Tomorrow is the official start of winter. But with our first snow under our belts(which consisted of an inch at most, yet proved to be some what crippling for traffic), it feels like the season is in full swing. The end of the calender year is quickly approaching and it has pulled me into a reflective mind set. This year has been long, and somehow at the same time flown by. I have had major ups and downs, and feel as though I have grown as a person on so many levels. I’m honestly glad that 2010 is coming to an end. Life has weighed me down, and really put me through it this year. I have high hopes for a calmer and more evenly paced trip through 2011. It has got to be smoother, because the ride that I have been on in the past 12 months has left me with whiplash and a bit scatter brained.

The past two weeks have been bustling with holiday festivities and I have been floating on the sweet aromas of Christmas cookies and pine-scented candles. We have been out and about more than shacking up at home, and its proving to be an exhausting end of the season. We’ve drifted through a holiday parade, gingerbread making — and crumbling and making again, birthday outings, merry mingles, cookie exchanges, friendly dinners and even re-homing (and in turn saving) a very sweet dog. Phew, I think we are both looking forward to a relaxing family holiday this year!

One way that I manage my life, with its many different directions, is by making lists…. Scribbled notes of necessary chores, groceries, gifts, errands and reminders clutter everywhere I go. My to-do list is long, and growing, and it somehow still never feels complete. Unfortunately, its length out weighs my want to-do list at this time and passions like clicking photos and writing have taken a back seat to more important things like doggie duty and tending to the house and vehicles’ needs. One present that I plan to give to myself is more “me” time. Regardless of all of the must do’s that get in the way of the activities that I would rather be doing, I am grateful for where I am now. I will leave this with a quote…that I slightly altered.

“For every stoplight I didn’t make, every chance I did or I did not take, all the times that I went too far, all the people that broke my heart, all the doors that I had to close, all the things I knew but I didn’t know… Thank God for all I missed, cause it led me here to this.”