setting a goal.

I purposely avoided writing at the one year mark. Anniversaries and milestones have come and gone; the day I left DC, the day I left for Thailand. The days since coming home have piled up on the calendar with so little to show for them. Or so it feels. Before leaving Thailand I sat down and made a list of goals to accomplish once I got home. I was going to find a fabulous job, sort through the chaos of boxes that have been sitting in storage for over 7 years combined with the ones I brought back with me across the country, move back into my condo and re-establish some semblance of an adult life. There were classes I wanted to take and places I wanted to explore. (Now that I’ve seen all 7 continents it’s time to start checking off the 50 states.) Yet here it is nine months later and I’m still jobless hanging with the parents surrounded by teetering piles of boxes. Very few of my goals have come to fruition and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. 

But I’m slowly beginning to see patterns and purpose in the moments of chaos. The year has had its share of ups and downs, twists and turns. I’ve been hyper-focused on what I’ve perceived as the various lacks and gaps while over-looking all the amazing things that have happened. I lived for a while in one country, visited several others. I’ve forged new friendships, strengthened relationships and spent valuable time with family members. I’ve learned a lot about myself, stretching and growing in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. I’ve read some great books, seen some amazing sights, tasted some fabulous food, heard and discovered some marvelous music. I learned how to play a harmonica! There have been countless un-asked for blessings and mini-miracles, insights and adventures, even unexpected love and romance. And with a new calendar year comes another chance to make a new start, to set new goals and re-affirm my commitment to previous goals.

My main goal is still, to find a job and gain some much-needed independence. But I’ve got a slew of others to work on, some that I’ve already been hashing out for a while (the previously mentioned diet and fitness goals, re-focusing on my writing, traveling and taking a few classes), as well as a few new ones (starting a daily gratitude journal and daily meditation practice, learning to bake bread and an edible pie crust, studying Jesus the Christ and memorizing The Living Christ.)

I’m also going to shift my focus here a little. I’m going to continue blogging but not as often or as consistently as I once did (don’t judge by my recent non-activity) but rather just a few posts a month and I’m going to keep it a bit more personal. But then I’m going to branch out and start a second blog in the next little while, but with the goal of actually making a little money off of it (fingers-crossed.) It could be a flop but I’ve been mulling it over for some time and have decided I need to just make the jump. I’ll keep you all posted.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear what goals and resolutions you’ve made for the new year. What were your highlights of 2014? What lessons did you learn that have shaped how you’ll be facing the challenges and adventures that might come?

having a plan.

I mentioned the diet goal a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been culling and compiling from a million pinterest pins and things I’ve done in the past in an effort to find something workable that will hopefully not just be something to help me lose a bit of weight and get back on track but be sustainable over an extended period of time (life time habits maybe). Here’s what I’ve got as my guidelines:

• 45 min exercise daily (15 min of strength training and alternating 30 min aerobics one day and 30 min yoga the next, resting on Sunday)
• 75+ oz water and/or herbal tea daily (a glass on rising, before each meal and as often as I need otherwise to reach the total ounces), no sodas, very limited juices
• alternate high protein/high carb every other day-I’ve studied various programs that talk about the way our bodies store different kinds of calories and need varied foods for ultimate nutrition. Basically each way of eating has its benefits. This program acknowledges that and shows that varying your diet every other day ideally keeps your glycogen levels in check and results in longer-lasting success. (If your glycogen levels are too full, as in a high-carb diet, your body converts the excess to fat. In a low-carb diet your body resorts to ketosis, fat-burning mode, ideal for short-term but if not re-balanced leads to fatigue and slowed metabolism. Besides the risks that too much protein often means a lack of necessary nutrients and naturally higher caloric intake.)
• Cut out processed, refined, and convenience foods. ‘High carb’ doesn’t mean I get to eat donuts ;) The goal is for natural, whole foods. My carbs will be whole grains, starchy veggies and beans, sweet fruits (foods with a naturally higher glycemic index.) Low carb days will focus on eggs, lean meats, non-starchy veggies, nuts.
• And because I’ve done a million cleanses and de-tox diets and allergy elimination diets and know what my will power can and can’t handle (plus, I’m not ready to give up baking now that I have access to a kitchen again, especially with all the great fall options on the way!) I’m allowing myself one splurge meal and one dessert each week. 

Hopefully this gives me enough variety and freedom that I can keep it up long-term and not feel as if I’m being deprived of anything. We’ll see if I need to be stricter in order to lose. I’ve fluctuated 5-10 pounds since high school but never really tried to lose weight before so this is all new territory and I know that age is going to play a part in all of this. My metabolism (among other things) just isn’t what it used to be!

The goal is to be down 20 pounds, lose several inches in various places, sleep better and have a bit more energy.  But honestly the biggest one is to be able to fit back into my pants since I’m too broke to buy new ones! I only have 2 or 3 pairs that I can squeeze into anymore and now that the weather is cooling shorts and yoga pants are out. ;) So, we’ll start with the above and see what happens. I’m planning to do a weekly check in and just tell you vaguely how I’ve done and hopefully how many pounds I’m down. I won’t subject you to my food diaries and all the particulars. But if I don’t make some decent progress I’ll probably solicit advice! Any favorite tricks or programs that have brought you success? I’d love to hear about them!

accomplishing something.

Thanks for all the kind words about the last couple of posts. It was an added boost I needed to get me motivated. You guys are the best!

In between submitting countless applications and rehashing my resume over and over and over I try to take some breathers, do something that could possibly be perceived as fun. I haven’t done a very good job (hence the new goals) but over the last few weeks I’ve started getting things in gear and here’s what I have to show for it:

A batch of beautiful homemade pickles. I LOVE pickles and I’ve always wanted to try making my own. When I came home with a sack full of cucumbers after a Labor Day visit I figured this was the perfect chance to experiment. I’ve helped my mom can various things throughout the years and made a batch of freezer jam but I’ve never done anything all by my little old lonesome before. I have to say, they turned out gorgeous! And the popping sound as each bottle sealed after processing was one of the happiest sounds I’ve ever heard. I haven’t broken into any of them for a taste yet but even if they’re disgusting, I’m pretty darn proud of myself! 

A practically perfect Saturday morning. A friend and I met at a once-a-week-only food truck for some ah-maz-ing breakfast followed by a trip up the canyon for the first glimpses of fall. Saturday's Waffle is exactly what the name implies; waffles on Saturday! The truck shows up in the parking lot of a grocery store every Saturday morning. They’re there for breakfast and lunch and have a range of toppings for their Belgian-style waffles, everything from local yogurt and granola; fresh basil, tomato, mozzarella; sausage and gravy; and my own choice for the day, peach cobbler. The fresh, local peaches were topped with candied nuts, caramel-ly foster sauce and coconut whipped cream. Yum! Then, sufficiently fed, we drove up the canyon and took a couple of short trails capped by a walk around Silver Lake at the top of Big Cottonwood where the air was crisp, the sun was warm, and the trees were beginning to change. Hints of scarlet, gold, and orange flamed against the emerald, making me excited for the weeks to come! (My 'hiking twice a month' goal is quickly becoming a weekly thing!)

There was also a trip to the Oregon state fair where I indulged in a deep-fried bacon-wrapped Reese's peanut butter cup. (Yep, it was as delicious and heart-attack-inducing as it sounds!) An excursion a little ways north for an open house visit of the newly remodeled Ogden Temple. (More information about temples and their purpose can be found here.) And the first couple sessions of my harmonica lessons.  (I can just about play "Oh, Susannah"!  Maybe when I get really good I'll post a video :)

How have you spent your time lately?  Outdoors enjoying the beginnings of fall? Indoors getting back into the habits associated with a new school year? 

a new goal.

Fall, for me, is always a time of renewal. I realize that’s the opposite of what it actually is, the harbinger of winter and months of death and dormancy but the cooler air and rich colors bring a bit of vibrancy and revitalization that I love. Perhaps it hearkens back to all those years as both student and teacher, the start of a new school year, a notebook full of the blank pages of possibilities, the smell of anticipation and new clothes, ‘bouquets of newly sharpened pencils’, the works! You’ve got a clean slate, unlimited potential, so many new things to learn and discover. I love it! (plus I love the sweaters and boots and pumpkin flavored everythings, they’re like a happy bonus!)

This year especially, though I’m not a part of the onslaught of scholastic beginnings for the first time in years, I’m in great need of a personal re-beginning. And you are going to be my witnesses and maybe I can convince you to be my cheerleaders and goal auditors. In addition to stepping up my job application/hunt efforts I’ve decided on a few goals that need some focus through the rest of the calendar year (and possibly beyond.)

First up, harmonica lessons! I’m super excited about this. Maybe more than I should admit. I love taking classes and since I’m not doing the school thing myself I decided to check out the community ed offerings and when I saw beginner’s harmonica I knew I’d found a winner. I’m sure you’ll hear more about this as the weeks go by.

Next, mountains. I was so looking forward to living near them again and yet I’ve only been in them a handful of times since I’ve been home. My new goal is to go on a new hike at least twice a month while the weather holds and then bust out the snowshoes come winter. I’ve already enlisted a friend to help me with this one!

I’ve been a bit homesick lately for the DC area and all of the amazing things that are available there. Museums, concerts, road trips, history, you name it. Everything is so close and accessible. It’s not that there isn’t anything to do in Utah, you just have to look a little harder to find it. So, each month I’m going to find at least one tourist-type event to participate in or site to see.

Between some crazy travel and losing any sort of control over or access to a personal kitchen I’ve managed to gain quite a bit of weight over the past year, which hasn’t helped me feel great about myself. I’ve got a few ideas for getting back into the swing of healthy eating and exercise that I’ll be putting into action in the next week or so and I’ll let you help keep me accountable there as well! (more info when I get started.)

And finally, in an effort to step outside of myself and my own problems and worries, I’m on the lookout for a cause to champion. I love to serve and haven’t made an effort to do so recently so I’ll be participating in at least one service experience each month with the big goal of finding somewhere to give my heart. There are a lot of causes I believe in and places I’ve donated to monetarily in the past. That’s not in the unemployed budget so I have to step up and give my time and that extra commitment has made me realize that not all causes are created equal. I want to find something that truly speaks to me and makes me want to spend an entire Saturday hard at work rather than just soothing my conscience by writing a check. Does that make sense?

Re-cap: monthly service experience, monthly tourist experience, bi-weekly mountain experience, harmonica lessons, lose weight/healthy living (details to follow). Think you can keep me motivated and accountable?

a brand new year.

I may have mentioned this before but I love the way the holiday season begins in November with an opportunity to be reminded to be grateful for and aware of our blessings. Then comes Christmas with an emphasis on service, charity, and brotherly kindness. And then we’re given a chance to start a new year with a fresh perspective, to refocus our lives on what’s important…those things we’ve just spent two months celebrating; gratitude and love.

My birthday falls on the 2nd of January and while in some ways I hate it because it often gets forgotten by others in the holiday shuffle I love that my own personal year starts on the heels of a new calendar year in the midst of all the celebrations and re-focusing. I’ve always been a goal-setter and a list-maker so the New Year’s Resolution is second nature to me. There are few things that bring as much satisfaction as a job well-done that becomes an item that can be crossed off a list. But in this over-achievers, social media driven society everyone’s lists and accomplishments are published everywhere 24/7 to give plenty of fodder for guilt complexes, self-loathing, and more when our own lists fail to compare. I think this may be one of the greatest challenges of our day-to utilize all that the world gives us (and technology in particular) with its wealth of info, inspiration for change, creativity and improvement, and then know how best to incorporate it into our own various lives and circumstances without beating ourselves up over what we can’t/don’t do or do as well as we’d like.

I will always be a list-maker and a pinterest and blog addict but I wanted my goals this year to have a slightly different bend. Inspired by a host of things I’ve read about simplifying and a friend’s comment about choosing a power word to guide your year I decided to steal their ideas and make them my own. So, while I’ll still have a few bucket list type goals, challenges and projects I’m going to work towards my main emphasis for the year will be “Relationships”.

With my life in upheaval and things in a constant shift it’s easy for me to focus inward and forgo the relationships or pay them little respect (ie, I’ll only be here a few months, it’s not worth trying to meet people at church with the language barrier and such, by the time we make a real connection I’ll be leaving…etc.) But I know that when I look back it’s the relationships that make my life truly rich and the only way to leave a real mark on the world is by positively touching someone else’s life. I’ll be heading back to Utah and living close to family again; grandparents I’m still blessed to have and nieces and nephews who are growing way too fast just to name a few. I’d like to take time to build and deepen the relationships with those I could lose soon and those I hardly know yet. I’ll be building an entirely new social circle, embarking on a new employment adventure, attending a new church congregation, and hopefully engaging in some dating experiences. The possibilities for building relationships are endless.

And while I’m striving to have better relationships with the people in my life I’m also going to work on having a better relationship with myself, my surroundings, and God. Here are a few of the specifics:

• make my first and last contact of each day be with an actual person rather than a device-and make as many personal rather than digital connections as possible (in person or call rather than text or email)
• take my nephews on dates quarterly, visit my grandparents monthly and ask all the questions I’ll be sorry I don’t know the answers to if I leave them unasked
• smile at, make eye contact with, and thank people in public service situations (at the grocery store etc.)
• commit at least one random act of kindness daily
• send a postcard, note, letter each week
• take a meditation class-learn to better recognize my strengths and be more forgiving of my faults
• breathe, stretch and move every day (I have a few challenges –planks, squats-- that will be filling this requirement)
• recognize when I need to re-charge and say no and when I need to step outside of myself and push harder
• slow down and be consciously aware of the food I eat, my breath, my surroundings-unplug and be open to the unexpected
• work on developing deeper and more meaningful prayers-commit to something/ask in the morning, repent/report back at night
• study, don’t just read, my scriptures-have a theme or question in mind as I read, take notes

I’m hoping this will help bring the important things into focus and give my life some of the depth and roots I feel I’ve been missing lately.

How about you? Are you a resolution maker? What are some of your goals for 2014? Here’s to us all, let’s make it a great year!

(And who doesn't have a goal to go to the beach more often?! Here's a little inspiration for you. And a sneak peek at the holiday trip re-cap you'll be getting soon!)

looking back at a to do list and making a new one.

I took a moment to review my New Year's Resolutions earlier this month. The half-way mark is always a good time to reevaluate. (Unless you have fallen completley off the wagon and have nothing to show for your hours of carefully documented goals, then it just makes you feel like a failure!)

 

Ok, not a complete failure. I've made a bit of progress in some areas (my scripture study, shockingly enough has improved leaps and bounds) but other areas, well, you'd never know I'd made a goal for as little as I've tried to do anything about them. Let's take a look.

  

• Visit 5 new states and 1 new country--I've got the goal to visit all 50 states by the time I'm 40 and all 7 continents (and at least 25 countries) before I die. The way things are going down this year I doubt I'll get more than 1 new state in but I'll have 1 new continent and at least 4 countries for sure.
• Start a bookclub--check! (it still counts even if I'm abandoning it, right?)
• Take a yoga class--check! (though unfortunately I've had to abandon that too)
• Play the piano every day--uh, what I really meant was 'look at the piano every day but never actually touch it, ever'...check!
• Finish a book--writing one, that is. Hmm, I did do a bit of work on it so that's got to count, but I'm not really any closer to finishing than I was in January. I am hoping for some good time to work on this come August though.
• Catch up my scrapbook--uh, nope. 2 years behind and counting!
• Attend at least one performance per month--done! Though I haven't made it to as many concerts as I'd like. Curse all you concert buddies who moved on me! I blame you! :)
• Take a photography class--nope
• Make pickles--wha?
• Complete a Pinterest project each month--if by project I meant spending hours and hours pinning stuff and then never looking at it again then I'm a winner!
• Be on time--Ok, this one I really did put some effort into at first. I'm at least more conscious of the times that I'm late even if I haven't quite transitioned that into actually being punctual.
• Stop swearing--again, I've made a bit of effort. It still comes spewing out unbidden as a gut reaction to various circumstances but I've gotten better at thinking before I speak and more often than not I think of something besides a curse to say.

Now that I look at it it's really not too shabby after all. Often the goals that are more project oriented are easier to accomplish and dominate in the finished results category while the character building/habit forming type take a backseat or get abandoned altogether and kind of the opposite has happened this time around. There's added proof in the accomplisment of the biggest and least defined goal of all which has taken more of my time and mental energy than I'd anticipated but has surprised me in so may ways. On one sheet I had it listed as 'make a decision and stick with it' and somewhere else I wrote down 'find a new job'. Those were not necessarily the same goal to begin with but they've morphed into my Thailand decision and I'm excited and hopeful with what else will come with that.

So, this brings me to the next, and more immediate quest. Summer goals.

I've got about 6 weeks left here in DC and while there will be a flurry of packing and last minute preparations for Thailand I've also decided I need to make an effort to squeeze in some last minute fun as well. It is summer after all. And summer should be filled with all things good. Things like lemonade and movies under the stars and trips to the beach. There's not enough time to do all the things I'd like to and I'm not even going to start on the list of things I want to do one last time before I leave but here are the few things I'm going to do to make this summer count.

• frozen custard at the Dairy Godmother
• screen on the green
• watching a parade
• seeing the monuments by moonlight
• a trip to the beach
• a concert under the stars
• fireworks

What's on your list?

a big announcement.

As of today, it's official on all fronts and I can announce it to the world. (or at least to the few of you who read my random posts!) Come October I will be heading off to Thailand to teach English for at least 6 months. It's a decision that has been in the works for several years though the final idea came about rather accidentally. I'm both terrified and thrilled to do something a little more meaningful and a whole lot more adventurous with my life. I still haven't decided what to be when I grow up but maybe a bit of time spent in a place that looks a bit like paradise will help me sort things out!

I'm sad to be leaving the DC area after 7 years and have a few more local adventures planned to cram into the time I have left but I'm also looking forward to spending a bit of time with my family before heading around the world. It's crazy to think what the next few months might bring but I intend to keep you, my three faithful readers, abreast of it all. Never you fear!

And to reciprocate, if any of you out there have been to Thailand or the surrounding areas I'd love to hear about it. What were your favorite moments? Where do I need to be sure to visit? Any tips you'd like to pass on? Anyone who's lived abroad, anywhere? I'll take any advice you can give me!

making headway on a goal.

In an effort to kick my writing into gear (yes, I'm trying one more time!) I signed up for a writing class through the local community education office. Meeting with 5 strangers and baring your soul is an interesting way to spend a Thursday night. I'd hoped to have a bit of instruction and guidance but it's turned out to be more of a 'group' than a 'class'.  We take turns sharing what we've written and offering up critiques and criticisms as well as a sprinkling of praise.

While I've definitely found ways to improve my writing based on their feedback of my own work I think I've learned the most by listening to what others have written and listening to the ways that they offer feedback rather than from the feedback itself. Some people are natural writers. And some people have a gift for knowing what will and won't work in a written piece and knowing which questions to ask to help the writer improve.  I find I'm still a little stuck in the 'it's good' 'I really liked it' mode of critiquing. I can usually tell you if it works or not but not necessarily why it does or doesn't. As I've paid attention to the way others listen and respond I find it trickling into my own responses but amazingly, into my writing as well.  Re-reading a piece I try to read it with their eyes and ears, what will they notice, how can I fix it? And now even in my reading of books in general I've learned to watch for the same cues and responses.

It's amazing what a new reader and a worthwhile critique can produce. (And I've added 20 pages of new text...hooray!) It's a slow process but it's nice to be able to see some actual progress finally and feel as if I'm making some headway. Let's hope I can keep it up once the class ends!

words of wisdom.

I've been in the process of making some life altering decisions for the past few months.  Each time I think I've got it all figured out something comes up that makes me rethink everything and I find myself starting over. Needless to say it's left me feeling very, very frustrated.  I've had a couple of conversations recently that have given me much to think about and have me leaning more and more in one direction than I have for awhile now. And then today I came across this article that a friend had posted on facebook and I had a bit of an aha moment. While there are a lot of factors at play and it's in no way a black and white choice, I've realized that, in many ways, this issue is at the heart of my decision making.

I love living in Washington, DC. It's vibrant and colorful and filled to overflowing with opportunities to be enriched through food and culture and art and politics and knowledge and life. But it's a busy place. And the people I associate with are a busy people. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I think, like the author of the article, I am a basically lazy person. It's not that I don't want to do important and productive things, because I do.  And I'm a hard worker.  But at my core I long for a slower pace of life, time to breathe and connect with people and sometimes just do nothing. And that is at odds with the life I'm currently trying to live.

There's a peer pressure (as was more eloquently stated in the article) to be 'doing' all the time. If your calendar isn't packed then you are obviously failing as a person. Why aren't more people clamoring for your company or skills? Why are you not taking advantage of all that life has to offer? You are missing out on hundreds, thousands of opportunities at any given moment.  Have you no conscience?!

Part of me needs to be fed with the energy and diversity and experience found in a city but my deepest soul needs respite and quietude and downtime and I find that I don't have the chance to fully appreciate and absorb the experiences I have when I'm multi-tasking, mentally going over my lengthy to do list and rushing from place to place, event to event.

And in case the stress alone isn't enough there's science to prove that we are doing damage to ourselves when we fail to give ourselves time to do nothing.  I read the book Last Child in the Woods a few years ago when it came out and it talks about the detrimental position we are putting our children in by not giving them unstructured time, specifically in nature. Again, as was more eloquently stated in the article, how many of history's great discoveries and creations were birthed in those moments of 'idle dreaming'? Our minds and bodies are not programmed to be deprived of those moments.

Eastern religions/societies are much better at this than we in the west tend to be. Zen and nirvana and all that. And while I'd made a resolution to start a daily meditation regime I have yet to actually do anything about it. So, as I continue to try to make decisions and find peace in my existence I will be striving at the same time to recommit myself to meditating, to breathing, to recreating myself more as a human being than as a human doing, even for just a few minutes each day. Join me, won't you?

Here's a bit of inspiration for you. Breathe deeply and imagine yourself here. Since most of us are suffocating under gray skies and feet of snow at the moment this is almost guaranteed to be an improvement. (See, the sun does still exist!) Feel better yet?

looking ahead.

At the dawn of each new year I spend hours contemplating the highlights of the past and strive to make goals and resolutions to help the coming year surpass the old. Yesterday you got a glimpse of last year's highlights, today you're going to be subject to some of my goals for this year!

When I was a teenager I started a tradition of writing a letter to myself on each birthday. I'd recount some of the great things of the past year and set some goals for the coming year. I've done this ever since. I pulled out last year's letter to read yesterday and realized that I've fallen into a giant rut. The things I've been hoping will change haven't changed for the past few years, my complaints and wishes are much the same and while I am busy and spend most waking moments doing things I haven't really accomplished all that much. Let me explain.

I've made resolutions for as long as I can remember and I jumped head first into the whole 'bucket list' phenomenon. I spend a lot of time admiring people (alive, imagined, historical) and their accomplishments and adding things to my lists to hopefully measure up in some way to their greatness. And I fall prey to the religious trend of feeling guilty for not being 'good enough'.  And I've already mentioned more than once here the tendency to get caught up the whirlpool of social media pressure (blogs, pinterest, facebook etc.) and the quest to outdo everyone's perfect and exciting lives. But while this all keeps me very busy doing things I've stopped (or at least significantly slowed down) in my progress to become someone.

Most of my complaints in life are about my job and my relationship status, things I can more easily blame on others or circumstances. Seriously flawed thinking, I realize this but there you have it. Between that and the comparison game mentioned earlier I spend a lot of time doing, doing and doing in an effort to forget about the things I don't have or trying to compensate for them in some way. It's easy to look at someone else's seemingly perfect life and feel discouraged about your own failings. This is in part why I started this blog in the first place, to help me focus on all the great things I do have in my life. And it has helped, but my natural tendency is to measure myself against others and even my own expectations for things rather than trusting in God's will and his plan and simply learning to accept life's circumstances and doing the best I can with what I have. So, this year I've vowed to make some changes.

A friend posted this article a few weeks ago that hit me pretty hard.  It's full of awful language but if you can get past all that it's a great read. If you'd rather not wade through the f-bombs I'll give you the gist of it...

You are (to an extent) nothing more than the sum total of your useful skills.
What you are inside only matters because of what it makes you do.  Who you are is your 'dirt', what it makes you do is your 'fruit' and 'by their fruits ye shall know them...'
Everything inside you will fight change.
Focus on giving yourself a skill that would make you ever so slightly more interesting and valuable to other people.

Another thought I just love comes from Gordon B. Hinckley:

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

Armed with these thoughts and a few reminders from other sources I'm determined to focus on becoming, not just doing, developing skills, attributes and habits that will help me to change the world around me for the better and learning to more fully enjoy the ride while I do so.

So, this year I'm going to try to:

• be not just on time to things but a few minutes early (I'm compulsively 5 minutes late --at least-- to everything!)
• do my darndest to stop swearing!
• send birthday and/or thank you cards to strengthen relationships with people far away
• find a new outdoor activity that will force me to meet people and step outside my comfort zone (kayaking and rock climbing are at the top of the list at the moment)
• focus on prayerfully studying my scriptures instead of just reading them
• make a point to sit by someone new at church each week, introduce myself and then remember their name!
• find a new job that will push me and give me more opportunities to grow
• start a daily meditation program
• perform one random act of kindness each day
• find a cause to champion (I have a few charities I donate money to but no one that gets my time)

I still have a few 'experience' type goals that will be more cross off the list type things than actual development but a girl's gotta have a little bit of fun, right?

• complete a Pinterest project each month (some good does come from the Internet, I promise!)
• attend at least one live performance each month
• re-read a favorite book each month
• read a poem a day
• travel to a new country and visit at least 2 new states (Thailand, Texas and Kentucky are leading the list of options so far)
• see the POTUS live and in-person
• hike Old Rag
• finish writing my book
• make my own pickles

and a few that are not so much fun as important:

• stick to a budget!
• set up a retirement fund
• learn to tailor my own clothes

That's not every goal but it's most of them. It's going to be tough but I'm hoping it will be worthwhile, that I'll stick with it and keep the effort up (something ongoing is always harder than a one shot event) and make some much needed changes in my life so that in next year's letter I'll have something new to say!  And I'm relying on you all to check up on me every now and then and keep me motivated!

Do you make goals and resolutions? How do you go about doing it? How often do you stick with them? What are your tricks for success? I'd love to hear about it! Oh, and Happy New Year!

a year end list.

I'm a sucker for lists and love the 'year in review' shows on TV and articles that seem to show up in every media venue known to man. Not one to be left out in the cold I'm shamelessly stealing the idea from everyone who has already posted theirs the last few days. Here is a brief overview of some of my favorite happenings throughout the months of 2012.

JANUARY

The once in a lifetime trip to Antarctica.  (really the list could stop there, it doesn't get much better than this!)

FEBRUARY

A behind-the-scenes visit to the Library of Congress

MARCH

A fantastic St. Patrick's Day brunch

APRIL

Spring in the District

MAY

Camping in Pennsylvania

JUNE

Hanging out with the cutest nephews in the world

JULY

Nats games!

AUGUST

Road trip to Rhode Island

SEPTEMBER

The US Open

OCTOBER

Running a 5K

NOVEMBER

Hosting Pie Day

DECEMBER

Capping off a year of great performances and concerts with a few holiday shows

It always gives me pause to see just how far I've come and what has happened in the space of 12 short months. Lives can change in the blink of an eye and yet sometimes the longer increments of time seem to fly by without any noticeable changes at all. I'm grateful for the various outlets I have for keeping track of all that I've done, the things I've seen and experienced and learned that help me keep life a bit more in perspective when I feel as if I'm stuck or not accomplishing all I'd hoped to accomplish. Sure, there are a ton of things still left on my list but I've crossed off quite a few too! Here's to a new year, new lists and new experiences. Tune in tomorrow for the latest edition.

submitting to a challenge.

I'm going to be taking a sort of hiatus here on the blog for the next month. I've been slowly chipping away at a book I've been writing for a couple of years now and recently it's been weighing on my mind more and more. With November being NaNoWriMo I've decided to focus my writing attention solely on my book and nothing else for those 30 days. I'm not sure how much I'll get done but even if it's just a few chapters it will hopefully be enough to get me out of the slump and on towards actually finishing it.

November is also the gateway to the holidays and as we begin to celebrate the gluttony and excesses of our society by shopping until we drop let us use November to remember all that we have and give thanks for the many blessings that enrich our lives. So, while I'll be verbally silent here for the next few weeks I'm still hoping to post a daily image following (sort of) this photo challenge. One image of gratitude daily throughout the month leading up to and ushering in the holiday season. Hopefully it will help get my heart and my priorities in the right place.

Wish me luck and I'll 'talk' to you all again in December!

reaching a goal.

This weekend I ran my first race since Jr. High.

I'd done some haphazard training on my own for the past few months, running around my neighborhood and trying to work my way up to the 3 miles I would need to finish. And as of last Monday I still hadn't made it.  Between the various health issues, bad weather, knee pains, bad attitudes and every other excuse I could come up with I just couldn't seem to get past 2 miles. And that came with heavy legs, knee and hip pain, exercise induced asthma type breathing, headaches and overall discouragement.  I was pretty sure I was going to come in last and have to walk at least part of it (particularly the hills, my neighborhood is relatively flat and I hadn't trained for hills.)

But I learned something important as I took off running bright and early Saturday morning in beautiful Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with 1500 of my closest friends; I'm very competitive!

As the people streamed past me I found a few to keep pace with and when I started to fall behind (or others started to pass) I would talk myself in to going just a bit faster or to keep pushing forward (usually along the lines of 'you can't let that little old lady pass you...keep going!') It's amazing what a pushy inner dialogue can accomplish that weeks and weeks of trudging along solo couldn't begin to touch.

As I kicked it into overdrive to sprint the last couple of hundred yards to the finish line I felt better than I have in months. I came in at 32:24, much quicker than I had anticipated and I didn't have to walk at all! Yep, I'm pretty proud of myself. I don't know that I'll keep it up (my knees honestly can't take much more, the doctors warned me off of running way back in Jr High) but it's nice to know I can accomplish something if I put my mind to it...and have 1500 people pushing me along!

Happiness is...the start of summer!

Happy Summer Solstice, all!

Today is the longest (and possibly the hottest so far) day of the year and in honor I've made a list of things I feel are quintessentially summertime, things I want to make sure I do before the air turns crisp and the leaves change colors and I'm forced to wear socks and shoes again on a regular basis.

• Go on a picnic
• Spend a day at the beach
• Watch a movie under the stars
• Blow bubbles
• Make lemonade
• Go to an outdoor concert
• Watch fireworks
• Make ice cream
• Participate in a water fight
• Go to an amusement park
• Make a summer playlist
• Take advantage of the neighborhood pool
• Go camping
• Eat BBQ
• Decorate the sidewalk with chalk
• Watch lightning bugs
• Go hiking
• Run through the sprinklers
• Make a meal solely with food bought at a farmer’s market
• Go to a baseball game
• Lie on my back and count the stars

Anything missing?  What are your favorite summer pastimes?

Happiness is...a list of randoms.

Some things that are making me happy at the moment:

• volcanic Mexican meals
• catching up with old friends
• buying tickets to this concert (and I'm far more excited about it than I probably should be!)
• running....in the rain! (go me!...I'm sooo not a runner)
• getting sucked into this extremely cheesy series (a little part of my heart belongs to Nathan Fillion)
• buying books written by people I know 
• focusing on writing again (one day it'll be me on Amazon!)
• thunder and lightning storms
• a clean closet
• setting new goals
•  I've decided I need to balance my time spent pinning things on Pinterest with actually doing some of the things I pin.  I've done a decent job making up some of the recipes but I'm going to chronicle at least one project/accomplishment a week on the blog, so look forward to that! (I know, you're so excited you just don't know what you'll do until then...don't deny it!)            
• keeping up on old goals
•  the illness has taken a toll on a lot of the goals I've set for this year so I've had to do some adjusting and starting over, but I've done pretty good on a couple of them
• I finally got enough energy up to start running, now I just need to find a 5K to register for
• I've tried a new restaurant/food experience each month
• participated in a local event/new tourist attraction each month
• read 1 classic each month
• my definition of 'classic' is pretty fluid (and I could really use some suggestions if you've got any!! there haven't been too many winners) but so far I've read:
• Little Women
• The Stranger
• Slaughterhouse 5
• Girl of the Limberlost
•  live performances each month 
• most of these have been musical (no complaints on that score) but I've made 2 each month so far             
• now I just need to find a photography class, a writing class, work on going on at least 1 date each month, experiment with some new hairstyles and outfits, and find some time to play the piano...easy as pie!

So, what is it that's kept you busy lately?  Anything I should add to my list?

Happiness is...reaching a milestone.

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

This has been a year of change and adventure, of food and friends, music and movies and breakthroughs. Today is the true beginning of a new year (holidays don’t count in my world), my one year blogiversary (133 posts and counting!), and my birthday (I’m not saying which one.)

With a new year come new challenges and opportunities, new adventures and change. I have a few big projects in the works that I’m not quite ready to make public yet as well as all of the things I mentioned in my year in review post earlier, enough to keep me busy for quite some time.

I leave tomorrow on my trip to South America and Antarctica and am both thrilled and terrified. (Click here to see a rough outline of my itinerary.) It will be the first time I’ve gone anywhere truly by myself. I’ve flown alone and even taken weekend roadtrips a couple of hours from home but nothing to this extent. I’ll be with a tour group of course, and I have an unknown entity in my roommate whom I’ve never met before (here’s hoping we get along!) but for all intents and purposes I’ll be on my own. And I’m a bit nervous. But I’m so excited not only at the prospect of travel and I’ll that I’ll be able to see and do, but also of having some unstructured time to myself. I have a lot of things to think about (see unmentioned projects above) and a lot of work I’m hoping to get done on my books. I also intend to take about 15 million pictures of all of my adventures and see what I can figure out on some of photo editing tools.

And then there are the onboard gym facilities. My goal is to take advantage of the yoga classes and start up some running so that I can work my way up to a 5K later this spring.

I’m also taking just this one physical book (and my brother’s Nook, there’s no way I could be gone a whole month and only read one book!) This was a Christmas present and is supposed to be a fantastic resource by David A. Bednar. I’m going to use it to kick-off my scripture study goal. Each month I’m going to tackle a different subject for an in-depth study and instead of just taking random notes I’ll pretend I’m giving a talk on the subject and record what I learn accordingly. That way I’ll not only have to read and study but organize my thoughts, personalize it all while looking for connections and applications. I’m hoping it helps me to get more out of my studies this year.

I may or may not have regular access to the internet so I’m hoping to keep you all informed of my travels and adventures along the way but I can’t promise anything. So, in case it doesn’t happen until I get home, here’s a little video to keep you company.

I'm pretty sure this is what it's going to be like :)

Happy Birthday to me! (And Happy New Year to all of you!)

Happiness is...a feeling of accomplishment.

Wow, where does the time go? It's hard to believe that 2011 is nearly gone. This past weekend I sat down with the grand intentions of getting my scrapbook all caught up before I leave on my trip. I know I'll come home and want to get the new pictures (there are sure to be millions!) printed and everything documented before I forget or get too overwhelmed with the busyness of life that things get pushed aside. Which is apparently what happened last year because I haven't scrapbooked anything since last December. I'd love to blame it on the wild and crazy life I was so busy living but looking back through the photos and trying to determine which ones to print out and have waiting for me when I get home I was disappointed in the lack of scrapbook worthy photos and events.

That's not to say I wasn't busy. There were plenty of things going on but they fell more into the category of mundane every day life than exciting excursions, events or adventures. Here's a brief and highly guestimated accounting of some of the things I've done over the past year...

~~Number of books read: Goodreads has the count being just over 600 but I would up that to at least 650 as many of the picture books and review books I read don't make it onto the list. Reading that many, sometimes several in one day, they all tend to mush together in my little brain. Most of my favorites I've already reviewed here but here are a few that still stand out and I find myself recommending to others and thinking about even months after finishing them.

• Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
• A House in the Woods by Inga Moore
• I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

In 2012 I'd like to focus on reading (or re-reading) some of the classics, for both adults and children. I'd love some recommendations!

~~Movies attended: Counting up the ticket stubs I've saved gives me 24, give or take a few. I could probably stand to see a few less in the coming year (my wallet would thank me for sure) but I saw a few winners and there are a couple coming up that I'm particularly excited about.
2011 Faves: 

• The King's Speech
• The summer of the superheroes (okay, not technically a movie, but I enjoyed them all in their own way)
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris

2012 Hopefuls: 

• The Hobbit. Should I insert the trailer again? Yes, I think I should!

• The Hunger Games. I only hope this lives up to the book.
• Big Miracle Because I'm a sucker for animal movies, and whales
• The Avengers Because I'm a nerd, remember (and without this, the summer of the superhero would have been mostly for naught)
• The Dark Knight Rises Again with the superheroes...and Christian Bale

~~Performances (concerts, plays etc.) attended: 16. Oh, such a sad number! There should be at least 2 each month! Bon Jovi and Josh Groban were both amazing but I think Newsies tops out as the overall winner. There was also an abundance of banjos, all of which made me happy and Trampled by Turtles probably reigns in that arena. I vow to do more of this next year, even if I have to starve to do it!

~~Trips taken: Again with the sad numbers. It didn't help that I had to work nearly every 3 day weekend this year. That really cuts down on the travel opportunities. I did get to New York a couple of times, my trip to Utah this summer included some road trips to both Yellowstone and Capitol Reef, and we roadtripped to Pittsburgh for Monsieur Bon Jovi but all in all a rather sad showing. 

Next year is already poised to beat it with my huge trip in just a few days. I'd like to do some camping this summer (preferably on the beach), and maybe get out to visit my old roommate who is living in Oregon (that'd be one more state down only 8 -I think- to go!) My sister and I have grand plans to hit eastern Europe later this year and I'd love to visit Salem, Concord and Boston in the fall. We'll see how the money/job thing cooperates with all of those plans!

~~Goals/resolutions accomplished: I'd had a couple of different sets of goals, one being to do 35 new things (1 for each year I've been on this earth) and the other to do at least one thing a month that scared me, in addition to the ever-present hopes of exercising daily, losing a few pounds, finding my soul mate, winning the lottery and the like. I've made it up to 30 new things and 10 things that scared me. I guess I have a couple of days left to see if I can get them all in.

Next year I'm going to hang on to those lose a few pounds/win the lottery goals and maybe simplify the others a bit making it 2 or 3 new things each month or something along those lines. Here are a few I hope to try and accomplish:

• run a 5K
• learn to make bread--the real kind, with yeast and kneading and rising and the whole deal
• attend either the Thanksgiving Day parade or the New Year's Eve spectacular in NYC
• take a photography class
• attend a Civil War reenactment
• visit Lincoln's Cottage
• visit the Newseum
• snowshoeing in West Virginia

Some bigger habit-type goals rather than a one shot bucket list event include:

• finishing one of my books
• playing the piano every day--eventually I'd like to find a trumpet teacher and take some lessons but I figure I'd better brush up on some of my basics of note reading and counting before I do
• improving my scripture study to include actual in-depth study topics rather than just skimming a few verses before bed
• exercising (this goes along with the 5K thing listed above)

What are some of your goals and resolutions? What have you done that you'd recommend?

Let's finish with some year-end randomness...

Favorite discoveries: 

• fresh figs-I've spent my entire life despising figs based solely on my interactions with Fig Newtons. Who knew that fresh ones were delicious?!
• banjo music!! I've always loved the banjo but this year has really broadened my horizons and introduced me to some fabulous bands. My life will never be the same :)
• Pinterest! it's addicting but has kept me sane many an afternoon at work. I've used it for party planning and dream house decorating,making dinners and Christmas gifts, planning imaginary weddings and feeding my need for list making. Again, my life will never be the same.
• Blogging. Who knew I would enjoy this so darn much? There may be some format changes to come but I'm not going anywhere.

In addition to all that I have moved, said goodbye to old friends and made and developed some amazing new friendships. I've seen friends fall in love and friends get married and I've laughed and cried, and laughed and cried some more (though I think, looking back, I've probably laughed more than cried which is a good thing.) I've seen some breathtaking sights and eaten some incredible food. I've spent time holding hands with my grandfather and being smothered by hugs and kisses from my nephews. I've taken on challenges and struggles and come out victorious (for the most part). I've made changes and breakthroughs and even gone on a few dates! (Miraculous, I know!) Sure, there's always room for improvement and more change and adventure is on the horizon but 2011 has been a good year. To quote the chairman of the board, "it was a very good year." And may 2012 be even better!

Happiness is...a new month!

Happy All Saints Day! Hopefully you all had wonderful Halloween celebrations this past weekend. I celebrated with the annual viewing of Disney’sLegend of Sleepy Hollow (the cartoon version narrated by Bing Crosby, it’s not Halloween in my world until that happens), as well as The Birds (which I will forever find creepy) and The Watcher in the Woods (also still surprisingly rich in the heebee jeebee factor, even though I’m no longer 12!) I also had some of the requisite candy, gave treats to some costumed toddlers, ate fresh pumpkin soup and pumpkin cookies and wore a glow-in-the-dark t-shirt (we don’t go for dressing up much here at the library.)

With the end of the month/beginning of a new one I also figured I could share a few of my favorite reads for October, especially since I’ll be participating in NaNoWriMo this month and will not be doing nearly as much reading as writing (I hope!) so it may be awhile before I do another full-fledged entry like this.

So here, in no particular order, are some of last month’s greatest hits:

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 338
Age Range: 13-16
Published: 2011
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Cover Score: ***
Overall Score: ****
Rating: PG-13

I’ve read two of Perkins’ books so far and loved them both! She has a great way of capturing the ache and elation of teenagerhood and first loves in particular. She does a nice job of balancing the out of control emotions, hormones and perspectives with reality to create a story that is both highly enjoyable and believable.

In this one Lola is trying to prove to her parents that Max (her much older, rocker boyfriend) is ‘the one’ but when her first crush, Cricket, moves back in next door her world and all her relationships are thrown into disarray. Eventually she learns how to be true to herself (and even how to figure out who that self is) and while not all of her choices are good there are realistic consequences and growth from them all. Her parents are two gay men, her birth mother is a highly unstable drunk, there are some mentions of sex and drug use as well as some strong language (complements mostly of Max) but none of it is in any way offensive. Anna and Etienne from Perkins’ first novel also make an appearance, which is kind of fun. Highly recommended for teens or anyone wanting to relive the roller coaster ride of a first love.

A Zeal of Zebras: An Alphabet of Collective Nouns
Author: Woop Studios
Pages: 32
Age Range: 3-8
Published: 2011
Genre: Non-fiction
Cover Score: ***
Overall Score: ****
Rating: G

Collective nouns are so much fun and this book is a perfect introduction to them. Each page highlights the animal and its group name and gives a brief paragraph of information about it (habits, habitats, conservation efforts and such) and beautifully illustrating the animal. Woop Studios is a collection of artists who've combined their efforts to celebrate their love of graphic design, words and images. It's a terrific collaboration and is a great addition to the alphabet book collection for slightly older readers or kids who are ready for a bit more depth and some information but without the attention span for a full-fledged non-fiction book.

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackelton and the Endurance
Author: Jennifer Armstrong
Pages: 134
Age Range: 9-14
Published: 1998
Genre: Non-fiction
Cover Score: ***
Overall Score: ****
Rating: PG

In getting ready for my trip down south in a couple of months I wanted to read up on the area and some of the fascinating stories surrounding its discovery and exploration. I have a nice big list and this was the first one up. Armstrong gives a tiny bit of background on Shackelton himself and the age of exploration so the reader has a bit of context but the crux of the book is the men's adventures down to Antarctica, being stranded first on the land but then again on their ship (and then on land again) as they encounter various storms and setbacks on their quest to cross the continent. There's a mixture of humor and human interest as she relates the things they do to keep themselves entertained but there's also some intense imagery as they fight for survival. (***Spoiler alert!! There were several instances of tears as they had to kill off the dogs rather than let them starve to death.)

There are black and white photos taken during the expedition that complement the text and add some additional humanity and depth to the narration. This is a really well done overview of the events of the ill-fated expedition, enough to give you a working knowledge but also enough to whet your appetite for more.

Breadcrumbs
Author: Anne Ursu
Pages: 312
Age Range: 8-12
Published: 2011
Genre: Fantasy
Cover Score: ****
Overall Score: *****
Rating: PG

Hazel is struggling to adjust to her new school and maintain friendship with her neighbor Jack but things are changing between them. And when he suddenly disappears, only Hazel believes that something might be wrong. Her worst fears are confirmed when another boy mentions he might have seen Jack getting into a frozen sled with an icy queen. She musters up her courage and ventures into the magical, mysterious world beyond the forest to rescue him.

This is my favorite kind of story. Full of emotion and deep, loyal friendships, reality coated in healthy doses of magic (the kind that make you believe the world truly is magical at some levels if you just happened to be in the right place at the right time), subtle tributes to all the best books and a realistically happy resolution. If you love fairy tales then you must read this, I guarantee you'll be enchanted!

I also listened to Dracula in honor of Halloween. It was pretty spooky. I think the narration helped though. I don’t know if it would have gripped me in the same way if I’d been reading it on my own. But I can definitely see where the hype came in and why the vampire culture has lived on the way it has.

GoodReads has a sidebar where you can set goals for the number of books to read this year and I mockingly set mine for 400 back in February or so. I’ve since surpassed that (hooray!) and am working on getting up to 600 by December 31st. (Keep in mind that about half of those have been picture books so it’s not quite as impressive as it sounds, but still!) I’m currently up to about 530. I think I may have to do another great picture book push to meet the goal. I haven’t read a picture book for awhile that has really impressed me so let’s see if I can remedy that.

My October writing fifteen minutes a day (WFMAD) campaign has been a success. I didn’t make huge amounts of headway but I definitely did a better job of making time for writing in my day and got over a few hurdles that had been bugging me concerning the flow of my story. I’m going to let it all stew for a bit while I throw myself into the madness of writing a novel in one month. I haven’t registered to do any of it officially so I won’t have access to all the official guidelines and encouragement and so forth on the website and everything but basically I’m just going to see how much I can get done. I’ve had this idea simmering in my brain for awhile and I think my other WIP (work in progress) will benefit from being able to tackle it again fresh in a month or so. I haven’t done any actual writing on this new project but I did mention earlier that it will be a fleshed-out re-telling of a fairy tale. I’ve read various other versions of the story in preparation but we’ll start at the beginning with a clean sheet of paper this afternoon when I sit down to write. I’m not going to do any editing or re-writing at this point, just get as many words down and as much of the story as possible (the official goal is 50,000...so that’s what I’m shooting for for now.)

The invitation still stands to have anyone interested join me! :)