Simply The End

I won't be blogging anymore.  I doubt this is a shock to anybody who still has me in their blog roll. 

To wrap things up a little bit, in case you aren't friends with me in real life or on Facebook, I got a full-time job last December.  I am a SharePoint web developer for a contracting company and I'm currently placed at a Fortune 100 company.  It has been quite a year - I hadn't worked 40 hours on a regular basis since 2003.  I enjoy what I do, most of the time LOL, and I especially enjoy suggesting/being able to implement a solution that helps people do their job more efficiently.  There was some stress a couple months ago when the company was making some cuts to external contractors, but I found out recently that my contract was renewed for another year. 

When I returned to work, I had a really hard time with my time management, and if I'm honest, I still do.  Most days, I manage to get to work, and with Mr. Simple's help, get the kids to their activities.  I also usually get the family dinner hahaha but it is still a struggle to get everyone fed at a decent hour.

The kids are really busy - Flower is 14 and in 8th grade.  She still loves anything related to singing.  She is in a select choir and regular choir at school and is taking private voice lessons.  She would love to go to school at UCLA.  Jelly Bean, who just turned 12 this week, started junior high this year and is getting straight As.  She is making great progress in competitive swimming, especially lately.  She, as well as the other kids, sing in the youth choir at our church.  Super is 9 and in 3rd grade.  He is very bright and very social.  He is obsessed with watching old sports games (mostly football) on YouTube.  He enjoys video games (Madden 25 on the Xbox is his current favorite) and is also involved on the same competitive swim team as Jelly Bean and is doing very well.  He will be doing Youth Basketball again this year as well. 

Mr. Simple is the director of communications and compliance for the minor league basketball league.  He has enjoyed having a job that combine his media relation skills with his love for sports. He also continues to do the radio broadcasts for the local minor league basketball team.  Any spare time that he has, which isn't much, he goes to the gym.  Or plays Candy Crush lol. 

I haven't done much in terms of "Simply Living" either personally or as a business in 2013.  For lots of reasons.  I wasn't here at the house much anymore to do it.  I didn't have time to do it.  I didn't have the money to do it.  I may try and incorporate a little canning, a little Farmer's Market, a little sewing, and a little handwork in 2014.  Small things that I can fit into my schedule.  I think I'm definitely in a part of my life where it just isn't realistic to think that I will be able to devote entire weekends or hours/days to certain activities.  They need to be optional things and no "have to's" I never wanted to feel like I "had to" do Simple Things, but it is so easy to get caught up once you start and feel like you need to be doing it all.

I've had a lot of health issues this year, but have recently completed a full medical check-up and the doctor has determined that it is not related to any long-term health concerns.  I have not done well with exercise and diet for a couple of years now - lots of reasons, but honestly, they are all excuses when you get down to it - but I did learn one thing from my weight loss/fitness journey from 2010-2011.  For me, there is no magic wand, but there is something that works - Exercising most days and small portions.  So I'll be starting that up again.  Today. 

In January, I will also be trying some other "new" things.  I love to sing.  Maybe not quite as much as Flower, but I do enjoy it.  I am not great, but I'm definitely at least o.k.  I'm joining the adult choir at church.  I'm taking a voice lesson once a month.  Maybe trying out for a musical.  I don't know.  I'm also looking to find some ways to do some training/teaching.  In some sort of volunteer way.  Teaching people how to do things really brings joy to me.  I just don't have the time and resources to do teaching/training in Simple Living or Technology, but I'd love to just be able to help out an organization/organizations here and there teaching people. 

My other goal is start living a Simple Life - not the one that I always think of when I hear those words.  Not the I have to make my own butter today or can 72 quarts of applesauce this weekend, or grow all the vegetables that we eat.  I want to be able to live more of a simple life like Laura Ingalls described:

The little white daisies with their hearts of gold grew thickly along the path where we walked to Sunday School. Father and sister and I used to walk the 2 1/2 miles every Sunday morning. The horses had worked hard all week and must rest this one day so with Father and Sister Mary I walked to the church thru the beauties of the sunny spring Sundays. I have forgotten what I was taught on those days also. I was only a little girl, you know. But I can still plainly see the grass and the trees and the path winding ahead, flecked with sunshine and shadow and the beautiful golden-hearted daisies scattered all along the way.

Ah well! That was years ago and there have been so many changes since then that it would seem such simple things should be forgotten, but at the long last I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

I may be busy and I may not be able to do everything I once did.  But I can still do what I do now and still have a simple life.  I can still take the time to enjoy the grass and the trees and daisies and family.  Because as she says "it is the sweet simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

Love to you all,

Andie