How I got Stronger this week: Another not bad week. I did reasonably okay with all of my goals this week. Not perfect, never perfect but I spent quality time working on things. I also picked my word for next year and I am really happy with it. That was a lot of work but now I am more clear in what I want from 2019 and the perspective I want to take which will also hopefully help inform some of the projects I want to sign up for in my life.
Top Goals Review:
- Work: worked on the december summit, haven’t been thinking about what’s next, and not really documenting my thoughts.
- Personal: exercised a bunch and still need to make more 2019 plans that’s all we’re going to put down this week!
- Family: I spent a lot of time with my people, saying good things to all of them. I will miss them so.
I celebrate: taking some time for myself. i took friday off and went shopping and relaxing.
I am grateful for: a day off. some fun new items. my loving husband. my loving mom. my wonderful sister. my kids.
Karen’s Points: i did two body pumps and two yogas this week. i did a plain yoga and then a flow class. i drove to a far away campus to do it and i am proud i did.
A Change I embraced: hmmm not much think week i think.
I let go of: getting anything done on my day off. i just gave myself the day off.
Core Desired Feelings Check-in:
- Fresh: i learned a tiny bit more science this week.
- Magical: i took out my xmas tree this week. i am getting excited!
- Lighter: picking my word has been a major relief. i feel lighter.
- True: i don’t like to travel away from my family but i do like quiet time on the plane and being able to focus on work 100% so those are the upsides.
Where I chose Joy: i’ve continued to drive home earlier and take meetings from home. i bought some make up for myself.
I showed up for: myself this week! 🙂
A Mistake I made this week: i spoke thoughtlessly and apologized profusely.
What I tolerated this week: pain of hurting someone i love.
My mood this week was: sad, relieved, tired, content, grateful.
I forgive myself for: messing up.
What I love right now: that the holiday season is coming up. that the mornings are lighter now.
Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.Weekly Reflection 2018 – 44
    
This was not the best reading week. I am in a place where all books look mediocre to me so that’s not helping. Even though I have 60+ books checked out from the library, none of them are calling to me lately.
I started the week with Vengeful which was a sequel and I hadn’t even read the first one but V.E. Schwab is a great writer and I knew it would be well-written. And it was. It was very violent and I am not at a place where that sits well with me at the moment.
I then moved to Every Breath. I hadn’t read a Sparks book since The Notebook but I figured I would try. It was a mistake. I didn’t like it at all. So formulaic and so predictable. Ugh.
The Proposal was by same author as The Wedding Date which was fun so I figured this would be too and it was. Though not as much as the previous one.
I moved to Go Ask Ali because it looked like it was funny. And it was. But also made me cringe how she talked about some of the details of her daughter’s life in ways that would have made me cringe as a daughter.
I grabbed The Other Woman because it was the new Hello Sunshine pick and her last two picks where my favorite reads from 2017 and 2018. But alas, this was a miss. It drove me mad how the main character loved this man even though he treated her so poorly, I have absolutely no tolerance for it anymore. And the twist in the end made me roll my eyes. It all just made me mad.
Meh not the best reading week. Let’s hope this one is better!
Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
Weekly Intention: This week looks reasonably ordinary so I want to take advantage of that and do some exercise especially because I’m traveling the following week. While in Zurich, I hope to do both cardio and some pilates/yoga/weights so I think getting into the groove this week will help. I want to keep the week as low key as possible. i will hug my kids, i will rest when i am not working, i will read and sleep. maybe i can journal if i feel i am at a place to do it. but i am keeping the bar low this week.
This month’s intention is: Stronger Together: Time to enjoy the company of others. Go out and socialize. Appreciate the community you have. Spend time with your family. Bask in the joy of friendships+community+family. What’s one thing you can do to appreciate your people? Hmm this is interesting, especially both for how i am feeling lately (don’t want to socialize at all) and what i want to do next year for my word (will involve a lot more socializing.) I’m going to have to think about this one.
One way I will stretch this week: i am going to tell myself to slow down.
One boundary I will set this week: time with my kids. time with jake.
This week, I will focus on pleasing: the future karen. i will spend some time thinking about 2019.
One new thing I will learn this week: more physics probably 🙂
One area where I will go deeper this week: i will think about some of the shifts i want to make in my life for 2019. my thinking, my routines, my appearance :).
What do I need to sit with this week? how to understand what makes me come alive
I am looking forward to: my trip, it’s been a while since I was in Zurich
This week’s challenges: no glaring challenges this week, thankfully.
Top Goals:
- Work: december summit, thinking about what’s next, documenting my thoughts.
- Personal: exercise. and 2019 plans that’s all we’re going to put down this week!
- Family: just spend a lot of time with my people, saying good things to all of them
I will focus on my values:
- Love: i want to speak more kindly. i am going to repeat this one.
- Learn: learn what i want.
- Peace: peace with not having the answers.
- Service: to sitting with things.
- Gratitude: for my kids, and my husband. i am so lucky.
This week, I want to remember: that the days are long but the years are short and i want to use mine well.
Stronger Than Before is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
How I got Stronger this week: I’d say this week was a net net good week. Overall, I only exercised three times and I wouldn’t say I ate the healthiest of meals but I also did much better than the last few weeks and feel things are getting closer to where I want them to be. I feel like this word is morphing into something else a little bit for me, something around defining strong differently but I don’t have it nailed yet so I don’t know how to put it into words yet.
Top Goals Review:
- Work: i worked on the december summit and nailed down a workshop so I feel good about that, i also documented the planning thoughts and it was well worth it, i didn’t do the work around documenting my thoughts maybe that I can do next weekend when I am at the airport.
- Personal: I slept reasonably well this week. I ate soso, i didn’t journal or draw at all and I still want to make more plans for 2019. I did exercise.
- Family: I am working on figuring out a routine for David, I’ve done lots of math with Nathaniel, I only cooked for Jake once :/.
I celebrate: a solid performance cycle for me.
I am grateful for: my kids. we had parent teacher conferences this week and i am so grateful that both my kids are very engaged learners. it’s such a joy to sit through conferences.
Karen’s Points: i did a body pump class on monday, i did yoga on tuesday and it made me so so sore that on wednesday i decided to walk 20 minutes uphill because I was just sore all over. Thursday and Friday didn’t work out but I now know that I will re-add Yoga into the mix more aggressively.
A Change I embraced: the soreness from yoga maybe?
I let go of: i am learning to let go of so many things. especially my own stories.
Core Desired Feelings Check-in:
- Fresh: some new perspectives and todos at work this week.
- Magical: sitting in parent-teacher conferences was magical.
- Lighter: work is feeling a bit lighter which feels nice to me but also makes me anxious at times of course.
- True: i am trying to learn what it means to be true to me.
Where I chose Joy: i spent more time at home this week and some time with jake that was pure joy
I showed up for: my kids.
A Mistake I made this week: i reacted. i don’t like to react.
What I tolerated this week: some of what’s going on at work. i walked out of course but i want to do so much more.
My mood this week was: angry and disappointed.
I forgive myself for: still craving so much bread and cheese.
What I love right now: we are going into what i call the quieter period of the year and I usually use this time to deeply unwind and think about my life, goals for next year etc. so I am really looking forward to that.
Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
this week’s photos are from our trip to tahoe. even though it was a while ago.
i don’t feel married to a particular week as long as i capture my memories.
i love these photos a lot.
Moments from this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
       
This was a big reading week, mostly because I was home sick a bunch of the days and took the opportunity to read for an upcoming work event I am planning.
I started the week with Zero Sum Game which was interesting but not mind blowing and you had to suspend a lot of disbelief.
I then moved to Atomic Habits which was tangible, practical and useful.
The Emissary however was completely weird and I have no idea what I think of it.
I moved to Fight or Flight and I knew nothing about it. It was a romance with some steamy-ish scenes and it was predictable but also enjoyable to listen to.
Meltdown was one of the two books I read for the summit I plan to host in December. I loved it.
I moved to listen and read poems by Alice Walker in Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart . Some of them were absolutely amazing.
I then read This Will Only Hurt a Little which I will be honest was a waste of my time. It was fun at parts but just not really worth my time in the end. Still I feel ok that I read it, I needed something light at that time.
I ended the week with Unsafe Thinking which was also for the December summit. Another good read and as it turned out my 250th book for 2018.
I read a lot of non-fiction this week. But overall I’d call it a good week.
Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
Weekly Intention: Ok this week I intend to do two very important things: 1. exercise again, no matter what it takes. 2. get my eating into a better place. better being defined by me as eating nutritious food. i know that when i exercise, eat well, journal, read and sleep, I am well. So I will do all of those things first this week. And then prioritize everything else. It’s going to happen. This is my biggest intention. I have no evening commitments this week (except halloween) and I have a mighty weekend next weekend, so I will make use of this week well. I will center myself as best as I can and make plans for the rest.
This month’s intention is: Stronger than Before: Here’s your chance to give it one last push before the year’s over. Where are you still wanting to be stronger? How can you help yourself get stronger than before? How can you take things one notch higher? One notch deeper? here’s to the last week of october, can i do one more push here?
One way I will stretch this week: i think exercising daily will be a stretch.
One boundary I will set this week: i will figure out a way to handle next weekend. I am stressed about it which is not a good idea.
This week, I will focus on pleasing: i am going to brainstorm a way to work better with David.
One new thing I will learn this week: I am still trying to find my word for 2019. I usually have a strong contender by now.
One area where I will go deeper this week: food.
What do I need to sit with this week? the direction i want my life to take. short, mid and long term.
I am looking forward to: getting into some kind of routine.
This week’s challenges: the weekend is the biggest challenge for me. i need to figure out a plan.
Top Goals:
- Work: december summit, documenting planning thoughts, documenting my thoughts.
- Personal: and still 🙁 : get back to routine, journal, draw, eat well, exercise and sleep, make 2019 plans
- Family: figure out a routine for David, math with Nathaniel, cook for Jake.
I will focus on my values:
- Love: i want to speak more kindly. much more.
- Learn: learn how to get back on track.
- Peace: peace with fact that i am not where i wish i were
- Service: to figuring things out.
- Gratitude: for my husband
This week, I want to remember: that being sick warps my perspective even more, so i will stay patient and wait till I feel better.
Stronger Than Before is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
How I got Stronger this week: Oh man. I got sick this week. I started the week so so and then just went downhill. I was shivering all day Wednesday and decided to stay home Thursday and half of Friday. I got stronger by drawing some good boundaries but I also didn’t do any tangible progress towards many of my goals.
Top Goals Review:
- Work: i made a lot of progress on the december summit, and this wednesday’s speech is done, i haven’t begun documenting my thoughts, however.
- Personal: i am going to have to repea again since i failed miserably last week with the exception of 2019 plans: get back to routine, journal, draw, eat well, exercise and sleep, make 2019 plans
- Family: I spent time with David, cook for Jake only once. and I did spent more time with Nathaniel.
I celebrate: making it through this week. taking the time i needed to rest at home.
I am grateful for: feeling like i have my head around the december event a bit more.
Karen’s Points: i only exercised once this week and that was tuesday morning running briefly. it was likely my worst week in a while.
A Change I embraced: being sick is at the top of this list.
I let go of: trying to get things done while i was sick. I used the time well in other ways.
Core Desired Feelings Check-in:
- Fresh: a lot of new learnings for work this week.
- Magical: not feeling a lot of magic lately.
- Lighter: lighter with some of the speeches done.
- True: the truth is i need to re-center myself still. getting sick didn’t help. i also feel overwhelmed still so I need to work on that.
Where I chose Joy: Despite feeling sick Wednesday’s offsite was fun
I showed up for: myself.
A Mistake I made this week: i do things too quickly. i want to slow down.
What I tolerated this week: being sick.
My mood this week was: still not on.
I forgive myself for: eating poorly, not exercising, and just feeling off.
What I love right now: sitting on my couch with blankets and drinking tea.
Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
this week was mostly an offsite at work.
i worked pretty long days this week so most of my photos are from work.
and then cpan and some nature moments.
Moments from this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
      
The best part of this week was getting to sit with Killing Commendatore. I am a big fan of Murakami. His books are always different in mind-blowing ways that no other writer can ever come close to and I just really like being lost in a Murakami-world even when I don’t like many of his specifics. This book was no exception. It was weird. And I really enjoyed reading it.
I then wanted something lighter and Not If See You First was perfect. I read it super fast and really enjoyed it for what I wanted then.
I was still feeling a bit heavy and worn out and Love and Other Words made me feel happier.
Which might be why I thought it was ok to read Broken Things which was dark and unpleasant. I read Lauren Oliver’s first book (If I Fall) and it was one of my favorite reads. I have read all her books since then (except for Replica) and disliked all of them so I think this is officially me giving up on Lauren Oliver.
The second best part of this week was Anne Lamott’s Almost Everything coming out. I read it on Tuesday when it came out. It’s a fast read but it’s wonderful and healing and just everything I’ve come to expect from Lamott. I love her so.
I then read What if it’s Us. I was a fan of Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda and have read several Silvera books but alas this book was no better than mediocre. Just nothing to write home about.
I then picked up Maeve in America which I discovered from the library. I’d never heard of her but the essays were funny, thoughtful and I enjoyed listening to them.
Quite a good week considering I had two of my favorite authors in one week.
Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
Last year, as part of donating to the school our kids go to, we had bought tickets to a special weekend event over Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake Tahoe.
When the time came it wasn’t the ideal weekend but of course we went anyway. The kids had a blast. Nathaniel made bread with his friends.
There were many many animals as part of an evening event.
look at this porcupine?!
and a baby mountain lion.
Jake and I woke up at 5:45 and were able to see the sun come up. It was magical.
The colors were amazing.
there were several different kinds of boats but the second day was super windy so the kids could only do the pedal boats.
I don’t even have one photo of David because he was with his friends the whole time.
The weather was cold but really beautiful.
 on the first day, Jake went sailing.
while I read Hank Green’s book and relaxed. We got there 5 hours before everyone else.
and it was the best idea since it turned out to be the most beautiful day.
I couldn’t stop taking photos the whole weekend.
There was just so much beauty.
i even brought my large camera so not everything would just be phone photos.
here’s me listening to my book.
and jake still sailing.
and the little boy.
the love of my life.
in the evening, there was a lovely fire, smores, singing and more. I am so grateful we went to this event. The kids had a wonderful time, we barely saw them all weekend, and Jake and I also had a wonderful time. Here’s to doing it again next year.
Stories from 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018here.
Weekly Intention: This is another mixed week where I might work from home on Thursday and might be offsite all of Wednesday. Jake’s leaving town for the last part of the week. No school events this week except one day where I have late pickup. Otherwise, I am hoping for an uneventful week (hopefully.) My biggest intention this week is to give myself some grace and find some time to really journal so I can feel like I have a hold over my life, so I can feel grounded again, and so I can feel good about where I am and what I’m doing with my life. I am so grateful for my life but I am also feeling a little lost lately and I know journaling will help me with that.
This month’s intention is: Stronger than Before: Here’s your chance to give it one last push before the year’s over. Where are you still wanting to be stronger? How can you help yourself get stronger than before? How can you take things one notch higher? One notch deeper? OK so my plan here is to look back at the stuff I’d written in January of OLW and really figure out what I haven’t focused on so I can do more here. [ I still didn’t do this so I will keep it here for this week.]
One way I will stretch this week: i think i am going to try to sit with the discomfort this week and see what I can do there.
One boundary I will set this week: i will journal. i will take time alone.
This week, I will focus on pleasing: i want to spend a bit of time with david this week, making a plan, moving forward.
One new thing I will learn this week: i wrote this last week: what my priorities are for the rest of 2018, focus on a word for 2019 and personal goals for 2019 and I didn’t do it so i want to do this.
One area where I will go deeper this week: journaling, let’s do this.
What do I need to sit with this week? how i can get out of this space i am in and feel more on track.
I am looking forward to: taking some alone time to journal.
This week’s challenges: i am a bit unclear on Wednesday and having no Jake for four days will definitely be tough
Top Goals:
- Work: december summit, this wednesday’s speech, documenting my thoughts.
- Personal: i am going to have to repeat: get back to routine, journal, draw, eat well, exercise and sleep, make 2019 plans
- Family: spend time with David, cook for Jake. more time with Nathaniel.
I will focus on my values:
- Love: i want to spend time with my kids in a loving way.
- Learn: learn what i need right now. also how to define my job.
- Peace: peace with fact that this will take time
- Service: to myself again.
- Gratitude: for so much of my life that works.
This week, I want to remember: there’s an ebb and flow and it’s ok to embrace where i am now.
Stronger Than Before is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
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projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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