"Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!" - Amanda Bradley

"There's a lot happening in many of us. I think you have to celebrate every part. It's what you are. You have to try to find all of those secret names." - Cassandra Wilson

I have been so out of commission the past week or so, still not at 100% but making steady progress.

It seems like a lot of people pick a guiding word for themselves now. Ali has popularized this in the scrapbook world, yet I know it isn't a "new" thing. It is fun to read other people's words and their reasoning behind the words.

Last January I talked about my reasoning and how I started the process of choosing a word here. I also like to find a few quotes to keep around to encourage and remind me. I am a quote girl - I love 'em.

This year, as you may have guessed, I chose the word celebrate to focus on. I like the idea of celebrating the everyday, the good, the bad, the little things, the big things. There is something everyday that is worth celebrating even if it is just that God gave you one more day. Last year was difficult in some ways - emotional, trying and I am ready to focus on good, focus on celebrating the details of everyday.

I'm excited for this year - this journey of celebration. While I know this word won't make me have a perfect year I hope that it will remind me to focus on what I can celebrate everyday.

So, while I was sick I made the canvas above - decoupage (got a little messy - it was great) and a quote and some of my favorite letter stickers. Thanks to my husband for his creative input.

Hope your 2010 is in full swing and going well so far.

Let's celebrate!

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Lewis Carroll

I've been on a little blogging break this week (I hope I'm back now!).

Some things I love right now (and luckily got to experience this week! WoooHooo!):

cupcakes (especially Trophy cupcakes).
I believe cupcakes are the best cakes...small, tasty, mmmm...yum.
A new little cupcake shop opened in town which is where
Lorinda (cousin in picture 3) and I will be
celebrating next week for my birthday.

my friends and being goofy. Even better being goofy with friends!

my cousin. You know I love her. And Starbucks.
Cousin + Starbucks = Perfection.

A new book by an awesome author. Love a new book.

Have a fantastic weekend. Do something fun. I am working on looking at my one little word for this year - refocusing and reflecting and possibly preparing a list of 35 things to do before I'm 36 (I love reading the posts at Hula Seventy about her lists and I thought maybe...). Lots of stuff running through my brain...just need to channel it (good luck to me!).

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Ghandi

When I was in college I had an instructor (I can't call her a professor, because really she wasn't and beside some fun self-exploration exercises she wasn't a very good teacher...anyway....) who led us through several exercises regarding self-exploration (blah, blah, blah). One of our 'assignments' was to pinpoint a goal for the quarter (not related to grades...or turning assignments in on time, something personal - weird) and pick a word or phrase to focus on. Every day, at the beginning of class (I think it was three days a week) we had to journal about our word or phrase for ten minutes. It was a neat exercise. I enjoyed it. The final project was all related to this work.

(photo taken by my mother-in-law, Lee, of a wonderful creation by my husband when he was younger)

I attempted to do this during subsequent quarters, however without the alloted time (blah, blah, blah) I didn't continue. However, the idea of focusing on a word or phrase for a period of time stuck. We did it in Bible study and imagine my delight when my favorite scrapbooker, Ali Edwards, introduced the one-little-word challenge a few years ago. Just what I needed to get me back on track.

For the past two years I chose the same word - believe. I tried changing it last year, but believe seemed to stick. I evidently wasn't through with it yet.

This year's word came to me during the extended winter break. The same word kept coming to me. And let me tell you before I tell you the word that it isn't the word I wanted. I wanted something more, something pretty, something that would make a cute sign (like my believe sign - I love it). However, this word isn't cute. It won't make a cute sign (however, I think I can figure something out!).

My word for 2009 (dudududum!) is do. Yup, you read it right do. DO. DO. DO.

Why did I pick the word do? I hope I can make it make sense for everyone else. It makes sense to me and I guess that is what is important.

Do. I am an idea girl. I have a lot of want-to, that-would-be-fun-to ideas. These ideas cover a wide range of things...some personal, some not so much - not going to list them here. Anyway...I have a lot ideas and plans, oh the plans I can make. My problem is with the execution of said ideas and plans (and really I didn't think execution was a good word - it might be for me, but that is a whole other post). I decided this year I needed a word of action. Believe was a nice word. It was very inner-personal. It was work for me, by me. I didn't really have to put myself out there. But this year I wanted it to be different. I want to DO!

I like that DO is active. I expect change in myself this year.
Resolutions for the new year? No.
Change? Action? Yes.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein