My 2008
Well I’m not quite sure where the Christmas week has gone but since the New Year has almost crept up on me I thought I would take a look back at my 2008…
It was a rather good year… I feel like I found a bit more of myself, came to terms with who I am, what I like and just… me as a whole — I don’t follow the sheep and although I may have urges to conform sometimes, especially when knowing what other people my age are doing (eeek peer pressure at 24?!) I tell myself it’s ok not to be like everyone else!
I thank Danny for supporting me… and understanding me… and putting up with me! I am sooooo going to live with you in 2009!
Anyway on to my list of 2008 highs and lows.
Friends: I made new ones (Ryan, Debbie, Gene) and I found old ones again thanks to facebook (That would be you Laura!).
Family: Once again I got to see 95% of my family… this is always quite an amazing thing, getting everyone in the right place at the right time for my couple of weeks back in the UK!
Cat Family: Big big changes in this area. Charlie cat died – My darling baby girl aka Pursey who I will always miss. As always she taught me something even at the end – Death isn’t a scary thing. When I looked at her body I could see “she” was no longer there… blank eyes so I wasn’t sad at burying her body cos her spirit was in the sky. (All this and I’m not even religious!!) She sent me new kitties to love… Warren, Cleo, Scott and Lloyd not forgetting those who only stayed a while – Robyn, Stella, Jack, Ant… I’m getting used to this coming and going of stray cats!
Travel: I didn’t get to see any exciting cities that I have on my travel list but I did have a great 3 weeks in the UK. Thankyou Neil for letting me stay, it was great, I loved the sight-seeing that we did. Danny… Dannyland is fabulous and that cottage was practically magical even if it did rain all the time. The magic was all down to the chickens I think… and perhaps a bit of love!
Work: Some changes here also. Whilst I love creating and have a special place for Emelegifts in my heart… I admitted to myself it’s not something I want to do 24/7 anymore. I realised I couldn’t force myself to do something that my heart wasn’t 100% interested in – Even though that was a scary thing to realise… after I put so much of “me” into it. Hence the change around on products and letting Emelegifts become a favorite hobby – One where I can create what I want, when I want and not worry about growing the business and making a profit from it.
Photography is the thing I want to do. Well, I am doing it but I want to take it further. I made more money on shutterstock and zazzle than ever before and got such nice compliments… This is my passion. We’ll see and hear more about this in 2009!
Website design and SEO is still a big part of the whole “Emele Empire”, especially with my excellent clients who become friends! Again, it’s not something I want to do 24/7 hence picking and choosing the jobs but it’s great to have someone come to you with there idea and you make it happen!
I also started writing! If you had told me this in 2007 I would have laughed at you! Writing for Helium had opened my mind to various points of view as well as learning new things. It would seem I am getting really interested in places and people of history after writing about Ancient Egyptian Medicine, Einstein, How Chinese Surnames came to be and more – It just fascinates me. Again, I never would have believed it last year.
I started the creative artists blog also – It’s not where I want it to be yet but give me time! It feels really good to be able to promote artists and photographers who’s work I love. I hope they have had extra sales and views from it.
Good Deeds…. I’m not really a person who does nice things for random people… I don’t smile at strangers in the street. But for the 2nd half of this year I suddenly had urgest to help a few people or do nice things for them just because I wanted to – No strings attached. It’s the best feeling ever!
So there you have it, that was rather long but those are the major and not so major things I consider to have made up my 2008.
