Thursday, January 30, 2014

Rolling with the punches

Or a second title, The one that never was.

Life is full of disappointments. It sucks, but it happens. We learn to deal with them and then have to move on. That's just the way it goes. I perhaps set myself up for the most recent disappointment. I treated an unknown as a sure thing. I jumped up and down, got excited, and in general got my heart so set on it that when it didn't work out I was devastated.

We thought we had a place to move to. It was in the perfect neighborhood. It was the perfect price. It allowed for pets. It was a solid, good house that we would have loved and taken great care of. Unfortunately, the previous tenant did not take such great care of it. And as we put in our repair requests to the landlord we learned that he didn't care about taking care of it either. He was unwilling to do ANY of the things that we requested, all of which were entirely reasonable. Even the owner of the leasing agency says that he was out of line and she hoped that they never rented the place. I'm talking about things like taking molding carpet out of the bathroom and removing stickers from the wall. And so we walked away.

Yep, pretty stinkin' adorable.

I had imagined where we would put our Christmas tree. I'd already had ideas for a couple of projects that I would do. I mentally prepared for friends and family to come and visit. And now I have to forget all of that. It was probably too good to be true if it had worked out. I know that good things do happen to good people, but lately it seems that good things happen to Scarecrow and I only through extreme diligence and humility. Perhaps that's what is required here...again.

One of my favorite quotes from Mother Theresa: "I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much." It's safe to say I feel like it applies here.

But it's not all sadness and gloom on the Emerald Isle.

Last weekend the Scarecrow and I were able to make one of our 2014 goals happen; visiting the temple. We went as chaperones for the kids in church on a whirlwind, overnight trip to the London temple. What a great 24 hours! I love spending time with the kids in church and it was great to get away from it all, even only for a short time.

Our little gang




Read the top, Ryan Air is so funny

For those unfamiliar, we believe that the temple is the house of God. We don't hold regular church meetings there but instead participate in sacred work both for ourselves and for those who have passed away. You may remember that Scarecrow and I were married in the Kansas City temple. Our kids participated in what is known as baptisms for the dead. Since we believe that everyone over the age of 8 should be baptized, this is a service where we can physically stand in for those who have died and be baptized on their behalf. We don't believe this forces those souls into anything because we know that even after we die we are given the ability to choose. And those individuals who are baptized even when they are dead have the choice whether or not to accept the work that is done for them in the temple. It's a great feeling to be able to serve.

Despite the downs, we certainly have some pretty good ups.

Couldn't resist this sweet picture

Not really an Irish tidbit, but a point of interest for you. Tomorrow is the Scarecrow's birthday! I won't give up his age (he is older than me if you didn't already know), but he has decided that he is "30-sexy" this year. Please don't kill me for sharing babe, I just think that's too funny!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Ring it in

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a happy, happy new year! I can hardly believe where this past year has gone. Scarecrow and I were discussing our favorite (Side note, my computer at work is trying to auto correct the previous word to favourite. Sorry, not happening.) bits of the past 12 months and it was certainly eventful. And so, in keeping with tradition, I give you my...

2013 Year in Review

1. Watched one of my very best friends get married


Christina and I have been friends for a long, long time. Despite oceans and time changes we have still stayed extremely close during that time. Scarecrow and I were so glad we could be there for that fun day and to catch up with lots of old friends.  Stupid Atlantic, there is absolutely nothing "pond" like about you.

2. I got my Irish learner's permit


It involved taking a really obnoxious test asking questions like, "If you approach the scene of an accident, what do you do?" I'm sorry, I thought I was taking a driver's test, not applying for paramedic school. Now to take 12 professional lessons and another test and I'll be a full-fledged Irish driver. Not going to lie, I think having a drivers license in 2 different countries is really darn awesome. Cross that off the bucket list.

3. Got to explore a bit more of this beautiful country I live in


 
Sligo. In a word, beautiful.

4. And perhaps the best of all, I got a job.


I cannot stress enough how much we needed this job. It feels so good to have a reason to go out the door everyday and not feel like we're one step away from breaking the bank. We've got some big plans and dreams for 2014 that require funding. And now we're going to be able to make it happen. Hallelujah.

Looking back is only part of  what I like about New Year's. The other side of the coin is making my to-do list for this year. And so now we move to my...

2014 To-do List

1. Get my driver's license


This is not a goal at all. This literally must be crossed off the list or I don't get insured another year. Essential.

2.  Act on my creativity


I have so many things that I want to do or create. I have ideas all the time for this project or that. It's been difficult to act on those ideas. Part of that is learning to balance and carve out this time for me. The other is not having a great space to work on these ideas. But this year I plan on not only making it possible to create, but also acting on those impulses when I have both the time and the space.  Case and point, our Christmas stockings that I made this year.

3.  Become a Cirque du Soleil performer



Ha, kidding. But what I hope to have in common with a Cirque du Soleil performer is to practice balance. Not all the time. Heaven knows that life is surprising and you can't predict everything. But what I can try and do is those little things that I know make me feel more sane so that I'm able to handle the tilts and twists a little better. And by doing that I will hopefully not feel so pulled in every direction.

I really do love a new year. It's exciting and fresh. I love figuring out how I'm going to accomplish all these plans. And heaven knows I love making a good list!

What's on your 2014 to-do list? Let me know so I can cheer you on!