Here are some of my recent posts (and more) on the We Are Women blog.
Some of my goals for the year... Old Year New Year
We are also looking for you ladies to submit some "I Am" photos. Click here for more information.
Would you like to see my "I Am" photo + a story? i think i am, i think i am
And finally, the "We Are Women" book is 25% off through January so go get yourself a copy and one for all the ladies in your life! (All proceeds go to the Campaign to End Fistula.)
(A couple weeks ago Millicent and I went to the Park Cafe in Salt Lake with my sister and her husband. Great place and yummy food.)
I have been so tired lately. A few weeks before Christmas, I had surgery to have some kidney stones removed. After a long two weeks of pain, infection, sickness, I finally got better (after a visit to the Instacare, of course). By the end of it all I had lost 10 pounds. Since my body keeps holding onto some of that baby weight I thought "How Wonderful!"
My body did not agree.
Ever since then I have been a little off. Always hungry, obsurdly thirsty, and so terribly tired. I think my body is trying to find an equilibrium. It feels that while I am nursing, those extra pounds must remain.
Oh well.
In October, we had a friend of ours take some pictures of our family. They turned out really nice and I am excited to get some of them on our walls. These are a few of my favorites!
Photos by Ashley Karras
+Last weekend we went to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. It was nice but I was a little... stressed out because the child wanted to be free to roam.
+Winter can be so difficult.
The days are shorter, darker. Christmas brings a warmth that makes it feel cozy. But every year, when Christmas comes and goes, I seem to be overwhelmed by the darkness. My pictures look terrible because of the lack of sunshine so I let the camera collect dust. It is easy to stay inside all day every day. Even Millicent seems to feel the pressure that the cabin fever puts on our souls.
+I have been thinking about what I want to do this coming year. There is so much that has been inspiring me and making me think and plan. Part of me wants to be realistic but another part of me wants to just go for it, even if it doesn't turn out how I plan, as is usually the case.
+Billy gave me a flash for our camera for Christmas. You know, so we can take better pictures indoors, at night, when the (preferred) natural light option is not realistic. I was reading the manual and felt completely overwhelmed. That happens a lot, you know. That is why I could never pick out a camera in the first place. Too many options. Too many opinions.
+I feel as though my life has been completely turned upside down. Millie is crawling everywhere and trying to eat everything and always wants to be held while simultanously wanting to be free to roam. I struggle cleaning and thinking and doing just about anything.
+In my last semester of college, I took a yoga class. I hated it which was really sad because I liked the idea of yoga. It could have been the instructor or maybe just the fact that it was at 7:30am on Mondays and Wednesdays but I could never focus enough to make it feel like it did me any good. But last night I went to a yoga class right here in what I once deemed "charmless Eagle Mountain," taught by my neighbor, friend, and go-to garden guru. And I LOVEd it. I tried really hard not to think about whether or not Millie was being good for Billy or that it had been so long since I actively did yoga that even the most basic (down dog) poses were difficult or that every time I looked in the mirror I was slightly embarrassed. I just took deep breaths letting the air swirl around inside my body and as it released, I let it take all the pressure and negativity with it. I felt happier, healthier, more clear, and less weighed down.
+I have never been much of a morning person. But I really want to be. And yet, as I write this, it is midnight. Blah. But you know, this is the time that I have. Nothing to demand my attention and no one to take care of. So I sit here while the house sleeps, writing out my thoughts and ideas and getting them a little closer to being put into action. I feels exciting, even if I know that tomorrow I am going to regret staying up so late.
Are you all ready? We had a few hiccups here and when it was all done, I didn't feel much like celebrating. But now that the house is clean and the parties are underway, it feels like Christmas.
(Billy took apart, sanded, reassembled, painted, and finished my nightstand. I love it. It looks great and it feels great to have a place for my books.)
I have been finishing some books and trying to write my thoughts about them. Jane Eyre. The Hunger Games Trilogy. Now I just need to finish Midwives (last months book club choice) and then get My Life in France (this months book club pick) hopping along. I guess that's a good thing about having to lay low... I can get a lot of reading/movie watching in.
I haven't been very good at telling you about my posts over on the We Are Women blog. Would you like to know what I have been doing over there lately? (You might already know but if you don't, keep reading... and clicking... the links.)
Millie got sick and I wrote about it here: Intuition
The Busyness Becomes You (an essay)
I shared the video of J.K. Rowlings commencement speech because it is just too good not to.
And on the days inbetween, I share quotes that inspire me.
I read this post from the Shutter Sisters today and thought it adequately describes what I am trying desperately to remember. Savoring the moments: the warmth, the love, the fun, the excitement of the holiday season... and really, just savoring life. Last weekend, on Thanksgiving, I was running around the house trying to get things clean. I love having a nice clean home to come home to after a little vacation but I was just stressing out. It was a blessing that we were going out of town, not only to see our family, but to force me into leaving that incessant list that I am forever adding to and so seldom checking off. It forced me to relax and enjoy. We were only gone for a couple of days but upon our return, I exerted much effort in keeping "relaxed Alicia" here. And it was well worth the effort. We slept and ate and played and watched movies and ate and played downtown. I tried not to worry about parking or walking or bothering other people with a baby who had "found her loud voice" as my friend put it. We went to a museum and saw the Christmas lights and ate at a cafe I have been thinking about for months. I tried to take small, slow bites of the lovely strawberry napolean and really let the flavors settle in my mouth. I held Billy's hand and we talked and enjoyed ourselves even though it was cold and crowded and hard to find a parking spot.
And you know what? In the end, we even had time to get somethings done. We finished putting up the new bookcases and put the Christmas decorations up and Billy fixed the vacuum and the computer.
It was worth it to savor the tastes and sights and sounds. I really should try it more often.
So here's to savoring the yummy little moments of life.
I do believe the neighborhood leaves have come to our yard in an attempt to escape the wind today. Not that our yard offers any particular refuge yet still they come. They are huddled together in corners and along the sides of the house. I feel so bad for those leaves and even our trees. They all seem to be taking a beating. I would let them in but we all know what messy house guests leaves can be. So I will let them gather in their corners without any complaint from me.
