In my previous blog post, I focused on 2017. Now that we are a few weeks into 2018, it's time to shift gears. Sticking to my "if I write it on my blog, I will do it" mindset, I announce my plans for 2018. #1. Continue to be a blessing to our Compassion International Child, Beatrice. While the distance is great, enriching Beatrice's life is greater. I will continue to keep her in my prayers and lift her up. #2. Be a better example to my daughter. Show her by example that no one should bully or coerce her with putdowns, negativity, or "controlling" behaviors. Teach her that those who abuse their "power" can and will be held accountable. ALSO - - - > Yes, it is ok to "tell on someone" when that someone is completely out of line.
#3. (This ties into #2.) Have a stronger backbone. #4. Walk through trials and challenges knowing that I do not walk alone. I have God and his son, Jesus. I also have people who actually WANT to support me. I need to accept that I cannot and should not shoulder all the stress alone.
#5. Be kinder to those who continue to show me kindness. I take some of my biggest champions for granted. Time to stop that and show them the kindness they show me.
#6. Don't pressure myself to enter art shows and jump through other hoops just for the sake of being a Photographer. To clarify, only do an art show if I want to and have the time to. Being in an art show doesn't make or break me as an artist. #7. Be kind to myself (enough said).
#8. Find some new "plant-based" foods that don't make me gag. There has to be something out there for me! #9. Read More. Write More.
I'll end it there. I think these goals can help me lead a pretty sweet life in 2018. As you know, I'll be checking in here from time to time to make sure I am keeping my word! What are your goals? Do you set a few to kick off each year? Feel free to comment or message me. Join me for the journey!
Ringing in the New Year in 2012 with my friend's son.
I tend to spend the first day of the New Year on a trail. I love a "First Day Hike." However, thanks to an incredibly upset stomach and waking up to DANGEROUSLY low temperatures today, I have been homebound.
2014 First Day Hike. My Mom, me, and many others enjoying St. Francois State Park.
What does one do besides attack some to-do lists and ponder Star Wars fan theories for the follow up to The Last Jedi? Well, I look at social media. So, let's take a left turn here. I love how humans are creatures of habit.
This hit home with me in December 2017. Excellent quote/thought!
We are nesters, schedule-keepers, and routine-makers. Even people who claim to be more "loose" and "spontaneous" have their own habitual rituals. (I love how that rhymes: habitual ritual!) Now, back to where I left off with social media and our routines in life... When did it become a trend for so many people to bash the previous year on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? I've noticed it more and more. When we turned the page to 2017, I saw lots of posts saying how HORRIBLE 2016 was and that 2017 was going to be a NEW START. Same can be said this year. Over half of my newsfeed is about how 2017 apparently was a total wreck, but 2018 is going to be DIFFERENT.
Did all the complainers forget the AMAZING 2017 Solar Eclipse!?
Really? I don't think looking back at the "mayhem" that was the previous year is a good way to set yourself up for success in the New Year. Why not focus on the positive things that happened?
I watched a snow and rain storm come in and out of the Grand Canyon in 2017. My mom took this photo of me when I saw a rainbow forming.
If you can't think of any, why not look through your camera roll to find a few? It's really not that hard!
My daughter's first flight was in 2017. We spent Spring Break in Arizona.
Also, I hate to add this thought into the mix, but has it ever occurred to people that changing the last digit on the year isn't how one is going to find a NEW start?
Karlene making a friend in 2017 when we camped at Hawn State Park in Missouri. Nothing beats splashing in Pickle Creek!
For one, I know that in 2018 for me to "flip my script" that I have to face some shit (pardon the word, but it's the best I got for it) that I am dreading. I hate conflict, but at the same time, knowing who and what is worth taking a stand for is something that is going to be critical for harmony in my world in 2018.
Karlene clicked this of me playing "tough" at Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota during the summer of 2017.
That process, for me, is going to be easier by not closing myself off to those who love me, but allowing them to be there for me as I walk this path. I have a habit of shutting down and turning inward when faced with problems. (Just ask my friend, Kris. She especially sees this in me!) Also, it means that I have to trust in my Faith more than ever. Afterall, it's His Grace and Love that makes for a better day, week, year, decade... LIFE --- NOT just the simple act of flipping a page on a calendar.
We watched the sunset in Badlands National Park in 2017. God is an artist!
And, while we're at it, looking back on the negativity of the year before will certainly not help light the way towards a NEW and IMPROVED life.
Checking out the Lake at Illinois Beach State Park. Summer 2017.
As I wrap up this blog post, I hope that some of this can help you out and that you'll consider the "camera roll" trick for finding the positives in the year before. I know I enjoyed the process:
Toured the SunDrop Museum in Wisconsin! YUM!
My daughter got to see DanTDM and high five him!
Karlene got into her school's Art Show.
I helped organize and run the second Journalism Summit for HS students at East Central College in September 2017.
Sure, it was rainy - but took my friend Kris to see some amazing sights in Southern Missouri she had never seen before. That was a highlight to 2017!
Attended National Journalism Convention with two awesome students! November 2017.
This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen! Watched this baby and mom (back behind the rock) interact in South Dakota during our adventures in the Black Hills.
Another beautiful road trip to Lesterville, Mo in October 2017!
The BEST blurry photo I have EVER taken for Lydia's Birthday!
"Sarah Day" Toured a few caves in Missouri with Aunt Sarah.
I wish you all the best and thank you for supporting MK Designs!
What can really beat enjoying a hard-earned ice cream treat on a warm August day with the people who matter most to you? Not much actually.
Summers fly by faster and faster each year I am alive. I remember them passing by slowly in my youth.
I have memories of calling the school pretending to be my mom in order to find out who my teacher would be. (Sorry, mom!) Then, calling my friends to see if they would do the same. Would we all be in the same class? THAT was the big mystery to solve as we were twiddling our thumbs and counting down the days until we could see each other again.
I was always looking ahead, not enjoying the here and the now. Perhaps that is how it goes. Maybe that is what propels us towards adulthood?
I just know that NOW I do my best to live in the moment and not wish it away.
Because, before you know it, a beautiful moment is gone. Such as this one from camping and hiking with my daughter in 2013:
Now that I am on the flip side of it, days speed by. I can't have enough time off to enjoy moments with my daughter and other loved ones.
This summer we had adventures in Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Illinois, Wisconsin and (right here) in Missouri. Not one second seemed to creep along slowly. They passed like a scene from the "Fast and Furious" movie franchise.
However, there were some moments that did seem so beautiful that they slowed down just enough for me to savor them. Strangely enough, it reminds me of this scene from a Star Trek film I enjoy:
Time is indeed something we cannot control, but we can control our reactions to it. As for myself, all I can do is savor the moments where time briefly pauses for me to delight in what is in front of me.
Marveling at the fact my daughter had no problem rushing ahead of me towards this view in the Badlands:
Sitting at a picnic table at our KOA in Onawa, Iowa...watching the wind and light upon my daughter's face, and thinking about just how beautiful she is:
Afterall, as the song goes, we "can't fence time." However, I do believe we can be more aware and recognize a moment that must be savored.
I finally did it. It took longer than I thought it would, but how fitting that I not only completed the 31 topics of the Summer Blogger Challenge I started, but that the last one would be from yesterday "Labor Day" aka the official "end" of summer. This is a list of all 31 topics I covered...
Now, I am going to CELEBRATE with images from Labor Day... a quick moment to CELEBRATE not just Summer 2014, but who I am and who my daughter is. We enjoy nature, life, each other... and so much more. These moments with her I cherish. I pray one day she looks back and has the same viewpoint... that our time together was well-spent. I love you, Karlene. More than you shall ever know. :-) Here is our quick trip to Little Indian Creek Conservation Area. Here's a pdf handout about this area: http://extra.mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures/7837.pdf
Well, this is kinda easy... very recently my local Library had a contest to design a bookmark. My daughter and I both entered, and we both won! She won her age group, and I won mine. Pretty fun stuff. Here's my bookmark you can pick up this summer at Scenic Regional Library in Union, MO.
My Winning Design/Drawing!
#7. What did I do today? Unseasonably cool temps and low humidty meant I slept like a rock. It felt great to sleep in no ac, in other words: no recycled air! I didn't start waking up till nearly 10:30. My kiddo - well, that was about 11:30. No "breakfast" so we did "brunch" - she helped me make French Toast because she is on a kick to learn more about cooking. Then, lots of work to do for my day job and volunteer groups, errands to run, places to go, people to see, ice cream to eat, and what not. We got home to make dinner for our guests (my parents) and to let the cats out on the deck for some lovely play time since the weather is so beautiful right now. We had dinner, watched a movie with my parents, and after they left - we went on a walk. The weather today is just amazing! Oh, and now I am updating my blog!
Ice Cream, beautiful skies, happy kitties, and deck time...
Sweet Magical French Toast!
Artwork outside my friend's business.
I framed these in hopes to hang them in a business that has expressed interest in showing my work. What do you think? They are small - only 8X8, but I kinda like small.
The view from the track at the school near my house. Beautiful night to walk!
#8. My "bestie" - THAT is a tough one.
I used to have a ready answer for that. Now, I do not.
I know what I feel a best buddy should do... and what they should be. I know I have had several people who fit the job come and go in my life.
Right now - if I had to say who my BEST friend was, I'd say my mom. Without a doubt.
As for a non-relative Best Bud? Emily Rose is and always will be one of my best friends. The same goes for Kris, in fact I think Kris and I are closer now than we've ever been.
Terri is a great new friend I have made and I enjoy time with her. Plan on having some fun with her this week in fact!
I am blessed that at work Kathy Allen was my friend for YEARS and now Juli Schuster has sorta slid into that place for me since Kathy retired. Both of them are so unique and special in their own different ways. However, they are both small (way smaller than I am!), beautiful women, who are two of the most fierce and loyal mothers I have ever encountered! :-)
I am very blessed to have a lot of different friends over the years, some have stayed - some have gone... others have had gaps in communication with me, but we pick right up where we left off...
It's just hard to answer, "Who is your BEST friend," when there are many out there... so I will stick with the constant in my life, my rock, my strength: my mom. :-)
ENJOYING THE BLOG CHALLENGE! THANKS FOR READING!
Words/Photos, etc. by ME! (aka MK Designs) July 2014.
Naturally I could say that my favorite thing to do is take photos or travel... or this... or that...but I won't. The reality is this: right now my favorite thing to do in my world is be with her (My Daughter). “Sometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood - finding a piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without.” ― Jodi Picoult “Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.” ― Donna Ball “Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors.” ― Khaled Hosseini “The only love that I really believe in is a mother’s love for her children.” ― Karl Lagerfeld “Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.” ― Robert A. Heinlein “Accept the children the way we accept trees—with gratitude, because they are a blessing—but do not have expectations or desires. You don’t expect trees to change, you love them as they are.” ― Isabel Allende
Camping at Council Bluffs Lake in the Mark Twain National Forest.
A fancy dress for a fancy wedding we attended for a former student of mine. The cheese was heavenly!
Her first "big kid" job of helping mom install a rock flower bed at our new house last summer.
Picking out a dish to create/cook and making it together! Pizza Monkey Bread! Yum.
MK Designs. July 2014. Please don't copy... but feel free to link up our blogs for the Blog Challenge this summer! Comments and feedback welcome!
