Old Year, Old Goals, New Year, New Goals

I don't believe in resolutions. I think resolutions are "quick fixes" that people say they are going to do, and then they forget about them and have the same resolution year after year. "I resolve to lose weight. I resolve to make more money. I resolve to do this or do that." And come the following year they still have the same resolutions. It is why gyms see an increased number of enrollments in January.

I make goals and I try to achieve them.

In 2010 I made a goal to run a 5K. And I ran FOUR!

I started in March not being able to run 60 seconds. Now look where I am! In January I had no idea that I was going to go on this journey, so I wonder what journey I will go on THIS year!

My goals for 2011:

I am going to run a 5K in under 40 minutes. I just can't seem to break the 40 minute mark!

I am going to run a 4 miler and a 5 miler.

I am going to run a 10K.

And here is the big one... just planned last night and I have it picked out. I am going to train for and run the Hershey Half Marathon in October!!! I am so excited! The only thing that I can think of that will prevent me from doing this is a goal I've had for a while... to get pregnant. But I am going full steam ahead to run this half! I am so excited that I've made this goal!

I also want to start changing my eating. I am going to transition into clean eating over the next few weeks and try to cut down to 30 carbs a day, making sure the carbs I'm getting are good carbs. Even the husband is on board with this one (finally)!

Obviously I really want to get a contract teaching position and that is a HUGE goal for me this year (not that it wasn't in 2010). I pray that next Christmas will be MUCH happier than this Christmas.

I know this post is a few days early. I wanted to write it while I remembered. I hope that everyone has a HAPPY and HEALTHY 2011!

What goals did you complete in 2010? And what are YOUR 2011 goals?

Merry Christmas (Eve)

I know I've been a bad blogger and I haven't updated lately. It's been a very difficult month for my family and we just want to move past the holidays. I don't want to get into it on here because it is very personal, but prayers are appreciated.

However, I didn't intend for this to be a sad post. I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Be prepared for me to come back! I have a whole bunch of updates about races I've run, as well as new goals to post about!

For now, enjoy our family Christmas picture:

We are wishing you and your's a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Second 5K

I ran my 2nd 5K yesterday! It was the Hershey Halloween Hustle and I ran with my friend, Steph. I was sick the whole week leading up to the run, so I didn't get to get in my normal runs like usual, but I feel like I still did pretty good, all things considered. It was a COLD morning (30's), but it wasn't too bad of a race. The whole first half was up a hill, but it was beautiful. It was on a paved trail through the woods, next to a stream. We had to walk for a tiny bit, but for the whole run we maybe walked .1 of the whole 3.1 miles. If the first half was up hill, that meant the 2nd half was downhill! It was a GREAT second half. We were nice and warmed up and it was a beautiful run. We didn't beat our time from last time, which we were disappointed about, but we still are proud with how we ran. I am really looking forward to my next one, which is Thanksgiving morning!Here we are at the start. See the kid in the blue shirt behind us? He beat us. HAHA!

Coming up to the finish!

Jeff tried to be creative and get just me running in the picture.

FINISHED!

I am WOMAN, hear me ROAR! Haha!

Aww! :) I'm so glad Jeff was able to come watch this one! He was excited to see me run.

I've been a bad blogger!

My only excuse is that I've been crazy busy, but I come with a peace offering... pictures from my FIRST 5K!

Yesterday I ran my first 5K. Honestly, it wasn't my best run ever. Wednesday I ran 4 miles without walking once. And I felt like I could have gone more. Yesterday's 5K I had to stop and walk a couple of times. I was so mad. I can do it and I can't believe that I had to walk. I came in at 40:32. My goal was to come in around 40 or less and run the whole thing. I did the 40 part, but the running was disappointing. But I still ran pretty much all but .25 miles of the race, so I need to be proud of myself because in March I couldn't run 60 SECONDS without dying.
So here are some pictures!:

My brother in law is on the left, I am in the middle and my friend Steph is on the right. This was also Steph's first 5K and she did great! If it weren't for me, we probably would have ran the whole thing!

Here we go!

Action shot! This was not quite a mile in and already I was suffering. The whole race was up and down hills. The hills were TERRIBLE! I run a lot of hills around my neighborhood, but I also run down hills too. It seemed like this race was purposeful having us turn and run up another hill instead of down the hill. It was rough!

Here we come to the finish!

Here we are! Finished and tired!

We decided to go out and celebrate at an awesome crepe restaurant. YUMM! The guy in red is Steph's fiance, Craig, who was my husband's roommate in college and then Craig, Jeff and I rented an apartment together.

When we were freshened up and changed (and after we said goodbye to my brother-in-law) we went to a corn maze and pumpkin picking patch.

Inside the maze we had to find letters that spelled out TRACTOR MAC. We found all of them and got a free piece of fruit!

AND we made it out of the maze alive! :)

We grabbed a wagon and our free apples and went pumpkin picking.

Look at all of those pumpkins! We got 5 and our friends got 6 pumpkins.

What a fun fall day! We headed home and had stuffed chicken breasts and mashed potatoes and corn for dinner! YUM! It was overall a great day and I am proud I did my first 5K! I can't wait to do more and show myself that I can do better!

When I Said I Do...

I meant that I will,

forever and ever.

Be gracious and true,

devoted to you.

That's what I had in mind,

When I said I do."~Clint Black

I missed posting about it yesterday because I was taking a hiatus from my computer because yesterday was my anniversary!

Happy anniversary to the love of my life! I am so happy to be married to you! 9/22/07!

I love to run

I really do... I go back and forth, but I really love to run. And I would love to win this necklace to show people how much I like to run and to keep me motivated to run. You don't want to enter because of course you want me to win it, right? Ok, well enter at your own risk.

Day 11- A photo of you recently

This is a picture of me take by my husband on Needles Highway at an overlook taking beautiful pictures. Probably one of these:

Day 10- A Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago of You

Ooo this one will be hard. I'll have to go digging in my computer.

Ok this is what I dug up:


This picture is old, obviously!. I was probably about 5 here, which means it is now 21 years later. We moved into this house in 1989 and my dad did a TON of work on it. This is the family room, which he was completely redoing (new floors, new walls, bar, etc). Here I am, "helping" to finish the family room!

Day 9- A photo you took

Oh man! What is with all of this making me choose days! I *LOVE* taking pictures and so I'll need to find a good one.

Ok so instead of an artistic picture, like this one I took while on our honeymoon of Duvall Street:


Or a nature picture, like this one I took before we headed into the jungle in Belize:


I decided to show a picture that shows fun and love. This one I took during one of the blizzards we had this past winter. The husband jumped into a huge pile of snow and the dogs ran and jumped on him and licked him. They love playing in the snow.

Day 8- A photo that makes you angry/sad

Ok, I'll do my best with this one, but I hate keeping photos like that around.


Ok so these are the pictures I found (don't worry... they both make me sad for the same reason). When we first adopted our puppies they were 8 weeks old. A week after we got them they got sick. It seemed like a cold but then they got this crazy cherry eye. They had fevers, were dehydrated, etc. They were put in these cones, but they ended up being too small so they were put in bigger cones because they would scratch the cherry eye open and we'd have to rush to the emergency vet. Eventually, they ended up having surgery to have these tear ducts (that was what had swollen up) removed and while they were under they decided to spay them too (this wasn't scheduled until a month or so later, but they figured they would kill two birds with one stone instead of having to put them under later). Because we had just adopted them from the SPCA, all of their medical bills were covered (YAY!), but it was so hard to see them like this. Plus, once they had their energy back, there wasn't a standing chair in the house because they would chase each other and knock all of the chairs down. AHHH!!! (I think if you click on the image, you can see it larger. On the second one especially you can see Maggie's cherry eye. It was GROSS! Neither of them could close their eye! It was so sad!).


Oh and for a bit of perspective... now, one fills up the whole landing that is above them! They couldn't lay on that step if they tried anymore!

So guess what I did...

I ran 3.2 miles!!! WAHOO! I am officially able to run a 5K without stopping! I also registered for my VERY FIRST 5K, which will be October 9th. I am running to raise awareness for eating disorders. My goal is to finish the run without having to walk. I'll worry about time in the future. I am so excited right now. Running has really become a wonderful release to me. I never thought I'd get there.

Day 7- A photo that makes you happy

I have two (I know, I know... I can't pick just one, can I?).

This picture was a day that Jeff and I decided to walk the rail trail near our house. It was an awesome walk together and it really was just a wonderful day. I am so glad we went!


And this is a picture of me and Jeff on my birthday (I love my birthday!) in Yellowstone. I was with my husband and my parents, in one of my favorite places on Earth, and this picture shows the hard work is paying off with running! I love how I look in this one!

Day 6- 20 of my favorite things

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things!"

WAHOO! Finally a day I don't have to pick just ONE favorite thing! Apparently I'm not good at picking just one thing. So here we go... 20 of my favorite things (in NO particular order).

1. My husband :)
2. My dogs
3. My bible- my parents gave it to me in 1999 for my birthday.
4. My family
5. Traveling with my husband and family!
6. My electronics- computer, BlackBerry, mp3 player, GPS, etc.
7. My books! I love to read!
8. Taking pictures.
9. Large open fields.
10. The New England Patriots!
11. My wedding and engagement rings!
12. Yummy meals.
13. Chocolate
14. Massages
15. Running in the rain
16. The smell of honeysuckle.
17. The sound of rain on the roof.
18. Sweaters, jeans, and boots!
19. New shoes!
20. Kayaking, hiking, biking, or whatever else I am doing outdoors with my husband!

Ok so it was easy, but I made a list and then realized that it was so materialistic. So I did it again and I like this list better. :)

Day 5- Your Favorite Quote

You know, once again, I don't know for sure. I know that there are a few quotes that I love, but I don't know of a favorite quote. I am always looking out for new quotes. When I was a kid I used to collect quotes. I had a blank journal that I would write down quotes that I loved. I still have it somewhere. Here are a few of my favorites now:

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

"Beauty is not caused. It is." ~Emily Dickinson

"You don't know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." (Oh so true! I have really learned this one the past few years!)

"Don't let your yesterdays take up too much of your today." ~Will Rogers (LOVE it!)

Many people know I am a HUGE Patriots fan and a few years ago we had a player named Rodney Harrison (#37) who said: "There ain't nothing funny about a hungry bunch of Patriots." They were looking good the other night! I hope this will be another good year!

And of course there is: "If you can read this, thank a teacher."

So there you have it. A few of the ones that I love. If you have a quote that you love, please share with me! I am always looking for new quotes!

Day 4- Favorite Book

Ooo tough on! I am a teacher and I read CONSTANTLY. I can tell you books I've enjoyed, but I honestly don't have a favorite book.

This book is one of my all time favorite pleasure reads. It is Christian Fiction, but I love Lori Wick and I read this one every summer. It is always my first pleasure read book and it is wonderful!

If you want a book that will make you think, you have to read The Help. It is wonderful! It was Kathryn Stockett's first book, and I think she did mighty fine. It takes on the views of segregation in the 1960's. It was shocking to me to read, but it was eye opening too. I think it would make a great movie! It was funny and sad. I really recommend it... oh and you'll never look at chocolate pie the same again. :)


This book is sort of a lighter version of The Help. I bought this book to read on vacation and I couldn't put it down. Definitely a great book to read and I suggest you check it out. It is Beth Hoffman's first book as well. It also takes place in the 60's (I think... I forget).


This is a great children's book that has a message! It has wonderful pictures, and I think the message (segregation) is a great one. I didn't meant to pick a theme this post. I just love this book and it is a great one for kids to read.


And what teacher can post without recommending Dr. Suess? This book was given to me twice. Once at my kindergarten graduation, and once at my high school graduation. It is a great book with an awesome message. I've come to realize that ALL of Dr. Suess's books have great messages. A lot of people just think of his books with goofy wording, etc, but read into it. They each have a great message to share!


Happy reading!

Day 3- Your Favorite TV Show

Day 3 is so easy... or is it. Hm. Well, my favorite TV show used to be LOST! , but (sniffle, sniffle... SOB) it is over. I won't get to look into their lives anymore and try to figure out what the heck is going on.

I'm also a stickler for reality TV, but not even that is the best on TV. Really it isn't. It is pretty much the junk food of TV. You see, you have your fruits and veggies: those are the documentaries (like on the History Channel, which is a staple on the TV when my husband has the remote), health shows (not like Biggest Loser, but more like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution). Then there is the meat: your dramas (ie- Law and Order and CSI). I might even categorize the news in this section, although a lot of the news could be considered junk food too. And then there is desert: your comedies (ie- Big Bang Theory and I'd even throw The Simpsons) in there. And then reality TV is the junk food. It is stuff to watch simply out of guilty pleasure, but really does nothing for you when you watch it.

So where does my FAVORITE TV show fall, and what is it? Well my favorite TV show I would classify as a DIVINE desert. It is the best of the best. It is that one part on the tray that they show last. You know, that tray that they bring out to show you all of the deserts to make sure you order them, and they save that one for last... you know that triple chocolate something or other that makes you drool and you just HAVE to have it (or in my mom's case, a creme brulee). MY favorite TV show is.....:


Oh yes! That's right! GLEE! Oh I love it so! It is so funny and I can't wait for it to start this fall!

So there you have it. :) What is your's?

Day 2- Your Favorite Movie

Let me give you a few hints before I go and just tell you what my favorite movie #1 is (I have two... I'll tell the 2nd one later in the post).
Ok so hint #1:
Still not sure? Hint #2:
Ok, one more hint and then I'll tell you:

Ok that last one should have been a gimme... so if you haven't gotten it by now I might as well just tell you!
Ok so yes, it is a kid's movie but that doesn't bother me! I ADORE this movie! It is my comfort movie. Whenever I am sick, upset, or just want to lay around and watch a movie, I put this movie in. We made sure to go to Turtle Time with Crush when we were in Disney, and on the Nemo ride. Here is a picture of me in front of the building:


OK and for my 2nd favorite movie:
I love this movie for many reasons. Many of you may not know, but my husband and I met on line. We were young (ahem, 17, ahem cough cough) and dumb (so dumb that I never told my parents and then forgot that they didn't know and they found out at my bridal shower!), and this is the one time I am glad we were young and dumb (but not super dumb! I brought a friend along when we met and we met in a public spot!). This movie is just so sweet, and charming. I love the character Meg Ryan plays and how she is a very strong person. It is just a great movie, especially in the fall! I love to get a box of chocolates and a glass of wine and a blanket and watch this movie.

Ok, so there you have it. My two favorites! A close 3rd is The Holiday, but I think two is enough to talk about!

Day 1- Your Favorite Song

Wow, this is actually a tough one because I love all kinds of music. I always have favorite "at the moment" songs, but in a few months they will become just another song to me. They aren't my forever favorite songs. So this one involved some thought. What is one song that, no matter when or where I hear it, I have to listen to it? Hmm.

But I can't think of just one. There are a few.

As a kid I loved classical music and still do. One of the songs, which is so common, is "Pachelbell's Canon in D". I bought a tape of it when I was a kid on a vacation. It had beach sounds to it. I made my parents play the tape in the van on our vacation and all it was was that song over, and over, and over, and over, and over... and over again. They couldn't wait for me to fall asleep so they could take it out. I walked down the aisle to that song, as most brides do, but that song has special meaning to me... not just a good song to walk to.

I love the song "Home", which Michael Buble sings. It fits me. I am not completely comfortable unless I am home with the ones I love.

I love the song "Boondocks" by Little Big Town. I grew up outdoors. I am a country girl and that song suits my childhood. I can remember hunting for crawfish in the creek with my cousins and then building "homes" for them.

"When I Said I Do" by Clint Black has a special place in my heart because it is the song I danced to with the love of my life at my wedding. :)

And last, but not least, I love the song "Down by the Station". I had a student who loved this song. We would sing it every day. He is struggling with his health right now, and that song makes me think of WHY I went into education.

I love many more songs. I grew up in music and there is just so much out there. How can you pick just one? It is the same thing with color... I tell my students I don't have a favorite color, because I don't. They are all beautiful! there are some types of music I just don't do (like the screaming, creepy Marylin Manson type music, or the rap with awful lyrics (not all rap is bad)... not for me!), but there isn't much that I exclude from my mp3 player!

30 Day Blog Journal

I got this idea from Seasons of Life. Katie got the idea from a fellow blogger as well. I think this is a neat idea and I can't wait to add to my blog by doing this! I'm going to start tonight! I can't promise I'll be able to do it every day, but I'll do my best to get in all 30. But first, here is the list (in case you are inspired to do it as well!):

Day 1 - your favorite song
Day 2 - your favorite movie
Day 3 - your favorite television program
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of my favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where I live
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - my worst habit
Day 28 - whats in my handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future

New earrings

I entered a giveaway on Good Mom, Bad Housewife (check out her blog! She has some cute kids!) for a pair of earrings from the Etsy shop Elsy Bleu and I am so excited because I WON and my new earrings came today! :) One thing that I really like about this store is that the earrings are sterling silver. I have a jewelry allergy and anything that is made with cheaper metals makes my ears itch other not-so-fun stuff. Sterling silver earrings don't turn my ears weird colors or make them itch, etc. I was bummed because a few weeks ago my favorite pair of earrings broke. I got so many compliments on those earrings and when they broke I almost wanted to cry (almost, but crying over broken earrings would be silly, right... right?).
Ok so here is a picture of my old, favorite earrings:Well, when I entered this contest, I had a pair in mind to make up for my favorite ones and boy did they make up!First, check out the packaging it came in!
And here they are!
And here they are on my ear...
and here they are on me!

(Please excuse the dirty dishes in the sink behind me!)

Yes, I think these earrings will do well making up for my broken favorite ones. Let's hope I have a reason to show them off soon... like a first day of school!

I recommend this etsy store! Very awesome! And they are having a sale right now so check them out!