Since my last post, I have officially turned 50 years of age. My fantastic friends at school started my birthday celebration off with balloons, flowers, lunch, cards, and sweet treats. The next day was the shindig with family and friends from near and far. Son #1’s talented friend Tyler made delicious homemade pizzas for everyone in attendance. My BFF Shelly baked an amazingly scrumptious cake with a bra on top of it. And, my gifted cookie maker friend Darleen made incredibly yummy cookies for me to hand out to my guests. What a delight to celebrate ME surrounded by some of the most awesome people in the world! Although my birthday month will soon be over, my year of 50 has just begun.
That said, what have I accomplished so far in this new year besides celebrating my 50th birthday?
- I organized the bookcases in my living room. I will need to eventually get more bookcases. For me, there is no such animal as having too many books. I LOVE books! In addition to organizing the bookcases, my hubby repainted Andrew’s bathroom which is also the bathroom our guests use. We also bought new bathroom accessories. This is one of many rooms that need to be repainted this year.
- #8 on my 19 for 2019 is to read one book a month for self-improvement. For January, I chose Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes. I chose to read this book first because it goes along with my theme for the year: COMMIT. Many of the ideas that Rhimes said YES to are goals that I have committed to completing throughout 2019. I definitely enjoyed this book. It spoke to me. I also enjoyed listening to the podcast episode (12/26/18: Year of Yes) of By the Book where Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer live by the rules of a self-help book and discuss the pros and cons of it, as well as if the book is life changing. They both agreed that the book helped them in various areas of their lives by saying yes to things that they would normally want to brush aside. I still need to listen to the follow-up episode (Epilogue: Year of Yes) that aired on 01/02/18. This episode features listener comments and questions about their experiences living by the Year of Yes.
- I had Monday off in celebration of MLK; therefore, I took the opportunity to get a massage which was #1 on my 19 for 2019 list. It was a Christmas gift from my 8th grade homeroom from last year. I love massages; however, I am terrible about scheduling them even when I receive one as a gift. I figured if I put it on my list, I would go get it. The result was WONDERFUL and RELAXING.
Well, dear reader, what have you been up to since the new year has started? It is never too late to set some goals. Happiness!
“Everyone’s got some greatness in them. You do. The girl over there does. That guy on the left has some. But in order to really mine it, you have to own it. You have to grab hold of it. You have to believe it.” ~ Shonda Rhimes, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person
Yesterday morning, I set up a Google Photo account (#3 on my 18 for 2018 list) to help me win the constant battle I have with my iPhone over storage. Setting the account up was effortless. What I find praiseworthy about opening this account is I can access my photos on my computer which will make ordering photos for my scrapbooking projects super easy. I still need to explore all of the features this account has to offer. One ability I hope I have is uploading photos directly from my account to my blog or to social media. I’ll have to play with it. I’m not tech savvy, so figuring this out on my own is kind of exciting.
I finally did it! I tried a voice (singing) lesson last Monday afternoon and had a blast. Now, Laura is officially my voice teacher. Since I can match pitch and can actually carry a tune, I have decided to take regular lessons. This basically entails going to a lesson once per week and practicing the other days of the week. Interestingly, Laura says I’m an alto. This seems to mean that I can hit some high notes, as well as some low notes; however, not too high and not too low. I like the label, so I’m going to keep it.
Even though I love music and love to sing, I never took any real time to seriously learn to play a musical instrument or to sing. My grandmother tried teaching me to play the violin when I was younger, but stubbornly I preferred going outside to play instead of practicing. Regretfully, I abandoned the violin in 3rd grade after struggling with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and never looked back. Thankfully, I still have the little violin that my grandmother bought me so many years ago. It is one of my treasured possessions. As for my singing career as a youngster, I was in choir for a year in grammar school. I remember performing at the annual school nativity program at Christmas. I really enjoyed it, and I’m not quite sure why I did not continue singing in choir. It probably had something to do with going outside to play instead of practicing.
When I had to renew my driver’s license last year, I noticed that my original birth certificate had faded significantly. I was concerned that I would not be able to renew my license. Thankfully, it was legible enough, and my new license was issued. At that moment, I realized that if I ever applied for a passport, I would need a new birth certificate. I feared that my birth certificate would not be admissible.
This past weekend was super busy, but eventful. I attended a two-day ADR/Looping Workshop in New Orleans (details forthcoming) which was the same weekend as STA’s Homecoming Dance. Andrew attended the dance with Jazzmin, a friend from swim. Along with Andrew’s best friend Fresh and his date Chloe (also Andrew’s good friend), they drove to the Parish Hall at Holy Ghost for pictures and dinner before heading to the dance at STA. They all seemed to have a terrific time, and they looked fantastic all dressed up for the occasion. I cannot wait to see their official dance pictures.
Today marks the end of the third quarter of 2018. We have completed three fourths of the year. The new year is just around the corner. Today is also the 8th anniversary of Comet, otherwise known as Tooty, becoming a member of the Loyacano family. Eight years ago today, Andrew and I rescued Comet as he was dodging traffic on Happywoods Road. We were on our way to school. Personally, I was not planning on keeping him. However, my hubby and Andrew had other ideas. No chip, no collar, no owner to be found. Needless to say, we kept him, and I am happy we made that decision. He brings us so much joy.
Tomorrow begins a new month. I have 12 items to complete on my 18 for 2018 list. I am confident that I will be successful in the remaining last three months of the year. I hope, dear reader, that you are succeeding with whatever goals you have set for this year. Enjoy the remnants of your weekend. Happiness!
I met my hubby for dinner during the week, and we ate at Kirin in downtown Hammond. We love eating at the sushi bar. Surprisingly, the restaurant was not too busy, and the sushi chef created the most fantastic dragon roll for me. Not only was it delicious, but it was beautiful. This was the first time in my sushi eating life that a roll was presented to me in this way. Angus, the sushi chef, actually made the roll look like a fire-breathing dragon.
The Kat Files 