Goodbye 2014, year of Growth

A year ago I was sitting on this couch at my parent's house wondering whether my plans to move to the land of Enchantment were going to come through, or if I would have to scrape together a backup plan. Now, a mere 365 days later, I almost feel like a different person, sitting now a year into what I was dreaming and imagining for myself. When I sat here a year ago, along with the questions of the future, I had a feeling- a feeling that it was going to be a big year of growth, not just for me but for my family. But it is myself that I will reflect upon in my annual review of the year.

2014!

States I've breathed the air in: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas.
Achievements: Climbing my first 14ner! Becoming a resident in New Mexico! Getting hired for the Environmental Education Association of New Mexico! My 3rd delightful year at 'The Gulch'! Changing my status from "single" to "domestic partnership" on official documents.
Passing Excitements: Getting free and discounted organic food from the co-op due to Amil's employment. Wrote and entered a 10 page screen play to a competition (results in February...). Designed and submitted a collage for an illustration competition (which I didn't get)

I saw more movies this year than I probably saw in the last 3 or 4 years combined.

• Hanna (not bad)
• Chocolat (cute!)
• Blue Jasmine (interesting)
• Elysium (eh..)
• Prisoners (ugh...great movie, but not my type)
• Spirited Away (oh wow. also not my type, but fun)
• The Hobbit 2 (looking forward to the last one!)
• Lego Movie (EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!)
• Water for Elephants (Wonderful!)
• Being John Malcovich (weird!)
• Home (we're Screwed)
• Human Stain (<3)
• Malefecent (in theatres! good ending)
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 (cute!)
• The Giver (not bad!)
• Flight (ugh. dumb)
• Georgia O'Keefe (inspiring!)

I achieved my reading goals of 1 book a month! (Although perhaps next year I should specify page numbers.) I thought I wasn't going to make it in those months of working 10 days straight, but I made up for it in these slow winter months. Oh, and not having a job for the first two months helped, too. Looking back, maybe I should keep my same goal for next year.

1- Dirt, the Erosion of Civilizations (Very scholarly, tough read)
2- Sand, the never ending story (Fascinating, inspiring, quotable)
3- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Young adult, a reread)
4- Here on Gilligan's Isle (Fascinting in a fun way. easy read)
5- Frozen in Time (Audio book whilst traveling to NM)
6- Tree Ring's Tale (Kids science, easy read, but inspiring)
7- The Kindness of Strangers, the life of Tennessee Williams
8- Freaking Green (Young adult, for book club)
9- El Nino, Unlocking the Secrets of the Master Weather Maker (informative, not too compelling)
10- Green Glass Sea (young adult)
11- An Orchard Invisible (fascinating)
12- The Red Hourglass, Lives of Predators (interesting)
13- White Sands, Red Menace (young adult)
14- My First Love (Short story)
15- Darwin, Portrait of a Genius (audiobook)
16- Ocean of Air (best book of the year for sure!)
17- Small Wonder, Essays by Barbara Kingsolver
18- Henry Miller- Tropic of Cancer (made me lose faith in the good ol' classics)


So all in all, 2014 was a year of...growth. I felt that I came into adulthood a lot more this last year than I did by turning 18, or 21, or graduating college, or having my first job.
With that said, I look forward to 2015 as a year of (relative) stability. Thus, as I set my expectations/resolutions/and goals at this excellent turning point, I expect that living in one place will greatly improve my chances of achieving my goals. Rather than list all my goals and resolutions, here's my mantra for the year.
Be the Be(a)st you can Be!  Emphasis on BEING, existing, and on the Beast. I hope to work toward a personal beast mode, which involves slaying the beast inside, and not giving into a lot of those little urges.

I hope to be at least a little more consistent with my blog this year, including a few buzzfeedesque picture lists, because I'm a little obsessed with them (lists and visual learning = love).

I hope that everyone reading this is enjoying a start to a new year with the people they love and a warmth in their heart.

The Final Countdown

Oh me, Oh my! How this year has flown by.

I can't believe I haven't posted since the first of last month, but there are a few reasons for that. The most heartbreaking is that I did indeed begin a blog post, to be punctuated with a plethora of pictures... but in a freak accident while uploading, I lost all the photos on my camera. So I'll have to paint a picture for your imagination.

Picture this: A perfect fall day, with enveloping blue skies, and slight crisp breeze rummaging through the harvest-colored leaves. Bright yellows, oranges and muted tans wave on the trees like flags saying, "fall is in full swing." On the ground below towering trees with crispy brown leaves drifting down in the breeze, are a couple of families with baskets, jugs, or just t-shirts, hunting for pecans amongst the short grass and goose poop. Before long, their containers are full, and a little one, around 6 years old, tries to lug it toward the car. At first I am a little upset, "Don't take all my pecans!" I think. But then I think to the growing collection in my house, and how tedious it has been to crack and shell them for gifts...and then I'm satisfied. How many parks-- free, open spaces, offer a bounty that's more nutritious than Easter eggs, but is gathered with the same excitement.

I am so proud to be a part of a space where people can come play, gather nuts, or take photographs, and I am blessed to be a part of it. Speaking of blessings…I’m sure that many were spoken this week around our country…

This week, when I sat down to dinner with friends and their families, and tried to express what I am Thankful for, I hesitated. A much shorter list are the things I am NOT thankful for (leaf blowers, corn syrup, and apathy at the top of the list...). The thanksgiving holiday was a mark of what I have achieved toward my sustainable and spiritual goals. Just as I was able to spend my Halloween creating meaningful traditions, I was able to share this holiday with people I love, learning about life and myself. Not only was the lentil loaf, Japanese squash and gluten free pomegranate stuffing part of a super nutritious feast, I was able to spend my holiday around new friends, and I had a LOT of laughs.

Having too much fun hiking in Cali.

Amil and I were noticing that most American holidays revolve around eating food, usually of the non-healthy variety, unlike religious holidays which revolve around fasting (often before a feast, but it's not a feast of candy, peeps, or cheesy potatoes...usually).

So as this final month of the year takes off, I’d like to reflect on the last month. I did indeed travel to California. It was strange being familiar but removed from an environment (including the community and the work). It was nice to be back among my favorite scenery and smells, but it gave me even more perspective of how much I love my current home. For the first time in a long time, I'm feeling the roots of my soul stretch out and the connections I'm making seem stronger. 

Snow on San G...not this year, buddy.

I also submitted my screenplay and my illustration, both a little closer to the deadline than I wanted. You can see my collage for the children's book on my E[art]h page. The screenplay will be my little secret. Unless I win.

For this final month, I have very little actual work to do... so I'm looking forward to working on some gifts, some knitting, making delicious food, and connecting with friends. And traveling back to Tejas, where I will hopefully tackle my growing list of once-in-a-year opportunities.

Since Christmas is the pinnacle of consumerism, I'll probably have a blog or two ranting about that. So be prepared. :) And stay tuned.

2014!

My new year began with me laying on a mat in my sleeping bag in an old shoe store in a mall, surrounded by 15 little kids I had just met, and a few adults I’ve known for most of my life.
         If this is any indicator of how the rest of my year will go, I can expect to spend time with people I love, doing new and surprising things simply for the reward of the action. With the vague notion I have of what’s to come, I can imagine that that’s what this year will bring.
         The first 6th of the year is going to spent at my home of homes, in Texas. I plan to spend these months seeing family, experience some of my favorite places - like restaurants and hiking spots- in Austin, and going through every item in my room at my parents house to choose what gets packed and what gets axed (detailed on this process in a future blog). Other exciting experiences include: visiting family in Port Aransas, playing at Sky Candy circus gym in Austin, and going camping with my family at Enchanted Rock.
 Alas, just after my favorite holiday and just before my 26th Birthday, we’ll be packing whatever I decide to take along into a space that’s probably too small for everything I want to bring along, and moving to Albuquerque.
Our new job will offer all sorts of freedoms such as: a home to share without roommates, time to work on extra projects, a community to get involved in, and a new space to explore.
I think the biggest focus for this year is time. Having time to focus on myself and my fiancé and finally reflect all the experiences I’ve had in the last few years into who I want to be.
More specifically, some of my ambitions for the year include:
-Taking a photo each day to document the changes in weather, environment, etc.
-Organizing all my crap into essentials and inspiring items
-Getting more fit and losing my ‘winter coat’
-Being more conscious about what I eat. I’ve been a flexible vegan for a while (with my main exception being eggs)…ideally I don’t eat corn syrup, anything I can’t pronounce, or anything with added sugars…but I’ve made exceptions since I haven’t been buying my own groceries. Being able to stock our own fridge opens up a world of freshness.
-Being more dedicated to my journal- writing and chronicling the weather, and life events.

We’re also hoping to get a dog, or at least foster one, and spend some time in the community. Basically it looks like an exciting year, with lots of projects and new adventures. Stay tuned to see how it goes!