Day 373 ~ Dino Comes Home Early

So here I am on day two of "design mode".

I have been thinking, and thinking {for a while now} of how I was going to do this... that is, switch my blog from Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own to Took It... Making It... Living It...My Life  -finally... I'm onto something.

TML (Took It... Making It... Living It... My Life) is more or less of a continuation, or a sequel if you will to TBML (Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own), and I decided not to create a "new" blog and keep them together.

How to continue my blog was half of my battle... although thinking of what the new name was going to be was a battle in itself... until I finally struck gold!  wink, wink.

Believe me I have been thinking about what I was going to do for some time now... that's how my website was born... CarlaBarilaKaram.com

Then the other question was... I was only going to do this for 365 days (not even realizing that it was Leap Year when I began), how am I to continue blogging? and what direction should I take it in?

Yes... my countdown within my blog reached "D-Day" ["I did it" day ;) ] or rather "0 Days to go".  However... my posts {titles} were counting up... So ...that in itself did not pose a problem.  I decided that I would just continue counting my days and see where it takes me. 

Back to the here and now... now, I have been in total "design mode" for two days.  {and when I am not in front of my laptop my mind does "designing} 

I do have to say that today was not as difficult to prepare for "design mode", being that Dino surprised us by coming home from work early.  With that said, Calley was going to be taken care of.... BUT, now Dino was home.

I don't know about most of you, but when my husband comes home when he normally is not suppose to be home... well I don't know how else to put this, except to just say it... Dino gets in my way.

Example... I am cleaning up Dino and my bedroom and step out to put something in the kitchen.  I come back to make our bed only to find Dean laying down.  OR... Calley and I want to go to our favorite hobby store, Dino decides to come with us ... well our normal routine is interrupted by his merely hanging back, and not participating.  {This makes me feel like he is wanting to leave, and ends up rushing Calley and I through our normal perusing.}

Side note:  My wonderful husband, absolutely HATES shopping... unless we need to buy something and I NEED his input... well... Let's just say that after being with Dino nearly eleven years, I'd rather go shopping without him.  You could say that he is the President of the I Hate {any kind of} Shopping Club.

Don't get me wrong... we LOVED that our Dino was home for most of the day... however, it did cramp our style routine.  

So what do we do?  We take our Dino out to lunch... an early Father's Day treat.

Father! - to God himself we cannot give a holier name.  ~William Wordsworth

[here's to you finding your... ]

Peace...

... for a, l & c.  You are my sunshine(s).  

Images are courtesy of google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barila Karam and of this blog, Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own.  © 2012 U.S Copyright laws apply.  

Day 367 ~ Took It... Making It... Living It... My Life

Funny thing happened to me on the way to bed tonight...  {wink, wink}

So I go to get in ... and thought... wow, I finished my goal... now what?

Well I guess I could sit back ... relax ... watch a movie ... kick back ... glance at my  lap top ... watch my movie {free HBO this weekend... I recorded Bridesmaid earlier} ... glance at my  lap top ... start the movie ... glance at my lap top ... 

Grab my lap top!

I just can't help myself.  wink, wink.  

I open my blog and see a couple of new comments.  Big Smile.  

Then I read last night's post, Day 366 (remember it was leap year) ... which makes it one year ago today that I took on my challenge.

So ... all day today... in the back of my mind I thought... what next?  Then I kept repeating "Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own", over and over again ... and "What's Next?"

After a few more moments I began to say... Took It... Made It... over and over again... as if it was the next step, the next chapter... but then I thought... something was missing... and repeated "What's Next?" a few more times... oh brother this is ridiculous I thought... 

At that instance, it all came together. 

Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own ... was my rebirth and growth.

Took It... Making It... Living It... My Life ... will be my life, creating it and my purpose.

Listen, it may have taken me this long to accept life... it may have taken me nearly fifty years to really realize I am only here for a limited amount of time... surprisingly enough, it also took me all this time to understand that all along life has been up to me...

{and} Even though I was a slow learner... what matters now is that it is my choice to do something about life... to do something good about life.  

So now I welcome you to...

Took It... Making It... Living It...  My Life  

the sequel to Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own

Keep an eye out for new changes. wink, wink.


Keeping my dream alive.

Attitude is a choice.

[here's to you finding your... ]

Peace...

... for a, l & c.  you are my sunshine(s).

Images are courtesy of either google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barilá Karam and of this blog- Taking Back My Life ~ Making it My Own.  US Copyright law apply  ©

Day 366 ~ One Year !

Yes... yesterday was my 365th day in a row that I have blogged.  

However... this was a Leap Year... therefore... tomorrow is my actual one year anniversary... or rather... One year ago tomorrow I set out on my journey.  

So.. having today be my closing post is perfect.  More on that at the end of my post.

Wow!!  What an adventure!!  So many times I have shared with  you that I am gaining so much from this journey.  

Reminding you again... that this was to be like a "handbook" of sorts on me for my children, family and friends; a memoir if you will... in hopes that my sharing my life would help another with their's.

I have had ups this year, as well as downs... but as I sit here and look back... this has been the best year I have given myself!  For something that was meant for others... it has turned out to be such a HUGE part of my life.

I had literally cried with you... laughed with you... ached with you... and healed with you!  ... now I would be lost without you... life just would not be the same.

Am I done?

I really don't think so!  How can I be?  My life isn't perfect by any means... but... writing this blog night after night... at first anxiously awaiting the moment I would sit with my lap top... then there were some nights that I actually forced myself to share [only because I was tired]... other nights where I actually struggled with my thoughts...

All in all... I would not trade my experience with anything!

So as I have anticipated this moment for a while... wondering how I was going to continue my blogging... if I was going to do a sequel to this blog or just continue on...

I have started other blogs... I have a health-lifestyle blog {My LifeStyle ReDesign}... and I also have my gratitude blog {Humble Gratitude}... and my website I created which all my creations can be found {Carla Barilá Karam}... 

Will I keep my baby {this blog} going?  I don't know?  I almost want to keep going to see how long I can keep it up.  After all, what harm can it pose?

I honestly do not have the answer right at this particular moment.  But what I do know is that I am not going to stop blogging any time soon.  BIG SMILE!

Glory lies in the attempt to reach one's goal and not in reaching it.  ~Mahatma Gandhi 

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.  ~Eleanor Roosevelt 

[here's to you finding your... ]

Peace...

Leap Year!... {I DID IT!!!...  I can't believe it!...}

read about this count down in my "About my Blog" page

... for a, l & c.  you are my sunshine(s).

Images are courtesy of either google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barilá Karam and of this blog- Taking Back My Life ~ Making it My Own.  US Copyright law apply  ©

Day 347 ~ The Next 18 Days...

I have been sitting here for close to forty minutes just staring at the fact that I have 18 days to go...  {unbelievable!}

I attempted to talk about the need of having compassion and communication in a relationship... and then went back to staring at the number 18.

I know that the last seven days have been a rough learning curve... and that is exactly what they have been... a learning curve... kinda like "growing pains"...

That's a bit more fitting... "growing pains" ... especially since the last 346 days all have been a growing experience for me.  

I have learned more about myself in the last year, than what I knew about myself in a lifetime.  I have had plenty of "aha" moments... and now to see that it has come down to 18 days... well... it is unbelievable to me.

Sooo... starting tomorrow I will be doing my own A to Z Challenge... A to Z, What I Learned About Me..  Huh?  In the next 18 days I will not only be counting down, but each day I will write of something I have learned about myself... first being up is the letters "A" & "B".  

Well, in order to make it work... using the alphabet as a countdown when there are only 18 days left... is as follows... 

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I will be choosing words for two consecutive letters and on the other days, one... for example... tomorrow Monday I will be choosing words that begin with the letters "A" & "B"; Tuesday the letter "C"; Wednesday letters "D" and "E"; Thursday the letter "G" and so on... 

Why not do this?  This way, I definitely will not get the "doe in headlights" stare at my laptop while staring at my days left on "taking back my life ~ making it my own"...
 

What will be next?  Well... I do have my website... carlabarilakaram.com ©... which has all my creations under one umbrella if you will.  

I still will be writing or blogging My LifeStyle ReDesign on a weekly basis.  Right now I am dealing with my latest findings that I have high cholesterol; finding out what having high cholesterol means; and the steps I am taking to reduce my risk of heart disease.

I also started humble gratitude; my new gratitude journal.  I took Oprah's advice and not only started my own gratitude journal, but put my own twist to it... I made it a blog.  Well, it is a simple gratitude journal to remind me all that I am grateful for.

I also still have My wii fit+ 21-Day Challenge published online.  Hmmm... I am starting to come up with a new challenge... a 50-day challenge to lower my cholesterol.  Talk about accountability... ooo... I think I am on to something...

Stay tuned for the next 18 days ... where things will be happening!  

Tomorrow the beginning of my new A to Z Challenge... with the letter "A".

I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.

~Tony Robbins

(here's to you finding your...)

 Peace,  

18 days to go...  {unbelievable!}  

read about this count down in my "About my Blog" page

... for a, l & c.  You are my sunshine(s).  

Images are courtesy of google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barila Karam and of this blog, Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own.  U.S Copyright laws apply.  © 2012 

Day 335 ~ The Home Stretch!

WOW!!  Did you see that?  Well I guess you haven't being that you are at the beginning of my post and have not yet read to the end of my post... but you did read the beginning... my title... yes...

D A Y   3 3 5 !!

The "H O M E ~ S T R E T C H!"  

" M Y  H O M E  ~  S T R E T C H ! ! "

It's finally here... my last thirty days of what has turned out to be a one year journey of self discovery and self acceptance.  

This one year journal... was intended for my children {family and friends}... written for them... a way to explain what happened {to me}. hahaha Or at least give them my side of the story.  (that's probably the most honest thing I can say.)

I shared some of my experiences {just some... because the other experiences were just too stupid to mention - that or too embarrassing!  lol!} Actually I shared what I needed to share.

Come to think of it... with some experiences... well let's just say that I did not want to continue with all the negativity.  I grew to understand my truths and who I am {always was}... I hope that my children will see this as well.

I am hoping that then my children {family and friends} will have a better idea of everything in general, and come to their own conclusions.

The more and more I shared a part of me... the more I did this... the more I realized I needed to take control of my life.  

I needed to put a stop to being sad... put a stop to my suffering... put a stop to living my life for the approval of others... stop living my life in the past... and I was tired of it.  I was especially tired of writing about it.

It was time to accept the past for what it was... after all what was I accomplishing with the sadness?  Was it changing anything?  One word..... NO!  

It was time I started 

taking back my life, making it my own!

"... I did not want to continue with all the negativity."  ~Carla Barilá Karam

Blessings,

30 days to go...  

... for a, l & c.  You are my sunshine(s).  

Images are courtesy of google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barila Karam and of this blog, Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own.  U.S Copyright laws apply.  © 2012 

Day 319 ~ Taking Back My Life, Making It My Own!

I feel so blessed to have some healthy and long-life genes, I'm sure it will come in handy as I get older.  You see I have the honor to have had two great-great aunts who both lived to be well over 100 years old, and their niece, my maternal grandmother is two years shy of her own centennial... and each one of them healthy! .. to the very end.  No senility what-so-ever.  I should be that blessed.  

To be very honest with you, I doubt very seriously that I will live that long myself.  Lol!!  Honestly... I just partied too hard in my youth and did not treat my body as a temple as my predecendants did.  They barely had one or two glasses of wine a year (yes, YEAR) and took care of their ailments via the natural way, no chemical, prescriptions and such.  Holistic all the way.  That's how it was done.

On a positive note... they do say that 40 is the new 20, 50 the new 30, and so on... there is still hope.  lol.  So... I will make healthy, educated decisions for my family and me, and live my life to its fullest.

I have to share with you that in the last two weeks I have been conquering so many issues.  I really have been diving into my healing process (in regards to the loss I have suffered in my life and "life" in general) and can't really decide what "it" is I am going through.  

All I know is that I do not want Calley (my little girl) to grow up with a sad mommy or a grouchy one at that, and one who no less is starting a new phase in her life (Perimenopause).  Oy my poor little girl, lol.

Some may say that I am going through some kind of a mid-life crisis... however I disagree with that terminology being that I do not know how long I will live, and I may have very well passed that "mid" point or have yet to reach it. Big smile. 

What I do know is that I definitely suffered many years of a post traumatic depression, including blocking out negative memories which to day I have no recollection of.  

Lets review... (lol)  ... 

You know what... I was just about to do a brief recap of all the bull shit (sorry for the language, but I have to call it what it is) I have gone through, but have decided not to.  Enough is enough! 

I will however tell you that... I have been listening to a lot of Oprah's Lifeclass (yet another plug for Oprah, including the likes of Tony Robbins, Bishop TD Jakes, Ram Dass and Oprah herself (to mention a few) and what I have learned from them in my "aha" moments is...

I accept all the bull shit I have seen and been through to be in my past...  

I accept the fact that my past is my past and I can not do anything about it...   

I have no hope for my past to be different, it is what it is... 

I have learned from it...  

I have grown from it...  

I will no longer be defined by the sad, trial and tribulations, the stories of my life...

~ Carla Barilá Karam

A rebirth of sorts.  A cleansing.  A post traumatic rejuvenation.  A greet and meet really, a getting to know myself  Taking Back My Life and Making It My Own, and it's all been documented in this blog in one way or another.

Funny... I was just thinking, how long does it take a person to go through something like this?  Do I put a time limit on healing?  or... As they say, do I take it 'one day at a time"?  Am I completely healed?  NO WAY!  Maybe I just answered my own question? 

Another "aha moment" I have had is that by blogging of my goals in itself has been a motivating tool for me.  It is like I have to not only complete my goal, my challenge for myself, but for my blog and its readers and followers as well.

With that said, I have a new goal/ challenge to announce but will do so soon.  

You know what?  I heard Tony Robbins say that we should not say "should" or "will"... you are to say that you "are" and "am"... and WITH THAT SAID... I will announce my new challenge, my new goal in next Sunday's post.

Blogging A to Z Challenge April 2012... What will "T" have for us tomorrow?

46 days to go...  

... for a, l & c.  You are my sunshine(s).  

Images are courtesy of google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barila Karam and of this blog, Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own.  U.S Copyright laws apply.  © 2012