Linking up with Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha for another '5 on Friday' post. This was a tough post for me, but wanted to share...
{o.n.e.} I'm starting this week's post out on a rather somber note I'm afraid. We learned last weekend while we were in Melbourne that Drew's grandmother passed away (last Thursday US time.) We have kept in constant contact with Drew's parents over the past few months and have kept track of her health. After our visit in September, she started going down hill fairly rapidly. When we saw her just a few weeks ago over Christmas, she seemed to be a completely different person than she used to be. She was always so spunky and interested in everything life had to offer. She always wanted to chat endlessly and ask questions so that she felt up-to-date with everything and everyone. She'd always finish a conversation with her quintessential 'verrrry interesting.' Obviously Drew (and I) were very upset to hear the news...especially being so far away and not getting to be with the rest of the family. Drew said he knew when we saw her a few weeks ago that it would be the last time we would see her so he was somewhat prepared for the news. Even though she is no longer here, we are both grateful that she's no longer in pain and unhappy. We can rejoice in the fact that she is in Heaven now...a place she has believed in and waited for her whole life. It will be very different to go home in April knowing that she's not there, but in some ways she will always be with us.
{t.w.o} A dear friend back home, Laura, told me about something that her church does every year and encouraged me to try it. It's called 'My One Word' and her pastor encourages each member of the congregation to pick a word that they focus and meditate on for the entire year. This word is something that connects you to God in a stronger way and is a way for you to readjust your life so that you focus on what's important. I've decided that this year I want my word to be: gratitude. I find so often that I am quick to forget the blessings that I have, to be envious of other people's possessions and experiences, and to not say thank you to the people in my life and to God. I really want to focus my energy on having a thankful and a grateful heart and I'm hoping that this will have a profound impact on my outlook on life.
{t.h.r.e.e} In keeping with my theme of gratitude this year, I thought I would share this article that a friend posted on Facebook earlier this week. It was entitled '10 Ways to be a Better Version of Yourself in 2014.' Some of them are simple, surface-level tips that can just make you feel prettier and others are deeper, long-range outlooks on life that I would bet really would make you a better version of yourself...and that is definitely something to be grateful for. (Side note: I love this picture that's part of the article and the quote from Audrey Hepburn! She's right...happy girls ARE the prettiest!)
{f.o.u.r} One thing I am definitely grateful for this week is the fact that plans are moving along quite smoothly with our house and moving home situation. We have officially booked our flights for April 1, we have set up a rental car for the last few days of living in Auckland so we can sell our car, and Drew has started the repatriation paperwork that might very well take the next two months to complete! We also heard back that the sellers are going to pay the full amount to fix the backyard and they are also going to have all of the minor house issues fixed before we close. We've selected a vendor to build our fence, even though we won't start on that project until we actually move home. Lastly, I've ordered some bedding for our twin guest bedroom and an address stamp--I'm afraid I may have opened a can of worms ordering stuff for the house...
I'm also trying to decide between these two bedding sets for a guest bedroom. I guess we'll have 2 extra guest bedrooms, but I feel like they are too similar to have them both. Any preferences??
{f.i.v.e} As kind of a random 5th thing for this week, I thought I'd recap some of the movies that we've seen recently and list some of the movies that I'm hoping to see sometime soon.
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| 1) Argo--intense but a good movie overall; 2) Lincoln--way too long for my liking, but Daniel Day Lewis was impeccable as Lincoln; 3) Django Unchained--again, extremely intense, but very Tarintino; 4) Grown Ups 2--loved the first one, but this was a poor excuse for a sequel; 5) The Butler--lots of stuff going on, but loved Forrest Whitaker in this; 6) Gravity--I love Sandra Bullock & George Clooney, but this movie left a lot to be desired; 7) Blue Jasmine--just a weird, depressing movie in my option; 8) Anchorman 2--you can always expect laughs with this cast, but I like the original one better. |
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| 1) American Hustle--have heard mixed reviews, but still really want to see it; 2) August: Osage County--haven't heard many people discuss this, but might be good--great actors; 3) Dallas Buyers Club--seems like an intense premise, but it's won all sorts of awards; 4) Frozen--this just looks like good family fun; 5) Saving Mr. Banks--I know this has been out in the US for a while now, but I can't wait to see it when it comes out here; 6) The Wolf of Wall Street--I love Leo and I don't know anyone who hasn't liked this movie. |
Until next time...
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