New Years Resolutions 2013

Ok, ok, I'm retardedly late on posting this, but I've been busy, I tell ya! So better late than never, right? Seems like a lot, but I feel like this year is a pivotal point for many reasons. I'm approaching my pre-baby fitness levels, have the opportunity to make some good money and great contacts for future employment, and Joe and I are facing some tough obstacles right now. How I/we end up is a product of how much work and focus we exert in the next 12 months.


Health and Fitness
PR the Princess Half (2:29:00)
Run an 8-minute pace 5k
Run the Army 10-Miler in 1:40:00
Earn a 280 or better on my APFT
Go paleo for Lent; make strides toward living wheat and dairy free permanently
Squat 100#
Earn the German Armed Forces Badge

Finances and Professional Growth
Keep at least $25,000 in savings/investments for down payment on a home
Make FYC profitable
Open and maintain Etsy shop
Complete CCC
Find a full-time job making at least $65,000 a year
Blog more
Spend less money on "things"
Create monthly budget and stick to it

Family and Marriage
Keep home cleaner and more organized
No Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest until Nash is in bed
One "date night" a week - movie/tv night
Two "date nights" per month - get a babysitter and go out
Attend marriage counseling
Be more patient with Nash, but maintain a sense of discipline
Communicate
Go on as many vacations as possible - search for low-budget options

Beach Days - Jan 2012

Part of our News Years Resolutions as a family was to take advantage of the fact that we live in Sunny Florida.  It seems, like most Floridians, that we let weeks go by without stopping to be thankful for the warm weather, the sunshine, and the sand only a few miles away.  So, we packed up the kiddo and headed to the beach.

The first time we went, we took a nice long walk, talked about our plans for the new year, and Bubs slept!  We were chatting away and before we knew it, he was passed out!

The second time we went back, he was well rested and ready to conquer the beach!  He seemed a bit hesitant to put his feet in the sand, but this time, he was running around like crazy!  He kept running right towards the water, and Joe had to rescue him over and over again, lest he be swept away!

After more than an hour of sandy fun, we decided to pack it in...promising to come back and come back often.

ROYR

Rest Of Year Resolution.

Tonight while sitting in the dark with Nashie while he fell asleep - mouth open and legs twitching with what could have only been a sweet baby dream - I made a resolution.  Who cares if it's not New Years anymore...

I will be positive.  While pacing his room tonight I began to realize that I can often be a negative person.  Funny, I always used to say I wasn't a pessimist, I was just a realist.  But now I realize that might not be so true.

Forever Yours - 4.10.10

 Thinking back to our wedding day, I can remember focusing so much on the things that didn't go as planned.  Indeed I even had a bit of a meltdown the next day when I went to pick up my car from the hotel and it wouldn't start (turns out I hadn't even noticed that I was out of gas!).  I was upset about all these little things and even said to Joe, "I am afraid I will only remember the bad things."  Sure enough, whenever I tell someone the story of my wedding day, I think of the mini accident, being late, having to pack everything up ourselves that night, our cake was wrong, etc...etc...  What's wrong with me?!  Why wouldn't I think about what a beautiful day it was?  Our families and friends were there, I was marrying my soul mate, and the weather was insanely perfect. 

34 Weeks!

 When I look back on my pregnancy, I focused so much on the negative things yet again.  I spent so much time saying this isn't what I expected.   I never expected to be so tired, to not be able to sleep, to have so much leaking/swelling/bloating...  Why didn't I focus more on how amazing it was that I was solely to thank for nurturing this sweet little baby in my belly?  Or how about the fact that I only gained 31 pounds despite my less-than-stellar diet.  Or that I lost almost ALL the weight within 10 days without one single stretch mark.  Isn't that something to celebrate?

Moments old...our first of MANY photos we'll share.

On to the actual labor...I was so bent out of shape about how it didn't go as I expected, that I didn't spend much time enjoying the process (can you do such a thing?!)...  I even cried that night at 3 am while standing in our bedroom telling Joe, "This ISN'T how it's SUPPOSED to go!"  Like I really knew how it was supposed to go.  I didn't expect to leak sooo much, I didn't expect to feel so much pain during the pushing, and I didn't expect recovery to be so rough or take so long.  But I've forgotten to think about how it only last 13 hours, which is quite good for a first timer.  I made it to 5 cm before I needed the epidural and felt very satisfied that I had the opportunity to feel real labor before giving in.  He came out perfectly healthy and barely made a peep those first days in the hospital.  And he had the sweetest little face.

Who doesn't love this sweet face!

Then on to the last four months.  I actually had a moment the other day (when I was dealing with the 8th wake up of the night and was completely exhausted) where I said, "What have I done to deserve this? I have a baby who won't nurse, who won't sleep, who doesn't want to be put down...is there a more difficult baby?!?"  How could I?!  I should be relishing every moment of him...there are so many times I thought about how happy I would be to have him, how happy I was that Joe and I were on the same page about having kids right away...and I'm wasting these precious moments being a negative nancy.  I have a beautiful baby, a kind and loving husband, and I've had the opportunity to spend the last four months at home with both of them.  People would kill for what I have...

So no more.  Each night I spend awake with him is one more night I get to spend looking at his sweet little angel face...and I'm so grateful for that.  So that's my resolution.

Post Baby Body Adventure

As I slowly approach the six-week postpartum mark - that is, that magical date when one can return to working out - I stop to think about my strategies, goals, and worries. 

First and foremost, I am a little nervous about getting back in there.  I don't feel as though I am healing the way I should.  Not that I really know how I should be healing, but not quite the way I thought I would.  My doctor's appointment is set for the 20th, so hopefully I'll feel more confident by then or else I can ask her what she thinks.  I hope everything is ok and I can be reassured that starting up my workouts will be safe.  Funny I always thought I would be "sort of" working out by now and waiting for that appointment just so we could "get busy" again, but it's not that at all.   I just want to know I can move freely without fear.

So, what are my goals?  I think I have several, all of which I hope to accomplish simultaneously.  Here's the rundown:

• Get under 130 lbs (this is my happy weight and I tend to hover between 130 and 138, so I want to try and get under 130 for a change).
• Earn a 270 or better on my PT test scheduled for 6 months from my delivery date (so approximately June or so).
• Run a half marathon by the end of the year (or early next year if there isn't a good one in the area before then)
• Overall, tone up.  Better booty, better abs, stronger arms.  Do a pull up.  

Nothing that seems too demanding or out there, right?  I just really need to dedicate myself and make no excuses.  It's amazing how hard it is though when Joe doesn't work out.  I feel guilty taking time to go to the gym when he is able to maintain his body without any of that.  And now I will have to leave Nash...  But I must do this for myself.

Strategies are simple.  Work out.  And eat better.  I am already working on the eating thing, but there are still a lot of improvements to be made.

New Year, New Me

I love new beginnings...I used to get all jazzed up when the fall came because it was the start of a new school year and a chance to change things that just didn't seem right.  It was an opportunity to become a better person, focus your goals for the year, and reflect on what's most important to you in the coming year.

Well since I am no longer in school I have started to really treat New Years as it should be...the real time to start over.  Ever since I can remember, I have made New Years Resolutions.  I know some people think they are a waste...just hopefully goals that never get achieved and get swept under the rug, but I still do them.  I love to look back on my resolutions and see which ones I accomplished and which ones were just out of reach (automatic for next year!).  So, in the spirit of the new year...here is my (working) list for this year:

• Get down to 125 lbs 
• Work out at least 3 times a week unless sick or on vacation
• Track diet with livestrong
• Sign up for yoga and pilates

• Complete a half marathon
• Save $5,000
• Maintain blog and increase network
• Make money with sewing/craft projects
• Get promoted to CPT
• Earn at least a 270 on PT test
• Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day
• Join a "mom" network in Melbourne
• Find a job
• Be the best wife and mother I can be (not really sure how to make this quantifiable)

So there you have it...perhaps I will think of some more in the coming days and add them in.  Till then, must log on to Livestrong.com so I can track my food!