2019 Goals, Resolutions and Word of the Year

2019 is about to roll around and that means, yep, the dreaded ole RESOLUTIONS. I like to think of them as goals. What are your goals for 2019. What do you want to accomplish this year?

For me 2019 is THE YEAR OF WOW! (Work on WIPS - works in progress). That means for me to not only finish as many of my ongoing cross stitch projects I have going but also crochet projects I want to tackle too. 

The last few years I have been slacking on my reading and I want to make 2019 the year I read more books than I ever have before. I have a #readingchallenge goal to finish the 70-80 books piled up in my room. But the ultimate goal would be to surpass the 153 books I read in 2015.

And to do all this I need... FOCUS! Not only focus but BALANCE & MODERATION. 

I don't want to make it a year of only cross stitch projects because I am more than that. I like to do so many things and I want to dive deep into all of them this year. 

That includes fiction writing. Back in the day I was really into writing and I let that fall by the wayside... as I have many of my hobbies like watercolor and drawing.

I have been encouraged by many over the years to make my The Legacy original fiction into a book. And I think this is the year I will begin plotting a real story arc that makes sense and really fits into the 21st century.

I have a lot of "wants to do" in 2019 and I know sometimes it can all seem impossible but it's all about DREAMING BIG and learning to fall forward and let life catch you and surprise you about what you can indeed accomplish.

I hope  you all choose a word for 2019 and let that guide you to create goals for yourself. I hope 2019 is a great YEAR OF WOW for you too!

Unexpected Blackout

Unexpected Blackout

You don’t realize how much you rely on power until it is gone

The lights went out last night.

There was a pretty bad storm. The wind blew hard and we heard from the news prior to the blackout that there were possible tornadoes in the area. Scary stuff. Oddly enough this was the day my brother-in-law wanted to stop by and see mom and dad. Not really the best day to visit, as it turned out.

You don’t realize all the things that use power until it is gone.

No television, internet or wifi or information in general to keep us updated on the storm.

No air conditioning on one of the hottest days of the year. (It was pretty humid too. Not good for parents with COPD)

No telephones (at least of the wireless kind) Only the landline worked. And I just snagged the phone number of my brother-in-law with the last bit of juice in one phone with Caller ID. Without power to the base unit, the phones were useless. 

The radio was of no help either since it was basically canned music with no staff on site. (Both local radio stations) No live minute to minute updates on the progress of the storm or how soon we might get our power back.

None of us have what I would deem a “real” smart phone. So using that for info was out too.

It was all just a little frustrating.

We spent our evening out on the porch watching moths commit harry-carry by dive-bombing our candles. The only sound on the block was the drone of a very loud generator belonging to one of our neighbors. I went to bed early but had a hard time getting to sleep. Too much on my mind apparently. But rest did come.

Needless to say, there is not a lot you can do without power. It makes the night seem very long. People with insomnia have an even tougher time dealing with things. Too much time to think about things and not a lot to do to occupy your time.

So, I say all this to say that we are really thankful for the power we do have every day. It makes all our lives easier. And to all the crews who spent their evening braving the storm and getting our power back by 5:15 am THANK YOU!