Progress Report on New Years Resolutions

I know you've just been hanging on the edge of your seat wanting to know how I am doing with my New Year's Resolutions - so, here's the update!  Yes, I am still plugging away on them...

1.  Get real estate license:  I have decided to get it through Realty South - but am putting off starting the course for two more months, because of working on a free lance voice project...more on that below.

2.  Clean out every closet/attic in the house:  I have cleaned out all of our linen closets (and as luck would have it, we had a neighbor that had a house burn down and needed linens the day after I did it!), and I have cleared out all of the maternity clothes from my closet.  I have also given all of the clothes that Diana has outgrown to other mommies that might be able to use them.  The bathroom and kitchen are next!!

3.  Run 3 different 5 k's:  I was GOING to run one last Saturday, but had to work...so, that didn't happen.  I've been training, and think I might try to run in one called the Rumpshaker at the end of the month.

4.  Raise $5000 for Komen:  We are in FULL swing in trying to get sponsors and donations for this year's Chefs for the Cure (June 20th at The Club!).  So far, I have secured donations of auction items that should get Komen about $500...10% of the way there.  More to come!

5.  Rework my blog to make it profitable:  Haven't done this at all.  I need to get more consistent about posting before I try to do this.  This will be my second post this week, so that's progress....

6.  Create new profile for Voice 123/ACX and pursue voicework:  Done and done!  I won an audition to do an audiobook - and have started recording it!  I am really excited, and can't wait to share the finished project with you!!!!  It's very time consuming - which is why the real estate license/blogging has taken kind of a backseat. 

7.    Get back down to my wedding weight by my anniversary:  I am officially down 10 pounds since the beginning of the year!  I'll keep chipping away - and it will happen!!

8.  Beef up our savings account/emergency fund and save up for a down payment on a new house:  Emergency fund is FULLY funded and we are 10% of the way on our way to getting the amount we want for our down payment.  My wonderful husband is working a part time job to make more progress possible - and I am doing all the freelance/endorsement work I can find to make it happen sooner than later!

9.  Drink 64 ox. of water a day:  Most days, I hit this or get close, but I am glad that I am checking in on this because I need to be more diligent about it.  I can totally tell a difference when I do - and it's so simple to do!


So, there you have it!  Progress in most areas - and a recommitment to making progress in the other areas, too!  

Why I am not mad at the government for my smaller paycheck

Adversity is a comma in our story, not a period.
It is not the end…often, it is the point at which the story really gets good.
After all, cloudless skies make for boring sunsets.
Safe adventures make for boring stories. --Jon Acuff

Often times when I am in a rough spot, I feel "stuck" or like it's going to last forever.  I need to remember the quote above, and that adversity is an opportunity.  As cliche as it might sound, there IS always sunshine after the rain (even when it lasts for 18 days in a row like it has here in Alabama!).  

I have a choice to make:  am I going to stay stuck, or am I going to take some action to get out of my rut?   

For today, I am choosing action.  I am chipping away at my resolutions - a lot of which involve bettering my financial situation.  Each time I find myself with a few extra minutes, I am taking one small step towards furthering my progress on those goals. 

A lot of people were posting today about how frustrated they are about their paychecks getting cut due to the actions (or inaction!) of Congress.  Some people were blaming Obama.  I am frustrated, as well - but it's not like we didn't see this coming.  The fiscal cliff was years in the making - and the responsibility to come up with a coping strategy is up to US, not Congress or the President.  

Instead of posting about my frustrations or engaging in long conversations about why it's all their fault, I am taking a long, hard look at what I can do to better my own situation.  Does it suck?  Absolutely.  Does it help to complain about it?  NO!   

This payroll tax nonsense doesn't have to be as bad as a lot of people want to make it out to be.  This COULD be an awesome opportunity to pursue extra opportunities to make more money.  Who knows?  It might be just the motivation you need to try something you've been putting off for years.  I've always been interested in real estate - and now, I am in the process of getting my license!  

My story is just getting good....

Stay tuned. 

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What have you been putting off trying?  Could this be the comma in your story??

Progress report on New Years' Resolutions

It's January 10th - and I know it's become kind of a punch line for some people to joke about already "falling off the wagon" on resolutions they made for 2013, but I am trying to stick with all NINE that I made!

So, here goes:

1. Get real estate license - I have an appointment next week to talk to someone about how to pursue this! 

2. Clean out every closet in whole house and attic - and donate/sell everything we don't need!  One box down!  I cleared our DVD drawer - and started in on the bookshelf.  We also put the Christmas stuff up in the attic - and I threw out an entire box of stuff we will never use again! 

3. Run 3 different 5k's - I am in week 2 of Run University - and so far, so good!  Signed up for Dirty Girl Run in March - Race for the Cure in October - need to find one to do mid-year to stay motivated.  Even while being sick this week, I ran - I figured I would STILL be sick whether I ran or not, so I forced myself to get on the treadmill.  Here's to Week Three!

4. Raise $5000 for Komen - Arranged for some publicity for our Chefs for the Cure event, which will hopefully bring in some big bucks this year. 

5. Rework my blog to make it profitable - I wrote more often this week, which is a step in the right direction, and remembered to promote it by posting links on social media.  I have some reading I am going to do this week about what to do next. 

6. Create new profile for ACX and Voice 123 and pursue voice work - I sent an email to find out more about premium membership for Voice 123, but other than that, I couldn't do much because of being sick.  No one wants my voice when I sound like this.

7. Get back down to my wedding weight by my anniversary - I lost 2.8 pounds this week!  37.2 to go!  We had one night where we went a little crazy, fueled by exhaustion and a steroid shot that the doctor gave me to try to beat my cold, it seemed like a great idea to eat our way through the chocolate from S's stocking and the kettle corn that my brother and his wife sent us as part of our Christmas present.  Other than that, I've been pretty good - my friend Alison and I are reporting to each other about our tracking progress, and that helps keep me accountable too. 

8. Beef up our savings account and fully fund our "down payment" fund - We started Diana's college fund this week, and readjusted our retirement contributions.  Now that we have those both in place and our automatic contributions are set to go, we can focus on socking away any extra in savings.  (I also spent some time this week looking online at dream houses, which kept me motivated!)  We went to Costco to do a lot of grocery shopping - hubby's idea! - to start getting our food budget a little more under control.  

9. Drink 64 oz of water a day - done!  This one isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be - I just need to carry a water bottle with me most of the day. 

Is nine resolutions too many?

Every year, I make a list of New Year's Resolutions, and I am actually relatively good about keeping them.  (Some years better than others!) I feel like it gives me a focus on where to focus my energies, instead of just feeling like I need to change EVERYTHING.  


In 2012, one of my favorite writers/bloggers named Jon Acuff instituted what he called "Finish Year", where he set goals/made resolutions and then, reported his progress each week.  He challenged his readers to do the same, as well. When I thought about doing that, I was inspired - and a little intimidated.  It's scary to put my goals out there (they could be judged!) and to report on my progress (I might fail!).  However, I know that accountability is probably one of my biggest motivating factors - and it's also good to have a set appointment to take stock of my progress to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. 

Without question, my number one priority for 2013 is to be the best mom to Diana and best wife to S that I can possibly be.  That being said, I do want to make sure I am pushing myself in other areas, as well, and I think that by doing that, I become a better person...and better mom and wife. 

So, here goes!  This is my list for this year, in no particular order:


1. Get real estate license - I have been interested in real estate for years and have never done anything about it!  This year, I want to get my license!

2. Clean out every closet in whole house and attic - and donate/sell everything we don't need!  We are planning on buying a new house in the next year or so, and I don't want to move anything single thing we don't need.  When we were opening boxes of Christmas decorations, I found one box with sweaters in it...from before 2002!  That means, I have moved that box of sweaters 6 different times. Never again!

3. Run 3 different 5k's - I have missed running, and to get back in the swing of things, I have already signed up for the Dirty Girl run here in Birmingham in March.  If I want to keep going after that, I will have to another race on the horizon or I will probably slack off again.  Three seems like a manageable number, and while I would LOVE to think I could tackle a half marathon (or even a full!), I want to set goals that I can reach, and especially with having a new baby, this seems more practical!

4. Raise $5000 for Komen - Last year, I raised $2000 on my own for the Race For The Cure in October. This year, I want to crush that.  I also want to find sponsors for another fabulous event that we started last year called Chefs For The Cure.  (FYI, it's on June 20th at The Club, if you want to save the date!) 

5. Rework my blog to make it profitable - I love to write.  That's the whole reason that I created this blog!  I would do it all day for free, but I also know lots of people that use it as a part time job/extra source of income.  I'd like to figure out a way to make that happen. 

6. Create new profile for ACX and Voice 123 and pursue voice work - In the down economy, like everyone else I know, I am trying to figure out ways to make extra money.  One of the things that I have been "meaning to get to" for quite some time is pursuing opportunities to do voiceovers.

7. Get back down to my wedding weight by my anniversary - That means I have just under 40 pounds to lose in 8 months.  A pound of week.  Totally doable and healthy.

8. Beef up our savings account and fully fund our "down payment" fund - I actually have a dollar amount in mind, but I don't want to give S a heart attack by sharing that publicly.  This is the only resolution that I'll have to be kind of vague about each week.   I desperately want to move closer to my work and to S's family.  I love our little neighborhood and our neighbors are awesome - but considering the time of day that I go to work, I'd like to have a shorter commute.  I would also like to be closer to my in-laws.  They are such an important part of our life, and of Diana's now, too.  I never want the physical distance to be a deterrent from spending time together. 

9. Drink 64 oz of water a day - Every single health expert stresses the importance of drinking enough water, not just to lose weight (see #7!), but also for overall health.  Who doesn't want to be healthier? 

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What are YOUR resolutions?  Want to be accountable with me?  

So far, so good...

I read a study this morning saying that 75% of people have already "fallen off the wagon" - which made me feel pretty good about myself, since I am still going strong! (That's the award I am giving myself for staying strong 10 days into the year above...)

Here's my progress report:

- Sleep more. I have been trying to go to bed earlier, and to take a nap each day - and so far, so good. I am pretty proud of this one...and reaping the benefits of feeling less cranky already.
- Use my new treadmill. I am rocking on this one. On Saturday AND Sunday, I cranked out over 4 miles each day and spent over an hour total each day on the treadmill, including warming up and cooling down. Yesterday, I "only" did 3.5 miles for 50 minutes, but that's still way over my goal!
- Show more gratitude. Hmmm...I need to remember to do this one. So far, I haven't sent any actual thank you notes. I have made an effort to say "thank you" out loud more often, but no actual notes.
- Boycott all things Kardashian, whenever possible. Totally accomplished! Moving on...
- Travel to someplace I have never been. The plans are in place! As soon as we hear, for sure, about S's new job this week, we are booking the tickets to go to Vegas!
- Eat more real food. We cooked a LOT this weekend - most of it was homemade! I even made French toast from homemade bread.
- Focus on the positive, forget about the negative. Last Friday, I was pretty cranky about a situation at work, but I remembered to focus on the positive and write a gratitude list - and it helped to turn things around!
- Blog 225 times. This is #6 for the year - so, I am chipping away at this particular goal.
- Play. This weekend, we had a blast playing with our new XBox Kinect that S's mom gave us for Christmas. We played darts, golf, and tennis. We skied. We danced. All in our PJ's! Super fun!
- Be gentle with myself. As I learned last year, some times, it's even better to NOT stick to the plan than to force my way through on resolutions or plans. So far, this year, I feel like I picked pretty reasonable resolutions, so I am sticking to them. (Which is a way of being more gentle with myself, too!)

How are you doing with YOUR resolutions? Are you in the 75%? Do you want to get back on track?