Just another day

It's Friday, thankfully. I swear I say that every Friday, but I'm always happy when the end of the week rolls around. The pure anticipation and bliss of two whole upcoming days without constraints and deadlines. Glory be...they're just mine!!

I've always worked full time since I've been about 18 years old. There was that one blissful summer that I had off about 9 years ago, but other than that, I've always worked. So, to have time to myself is precious and I'll have to admit that I'm quite stingy with my days off. I hate (generally) to make plans for fear that when the time comes, I won't feel like doing said planned event. I know a lot of people aren't in agreement with me on this, and that's okay...plan away, but I prefer a more laid back approach to life.

I know quite a few people who have never had to work outside jobs and have been stay at home moms. Now, I'm not saying that that isn't a job in itself, but to have time to do whatever pops into the imagination, what a blessing! I am looking forward to the day when I can tender my resignation and walk away without looking back and have the free time to dedicate to my personal agenda. My very own "to do list". I can envision riding my horse a lot more than I do now, and even taking some lessons because I love to be critiqued and challenged to step outside of my comfort zone. I enjoy gardening and landscape design. Now I'm not saying that I'm good at either one, but I enjoy dabbling and learning and creating. I want to grow fruits and vegetables, lots of varieties of berries and of course I would love to have a gorgeous flower garden, something like you would possibly see in the old English countryside. You know, nothing proper and organized, but wildly imaginative and a bit out of control looking with a touch of old world charm. I especially love to plant flowers not only for their color and beauty, but for their wonderful scent. I want to attract honey bees and maybe even dabble in beekeeping. I think that sounds like fun.

Oh, there's so many things that I would love to try my hand at. I envision rising early and taking brisk morning walks or bicycle rides. I would enjoy taking another photography class and learning a lot more than I do now. And, if given some time for thought, I'm quite sure that my list would grow much longer. There's so many interesting and fun things to be enjoyed but for me, there's never enough time.

I think it would also be fun to remove every bit of furniture from my house and repaint or redo everything and begin fresh with a whole new palette. I would probably still gravitate to old world/farmhouse/western/English cottage design (picture that if you can), but wouldn't it be fun just to try and see how things turned out?? Oh, if money and time weren't always the determining factors of what I can or will do with my life. What a dream!

And I would absolutely love to travel. I have no desire to go to tourist destinations, but instead would rather spend at least a month in the places I like and set up temporary "house" and blend in with the locals. Sounds like a blast to me. What a dream it would be to do whatever our hearts or minds can come up with and then just do. But, that's definitely not my reality, probably won't ever be my reality. So instead, I have to live life on a much smaller scale and simply learn to rejoice in the everyday, simple little things that life has to offer and find the pure joy in the business of life - wherever or whatever our circumstances. That's probably the key in being at peace and finding true inner happiness and contentment. Just recognize and smile at all the simple, little things that happen our way everyday.

And then there's the unexpected little surprises that life throws our way. Here's one for example, I've always wanted to go somewhere warm and tropical. I have travelled to Mexico a couple of times and spent family vacations there when I was a teenager, but not since. The other day I was talking to my sister and she was telling me how she and her hubby are preparing for their annual trek south to Arizona for a couple of months. After I listened to her about their plans, I took a deep sigh and said how I sure wished that one of these days hubby and I would be planning a real trip somewhere warm and maybe even tropical. Wouldn't that be grand? Yadda yadda yadda, here we go again.

So, a few days ago hubby comes home from work and says that his little brother's only daughter who is planning her wedding this coming September has changed their plans and is now going to be married in Hawaii...and would we like to go??? Oh sure, like we can afford to go Hawaii I say...ever the optimist. But, dreams really do come true. Brother and sister-in-law are paying for several of the guests' airfare and the first 2 nights in the very exclusive 5-star resort and spa where the wedding is going to be held...and if we can find caretakers for the horses, they'd really like us to come for the wedding...are you freaking kidding me!!?? Of course we can!!! Count us in!!! So just like that, now I'm searching for beach cottages or hotel rooms on Oahu for a few more nights so we can stretch the vacation out just a bit. Albeit in something less exclusive than the 5-star resort, but who cares!!!! We are going to Hawaii!! Oh thank you most wonderful Father in heaven, what a blessing! You just never know what may be just around the corner in life. All I can say right now is that I'm feeling like one very lucky or probably more likely, very blessed gal who really does believe in miracles and in dreams coming true.

So Aloha baby!!! I'm going to Hawaii!!! Yippee!!!

I have so much work to do, let's see lose weight, lose weight, oh and then I should probably lose some weight too. *sigh*

Wish me luck??