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On growing up

>> Friday, July 8, 2011

I have lawn furniture.

I have lawn furniture . . .

This struck me in a very profound way yesterday morning.

I was in our backyard watering our hanging plants & contemplating the day ahead of me, when I noticed our patio set looked a little dusty and worse-for-wear. I decided to spray them down as well, and as I stood there washing off the table and chairs it struck me like a bolt of lightening.

Say it with me here folks . . . I have lawn furniture!!!!

You know who has lawn furniture? Grown-ups have lawn furniture! People who pay taxes, go to community meetings, and know how to pick the best fruit at the grocery store - these are people who have lawn furniture! Stop the press people, major news coming in - Suzanne Judge is a full-fledged GROWN-UP!

In all seriousness, I honestly don't know why it was my patio set in particular that led me to this most profound of insights, and not something that actually seems more "grown-up" (like my house, my car, my collection of rare antique books, or my line of credit). Maybe it was the thought that the lovely table, umbrella and chairs that adorn my backyard are not something a whipper-snapper "young person" would automatically think to go out and buy. Think about it - when you first get set "loose" into the world, with school behind you and the whole world as your oyster, the things you think and dream about spending your money on are probably a little bit more exciting than a chaise lounge. Only those of us who have crossed the line into full adulthood actually devote significant brain time to plotting out which new chair pads would go best with the existing table umbrella, and whether or not to add more patio stones to maximize space, or rip some out to put more grass seed in.

Whatever the reason - this time, in this circumstance, it really got to me. Not in a bad way, mind you - I like being out of the craziness of the teenage years, and the sense of unknown of my twenties. I think it was more the thought that I spent most of my childhood wishing I was older, just counting down the years until I could have my freedom, earn my own money (ha! if I only knew - youth really is wasted on the young isn't it), and make my own decisions. Suddenly you look up and you're actually there - a grown-up - and it's almost like a slap in the face, realizing that now you actually do have complete freedom to do whatever you want to do, but along with that comes the responsibility and actualization of earning your own money and deciding for yourself who you will be and what encompasses your life.

Outside of the law, no one can tell me what to do. Sounds kind of badass doesn't it? But it's not really, it's almost sad in a way. Yes I have a family and I do base most of my decisions on what would be best for my family, but at the core of being adult is this running theme that you. decide. for. yourself. People can give you all sorts of advice (and they do), but at the end of day it really is up to you and you alone to make decisions, and have those decisions go on to shape your life. I think perhaps a lot of "adults" who have major problems going on in their lives simply haven't "grown-up" yet - they keep waiting for someone to tell them what to do and where to go. They haven't realized yet that they are in control of their own lives.

I remember thinking when I was about 8 years old, that when I was grown-up and living on my own I would eat cookies all day long and paint sky murals on all the walls and ceilings. I certainly could now that I am a grown-up - no one could really stop me from sitting down with a package full of cookies or from cracking open some paint cans. But while I do still love me some cookies (especially chocolate chip), the thought now of eating cookies all day long kinda' makes me sick to my stomach, and I now prefer a more neutral colour-palette on my walls (and ceilings).

I hope to have many years left in my adult life, and I do realize that ten, twenty, thirty or forty years from now I'll probably look back and realize that I really didn't know anything at all at the ripe 'ole age of 31. I hope to be someone who continually evolves and grows into the person she knows she can be. And I hope and pray that as I continue to delve into this world of being a grown-up, I remember that the power to decide for yourself is in fact a great responsibility, not just to yourself but to everyone around you. Because we all have an impact on everything else, and deciding for yourself doesn't equal living for yourself. I think we could all agree that none of us were made to sit around and eat cookies all day long.


P.S. If my lawn furniture spawned this train of thought for me, can you imagine what it's going to be like if I ever have something that really encompasses grown-up responsibility? Like say . . . children?

Holy smokes . . .

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Well-deserved time off

>> Thursday, June 30, 2011

Well I survived my 8-day stretch of work days, and right now I'm on #2 of 3 days off in a row. I've totally been a lazy slob for the last day and a half too - but I don't feel guilty about it at all - I deserve it, right?

I was thinking that today was going to be a productive day, and I'd at least get caught up on some cleaning and laundry . . . well, that remains to be seen, as it's already halfway through the day and all I've managed to do so far is play on my iPad - download some apps, browse through my new flipboard (so awesome - best iPad app ever!), and figure out how to link my little 'ole blog here to my twitter feed and Facebook wall. Yup - aren't you impressed? I'm turning into such a little social media butterfly, aren't I? Have to admit that my temporary disappointment in the iPad was probably strictly due to my lack of knowledge on how to use it to it's full potential!

Anyhoo - what else has been goin' on the last little while? Hmmm - we officially booked our summer vacay, and I'm super stoked about that. We'll be spending a week and a bit on the coast of Maine (we booked a cute little cottage on an island - on a cliff overlooking the ocean). So excited about waking up and falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing along the shoreline! I'm counting down the days! I've also been working more on some music, and a new writing project I just started (it's a screenplay!). Writing a screenplay has been on my bucket list for about 15 years now, and my best screenplay idea yet came to me in a flash about 3 weeks ago while I was having dinner with Chris. He thinks it's a pretty awesome idea too, so that's something else I've started (which I will definitely finish, even though I know it's probably gonna' take awhile!). Finally, I've been trying to motivate myself to start exercising regularly - this is the hardest part! For someone who used to be really physically active, it's actually been really surprising to me how hard it is to stay motivated. You'd think it being bikini season and all that I'd be working out at least every other day, but I find it soooo hard to actually get my butt in gear and do it! Frustrating! So if anyone reading this has any tips for me on how to stay motivated and amped up to work out regularly - let me know 'cause I could definitely use some help in this area!

Okay, enough rambling from me for now. Now gotta post this and see if my attempts earlier to link everything to, well, everything else on my home on the 'net has worked. 'Till later!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Another Week, Another Cover!

>> Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Here's the 2nd cover up on my new youtube page. It's a song I love, love, love (can 'ya tell I like it a wee bit?) by Natalie Grant, called "Safe".


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New Youtube channel

>> Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Hi all!

So I've got my first cover song up on the new youtube channel (www.youtube.com/suzannejudgemusic).

It's a cover I did last week of Hillsong's "His Glory Appears". Love, love, love the lyrics and the simple melody - hope it touches your heart like it did mine!

I should have some more stuff posted on there soon - I'm trying to keep my promise of updating and uploading content more frequently - so far so good!!

;)



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It's been a loooong time . . . again!

>> Monday, May 30, 2011

Haha - so turns out I'm not doing so great at keepin' this blog updated, am I?

;)

I think my excuse will be simply that I must be aging, therefore time is going by much faster than it ever has and I just don't have the time to blog?!

In all seriousness, I really can't even begin to wrap my brain around the fact that in a few days it'll be June - where in the world did the time go? I'm actually quite glad that we're getting into summer though - I'm definitely ready for some sun, and fun, and beach, and just lot's of great warm-weather adventures!

Life has been busy these last few months - always feel like there's lots going on and not enough time in the day to get everything and everyone in there! Work's been getting busier for me, as I've continued to grow into my role there and take on more projects and responsibilities - still feel like it's a good fit for me there, so that's been nice.

Hubby's been keepin' busy with church and youth group stuff - I've started singing at some of the morning services at church which has been both really great and really inspiring as I've continued to delve into the world of worship music and God-focused songwriting. It's definitely allowed me to focus in more on what kind of music I really should be writing and feel called to write. Hopefully I'll finally (finally!!!!) have some stuff to share soon! I've actually started a new youtube channel for myself (youtube.com/suzannejudgemusic). Nothing on there yet, but I'll be uploading content soon (I promise!) I wanted a new channel to post covers and originals which more reflect we're I'm going right now music and genre-wise, so check it out in a little bit if you feel so inclined!

Both Chris and myself have had "Adventure" and "Travel" and "Africa" on the mind lately - probably doesn't help that I've been rewatching Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's "Long Way Down" tv series on DVD and pouring over all my pictures and videos. We're hoping to get back to Uganda next March, as Ryan from GIVE International has asked us to lead a high school group there over their March Break. They're waiting on approval from their school board, so we should find out by June 10th if the trip is a go - keep your fingers crossed for us!! We actually got a call in the middle of the night last night from a friend in Uganda, which was kind of funny (considering we'd both spent all night saying how much we missed it and wanted to go back soon). I also have a huge desire to travel to some other African countries soon, so we'll see how everything comes into play.

I've already begun counting down the days until our summer vacation/trip. We'll be spending some time down at the "farm" with the entire Brimley clan for a bit, and then Chris and I are heading to the Adirondacks for a week-long mountainous adventure! There will definitely be some hiking, swimming, kayaking and (hopefully) relaxing in there, so I'm excited about that and to get away to somewhere I've never been before and get back to "nature" as it were. I'm determined to take full advantage of the summer and nice weather this season, and not let it pass me by!

Alright, well that's it for this post - I'm off for the rest of the day and have a song I'm trying to finish, so bye for now! (And I'll definitely try to keep this sucker more up-to-date from now on!)

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It's been a looong time . . .

>> Monday, April 4, 2011

Can't believe my last post was on February 1st and it's now April! I don't even know where to begin to fill everyone in on what's been happening in my life since then, so to make it easy I'll do it the lazy way and do some really generalized "bullet-point" notes! Here goes:

- Spent the first half of February getting settled in at the new house and work

- Spent the last half of February feeling the worst I've ever felt in my life, with a couple of days and nights in and out of the hospital (it was kidney stones - woo hoo!)

- March was the start of our new church life, which has been super awesome and inspiring and encouraging

- end of March was my birthday!

- this last weekend was spent in Niagara Falls on a mini-retreat with the student leaders from our church youth group

So there's your quick recap of my life for the past two months! I've been meaning to get on here to post again for a few weeks now, but I'm still trying to get into the swing of things here and figuring out how to balance work, home life, church and music.

Speaking of music - I've been feeling super inspired and re-energized lately with my music projects and have been looking ahead at what my short and long-term goals are with my music over the next months and years. I've recently begun to branch out and have started dipping my toes into the world of worship music, which has been a huge source of inspiration for me lately - so I'm excited about that and ready to see where God will lead me and how I've meant to use my talents in that area. I'm also working on a really special song for a cause that's been on my mind a lot lately, so hopefully I'll have that ready to share in a week or so!

Anyhoo - I'm going to be posting regularly again, so pop by every once in awhile and I promise I'll try and keep you entertained!

:) Suz

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A new life!

>> Tuesday, February 1, 2011

I know it's been awhile since my last post - it's been crazy the last few weeks with the move, getting unpacked, and getting started at the new store. I've had the last two days off, and it's been the first time since before we moved where I actually felt like I had some downtime and could truly relax a little bit!
I'm loving our new house - while it's definitely smaller (we're now in a townhouse), I love the layout and the colours and I'm especially lovin' our gas fireplace and having my own bathroom! Every room in our new house is usable and liveable space, which I love as I've never understood why some houses or families have rooms that don't actually get lived in. I'm finally getting my office/recording studio set up, and it's definitely all starting to feel like home. Franklin made the move really easily and seemed to be at home about 10 minutes after trotting in the front door!

My new store is awesome too - it's very different from my old location - definitely a lot calmer and I feel the atmosphere suits me and my personality a lot more. The commute has been pretty great too - it's pretty much 15 minutes from my driveway to the store parking lot. I'm going against traffic, so that's been a blessing, although we'll see how it is tomorrow in the big snow storm!!

Chris starts at the new church in March, so it really does feel like a new beginning for us in many ways. I'm really thankful for the change of pace and am excited for what's in store for us in the next year. I already feel like I'm going to have a lot more time to work on my music, and Chris and I have been talking about where I want to go with my website and youtube page, etc.

So . . . so far so good! 2011 has definitely been off to a busy start in many ways, but now that the boxes are unpacked (well, most of them) and routines are being established, it's becoming even more clear to me that everything does happen for a reason and we were brought back here for a purpose!

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Changes, changes . . .

>> Saturday, January 8, 2011

In my last post I mentioned that there were some changes coming up for me shortly . . .

In the ever-changing tradition of the Judges, we are moving again!

We are moving back to the Mississauga area, and I am transferring to another store in that area! It was time for a change, and we're excited about new beginnings and about being back in an area that always felt like home to us.

The big move is coming up very shortly, and I've been frantically trying to pack up the house and tie up all my loose ends at work. The timing with the new store worked out perfectly, and I start there right after we move, so I don't have to make the commute from Mississauga to North York at all, which I'm really thankful for.

I'm excited about being back in a community I know and love, and I'm also really excited about being closer to family and some old friends of mine.

So New Year means new home and new store for me! I think this year is going to be a great one, full of other changes, possibilites and dreams coming true!!

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Happy New Year!

>> Saturday, January 1, 2011

January 1, 2011

Wow - seems so strange to write that!

It feels like only a few months ago when I was writing my New Year's post for 2010, it's crazy to realize that it's actually been 12 whole months - it went by in such a blur!

So many things happened in my life in 2010, there were lot's of good times, but also some hard, pretty bad times. I made it through though, and am grateful for everything and all the leasons learned.

Significant things/moments of 2010:


- I travelled to Africa again and got to spend time doing work in both Uganda and Kenya and connect with people I really care about

- I got to go to The Bahamas with Chris for some much needed rest and relaxation

- I turned 30

- my father-in-law Stanley passed away after an extended stay in the hospital

- my sister got pregnant

- I learned (finally) how to play guitar

- I ran my first 10k race


There were a lot of other important moments throughout the year, and a lot of smaller "normal", "run of the mill" moments that filled me with happiness and gratefullness and were often the ones I remember most fondly.

Looking forward to the next year, I hope that it's full of both small and big moments, and that I'm wise enough to recognize them while they're happening. I know that there are some big changes coming up very soon (which I'll be posting about in the next few days), and I'm really excited about what the next 12 months will bring.

Here's to 2010, and here's to the journey that awaits us all in 2011!!

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