First week down...

I think I have finally decided what this blog will be about.

It's taken about a year, but I think that I am going to use this space to chronicle my quest for a better life.

I don't mean that to say that the life I lead now is bad by any means.  I am more fortunate than 99 percent of the rest of the world.  I have a good paying job, a wonderful husband who loves and supports me, an adorable 1940's bungalow, a cat and a dog to share it with, a town with a low crime rate and tons of things to do (as long as you don't want to be out past 10...), my health (mostly), some disposable income and not a lot of debt, and several exciting hobbies.  I am able to read and write, I have clean water and a fully stocked refrigerator available to me at all times. I was born an American, and have the rights and freedoms that come with that.  I have parents who love me and who I actually like, a brother with whom I have a great relationship, and lots of friends near and far.  To complain about my life when I could be so much less fortunate would be not only ludicrous, but disrespectful to those billions of people who have it so much worse than I do.

I mean "better life" in the sense that even if things are great, they can always be better.  I hope to start projects, try new things, and overall be a more interesting, interestED person.  This will hopefully chronicle my blazing glories as well as my tragic failures.

The first week of 2012 was a tumultuous one.  I started the year full of optimism, rang in the New Year with a delicious meal at a local Japanese Steakhouse with friends (and only suffered mild guilt at the huge price tag), saw The Muppets (I really enjoyed it, probably an 8/10), and spent the rest of the night playing cards with our friends James and Sherrie.  The next day was our traditional family Lord of the Rings Marathon, and then it was back to work.

I was not ready to go back to work.  When I had endless free time to fill with shopping, gardening, housework, cooking, and hobbies, I was a generally happy person.  I don't know if it was the years of outdoor ed or what, but I am not very good at time management.  I work until the job is done.  For this 20 hour a week job, I am putting in 40.  It's exhausting, and it makes me cranky.  So, the rest of the week was filled pretty much with work (it was a bad week for the kids too... one of those weeks that really makes you feel like a failure as an educator, because you can't even get them to listen to ONE SENTENCE.)

I did manage to cook some dinners... we are LOVING the Kale and Edamame Pesto from one of my favorite food blogs, Herbie Like Spaghetti.  Super interesting and quite healthy!  We also enjoyed some Easy Black Bean Soup from Girl Food... also healthy!  Getting new recipes is a lot of fun.  Even more so when they fit the three requirements I have for weeknight dinners: Quick, Tasty, and Healthy!  Needless to say, I have been using my immersion blender like a mofo.

Sunday was my first time going to church in a LONG time.  It was mass, and it wasn't a particularly interesting one, but I can tell that it's the right decision.  Not to get all Jesus-y for a bit, but my whole life I have struggled to find a church that works for me because of my religious upbringing.  There is a pride that comes with feeling superior to everyone else, and that is dangerous.  It's easy to pick at churches and find what is wrong with them, but to paraphrase my dear C.S. Lewis, sometimes it's not about what your church can bring to you, but what you can bring to your church.  Anyway, we'll see how it goes, but I am definitely going to keep it up.  Plus, it was nice to have another thing to do with the Husband.  :)

ANYWAY, my goals for this week:

• Get the library cleaned and organized!
• Make this picture frame for my bedroom:

• Keep working on organizing computer files.
• Find some new music on iTunes.
• Keep working on the Basement - almost there!  Pictures to come when it's finished being cleaned.

Also, Thursday will be my first work out/lunch with mom, and Date Night on Friday with "On the Verge" at the MCFTA (I am stoked) and LaZeez for dinner.  Yay!

Jessica