefully see myself that much closer towards finishing my manuscript by the end of the year.  (First draft of it, of course...)  How do I plan on accomplishing this?  I think the important thing is to block out time every week dedicated solely to writing.  That, and I need to aim more towards outlining my story so that I can keep a good direction and work towards that. 


My third goal?  Projects.  And more projects.  If there is something I am notorious for, it is starting a project and not finishing it.  Seriously, it's sad.  Or I'll say "Man, I really need to get that done..." but then I never do.  Case in point:  my engagement scrapbook.  We were engaged in July 2009, and let's see...it's now 2011, and we've been married for over three months.  Hummm....I only have a few more pages left before I can start on our wedding book, and it is my goal to get that done.  And then get the wedding pictures ordered and finish that book/album so that I can get rid of the many boxes that are piled up in my den making me look like I have a huge hoarding problem.  Ideally, I'd like to not have to move those suckers into the new house in May.  Maybe set a goal a week or every two weeks to accomplish?  Baby steps might be the key to conquering these projects. 


Those are my big three ones.  Of course, I have some other big ones that I'd like to keep to myself, and in the event that a big change is made in those areas, I will definitely let you know...until then, I'll just keep you, my loyal readers, on the edge of your seats.


So what are your goals this year?  What's motivating you in 2011? 


So how do you participate in Motivation Monday?  For those of you who haven't done this yet (and I sure hope you do!), just write up a post this week stating what is motivating you this week or what you may need motivation with...it doesn't matter!  Link up that post to my blog, using the linky tool below, and if you should so desire, copy and paste the handy-dandy button located to the right of your computer screen.  I would love to see some new participants this year in Motivation Monday and really get this going!  After all, we can all use a little motivation in our lives! 

    



Saturday Steals for the New Year!

  

It's the first Saturday Steals of the new year, hosted by the lovely Camille at Archives of Our Lives!  Now, since it was Christmas, of course, I have plenty of holiday steals, but I thought about it and, with T's input, the one I would have to say was our best steal was the company bonus we got from T's work.  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it (Sorry, Camille!) but that's because we ate it.  See, every year, T's work gives them the option of getting a free fruit basket, a 12 lb turkey or 8 lb boneless ham for the holidays.  Since we have plenty of fruit around here, and well, you can buy fruit anytime, we chose the ham.  T's family was in town last week so we thought it would make a good meal with them to celebrate Christmas.  And man, was it delicious!  Of course, we have a ton of leftovers, but that just makes lunch all week, right?  Of course, I may just get a wee bit tired of ham, but...it's free, so who can pass that up?

Sorry for the lack of picture, but if you want to check out other steals, just by Camille's blog and say hi!  And happy 2011 everyone!


Oh and also, don't forget...first Motivation Monday of the year starts tomorrow!  Be ready with your Motivational posts!!!