Life Shifts

Wow, another year come and gone. Well, almost.

I always feel very reflective on New Year's Eve and today hasn't been much different. I can't really explain the feeling, though. I'm not sure if it's sadness (maybe for no particular reason) or uncertainty about the future. I think a little bit of both. But I have also been feeling very goal-oriented. And while I know this is the time of year to make resolutions, I'm calling them "life shifts" instead. Resolutions get broken and to make the changes that I need to make, several things in my life need to shift to new habits, practices, etc. I don't think the word "resolutions" has the importance of the lifestyle shifts and changes that I need to make.

Life shifts for 2010:

1. Health: Eating healthier and working out. Period. Those two are definitely shifts from the habits I have now.

2. Sleep: More, more, more. I'm a champ at going on 4-5 hours of sleep per night during the week. But over break I've been getting 8+ hours of sleep per night. I think my body was shocked at first but thankful.

3. Connections: With friends, with family, with Justin. That doesn't imply that I have problems with any of those relationships now, but connections can always grow stronger and it takes effort from both ends...which means that I could improve my end.

4. Spending: My goal is to be credit card free in 2010. This will be hard for me. I mean no spending on any credit cards...Visa, store credit cards...you name it. If it's not in my bank account (and trust me, that's usually pretty bare) then I'm not spending it. Wow, that's scary for me.

5. Saying no: Justin is laughing as he reads this right now. But he knows that I want to work on this. I need to say "no" more to some questions posed to me. Here's an example:

Important person: "Hey Jenn, can you attend a faculty meeting after school on Tuesday?"
Me: "Sure."

Important person: "Hey Jenn, can you head up twelve new projects even though you are already drowning in teaching, cheerleading, yearbook, and Relay for Life?"
Me: "NO!"

6. Jenn: Yes, myself. I know that all of these involve me, but this shift is a little different. My goal is to spend more time on myself which means not grading a paper or doing something for cheerleading or Relay or even doing a load of laundry. I mean sitting down from time to time and doing something that I truly enjoy from reading to crafts to writing to a few special projects that have been in the back of my head for awhile.

I'm sure there are more little goals here and there but they probably fit into one the previous shifts. I have an awesome feeling about the upcoming year. I think it will be great for me, great for us, and great for those around us. Here we go, 2010, I'm ready.

Stress-Free Sunday

A year or two ago I remember hearing about a study that said that Monday was not the most stressful day of the week (as thought, I guess), but Sunday was, in fact, the most stressful/depressing time of the week. Surprising to some, but it made sense to me. Usually at this time on a Sunday I am worried about the assignments I didn't grade over the weekend, if I have enough planned for three different 90-minute classes the next day, and how early I need to get up on Monday morning in order to beat the line at the copy machine. But this Sunday, today, has been stress-free. This is one perk I was looking forward to over winter break. Since I have no plans for tomorrow and definitely no classes to prepare for, my biggest contemplation at the moment is whether to clean out my closet or update my address book when I get up in the morning. Decisions, decisions...

On another note, we had a wonderful Christmas. While it was strange to not wake up and immediately unwrap presents, we had a relaxing Christmas morning before Jess and I (Justin was at work, of course) headed to New Castle to have dinner with my family. My dad and Lea came from Fort Wayne and came back to our apartment to spend the evening. Justin got home from work not too long after we got back from New Castle and we opened gifts together. We were all blessed with presents that we love. Among other gifts, I received several new books and a new Vera Bradley purse (which I love!) from my dad and Lea and a new Vera Bradley lunch bag from my sister. Justin spoiled me with several items, but my favorite from him has to be the watch he got me. If you know me, you know that I'm a fan of big watches that not only say "LOOK AT WHAT IS ON MY WRIST" but allow you to tell the time even if you are sitting ten yards away from me. And Justin took that knowledge (with some help from my sister) and got me a gorgeous new watch that is awesomely over-sized and simply perfect for me. Justin also received some great gifts including new games and accessories for the Wii, new clothes, a paper shredder (yes, he shares my love for office supplies) and some much-needed new socks for work which only allowed me to have the joy of Christmas all over again when I got to clean out his sock drawer this morning and throw away any sock that had the hint of a hole in it.

Now I'm enjoying a Sunday evening for once, watching the Colts try to pull off yet another win, waiting for my sick husband (of the bajillion colds I've had since we've been together, I think this is the third one he has ever had) to get home safely in this weather. Now if only I could make the agonizing decision to start a new book or read a magazine...

Traditions

It's funny how locations can change, the people around you can change, and you can change, but you always end up finding comfort in doing things you've always done. It's comforting to carry on traditions, especially at Christmas.

This year marks the second Christmas without my mom. In some ways it is more painful than the first. I think last year I was still numb from it all; still in shock that she wasn't coming back and also on a honeymoon, just-got-married high. But this year I feel it has settled in more. However, it's nice to find peace and comfort in traditions.

This Christmas will be the first Christmas that I don't wake up in a twin bed at my parent's house in Muncie. Instead, I'll wake up next to my husband (yep, didn't even wake up next to him last year...I believe he was freezing on the floor below me on an air mattress) with my sister a little further away in our guest room and my dad two hours away in Fort Wayne. So, yes, the location has changed, the people around me have changed, but we've still carried on traditions this year that have helped me accept these changes and embrace new holiday happenings.

Since Justin and I moved last year on the day after Thanksgiving, we barely put up a tree, so I was very excited to decorate the entire apartment for Christmas this year. With my dad selling our house in Muncie, I inherited several of our Christmas decorations so now our apartment feels a little bit like my house always felt like during this time of year. A few of our family Christmas decorations:

Our family Christmas tree with most of the ornaments that have always adorned it.

My stocking (on the left) and Justin's. My mom made my stocking when I was little and then made one for Justin when it became apparent he was going to be sticking around.

These stocking holders held my stocking and Jessica's for over twenty years. They now hold my stocking and Justin's.

My favorite Christmas decoration. I remember how I would have to wait for it to be my turn to move the mouse one day closer to Christmas. Now Justin let's me move it everyday and have all of the turns.

My maternal grandmother used to have two ornaments like this one on her tree, then my mom inherited them and now I have one my tree and Jess has one on hers.

While it's traditional to have those decorations decking our halls, it's nice to have a few new ones to look at, like these:

Our Colts tree!

The wreath on our front door.

An ornament of Cinderella's Castle that we bought on our honeymoon last year in Disney.

Another Disney ornament that we bought to mark our first Christmas together, and a few more below that we received as gifts last year.

In carrying on with another tradition, Jess came over today (bags in tow to spend a few nights with me and Justin) and we spent the day baking Christmas cookies and making fudge.


I also made some killer barbecued ribs in the crock pot for dinner:


Justin got home around 8:15 and we all had dinner together. He also finished wrapping presents and the underneath of Christmas tree is growing into the middle of the living room now.


So while I may still cry at mother/daughter Christmas commercials or tear up when I walk by the "Mom" Christmas card section at Hallmark, I'll keep carrying on these family traditions that bring me comfort and creating new ones that excite me for the future.

Now, in just one more tradition, I'm going to go try and convince Justin to take my dad's place in reading "The Night Before Christmas" to me and Jess. Then we all need to get in bed so Santa can come!