jueves, 19 de enero de 2017

Decisions, decisions . . .

I´ve got a number of ideas floating around my head.  However, I don´t have a ton of time.  And the idea that takes up the most space in my head would also take up . . . well, honestly more time than I have to give.

Or do I?


But beyond this BIG IDEA (in the likely event that I decide to postpone it or chuck it out the window), I´ve got a bazillion smaller projects that I´d like to try:

I´ve finally dominated this book.
It´s time to learn to use verbs!


Learn German--Mario had to learn German years ago, and really enjoyed it.  However, it´s been years since he´s used it.  No--I take that back.  He yells at the dog in German.  Since my kids have English and Spanish down, it´s time for them to take on another language.  And wouldn´t it be so simple to do if we could speak German at home?

That means that I need some German lessons.  And I´ve got a great contact for that.  Now I just need to get that ball rolling!









Take flute lessons--since joining the choir, it´s floored me how much I´ve missed making music.  Over the last year, I´ve been playing my flute more and more, and it´s increasingly clear that my flute abilities hit a plateau about twenty years ago and I´m not going to get any better without professional help.  It´s never too late to decide that I DO want to get better at it.

Oh, my--it really solidifies my commitment to put that statement out there like that.  Yikes!



Do a school survey for SaltilloExpats:  I´ve had this idea in my head for over a year.  In fact, I went to the American School to get information on it, with the intention of interviewing at least three other schools in town, so give potential relocators a better idea of their school options here in Saltillo.  But I never got past that first interview.  

So, this year, I´m going to visit more schools, and--more importantly--interview parents and students about their experiences in various schools around town.  In the end, I want this to be a huge project (and translated into Spanish for those moving here from other cities in Mexico), and eventually include every school in town.    



For years, I´ve been attending a Bible study at a nondenominational church (in English) across town.  It´s still the highlight of my week.  But, as I´m making more friends on my side of town, and those friends attend my neighborhood parish, I´d really like to start a mom´s group at my neighborhood church--either on weekday mornings or on Saturdays while the kids are in catechism.  I would love to get to know better the women who I see on a daily basis.  If we were to pray together, study the Bible together, that would be really meaningful, and I would really like to have more meaningful relationships with these women.  I´ll be running the idea past a few of them this month!  




With paying for German classes and flute lessons, it would behoove me to write a few articles or stories for magazines that might actually pay me.  In the past, I´ve sent out 2 or 3 articles to one magazine each.  I knew then I should have given it a better shot.  This year might be the year to do it!

Both of my older children will be in elementary school this fall, so I´ll have an additional two hours every day . . . oh, the possibilities are endless!  Or, they seem that way at this point.    

Oh, and gee--I could clean my house more, excercize, and make healthy meals.  

Nah . . . 


For more of South of the Border resolutions and goals, be sure to visit the following blogs...

http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=688884" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up




miércoles, 11 de enero de 2017

Photo Challenge Fail



I had the best of intentions.

And I loved doing the photo-scavenger-hunt-through-December-thing.

But the third week of Advent got the better of me.

However, I DID get one photo that week!  Never mind that it wasn´t on the list for the photo challenge.


My week got sidelined by the Nutcracker.  This year marked the 30th anniversary of the first time I saw the Nutcracker.  I´ve seen it just about every year since.  

But this was the first time I got to be in it.  

OK, maybe "be in it" is a bit of an overstatement.  This Nutcracker had live accompaniment from the state orchestra, and I sing with their choir, whenever they need a choir.  

In the Snowflake Scene, they needed a choir!  Yee-haw!

So this was my view: 

Photo courtesy of the Orquesta Filarmónica del Desierto

In a way, this was a bit of a dream come true for me, so these photos appropriately embody JOY, for the third week of Advent.

For the fourth week of Advent, I was so behind in making cookies, buying presents, and packing to go see my family, PLUS the last week of school and all those Christmas parties, that the photo challenge was officially dropped.  

So, until next year, Advent Photo Challenge!  (At least, until Nutcracker Week.)

Until then, bring it on, 2017!