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 |  is paved with good intentions... |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Hi, I'm Elle. I'm based in Auckland, New Zealand. I'm the mother of two young adults, the wife of an entrepreneurial gamer and the Queen of Unfinished Projects. This blog will contain poems, short stories, possibly photos and book reviews if you're lucky, and my thoughts on a variety of topics. Hope you enjoy it. |
| When I initially went on hiatus, I said I was going to try and stay away for at least a year. I didn't actually believe I would manage that. I knew it was necessary, I was so burned out here, but I didn't really believe I'd do it. It's been a little over a year now, and I see I've done six updates in that time. A little less than one every two months. So I haven't stayed away entirely, but wow, I'm impressed with myself. I have moved on. My hiatus was never about any negative feelings towards this site or any of the members here. It was just that I had devoted so much time and energy to this site for so long that I had burned out here. It's like listening to a really fantastic song over and over and then one day you're like "I can't do this anymore." That's where I was at. I still believe this is one of the most amazing sites on the internet, and it has given me a lot over the years, and I've made some amazing friends here. But I have moved on. I won't be deleting my portfolio per se, but I also won't be renewing my membership in March. Which means my portfolio will be non-existent, but I'll still retain my 'joined date' and username if I ever decide to come back. I will be voluntarily downgrading myself from Moderator status. Being made a Moderator here was such an amazing honour for me, and it meant the world to me when it happened. I was blown away and incredibly grateful. Now, it's not fair to wear that blue suitcase when I'm not here. I will step aside so that someone else can have that honour and use it to serve the site in a way that I'm no longer doing. This blog will disappear in March when my membership runs out, but I'll add my contact details to my notebook so that you guys can still reach out to me if you want to. ********************************************************************** One final update for anyone interested....  I'm currently gamifying my life. That means I've broken my life into nine areas and allocated tasks to those areas, and points to those tasks. When I reach a certain number of points, I level up and reward myself. I'm also levelling up overall as a 'character'. It's fun, and it's encouraging me to put more effort into all the different areas of my life, something that was missing.As of right now: Character - level 2 Physical health - level 2  Mental health - level 3 Interpersonal relationships - level 5 Household management - level 3 Learning - level 3 Finances - level 0   Work - level 1 Projects - level 1 Charity - level 1 I'm in full decluttering mode. Currently doing a 30 day decluttering challenge and also have signed up to an online course which includes an 'all day declutter' twice a month. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress in my house. I hope, before the end of 2025, I'll have my house to the point where I can receive unexpected guests without panicking. That's my goal. In March I'm going to be hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing with Caitie and also my sister. It's a 20.2km (12.5mi) hike through a mountainous region, which has a steep climb up a mountain for a total elevation increase of 1,196m (3,923ft). In December 2023 I did the Tongariro Northern Circuit, a three day hike which includes most of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (all the hard bits!) but veers off before the end to loop around to a hut. My sister wanted to do the crossing, and I wanted to be able to say I'd done it, so yeah, we're doing that in March. Time to start training again! I read 175 books in 2024. I'm still doing the two reading challenges I posted about previously, and I've picked up another one as well. Plus, I'm trying to limit the number of books I buy this year and focus on reading books I already own.I don't think there's much else to share. Catch me on Instagram  40tofabulous. While I often forget to post, that's the place you're most likely to find a recent update.  |
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