Stuck!!

Ever have a day when you feel utterly stuck in your own life. Not a bad kind of stuck, just stuck. Like I have so many things on my plate but I can't touch any of them right now. I just want to know the decisions and move on with my life. But that's not going to happen for some time I fear. Oh and there is the whole issue of what's going on in years 4 and 5 of the five year plan. Could someone please invent some sort of filter that lets you only see past the next 6 months when you need to and not because you're being all whimsical and teary eyed over everyone you know getting married in the last year, save one, okay maybe three. The others were already married so they don't count. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

So off I go to pout about my life being a big huge tease and nobody being able to do a single thing about it. On a bright note, pork roast for dinner. Now that's something that I can really look forward to....pshhhh who am I kidding that doesn't hold a candle to planning your imaginary wedding with an endless budget.

Now, to be resolute

My new year's resolutions:

• Keep my kitchen clean
• Go through all of my boxes before I move again
• Finish my TAW quilt top by the time I move
• Be better at sticking to my budget
• Keep up with my blogs
• Walk every day for at least 20 minutes
• Fit into the dress on the door by Dec.

So, 7 resolutions shouldn't be to hard to keep. What blows my budget every month is fast food. In order to accomplish fitting into the dress I have to cut out the fast food. Walking everyday should help with this too. I hate cleaning the kitchen when it gets really yucky so I'm hopeing tackling it daily will prevent having to clean it on the weekend. Hopefully, in July, I'll be moving to Baton Rouge, LA to start graduate school. This means downsizing a whole lot so I need to go through everything that I have. Lastly, I've been working on this TAW quilt off and on for nearly two years. I'd like to get it done so I can enjoy it.

I do an okay job of keeping this blog up to date but I now have two others to keep track of too. My craft blog can be found at http://pjcraftfun.blogspot.com I hope to do a better job at photographing my craft work and posting it there. The holdiay season went by with nearly everyone on my list getting some sort of gift I worked on and I now have no picutres of those projects. Grrr!

Also, I created a new blog to track this new lifestyle change. http://52to52lessofpj.blogspot.com I'll work at putting some progress photos up in the near future and also some recipes that I really really love and are pretty healthy.

So, here's to a new year full of lots of fun.

Back to Work

I have some catching up to do here. It's the 5th of January and there have been no posts here in nearly a month. I've been home for the holidays and far to busy to even think about updating my blog. I have some great photos to share and a few thoughts too. I'll work on putting it all together tonight as I am trying to finish up my pre-semester to-do list today. I hope everyone had an awesome holiday season and cheers to a great and happy new year.

How to be Happy

Sometimes I'm amazed at how easy it is to be happy.
I don't have to struggle with it, I just think of all the wonderful things in my life.
Maybe it's easier now that the people that I work with are so happy, so I don't feel like I'm rubbing my happiness in their faces.
Maybe I'm just floating along in a cloud of imaginary, fairy tale life and the grey cloud of rain that is real life is coming one day.
At any rate, I don't really care because,
for now, today until I don't know when,
I'm really happy.

A New Favorite

Rascal Flatts

Here

There's a place I've been lookin' for

That took me in and out of buildings

Behind windows, walls, and doors

And I thought I found it

Couple times, even settled down

And I'd hang around just long enough

To find my way back out

I know now the place that I was trying to reach

Was you, right here in front of me

And I wouldn't change a thing

I'd walk right back through the rain

Back to every broken heart

On the day that it was breakin'

And I'd relive all the years

And be thankful for the tears

I've cried with every stumbled step

That led to you and got me here, right here

It's amazing what I let my heart go through

To get me where it got me

In this moment here with you

And it passed me by

God knows how many times

I was so caught up in holding

What I never thought I'd find

I know now, there's a million roads I had to take

To get me in your arms this way

And I wouldn't change a thing

I'd walk right back through the rain

Back to every broken heart

On the day that it was breakin'

And I'd relive all the years

And be thankful for the tears

I've cried with every stumbled step

That led to you and got me here

In a love I never thought I'd get to get to - here

And if thats the road

God made me take to be with you

And I wouldn't change a thing

I'd walk right back through the rain

Back to every broken heart

On the day that it was breakin'

And I'd relive all the years

And be thankful for the tears

I've cried with every stumbled step

That led to you and got me here

And I'd relive all the years

And be thankful for the tears

I've cried with every stumbled step

That led to you and got me here, right here

Oh, baby - Ooo

Oh, got me here

Scared...or just plain crazy

Sometimes things in my mind get really out of control. If you know me, you know this means being either really grumpy and vocal about it or really closed off and quite about it. Neither of those options is particularly good for anyone but that's just how it is.

Lately, I feel really overwhelmed. Things are at a really good place right now. I shouldn't feel overwhelmed. Nearly everything is perfect. The job is good, great really. I'm healthy, I'm loved, everyone I know is doing okay. So, why am I overwhelmed...

I finally got the courage to send in my application for grad school. They sent me back a few emails and I am officially in their system and that's pretty darn cool. I've been having terrible mixed feelings about this whole thing. In Feb. I was bored, and mad and tired of being talked to like I was dirt on the floor by certain people. School seemed like an AWESOME idea. Then...things got really good here. I pulled out of the funk that I was in and the proverbial sun came out.

Now, I think back to how hard it was to move away from my family the first time. I just talked my sister through this mess in August. I don't want to admit that I'm not strong enough to do it again so I keep hoping that as it comes closer I feel better about it. I promised myself that I would do everything I can to make it to grad school. But, if I wasn't excited when I started to hear back that it wasn't the right place for me. I can't tell you how excited I was when I opened my email and had received the info back from LSU. I guess for now we'll go with it's still what I want to do.

Things are changing here...FAST. Some cool things are happening at work. Going to school now is a good thing, probably the best thing that I can do for myself. Hopefully...maybe...crossing my fingers I'll be able to come back here.

I find this whole circle of events funny. I wanted so badly to leave after high school. It was hard but I made it and made lifelong friendships in the process. Then, I wanted so badly not to come back. Now I'm back and even though I'll have to leave for a bit I'm sort of excited at the prospect of being able to come back.

So much going on, so much to think about. I'm glad that I've been given the gift of being able to multi-task.

Pamela Joyce

Re:Birthday Photos

Me and B-day Cake

aparently cutting cake takes major consentration

"Are you really sure that you want all of that?"

My dad's face here is priceless!

Yay, pictures of cake!! Hope everyone has a delightful weekend!

Pamela