September 2016 – Index Card Photos – 13

Here’s today’s card:

karenika.com

Index Card Photos is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 19, 2016 | Index Card Photos | Leave a comment

Weekly Reflection – 37

  • Three Choices I made this week:
    • One: I chose to take the day off on my birthday and really ask for what I wanted which was a combination of alone time and company.
    • Two: I chose to have some solid time with two different friends (one old, one new) and both were really lovely.
    • Three: I chose to skip a family event to spend a bit more time alone and resting. I needed the rest.
  • I read/learned: More solid reading this week. I finished Bean Trees, Three Prescriptions for Happiness, Between Breaths, Commonwealth, and Amy Krouse’s awesome Textbook. I am reading Paradise in Plain Sight, Learning to Swear in America, and The Sympathizer. I took Glennon and Brene’s The Wisdom of Story and am taking Coursera’s Learning how to Learn.
  • I celebrate:  I celebrate taking some me-time this week.
  • I am grateful for:  my family this week. My mom and my sister and my nephews. I am so lucky.
  • I focused on my health by: 
    • Did my 7-minute exercise every week day.
    • Walked 10K+ daily
    • Ran 1 mile every day.
    • The food was not great 🙂
  • I made art:  hmm no new art this week.
  • I let go of: I let go of my necklace this week. I lost it and was really sad. But maybe someone else found it and is really happy now.
  • Core Desire Check-in:
    • Kind: I’ve been kind to myself this week.
    • Strong: I’m getting stronger, I can now run a mile without feeling like I might die.
    • True: I was true to myself and asked for what I needed/wanted.
    • Generous: I’ve been generous with my time with the kids and Jake.
    • Brave: I was brave with taking what I needed.

Here’s to another good week! 🙂

Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 18, 2016 | Weekly Diary 2016 | Leave a comment

September 2016 – Index Card Photos – 12

Here’s today’s card:

karenika.com

A closeup:
karenika.com

Index Card Photos is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 16, 2016 | Index Card Photos | Leave a comment

September 2016 – Index Card Photos – 11

Here’s today’s card:

karenika.com

Index Card Photos is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 15, 2016 | Index Card Photos | Leave a comment

A Book a Week – In a Dark, Dark Wood

I read In a Dark, Dark Wood because it was one of those “will be awesome!” books.

But this genre is not my thing apparently.

I read it. I read it fast. But I’ve had enough of books with only dislikable characters. I find that to be such a copout in writing. Most people have something we can like about them. Make your characters richer. Give me a reason to root for them. Or to at least make me want to read more.

Meh.

September 14, 2016 | Books Read in 2015 | Leave a comment

September 2016 – Index Card Photos – 10

Here’s today’s card:

karenika.com

A closeup:
karenika.com

Index Card Photos is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 14, 2016 | Index Card Photos | Leave a comment

2016 Stories – 37 – Forty-Two

Forty-two.

I turned 42 yesterday. Forty-two trips around the sun. Part of me can’t believe how many years I’ve already lived and part of me feels like I have lived enough lifetimes to be much older. I know that some people have a tough time with getting older. While I can definitely understand that, I’m not one of those people. At least not now. I am grateful to get to have another year under my belt. Another year spent with the people I love. Another year spent doing art. Reading books. Snuggling. Learning. Crying, laughing, hoping, wishing, dreaming.

Grateful for all the years of my life.

I tend to pick my words in January and make my lists and plans at the beginning of the calendar year, so I don’t use the school year or my birthday (both of which magically happen to be in September) as a time to make lists, plans or goals. In fact, my birthday is one of the few days I try to live without a todo list of some kind. I take the day off work and just try to be. Be still. Be peaceful. Be quiet.

It’s my moment to appreciate the journey so far.

I’ve worked hard for much of my life but I’ve also been incredibly lucky in more ways that I can describe. While I’ve tried not to take that luck for granted, I know it’s impossible to do that. I know that there’s so much I just assume. So much that I don’t appreciate as deeply as I really should. And on this day, I just want to sit in the miracle that is my life.

I am not sure what I did to deserve all this. I am not sure what tomorrow will bring. I am not sure of anything. But I know that I am here today and I know that I am blessed.

And so very thankful.

Here’s to another year around the sun.

Stories from 2016 is a year-long project for 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 13, 2016 | Stories of Twenty Sixteen | 4 comments

September 2016 – Index Card Photos – 09

Here’s today’s card:

karenika.com

Index Card Photos is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 13, 2016 | Index Card Photos | Leave a comment

Living Intentionally – 37

  • Weekly Intention: My intention this week is to rest. I am very tired. I’ve been doing a lot of exercise. I’ve been going to both of the kids’ schools and to work. Driving a lot. I’ve been socializing with new people I don’t know. I’ve been putting myself out there in many ways again and again. And there’s more of it this week, too, but I also want to make sure I make time to rest this week. So my intention is to take my downtime and make it downtime. Make time to be still.
  • Choices I want to make:
    • One: I will choose to celebrate my birthday. So grateful for another one.
    • Two:  I will choose to be brave again as I go to another event at David’s school.
    • Three: I will choose to finish some of the work I’ve been putting off.
  • I am looking forward to: Brene and Glennon’s class. My birthday and having a day off. Book club!
  • This week’s challenges:  I have a late Wednesday which means I will be extra tired on Thursday. I also have trips to both schools again this week and one to work. It will all be ok.
  • Top Goals:
    • Work: My intention this week is to finish off a bunch of dragging todos.
    • Personal: I’d like to see if I can make some type of schedule for myself now that the routine appears to be settling.
    • Family: I want to make sure to go back to doing math with at least Nathaniel. I miss it. Also I’d like to read to him, too.
  • I will focus on my core desires (kind, strong, true, generous, brave) by: 
    • I will be kind to myself this week. Enjoy my special day.
    • I will be strong and start making some changes in my diet. I can feel my body craving it.
    • I will be generous with rest. I will let myself rest.
    • I will be true to what matters most. Everything else will be ok.
    • I will be brave and show up. Again and again.
  • This week, I want to remember: that these hard moments are also the special, magical moments of my life. This is what life is made up of.

Here’s to a wonderful week!

September 12, 2016 | Living Intentionally | 4 comments

September 2016 – Index Card Photos – 08

Here’s today’s card:

karenika.com

Happy Birthday to me 🙂

Index Card Photos is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 12, 2016 | Index Card Photos | 2 comments

Weekly Reflection – 36

  • Three Choices I made this week:
    • One: I chose to really support David this week. I made several trips to his school. They were all worth it.
    • Two: I chose to finally do some art!
    • Three: I chose to finally book my next trip to Sydney.
  • I read/learned: A lot of reading this week. I finished Present over Perfect and enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve also read Unfurl, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, An Object of Beauty, The Great American Whatever and Love Warrior this week.  I’m in the middle of The Bean Trees and Learning to Swear in America. I’ve been taking Soul Restoration again, too. And I am signed up for Glennon and Brene’s class which starts tomorrow.
  • I celebrate:  I celebrate my birthday tomorrow!
  • I am grateful for:  another full week behind me. We’re getting closer and closer to a routine.
  • I focused on my health by: 
    • Did my 7-minute exercise everyday.
    • Walked 10K+ daily
    • Ran 1 mile every day.
    • The food could still use some help but working on it.
  • I made art:  I did my October project this weekend. Yey!
  • I let go of: I let go of judging myself for the food this week. It’s a process.
  • Core Desire Check-in:
    • Kind: I’ve been kind to David. Several times this week, he had tough moments and I was there.
    • Strong: I’m getting stronger. I survived David’s 4-hour back-to-school night.
    • True: I was true to myself and turned down an invitation that would have been unlike me.
    • Generous: I’ve been generous with Nathaniel’s school. Helping every class.
    • Brave: I was brave with more social gatherings at Nueva. And there are more coming.

Here’s to another good week! 🙂

Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 11, 2016 | Weekly Diary 2016 | Leave a comment

September 2016 – Index Card Photos – 07

Here’s today’s card:

karenika.com

Index Card Photos is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

September 9, 2016 | Index Card Photos | 2 comments

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