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Ideas – I Got ‘Em

January 22, 2013 by

I’m starting to come up with more ideas on how to revamp my blog, to make it into a space that’s more me, and to make it something I can manage with my busy schedule. I’ve got a bunch of stuff written down, and I need to start working on it so that I can implement these changes.

It’s tough, having been blogging for as long as I have been. It will be 7 years in March. Seven whole years.

I started as a measly little personal blog, writing out my feelings about whatever I wanted. Then more real life people started reading, and I started holding back more. Then I met Mister, and moved in with him and got married, and had a life outside of this here blog. That’s contributed.

But I think I figured out the biggest thing holding me back. I’m disorganized. There, I said it. It’s hard to admit that out loud, considering that I once wanted to organize the world. But I haven’t felt disorganized in years.

So that’s my immediate goal. I need to get organized. Not just with my online stuff, but my physical space as well. I feel like once I’m able to make progress there, I’ll be able to make progress in other areas of my life as well. In the meantime, I hope to gather some more ideas and get those organized… so I can start implementing them.

Filed Under: All About Me

2012 in Review

January 1, 2013 by

I suppose I ought to get the new year started by reviewing last year. Yes, I should have posted this yesterday, but I was busy trying to catch up on Downton Abbey before series 3 starts this weekend. So, here’s what I did in 2012.

January – We prepared for our move and spent most of the month packing.

February – I quit my long-held job due to our move. Greta went for a walk. Our drive from Las Vegas to New Hampshire was longer than anticipated.

March – While trying to get settled in NH, we flew to California to visit Mister’s parents. Then the job hunt started.

April – More job searching. I got serious about wearing makeup. We finally closed the short sale of our house in Vegas.

May – I started a job and had to deal with the commute. I started to get a bit homesick for Las Vegas.

June – My nephew graduated high school. I continued working at my job but got a bad cold.

July – Greta got super freaked out by a trifecta of scary things on the 4th of July – strangers in her house, fireworks, and a bad thunderstorm. She was sick from the stress for a couple of days. I also spent a lot of time contemplating the future of my blog and what I wanted out of it.

August – We moved into my Dad’s house for a few weeks so that we could trade in our mobile home. Greta broke her paw, so we had to deal with her being in a splint.

September – We moved into our new house. I started a new job, closer to home.

October – we continued getting settled in our new house, and I finally got a room of my own. And Greta hates hurricanes.

November – I painted my craft room. We had our first Thanksgiving in New England!

December – My blog got neglected, but we had our first Christmas in New England. A dusting of snow early Christmas morning means it was a white Christmas, and Mister was super excited about that.

Overall for me, 2012 was not the best year. While moving was exciting, I didn’t feel ready to leave Las Vegas. Our house situation there meant that we had to move, though, so we moved back to my home. I was also not really ready to leave my job there. I had two jobs since returning to NH, and both left me missing my old workplace and coworkers even more. That made the adjustment back to NH difficult.

I’m hoping that 2013 is better. I start another new job this week, after spending the month of December temping, and I really hope that this one is it. I hoped beyond hope that I would not be offered any job that I interviewed for if I wasn’t going to be happy, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that this is it.

I’m also looking forward to getting more organized and settled in our home. There was a lot of packing and moving this year, and I’m very tired of it. There are a lot of things I haven’t seen since they were packed up nearly a year ago, and I’d like to get it all taken care of. I think that if I can get to a point where I feel a lot more organized, I’ll also feel more motivated, and maybe then I won’t be neglecting the blog anymore.

What are your plans for the new year?

Filed Under: All About Me

No Progress

December 10, 2012 by

Remember when I blogged about the goals that I have for my blog?

I have a confession to make: I haven’t done a single thing towards accomplishing them. In fact, I’ve barely thought about my blog since then. I’ve had real life stuff taking over, and I just haven’t felt like dealing with my blog. I am still reading other blogs, though, so there’s that.

I will most likely be taking a break from blogging until after the new year, though don’t be surprised if a random post shows up.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

Filed Under: All About Me

Writing Skills

November 12, 2012 by

For some time now, I’ve felt that my writing skills have been seriously lacking. I’ve been having a harder and harder time writing what I want to say the way I want to say it, and I think it’s shown on my blog. Or not shown, since I haven’t been blogging as much for the past few years. It kind of bums me out. I’ve always been a writer in some way, first journaling, then blogging. Since my blogging activity has decreased, I haven’t been writing anywhere else either.

I feel as out of shape with my writing skills as I do with my body – and currently, I can’t run down my driveway and across the street without stopping to suck air like a dying fish.

While I’m not quite ready to get off my fat ass, I will be doing something to help with my writing. I signed up for a non-credit online course through the local community college.

It’s a 6 week course that should hopefully help me redevelop the skills that I once had, and to help me find my voice again.

As for blogging, there’s a bit more to it than just skills.

I went ahead and purchased Campfire Chic’s Three Sixty-Five: Ideas for Blog Posts, Scrapbook Pages, & Art Journal Entries. It’s so simple but full of ideas of things to blog about for those who, like me, struggle to come up with ideas for nearly every post.

I need to print it out so I can start taking notes. And more important, I need to start thinking like a blogger again.

When I step away from my computer, I need to think about my adventures out in the world and how they could be turned into a blog post.

I used to do that, but somehow, somewhere, it faded away. I feel like that part of me is missing and I’m struggling to get it back again.

This is a serious case of lost mojo.

Have you lost your blogging mojo? What have you done to get it back again?

Filed Under: All About Me, Personal Blogging

Encyclopedia of Me – V is for Vegas

December 15, 2011 by

As you all know, I moved to Vegas in 2003. I was looking for something different, a change, a chance to spread my wings away from the ever-present watchful eyes of my small hometown. I was all set to go towards the upper Midwest until a bitter cold winter in 2002-2003 had me craving warmth. Living in a home with insufficient insulation in New England will do that sort of thing to you.

I ended up in the desert Southwest, surrounded by the flashing neon lights of Las Vegas. At first, it was nice being away from home and figuring things out for myself. When fall came, I started getting homesick. It’s tough when every fiber of your being is telling you that it’s time to pull out the sweaters and get cozy when it’s still over 100 degrees outside. But I made it through the fall, the holidays, and the next 8 years. In that time I’ve found work, friends, and a sense of independence that I didn’t even know I had. I also found love and a wonderful Mister.

I always knew I’d leave Las Vegas eventually – I knew from the minute I first set foot in this town that I wouldn’t stay forever. I’ve toyed with the idea of moving somewhere else that was completely new, somewhere else that was sort of new but close to home without being too close, and actually moving back home.

Mister and I have decided that we’re moving back home.

It’s not his home of course. He’s only been there a handful of times, having grown up on the opposite coast. But he quickly fell in love with New England for all the same reasons I’ve been missing it so much lately. I miss the atmosphere, the changing seasons, the proximity to water, and most of all my family and friends. I miss being with them during the holidays, birthdays, and all those other get togethers during the year. Mister really likes my family as well and is looking forward to getting to know them better.

Mister’s worker’s comp case is nearing completion and with the house situation being what it is, we decided that it was the right time to leave the area. Sure, I have a good job, but as an accounts payable clerk, I can find work anywhere. When Mister is free to venture back into the working world, there will be more opportunities in New England for him than there will ever be in Vegas. We both feel very strongly that this is the right thing for us.

My Dad has a rental property that he’s getting ready for us, my nephew is looking forward to coming out here during his winter break to help us, and we’ve already started packing and figuring out logistics. We’ll be driving back in late February. Crazy, I know, but I can’t wait to be home. Word on the street is that my family and friends are all eagerly waiting for our arrival as well.

Filed Under: Encyclopedia of Me