Busy Busy Busy

Well so much for the wishful thinking regarding getting some work life balance.  The past couple of weeks have been insane.  So much work to do, and also trying to get ready for the holidays.
I was able to get a little baking done though, and made these guys.

I have so many more to make though, as well as trying to determine what I am going to make for Christmas dinner.  I have a few friends coming over on Christmas day, and I plan to serve up quite the feast.

New Job

I got the job that I wanted, I start on January 1st (officially).

I am really excited.  I have been pretty much doing this job for the past couple of years in addition to my regular role.  But, now I get to do that full time, and leave the other role behind.  They are backfilling my previous role with 6 people. 

Which is crazy, if I think that I have essentially been doing the job of 7 people for the past 2 years.  It's no wonder I was working such long hours.

I am looking forward to being able to use a different part of my brain, and do more planning strategy as oppose to the reactive execution I have been doing lately. 

Habits v's Goals.

I have been wearing glasses for the past 18 months, and just made the move to contacts.  In 18 months I have formed a habit of pushing my glasses back up my nose.  I am more aware of that right now, as I keep doing it without having any glasses to push up my nose.

Obviously it took less than 18 months to form the habit, but I am curious how long it will take to break it.

Supposedly it takes 21 days to form  a new habit/break a habit.  I wonder if this will follow suit.

With it coming up to the end of the year, New Years round the corner, I have one goal for 2013.  That goal is to make sure I give myself some work/life balance. I have spent the past 3 years working a crazy schedule, and put my personal life pretty much on hold.

Going forward I want to continue to work hard, but ensure that I leave some time for my own mental and physical health.  I have weight to lose and friends to see.   I really do have some amazing friends though.  They have been patient with me over the past few years, and have been flexible with their schedules, so that when I did have some down time we were able to get together.  Now its my turn to make sure I can do the same for them..

Regardless of new years resolutions, what things in your life are you looking to change?

'Tis the Season

Its that time of year again, for parties, eating, drinking, spending time with family and friends. It always comes with mixed feelings, as I am grateful for the friends I have here, but always miss my family, who are so far away.  I have met lots of new people over the past couple of months, and am feeling that my surrogate family is expanding.  I am very fortunate to have so many wonderful people in my life.  Both those that I know in person, and those that I have met through the virtual world.

I lived in the US for almost 8 years now (It will become 8 on Jan 5th).  My first Christmas here was spent alone, in my small apartment in downtown Portland.  I remember being unable to reach my parents by phone, as they were on vacation in South Africa, and sometime in the evening the power went out, so I was all alone in the dark.  It was quite possibly the worst Christmas I've ever had. 

Since then I have invited friends over to my house every Christmas day, and have had anything from 2 people to close to 20 stop by.  It makes Christmas feel like Christmas to me, if I am able to open up my home, cook for people and share the day.

I could of course go back to the UK for Christmas, but now I have made my own tradition here.  It might not be a conventional Christmas spent with family, but my friends out here in the PNW have become my family.  I still get so excited about Christmas day that I wake up around 4am (as you can imagine, my husband is not really impressed by that).  I try and stay queit as I make my way downstairs and start to prepare the turkey and trimmings.

Then around 8am, when I can stand it no more, I go back upstairs to wake up the husband.  He cooks a wonderful breakfast, and we have memosa's, eat then beginning the gifting process.  Presents are pulled from under the tree and placed in the relevant piles (myself, hubby and of course the cats :) ).  We make our way through, topping up the memosa's as we go.  Then its time for me to get back in the kitchen.  By now the Christmas music is blasting.

As our friends start to show up, the party begins, with food and drink to spare, we have a merry time, drinking, talking, dancing, drinking, dancing, drinking sleeping.

Other than Christmas day it's self, my favourite holiday moment, is decorating the house.  I have boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations, and put up several trees.  I love going through the ornament boxes and finding all those memories. Ornaments that my mum and I bought when I was going through a rough patch in life, and my mum was there to support me.  Items from my childhood, decorations off the family tree from 30 years ago.  We were recently able to add to the collection, ornaments from Ryan's childhood, there are homemade ornaments in there, one's that move, and ones from his grandma. 

As bittersweet as Christmas can be, it is certainly a time when you remember loved ones, it's a wonderful occassion to be surrounded by family/friends.