2010. . . Whatever.

For the link to my actual blog:  http://ldclark12.blogspot.com

Well, here I am again, writing the third annual Leslie Clark Year-in-Review.  I don't know what spurred me to begin this tradition, but now I feel obligated to keep it up.  It is interesting to go back and look over how things have changed.

10 years ago today I was halfway to college graduation, partying in with college friends with no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

5 years ago today I was preparing to be engaged, 4 years into my teaching my career, and already questioning whether I would be able to continue teaching until retirement.

2 years ago today I had begun a Master's degree fully preparing to leave education.

Today I have a Master's degree that I am not using, I'm still in education, and I still don't know what I want to do with my life.  All I know is that I have great family and great friends.

I think I want to be a Yoga or Pilates instructor.  But that's another blog post.

There really isn't much to reflect on this year.  Other than one major event, it has been a very quiet year.  It has been a year of healing, however, and a year of learning to let go, of learning that I don't have to have all of the answers, even if I think I do.  It has been a year of great disillusionment as I've seen many things that aren't as they appear to be, or how I think they should be.  It has been a year of wondering and questioning and doubting.  "The year of the Mustard Seed," I like to call it.

It doesn't even really feel like a new year is about to roll over.  It just feels like I am in this place of waiting, the place Dr. Seuss warned us all about.  I have no idea what I'm really waiting for.  Well, waiting for someone to show up and spontaneously clean my house, of course.  Who isn't?  But also waiting for something else.  Something big.

Last year I made a pledge to take a great big step out in faith.  Well, I did, and it wound up being the most painful think I have ever had to endure.  I'm sure I will take the same step this new year when the time comes, but I don't know if I will be able to take it as eagerly as I did before.  

It is also the time for making a bunch of promises to myself I probably won't keep.  Really, whose bright idea was the "New Year's Resolution?"  So in order to make myself feel less guilty when these promises fall on their respective faces, I will not be making a list of "New Year's Resolutions" this year.  Instead, I will be making a list of "New Year's Intentions."

1.  I intend to get myself back in shape, in shape enough that I can run 10 miles without stopping.  Not in any specific time, but just do it.  I discovered this year that I would rather just run and run and run rather than try to finish a set distance or run for a set amount of time.  So the number 10 is arbitrary, but I feel like I have to put a number in the intention somewhere.

2.  I intend to renew my relationship with God.  I spent the better part of 2009 being mad at him, but I know I need him.  Some will call me weak for this, and that's ok.

3.  I intend to find a way to work with children, whether it be volunteering somewhere, getting back into a classroom, or SOMETHING.  I MISS KIDS.

I think I'm going to stop with just those three right now.  But I've also been thinking about things I would like to do before I die.  Don't really know why I've been thinking these things.  Probably just bored with vacation.  No, that can't be it. . . but here are some of the things I've come up with:

1.  Get my dogs trained and certified for Love on a Leash.  (Claire and Chelsey, you can stop laughing anytime now.)
2.  Sit in the live audience of Saturday Night Live.
3.  Go to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.
4.  Go to Spain, Italy, Austrailia, and Ireland.
5.  Live ANYWHERE but here.  At least for awhile!
6.  Own a Wrangler/ Rubicon again.  (I miss mine so much!!)
7.  Be debt free.
8.  Backpack from coast to coast.
9.  Go back to Vegas and ride EVERY roller coaster.
10.  Go to Walt Disney World.
11.  Go to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.

That's it so far.  I think there were others, but I can't remember them.  That's what I get for not writing them down!

Thank you to those who choose to share in my narcissistic blogging about all things me.  :)   I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and reflective New Year's Eve, and a Happy New Year's Day.  May your new year be filled with blessings, and may it not take you until April to stop dating things 2009.  :)

Here's to 2010. . . Whatever.

Peace,
Leslie

Christmas Wisdom. . .

Always take the time to stare at your tree with the lights off.

A brightly lit tree is a symbolic, philosophical thing.  Standing in the corner of a room, quiet, beautiful, wanting nothing more than to be admired. 

But the true wisdom is in a dark Christmas tree.  For it is only when gazing upon a dark tree, do you see exactly how uneven your ornaments are.

Peace!

I'm a Mac. . . ?

I got a Mac for my birthday.  (I love you, Bill!)  And I love it very very much.  At the same time, I often feel like I am too stupid to operate it. 

I miss the "Home" and "End" keys.  I miss having both a "Backspace" and a "Delete" key.  The Control Key is really the Function Key, while the Command Key is really the Control Key, and both are in the wrong places!  I can't figure out how to crop a photo or edit a video.  I have a hard time moving video projects back and forth between home and work.  (Seriously, Apple, you open every Microsoft formatted document out there, but you won't open a .wmv or .wma?  Come on!) 

But I L-O-V-E LOVE the fact that it has not slowed down, frozen, or crashed on me at all.  I love how pretty it is.  (Yes, I'm still a girl.)  I love that everything in our house, from our computers to our iTunes to our TV to our printer to our phones works seamlessly.  I love how much freaking FASTER it is because it doesn't load 20 programs into the system tray. 

Yep.  I think I am a Mac.

Bloggers Anonymous. . .

Hello.  My name is Leslie.  And I have too many blogs.

And how do I deal with it?  I start another one! 

I have begun another blog that will document my weight loss journey that I began, once again and hopefully for all, last week.  Although I am going to give you the link in this post, and anyone is welcome to read it, the new blog will not feed directly into Facebook the way this one does. 

I will still maintain this one as my outlet for venting and for attempting to amuse people with silly anecdotes from my life.  But I feel my fitness/nutrition/weight loss blog will be much more personal than my typical blog posts, and should only be read by people who want to, and not clogging up space on people's Facebook Newsfeed.

So here you go.  I invite anyone who wants to walk this journey with me to follow along, whether it is from the sidelines as an encourager, or in the trenches with me.  Feel free to bookmark the site, read and comment.

My new blog will be found at: http://frenchfryloveaffair.blogspot.com/

Peace,
Leslie

Randomness. . .

So, I haven't written in awhile.  No excuse, other than that I haven't really had anything interesting to write about.  I still don't, but at the request of my loyal reader, here is some of the nothingness going on in my life.  :)

I just completed assembling my first slow cooker recipe other than throwing a hunk of brisket in, dumping in a can of coke and turning it on.  (I always over cook them.  Why is that?)  Of course, we won't be eating the concoction tonight.  The book I bought of slow cooker recipes does not publish a total cooking time on the page.  So I learned today that we must not stop when it says "cook on low for 2 1/2 hours," but we must continue reading, and look for phrases such as, "then add the ground beef and cook for two more hours."  Then the basic math comes in, etc., etc.

So the meal, which I thought would be ready around 7, is not going to be ready until 9.  No way I am waiting that late to eat, so it will be cereal tonight and an update on how the meal turned out tomorrow night.  :)  (Plus, I will disclose the recipe if it was any good.)

I joined Weight Watchers again today.  Not just the online version, either.  I'm going the whole way this time, baby.  Because even though online worked the first time, it didn't so much the second time.  So here we go.  I am quite annoyed with myself that I have to pay money as motivation to not sit around eating Zingers all day, but hey.  You do what you've gotta do, right?

And here is a piece of randomness for you.  In perusing the Internet earlier today looking for Pilates classes, I found a site where you can become a certified Pilates instructor.  I am a big fan of Pilates, though I have yet to find a decent class that doesn't charge a whole bunch of money, so I looked through the information.  I've decided that I would like to be an Pilates instructor.  The problem is that the closest place I could find that teaches the certification classes is in Dallas.  They are weekend classes, so I could do it this summer, but you have to have 20 hours of Mat Pilates classes taken before they will even look at you.  And, so, I continue my search for a decent Pilates class in Amarillo.  (I don't even know if any class will count or not.  I guess if I really want to do this I will find out.)

Quote for the day:  "Maturity means knowing you are crazy but being able to hide it."

Peace!

Quotes and Exchanges from a Weekend with the Nephews. . .

Rather than bore you with the synopsis of the weekend, I am just going to share some witty little tidbits of conversation between my 7 year old and 10 year old nephews and Bill and I from last weekend. The only particular order these are in is the order in which I remember them.

Leslie: "Do you know what I will do if you spill that drink in my car?"
Connor (7): "Take me in the bathroom, turn me upside down, and give me a 'twirlie?'"
***************

Sean (10): "Can we go to Logan's for dinner?"
***************

After Connor has been quizzing me about his church for awhile, asking questions such as "Do we have a flat screen?" and "Do we have video games?" --

Sean: "The answer to every question you ask her is yes!"
Connor: "Do we have a camel that kicks you as you walk in?"
***************

Leslie: "Since Sean picked where we are going for lunch, Connor, you can pick what we get for dessert."

. . . after lunch . . .

Connor: "I'm full. I don't want dessert."
Leslie: "Ok. Sean, what do you want for dessert."
Connor: "But you said I could pick!"
Leslie: "But you aren't going to eat any. . ."
Connor: "But you said I could pick."
Sean: "He's right. You said he could pick."
***************

At the pool, where Sean has been standing on top of the water slide for 15 minutes and is still dry:

Leslie: "Are you ok?"
Sean: "Yes."
Leslie: "Are you going to slide down, or are you going to hang out up there and work on your tan all day?"
Sean: "There's no lifeguard up here." (Mind you, there are 5 life guards on duty and only about 20 kids in the entire pool. Just no lifeguard at the top of the slide that only 3 kids are using.)
Leslie: "So?"
Sean: "Well, somebody's got to be in charge! These people don't know how to read!"
***************

Sean: "Can we eat at Logan's?"
***************

Leslie, in a text to Bill: "Gold Star for you Uncle Bill. You let one nephew snow you into renting video games that are for the PS3, which coincidentally, has only one controller."
Bill: "Don't let him fool you. One of those is for the Wii." (which has multiple controllers.)
Leslie: "My bad. I asked the other nephew why he wasn't playing, and he told me they were both for the PS3. I wonder who he got that idea from????"
***************

Here's one especially for those of you that know about the drama that ensues everytime I have to put my dogs outside--

Connor: "Abbey and Zoey wanted in so I let them in."
Leslie: "But I just put them out. And we are about to leave!"
***************

Leslie: "So, Sean, do you not like to swim and jump off of the diving board anymore?"
Sean: "Not really."
Leslie: " Then what do you do when you go to the pool?"
Sean: "Work on my tan, watch people, and push girls in the pool."
Leslie: "You push girls in the pool, or you watch people push girls in the pool?"
Sean: "Both."
***************

Sean: "Can we go eat at Logan's?"
***************

I truly may never be ready to be a parent. I adore my nephews and am even a little sad that I didn't get my 14 year old one for the weekend. But I would be lying if I said I did not relish in the utter silence that consumed my house that night. :)

The First Installment of "Things My Dogs Have Taught Me About Life."

I believe that dogs are hands down the happiest species in the world. As humans, being generally discontented most of the time with what we do or do not have, I think we can learn from dogs. This is what I have come up with so far. I'm sure they will teach me more. These are all written from my dogs' perspectives. I'll leave you to draw your own parallels.

1. Protect what you love with everything you have.

2. Yes, we make mistakes and sometimes get mad at each other. But, really, we should all be just a belly scratch and a Milk Bone away from forgiveness.

3. For optimal functionality, 16 hours of sleep daily is a must.

4. The outside world is a scary place. Never go alone.

5. Love everyone, but know who feeds you, who scratches your belly, and who sneaks you food from the table. These are your true friends.

6. If the ones you love feel threatened by someone, there is probably a reason for it. Be prepared to bite that someone on their behalf.

7. If you don't take time to check out/ sniff EVERYTHING everytime you go out, how will you know if someone new has been in your vicinity?

8. Old toys that haven't been played with for a long time are just as good as new toys.

9. Find time to curl up in your favorite spot and just sit.

10. Times will come when the one you love is upset and you just can't understand why. But even though you can't say anything to help, often just nuzzling her with your nose, licking her face, and letting her cry into your fur makes it all better.