New Year, New Beginnings, and a New Look

Happy New Year! 

2012 was a wonderful year for me.  So many life celebrations happened.  I celebrated my first year of being cancer free. My daughter Ani got married, and just last week we went to Chicago to meet (and love) our first grandchild - Grace - my step-daughter Robyn's baby girl. 

But there's more good stuff:  I was team leader for an amazing group of walkers - Team In Her Shoes - and together we walked 39.3 miles in two days to put an end to breast cancer, and in the process we raised in excess of $35,000!

On the creative front, I completed the illustrations for my first children's book which is coming out this year, and I expanded my use of metals and started working in bronze and copper (as well as silver).   

Last night, as we toasted in the New Year, I reflected back on New Years Eve 2011.  I was "done" with that year.  It was a tough one filled with cancer and surgeries, yet it was also a year of strength and focus, of hope and faith.  As tough as that year was, it was still triumphant because we lived through it.

I can't hope that 2013 will be "better" than last year.  Last year was pretty great.  But I do hope that it will be just as good.   There are definite goals for 2013.  I'm declaring it a year to be healthy, to be happy.

So here is how I plan to achieve this:
1.  Take the bus.  Starting tomorrow I'm back on the bus.  I've been driving to work for the past year (post surgery), and now I'm ready to switch back to public transportation.  This will do a few nice things for me not to mention the environment -
a) It will force me to walk (I'm planning on walking the 6 blocks from our home to and from the bus stop); b) It will allow me time to read/crochet - both of which I love to do. It's a win/win!

2.  Weight loss and Vegetarianism:  I plan on tackling both.  A couple months ago, I gave up eating meat.  I'm having a bit of trouble balancing the food.  No animal protein has meant higher carbs.  I'm feeling it.  It's time to get a grip on the balance.  So I'll be working on finding the happy medium.  Along the way I want to work out some good vegetarian low-cal recipes.

3.  Continue to make time for daily prayer.  I started this last year.   Early morning, alone time with God before starting the day.  I find that this prayer time sets the tone for the rest of my day.

4.  Grow my business.  Make time to create, photograph and list new items.  www.pomegranateandeye.etsy.com

These are the main goals.  I've got lots of ideas  I'm thinking I'd like to walk in the Avon Walk again.  The training will help my health goals (plus it's a lot of fun and for a great cause).  I'd also like to make sure I get to bed earlier than I have been.  But that remains to be seen.  And then there's blogging.  I'm hoping to blog regularly.

What about you?  Do you have goals for the new year?  Leave me a comment and let me know.  Need motivation? Let me know!

Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy, and blessed new year filled with love, compassion, peace and joy!

.

I'm Back!

Where is time going??   I just logged on here and found that I hadn't posted a blog since December 11!!!  Insane!  So much is going on around me, but time doesn't stand still enough for me to organize my thoughts and write.  I have to make time.  So today is Wednesday, Feb. 22, and I'm at the office on my lunch break, with my salad, my water, and my Django Rinehardt playing and two-plus months worth of catching up to do.

My health is good, thank God.  The worst part of surgery/reconstruction (post-mastectomy) is over, and I have a little bit of cosmetic stuff to go through in a couple months, but all in all, I am well.  Well enough to train for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this coming September.  Wait, not only train, but lead a team of amazing women and men (20 in total) as Team In Her Shoes.  It's been fun.  We've been doing weekly training walks, fundraising, and raising awareness for breast cancer.  We each have to raise $1,800 to participate...and with 20 walkers, that makes our goal $36,000.  So we've started early and we're 23% of the way there.  info.avonfoundation.org/goto/inhershoes   So here's a shameless plug:  If you'd like to donate, here's the website!  We're walking to put an end to all cancers and will walk in memory, honor or celebration of your loved one, so send me their name and I will carry them on our 39 mile journey!

My daughter Ani and her fiance Eric set their wedding date, so that's very exciting.  They'll be getting married in the Fall, and it'll be here before you know it.  So there's exciting times ahead.  She's actually started a blog about the whole experience called Bacheegs & Love.   I linked in if you're interested to click and read.  Last month we got to go to Ani's residency graduation.  She's now a full blown pediatric nurse and on her own at Children's Hospital.

The illustration job is COMPLETE as of last night at 12:45 a.m.!!!  Yep, I scanned the last two drawings to the East Coast this morning, and now we're in the process of sending all 15 panels over for publication.  It was part of my Lenten Journey to get these done and over with already!!!  And here we are on day 3 of lent and I'm done (all except for a little sliver of cloth on the priest's waist band.  Really!)

I think the one thing that has really been suffering is my jewelry business.  I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to work in silver or beads at all and given that this year's goal is to "Build my Business" I really need to get off the stick and push, push, push.

I did some writing on Hub Pages over Christmas.  Recipes and whatnot.  If you're interested, check it out.  http://www.hubpages.com/  and you can search for me as "ahnoosh".  Looks of canning and cooking recipes and the recipe for my grandma's yalanchi sarma.

Anyways, that's about all the time I have today.  I just wanted to check in.  I'm going to try to write more regularly.  And I have a lot of ideas.

Here's today's question:  Lent is here.  What is your lenten journey about?