Look both ways...

2007 didn't go out with a bang. I was in bed by 8:30 with a massive migraine. Husband came to bed about midnight, while fireworks went off we exchanged sleepy "happy new year"s, kissed and went back to snoozing. We are an exciting pair I tell you.

2007 had its up and downs I suppose. For your viewing pleasure I offer the highlights in bulleted format.

• 2007 lead me through 3 different jobs and countless interviews that went nowhere.
  
• Eventually though I finally can say I'm in a career I enjoy.
  
• I discovered organic living and became a hippie I suppose.
• Husband had a mini-health crisis.
• I rediscovered Buddhism.
• I gave up on scrap booking because of lack of time.
  
• I found out that life without DVR service is nearly unbearable.
  
• I got a Wii and realized just how out of shape I really am.
• Husband and I debated the question of children... never really coming to a conclusion.
  
• I think I developed adult ADD.
• My dad gave me his Cannon EOS 1 35MM camera and I discovered that my dogs should be models. Or I should be a dog photographer... lol
• I finally used my slow cooker, 2 years later... *cough*
• I realized that I can no longer handle horror movies. Too bloody. Yuck.

In this new year there are few things I hope to accomplish. I won't call them resolutions because there's a sense of defeat in that term. These aren't things I *have* to change but rather things I would *like* to change. I'm not perfect, I realize that, but right now it's more important to love myself (as is). Red's blog a few days ago (letter to my body) made me realize something profound. Something intense and something very profound, it's personal though.

I hope above all us that this will be the year for profound change. I hope this year will provide positive outcomes instead of bitter disappointment. I hope this year will help both Husband and I bridge the gap from young adults to adults without much turbulence. I hope this year makes all of the previous years worthwhile. It's going to be good though. I can feel it. I'm staying positive Li. Promise.

Home is where the heart is...

I survived the great ice storm of 2007. Barely. Three days without electricity or heat makes Karen very grumpy. But thankfully everyone survived intact. I missed my home terribly. I've never been so happy to see my messy, dog hair covered, newspaper strewn house. It's not that playing cards by candlelight at my Aunt's house or snoozing on my Grandma's couch wasn't great... it's just not home. My home may not be perfect but it's perfect to me. Sometimes I secretly like the mess because it feels more comfortable that way. Although I won't lie... checking my e-mail again was very nice.
Now it's supposed to snow tomorrow... *sigh*

(Photos below were taken this afternoon. Check my flickr page for all of the shots)

All I want to know is...

Who pissed Mother Nature off?















My yard looks like a war zone...
Welcome to winter I suppose.

Kermit was wrong...

It is easy being green.

A few days ago a fellow co-worker at the bank asked me point blank if I was a hippie. I stopped for a second and asked him what he meant. Seeing as how this co-worker knew nothing about me I was wondering where the question was even coming from. Turns out a friend of his who had just come through the bank was a "hippie" because she shopped at Wild Oats. I informed him that if he considered that to be a hippie then yes I was a hippie.

It wasn't even so much a question but rather than an accusation. Like somehow shopping there made me strange. Not like it really bothered me though. I'm used to it by now. Several months ago I felt a strong pull towards this lifestyle I guess you could call it. Maybe it was the movie An Inconvenient Truth or maybe it was Husbands mini-health crisis. I'm not entirely sure. Whatever it is... I enjoy it.

I've been afraid that "being green" as some people like calling it was going to become fashionable and like all fashionable things (think furbies and tie-dye) it would later be forgotten. I'd like to think now though that it is becoming something more... something permanent. You can go into any major store and see "green products". Home Depot is one of the most noticeable, it seems every section now contains a more eco-friendly option along with the standard ones. Target has even started selling Seventh Generation cleaning products and organic sheet sets. Everywhere you look corporations are seeming to be more willing to embrace this eco-friendly life-style. While I'm not wild about corporations taking advantage of this movement I'm glad that they are making it more accessible to the general populace.

Husband and I are trying to do our small part.

• We're gradually replacing our light-bulbs with the new energy star bulbs.
• We recycle. It costs just a few dollars every month to have the city pick up twice monthly.
• We take our own reusable grocery bags to the store with us.
• We shop our local co-op.
• We had our own organic veggie garden this year.
• We're phasing out our normal cleaning products for more eco-friendly/natural solutions. (It's nice not to gag when cleaning the shower)

It's not like going "green" has to be hard or difficult. It doesn't have to/need to be a "hippie" thing anymore. I want to be able to bring children (if I so choose) into a world that is environmentally save. I know I personally feel healthier since beginning the transition to a more "green" lifestyle. I think it's the small changes that are going to make the biggest impact. If everyone just did their small part that would make a world of difference. I know I'm trying to lead by example... hopefully it works.

I'm sorry to say Kermit... it is easy being green.

(For an even greater insight on this matter visit this blog.)

My Zen moment...

I was walking into the house from grabbing the mail when I felt a raindrop on my arm.
I had this compulsion to go and sit on the back porch.
It felt like every nerve in my body was on fire with a million sensations.
I closed my eyes.
That's when the dizziness hit.
I felt dizzy with emotion.
Dizzy with sound.
Dizzy with sensation.
The air around me felt electric.
Suddenly I was very aware of everything around me.
The lawn mower next door.
The way the wind moved my hair.
The subtle sounds a tree makes as the wind whips through it.
For the first time in my life I felt like I could explain how everything is connected.
Nothing else mattered besides being in that moment.
My heart stopped racing.
My mind felt calmer then it ever has.
I almost forgot to breath it was so surreal.

If I could bottle everything I felt in that single moment...