Tonight I saw the film Julie and Julia. It isn't very often that you leave a movie inspired and full of sheer joy. Both women decided to make something exceptional out of the mundane. It reminded me of my own journey and the search for beauty in what can be a monotonous life. I love food, love entertaining and figuring out will to make life fuller, but also simpler. I'm still working on the simpler part, I know there has to be a way!

I've decided I like being busy and that part of my life will probably never change - so I must learn to manage the busy. A friend suggested that I make a daily to-do list and I have to admit it has made a major difference.

A good to-do list is more than just tasks. It also applies the one thing I remember from geometry class about a straight line, it is the shortest distance between two points. When making a list try to figure out how to accomplish the most in the shortest amount of time. For example, if you are starting your day at the gym and you know the post office and library are nearby maximize your time by preparing your packages and remembering to put books to donate or return in your car before you leave the house, thus killing three birds with one stone. It is amazing how a little careful planning can really make the most of life and time.

This is the beginning. The beginning of what? I am not quite sure.

I left my full-time job a few weeks ago prepared to pursue too many things. I found myself characteristically darting in several directions with no real focus. I was frustrated, stressed and anxiously overwhelmed.

But wait, it isn't supposed to be like this! My joy, peace and sanity was residing elsewhere. This is not what I want life to be. How could everything be so helplessly out of order?

In a poor attempt for organization I emptied out all the boxes from our move so I was forced to deal with the mess. It looked just like my life. Piles of cookbooks were paired with winter coats and umbrellas and that belt my wardrobe had difficulty living without. Nothing was fitting together and what do I do with all of these pieces? Where do I start?

It didn't take long for the mess to become an eyesore and I decided I must deal with it. So, maybe if I lay out all the pieces and look at them individually instead of looking at everything all at once I could figure it out. I could make something of the mess and find the bountiful life I've been searching for.

Step 1 - I need a plan
Step 2 - Make a detailed list of plans
Step 3 - Execute

Okay, that can't be too difficult, a list. A list that will be the starting point by which my journey will derive. It will be the passageway to discovering life with purpose, fullness and my struggle to find true joy.

THE LIST:
1. Make more time in my life for God - get to know Him as I would a best friend
2. Make my home a haven for my family and friends
3. Lose 20 pounds not only so I'm healthier, but that I will have the energy to truly discover life
4. Embrace the world around me through travel as well as through cooking and learning about other cultures
5. Learn to balance life without becoming overwhelmed

So here we go with my eyes fixed forward ready to see where the path leads!