I started the week with Severance which I’d been putting off for a long time, I liked it and I am glad I read it. Not sure if it would make my top ten in 2018 list though as it seems to have made for so many others.
My Sister, The Serial Killer is another one of those I see on every list and wasn’t sure if I would like it. It’s really short so I finally tackled it and it was interesting. Better than I thought it would be with that name.
Misadventures of a College Girl was little light reading for when I wasn’t feeling well. Not usually a genre I enjoy but this year I’ve been trying to read more widely.
I really enjoyed Joyful and it will stay with me for a while. I also have been thinking about how to incorporate bits and pieces of it into my daily life.
How Will You Measure Your Life? was fantastic, thought provoking and another one that will stay with me for a while. Always good to read books like this to help remind me what matters most to me.
I knew Congratulations, By the Way was super short and I had heard bits of it before but it was worth every minute of listening to this short speech.
But Harry’s Trees was by far the best read of the week and one of the most enjoyable books of this year for me. I really recommend it.
I ended the week with another super light read: My Favorite Half-Night Stand. It was okay and light as expected.
A few more days of reading in 2018. Let’s see where I end up.
Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
I didn’t get to post my December Daily day by day this year. It just seemed much easier to work on it on my own pace and post it after I am done. So here we go. This includes some magic David added to the holiday after you get through all the photos.
The first page was this transparency I love and a wooden circle.
i love the see through pages.
Then I put the calendar page with the events I knew we were going to have for sure.
And the back has my intentions.
The first page is always our family photo with “and so it begins”
i cut the photos up this year just to make it more fun.
and another photo in the back.
The next day is the holiday party at work. Which always comes with photo booth photos much to my delight.
and more!
we basically go right to the photos when we go to the party and then we can eat and have fun 🙂
day three is about my grandmother passing away and the first day of Chanukah.
this is the ad in the paper when my grandmother passed away.
and me sitting eating turkish food that day.
and then David took his SSAT test for high school applications. So I sat and waited for 3 hours while he sat the test.
nathaniel working on the tech challenge with his group.
the pm summit at work.
more transparent.
the next day i took off work and jake and I went to see Bohemian Rhapsody which was amazing.
and we took photo booth photos of course!
the next day we went rock climbing.
i love these photos.
the next day is more tech challenge photos and a playdate nathaniel had.
then we saw a star is born which made me both mad and sad.
i used the next day to journal some of my thoughts.
the next day I threw out my back after body pump class, so the universe told me i had to rest.
and then there were some big announcements at work.
some of my favorite reads of 2018
love those pockets.
the back is some of my favorite ornaments.
next day is a quick little page about wrapping our presents.
and then david’s culmination at school. love this.
the next day is about gratitude for work and california mornings.
nathaniel loves making imaginary play no matter what he has around.
i bought some fun sparkly nail stickers. which i had to peel off when my mom wasn’t a fan.
the next day is about peace, books, and coffee.
and then puzzles and togetherness.
the next day is when my parents arrive, we go out to dinner with my cousin and then we leave the kids so jake and I can spend a night away together.
more photos from our time together which was magical.
more photos from our getaway in the city.
and the last page with the story.
for christmas eve (and day) i just collected a lot of photos of how we are now.
and then christmas eve presents which ended up being a hit.
nathaniel left a note for santa and david really took it to the next level with his typed up amazing reply. (see below for all of the next, warning spoilers for kids who love santa.)
more of david’s response.
christmas morning.
and christmas day, post presents.
and finally i always add a page to represent the next year with flowers.
and my word for the next year.
And there we go, another year, another delightful December Daily. I love this project. Here’s to a magical 2019.
Here’s David’s typed up response. Questions are from Nathaniel. WARNING AGAIN that you should not read this with your kids who love SANTA.
Hello Nathaniel! Thanks for contacting me! I rarely see someone your age reach out to me anymore and it was a welcomed surprise to see this letter. Unfortunately, all of your questions were very complicated (and thoughtful!) and I did not have enough space to respond to each of them with the space provided, so I am attaching this piece of paper.
You don’t seem to understand what I am. I am not a physical thing, and it is not I who delivers the presents as you may have seen. I am an idea that come in any shape or form, just consisting of a few common traits, with the primary ones being the want to give to others and be kind, and the want to celebrate during the winter season. More specifically, I push many humans via their subconsciousness to give gifts and celebrate. Reindeer do not actually fly, but the want to give presents is manifested in the form of a tale of a jolly man and flying reindeer. Humans love fantastical tales and will adopt them to give spirit and life to their holidays.
How old are you?
I have no real age, but I first popped up in medieval Scandinavia, ancient Rome, and ancient Norway in the forms of holidays like Yule and Saturnalia. “Christmas” began in ~300 CE, and it took many elements from these holidays and used this new holiday to spread Christianity, going as far as to change the date of Jesus’s birth for it. Christmas was a rowdy holiday about large carnivals, wine, and feasts back then, and it has a deep history as well. It was even banned by the Puritans for a while. But the holiday you are most familiar with is the 19th-century remake that made it focused on family. My ideas can even infect other holidays like Hannukah where individuals are still compelled to give gifts. However, none of these holidays are the “right” ones, because they are all the same in their essence. People will adapt holidays, as everybody adapts a holiday in some way, just some more than others, but each one is based around the same idea, and that is what I am.
What is your favorite food?
I am an idea, so I do not ingest actual organic material, but you could say I feed off of emotion in a way (more emotions related to me, the more individuals I can interact with, and the bigger I become), and that would make my current favorite foods the feelings of happiness, joy, and belonging. Thank you for asking!
It has been nice communicating with you, Nathaniel, and even if you don’t believe in Santa anymore (Santa is merely another manifestation of me) I hope you still enjoy Christmas. Also, I hope you understand after all of this that I am not actually writing this, just silently urging an individual to do this in the back of their mind (that is how most of these holidays come together). Nevertheless, have a happy Christmas, Saturnalia, Yule, or whatever you may choose to call it.
Weekly Intention: And here we are on the last week of 2018. May it be a wonderful week and may 2019 bring joy, wisdom, celebrations and a lot of magic. My intention this week is to be as present as I can. To take the time I need to be my best self and to really appreciate the depth and the breadth of my life.
This month’s intention is:Rest Stronger: And finally here we are. You’ve worked hard all year and gave it your all. Time to rest. You pushed yourself to get stronger and now you need to rest so you can be ready for 2019. Here’s to resting for a whole week!
One way I will stretch this week: having lots of family will both fill me with joy and stretch me.
One boundary I will set this week: taking the time i need. and i will need some.
This week, I will focus on pleasing: as many people as possible.
One new thing I will learn this week: hmmm maybe how to balance it all?
One area where I will go deeper this week: really relishing in the joy of my family.
What do I need to sit with this week? how to balance what i need and what i want.
I am looking forward to: christmas day.
This week’s challenges: just the balance.
Top Goals: no goals this week. just enjoy myself.
I will focus on my values:
Love: love love love my people.
Learn: to balance.
Peace: peace with what is.
Service: to my soul.
Gratitude: for togetherness.
This week, I want to remember: that it’s magical to get to be together.
Stronger Than Before is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
How I got Stronger this week: And here we go, I have finished the last work week of the year. Since my back was hurt, I didn’t end up exercising at all. This might in fact be the longest I went in 2018 without exercise. But I still feel proud of my week. I worked, I made a few tangible differences this week at work and then I spent Thursday preparing more for the holidays and then my wonderful parents showed up. It was a lovely week.
Top Goals Review:
Work: I had conversations around 2019 goals. Sadly first of many so there’s still more work to do here. Personal: I did my december daily, I didn’t scrap more but I did rest and alas did no art. Family: I wrapped all the presents and finished buying everything, I also relaxed and hugged my kids and hugged Jake and hugged my parents. yay!
I celebrate: David’s culmination was wonderful and I celebrate all of his progress this year.
I am grateful for: some lovely quiet time that always comes at the end of the year. so grateful to get to have it.
I figured the The Marriage Lie was going to be engaging even though I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. In the end, I did. It was different than the other books in this gene.
Art Matters was a super fast read but wonderful and joyful and even though I am not a huge fan of Neil Gaiman’s books, I love his non fiction.
I enjoyed A Return to Love and it was exactly what I needed at that moment.
I like the way Louisa Hall writes and Trinity was no exception. It wasn’t as good as her previous novel but I am still glad I read it.
I then tackled Down and Across which I thought would be fun especially as I have been doing lots of crosswords. It was fun and okay but the crosswords didn’t actually show up as much as I had anticipated.
I had been waiting to read Choose Wonder over Worry and it didn’t disappoint! I really enjoyed this new to me author.
I ended the week with Things I Wish I Knew Before My Mom Died which I also was really looking forward to but it turned out to be what I thought. It wasn’t bad just different than my expectations which is always tricky.
All in all, ok week. I am on to my 300th book now.
Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
Weekly Intention: This is the week I officially start my 2018 wind down and I am so ready. I plan to go to work Monday and Tuesday and some of Wednesday. David has a school event on Monday and then my parents arrive Thursday evening. My intention for early in the week is to be productive and closeout some of the topics that have been open and dragging along, make some decisions to help setup 2019 and then take off. My intention for later in the week is to start the relaxation process.
This month’s intention is:Rest Stronger: And finally here we are. You’ve worked hard all year and gave it your all. Time to rest. You pushed yourself to get stronger and now you need to rest so you can be ready for 2019. Well as if I needed another reminder, my back is forcing me to rest.
One way I will stretch this week: i am trying to take risks, ask for what i want and put myself out there.
One boundary I will set this week: not working once i am not working! 🙂
This week, I will focus on pleasing: Jake and David and Nathaniel.
One new thing I will learn this week: plans for 2019 for work.
One area where I will go deeper this week: i did a lot of work on 2019 last weekend so maybe i can be more intentional and specific about the art portion this week.
What do I need to sit with this week? how to set myself up for success and relaxation for the holidays.
I am looking forward to: taking some time off.
This week’s challenges: Monday will be a bit challenging but that’s ok.
Top Goals:
Work: have conversations around 2019 goals.
Personal: do december daily, scrap more if i can, rest, maybe do some art?
Family: wrap presents, finish buying everything, relax and hug my kids and hug Jake and hug my parents
I will focus on my values:
Love: start making plans for loving self goals. (since i didn’t do this last week)
Learn: pick one class.
Peace: peace with the pain
Service: to my body.
Gratitude: for getting to be together for the first time in over 20 years.
This week, I want to remember: that it’s ok to rest and that i will recover.
Stronger Than Before is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
How I got Stronger this week: Well this week turned out to be trickier than I’d hoped. I enjoyed most of my day off on Monday and then was quite productive Tuesday until I threw out my back on Wednesday morning. The rest of the week was reasonably productive but also reasonably painful. I am confident that without all the work I’ve done to get stronger this year, this episode would have been much worse but I am still in quite a bit of pain and would have preferred not to have this happen.
Top Goals Review:
Work: I have spent some time thinking about what’s next and talked to a few people but I didn’t document my thoughts yet. I have talked to my manager and I’d say it went well so far.
Personal: I am pretty good on solidifying 2019 plans, I’ve been keeping up with my december daily but I haven’t scrapped more, I did also write up year end posts yay!
Family: I did not at all work on applications with david because he had a lot of homework, Nathaniel and I did math, but David and I didn’t do any physics, I did buy more christmas presents and we saw several movies!
I celebrate: delivering a personal and touching present to my team.
I am grateful for: my manager and his ability to receive my feedback and hear me when I need to be heard.
Karen’s Points: this week was one yoga and then half a body pump until I hurt myself.
A Change I embraced: well i’m going to say my back was definitely that change this week.
I let go of: trying to get anything done once I hurt myself.
I started the week A Heart in a Body in the World which my friend Amy recommended. It took me a while to get into the book but then I enjoyed it until the end when you find out what actually happened and it was such a departure from what I thought it was building up to that it really threw me off and then I got really upset.
The Feather Thief had been on amazon’s best of list for a while and I kept staring at it and not reading it so I finally decided to tackle it this week and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Seth’s books are always goos and This Is Marketing was no exception. I really enjoyed it.
Words on Bathroom Walls was a random pick that I thought would be good and even though I think it was good, I have read too many books like this so I didn’t love it as much as I would have had I read it in the beginning of this year.
I enjoyed The Challenge Culture more than I thought I would have. I knew nothing about the author so that alone was fascinating to me.
I ended the week with Thanks A Thousand which was short and lovely and a good reminder that there is so much that goes into every simple thing in your life. It’s good to be mindful and think of all the pieces that have to come together for a simple thing like your morning coffee.
All in all, an ok week.
Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
Weekly Intention: Week 50 if 52. I feel like this year was both so very long and so very short. That’s the case for all the years now as David likes to remind me how as I get older the years get shorter for me. This week, I plan to take Monday off and then work my way slowly through the rest of the week, planning for 2019, catching up to everything I dropped on the floor in the last few weeks and finally finish all the holiday shopping especially for my kids. But the main intention for the week is to slow down. I want to tap into that part of me that only wakes up when I slow way way way down.
This month’s intention is:Rest Stronger: And finally here we are. You’ve worked hard all year and gave it your all. Time to rest. You pushed yourself to get stronger and now you need to rest so you can be ready for 2019. Oh yes, time to rest.
One way I will stretch this week: I am going to be having some hard conversations with my manager and I think they will stretch me for sure.
One boundary I will set this week: not working Monday and working from home on Friday.
This week, I will focus on pleasing: myself by taking the time to really focus on what I want for 2019.
One new thing I will learn this week: my intentions and my goals as i make a list to go over them
One area where I will go deeper this week: I know I said this last week but let’s see if i can do it this week: actually thinking about 2019.
What do I need to sit with this week? how i receive feedback, what i want to change, what i want to keep the same.
I am looking forward to: taking some time off, i am already taking today off but i also have a lot more time off coming down the pipe.
This week’s challenges: having hard conversations
Top Goals:
Work: think about what’s next, document my thoughts, talk to manager.
Personal: solidify 2019 plans, do december daily, scrap more if i can, rest, write up year end posts
Family: work on applications with david, math, physics, buy more christmas presents. see more movies!
I will focus on my values:
Love: start making plans for loving self goals. (since i didn’t do this last week)
Learn: see if i want to take more/other classes.
Peace: peace with feedback
Service: to self, family, 2019.
Gratitude: for getting to start a fresh new year
This week, I want to remember: that the outliers aren’t the story. that i want to focus on looking for the right more than looking for the wrong.
Stronger Than Before is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
How I got Stronger this week: This was an insane week. I had summits three days out of the four I was at work. It was months of works with many people and I am super grateful it’s now over. I think it went well but we will find out as the feedback trickles in. I then took Friday off and met with a friend and went to the movies with Jake and chatted with my mom and had dinner with another friend. I am proud of how hard I worked and then proud of how I took Friday off to take care of myself. I only managed to exercise twice this week but it was still better than nothing.
Top Goals Review:
Work: summit over. time to really start thinking about 2019!
Personal: starting to make 2019 plans, journaled very little, exercised also very little, scrapped for December Daily.
Family: did not work on applications with david but made a plan, rested and hugged, did both math and physics, bought some christmas presents but need to buy many more.
I celebrate: david’s excellent scores at his ssat test. he showed up for it and the results show that. i am so incredibly proud of him and how hard he works.
I am grateful for: inishing the summit. it was a lot of work and i ended up having a lot of last minute changes etc. so i am just grateful it came together. also super grateful to get to go to the movies with Jake. we watched Bohemian Rhapsody and I loved every single moment of it.
Karen’s Points: this week was also one body pump and one yoga.
A Change I embraced: both of my core helps for the summit ended up being ooo so i adapted and worked with it.
Fresh: still trying to understand what i want from my life and my work for 2019.
Magical: the movie and being with jake in the middle of a day was magical.
Lighter: i feel lighter now that the summit is over and I can transition to holiday time.
True: i miss my family so much.
Where I chose Joy: taking friday off, going to the movies, chatting with my mom
I showed up for: work this week and david when he needed a day off.
A Mistake I made this week: i got a really negative feedback from one of the people at work, instead of sitting with how it crushed me, i reached out to the person and tried to engage in a conversation to understand better. it didn’t get to 100% of what I wanted of course but we got a lot closer and i was able to shift my pain a little, i am grateful for that.
What I tolerated this week: a lot of long hours at work
My mood this week was: tired.
I forgive myself for: not being able to meet everyone’s needs and not being everyone’s cup of tea.
What I love right now: all the journaling, thinking, intentionality that comes during this time of year is my favorite.
Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.Weekly Reflection 2018 – 44
