A Prayer for Haiti

I, like many, am shocked by the earthquake in Haiti. The destruction and devastation of a part of the world already so seemingly forsaken has the cynic in me asking "Why?" The fact of the matter is, the damage has been done...all that we can do now is focus our efforts on helping to rebuild both the nation's infrastructure and its faith in humanity. I will be donating to help the Red Cross' efforts in Haiti, and I urge everyone to consider donating whatever you can to help the relief effort...even of it's simply a prayer to whomever you believe can make a difference.

Ch-Ch-Changes!

Well friends...I have made a HUGE decision this week, which has been the cause of my hiatus: I quit my full time job...This decision has been well thought out, and in fact I will be likely bringing in the same amount of money or more working at my part-time job...I'll also have the option of having a life, which is a lovely bonus. I'll be teaching more, but the best part is, I feel like I can FINALLY live the life I thought I had to wait six months for....It's all beginning this February, and I can hardly wait!

This picture just about sums up how I feel right now:



Elated!

My Plans for 2010

Just putting them out there...

Personal:

~ Buy a vintage bicycle
~ Read two novels a month and review them on Pint-Size
~ Travel to Europe
~ Follow organizational principles outlined here
~ Create some pretty pieces of jewelry

Professional:

~ Get FSL certification
~ Apply to TDSB
~ Get a French teaching job
~ File my pay-scale paperwork
~ Build my teaching portfolio

Financial:

~ Pay off 75% of all loans
~ Begin to save for a down payment on a house
~ Open an RRSP
~ Create a monthly budget and live on cash
~ Continue to build emergency fund

Physical:

~ Become more consistently active: run 3x a week
~ Eat more mindfully
~ Eat more fruits and vegetables
~ Drink more water
~ Practice more yoga

Today has been a quiet, peaceful, lazy day. Outside it's snowing gently and a pot of beef stew is bubbling away on my stove. Tonight I'll be watching a movie curled up with my honey on the couch.

I have had a lot of time today to reflect on the past year, and how excellent it has been...but even so, I am itching to get started on 2010. I just KNOW it's going to be the best one yet...and the best part about that is knowing that I really do have control over it. I know there are certain things that I don't get to have input on, but what I do control is how I react to the bumps in the road. If I can maintain a positive outlook, keep my faith, and surround myself with the people I love then everything will turn out as it should...

Welcome, 2010!