Destination 30

Apologies for my absence. In the midst of all the gift getting, other things of mine have decided simultaneously to fall apart. My camera, phone and my laptop have been giving me issues. Most disturbing to me is my laptop, however, as I do all things from that one base. 

It seems to be a problem of the fan and nothing more, but time will tell. It can barely last for possibly 5 minutes before shutting itself down from overheating and that isn’t optimal time for me to post and do my other business. 

So this one comes to you from Quinton’s computer, now that we are back home in San Antonio, and I have access to it. 

I’m not complaining though. It may even be a blessing in disguise. Though I miss my long hours on Pinterest, I can now use that time to put the things I find on there into action. Not to mention, start on my New Year’s resolutions now, while I am still on vacation and before the big day actually gets here. 

I have so many things I want to do, and I don’t know if it’s the thought of 2013 or turning 30 that has given me this boost to conquer so many obstacles and dive in head first…or maybe it’s just a high from the recovery after an over a week long illness. 

Whatever it is, technological failures aside, things seem to be falling into place for me. Even if they aren’t it’s a great outlook to begin the year on. And in just another week, I will have started a brand new year twice over…tick…tock…

It’s on everybody’s mind as the year draws to a close and the weekend nears. What things will you resolve to do in the coming year?

However, my renewals are more tangible than that, and much more tied to the nearing of my birthday…

I must visit the DMV this week. Yes, after what seemed an eternity and a date that would never actually come to pass, 2013 is upon us and my licence is up for renewal. It really is time, too. I got my first license when I was 17 and am half blinking in the photograph. My hair was long, my neck slender and in the last few years or so, people have been staring very hard at that picture, then again at me, and again back to my picture before handing it back over. 

I knew I should have updated it sooner, especially when I started keeping my hair short (although that is no longer an issue), but the thought of going to the DMV and waiting in a never ending line was just too much hassle. At least, due to my career, I can do so without taking time off of work. 

I must also renew my teaching certificate this year. They have a five year rotational rule here in Texas, and though this is my seventh year of teaching, the process is slightly more technical and only lets you renew within a certain window. I tried to renew this summer but it was too soon, now the time is upon me and I almost completely forgot! 

So, while I should be pondering the metaphysical ways in which I will better myself and those around me in 2013, I am instead, juggling the physical inevitability of the truth of my 20-somethings coming to an end. 

Are we really anything more than children when we gather around the tree and rip through festive papers to get to the mystery of what we have been waiting for for at least the last 3 months? 

No, and I think that is one of the best things about this season and this holiday. Christmas time is here and our yearly excuse to embrace our inner child before we resolve it all away for another year. 

May you (whatever age you may be today) have a very merry Christmas. 

Apologies for my absence last night. There was a lack of internet in our new quarters. We have moved to our second Houston location and we are looking forward to Christmas: Part 2 in just a few hours. 

I wish I had pearls of wisdom for this festive occasion, but all I have is regret. I regret that I didn’t plan better, make better choices earlier and allow for greater gift giving on my part. 

It all goes back to my list of things to do as an adult. I can’t say I quite made it this year…but, then again, I’m not quite 30 either. 

May you get everything you wished for this Christmas season. And may you have given the same in return. 

Today we celebrated Christmas: Part 1 at Quinton’s Mother’s House. In a few days time, Christmas Day will be upon us and we will be celebrating Christmas: Part 2 at his Dad’s house. Then on to at least 2 more back in San Antonio. 

I have had some issues the last few years not quite “feeling” like it is Christmas, which is ironic given how many times we celebrate it. But I had to wonder, was it because it was no longer the simple (again that is a major understatement as I had to split the day between my own divorced parents) celebration that I had grown up with, or was it because I had children who were too young to understand the season and life was too chaotic to start any traditions…OR was it that I had done what I never thought I would do…I had become that person who was so caught up with work, and home and bills and traffic and stress and, “please just get me through this next week,” to stop and appreciate the season…I had “grown up.” 

It was a sad realization, and one that I did not want to embrace. This year, I tried to make it more festive: we hung decorations of all kinds, Christmas music poured out of every speaker I own, and gift planning and making was in full swing, but impending finals, a road trip and yet another bought of cold/flu/allergy related illness was upon me and I have had a hard time mustering enough energy to “feel” Christmas. 

It doesn’t help that up until last week, we were celebrating in 80 degree weather. 

However, that does not mean that I was going to let Scrooge like circumstances win me over. Despite the fatigue and the stress and the sickness, I have been determined to make this the best Christmas we have seen in a while. The girls don’t know the difference, but they have gotten some nice gifts, we have only just begun the celebration and almost all my gifts are finished. 

I am currently in the country, surrounded by dear and 20 degree weather, by the glow of Christmas lights from the tree and mantle, and basking in the joy of my new boggle game and the fact that I get to sleep in again tomorrow morning (real sleeping in…Quinton’s mom takes care of the girls in the morning for us!). As far as Christmas goes, I may not be a kid anymore, but there is something to be said for the right gift, the spirit of the day and plenty of sleep! 

May everyone have a great Christmas weekend!

Surveys. You love them or you hate them, but we all succomb to them at one time or another. As tedious as they can sometimes be, they are often very helpful. Data is an important part of our society. Data, even subjective, personal data, can be a useful tool over time and serve as a memory bank and tracking system.

It is for those last two reasons that I will be starting a tradition with my daughters this year: A questionnaire…the same questions every year, until??? Forever? This will help to track yearly progress, change and growth, not to mention give us something to laugh and reminisce over years down the line.

I use to do this for myself. Though I already kept a scrapbook, I added a page at the end of each year’s book that catalogued my favorites (color, tv show, movie, food, song, etc…), the highlights and low points of my year, the most memorable moment, and wishes for the future. Looking back through them, I’m glad I did it. Somethings never change (like the fact that purple is my favorite color and I love chinese food), but other things, like my major, the fact that I wanted to work in advertising and my outlook on life have changed dramatically.

I haven’t done one of those since I finished college…and a lot has happened since then! There has been a popular trend, as of late, to interview some of the most famous people who have had amazing careers and ask them, “What advice would you give your younger self,” or, “What do you know now that you didn’t know at age 20.” These are excellent questions, but I find things like that hard to answer (even at only 29) when my day-to-day is so hectic I can’t remember what I ate for lunch yesterday (and sometimes not even today).

So, my solution? Or resolution, I should say, is to take a page from my mommy book and ask myself those same questions, year after year, in hopes that something like wisdom will come out of it, if not for myself then perhaps for my daughters when they reach this pivotal moment. Or, I could just be giving myself one of the biggest laughs as my 80-year-old self reads over them years from now…

Either way, it’s a win-win situation. 

It never fails…after a week long (or longer) much needed vacation of sun and fun and out of the ordinary all people want to do is take another vacation. 

Part of it may be the need to postpone the return to the real world. Part of it could be a need to transition from vacation land to the real world…like a stop over at an airport. 

Whatever it is the mundane, the overly ordinary comfort of routine and home can be just a refreshing (maybe even more so) than a trip around the world. 

If you are like me, my birthday often lands on a weekday, so all the celebration takes place over the weekend. Or maybe you would just like to forgo the usual hoopla and be extra low-key and do absolutely nothing for once…avoid the rush and bustle of it all (as long as there is no wallowing, self-pity, or general down slide towards depression). Whatever the reason, for once it might be the better choice to call in, sleep in, stay in bed (or at least in your pajamas) and do a whole lot of nothing…a “REAL” vacation! You’ve earned it. 

I don’t have the budget for this, and I don’t know when I ever will, but if you can afford it, I say ring in the new birthday with an awesome adventure!

Go backpacking in the mountains of some far off land, go to a cabin retreat of woods and lakes or powdery snow. Set sail on a cruise in the Mediterranean and see the ancient wonders of the world. One thing is for sure…surrounding yourself with all that culture and history…you won’t feel a day over 10! It really gives perspective to the insignificance of us all in the grand scheme of the universe. 

More importantly, make sure this adventure is one of a kind, something you have always wanted to do and have never done before: a whole new world, a whole new experience, for a whole new decade/year/life for you. 

Scrapbooks…I can’t say much more about them than I already have, but this would make a particularly wonderful birthday gift for such a momentous occasion. 

The act of creating it, the time, effort and memories that go into it, the enjoyment of looking through it, all add to the unique and special qualities that scrapbooking brings. These days, I have noticed, scrapbooking has been “updated” to slam books… a creative marketing twist on something “old” for a new generation to grab onto. It’s not without its different, and slightly more effortless, techniques, but all in all it’s the same, just as memory books and photo albums were before it was scrapbooking. 

Still, whether you create the scrapbook for someone else, create one for yourself, or treat your fellow scrapbook-loving buddy to a scrapping spree, it’s a perfect fit for the day. 

Dirty 30…Flirty 30…and most recently, the newer coined nerdy 30…

For some reason we like to rhyme things, even our decades of life. I agree with Wendy Townley and her Nerdy Thirty blog that the first two adjectives really don’t fit me, but while I have come to embrace my nerdiness I’m not quite sure this one entirely fits me either…

Challenge extended to all the soon to be 30-year-olds: What is your ________ 30 adjective?

I’m still searching for mine…