The First 30 Days

In counting down to my new decade I also thought about how I wanted to live my year. Needless to say, that was too much to think about all at once. So I have decided to write a post on the 17th of each month to reflect on my year as a 40 year old. It's really not about the age anymore. 40 is just a nice round number that has given me something to write about! It's now about continued reflection on how I live. What  I do, how I do it and what needs to change. It's a journey at mid-life. Isn't 80ish the life expectancy of a woman?

So here are a few things I did in these last 30 days as a newly minted  40 year old.

1. I made one of the most important purchases I have ever made.

Yes people. I feel like my hair follicles had a little switch that turned on and said, "oh wow, she's 40 now. Turn up the gray hair production." I should count myself lucky since my father has been gray since he was about 19 and I know plenty of people who started going gray in their 20s. But the influx in pigment-less, kinky grays right above my ears is nothing to celebrate.

2. I think I am going to try to finish up my doctorate. I've done all the course work and I just need to take my comprehensive exams and write the damn dissertation. Oh, that's all! But I've started the necessary paper work to get that up an running again. Fingers crossed.

3. I went cold turkey on any and all beverages. H20 ONLY! I  have had only 2 starches in the past 2 weeks and I have drastically shifted my eating habits. Pre-baby, pre 35 body anyone? Toes crossed.

4. I made our summer vacation plans. Punta Cana, here comes the Elliott crew. I think Ethan is old enough now to appreciate a resort.

5. Summer camp registration is a go. It doesn't sound like a big deal but it's not like I can take July and August off. The child needs something to do. So camp is all set followed by after-camp camp ie Camp Abuelo and Abuela. He's never going to want go back to school in September. Can you say spoiled rotten?

So summer begins in ernest next week Tuesday. If you don't want to think about your year ahead - might be too much for some - think about the next 2 months. What are your plans? Are you going away or planning a staycation? Maybe a little bit of both? How about some home improvements? Share with me if you'd like. Maybe I can get some ideas from you. Happy Summer!

Photo of the Month

I take hundreds of pictures a month and in trying to improve my skills, I am going to pick one photo a month as part of this post to share. Enjoy.

Continued Reflections

Today's post is inspired by a fellow blogger's latest post - Sweet Talk with Brooklyn's Sweetheart. So much talk about change and what different milestones in our lives inspire or measure change always inspire me or make me think. It could be graduation, a new job, a marriage, the birth of a baby, or even turning a certain age. Imagine that!

In my profession the "year" starts in July not in January. So for me, as July approaches, I start to think about what this year has meant for me and what I want to accomplish professionally for the upcoming year. It has meant, guess what, CHANGE. Specifically, I have encountered a great deal of professional change this year. I have always thought of myself as a flexible person who has always welcomed change. I surprised myself when I found that I was starting to resent some of the changes I was expriencing, not because I didn't want to see change happen. Instead, I began to feel that the change was overly personal - more about me and who I was than the overall institutional change. While I quickly got over that, and remembered how good I am at what I do, there is still a lingering after taste.

However, what I have realized is that the kind of change I experienced this year was necessary for me. Sometimes I think I lead a somewhat charmed life where I don't have problems with people personally or experience any drama. Every once in a while I'll get a kick in the butt telling me otherwise. It's karma's way of telling me, "Rosann, you were getting too comfortable with the way things are." I needed to go through this professional experience to become a better professional and while I don't think the changes are over or my choice, this year has better equipped me, especially mentally, to deal with what else might come. It has also made me start to think long and hard about what's next for me. I'm sure that I'll share that once I figure it out.

On a less serious change, the weather has drastically shifted and I am so ready for summer. I'm on vacation this week. And I made plans to hit Punta Cana in August. Oh man, I can't wait. I also always make the best of what our region has to offer and will be enjoying day trips with my son around town. You know what that means. Lots of pictures to scrap. :) Here are some of my latest therapeutic creations that were inspired by springtime.