Let's make the most of it all

I'm recently married, young (25), intelligent, easy going, organized, professional when I need to be, laid back when I need to be, relatively healthy, resourceful, organized, creative, and I seem to have all the time in the world to follow my dreams.

That is not to say that I think I will live forever, or that I feel as though I can take my time in accomplishing my dreams. No. Certainly not. It is only to say due to some health issues over the past year and a half I have had a lot of time with no job, no school, little financial responsibilities and large amounts of time at home.

It first started when I became ill and was unable to keep a job and keep my health. As I was spending most of my savings on getting by and spending a lot of my down time with my then-boyfriend, we eventually moved in together. Then one thing led to another and as my finances dwindled, my then-fiance seemed to take over and handle most of our financial situations. It was hard for me to adjust to at first, as I am sure it was hard for him at times. I had always been great with my money, as was evident by the condo I owned, and the amount of time I was able to financially support myself with no job. However, when the money ran very short, he stepped in and took care of me. He supported me through it, and still is to this day. I am still shocked that considering our situation we were able to pull off a beautiful wedding (as I said, I can be resourceful and creative).

And now that my health has improved I am getting back to the work force! Although my new job is on a casual/on-call basis, which means that I can have anywhere from no shifts on a paycheck or I can have full-time work. This sort of work situation is not good for any sort of stable financial planning, however it is good for my health, which still can be sporadic at times. Also, since we are in a place financially where my husband's income is enough to get by on, and still pay a little debt each month, I don't need to feel pressure to rush back to work full-time, possibly aggravating my body and making myself ill again (as has happened before).

And possibly the best benefit of it all, and one that I am encouraging myself to take advantage of, is the fact that in my free time I can focus on my creative dreams. I can paint, and create, and write! I know how easy it is to say that I am going to work towards my dreams and then to not do it, however I have a plan. I did say I was organized, didn't I?!

Schedules make my life work, writing things down and keeping things organized is the key to my success. It has worked for me before, and it will work for my now, and it will work for me in the future. So, I have made schedules for myself. I am also making deadlines for myself. I know I cannot expect it all from myself right in the beginning, but they are goals. Over time I will expect more and more for myself and my schedules will only become fuller with my own dreams and aspirations. I am going to succeed at my goals, I can. I have the ideas, I have the talent, and I have the know-how, now I just have to make it happen!

Watch out world!

Books, books, books...

I have been receiving pressure from my lovely fiance to read more instead of sitting at home and not accomplishing much. It's pressure that I appreciate though. Really, what harm could come from reading more?

A lot of my reading over the past few months has been wedding related and Jeff has been encouraging me to branch out and read other things. I have also been on a crafting book kick lately. Trying to find projects to entertain my mind, and inspire some creativity.

Since the time we have been together (almost a year and a half) I think I have only read one fiction book in it's entirety. (One which I later recommended to Jeff to read and he loved). However, Jeff thinks I would get some enjoyment reading more fiction, which I completely agree with. So, to get myself motivated to find books that interest me and spark my imagination (possibly encouraging me to write as well!) I was considering re-reading books I once loved, but I still was not sure where to start. Then one day to my surprise there was a 'Chapters' shopping bag sitting on the sofa with a book comprising the entire 'Weetzie Bat' series (minus the newest one). The series is one which I read as a teenager and loved at that stage in my life. It is a series which most certainly will keep me entertained and will spark some creativity. So, over the next while I will be getting back to reading, thanks to the generosity of my fiance, and hopefully getting back to writing again as well!

Some food for thought.

Right now I am making dinner with my most lovely of fiances. Neither of us are really all that hungry, yet we are still making dinner. It's a nice relaxing thing that we both enjoy, cooking. There is something about it that is peaceful, and easy, yet it possesses it's own set of challenges (especially in a small kitchen).

Much of our relationship's positive aspects revolves around food come to think of it. We both love trying new foods, and we get stuck on certain things when we find something we both love....like Indian butter chicken. Many of our favorite foods are ethnic foods, many of which are things that our families have never tried.

When doing a gift registry most of the items we registered for where cooking or baking items. We have most of what we need already as we have both been living on our own for some time now, but registering for the higher end and specialty items was something that appealed to both of us.

So, food is a big part of my life, and that's the way I like it!