2012 Year in Review

Wowsa what a year! In 2012 I visited Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, St. Petersburg and Panama City,  Florida, I’ve been on business trips, birthday trips and let’s get out of town trips.  I spent time with my family, my friends and myself and through it all I’ve managed to slowly get my art into my top 3 priorities and will have my Etsy shop re-stocked (and better stocked) by the first of February, AND, thankfully, the apocalypse didn't happen - again.

This year I took time every month to spend with my amazing friends who collectively form an artists’ group that meets once a month. We work on projects, eat delicious foods and chat, I am usually happy to just hang out and talk which is something that I need. I love being able to just sit with my friends and spend time, no commitments, no stress, just time with the girls. This year we also featured our collective work at a juried art fair. It was nice, I managed to sell of piece of my work and since we plan on doing the same show again, I have a full year to plan and create for the festival next year.

On the health front I am down 10 pounds from January 1, 2012 – yippee! I am working out consistently 3 days a week and I feel great! This year I decided that it was time to re-adjust how I looked at weight loss and my health. Rather than my normal All or Nothing approach (I am an Aries through and through) I decided that I had to make lifestyle changes that would fit into my life and then stick to them, even when I completely fail. So when I gained lots of weight during the business trip to Florida, I came home, squeezed back into my clothes and got back into the good habits that I have been working on all year. I am sure, had I not been enjoying all of the dinners and lunches with friends, the magnificent wine with my significant other and the occasional chocolate indulgence, I could have lost the other 25 pounds that I need to lose to reach a healthy weight but what I have found is that I really like the life I have and I would rather take it slow and enjoy the times with those who mean the most to me than focus on losing weight quickly. What has helped is this, a little quote I read somewhere: “The Best Part of the Meal is the Conversation”, how cool is that. I’ve tried to remember that when I am out with friends and the focus seems to be on the food. Sometimes it works and sometimes, well, let’s just say that I am happy with the slow and steady progress I am making!

Magically I have never been busier. I am working on some spell bottles and amulets for the shop as well as Altar cloths and ritual baskets. Because these have to be done during certain moon phases and on specific days in order to be the best they can be I do not always have the ones that I want to in stock. This year I am setting aside 1 week a month to create exactly what I need. It is amazing how much better I feel when I am focusing on my magical and spiritual side.  For the first time in a very, very long time I feel comfortable in my own skin. Some of that comes with being at the Crone phase of my life, some of it comes from the lessons I have learned the past few years, regardless, I am loving life right now!

I have lots of great things planned next year. I’ll be sharing more projects complete with “How-To” directions, recipes, spells, and more.

Next up… 2013 Resolutions, Goals & Priorities

Autumnwind