Wednesday, December 7, 2011

December

December usually brings about a reflective mood for me. 2010 was successful, so far as I accomplished many of my goals. 2011 has been a transition year, in many ways. Adjusting to a new, significantly busier job where I started being a supervisor and not a supervisee, as well as adjusting to life without grad school.

I set forth the mantra this year to "accomplish". I don't know what that really meant, but I started to accomplish things with gusto. Knitting. Work. School. I put my all into it and spent a lot of energy to finish the things I started. The problem was, I had too many projects and not enough time. I would throw my all into knitting, then switch gears into art and music, then try to get involved with volunteering. By May I was burnt out.

For 2012, I think I am going to balance. My 2012 mantra will be "Balance". With the job I have, it's almost all or nothing with me. I work super hard (12+ days for weeks on end) trying to get everything done, and then I crash. I go from uber-productive to a complete procrastinator. This hurry up and stop method can I only last so long. In 2012, I want to practice the art of setting limits, achievable goals, and making room for a healthier lifestyle. But instead of starting gung ho, I will start small and strike a balance between work, play, and life.

Speaking of play, I took four (four!!) days off for Thanksgiving this year. It was simply wonderful to not have to answer calls or worry about clients for four consecutive days. I spent the holidays in Colorado with my in-laws and manged to have a pleasant time. I even got some knitting done:

 Of course, I found a yarn store in Colorado and bought myself some Sweet Georgia sock yarn. I have been on a sock kick recently, and these bright colors make me super happy. I am doing the "Fire Starter" pattern by Yarnissima.
I also finally finished a scarf that I have been working on for a LONG time. I call it my "Kaylee" scarf, because I spent the bulk of it knitting while watching Firefly. Dear followers, I am a super, duper, Firefly nerd!  Though my favorite character is Malcom (swoon!), I absolutely love Kaylee's character. This scarf just reminds me of her with its warm fall colors and the XO cable pattern. 

I am such a Firefly fan that I named my Doxies after Malcom and Inara:
They're brown coats! ;)

I have also been finishing up on the Christmas Photo spree. I have learned so MUCH about posing and composing over the last few weeks. Here are a couple more sneak peeks:


I really like working with families. By far, these series have been my favorite projects ever.