Jacquelyn's Space

I am so glad to see the end of 2012. I am hoping 2013 will be much better…I am going to do my best to make it better. It will be better!

Don’t get me wrong, a few great things happened in 2012 but unfortunately the bad stuff overshadowed the good. Today I am going to remember the good stuff.

Love:

Valentine’s Day, my husband got me chocolate covered strawberries…

It was our 5th wedding anniversary this year…

Support:

Me and my husband on my graduation day…

Me and my old friend Melissa on my graduation day. She came up (she lives 80 miles away from me) and did my hair and brought me Dunkin’ Donuts!

I really need to get a picture of my Aunt JoAnn and Uncle Bill in here too. They attended my graduation and were very helpful at my graduation party.

Milestones:

School of course. I was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, the honor society for English majors; I received University Honors for making the Dean’s List consecutive semesters while taking over 14 credits a semester…or something like that; I received a most awesome introduction from Thomas Foster (he is a professor at my school and wrote the bestseller “How to Read Literature Like a Professor”) and received two sets of honor cords (one per degree) at the UM-Flint Honors Reception…

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I graduated with two bachelor degrees! Not only did I celebrate a graduation,  my stepson did also– he graduated from high school. Assorted graduation pictures…

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If you look closely at the group shot of all the UM-Flint graduates you can see me looking for my seat, haha– I played with the band instead of walking to Pomp and Circumstance.

Cake…I mean Celebrations:

May through July my husband and I (and our house) were hosts to 5 parties of various sizes. It was good to celebrate…lots of work though and lots and lots of cake…

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More celebrating….

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Even before all our parties I had been eating lots of cake because of all the honor banquets (4-5 at least). Yeah, by August I was pretty sick of cake. I was…

Mayhem:

Lots of fun…

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Other Good Stuff:

Family dinner in Detroit…My husband built a small barn mostly all by himself– I am so proud of him…Rainbows and flowers are always nice…got accepted to grad school and took a tour of Applewood…Welcome Back Picnic at school…fall colors on campus…a new niece’s arrival and another has a birthday…kids playing…and more cake.

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Mackinac:

And there is Mackinac. I was lucky enough to go to the Island twice this year. Spring or fall, good weather or bad, any time on Mackinac is a good time. In 2012 we went in early June and Labor Day Week-end. On Labor Day I was sitting on the porch of the Grand drinking ice tea and listening to the Jazz Festival– can’t beat that.

Just a few pics– I have too many good ones to choose from…

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Now that I look at all these pictures and think on all the positive memories, 2012 doesn’t seem like too bad of a year after all.

Let me just say that I hope 2013 is as good as 2012 with all the fun, happiness, and celebrating, but without all the heartache and drama overshadowing everything.

“Worry about your character, not your reputation. Your character is who you are, your reputation is who people think you are.”

I love that sentiment. Too many people out there are only concerned with their reputation, their image– how they appear to others– rather than their actual self. Humph, I seriously doubt some people (certain people?) even know what ‘character’ is let alone worry about it. It is sad that nowadays it’s not about character, it’s not about being genuine, but it is all about your reputation or how well you can sell yourself to others. Very sad. This focus on outward appearances makes a fertile breeding ground for hypocrisy (faker -y), narcissism and psychopathology. Not only sad but scary as hell.

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Found a book about character that I want– link to limited view of it:

Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

by Christopher Peterson & Martin E.P. Seligman

I put up my Christmas tree, yay…now I am done.

It is time to get into the Christmas spirit.

Bah, humbug!

I am going to try. Tomorrow my husband and I are going to Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan (part of Henry Ford Museum).  It is an old-timey Christmas celebration and I love going. I always cry though because I think about how I used to love Christmas– it brings back all those old feelings and memories of Christmas past and those who have passed on like my Grandparents (my maternal Grandma especially) and my Aunts and Uncles. Maybe I shouldn’t go but I love the history and feeling I am going back in time.

I need to find some joy. This time of year just sucks for me, and now especially since everything that has happened over the past year. I feel like I am sliding into the worst depression. Who am I kidding– I am already depressed but I feel like it is only going to get worse before it gets better. I really don’t want to get any worse so I need to find some positive things to dwell on.

Okay, so one positive is I am done with my Christmas shopping– I did it all online which was lovely and relaxing. I have some really great gifts for my husband and I am excited to give them to him. I hope what I bought fits (shades of Aunt Marlene) and I hope he likes the other stuff I bought him.

Gah! Now I just have to wrap the stuff.

Ha! My Aunt Marlene would always buy us clothes for Christmas but because she was so anxious about what she bought, if it would fit, she would always tell us before Christmas, totally ruining the surprise. It was cute.

Let me see, what is another positive? There are lots of Christmas celebrations coming up. My Great Aunt Rose is hosting a Christmas party for my Dad’s side of the family. I didn’t go to my family Christmas last year because I was too stressed out from school and still working on papers. I am going this year for sure; I can’t wait to see my Aunts and Uncles. My Aunt Rose is having the party at Maggiano’s in Troy so no one has to bring anything for food. We all just get to relax. It should be nice.

We did already attend a Christmas party for my husband’s work. It was at Blackstone’s in Flint. It was lovely and the food was good– free dinner, yay! I got to see my two nieces and their dad (my brother-in-law). It is sad because my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are getting a divorce and it is causing a rift in their immediate family and also in my husband’s family at large. I hadn’t seen my nieces in while. I adore my youngest niece, Brianna. She made the party fun for me. It was also fun to visit with some of my husband’s co-workers too, which includes my husband’s used-to-be in-laws. They are nice and I like talking to them even if I don’t care for their daughter (to put it mildly, ha). Her father is a reverend and I am almost thinking about asking him about forgiveness…something I have a hard time with but he (and my stepson) seems to have down pat. He would probably be a good person to talk to about the subject.

On Christmas Day my husband’s family is having a Christmas party. Truth be told I am not looking forward to it much because of the rift(s) in the family but my husband’s youngest sister is coming in town from Nebraska so it will be great to see her, my brother-in-law, and my nephews. I will get to see Brianna again too so that is something to look forward to.

Oh pooh, my husband and I still have to shop for my nieces and nephews. Gift cards!! Or maybe that would be something fun to do at the Village tomorrow?

After Christmas there is another family party, again for my Dad’s side of the family. My Aunt Candy and Uncle Jerry were supposed to host this year but they were co-opted by Aunt Rose (she outranks them being older and all). They decided to still do a party but after Christmas. So I will get lots of family time this year which is good because it will make up for last year. I think lots of positive family time is just what I need. My Aunts and Uncles are super fun too…

This is Aunt Candy and Uncle Jerry dancing at my cousin’s wedding:

Haha, too cute!

So yes, I can’t wait to get together with my family.

Christmas Eve– I want to make a special dinner but I am not sure what I am making yet. One thing positive is my husband will be off work for a few days and I will get to spend some time with him. He was almost going to work the road Christmas eve because he short on paramedics but I put my foot down. He works too much and too hard to have to work on Christmas Eve…besides he needs a break. Luckily he was able to get someone to work it. I was also thinking about attending a candlelight service somewhere but I am not sure yet… or perhaps volunteering somewhere.

I only hope I can spend some time with my nephews over Christmas. I would like to take them to Greenfield Village or Crossroads Village– that would be fun.

I want to try to get up north–either up to my parent’s place or to Mackinac. I really need some up north time and I haven’t been up north in the winter for some time now. I am looking at taking up snowshoeing (and eventually skiing) but I have to get in shape.

I have some positive stuff to look forward to so I shouldn’t let the negative bring me down. Got to keep working at it.

Maybe I’ll feel better, get in the Christmas spirit if I go all out decorating my house:

LOL, ain’t that the truth!

Been here before….

I would say that I am reincarnated Garbo except she died after I was born. Perhaps we are from the same tribe, ha– heck, she may very well be a distant cousin though I am not sure if I have Swedish ancestry. Could be, could be…I am everything else and have lots of ancestors from that part of the world.

But anyway, whenever have that strong feeling that I want to be alone (to hibernate) I always think of the reclusive Garbo and her famous statement, “I vant to be alone”.

Did she really utter that? –I think it is a line from a movie she starred in.

Anyway, I really identify with her. Perhaps she and I are kindred spirits?

I sure wish I was as beautiful…

Too many beautiful pic to choose just one:

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