I realized yesterday that I forgot to do a September update. I've been busy. And I forgot. It's amazing what you can forget when you're not paying attention. I decided to write my October Update since it's close enough to the end of the month and because I'm at work with nothing to do but study for my upcoming International Accounting test. (yuck)
So, here we go.
Surgery. I'm pretty much fully recovered from my June tummy tuck. It amazes me that it took so long to feel so close to 100% better. I'm not 100% better. I will consider myself 100% better when I no longer have any tightness around my stomach. It's almost gone and a lot of the time I forget it's there, which is a good indication that it's not as bad as it was OR that humans really do get accustumed to just about anything. I'm going with the former. Another good sign of improvement is my increased stomach muscle strength. I'm able to do sit-ups by myself as long as my feet are tucked under something, usually my sofa. I'm gradually increasing the number of sit-ups I do every night and find I'm able to go faster than when I started. The area around my belly button is still numb but that area is decreasing in size slowly.
I'm still loving the effects of the surgery. I've never enjoyed wearing pants so much! I'm really glad I did it; however, I think I'm done with plastic surgery. My breasts, upper arms, and thighs still have a lot of excess skin, but I can live with them. My body isn't perfect, but I don't need it to be. I'm okay with how I look...at least most of the time. :)
Work. When I interviewed for this job, I asked about the workload. I was told that it was enough to keep me pretty busy all the time but not so much that I'd feel a lot of stress to get things done. I was very happy since I like to be busy and productive. Three months into the job, I've pretty much figured out all the things I'm supposed to do and do them all too efficiently. The things that are supposed to take me all month to do, I finish earlier. It's a good thing, except that it leaves me with a lot of time on my hands. I'm hoping to pick up duties to supplement my current work load.
On the whole, I really enjoy my job. The people with whom I work are pretty terrific, especially those in the same building as my office. There are a couple people that annoy me but luckily I don't have to deal with them on a daily basis. And, in fact, I like them as people, but their silly office politics drive me batty. One of them is always forgetting that she doesn't have to do my job any more...she took over for a long time before they hired me and found she really likes it and doesn't want to give it up. Ah well. It's a good job and I'm glad to have it...most of the time.
School. I will be so happy when this semester ends! I know that one shouldn't wish away time, but it will really be good to get this semester finished. My classes this semester, International Accounting and Advanced Financial Reporting, had such potential to be really good, but the professors aren't teaching the material. It's kind of frustrating. After talking to several other Masters students last week, I decided to change from the Masters of Accounting program to the Masters of Tax program. It's not a very significant change except that the professors who teach the tax classes are better professors. I've had one before and loved his teaching style. The other is the favorite professor in the Accounting department because he is such a good teacher. So, I'll get better instruction and will still get a degree that will get me where I want to go - a PhD program. I'm struggling to balance full-time work with two Masters classes and a husband, but I'm making it work. I like my job, I like being in school, and I love my husband, but all three together stresses me out (although Steve is such a help, as I'll write below). I'm constantly fighting off the urge to quit school or work, reminding myself that it will be worth it if I perservere. Someday, I'll be doing what I want (teaching Accounting at a university), but in the meantime, I try to be grateful to be where I am instead of where I've been in the past (that job I hated in Salt Lake!).
Journaling. Still isn't happening. It's sad. My journal is now by my bed but I still neglect it. I really would like to record the events of my life more frequently. I need to figure out how I'm going to get back into the habit.
Exercising. Weber State has a Wellness Pays program that pays employees for doing healthy things. One of the things is a twelve-week exercise program. All I have to do is record when I exercise and after 12 weeks turn in the record and receive $20 on my next paycheck. I exercise any way, so I'm getting paid to do what I already do! I'm almost done with my 12 weeks and have only missed three days of exercising the whole time. Yay! Two of those days I was sick and the other day was a day I had class at night and didn't make it to the gym during the day. Mondays and Wednesdays are the nights I have class and so can't go walking with Steve and Sadie in the evening. Weber State allows employees 3 hours of paid "wellness time" every week, so I use that time to walk around the indoor track at the gym on the days I have class. I used to also walk Sadie every morning, but our family life has changed in such a way that I don't do that any more. I don't record the mileage any more, just the amount of time, so next year I'm going to make a goal that reflects that.
Steve. We found out the 16th of this month that Steve will be retired from the Air Force as of December 1, 2012! He had applied for early retirement for various reasons but we didn't think we'd find out as soon as we did or that it would be so soon. When he first decided to retire early, I was a little stressed, but not any more. It helps that I have a full-time job now. Even though it doesn't pay a lot, combined with his retirement, we'll be okay. In fact, we'll be making about what we're used to having to spend, since we are used to putting a healthy chunk of our income in savings. We won't be able to save as much until Steve gets another job, but at least we'll be able to pay all our bills and pretty much live like we're accustomed. Overall, it's a really good thing Steve is retiring. He's put in 22 years and has really earned this retirement. Whatever he ends up doing, I just hope it's something he enjoys.
Like I said, we found out on the 16th and the 18th was his last day of work since he has so much leave accrued. He has had to go on base a few times to do out-processing stuff, but mostly he's been at home. I'm constantly reminded of what a great man I married. Now that I'm working full-time, going to class, and having tons of homework, Steve has really stepped up to help around the house. He had stepped up before he retired, but since staying home all day, he's been even more helpful. Every weekend, while I'm in the Study doing homework, he's downstairs cleaning the house. Now he's even started taking over the cooking duties! Thank heavens for Pinterest and simple but delicious recipes! He gets a little bored, but mostly he's happy to be retired. He knows of some jobs on base that will be opening soon and has tons of contacts on base that will help him get a civilian job, so I'm pretty confident he'll get a job sooner or later. Until then, I'm just glad he's happy.
Other. We've been pretty busy lately. Lots of fun things happening. We've gone to a couple WSU football and volleyball games and a play called Charm. As a staff member, I get two tickets to lots of activities for free. It makes date nights easy to plan and very inexpensive. One night this month, my department at work had a dinner and bowling activity for all of us who had volunteered for the Tech Expo we hosted on campus. Steve and I decided to go to support my work and ended up having a blast. They had really tasty bbq brisket and chicken with corn bread, beans, and peach cobbler! After dinner, we played a few games of bowling and I actually did better than usual. Then we played billiards...I'm horrible at billiards. We played twice and I won once because he hit the 8 ball in when he shouldn't. It was a lot of fun. This next month, we'll be going to more games on campus, especially since basketball is starting. And, there's another play! We're active Wildcats.
Last Friday, we went with my cousin Cassie to Laughing Stock, a comedy improv group that we used to go to every cousins weekend. Before Laughing Stock, we ate dinner at a Lebanese restaurant then had cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory...so overpriced but so yummy! Steve was such a good sport, listening to us babble incessantly. It was fun seeing Cassie and great to get back to Laughing Stock.
Sunday, Steve and I went to my nephew's Primary program in Sandy. It was the first time Steve has ever been to church with me (he's only ever been to family baptisms and a funeral with me), so I explained what to expect in Sacrament Meeting as we drove the hour to my brother's church house. My nephew, who is 4, was a hoot to watch during the program. He sings with such gusto and earnestness and is such a ham at times. Afterward, we had lunch at their house and played for a little bit. I'm glad to have family close by and will be sad if they end up moving away like they're hoping to.
October was a good month. I loved that it stayed warm most of the month and the fall colors were beautiful, as always. Last week, when the snow storm blew in and dropped a couple inches of snow, I realized that I'm so not ready for winter and the cold! I keep trying to convince Steve that we should move to a tropical island/country now that he's retired. There are places we could live like kings on his retirement alone! So far, I haven't convinced him, so I guess we'll stay put...for now.
Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you have a safe, fun holiday! I'll be dressing up as a bee again and may post a picture if I manage to take one.
Showing posts with label monthly review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monthly review. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, August 05, 2012
July Update
Even though August is still technically summer and still quite hot, the end of July signals the end of summer to me. It's not a bad thing. I don't love the cold, but I don't care for the blistering heat either. There are other reasons I'm grateful to say goodbye to July.
Surgery. At the beginning of July, I was like a totally different person than I was the end of the month. I started the month with draining tubes, my mom was staying with us to take care of me, and I could barely walk or stand on my own. Slowly, I started to regain my strength and my mobility, especially once the drains came out (very painfully!). I had frustrating moments when I felt like I wasn't getting better as fast as I would have liked, but during the last couple weeks of the month I progressed a lot every week, feeling better and better every day. Best of all, I finally stopped wearing the support undergarments the doctor required me to wear for six weeks post-surgery! I'm not 100% better - my stomach muscles and skin feel tight still, especially if I've been sitting too long. I can finally sleep on my side but not my stomach. Certain movements cause me sharp pain, like sneezing, but they are dwindling in number. Finally, I look great! It's fun to actually see my belly button where it's supposed to be, and wearing clothes is a lot more enjoyable and easy now that I don't have a huge stomach. I have a huge scar, but it's already fading a little and as neither Steve or I have a problem with it, it doesn't bother me at all.
School. Nothing to say really. I enjoyed another month free of homework or classes. That said, I'm looking forward to starting classes. It will be fun to see my friends and to get going with my Masters degree. I'm only taking two classes this semester instead of three and plan to keep with that load until I graduate - which seems like an eternity from now!
Work. The reason I lightened my class load is my new job! After two years of trying, I finally got hired on full-time at Weber State University. I am the new Office Specialist (aka secretary/bookkeeper) for the IT Division. I think I'll like it. The people are really nice, the job seems like things I'll enjoy doing, and the pay is okay (more than I made as a part-time hourly) and the benefits are good. The VP of the division is fairly new and has been making a lot of changes that people haven't been loving. My position is taking on new responsibilities that has some people disgruntled and others thrilled. It's a political mine field unless I tread carefully until everyone gets used to the change. I can do that though I don't love office politics.
Journaling. Didn't happen. My surgery interrupted my usual routine and totally killed any attempt to restart journaling. I was surprised that I didn't feel like writing more while recuperating. Mostly, I just wanted to watch tv - anything that didn't require thinking of staying awake too long. :)
Exercising. I didn't track my exercising in July at all. It was pointless. At the beginning of the month, the farthest I walked was from my bedroom to the living room once or twice a day. I slowly worked up to over a mile a day both in the morning and the evening with a much shorter walk in the afternoon, and I eventually managed to get close to my pre-surgery pace. I thought I'd start recording my exercise this month, but with starting my new job and being totally out of the habit, I will probably wait until September. I'm not worried about not exercising because I walk the dog in the morning and in the evening with Steve. Once I start classes, my evening walks will be affected (I have classes two evenings a week) but I'll try to start riding my bike in the evenings to make up for it.
Other. We had our annual cousins weekend in July. We met at Cassie's new home in Salt Lake and had a lot of fun. Kristi didn't feel too well most of the time, so we stayed pretty low-key, mostly staying at Cassie's but we did go out to dinner Friday and Saturday nights; Greek one night and Italian the other. For the first time in several times, we stayed up really late each night talking and laughing. Kristi made a delicious Oreo dessert and we ate it all three days, actually finishing it by the time we left Sunday afternoon. We missed Alyson a lot but it was wonderful to have Kristi there. At one point during the weekend, I had a mind-blowing, life changing ah-ha moment. It was crazy but much needed. Sorry, that's all I'm going to say about it.
Last weekend, Steve and I went down to Cedar for a quick trip. With the help of my mom and Corey, we painted the bedroom walls in my condo because one of the last tenants had put a ton of holes in the wall. It was a lot of work, but with the four of us we were able to finish in four hours - having painted two coats on the wall! Now, the walls look great and fresh. We also hired a friend to go in and clean the whole condo (it needed it!), so the in-coming tenants can start at a good point and I can expect them to leave the condo with it looking as good as it does now.
Summer To-Do List
Didn't accomplish as much as I thought I might while recuperating from my surgery (mostly writing and other nonphysical activities); Like I said, all I wanted to do was watch tv or even read. However, I did manage to accomplish a little.
Watch "Citizen Kane"
Organize my desk upstairs
Paint bedrooms in condo
Get new tenants for condo (filled only 2 of the 3 rooms)
Now that I have a full-time job, I'm considering my summer as over, at least as far as my summer to-do list is concerned. I'd still like to accomplish some of them, but I won't focus too much attention on them. All in all, I think I did a lot this summer, especially since I was recuperating from major surgery.
Well, that's my July. I can't say it wasn't a good month. It felt good to be able to relax and not feel guilty about not doing more. Of course, by the end of the month, I was doing housework, but just a little every day. I started to feel a little bored, so I'm glad to be working and having things to do again.
I hope you had a good July and that August is even better!
Surgery. At the beginning of July, I was like a totally different person than I was the end of the month. I started the month with draining tubes, my mom was staying with us to take care of me, and I could barely walk or stand on my own. Slowly, I started to regain my strength and my mobility, especially once the drains came out (very painfully!). I had frustrating moments when I felt like I wasn't getting better as fast as I would have liked, but during the last couple weeks of the month I progressed a lot every week, feeling better and better every day. Best of all, I finally stopped wearing the support undergarments the doctor required me to wear for six weeks post-surgery! I'm not 100% better - my stomach muscles and skin feel tight still, especially if I've been sitting too long. I can finally sleep on my side but not my stomach. Certain movements cause me sharp pain, like sneezing, but they are dwindling in number. Finally, I look great! It's fun to actually see my belly button where it's supposed to be, and wearing clothes is a lot more enjoyable and easy now that I don't have a huge stomach. I have a huge scar, but it's already fading a little and as neither Steve or I have a problem with it, it doesn't bother me at all.
School. Nothing to say really. I enjoyed another month free of homework or classes. That said, I'm looking forward to starting classes. It will be fun to see my friends and to get going with my Masters degree. I'm only taking two classes this semester instead of three and plan to keep with that load until I graduate - which seems like an eternity from now!
Work. The reason I lightened my class load is my new job! After two years of trying, I finally got hired on full-time at Weber State University. I am the new Office Specialist (aka secretary/bookkeeper) for the IT Division. I think I'll like it. The people are really nice, the job seems like things I'll enjoy doing, and the pay is okay (more than I made as a part-time hourly) and the benefits are good. The VP of the division is fairly new and has been making a lot of changes that people haven't been loving. My position is taking on new responsibilities that has some people disgruntled and others thrilled. It's a political mine field unless I tread carefully until everyone gets used to the change. I can do that though I don't love office politics.
Journaling. Didn't happen. My surgery interrupted my usual routine and totally killed any attempt to restart journaling. I was surprised that I didn't feel like writing more while recuperating. Mostly, I just wanted to watch tv - anything that didn't require thinking of staying awake too long. :)
Exercising. I didn't track my exercising in July at all. It was pointless. At the beginning of the month, the farthest I walked was from my bedroom to the living room once or twice a day. I slowly worked up to over a mile a day both in the morning and the evening with a much shorter walk in the afternoon, and I eventually managed to get close to my pre-surgery pace. I thought I'd start recording my exercise this month, but with starting my new job and being totally out of the habit, I will probably wait until September. I'm not worried about not exercising because I walk the dog in the morning and in the evening with Steve. Once I start classes, my evening walks will be affected (I have classes two evenings a week) but I'll try to start riding my bike in the evenings to make up for it.
Other. We had our annual cousins weekend in July. We met at Cassie's new home in Salt Lake and had a lot of fun. Kristi didn't feel too well most of the time, so we stayed pretty low-key, mostly staying at Cassie's but we did go out to dinner Friday and Saturday nights; Greek one night and Italian the other. For the first time in several times, we stayed up really late each night talking and laughing. Kristi made a delicious Oreo dessert and we ate it all three days, actually finishing it by the time we left Sunday afternoon. We missed Alyson a lot but it was wonderful to have Kristi there. At one point during the weekend, I had a mind-blowing, life changing ah-ha moment. It was crazy but much needed. Sorry, that's all I'm going to say about it.
Last weekend, Steve and I went down to Cedar for a quick trip. With the help of my mom and Corey, we painted the bedroom walls in my condo because one of the last tenants had put a ton of holes in the wall. It was a lot of work, but with the four of us we were able to finish in four hours - having painted two coats on the wall! Now, the walls look great and fresh. We also hired a friend to go in and clean the whole condo (it needed it!), so the in-coming tenants can start at a good point and I can expect them to leave the condo with it looking as good as it does now.
Summer To-Do List
Didn't accomplish as much as I thought I might while recuperating from my surgery (mostly writing and other nonphysical activities); Like I said, all I wanted to do was watch tv or even read. However, I did manage to accomplish a little.
Watch "Citizen Kane"
Organize my desk upstairs
Paint bedrooms in condo
Get new tenants for condo (filled only 2 of the 3 rooms)
Now that I have a full-time job, I'm considering my summer as over, at least as far as my summer to-do list is concerned. I'd still like to accomplish some of them, but I won't focus too much attention on them. All in all, I think I did a lot this summer, especially since I was recuperating from major surgery.
Well, that's my July. I can't say it wasn't a good month. It felt good to be able to relax and not feel guilty about not doing more. Of course, by the end of the month, I was doing housework, but just a little every day. I started to feel a little bored, so I'm glad to be working and having things to do again.
I hope you had a good July and that August is even better!
Friday, July 13, 2012
May/June Update
I realize it's mid-July, but I figure it's better late than never.
It's been a busy summer. It makes me wonder how I ever get anything done when I'm in school and working. Every day flies by. It's been nice, though, because I feel like I'm productive every day but still get lots of relaxation/lazy time.
School. It's been nice having a break from classes. The best thing is not having anything to do in the evenings when Steve is home. I also get to read whatever I want whenever I want. During the school year, I still manage to read a bit - mostly just a few minutes in bed before falling asleep. I registered for three classes for Fall. I was a little perturbed to find out that all the Masters classes are in the late afternoon/evening, but I guess it makes sense for those people who are working full-time while going to school. And, it turns out that it will benefit me, too. I still have over a month before school starts and I'm going to do my best to enjoy the rest of the summer.
Summer Trip. On June 5, we flew to Seattle and boarded a Carnival cruise ship (I can't remember the name right now) and headed to Alaska. It was a wonderful trip! You can read more about it here. We're already making plans for a great trip next summer.
Journaling. Haven't done it in months! The last time I wrote in it, I took it into the living room to write and it has stayed in that spot ever since. I really need to move it back to my bedroom. I'd like to get back to writing every night before bed. I hate when I go awhile without writing because I feel like I should recap what has happened since the last time (even if just the big stuff) but I really don't want to spend forever writing. Sigh. I just need to buck up and start again. I love writing in my journal and just need to get back into the writing rhythm.
Exercising. I did pretty well in May. I didn't miss a single day (I rarely do since I'm responsible for walking the dog at least once a day, usually more), and almost reached my 100 miles goal. In June, I gave up tracking my exercising, what with all that's been going on. I managed to do pretty well until my surgery - I even worked out almost every day while on our Alaskan cruise. However, once I had surgery, I felt good just being able to walk from my bedroom to the living room, and I needed the support of someone else to do that the first week. Last Thursday, I started walking the dog again. I can't go very far or very fast but it feels good to be able to get out and walk twice a day. I'm getting a little faster, too. At first, Sadie would be at the very end of the leash, not exactly pulling at it but definitely wanting to go faster. This isn't normal, usually she walks right by my side or close to it. In fact, for our mid-day walk, she usually walks far behind me because she hates the heat and drags big time. I'm hoping to get back to my regular walking routes in August.
May exercising totals: 2255 minutes (about 37.5 hours), 97 miles
Summer To-Do List. These are the things I accomplished in May and June:
Donate clothes I don't wear any more to thrift store
Get new copy of my birth certificate
Write one short story
Start advertising rooms for rent for condo
Register for classes (and let the VA know)
Blog about Alaskan cruise
Go to eye doctor
Refinish grandma's desk
I feel pretty good about my to-do list. I still have more I want to get done. We'll see how it goes this month (so far I've only done one thing on the list).
Other. It was wonderful having my mom stay with us for over a week the end of June. I find myself missing her while I watch tv. It was fun to chat with her while we watched. She was perfect company. I can't imagine what my household would have been like that first week or so after my surgery if she hadn't been here.
My birthday was in May. Steve totally spoiled me, like usual. I'm now 35 years old and am loving this age. It feels good - not too young but still pretty young.
I'm sure I'm missing so much, but that's what I get for doing such a belated update. :)
Hope everyone is having a great July!
It's been a busy summer. It makes me wonder how I ever get anything done when I'm in school and working. Every day flies by. It's been nice, though, because I feel like I'm productive every day but still get lots of relaxation/lazy time.
School. It's been nice having a break from classes. The best thing is not having anything to do in the evenings when Steve is home. I also get to read whatever I want whenever I want. During the school year, I still manage to read a bit - mostly just a few minutes in bed before falling asleep. I registered for three classes for Fall. I was a little perturbed to find out that all the Masters classes are in the late afternoon/evening, but I guess it makes sense for those people who are working full-time while going to school. And, it turns out that it will benefit me, too. I still have over a month before school starts and I'm going to do my best to enjoy the rest of the summer.
Summer Trip. On June 5, we flew to Seattle and boarded a Carnival cruise ship (I can't remember the name right now) and headed to Alaska. It was a wonderful trip! You can read more about it here. We're already making plans for a great trip next summer.
Journaling. Haven't done it in months! The last time I wrote in it, I took it into the living room to write and it has stayed in that spot ever since. I really need to move it back to my bedroom. I'd like to get back to writing every night before bed. I hate when I go awhile without writing because I feel like I should recap what has happened since the last time (even if just the big stuff) but I really don't want to spend forever writing. Sigh. I just need to buck up and start again. I love writing in my journal and just need to get back into the writing rhythm.
Exercising. I did pretty well in May. I didn't miss a single day (I rarely do since I'm responsible for walking the dog at least once a day, usually more), and almost reached my 100 miles goal. In June, I gave up tracking my exercising, what with all that's been going on. I managed to do pretty well until my surgery - I even worked out almost every day while on our Alaskan cruise. However, once I had surgery, I felt good just being able to walk from my bedroom to the living room, and I needed the support of someone else to do that the first week. Last Thursday, I started walking the dog again. I can't go very far or very fast but it feels good to be able to get out and walk twice a day. I'm getting a little faster, too. At first, Sadie would be at the very end of the leash, not exactly pulling at it but definitely wanting to go faster. This isn't normal, usually she walks right by my side or close to it. In fact, for our mid-day walk, she usually walks far behind me because she hates the heat and drags big time. I'm hoping to get back to my regular walking routes in August.
May exercising totals: 2255 minutes (about 37.5 hours), 97 miles
Summer To-Do List. These are the things I accomplished in May and June:
Donate clothes I don't wear any more to thrift store
Get new copy of my birth certificate
Write one short story
Start advertising rooms for rent for condo
Register for classes (and let the VA know)
Blog about Alaskan cruise
Go to eye doctor
Refinish grandma's desk
I feel pretty good about my to-do list. I still have more I want to get done. We'll see how it goes this month (so far I've only done one thing on the list).
Other. It was wonderful having my mom stay with us for over a week the end of June. I find myself missing her while I watch tv. It was fun to chat with her while we watched. She was perfect company. I can't imagine what my household would have been like that first week or so after my surgery if she hadn't been here.
My birthday was in May. Steve totally spoiled me, like usual. I'm now 35 years old and am loving this age. It feels good - not too young but still pretty young.
I'm sure I'm missing so much, but that's what I get for doing such a belated update. :)
Hope everyone is having a great July!
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
April Updates
I had a good April. It's always such a lovely month. I enjoy watching the flowers pop through the earth and for color to be re-introduced into my world. I love the cessation (hopefully) of snow and enjoy the rain as long as there are a few days of sunshine in between storms. Even if it does snow, at least I know that it won't last long and the snow will melt quickly, if it sticks at all.
I didn't have the best of months as far as goals went, quite frankly, but I'm still pleased with how my month turned out. Here's the rundown:
School. Is over! My last day of classes was Thursday, April 12, since I only had Tuesday/Thursday classes. The final for my Auditing class was actually the weekend before that, so after class on the 12th I was done with that class. I took my remaining two finals on Friday the 13th (scary?!) so was completely done with school by 10:30 that morning. It felt great! It feels even better now that I know that I earned straight As for the semester. Woohoo! I worked 4 hours a day the following week with Friday the 20th being my last official day until Fall semester. I have agreed to work a few days here and there up until June to cover my coworker's vacation days, which will be nice. I'll get a little extra income, will get out of the house, and can read for 6 hours because I imagine it's going to be pretty slow. In other school news, I received a letter on April 30th announcing that I have been accepted into the Masters of Accounting program! I'm not overly surprised because I get good grades and had a good test score, but it's still nice to get the confirmation and can now move forward with registering for classes. Yay!
Summer Trip. We accomplished the two big things I wanted to get done with regards to our trip. We booked our shore excursions and we applied for passports. My passport didn't actually expire until next year, but with getting married, I needed to get it updated. Steve has never needed a passport, so he had to get a brand new one. We finally were able to get into the post office (by appointment only) and get everything turned in. I'm actually quite pleased with my passport picture. I figure that anything now would be tons better than my old one! I'm also really pleased about the shore excursions we have picked out. I really didn't want to sit in a tour bus/truck/train for hours on end to look at pretty scenery. That's all okay for a bit but gets old quickly. We're going to go on a zip line over a forest, go to a salmon bake, tour a salmon hatchery, river raft, and a couple other things I can't recall at the moment. It's a good mix of active and not-so-active. I'm really excited.
Journaling. Fell apart this month. I'm totally out of the habit. It's sad because there were a lot of things that I would have liked to record, silly things that don't mean a lot but that I'd like to remember. Like the time I was so tired and jokingly asked Steve to carry me into the bedroom. He picked me up and carried me all over the downstairs turning off lights, shutting blinds, locking doors before finally depositing me on the bed. It was so silly and fun and I was laughing the entire time. It's moments like this that I want to capture and that don't get captured if I don't write daily or close to it. So, I'm recommitting to this goal. Now that I'm not in school and not working, I may try switching the time I write to the mornings instead of at night. We'll see what works.
Exercise. I'm bummed that I didn't meet my goal of exercising 100 miles in April; however, I know I still exercised every day, sometimes twice a day or more, so it's not as bad as it could be. Seriously, having a dog and not having a yard is good for my health! That's why my mileage is down - I walked most of the month and only rode my bike a couple times. It was either too chilly to ride my outside bike or I ended up going for the evening stroll with Steve and Sadie instead of riding my inside bike. No matter, I know I got in a lot of exercise, so I'm okay. This month, I'm going to get back into a routine of riding my bike every morning. The past two weeks have been crazy (plumber, painting, etc) but starting tomorrow I'm going to ride my bike every week day. That should really help out my mileage numbers. AND I really enjoy it.
April exercise totals: 1775 minutes (29.5 hours), 82.5 miles - mostly walking
Second dog. Isn't going to happen. In a way, I'm disappointed because I was really excited about getting another greyhound. However, I'm very proud of myself for recognizing that I couldn't do it and accepting it instead of feeling guilty and doing it anyway. And being miserable. It was hard for me to admit that I wasn't happy with a second dog (it totally wasn't the dog, it was me), but now we know that two big dogs isn't a good idea for us. Other people do it easily, not me. And you know what? I'm okay with that. I'm really enjoying having Sadie and that's good enough.
Summer To-Do List. Since I'm not in school and not working, I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish this summer. In April, I accomplished three things - I planted a garden (with Steve), put together a puzzle, and painted the sitting room. Technically, I didn't finish painting until today, but I started on April 30th, so I'm counting it for both months. :) Some of the items are really easy, quick things and others may take more time, but all of them are things I've wanted to do for a long time so am happy to have some time to work on them.
Other. We took a trip to Cedar City for Easter and had a great time seeing my family. Wish Jason would have been able to be there, though. I finally managed to hook up with my cousin, Cassie, and heard all about her trip to Peru. It's always fun to hang out with her. And, I heard wonderful news about one of my best friends getting engaged! I'm so excited for her!
The highlight of the month was my one-year anniversary of being married to my wonderful husband, Steve. In a way, I can't believe we've been married for a whole year. In a way, I can't believe that I haven't been married to him all my life. He's my best friend.
Yep. It was a good month. I love this time of year.
Hope everyone has a wonderful May!!
I didn't have the best of months as far as goals went, quite frankly, but I'm still pleased with how my month turned out. Here's the rundown:
School. Is over! My last day of classes was Thursday, April 12, since I only had Tuesday/Thursday classes. The final for my Auditing class was actually the weekend before that, so after class on the 12th I was done with that class. I took my remaining two finals on Friday the 13th (scary?!) so was completely done with school by 10:30 that morning. It felt great! It feels even better now that I know that I earned straight As for the semester. Woohoo! I worked 4 hours a day the following week with Friday the 20th being my last official day until Fall semester. I have agreed to work a few days here and there up until June to cover my coworker's vacation days, which will be nice. I'll get a little extra income, will get out of the house, and can read for 6 hours because I imagine it's going to be pretty slow. In other school news, I received a letter on April 30th announcing that I have been accepted into the Masters of Accounting program! I'm not overly surprised because I get good grades and had a good test score, but it's still nice to get the confirmation and can now move forward with registering for classes. Yay!
Summer Trip. We accomplished the two big things I wanted to get done with regards to our trip. We booked our shore excursions and we applied for passports. My passport didn't actually expire until next year, but with getting married, I needed to get it updated. Steve has never needed a passport, so he had to get a brand new one. We finally were able to get into the post office (by appointment only) and get everything turned in. I'm actually quite pleased with my passport picture. I figure that anything now would be tons better than my old one! I'm also really pleased about the shore excursions we have picked out. I really didn't want to sit in a tour bus/truck/train for hours on end to look at pretty scenery. That's all okay for a bit but gets old quickly. We're going to go on a zip line over a forest, go to a salmon bake, tour a salmon hatchery, river raft, and a couple other things I can't recall at the moment. It's a good mix of active and not-so-active. I'm really excited.
Journaling. Fell apart this month. I'm totally out of the habit. It's sad because there were a lot of things that I would have liked to record, silly things that don't mean a lot but that I'd like to remember. Like the time I was so tired and jokingly asked Steve to carry me into the bedroom. He picked me up and carried me all over the downstairs turning off lights, shutting blinds, locking doors before finally depositing me on the bed. It was so silly and fun and I was laughing the entire time. It's moments like this that I want to capture and that don't get captured if I don't write daily or close to it. So, I'm recommitting to this goal. Now that I'm not in school and not working, I may try switching the time I write to the mornings instead of at night. We'll see what works.
Exercise. I'm bummed that I didn't meet my goal of exercising 100 miles in April; however, I know I still exercised every day, sometimes twice a day or more, so it's not as bad as it could be. Seriously, having a dog and not having a yard is good for my health! That's why my mileage is down - I walked most of the month and only rode my bike a couple times. It was either too chilly to ride my outside bike or I ended up going for the evening stroll with Steve and Sadie instead of riding my inside bike. No matter, I know I got in a lot of exercise, so I'm okay. This month, I'm going to get back into a routine of riding my bike every morning. The past two weeks have been crazy (plumber, painting, etc) but starting tomorrow I'm going to ride my bike every week day. That should really help out my mileage numbers. AND I really enjoy it.
April exercise totals: 1775 minutes (29.5 hours), 82.5 miles - mostly walking
Second dog. Isn't going to happen. In a way, I'm disappointed because I was really excited about getting another greyhound. However, I'm very proud of myself for recognizing that I couldn't do it and accepting it instead of feeling guilty and doing it anyway. And being miserable. It was hard for me to admit that I wasn't happy with a second dog (it totally wasn't the dog, it was me), but now we know that two big dogs isn't a good idea for us. Other people do it easily, not me. And you know what? I'm okay with that. I'm really enjoying having Sadie and that's good enough.
Summer To-Do List. Since I'm not in school and not working, I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish this summer. In April, I accomplished three things - I planted a garden (with Steve), put together a puzzle, and painted the sitting room. Technically, I didn't finish painting until today, but I started on April 30th, so I'm counting it for both months. :) Some of the items are really easy, quick things and others may take more time, but all of them are things I've wanted to do for a long time so am happy to have some time to work on them.
Other. We took a trip to Cedar City for Easter and had a great time seeing my family. Wish Jason would have been able to be there, though. I finally managed to hook up with my cousin, Cassie, and heard all about her trip to Peru. It's always fun to hang out with her. And, I heard wonderful news about one of my best friends getting engaged! I'm so excited for her!
The highlight of the month was my one-year anniversary of being married to my wonderful husband, Steve. In a way, I can't believe we've been married for a whole year. In a way, I can't believe that I haven't been married to him all my life. He's my best friend.
Yep. It was a good month. I love this time of year.
Hope everyone has a wonderful May!!
Monday, April 02, 2012
March Updates
Another month has passed along. Was it just me or did March fly by? The days sometimes seemed to drag into eternity (especially during some classes) but the weeks sped by at lightspeed. Now it's April and March is such a blur that I can't really remember what happened a few weeks ago. If I remember correctly, I had a pretty good month, all in all.
School. School was crazy this month. Both of my in-class professors (Jim and Sandy) are retiring at the end of this semester and Jim is trunky to the extreme. It didn't help that Sandy (Jim's wife) is having health conditions that seem to be impairing her mental abilities and ended up being replaced for my class. They've both missed so many classes that we're behind terribly and schedules for both classes have been so messed up that it's been hard to know what needs to be done and by when. For me, this is the ultimate frustration, and I was feeling pretty stressed. Fortunately, last Thursday, both Jim and Sandy's replacement spelled out the last two weeks of classes, so I can plan my school work and get things done in a timely manner. My online class is all but over, thankfully. I'm weeks ahead of schedule and just need to turn in the assignments and take the final test. To top everything off, I spent the month studying for the GMAT, the entrance test for the Masters of Accounting program, and took it at the end of the month. I did okay and am relieved to have it behind me. This month, I'll focus on finishing the last two weeks of the semester and applying for the Master's program.
Summer Trip. We got a healthy tax return this year and have decided to apply it to our Alaskan cruise. So, we have it all paid off and now just need to prepare for the trip. This week, if I can remember, Steve and I are going to get passports. Mine doesn't expire until next year but I need to get it renewed now because of my name change. Steve doesn't have one. I'm not really sure we'll need passports but we are docking in Canada at least once, so it wouldn't hurt to have them. Plus, they're good for 10 years and we hope to travel quite a bit, especially once I finish school. We also want to look at the port activities and choose one of two for each port and hopefully pre-purchase them (I didn't know we could do this but Steve says he saw it online). I'm really excited for the trip, it's our unofficial honeymoon.
Journaling. Took a big nose dive this month. I still wrote in my journal but nowhere near daily - more like once every few days. The problem has been reading vs. journaling. Reading won more times than not. It's not like they're mutually exclusive events; I could journal the day quickly then read for a little bit. Nope, when I reach for something to do before turning off my bedside lamp, lately it's been my Kindle. I plan on making a more concerted effort to journal daily again in April. Fingers crossed.
Exercise. The highlight of the month, for sure! March blessed me with several days warm enough for bike riding and I took full advantage of each opportunity. I've concluded that I'm not a runner. I don't mind jogging for a bit, but I'll never be a distance runner. By distance, I mean anything over a mile. Bike riding gives me all the pleasures I get from running (bodily exertion, wind in my fair, faster travel) and is more enjoyable to me. Between walking the dog and riding my bike whenever possible, I managed to accomplish my 100+ miles of exercise for the month and shed the pounds I gained from the holidays and having my band too loose. Yay! Once I'm finished with school, I plan on walking Sadie a little longer in the mornings and still going on a bike ride (or even two) every day. The afternoon walks will actually be shortened a bit because the dog doesn't do well in warm weather. She drags like Julie being taken away from the chocolate store.
March exercise totals: 1656 minutes (27.6 hours), 117.6 miles of walking and biking (both indoors and out)
Other. I spent some good times with family and friends this month. We took a nice trip to Cedar at the beginning of my Spring Break and I managed to have lunch with a few friends I hadn't seen in awhile. And then, last weekend I got to see another good friend and her boyfriend. Plus, we have friends who host dinner at their house every Monday for all their friends and we were able to attend a couple times. We're blessed with good people in our lives.
I chose to end the month, and get a jump on April Fool's Day, by spending too much time sitting in the sun sans sunblock Saturday, the 31st, and ended up getting a nasty sunburn on my arms, knees, and neck. I loved feeling the warmth of the sun's ray's on my almost-always-cold body so much that I totally forgot about the ill-effects of doing so unprotected. Turns out, we don't own any sunblock, so it's going on the top of my shopping list! Despite the sunburn, I had a marvelous last day of March; lots of time with Steve, baseball, shopping, and good food. If only every month could end so nicely.
Here's hoping for a wonderful April!
P.S. Did anyone do anything for April Fools Day? I didn't, sadly. I think I'm hanging up my hat on this one for awhile. Ran out of ideas. Maybe next year.
School. School was crazy this month. Both of my in-class professors (Jim and Sandy) are retiring at the end of this semester and Jim is trunky to the extreme. It didn't help that Sandy (Jim's wife) is having health conditions that seem to be impairing her mental abilities and ended up being replaced for my class. They've both missed so many classes that we're behind terribly and schedules for both classes have been so messed up that it's been hard to know what needs to be done and by when. For me, this is the ultimate frustration, and I was feeling pretty stressed. Fortunately, last Thursday, both Jim and Sandy's replacement spelled out the last two weeks of classes, so I can plan my school work and get things done in a timely manner. My online class is all but over, thankfully. I'm weeks ahead of schedule and just need to turn in the assignments and take the final test. To top everything off, I spent the month studying for the GMAT, the entrance test for the Masters of Accounting program, and took it at the end of the month. I did okay and am relieved to have it behind me. This month, I'll focus on finishing the last two weeks of the semester and applying for the Master's program.
Summer Trip. We got a healthy tax return this year and have decided to apply it to our Alaskan cruise. So, we have it all paid off and now just need to prepare for the trip. This week, if I can remember, Steve and I are going to get passports. Mine doesn't expire until next year but I need to get it renewed now because of my name change. Steve doesn't have one. I'm not really sure we'll need passports but we are docking in Canada at least once, so it wouldn't hurt to have them. Plus, they're good for 10 years and we hope to travel quite a bit, especially once I finish school. We also want to look at the port activities and choose one of two for each port and hopefully pre-purchase them (I didn't know we could do this but Steve says he saw it online). I'm really excited for the trip, it's our unofficial honeymoon.
Journaling. Took a big nose dive this month. I still wrote in my journal but nowhere near daily - more like once every few days. The problem has been reading vs. journaling. Reading won more times than not. It's not like they're mutually exclusive events; I could journal the day quickly then read for a little bit. Nope, when I reach for something to do before turning off my bedside lamp, lately it's been my Kindle. I plan on making a more concerted effort to journal daily again in April. Fingers crossed.
Exercise. The highlight of the month, for sure! March blessed me with several days warm enough for bike riding and I took full advantage of each opportunity. I've concluded that I'm not a runner. I don't mind jogging for a bit, but I'll never be a distance runner. By distance, I mean anything over a mile. Bike riding gives me all the pleasures I get from running (bodily exertion, wind in my fair, faster travel) and is more enjoyable to me. Between walking the dog and riding my bike whenever possible, I managed to accomplish my 100+ miles of exercise for the month and shed the pounds I gained from the holidays and having my band too loose. Yay! Once I'm finished with school, I plan on walking Sadie a little longer in the mornings and still going on a bike ride (or even two) every day. The afternoon walks will actually be shortened a bit because the dog doesn't do well in warm weather. She drags like Julie being taken away from the chocolate store.
March exercise totals: 1656 minutes (27.6 hours), 117.6 miles of walking and biking (both indoors and out)
Other. I spent some good times with family and friends this month. We took a nice trip to Cedar at the beginning of my Spring Break and I managed to have lunch with a few friends I hadn't seen in awhile. And then, last weekend I got to see another good friend and her boyfriend. Plus, we have friends who host dinner at their house every Monday for all their friends and we were able to attend a couple times. We're blessed with good people in our lives.
I chose to end the month, and get a jump on April Fool's Day, by spending too much time sitting in the sun sans sunblock Saturday, the 31st, and ended up getting a nasty sunburn on my arms, knees, and neck. I loved feeling the warmth of the sun's ray's on my almost-always-cold body so much that I totally forgot about the ill-effects of doing so unprotected. Turns out, we don't own any sunblock, so it's going on the top of my shopping list! Despite the sunburn, I had a marvelous last day of March; lots of time with Steve, baseball, shopping, and good food. If only every month could end so nicely.
Here's hoping for a wonderful April!
P.S. Did anyone do anything for April Fools Day? I didn't, sadly. I think I'm hanging up my hat on this one for awhile. Ran out of ideas. Maybe next year.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
February Updates
I'm always thrilled when February is over. According to my very own personal calendar, it's the last winter month. It doesn't matter if it snows until June, to me, Spring has sprung on March 1st. At least I know sunshine and warmer weather (and flowers and butterflies) are just around the corner and that makes me very happy and hopeful.
That said, it wasn't too shabby of a month. My husband left me on my own for a week, but he is now back at home, right where he belongs. And though we had an extra February day this year, February seemed to go by faster than past Februaries,which dragged on for an eternity or longer.
Here's the "quick" run-down of my month:
School: Remember how worried I was last month about my Auditing class? Well, I'm doing very well in it! I have the high score out of both classes! And, I can tell I'm becoming well-liked by that professor. It's always good to get on a professor's good side. My other two classes are going well, too. I have high hopes for straight A's this semester. What's even better is that I'm making a lot of friends in my classes. There's a big group of us that have multiple classes together, and we talk before, in-between, and after classes. I missed the social element last semester, but it was my first one here and it built the foundation for becoming friends with people this semester. There are a couple guys that are really annoying, but otherwise everyone is really cool.
Summer Trip: Last Monday, the night before Steve left for Florida, we bought airplane tickets to Seattle and booked our Alaskan cruise! We're going in June. I'm really excited because I've heard great things about Alaskan cruises. Steve is a little hesitant, what with the two stories in the news about cruise "mishaps", but I'm not worried at all. I've been on 3 and haven't had a problem. I love that you get to see an area of the world without worrying about where you're going to stay when you get there and having to transport your luggage everywhere. And, I love eating dinner on-board because I feel more adventerous about trying new foods since I can always get something else (no charge!) if I don't like it. Yeah, I definitely enjoy cruises.
Journaling: Took a little bit of a nose-dive the last week of February. You'd think it would have been easier to write without Steve there to distract me, but I kept forgetting to do it. It's all about Routine, and if that's not there, somethings just don't get done. Before that, though, I was doing great at writing every night. I really love keeping a (mostly) daily journal. And, that one-page restriction is amazing! Really keeps me on track and helps me focus on what I really want to record.
Exercise: I made it to my goal of 100 miles of exercise! To do so, I upped the number of times I ride my indoor exercise bike, helping me get more miles in lesser time AND burning more calories, too. It's so cold when I walk Sadie in the morning (and soooo early!) that I tend to take shorter walks. If the weather is cruddy in the afternoon, I cut that walk shorter, too, so the bike has been really beneficial with helping me get good quality exercise every day. I keep dreaming about warmer weather when I can ride my real bike all over town AND take Sadie for longer walks, maybe even start jogging a very little bit. Until then, I'm planning to increase my bike frequency a little bit more and take longer walks whenever the weather is nice enough.
February exercise total: 1364 minutes (almost 23 hours), 109.8 - combo of biking and walking. YAY!
Good bye, February!
Hello, March!!!
That said, it wasn't too shabby of a month. My husband left me on my own for a week, but he is now back at home, right where he belongs. And though we had an extra February day this year, February seemed to go by faster than past Februaries,which dragged on for an eternity or longer.
Here's the "quick" run-down of my month:
School: Remember how worried I was last month about my Auditing class? Well, I'm doing very well in it! I have the high score out of both classes! And, I can tell I'm becoming well-liked by that professor. It's always good to get on a professor's good side. My other two classes are going well, too. I have high hopes for straight A's this semester. What's even better is that I'm making a lot of friends in my classes. There's a big group of us that have multiple classes together, and we talk before, in-between, and after classes. I missed the social element last semester, but it was my first one here and it built the foundation for becoming friends with people this semester. There are a couple guys that are really annoying, but otherwise everyone is really cool.
Summer Trip: Last Monday, the night before Steve left for Florida, we bought airplane tickets to Seattle and booked our Alaskan cruise! We're going in June. I'm really excited because I've heard great things about Alaskan cruises. Steve is a little hesitant, what with the two stories in the news about cruise "mishaps", but I'm not worried at all. I've been on 3 and haven't had a problem. I love that you get to see an area of the world without worrying about where you're going to stay when you get there and having to transport your luggage everywhere. And, I love eating dinner on-board because I feel more adventerous about trying new foods since I can always get something else (no charge!) if I don't like it. Yeah, I definitely enjoy cruises.
Journaling: Took a little bit of a nose-dive the last week of February. You'd think it would have been easier to write without Steve there to distract me, but I kept forgetting to do it. It's all about Routine, and if that's not there, somethings just don't get done. Before that, though, I was doing great at writing every night. I really love keeping a (mostly) daily journal. And, that one-page restriction is amazing! Really keeps me on track and helps me focus on what I really want to record.
Exercise: I made it to my goal of 100 miles of exercise! To do so, I upped the number of times I ride my indoor exercise bike, helping me get more miles in lesser time AND burning more calories, too. It's so cold when I walk Sadie in the morning (and soooo early!) that I tend to take shorter walks. If the weather is cruddy in the afternoon, I cut that walk shorter, too, so the bike has been really beneficial with helping me get good quality exercise every day. I keep dreaming about warmer weather when I can ride my real bike all over town AND take Sadie for longer walks, maybe even start jogging a very little bit. Until then, I'm planning to increase my bike frequency a little bit more and take longer walks whenever the weather is nice enough.
February exercise total: 1364 minutes (almost 23 hours), 109.8 - combo of biking and walking. YAY!
Good bye, February!
Hello, March!!!
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
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!
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!
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