25 Before 25: Learn to Ski

Posted by Ayesha in Life

Number 6 on the 25 Before 25 List was to learn how to ski. E grew up skiing with his family, and I knew how important it was to him that I learn. And, you guys, I am walking the fine line of overdramatizing how terrified I was of skiing. I have a few idiosyncrasies, but falling down slopes is actually one of my biggest fears. I know it sounds weird, but I hate falling in general, and it’s just much easier to do when you’re going downhill. So, I don’t know if you know anything about skiing, but it’s basically putting yourself in the position to fall downhill ALL. THE. TIME. So, yeah, leading up to the trip, I was in between psyching myself up for the trip, and realizing how terrified I was over and over again that I worked myself up into tears. It was not pleasant.

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Before my first lesson

Thankfully, I was encouraged to take two full days of lessons. And you know, I was so horrible the first day that the teacher sent the other lady to the more advanced class and worked with me until she thought falling was out my system. But I went back the next day, and after driving the Swiss expert ski instructor crazy in 30 minutes, he dumped me on the nicest instructor ever. And I actually started to not stink at skiing. I went super slowly, and I only fell once… per run.

After two days of lessons, I got to ski with E and his parents, which was what the whole point of the trip was. And so, in short, the days progressed like this: I started off pretty well. I progressed to intermediate runs. I would do ok on those with E sweetly encouraging me. We would lose his parents because I was so slow. And then I would end the day with some fall that I couldn’t get up from. And then we’d drink wine and watch Homeland (awesome show, BTW). And I’d still suit up the next morning (Repetitio mater memoria est*). 

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Woolly and me

Once I got better and more comfortable, I started to enjoy it. It helped that there were no crowds and the weather was beautiful. It helped that everyone I was with was encouraging and didn’t push me beyond what I was comfortable doing. And it helped that nobody got really bored doing the same runs over and over again. I really have to thank my in-laws for taking us on a great trip. And I have to thank E for his patience.

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And will I do it again? Yes. Am I less scared of falling down slopes? Eh. Not really.

* Latin phrase “Repetition is the mother of memory.”

The Perfect Problem

Posted by Ayesha in Blog Life

If life were perfect, I would be able to read books, write in my journal, blog, work, exercise, and cook dinner every night. But life is actually way less than perfect for productivity. And sometimes, perfect sounds like pre-made salad and in bed by nine after reading five pages of a great book while fighting sleep (more nights than I care to share). And other nights perfect sounds like eating dinner on the couch while watching Sherlock (all done now).

But I think, tonight, perfect sounds like waking up my blog after a little slumber, and saying hello again.

Book Review: Gathering Blue

Posted by Ayesha in Contemporary Fiction

After reading The Giver, I just wanted to get my hands on another Lois Lowry book, and Gathering Blue is the second in The Giver Quartet.

image via bn.com

image via bn.com

I can understand why it’s not called a series and merely a quartet. The expectation is that we would find out more about what happened to Jonas and Gabriel. It’s an entirely different story, though. It takes place in a different time. Everyone has their place and job, like The Giver, but it’s much less comfortable. People who are deformed or disabled in any way are not accepted. Kira, protected by her mother, survived being eliminated at birth because of her deformed leg. When her mother dies, Kira must prove that she is useful to their society. Her abilities with thread and weaving impress the Council enough to let her stay on as the seamstress of the Singer’s robe. The robe depicts all of their society’s history. Suddenly, Kira is well taken care of and has a respectable place in society.

As she lives in the Council’s building, Kira learns much about her craft, but also much about the society she lives in. With her helpful little friend, Matty, and the carver of the Singer’s staff, Thomas, Kira finds out that both art and freedom come at a high price.

All in all, I was disappointed in Gathering Blue. The last third of the book redeemed the story, but the pace was much slower than The Giver. Besides the fact that the story didn’t continue from The Giver, it also wasn’t as interesting. I will continue to read the rest of the quartet, but I will sneak them in between some of my heavier reads.

I rate this book a 2/5.

Oh, 2013, What?

Posted by Ayesha in Blog Life, Inspiration

This new year certainly started with a bang (story to come), and just kept rolling. I can’t believe we’re 2 weeks into 2013, and I haven’t posted yet.

I didn’t know how I wanted the first post of the year to go. Usually, I start with a goal list, but since the 25 Before 25 list exists, I don’t see any point to add onto it. That could be a recipe for a crazy breakdown. Participating in WeVerb12 definitely helped me reflect on 2012, so there was no need to do one reflection post. I haven’t finished a book yet, so it couldn’t be a book review either.

So, what does that leave me with? For right now, not much. Easing into 2013 is no longer an option, so I’m just going to keep rolling with it. And I’m sure I’ll have something to say soon. And hopefully more pictures, because that is probably a goal I should add to my list that won’t hurt. ;)

#WeVerb12: Sacrifice, Empower, Connect, Capture, Aspire

Posted by Ayesha in Blog Life, Inspiration

Happy New Year! This is a catch-up post. I really let myself settle into holiday vacation and didn’t use my computer very often. But, I’m back and wanted to finish #WeVerb12 because I have enjoyed it so much. 

Sacrifice: What did you, as an individual, let go of to further the greater good this year?

As much as I love shopping, I think I truly grasped the concept of mindful spending this year. I’m not perfect, and I still wish for things sometimes, but I know that small things now will not be as meaningful as big things in the future. I’d much rather live that future with my husband and future family than enjoying some shoes for a few months now. 

Empower: What made you feel powerful in 2012? 

2012 was full of events that encouraged me and instilled in me more self-confidence. I don’t know that there was any one event that really empowered me. I think getting a promotion was a huge step for me. It really helped me to change my outlook on where I wanted to be professionally. I’m happy with what I have achieved so far and know there is so much more room to grow and learn.

Connect: With whom did you make the most worthwhile connections in 2012?

I was a much more social person this year, on the Internet and in real life. While I am happy for all the friends I have made, the most important connection I solidified was with E. We were married. I became his wife and promised to be his partner through life, and I think that is quite a worthy endeavor, don’t you?

Capture: Post a picture taken of you or or by you this year when you were happy.

This photo is everywhere in our lives because it is my favorite of the day. It helps me express the complete joy I felt that day, but especially in the moments right after we were married. 

Aspire: What is your biggest aspiration for 2013?

In 2013, I want to take steps to feel more settled. But since I can’t control everything, I also aspire to be patient and happy with the things that I have now. I aspire to do more things I see on Pinterest. And I aspire to take more pictures because it is too easy to forget the smaller memories in a year that has passed.

WeVerb was an excellent month of reflection, and really inspired me to write more and think about the year more critically. Thank you to the WeVerb creators and to the WeVerb contributors. I have enjoyed reading your posts and have enjoyed writing mine. Best wishes for 2013! I can’t wait to find out what this year has in store.

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#WeVerb12: Chronicle

Posted by Ayesha in Family, Friends, Happiness Project

Did you have a perfect day this year? Describe it.

I feel that this is a no-brainer question. My perfect day this year was the day we got married. I know that everyone says that something always goes wrong on your wedding day. But when I look back at the day, I really can’t think of anything going wrong enough to throw me at all. Really. If you don’t know me, you should know that I am a complete planner. I pored over timeline templates, websites, and consulted the photographer and our day-of-coordinator to make sure that everything would go smoothly. 

And it really went so smoothly. It was perfect. And the day was just joyous. We were surrounded by our closest friends and family. We promised ourselves to each other. I felt no stress (a rarity for me), only giddy nervousness. I remember joy. 

And after eating a few bites of a yummy meal, we danced the night away. 

Personal photo; Feel free to caption this below

Personal photo; Feel free to caption this below

It was honestly the perfect day from the morning bagel run to the first look to the “I will”s to the cheesecake dessert.

Perfect.

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#WeVerb12: Give

Posted by Ayesha in Family

What was the best gift you gave someone this year?

This year, we had to cut back a little on the gift-giving front, which was difficult for me during the shopping season. I always want to give more, but I knew I had to stick to a tight budget, and get the most bang for my buck that I could.

The presents that we worked hardest on and really cared about giving this year were wedding albums for our parents. They both contributed so much to our weddings, that I wanted them to have a keepsake as well. At first, it seemed a little selfish and even cliché. I wasn’t expecting much reaction. But both sets of parents were really happy with them, and it was fun to walk down the short memory lane with them. My mom even started showing it off to everybody at the party. We chose to make our albums through Adoramapix, who have nice options for square, leather-bound books. I worked very carefully on the layout and E helped me whittle down to the best of the best photos that would give a good glimpse at the day without becoming too long.

Photo books are such a great and personal gift and I will be sure to keep that in mind for future gifts. With Pinterest and other great websites, there is access to many other creative ideas as well. Maybe next year, I can get into that creative spirit a little more.

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#WeVerb12: Delight

Posted by Ayesha in Happiness Project, Life

How can you bring more joy into your life in 2013?

2012 was pretty joyous. So much of it was filled with merriment and all of our favorite people. But I think I spent a lot of time going out and being social, so I didn’t give myself enough time at home for relaxation.

For 2013, we have agreed to have one completely unscheduled weekend a month just to ourselves. There may be times when we have to clean or run some errands, but for the most part, it will be for us. We can either stay home, or go away for a small trip. And I think it’s going to be great for our moods. I’m also hoping to spend more time outdoors, more time reading, and more time writing. Beyond that, I think 2013 has a lot of great things in store, and I really hope for as much joy as we have experienced this year, if not more.

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#WeVerb12: Communicate

Posted by Ayesha in Friends

Describe a conversation that you had this year. Why was it memorable?

I always have a great conversations with my friend, H, in Boston. We typically spend lots of time on the phone when we can set aside time to talk, but when I went to visit her on a work trip, I don’t think we stopped talking the whole time. We talked about everything from books read to attempting new fashion trends to the more personal things. When I left Boston, I spent a lot of time thinking about our conversation. And I felt so good after we spent time together. It reminded me of this time in college when H’s car actually died while we talked for hours in the parking lot in front of the music hall. It also reminded me that we can pick up right where we left off, and that friends like H are hard to come by.

Before Instagram was a thing

Before Instagram was a thing

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#WeVerb12: Recharge

Posted by Ayesha in Happiness Project, Life

I hope you all had a merry merry Christmas! I fell a little behind on posting with all the holiday festivities. You’ll see a few more posts daily until I catch up. 

What did you do to recharge your batteries in 2012?

Our big recharge came mid-year right after our wedding, when we honeymooned in Costa Rica. We soaked in the beauty of the rain forest, lounged in pools, ate great food and even did some adventuring!

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Of course, we can’t just run away to Costa Rica every time we need recharging. When I can carve out alone time, I like to paint my nails, go window shopping, and of course, read with a cup of tea. I hope to add exercise to that, too.

How do you recharge?

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