I have moved this blog to Wordpress

I have outgrown blogger. I needed categories, more organization - and better navigation. So I moved my blog to wordpress.com. Wordpress also let me transfer all of my posts from this blog - so now everything is in one place!

It is now called Life: Version 2.o

http://lifev2.wordpress.com

Please visit me there!

Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain

— J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, 1999

Grateful Wednesday: The Strength that God Gave me

Today I am grateful for the strength that God gave me.

I am thankful for the strength and determination that lives inside of me--the ability to overcome obstacles and make it to the other side standing on my own two feet. I am thankful for my resilience and ability to bring myself out of not so good days and moments - to plough through and continuously refocus on things that are really important.

I am thankful for being physically strong - to be able to work out at a pretty intense level for a 43 year-old, significantly overweight woman. If I keep this up, I will truly meet my fitness and health goals. A good friend once said, "Susan, you are worth at least 20 ponies."

I love it.

Life List - Version 1.0

Life lists seem to be a big deal these days, and being that I am a list-obsessed woman this is right up my alley. The idea of having a 'mother of all lists' to work towards in life is, I think, a great idea. So here is version 1.0 of my life list:

1. Travel alone through Scotland, England and Ireland to visit castles and haunted houses and learn the history
2. Meet my relatives in the UK and visit the old bell house where my father and his family lived for generations
3. Take a cruise to Alaska
4. Help struggling children and adolescents find safety and love – figure out a cause to represent and contribute to accordingly
5. Raise my children to be confident, happy, successful, and to be positive contributors to the world
6. Open a bookstore/café with a fantasy fiction theme
7. Visit New Zealand and Australia
8. Drive across the United states – a route with a “historic” theme
9. Learn how to play tennis
10. Live in New England in an old Victorian home
11. Write a book
12. Join a hiking club
13. Work through issues about my parents – and get over them
14. Have a great relationship with my kids
15. Become a bodybuilder - or just really fit, strong and muscular
16. Improve my financial management skills
17. Be foster parent
18. Learn how to garden
19. Learn how to be a real photographer
20. Own a horse and ride regularly

October

I love October. Bountiful harvests of crisp apples, leaves strewn on the ground, an abundance of color everywhere, pumpkins, hot cider, halloween - I love it all. I love jeans and boots and sweaters. I love the warmth of the October sun during the day and the mystique of clear, chilly October nights. This is my FAVORITE time of year.

I am reminded of how beautiful Virginia is, again.

Bloggers Block

It's been pretty difficult to blog lately - mostly because of what I have been writing about on my other blog. I have been exchanging emails with Kevin Dwyer's sister about her two younger brothers who took their own lives when they were just kids. I have decided to form a team to walk in the upcoming "Out of the Darkness" walk next June - I will be doing it in their honor, and to raise awareness about this cause. It is a 20 mile walk that starts at dusk and ends at dawn. It will be challenging but very meaningful. Right now I am recruiting folks to join me on my team.

After hearing from her, I cannot stop thinking about her family. She too was very young (older than her two brothers) and she was the one who came home and found Kevin. She told me that somehow you learn how to cope and life goes on. She is now married and has children of her own. I salute her strength, and her ability to find the light at the end of her tunnel.

August 19th

• The day that my Dad moved from England to America - he was 18
• The day that I had a plane ticket to go visit my mother, but she died a month earlier
• The day that Big David and I decided to get married
• The day the little Dave was born

Coincidence?

On the Verge...

I am a woman on the verge. On the verge of many things. Sometimes it is frustrating, and other times it is kind of cool. I am on the verge of having a clean house, a well-rounded dinner, finishing the painting in my kitchen, losing 10 lbs., having money in my savings account, getting the laundry done, painting my toenails.

There are so many things I am trying to do, or want to do - but it seems like I never REALLY get there! On the other hand, I do so many things that life is NEVER boring!

Everyday I am also on the verge of complete happiness, or sadness, or silliness - or contentment, depending on the day. I am also on the verge of having it compeltely together, remembering everything I was supposed to remember, having all of my bills paid or paperwork done.

I do SO much but most of the time I feel like I am not getting anything done - and more often than not, I feel overwhelmed. All of the things that need to happen to run the household, manage my job - not to mention my life, seem to swell up and it me in the face like a brick wall. This weekend I felt like that. All productivity was completely shut down because of how overwhelmed I felt. Am I crazy? or just being hormonal. Who knows...

Bad Susan

Today, the BAD Susan was here. I woke up with splitting headache. I was lazy most of the day and didn't go to work (although I spent a bunch of time trying to figure out how to make our site have an RSS feed).

Then, I ate Australian Licorice (lot's of it), 2 glasses of Pinot Noir, a lean cuisine pizza AND 4 handfuls of salt'n'vinegar chips. I should be ready to puke, but oddly enough I feel ok (I just have eaters remorse). I didn't exercise today (although I did Monday-Thursday). I will tomorrow. I am guilty and terrible for going on a strange eating binge. Must be hormonal. Australian Licorice? What the hell was I thinking?

Best Friends

I forgot about grateful Wednesday

ooops.

Yesterday was tiring. In the grand scheme of things, I am very fortunate. I have my health, beautiful children, the means to provide for them - and I have quite a bit of fun!

Life is good.