Excuse Me Just a Minute.....

To put it mildly, 2011 has not been my year.

At all.

No way.

No how.

It's that time of year when I'm starting to reflect on the year that is almost over and the hopes for the year to come. And unfortunately I have very few nice things to say about 2011 other than the fact that my children are, for the most part, healthy and happy, no one dear to me has died, and the hubby and I are still doin' our thing. I still have a house to live in, food to eat, and a friend to call when I need to vent.

The basics are covered, yes.

And while I desperately wish that I could focus on the basics and not stress or worry

 about EVERYTHING else, sometimes that's just not possible. 

In fact, lately it seems all but IMpossible not to notice or be somewhat consumed by the problems in my day-to-day. I'm so frustrated with the way people treat one another, constantly complain, and take very little personal responsibility. What's a girl gotta do to get ONE good day around these here parts? Surely I'm not the only girl out there who thinks that some time at the beach with her besties and a good book would do her soul a world of good, right?

After lots of thought and consideration, I've narrowed it down to two options:

1. God has something really big in store, and He's using this year to teach me and mold me and prepare me for whatever that may be.

2. I'm being punished for something that I didn't do.

It's certainly one of those though; it has to be.

Right now, for the first time in a long time, I'm just trying to focus on one day at a time. I feel like I'm up to my eyeballs in life and all the this and that that sometimes come along with it, and if I don't keep my chin up, I might drown in the yuck that seems to be filling in every little crack all around me. It's not that any ONE thing has happened or there's some major drama or event going on in my life. In some ways, I wish that were it, because that one thing would eventually end and there would someday soon be new drama to take the focus elsewhere. Instead, it's more like lots of little issues in almost every aspect of my life.

And this girl has had enough.

And while I wish that I could say that next week's time off of work would be the break I so desperately need, that's just not gonna happen, at least not as long as Libby still gets her tonsils out on Tuesday.

So, I come to you with this question, my darling readers:

What do YOU do when you're in a funk?

What is your favorite de-funking device, be it a movie, a place,a book, an activity?

I'm open to any and all suggestions, just please keep them clean and family friendly.

My prayer this week is focused on this:

God, please help me keep my situation in perspective. I realize it could be so much worse, and I AM THANKFUL for all You've done for me and given to me. Please help me see the positive and to stop focusing on the negative.

Here's hoping your week so far could beat the pants off of mine.

Tomorrow, there will be an overnight field trip with my favorite female co-worker and seventeen kiddos. Let's hope it's fantastic and drama free in every way possible.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the picture in this post came from here, and apparently I'm not the only one having hard time these days. Maybe there's something in the water.....