Happy New Year, and a happier me!

Wow...I can't believe 2008 is already coming to a close. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was getting ready to go to last year's party! Time flies when you are having fun I guess, (and when you are super busy moving halfway across the country).

I moved to Montana from Iowa. I believe that it is the best decision I have ever made. I am doing more of the things that I love to do, like hiking, camping, and photography. I started eating healthy again (boy is that expensive) and working out again after taking a few months off due to a hip injury. I've made new friends out here, which I didn't think would be difficult, considering that I am a social butterfly, but it does seem that the older we get, the harder it is to make new, quality friends. I've been blessed to meet many quality friends, and look forward to spending time with them in 2009.

In the Fall, I met and started dating Justin. What a great guy! Funny, serious, creative, adventurous...we have such a great time together that I look forward to what we might do, see, cook, drink, etc. the next time we hang out.

2008 has been a great year. A lot of different emotions, adventures and new experiences. It will be exciting to see what 2009 has to offer. I guess this is where I make my resolution. Well, same as last year, stop swearing! I think I've gotten much better (except when I'm golfing), however I still need some work. I am going to get serious about staying in shape, eating right, and staying positive. I'm going to try having a Pescatarian diet, in which I will cut out meat, except for fish. (I will let you know how that goes.) I am also going to start designing jewelry again...I've kind of fallen off from it but have decided that it is what I love to do, so why not do it more?

Here is to a great year, and an even better one coming up!!

Sapphires galore!!

I was able to take Mindy to the Sapphire Gallery in downtown Phillipsburg to dig around a bag of dirt. This being my second time there, I had it figured out so I didn't pick out too many quartz. I did a bit better than my first trip, finding just under 6.5 carats! I think that I had found just under 5 carats the first time. My plan is to drop them off for heat treating when I pick Mindy's up in a few weeks. I would also like to have all of the pebbles treated as well so that I can make some different jewelry with them, since they are not cuttable.

It was a great afternoon out of Missoula. Michelle would have gotten a kick out of it. Maybe, just maybe, she will get a special treat with one of the sapphires that I found for our thirtieth birthday in August.

Justin was nice enough to join us on his way home to Missoula from Helena and took some great photos.

Breweries, Hot Springs and good times...

Yesterday Mindy and I had to run some errands before heading to Symes Hot Springs, and found ourselves at all three of Missoula's breweries. Chatting with bartender, locals and one another, we decided to get a couple of growlers of beer to take with us to the hot springs. We were set!

Arriving after dark, we were quickly into the hot water. How relaxing it was! A bit of a different smell, but my skin felt so good! I would sleep well. We got to chatting with some of the people in the tub and found that it really is a small world after all. One of the women was visiting from Washington DC, but was talking of a job she had had at a university in Iowa...ISU to be exact. It seems that anywhere I go I meet someone with ties that are very close to home for me.

While soaking, it started to snow a bit. It was the perfect touch to a great night. I only wish that my sister could have made it. She would have loved it! I will definitely be returning for another soak.

Happy Holiday!

Here we are, Christmas day. One of my visitors, Mindy was able to make it. Michelle, my sister, got stuck back in Iowa, unable to get to Denver for her connecting flight because of bad weater on the East Coast. Her whole trip was cancelled and the Holiday will not be the same without her.

We are, however, making due. Mindy and I played Cribbage last night while drinking beer and eating chili. It has been good catching up.

Now it is time to open gifts and start making our Christmas meal.

Happy Holidays to everyone! May everyone be safe and happy.

More daylight is on the way!

It has officially come and gone: the first day of Winter, also being the darkest day of the year. On Sunday night I went with my boyfriend and a friend to a Solstice party hosted by a group of Wicans. It started late, and ended late, about 2 in the morning is when we got home. Still being relatively new to town, I didn't know anyone there, however they welcomed me into their home and festivities like I was an old friend. There was a "smudging" ceremony with a burning sage stick that was to remove all of the evil or bad energy from our bodies. That had to be done before we could go into the Ritual Room. There was chanting and a lot of ceremonial things going on that was very foreign to me.

Before the ritual was over, all of us were to ask for something in the New Year. I asked for myself to be compassionate, tolerant, and patient towards everyone, especially those whom it is hard to be all of these with.

After the ceremony we were fed a great Vegetarian feast, at about 1 am. It was delicious!

Anytime I am put into the new surroundings, I am that much more grateful for my friends here. They open my eyes to new possibilities and experiences that I will remember always.

Sand and Stone

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

"Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

"Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The friend replied, "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone.

I received this in an email yesterday...ironically this is exactly what I need to do. I take no credit for this and am sadly unable to give credit to its author.

Letting go

I'm the type of person who holds onto things, mostly feelings...I just can't seem to let go as easily as I should. I hold grudges, though I have gotten a little better about it. I am trying to get past all that with the help of my boyfriend. He is a Buddhist and has been telling me about Buddhism teachings, gently educating me and giving me material to read that has proven to be quite helpful. It has been working pretty well, except for problems with one person in particular, my boss. He's a good guy. I like him as a friend, but not as a boss. I told him this two days ago while we were having a pow-wow, which we seem to have every couple of months. It helps us to be better co-workers. I was feeling great after our chat and thought we might have finally figured out our problems and how to avoid them.

I was in a great mood all day, even though my weekend plans had dissolved. Then it happened. He overstepped a very personal boundary and sent an email, as me, to my boyfriend. Now, while I know that he will understand, I am upset that my boss would do such a thing. Are we in elementary school again? I know that I should just "let it go" but I am having difficulty with this.

I can't change the fact that my boss is immature...so I must let it go.

Count to ten, breath, repeat as necessary.