Resolution/Goal Updates

If you'd like to read about all seven of my New Year's Resolutions / Goals, you may certainly do so! It's the very first post I made on this blog, but you can access it much easier by CLICKING HERE.

I just thought I'd make a post to share how I'm doing with the goals I set for this year. Some of them are going better than others, but having them to look at all the time is helpful. I think I'm going to print them out and hang them up in my house so I have a daily reminder!

This resolution is going well! I have already finished two books this year, and I am nearly done with a third. That puts me well ahead of schedule, but I must keep in mind the craziness that March and April bring for a teacher. I probably won't get much reading done during those months, so it is okay that I am getting ahead now! The books I have finished so far are The Bible (okay, so I started that in October of 2011, but I DID finally finish the entire thing) and Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally. I am now in the middle of Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret, which I borrowed from one of my students! 

This is the goal I am furthest behind on because I haven't even found any races I want to run yet. Oops. I am slacking. I also haven't been hitting the gym as much as I'd have liked to since I've had an AWFUL cold, but tomorrow begins a new week, which also means my workout regimin is back in full force! I know I want to do the five mile race through Garden of the Gods this year, as well as The Color Run (again). I also found a Glow Run 5K that would be a blast, but I'm waiting to see if someone will run that one with me (hinthintcoughcoughDanandAaron). 

This is going very well, and it is helping me to see the little things in everyday life that I have to be grateful for. There are so many things I wouldn't ordinarily notice or remember, but because of this journal I am forced to. A couple examples so far are: "seeing how happy my students are to be back after break", "making it through the day after all of my technology failed on me", "a Red Robin date night with my love", and "the ability to sleep in on a Saturday and still check everything off my to-do list". It's the little things, people. I would highly encourage everyone I know to keep a "thankful journal". 

This journal is also going well, but it's not as cool as the "thankful journal" to me. I think the REAL greatness of this journal will be in the years to come. Remember, this one gives you FIVE spots to answer each question, and you fill in the year. Since 2013 is the first year I'm participating in this, it's just answering a prompt on four lines each day. Next year and the ones after that, it will be really cool to see how my answers have changed as my life progresses and changes. It's still nice, though, and any writing is good writing, in my opinion. 

Well, you guys tell me. Is this going well? I feel like I have blogged when I have needed to, but without the goal of blogging every single day like last year, it's a lot more difficult for me to come up with posts worthy of sharing, which is why I didn't even post the last one I wrote to Facebook. I feel like no one cares what I have to say, but oh well. I write for myself, because it feels nice, and because it helps me get my thoughts out. I will try to come up with better topics to write about. I am currently working on a few crafty projects, so I will DEFINITELY share those when they are finished! 

This goal is so far so good! Dan is with me on this one, and he told me that he wanted to attend church more regularly and get more involved, so I am excited that we are on the same page! We are 100% with church so far this year, and that isa good feeling. We have talked to more people in the past two Sundays than we have in all of the other times we have gone. Today, we went to a new member orientation meeting, and we filled out some paperwork to become members of the only church I've ever felt comfortable in on January 27th. I'm pretty excited but also nervous because this is a big step for me. I'm feeling confident about the direction my faith is going in, though. We also found out our church is offering a weekly class on Wednesday evenings for engaged couples to focus on marriage. We wanted to attend something like this anyway, and the fact that the pastor running this class happens to be a retired Air Force Chaplain is just icing on the cake! I mean, it can't get any more perfect than that! 

This goal is a struggle for me, but I think I am holding up well. I have stepped outside of my comfort zone several times already this year in my personal life AND at work. I am feeling confident about the decisions I am making, and I REFUSE to let FEAR stop me from doing anything I want to accomplish! This is more of a vague goal, though, so it's tough to share my progress with it. Just trust me when I say I have been fearless. It's so great to have a supportive fiancé who is so willing to help me on this journey. 

I will leave you with this photo of my beautiful girl, Stormy:

Well, how's that for a loaded blog post?! I hope everyone had a great weekend and continues to have an amazing week! I'll post again soon...

A New Year and a Fresh Beginning

Hello, wonderful readers!

I decided to retire my "Always Write" blog because writing every single day was just too stressful. It was a fun project while it lasted, and I plan on continuing to document important events, share photos, and post regularly on this one... just not every single day. If you'd like to access my old blog, you may simply CLICK HERE.

This blog will usually be focused on Dan and me, as this year is eventful for us. We go to the Air Force Academy's Ring Dance in May, find out Dan's future job this coming fall, and hopefully find out where we will be moving after his graduation (NEXT year!) toward the end of this year. I'm so excited that we will be able to share these moments with everyone!

Also, please don't forget to follow me on this one! Just look to the right side of your screen and find where it says: "Followers". (It is under the "About the Author" section). All you need to do is click "Join this site", and you will be a follower! If you do that, you will receive all of my regular updates. :)

To begin the brand new year, I have decided to make SEVEN resolutions. 2013 is a year of positive change, and I am so happy to be able to share and document my journey with anyone who cares to read/listen.

Positive Resolutions for 2013

Last year, my goal was to read 24 books. I smashed that goal, reading a total of 34. I want to improve on that by two this year, and I have a list already compiled! (I will undoubtedly read others as well, though). 

In 2012, I only ran three races. Two of them were 5Ks, and the other was a 4.5 mile race. I want to run a variety of distances this year, and completing my second half marathon is the major goal I want to achieve!

I found an idea on Pinterest to write down something I am thankful for each and every day. To make this possible (and simple), I purchased a small Moleskin calendar journal (in lime green, of course) to write down just one sentence each day. I'm hoping this will help me see the bright side of EVERYTHING!

In addition to my "thankful journal", I bought a Question and Answer journal that poses one prompt each day. I will fill out my answer for all 365 days. The really cool thing about this journal is that it gives you a space to write an answer for each prompt for FIVE whole years, so I will continue this to see how my answers change as I grow in life. 

This one is self explanatory. Last year, I stressed myself out blogging every day. This way, I will still have my creative outlet (writing), but I won't feel the pressure of staying up late just to complete my task. It started becoming a chore rather than something I WANTED to do. 

Starting in 2011, I began reading the Bible. Yes, the ENTIRE thing, Old Testament AND New. I have a mere 20 pages to go until that is complete, 1,462 pages later. I have learned a lot about God and how he is working in my life, but I am still not where I want to be. I am still learning and growing, and this resolution/goal will be a daily reminder to me to strive for being a better person in general and to continue learning and growing in my not-quite-there faith. 

This is my favorite resolution for this year, and it will undoubtedly be my most difficult one as well. All of my friends know that I am a worrier. I am overly cautious, and it hinders me sometimes. I want to do EVERYTHING that looks fun. I don't want ANYTHING holding me back, especially a silly fear, such as that of fish. I want this year to be the year I get over all of my irrational, silly fears and LIVE MY LIFE HOW I WANT TO.

Well, there you have it. I have a big year ahead of me, but I am going to attack it at full force. Wish me luck with this big journey of self improvement, and I'd love to hear about YOUR resolutions and goals as well!