It's a New Year

It's that time of the year,  the time to look back on the year gone and look forward to the future.  The time when one actually stops and says,  "wow time flies, what did I do with it all?!?"

The last year was an awful year and an amazing year all in one;  it was a roller coaster.   Last year my life changed upside down.  I spent the year waiting for my new life, looking forward to the future.  Being optimistic about what was ahead.  And waiting, lots of waiting. Months were spent in the US avoiding the previous country.  I missed my hubby so very much.

I planned a wedding, which I loved and was super fun.  I found so many talents for crafts and creativity that were bursting to get out.  I had many wonderful days with both my parents making and creating, and telling them how to glue what to what, lol.  Please forgive me, mom & dad.  I got to bond with my parents as an adult.  It's something I wouldn't give up for the world, I know them on a totally different level than before.  It was a beautiful blessing in disguise.  I got married, it was all I could have ever dreampt of. My beautiful day to celebrate our love.  I built 2 vacation homes in Southern Oklahoma,  they are currently on the vacation rental market.  Building helped me find myself and some hidden talents.

I reflected on my life.  Resulting is a massive life changing change of heart, I now have a totally different outlook.  I am much more focused on doing things to make "me" a better person, to expand myself, to challenge myself, being creative, being the "real" me not the me I think I'm suppose to be.  I loved working for myself this year.  I look back on my previous career with a degree of self-pity.  Corporate oriented ambition seems unproductive and, well, evil.  I'm trying to make the most of my new country, Norway. I'm excited for 2012, I'm excited about our new life.

Goals for 2012:

1. Get a job.  I picture it a bit like this: Somewhere to spend my time, something to challenge my brain.  Something with projects and where I can make an impact.  Somewhere I can be proud to work.  Probably something engineering and oilfield oriented to use my previous experience.  However this time, I'm not going to let it control my life.  Family WILL come first.  I will not work for months on end every single day without a break, I will not be bullied by my company or it's employees.  I will apply myself to make my company a better place and to achieve our goals.  I will spread my happy cheer to my co-workers.  I will not they them bring be down to their level.  I will work for a happy company, full of happy people, with smiles and honorable goals.  I actually think this will be quiet easy.  Norwegians have a good work ethic based on family time and it is not based on "the corporation is #1."  Plus, they actually have labor laws and believe in them.
2. Buy the ever illusive Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  Use it to make lots of things from scratch, including: a cake, cinnamon rolls and ground beef.  Find it a wonderful prominent place on my counter, for me to stare at with glee whenever I walk past the kitchen.  
3. Improve my cake icing skills. (They currently suck.)
4. Learn what all the settings on the stove actually mean.  Learn to cheat the induction stovetop, or get a new pots and pan set.  My current set doesn't work on the stovetop, most frustrating.
5. Throw a couple dinner parties.  
6. Learn to make sushi.
7. Make friends outside of work, mine and my husbands.
8. Paint pretty pictures.
9. Make my home a little less clean modern style and a bit more India Sari soft.  More "home" like.  I need to figure out what that means myself.
10. Become a better photographer; use light better, fill the image, work with my angles.

It's a brand new year!   It's not usually so exciting.  But It's time for a new year.  2011 you will never be forgotten.



Hope you have honorable goals going into 2012, and have a wonderful New Year!