2013, you were good to me.

Wow 2013 you were more then I ever expected:

Kyle got a new job in January and I got a new job in July. We moved into a townhouse and bought all new furniture.

We traveled to Colorado for a vacation

 

I watched my brother graduate from the Navy's Officer Candidate School

I attended NHTI

 

We found out we were having a baby!

You can read this post to see the original goals that I had set for myself. I could never have imagined accomplishing all that I did.

Wellness- My goals focused on running and exercise, which I maintained the first six months of the year. I was really proud of myself, I lost weight and was feeling great. When I found out I was pregnant I tried running and it just made me feel like crap. I have enjoyed pregnancy, but I miss the ability to move.

Spiritual- My goals focused on getting involved at church and focusing on daily devotionals. I joined and then quit (for lack of time) a Bible study and did not read any devotions with consistency. But I did keep up with my volunteering as a greeter.

Career- I applied and was accepted to NHTI, the most inspirational moment of my career. I believe that this experience gave me a huge confidence boost and helped me land my new job in July.

Relationships- My relationships with my friends have had ups and downs. It hasn't been easy and I have failed more than I have succeeded. Distance, careers and family have definitely taken a toll on maintaining friendships. I feel like my relationship with Kyle is very strong. Of course we have moments but at the end of the day we totally support each other. This baby will surely test our communication skills.

Financial- Ha! Unanticipated job changes really hit this goal hard. With the move off campus and having to buy furniture, there was a major hit to our savings. On the bright side, at least there is still money in the savings account!

Random- The only books I read involved pregnancy, birth and raising a newborn. Which is better than nothing. My role as a volunteer is evolving. I quit my position as General Advisor, and will now be working with the Judicial board and Philanthropy board. I have dropped the ball with my advocacy work, and hope to pick it back up. But I am continuing with Junior League.

All in all, 2013 was an amazing year. It started off with a little rough patch but by May I had hit my stride. I couldn't have asked for a better year. I think the biggest lesson I learned was to roll with the punches, not an esay task for someone so Type A. But when I let go of trying to control the outcome for everything, things just fell into place. Life is a series of ups and downs, joys and sorrows. You have to be willing to take the bad with the good, eventually it will work out.

2013 Goals

Over the past 15 days I have been thinking about how I am challenging myself, pushing myself and what I can do to change how I am feeling. So I am STILL working on goals for 2013. I know January is half over, but goal setting and reflection takes TIME. And I feel like I don't do it enough. I love the idea of starting over and the refreshing sense the New Year brings.

Wellness
1. Run 250 miles this year- I am loving my Nike+ shoes and app. It definitely helps keep me motivated. I'm at 13 miles so far this year!
2. Run a race- I'm thinking small. Like 5K. There are a lot of local opportunities. I need to find a race that fits me for a first timer. Will keep you posted.

Spiritual
1. Join a small group at church- Submitted my application last week, already in progress!
2. Keep up with my daily devotion- I have apps and books, I just need to find which works for me. I need to establish this as a habit.

Career
1. Apply to the National Housing Training Institute- I think that at this point in my career I would benefit from some intentional career  reflection time.
2. Use: Finding Life Balance & Direction Guided Journaling Experience- My friend Brianna sent this to me, and it leads you through reflections each month. I started last week and have already enjoyed the questions and reflection this  resource is offering.

Relationships
1. Continue to work on communication with Kyle- Before we got married we completed a book and workbook series about marriage. I think it would be interesting to reread some of the information and talk through it just to refresh and reexamine.
2. Work on the relationships with friends that matter most- I will be the first to admit that my friend circle has definitely shrunk over the last few years. It is difficult to maintain relationships at a long distance, but to me some of those relationships are too important to neglect. I hope to work on balancing these the best I can.

Financial
1. SAVE!- I am happy to report that Kyle and I achieved our 2012 financial goal of getting out of credit card debt. Now we need to focus on saving that $$$$$!

Random
1. Read 12 books this year- this is an improvement on the three I read last year (Hunger Games).
2. Volunteer more- I volunteer with a non- profit in Athens and have really enjoyed the work. I was also supposed to begin my provisional period with the Junior League this past fall but due to some other commitments I had to defer for a  year. I am looking forward to picking that back up this fall and getting  involved more with the Athens community. I also am going to start volunteering on Sundays at my church service.

So how can I make sure these happen? My accountability partner is my husband. He helps me a lot with the wellness and financial goals, but I have shared these with him and he is very supportive and helps me focus on what's important. I also plan on using my blog to continue to reflect and share goal updates! I think also setting mini goals is helpful to see success. Last week my goal was to make it to the gym every morning and I did it! This week my goal is to pull together a reading list, start my personal statement for NHTI and do my devotion each day.

Good luck to everyone in there pursuit off keeping resolutions!

Welcome back!

I have not posted to my blog since November 30th. That is a long time. I had many many commitments and priorities much bigger than this blog during the month of December, including a two week vacay to see family.But I am going to share something, I am actually struggling over the blog. I feel in a blog rut. Lacking my own creativity and originality. And I was asking myself, why blog at all? I have also struggled with this blog content being all been about positive life things or shallow things. But I think the lack of posting happened because I don't want to lack authenticity. Sharing struggles is just as important as sharing celebrations. So I am going to recap the last month and a half in quick bullet points.

• End of November/ beginning of December I applied and interviewed for a new position at my current institution. The position was a promotion and a shift in responsibilities. I let myself get really excited about this new opportunity. And then, I didn't get the offer. I was upset and frustrated. The fall semester was really draining for me for some reason and I have no idea why. I just felt so tired from work and a little bored of some of the things I was doing. I thought the new opportunity would help pull me out of the funk, and then I didn't get it. I was feeling even more down in December after that.  

The part of my job I never stop loving... working with these wonderful ladies!

• But then my brother and sister in law got Kyle and I a joint birthday present: a nights stay plus meals at the Cheateau Elan resort in North Georgia. This break couldn't have come at a better time. We booked a couples message, enjoyed a wine tasting and great food. One of the best birthday present s ever.
• Kyle and I left mid- December to go stay with my family for a week and then his family for a week. I was really excited about being away from work and recharging my batteries. Highlights:
• Spending time with my parents, brother and sister in law
• Getting to spend some time with great friends
• Christmas traditions

Dad's homemade cinnamon buns, Christmas morning tradition.

New family photo!

• Gigi's wagon from my parents for Christmas

My dad pimpped Gigi's ride

• Gigi seeing snow for the first time
• Spending time with the in laws 
• Going to the Allentown Farmer's Market and eating a kiffel
• Quality time with our nieces

Peeps Festival

• After all the driving from our break (30+ hours) I returned to Athens still tired and not ready to go back to work. It was a short first week, but PACKED with a conference, training and then Saturday I was at state wide officer training for Zeta. I just felt like I wasn't ready to return. Then last Sunday I watched a Gilmore Girls marathon (I got the full box set as a Christmas gift for Kyle) and ate Chinese take out and magically it fixed everything. Well not everything, but returning to work Monday didn't feel as bad. I have established a routine this week and feel more like my self.

So excited to work with this amazing group of students!

• Finally, January will mark the one year mark of Kyle and I trying to start a family. Kate from The Small Things Blog posted yesterday her own struggle and when I read it I felt like she was speaking for me. I have had so much anger over this and I just need to let go. I know being angry or frustrated is definitely not helping the situation. And I need to stop thinking of it as "trying." My type A personality and control freak tendencies need to settle down. I don't know what the future holds, but letting go and not obsessing over this one aspect is freeing and that is how I want to move forward. 

So there is the recap. I know, it's a lot. But life has ups and downs and I feel like I should be able to share it all. So here is to REAL blogging in 2013!

2012

We spent NYE driving from OBX back to Ath, thus concluding our month of driving. We drove over 3,500 miles last month. I am ready to take a break from the open road. We got back in town around 6:30pm, stopped by the package store and Red Box to prepare for a quiet night in. Kyle didn't have faith that we would stay awake for the Ball Drop, but we did!

I am a firm believer in goals/resolutions. I had a really difficult first semester of grad school and ended 2007 at a low. I wrote down the things I wanted to change and accomplish, hung the list on my bathroom mirror and I accomplished everything on that list. There is something to be said for writing things down, reviewing it and holding yourself accountable. So here is my list for 2012:

1. Start applying for my next job! This summer I will have been at UGA for three years and I am ready for new job responsibilities and potentially a new location. Kyle and I both would love to get closer to our families, even though we love our life in Athens. The end of 2012/ 2013 will be the big change time, but I want to challenge myself to start looking at what is out there now.

2. Change my eating habits. Kyle wakes me up at 6am Monday through Friday to go to the gym. We work out consistently; however, I use going to the gym as an excuse to eat really bad. I might actually lose some weight if I cared about what I ate. Being healthy is important and I need to work harder to make better choices about food.

3. Save more money! You should see my Excel spreadsheet with savings projections. I just need to stick to my plan and we will be in a very good place at the end of 2012. 

4. Work on my advising skills. I feel so fortunate to be able to advise Gamma Pi. I want to do more as their adviser; by building more personal relationships and being more available I hope to be a better adviser.

5. Be a better friend. Getting married changes your priorities, however, I don't want it to change my relationships with other people that are also important to me. I admit my short comings over the last year. I used to travel at least every two/three months to visit friends. While I might not be able to travel that much, I can still make a better effort. I am so appreciative of my beautiful wonderful friends!

6. Probably the most important goal is to continue working on my marriage. I love my husband, I love being married, I love spending time together. I want to continue building our relationship and our communication skills. We love cooking together and seeing live music in Ath together, but I really want to plan a nice trip for us to take together this year. 

So there you have it folks. My goals for 2012. Happy New Year to you and I hope the best for you in 2012!