January Updates

The first month of 2012 is finished, caput, hasta la pasta, outta here! I have nothing against January per se, but I'm always relieved when it is over. The holiday season is completely out of sight, out of mind and Spring is one month closer to being here. Yippee!

All in all, January was a pretty good month. Steve went back to working days, so we actually get to spend time together during the week, even if that's just hanging out in the study at the same time while I do homework. Honestly, the thing I like most about him being home in the evenings is eating dinner together. To me, family is all about sharing meals. Oh, and I like that I go to bed earlier when he's on days; the mornings are infinitely easier when I go to bed earlier.

I'm getting off track, which is totally unlike me. Really, this post is meant to be an update on how my goals/plans for the year are shaping up. So far, not too shabby. Read on...

School: is going well. I am really loving my online class. I like that I can do it at my own pace, which results in me being weeks ahead of schedule. My other two classes are going well, despite the professors missing multiple classes. They are married to each other and are retiring after this semester so I think they're pretty "trunky". My auditing class is probably giving me the most grief but mostly because I feel like I know the material until he asks questions in class and his answers are different than mine. Oh well. I'm learning lots, which is the whole point. If I already knew everything, I wouldn't need to be in school.

England: isn't going to happen. We're still going on a trip but something closer to home and less expensive. We can totally afford an expensive trip, but we're too practical. When I'm done with school and have a good-paying job (knock on wood), we'll have two incomes and will probably feel better about spending more on a vacation. As of right now, we have two destinations we're excited about: an Alaskan cruise or a week tour of Montreal/Quebec City. It would be my 4th cruise if we went to Alaska, which is okay, and I hear that Alaska is pretty marvelous. I'd love to return to Montreal and would especially enjoy finally getting to see Quebec City, as I never managed to get up there when I was on my mission. We're trying to come up with more possible destinations and hope to have a place chosen and booked by the end of the month.

Journaling: is going great! I miss a day here and there but most of the time I write at night before going to bed. I love my self-imposed limit of only writing one page because it makes journaling a little less daunting and definitely less time-consuming. Sometimes I choose the silliest things to write about, things that aren't important at all, sometimes I just write about how I felt during the day, and once I wrote a single sentance. It is extremely liberating for someone like me who typically writes like she talks...too much.

Running: isn't happening. With Steve's work schedule change, I had to sacrifice going to the gym in order to walk the dog before leaving in the morning (because he wakes up too early to do so) and as soon as I get off work in the afternoon so the poor thing doesn't have to hold it for too long. I know I could still go to the gym in the evening, but that is reserved for spending time with my family, making dinner, and doing homework. However, I am going to start trying to ride my indoor bike for 15-20 minutes each night while Steve's walking the dog. That will give me three exercise times during the day!

I didn't quite make my goal of exercising 100 miles during the month, but I got close. I feel confident that I'll be able to meet it in February. And, despite not running (too cold on my lungs to do so outside right now), I'm still planning on that 5k on May 19th.

January exercise total: 1750 minutes (just over 29 hours) and 85 miles, mostly walking.

Good-bye, January! See you again next year!