New Beginnings

I feel like I have so much to talk about that I don't know where to begin. Some people {most?} would simply say: "Start at the beginning." But, I'm never able to figure out what event was actually the beginning of the story I'm about to tell. Actually, in this case, this story IS the beginning.

I'm so excited about things that are happening for me. Several things are new and fresh. You may remember that I mentioned I was working some things out. Well, things are working out in beautiful ways.

Today, {1/2/13}, I begin a new job. I'm writing this before I actually arrive at my new employer's office to begin my first day. Just telling you about it here gives me huge butterflies. {Butterflies in a good way!} I'm super excited about this opportunity. I decided to wait until everything was firmed up before "going public" with my change.

I've shared before that my "profession" is banking. I rarely talk about real work because who would think banking is interesting? --Other bankers...that's who. But my blog is really not where I want to focus on my day job. Instead, it's where I want to explore other aspects of my life that make me interesting. 

All of that said, the fact is work/job/employment often takes up a huge amount of my waking hours and takes up a huge number of brain cells. So, it is a huge part of my life...and one that I wanted to share with you here.

I absolutely loved working at my prior job. I had a seriously cool boss. She is smart, fun and a great advocate. She is a huge part of what makes the entire team such a fun group of people. 

The fact that I enjoyed my job {and was good at it...really, really good at it} and that I enjoyed my team members, as well as my boss, made the decision to make a change a difficult one.

But, the new position has the opportunity for me to get back to a part of banking that I truly love. And, the person I will be working for will be an amazing mentor. I'm looking forward to the type of work I will be doing. 

So, last week I said "Goodbye" to people and a job that I enjoyed and where I felt at home. Today, I will be saying "Hello" to people I do not know {yet}. I will be saying "Hello" to a company I have not gotten to know yet and a role that is new to me. All of this is wonderfully exciting {and just a teeny bit scary.}

Wish me well.

UPDATE:  It was a GREAT day.

Happy New Year!! And Blogiversary!

Happy New Year! Happy Time for New Beginnings!

This is my second Blogiversary. You may recall that my very first post was on New Year’s. {I guess since I said this is my Blogiversary...that may have been obvious.}

Here's to a Rockin' New Year's Eve

2012 ended just like it began {sort of}, with champaign and family that are more than friends. 

You may remember that last New Year's was spent with Hubby's siblings. {We are a group of five!} I have loved each of these people since the moment I met them. We have hung out together and vacationed together and found snippets of time to talk on the phone or video chat since, like, forever! Shared memories and jokes just get richer and richer. 

Brother's wife and I like to sneak off and laugh until tears roll down our faces. We laugh until we can't catch our breath. And we often get in trouble with our husbands. They think we are too rowdy? Or think we may be making fun of them somehow? SIL and I have talked on the phone and our stories make each other laugh/cry on the phone too. 

Hub's Sis is also important to our group of fun. She and SIL totally get how wonderful white Russians are and allow me to indulge in Kaluha and cream. And sangria in summer? Why, yes, thank you! Many an afternoon has seen one or three of us on the porch with a sangria. We know how to appreciate the small pleasures.

We three "girls" enjoy our time together often on the porch or in the kitchen watching SIL (Bro's Wife) cook. She loves to cook and she is incredibly good at it. 

The boys are often in another room taking techie talk, or re-wiring computers or trying to establish the fastest connection to something and typically talk in geek. 

Bro and SIL are incredible hosts. They have created a home that is so inviting and comfortable and are so generous with having family come and stay for our visits.   

SIL loves to decorate for Christmas. She usually has several trees with different themes. When we visit around Christmas time there are so many cookies and goodies we can never finish them all. It is a Christmas wonderland at their house. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be with them this time of year.

Looking at some 2012 Highlights

Happy Year of the Dragon

Last year was my first Chinese New Year post. In fact, I was a little ashamed to realize that I had such a limited knowledge of the Asian Tradition.

Interestingly, since the Time Square Ball Dropping New Year's celebration, my 2011 Chinese New Year post has received a spike in "reads".  I tried to decide if I would write a 2012 Chinese New Year post and almost didn't. There were two reasons I thought my Chinese New Year thoughts were a one-time musing. The first reason is/was that I didn't post about it on January 23rd (or even the 24th). The second reason is that I wasn't sure I could find something new to explore for how the Chinese New Year fits into my life.

I'm glad that I decided to revisit the topic, because, of course, there is more to explore.

Please don't judge me for my lack of knowledge about this holiday. There are many holidays that I was not raised with that I do not know details about. My lack of knowledge is not an indicator of my lack of respect. (At least I don't intend it to be.)

Anyway, I did not realize until I started toying with the idea of writing about the Year of the Dragon, that the New Year celebration actually lasted until the first full moon (2/6/12).  So, with that new knowledge, I'm still late to the "party" but I wanted to write about it anyway.

Last year I learned that I was born in the year of the Tiger. Knowing this is no different than knowing the year in which I was born. (You will have to check Tiger years if you want to guess my age.)  For me, naming the years based on an animal can be similar to thinking of it as a memory tool. --You know, like knowing that the last year of the Dragon was 2001.

The years also have qualifiers (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). 2012 is a year of the Water Dragon. 2001 was a Metal Dragon. The last Water Dragon year was 1952.

I struggled with History classes in both high school and college.  To this day I regret taking a World History course in college when it was not required.  (The university made it a requirement for Freshmen entering college the year after I did). Why do I regret this choice? Because it brought down my GPA. Calculus did a number on my GPA as well.  But that was necessary for me to learn some major concepts (like, I shouldn't choose a major that required calculus).

Coming back to my point about the naming of years and history. If I had thought to think of timelines in a different way than what was presented, I may have remembered more of what makes history important.

Anyway, the Year of the Dragon is thought to bring: Well, I'm not quite sure. But I understand that people born in the Year of the Dragon are typically brave and innovative highly driven and successful.

The celebration of the Chinese New Year includes decorating with things that symbolize wealth happiness and good fortune.  It's also a time of gift giving and thinking only good thoughts.

The home should be cleaned before the start of the New Year so that there is a fresh start and there is no need to focus on "work" in the first days of the New Year.  The tone of the New Year celebration week sets the tone for the year.  So, you want to be zen with your world during this time. You know, peaceful, harmonious home, and having/promoting harmony in your relationships.

While I was only familiar with the first day of the Chinese New Year, the 15-day celebration is marked with a different emphasis each day.  For Example:
Day 1: Is to Honor You Elders (specifically in your own family).
Day 3: Typically is not for socializing with relatives or friends (I'm not sure if this is a day of meditation or what...more research is definitely needed.)
Day 15: Is the final day of the Chinese New Year and often includes a Lantern Festival.

I began writing this post back on Feb. 5th. But stepped away and didn't finish. I've decided this day is a good day to share my very little knowledge of the Traditions of the Chinese New Year.

Enjoy.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2090516/Happy-Chinese-New-Year-2012-Millions-welcome-Year-Of-The-Dragon.html#ixzz1l6GnU15w

Happy New Year & Blogiversary

Happy Chinese New Year Y'all!

When I arrived at my desk this morning there was a red envelope with my name on it placed on my computer keyboard. I was immediately happy!~~ Even before opening the unexpected card I was happy.  The card from a colleague and is beautiful with images of rabbits and a wish for a Happy Chinese New Year. How cool was that?  I didn't realize that today was the first day of the Chinese New Year, much less that this is the year of the rabbit. The card made me happy, just having someone share a New Year's Wish--Chinese or otherwise was nice and the card is absolutely lovely.

I thanked my colleague for the card and he was quite gracious and explained a little about his Asian traditions.  For instance:  The Chinese New Year is a seven-day celebration.  This is a time to set the tone for the rest of the year.  Happy and peaceful thoughts are striven for during this celebration to encourage a happy peaceful year.  Sharing wishes of Good Luck to others opens yourself up for lucky blessings as well. Red is the color of luck and cards and gifts are most often given in red envelopes. 

Year of the Rabbit
I was quite charmed to receive a card and found it to be a really uplifting way to start my day.  I feel a little ashamed that I was completely oblivious to the fact that today was the official Chinese New Year.  I think I may have heard references to "Year of the Rabbit" lately, but it did not register.  Tonight I decided to learn a little more about what the "Year of the Rabbit" symbolizes. 

First of all, I found that 2010 was the year of the Tiger.  I also found out that I am the sign of the Tiger.  --So I completely missed out on knowing that 2010 was my year, so to speak.  It may be just as well that I didn't know.  Based on my reading, the Tiger year of 2010 is characterized as being "ferocious". Other adjectives used include: Dramatic, Torrid and Tumultuous.  One writer said there was hard work and "over-the-top passionate adventures". This will be countered with the Year of the Rabbit of 2011.  The Rabbit is described as being calm and peaceful.  The way to make the most of the Rabbit Year is to relax and go with it.  Don't push too hard...even if pushing typically works for you, it's recommended that this year you try to just "roll with it".  

Tiger Predictions
Curious what I missed by not knowing what 2010 had in store for me as a Tiger, I found an article written with the predictions for what Tigers could expect for 2010. (The article was published before the 2010 Chinese New Year began.)  Here is a glimpse of what was predicted:  Tigers were expected to see fun activities throughout all of 2010 with an especially active, entertaining social calendar in August and December spilling into January of 2011. The Spring of 2010 was to bring encouraging and interesting job opportunities, with the caveat that the Tiger would still have to push forward at work.

I must say that I don't typically allow myself a horoscope reading.  I am of the Christian faith and I can't help but associate astrology and horoscopes with the occult which is forbidden.  On the other hand, I want to have a balanced view. To some extent, I don't want to read a horoscope because I don't want to be influenced and either consciously or unconsciously allow a horoscope to become self-fulfilling due to powers of suggestion.  On the other-other hand, I actually believe that most horoscopes are written for entertainment value only.  I mean how can the entire populous born in my birth month have the exact same future?   

Year of the Tiger
I figured that in the interest of science I should review a previous prediction AFTER the time has elapsed to see if it was on target.  Since I didn't read the prediction until today, there was no chance that I was pre-influenced by the suggestions.  So how did the Tiger predictions fair?  First of all, the Tiger's year of the Tiger written in future tense had the elements of excitement and high energy with very positive tones.  Interestingly, the Year of the Tiger written from a historical perspective was written as being hectic and stormy.  It's as though the year were an overstimulated toddler.  --It starts out new and exciting and ends with a temper tantrum. 

I will say that my 2010 experience was exciting in very positive ways.  My husband and I decided last February to move our family from Seattle to NC (the town I grew up in).  --We lived in the Seattle area for 7 years and we were quite happy with many aspects of the life we built there.  But, we were missing opportunities to spend time with our family.  In June I was hired in a job that still excites me. We bought a house that we are making our own and it becomes more "us" every day.  I've really enjoyed the time spent with Dad and Mamacita as well as Sissies and Cousins.  --Not to mention friends I've had since high school and one very special friend that was raising two young daughters at the same time that I was raising my one young daughter.  I've been braver than I've ever been, trying new adventures and loving them such as canoeing, kayaking, zip lining and hiking in Mount Rainier.

For me, 2010 was a Tiger Year!  Looking forward to seeing what a Rabbit future holds.  So, I say Happy Chinese New Year...Y'all!

New Year's Resolutions

I had lunch with my sister today.  We met at the restaurant in my work complex.  I had fried shrimp and garlic fries. It was the first time my sis and I met for lunch during a workday.  She had the day off and came to me, which made it easier.  My point?  Garlic Fries!? I had garlic fries on the first Monday, the first work day for that matter, after New Year's Day!

Our waiter was fun and asked how we were doing on our resolutions. He said he had resolved to start smoking! Then he said he had quit smoking six years ago and it was one of the hardest things he had ever done.  But since he never keeps his New Year's resolutions, every year he resolves to start smoking.  So far, he said, it's helped him stay an ex-smoker.  ~ ~ Funny!

I enjoyed Max sharing his resolution so much that I shared mine:  To Gain More Weight!  And as I told him (and my sister) I've made great progress in this goal because I AM A DOER!

I decided not to beat myself up over the garlic fries because I drank like 24 ounces of water today.  --I don't like water.  I prefer diet coke.  But I know water should be on my Resolutions List.

Whenever I start to write my list I realize why I haven't written it yet:  I. Don't. Want. To! New Year's Resolutions are either "Do More" lists or "Don't Do" lists.  The "More" category is always things like: "Do More Exercise", "Lose More Weight" "Do. Do. Do. More. More. More."  The "Don't Do" category:  "Don't eat cake"; "Don't spend money"; "Don't drink Diet Coke".

Of course, these resolutions just make me feel bad about myself.  Bad that I need to lose weight, to begin with. Bad that I can't go a full day without Diet Coke (I like Diet Coke).  Bad that I don't want to give up diet coke.

Several years ago I saw the Jim Carey movie "Yes Man"...loved it! The movie came out in 2008, so I don't think I need to do a spoiler alert. Anyway, Jim's character ends up embracing the philosophy of saying yes to all opportunities that come his way.  --Literally saying yes to everything: "Do you want fries with that? ..."YES";  "Will you loan me ten bucks?" "Yes" "How about a hundred bucks?" "Yes".  Jim Carey found that by saying yes, even when it hurt, he was rewarded and enriched with new experiences. After seeing that movie I was inspired.  So, I decided to try it.  Before my "Yes Experiment", I found that I often said "I can't make it" when invited out to parties with friends.  Or I would say "maybe"...but never commit.  If I did say yes, I usually changed my mind (or got a headache) on the day of the party.  Why was I like this?  Truly I don't know.  The friends that invited me are people I truly enjoy.  And I usually think of myself as an extrovert.  So why not actually go to these parties?

I think I didn't see myself as the person that goes to parties.  I had defined myself as the mother of a teenager for more recent years.  The person who is either too busy with family activities or too tired from work and mothering to have the energy to go out.  But I made a conscious decision to say yes to each and every party.  And, ZING! I had a ball.  Each one was as fun as the last.  I had fun. I shared many many laughs with friends and found pieces of me that I hadn't let out to play for a while. That was a good year for resolutions!  Until I became so exhausted I had to stop.

I think I may be onto something though.