Rather Be

Hi Darlings!

Happy New Year!

I hope 2015 brings you much joy and love and laughter and all good things...that you learn and grow...that you live your best life...

I wrote a blog about Christmas but sometimes when I blog I wait a day or so to publish and I am glad I did...it was self indulgent and whiney...and I am self-indulgent and whiney a lot but I don't think anyone needed that at Christmas....

so I sat back and waited and read it and hit the trash button...

but the holidays always get me thinking...and sometimes they are a little sad and lonely for me...

I miss my kids when they are with their dad...
I miss my parents because they are gone...
I miss having a love in my life to share the holidays with...

And as I had some time to be alone and contemplate I had time to count my blessings that 2014 brought me and a chance to think about what I want from 2015...

2014 was a great year...

I sold my house and bought Casa Bonita...it's just perfect for me and D'Nice and I had fun decorating it and I had fun shopping for things for it with KuteKaren.  It would not be the gorgeous refuge it is for me without their help...

there truly is no place I would rather be...

I don't really miss my old house...I do miss my old shower (oh I miss that shower) and I miss my old closet (but my new one isn't half bad at all...) and in the summer I missed my pool (but not the care and maintenance of it).

I made new friends with the sale of my old home and the purchase of my new one...I walked out of both transactions hugging the other parties and truly loving them.  When the couple that purchased my old house ended up moving because of an amazing career opportunity I was touched when they invited me over to pick up the last of my mail and see the changes they made. 

The house was gorgeous...I loved it all...and I didn't feel any regret...

until I had to say goodbye to them...

I had long since said goodbye to the house...but I loved the family that bought it and knew it was in the perfect hands...but when I hugged MarvelousMichelle on the front porch I cried...because I knew I would miss her and miss the chance to spend more time with her and watch her son grow and I adored her husband as well...

and when GentlemanJim (who I bought Casa Bonita from) messaged me to tell me that SweetSue (his darling wife) had cancer....well I sat down and cried and prayed on my knees for her health and recovery...

But truly there is no place I would rather be than Casa Bonita and I would rather have those friendships than anything else...

2014 also was my first musical with my Houston Christian kids....oh how I love them!

It brought me the treasure that is My Other Daughter (MOD) and a chance to grow closer to my Sweet Caroline who I have known for years...and all my sweet lovely kids that I find myself loving like they were my own...

and I got an award nomination for my costumes...not bad...not bad at all...

I was worried about how it would be to work with high school kids but GOTT had faith in me and now that I am there is can honestly tell you there is no place I would rather be...

In 2014 I found a new spin studio and fell in love with Revolution Studio and the people that work there and spin there...I guess you kinda figured that out from my constant FB posts and blogs...

I hated leaving JayVee and her amazing classes and my friends at my old club but I had to think of my finances and as a single woman a country club membership was really not practical.  JayVee introduced me to Revolution to give me an option...she knew we would always be friends (and we will be) but that I needed to move on to someplace that made more economic sense for me...

and it did make more sense financially...

but the best part is...

I am not settling for something less...I landed right where I needed to be...

I have the most amazing place to work out and I have met the most incredible people there...I have so many new friends and I love walking in there and hugging the people inside that little jewel of a studio...

it has been a true growth for me there and there really is no place I would rather be than on a bike (preferably Bike 6) at Revolution Studio. 

I love it so much I spent my 50th birthday there...

oh yeah...

2014 brought me...

50...
ugh...

some days I totally feel it and others I think "not bad for 50...not bad at all..."

Would I rather be 40?

youbetcha

but in many ways...no...

I would like to be 40 so I could roll back time and not get fat and get out of my marriage sooner...and so my knees would not feel 70 years old and so that maybe I could have spared a lot of people some collateral damage from my failed marriage...

but I would rather be the me I am at 50 than the me I could have been if I had not taken control of my life and moved towards happiness and not misery...

and I would rather be alone than in a bad marriage and making someone else miserable as well...

So what do I want for 2015?

My friend the Amazing Anna posted something on FB about how she had gotten clear about her four pillars for her life this year (and yes she did it on a spin bike)...and then she asked me what mine were...

I didn't have to think about it...it just flowed out of me as I typed her the answer:

LIVE
LAUGH
LEARN
LOVE

This is going to be my "L" year...and I plan to blog about how I want to do those things in another blog (because this one is long enough) and I need time (most likely on the bike) to contemplate just what I want from those things...

but in short...

I want to LIVE my best life
I want to LAUGH a lot
I want to LEARN new things and learn from my mistakes
I want to LOVE everyone (and maybe find a man in a big ass truck to love...I'm kinda tired of being alone after almost 4 years...)

to quote Auntie Mame (who was not real so I guess I am either quoting Patrick Dennis or the writers of the play/movie):

I want to LIVE LIVE LIVE
LIFE IS A BANQUET AND MOST POOR SUCKERS ARE STARVING TO DEATH!!!
So plan to use this year as one where I live, laugh, learn and love...

and speaking of learning...

My cousin posted this quote from Neil Gaiman on his FB page and I am taking it to heart:

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new... things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.
So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
― Neil Gaiman

that guy is pretty genius and my cousin is a pretty smart cookie too...

I lead a blessed and charmed life...I really have nothing to complain about...

I have amazing kids...
I own my own home...
I have a job I love and a boss I love...
I have incredible friends...
I have a wonderful community where I workout...
I am healthy...
I am happy...
 and right now there is no one I would rather be than the me I am right now...

Inspiration Song: "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit.  It was my favorite song of 2014 (just ahead of "this is how we do" by my girl Katy).  I literally never tired of the song from spring until now...I still love it and listen to it every day...

I want to share the lyrics with you...because they are very inspirational...and it is truly how I feel most every day about my friends and you darlings that read this...

• We're a thousand miles from comfort,

  We have traveled land and sea

  But as long as you are with me,

  There's no place I rather be

  I would wait forever,

  Exulted in the scene

  As long as I am with you,

  My heart continues to beat
• With every step we take,

  Kyoto to The Bay

  Strolling so casually

  We're different and the same,

  Gave you another name

  Switch up the batteries
• If you gave me a chance I would take it

  It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it

  Know with all of your heart, you can't shame me

  When I am with you, there's no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be, oh oh
• We staked out on a mission

  To find our inner peace

  Make it everlasting

  So nothing's incomplete

  It's easy being with you,

  Sacred simplicity

  As long as we're together,

  There's no place I'd rather be
• With every step we take,

  Kyoto to The Bay

  Strolling so casually

  We're different and the same,

  Gave you another name

  Switch up the batteries
• If you gave me a chance I would take it

  It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it

  Know with all of your heart, you can't shame me

  When I am with you, there's no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be
• When I am with you, there's no place I rather be

  Be, oh

  Be, be, be, be, be, be, be, be, be

  Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
• If you gave me a chance I would take it

  It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it

  Know with all of your heart, you can't shame me

  When I am with you, there's no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be

  No, no, no, no place I rather be

  When I am with you, there's no place I rather be

• Songwriters: MARSHALL, NICOLE / PATTERSON, JACK / CHATTO, GRACE / NAPES, JIMMY

• © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

  For non-commercial use only.

  Data From: LyricFind

Bye Darlings...I hope there is no place you would rather be than where you are right now...