It's Beginning to Look a Lot like 2019

The Pacific Ocean coast

It's December 31st.  My heart is full after spending Christmas with my family.  The fun continues with weeklong visits from my in-laws, one of my brother-in-law's and his family from Michigan, and my youngest daughter's friend from New Zealand.

With all the excitement heading our way, I'm taking this little bit of free time to reflect on the past year.  It went by quickly, as I'm sure it did for almost everyone over the age of 40.  At the start of the year I listed the following goals:

* increase my quilting --  I didn't finish as many things as I'd hoped, but I was thrilled to be juried into the Dinner @8 exhibition that premiered in Houston.
* docent training -- I was excited and honored to be the docent trainer for two exhibitions this year at the Katonah Museum of Art: Long, Winding Journeys about Islamic visual traditions expressed in contemporary art and Outrageous Ornament: Extreme Jewelry in the 21st Century.  I love learning about and sharing the stories of all the artists and their work.
* more people pictures -- Yeah, I didn't make any progress on that goal except that I did remember to take family pictures at Christmas.  At least I didn't forget that.
* blogging -- This year I posted more than I did in 2017, but not as much as I'd originally hoped.

My girls and I

I'm still working on some of my goals for the new year, but I know these are on my list:

* Continue to create, in all the ways that are meaningful to me.  That means I'm going to adjust my thinking.  I'm going to try not to feel like my needlepoint is taking away from my quilting or that my quilting is taking away from my photography.  They're all important and good for me.

* Continue to docent.  I'm so thankful I started doing this five years ago!

* Make time for exercise.  Yes, I'm still young, but I'm getting too old to ignore my health.  Exercise has to happen regularly.  I have to make time.  No excuses.

* Say yes when I can to new things and/or experiences.  This past year I tried not to be afraid about trying new things.  For example, I said yes to playing on a tennis team, even though I'm new to the sport and didn't know any of the other ladies.  Believe it or not, I didn't die.  In fact I had fun, got lots of exercise, and made new friends.  Now I'm looking forward to next year's season.  Who knows what next year might bring!

* Continue as the NY SAQA rep.  This might be a subset to the "say yes" goal above.  Last September I agreed to be the NY SAQA rep.   I really didn't know what I was getting into.  I've learned a lot already,  have met many interesting people and it's been fun.  I'm hoping that 2019 brings more of the same, plus more activities with my fellow New Yorkers.  I'm hoping to attend the conference in San Jose in April.  Is anyone else going?

* Revamp my website.  There, I said it.  My website is out of date and this will be a huge project, but something's got to be done.  Maybe I won't get the whole thing taken care of but I'd like to try.  First step: getting the current website files off my old computer.

* Blog more.  Could this is a subset of the creating goal? Maybe, but I'm going to keep it separate.  For me, it's about creating a consistent writing practice, organizing my thoughts, putting those thoughts down on paper.

* Give back. Now that I'm an empty-nester I have more time to do things for others.  To that end, I'm taking my dog, Bella, for a test in January.  The goal: that the two of us become a therapy team.  I'll keep you posted.  I've also been asked to be a part of my church's Mission and Outreach committee, the group that helps to designate funds for distribution to charities and organizes volunteer opportunities for Habitat for Humanity and the like.  I think I need to say yes.

It's time to sign off of 2018.  Fingers crossed for us all to have a peaceful, wonderful new year.

The redwood forest floor.