There are many miscellaneous, NEW little things I’ve learned, or read, or experienced lately, so I thought I’d present them in an A-Z format. I got the prompts from Deb’s World and thought it was a fabulous list. So, here goes:

Admiring: the loaf of sourdough bread a neighbor brought over a few days ago. Isn’t it gorgeous!?!

Becoming: more of a minimalist. More stuff to buy, take care of, store etc., just isn’t appealing to me. However, I DO love to try NEW things and that means frequently having to buy “stuff”. The balance struggle is real! :o)

Curious: of the mindset of people. After you read this 1924 wedding announcement that I recently came across, you’ll know what I mean! It’s a curiosity! “The marriage took place between two large fiery crosses in the presence of about 2,500 robed Klansmen”…I just don’t understand!!

(Source: Springfield News-Sun, 17 Jun 1924, Page 7, Springfield, Ohio, Newspapers.com)

Delighted: to participate and provide service to those in need. I really appreciate the individuals and organizations that see a need and try to fill that need. I’ve contributed to quite a few service projects lately and I hope the things I’ve provided truly bless those people and I hope their circumstances improve soon. Every person in this world is important.

Excited: To be with all the family in Park City at Christmas time and cross off all our Christmas Bingo items! Our theme this year is “Laughing All The Way” and I’ve assigned each person (or couple) to come prepared with an activity to make us laugh. Can’t wait!

Feeling: chilly. My watch says it’s 29 degrees outside right now!

Going: to Billy Joel’s concert in April! Apparently, this is his last tour, so I thought “Now or never” and splurged for the tickets, ha!

Helping: me to learn Spanish is Duolingo. As of today, I’m on day 664 of my streak!

Imploring: the senseless act of mass shooting to cease! On Dec 6th, I got a text from my son saying “Active shooter on campus. I’m safe. In case you hear about it. But very crazy.” That’s NOT a text you want to ever get. I’m grateful my son is safe but so sorry for the families of the victims. I wish, as a society, we could find a solution. (UNLV Campus Shooting).

Joking: around with felt boards is my NEW favorite!

Knowing: that I have a loving family is such a blessing in my life. Both immediate family as well as extended!

Loving: the yearly tradition at work where the professors in our department share what they’ve enjoyed reading, listening to, or where they’ve traveled to in the last year. I get a bunch of NEW ideas of books to read, music or podcasts to listen to, and places to put on my travel bucket list!

Making: freezer meals with my BFF on a monthly or bi-monthly basis WILL happen in 2024. We got back at it last Friday! It’s SO nice to have some backup meals ready in the freezer!

Next: year is right around the corner. I gotta write out my resolutions (then get depressed when I don’t achieve them). Ha! JK! I don’t really get depressed by it. It’s just life. I say it’s better to try to improve than not try at all.

Observing: the interesting shadows that were made during the recent solar eclipse is still fun thanks to my phone’s camera roll. :o)

Posting: an update of my 24 for 2024 list was a suggestion from The Happier Project podcast. I might just implement that to stay accountable because I think I failed miserably on my 23 for 2023 list.

Questioning: the Budget Rental Car company’s policy! (Short story: IT’S A RIPOFF!) Apparently, if you have an early flight and the Budget Car Rental people tell you to put the keys in their dropbox (because no one would be at their counter), you are still liable for any damages! We returned our car, (which was in the same condition as when we received it), and dropped our keys in the box as instructed. Months later we got a letter saying there was damage and we owed them $1200. There was no number to call to explain that we did NOT do any damage whatsoever. Eventually, months later, they had a real-live collection agency representative call us. We explained there was no damage when we returned the car. He said that didn’t matter because we were responsible for any damage until they took back possession of the vehicle. What?! Obviously, someone backed into the car and did some damage after we returned it, but we still had to pay the bill! Ugh! Lesson learned I guess…although I don’t know what we could have done differently with such an early flight.

Reading:113 books thus far this year kind of shows my goal of 52 was slightly low. Ha!

Staying: active is the goal.

Trying: hard to close the fitness rings on my watch/phone. My desk job and 10-hour days makes that difficult, but I need to stop ignoring my watch when it tells me it’s time to stand!

Understanding: that everyone can have their own opinion and it’s okay to agree to disagree is something I wish more people understood.

Viewing: my first ever, in-person women’s powerlifting competition. Isn’t my DIL a strong, beautiful woman?!

Welcoming: my NEW introduction to Harvard Professor, Arthur C. Brooks (however, I’m not sure how I first became aware of him). I binge-watched his videos with Oprah when they discussed their book “Build the LIfe You Want”. Here’s links to Episode 1, and Episode 2, and Episode 3. I thought a lot of his ideas and recommendations made sense and were very good. He also writes a column in the Atlantic magazine with similar content.

X(our choice): Exploring: the three National Parks in Florida is on the agenda for our Anniversary trip this year. I’m not sure what we were thinking of when we decided to get married in February, but the weather in Florida should be nice!

Yes: to the wonderful scents of Christmas time! Pine. Cider. Baked cookies. Cinnamon. Yum!

Z(our choice): Really enjoying playing the New York Times free games. One of my four sons, his wife and me all text our results of Wordle and Connections to each other every day. It’s a fun, daily “connection” to have with them.

That’s it! Have a great day and I hope you do or learn something NEW today!