The List

So, since we have one more month of 2010, I thought it was fine time to look at that New Year's Resolution list again.  Here it is and my I've also noted my progress:

• Make an A in all my grad school classes this year (and next). I made an A the first semester, the current is still in progress.
• Make it to Spin Class 2 days a week (hopefully Tues & Thurs). Um, this didn't last. 
• Run atleast 2 times a week. (I haven't ran much since my half back in Oct.) This didn't really last either.
• Run a total of 350 miles this year (look at the sidebar, this will be the most miles ever in a year for me). Not even close.  As a matter of fact, I wont even pass last year's mileage.
• PR in a 5k race this year. This shouldn't be hard, as I had gotten faster this fall, but never ran a 5k race while training for my half... Completed!
• Continue to work on reducing my body fat percentage. I've slacked the last few months; it's time to pick it back up! Which btw, means losing the now 6lbs I've gained over the Christmas celebrations. After losing the 6lbs, we'll re-evaluate then. Sadly, I still have some of those 6lbs.  Not sure where I stand on this... Kinda scary!
• Continue to work on saving money and paying off debt. We are doing great in this area already, but I would like to continue doing so! We've done excellent on this!  Seriously!
• Move. The hubs and I have been working on the thing above because we would really like to move this year and not carry any other debt with us. We're not sure which area (it will be nearby), but we're ready to move. We put our house on the market and made an offer that was accepted on another house, but had to let the offer expire because our house never sold.  Our house has been pulled off the market until spring.
• Continue to work on biting my tongue while at work. I'm the type of person who will voice my opinions, concerns, and vent way too much. I'm afraid that I'm becoming known as someone who is a tad bossy and a little too outspoken. Eek. I think I've done very well at this. 
• Read 10 books for fun. I love to read and I need to make more time to do so. But, I'm picking a number of 10 due to Grad School. I have no idea how much time will be eaten up by working on this degree. Double eek. Completed as of last week! 
• Read more of The Bible. As silly as this may sound, I've added an app to my iPhone to help me do this. So far, it's working! I did really well for about 3 months, then it kind of fell by the way side.  Sad.

So, how have ya'll done with your Resolution's List?

Black Friday Fun

Myself, the cow, my aunt, my sister.

My stepmom, aunt, sister, and I all headed out Friday morning about 5:30am and shopped till about 6pm that evening!  We had a bundle of fun!  We bought so much stuff that we had to unload the Yukon in the parking lot of one of the malls and reorganize everything to make our new purchases fit!  By the end of the day, we could barely see out the back of the vehicle!  We had some crazy fun though!  Add some Starbucks and Chick-fil-a to 4 sleep deprived women and you have non stop laughing all day long!

All Good Things Must End...

The past few days have been absolutely wonderful.  Seriously, the best.

Thanksgiving - time spent with family.  Lots of time.  It was wonderful!

Black Friday - I was up and out the door at 5:30am and with my sister, aunt, and stepmom.  We hit ALL the stores and then headed out to Little Rock where we hit the rest of the stores and both malls!  We had the BEST time!  At one point, we had to unload the Yukon and repack it just to fit everything we bought into it!  It was crazy fun and lasted a little over 12 hours!  I have a fun picture that I'll show later this week.

Saturday - I finished my PowerPoint Presentation for class this Thursday!!!  YAY!  That was such a big, big relief!  I also finished the last book in my "list."  I'll talk more about that later this week.
Sunday - spent with my wonderful husband who had returned from the deer woods the night before.  We were pretty low key and our only big outing was to Wal-Mart :)

Now, for this week... We start the 30 Day Shred, have my presentation on Thursday (yikes!), start (and hopefully finish) my paper... and somehow survive all of that!  :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This will probably be my last post this week, so I wanted to say that I hope everyone out there has a very SAFE and WONDERFUL Thanksgiving Holiday with their loved ones.

Now, for a few random updates...

I ordered The 30 Day Shred yesterday from Amazon for $8.99 with free shipping!  Got to love Amazon Prime with their free shipping!  It will be here on Friday.  Just in time to work off that holiday dinner!

I also did some Christmas shopping on Target.com thanks to Swagbucks!  I've told ya'll before about Swagbucks, but basically you earn points towards giftcards, gifts, etc by doing online searches and such.  Well, I cashed in some points last week and got a $20 Target e-giftcard.  Seriously, who doesn't like free money!  So, I bought 4 Leap Frog Tag Books and paid $16!  That would've cost me $46 before the sale and gift card!  Awesome! 

And no, Swagbucks nor Amazon paid me to say all of this, I just thought I'd share my deals. :)

To sign up for Swagbucks, you can go here...

Seriously, ya'll have a great Thanksgiving and be extra safe in all of this holiday madness!  No drinking and driving please :)

Alone Time

With the beautiful weather {that seems to have disappeared}, I've been taking little walks during my lunch hour.  The above picture was taken with my iPhone last week.  I love getting out there and enjoying some alone time in the middle of the day.  Sometimes life just gets too overwhelming and it's important to make time for yourself.  I'm trying to do that more and more.  Usually during my lunch hour, I eat my sandwich and fruit cup, then work on homework for the rest of the hour.  Exciting, huh?  But now, I try to take a nice little walk during lunch.  I clocked it the other day, it's exactly a half mile one direction.  So, it's nice to know that my little walks take me a mile.  I'm thinking of exploring the next street over too and making that distance and alone time a little longer. 

I figure since I haven't been running hardly at all, that I should at least get a nice walk in during lunch.  I can't wait for December 17th.  This semester will be over and I'll get my life back.  :)

Thanks

I just wanted to say thanks for all of the kind words.  The funeral was on Saturday and the funeral home was FULL of family and many, many friends.  Our friend definitely touched many lives and left each of us with something different.  He taught hubs and I to live each day to the fullest and do what you want, when you want. 

It's still difficult to understand.  We understand death when it's someone old or someone sick, but it's difficult to understand when it's someone who was vibrant, very healthy, and close to your own age. 

Tonight is the class that I shared with him.  It will definitely be different not seeing him there or hearing his phone vibrate every few minutes as we're sitting in class.   :)

Other than that, this weekend was full of joy.  We decided to finally buy a new 4-wheeler.  Hubs had sold his about 2 years ago and we've missed having one.  So, we purchased a new one Saturday evening.  We then spent all day Sunday riding around my granddad's farm with my dad and cousin.  It was a ton of fun and in the end, the new 4wheeler was covered in cow manure, but it wasn't anything a car wash couldn't fix.  :)  I love the simple life.  It was truly a great way to spend a Sunday.  The weather was great and in the end we put 14 miles on that 4wheeler - all on open farmland.

Moment of Silence

I found out this morning that a friend of ours passed away in a car accident early this morning.

He works with my husband.  He's in my Economics class.  I helped him study for our first test.  We joked around about my husband.  We were just talking about our test scores and how we had to do on the final.  We just joked around on Monday night and as we were walking out of the building, I told him that I'd see him next week.

I had no idea that the time I saw him "next week" it would be at his funeral.

Please, pray for his family, his friends, coworkers, and all of us. 

Day 18

Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.

Yikes.  Controversial topic, anyone?

Here goes nothing....

My views on gay marriage is this...

I believe that we are not to judge.  The Bible tells us to judge no one.  Therefore, I believe that by telling someone they can not marry - you are judging them.  You are judging them, because you don't feel the same way as they do and therefore you're telling them that they're wrong and can't marry.  Wrong or right, it's not for us to decide.  Plain and simple.  That's God's work. 

By not allowing people to marry, you're not just hurting the two that wish to marry - you're hurting their families as well.  Don't believe me?  Think about this....

Say your sister was a lesbian and her partner died in a horrific car accident.  According to the law now (in most states), your sister will not be able to take bereavement to grieve the loss of her partner.  She'll have to use a personal or vacation day of some sort.  And it doesn't stop there.  You'd like to go to the funeral as well, because her partner is your family, too.  Well, you'll have to take a vacation day too.  But, if the sister had been married to a male, none of this would even matter, right?  I don't think that's very fair.  Of course you're going to do whatever it takes to be there for your family member and their partner's death.  They are your family, no matter their choices, and you love them AND their partner too.  But it doesn't stop with bereavement days.  Gays don't have A LOT of the rights and privileges that straight people do (and take for granted) and I think that it's wrong.  You may not believe that they should be married, but you should still give them that right to choose.  In my opinion, at least.  You give them the right to choose to do a lot of things, why not let them choose this?  Is it hurting anyone?  I don't think so. 

Sephora Love

Speaking of online shopping....  I indulged in a little Sephora love this morning!  I love, love, love makeup, although I don't wear a ton of it.  I just love all the pretty colors and such!  And, Sephora is like a girl's best friend when it comes to makeup!

So, this morning I ordered some more Bare Minerals, because I'm dangerously close to being out.  While ordering online, I checked my email account and I had a code for a special sample set - SCORE!!  So, with my order of makeup, I'm getting my normal 3 samples, and THEN a special sample gift set - with a gift bag and everything!  I'm one happy camper this morning! 

I also noticed that they had a 3 set of Bare Minerals/Essentials eyeshadow in warm colors - my fave color set - for around $13... that stuff is normal $30 plus!  I might go back and order a set for both my sister and I.  I mean, it's a good deal!  :)  Plus, it can be part of her Christmas present.

Seriously, go check out their website and the special code for the sample set is GETAWAY.  Yes, all caps.  You can thank me later.  ;)

And no, this isn't a plug for Sephora.  I just love makeup shopping online :)

Online Shopping

As we head into Thanksgiving, it's becoming overwhelming apparent that I need to get the ball rolling with the Christmas shopping.  Now, let's be honest here, I HATE shopping for the most part.  Yes, I dislike it that much to use the H word.  But, on the flip side, I love to online shop.  It's convenient and it's super exciting when I can find a free shipping code.  I've been browsing a lot of online stores, including CSNStores.com.  They have everything from purses to extra tall bar stools (which if we're being honest here, they have some really cool bar stools to spice up your man cave while fooling your husband into thinking it's still his man cave, see below).   

I'm pretty proud of myself this year.  I've already started my Christmas shopping!  Usually I'm the girl who waits until the last possible day that gifts can be shipped to be guaranteed to be here by Christmas and then I become a crazy lady ordering everything in sight.  I kid you not.  Then, if I still don't have everything I need, I go out into the madhouse stores with all the other crazies.  It's not a pretty sight at all....  Am I the only one who's like this? 

 

Rocky the Escape Dog

I've decided to skip a few "truth" topics, because I thought they were kind of stupid.  Sorry.

This is Rocky, our Jack Russell.  This is the dog that decided to tear off his jacket last week, because he was too hot....

Our weekend revolved around this dog.  I came home Friday and before I could even get out of my Tahoe, the neighbor was walking across the yard to tell me that Rocky had dug under the fence and into their back yard.  He then found a board that wasn't nailed down and escaped from their backyard.  So now, my lovely dog was roaming the apartment complex that is behind our house.  Btw, we live inside the city limits, so if the animal people were to find him, they'd take him to the animal shelter.  Lovely.

So, I found Rocky and loaded him into the SUV and we went home.  I then found something to plug the holes (more than one!) in the backyard so that he couldn't escape again.  Yeah, right.  While I was on the phone with hubs (who was still at work), Rocky escaped again.  So, hubs came home and we plugged the holes again.  Rocky stayed in our yard all night Friday night (we think).

Saturday morning, he escaped and came and pounced on the front door to let us know he was out.  That's something he does each time.  Crazy dog.  So, out of frustration, we decided to get an electrical fence and install it around our wooden fence.  So, hubs spent about $100 and 3 plus hours installing said fence.  Then, Rocky ran into it.  He yelped like crazy and that was enough to send me into tears.  That electrical fence stayed up for a whole 5 minutes before I unplugged it.  Don't worry, hubs wasn't mad.

So, after Rocky escaped yet again on Saturday and Sunday, we decided to further ghetto-fy our fence by adding pieces of boards nailed onto the bottom of the fence where he dug his escape tunnels.  Pretty soon our entire fence will have those boards nailed on the bottom...

On a side note, we purchased a new jacket for the escape artist... I'll snag a picture of that soon and a picture of our other dog.  I'm sure he's feeling neglected since all our time has been spent chasing the convict.

Day 12

Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Um, I have no idea how to answer this without saying "Obviously, I don't get compliments on X, therefore my X must suck."  Um, no thanks.  I'm not in the mood for that today!  It's Friday!

So, a funny story (or at least, I think it's funny)...

We bought our Jack Russell {Rocky} a little jacket since it was turning cold outside at night.  Well, this week it turned back warm.  Yesterday's high was around 80 degrees.  While hubs was home during lunch yesterday, he looked outside and Rocky was running around sans jacket!  Apparently he said "screw this, I'm hot" and managed to take his jacket off!  I can't say I blame him!  I'd been meaning to get out there and take it off of him, but I needed hubs to help me with it.... 

Btw, yes, Rocky does wear a jacket each winter.  It's the only way to keep his little body warm... besides when he's in the dog house with the Golden Retriever and wallowing in the hay.

Day 11

Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on

I think I already answered this... My eyes.  I've heard they're just like Jackie Kennedy's eyes. 

That's an old picture from 2006 and I'm kind of squinting, but you get the point.  :)

I also get compliments on my perfume.  I wear Ralph Lauren Romance.  I love it.  My best friend Kat introduced me to it in college.  Love Love Love!

Day 10

Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Wow, that's kind of harsh, no? 

Someone I wish I didn't know... Honestly, there really isn't anyone I wish that I didn't know.  I mean, I believe that we learn something from everyone around us.  Everyone that I've ever come into contact with has taught me a lesson.  Sometimes, those lessons are ones that I shouldn't have had to learn, but I learned them nonetheless!

Side Note:

Today I go for my 2nd round of hormone testing.  I asked the nurse what all they were testing this go round, but honestly, it all sounded the same to me.  Also, I have no idea how I did on the exam Monday night.  I mean, there were things on there that I was certain we didn't go over, but I did my best to answer them (although I'm sure my answer was incorrect).  So, I know that I didn't make an A, but I'm hoping for a mid to high B instead.  That way, I can still inch my way back to an A.  Or at least, I hope.  Have I mentioned that I am READY for this semester to be finished?  Right now I'm in the middle of working on a 10 pg minimum paper on Six Sigma and a 20 minute presentation on Just-In-Time.  Yikes.  So.Over.It.  In other news, I registered for ONE class for the Spring.  That's right ladies and gents, ONE!

Day 9

Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

This one is an easy one for me. 

This would be my best friend, Kat (short for Katherine).  Kat was my Big Sis in Tri-Sigma in college.  When we were asked to pick 3 people we'd like to be our potential "Bigs,"  I immediately picked Kat.  I have no idea why really.  I hadn't really ever spoken to her; she was just always happy, smiling, and waving.  So, of course, I was drawn to her - who wouldn't be?  So, she became my Big Sis and we became best friends (BF). 

I've got to be honest and say that I'd never had a BF before Kat.  So, it was a new experience for me and it was so cool to finally have a BF.  Kat and I were inseparable from March 2001 till August 2004.  Then, life happened.  I got married to my exhusband, then 2 months later she married her husband.  We were, of course, Maids of Honor in each other's weddings, but after that, we kind of drifted apart.  Which, of course, is what happens when you're trying to concentrate on your new marriage. 

So, my marriage began falling apart and I left in March 2005.  I stayed with Kat and her husband for a short time and then we became instant BF's again.  Shortly thereafter she became pregnant and when she had her baby in April 2006, I was in the delivery room with her, her husband, and her mother.  I was there helping her with the delivery.  I don't know how else to describe how close we were - that's pretty close!  Then, after the baby, I was in a "different" place.

I was trying my hand at dating, while she was trying her hand at being a wife and mother.  We began drifting apart, because of me.  I didn't know what to do.  I was secretly jealous and I didn't have much in common with her anymore.  So, we drifted.  Since then, I've tried to keep in contact as much as possible, but I know that with 2 kids now and a difficult situation, she's very busy.  But, I do email her at work at least once every two weeks or so..... Sad, huh?  This time she's doing the pulling back. 

So there you have it... The person I've drifted from that I wish I hadn't.

Day 8

Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Luckily for me, I've never really had anyone who has made my life "hell" or anything of that nature.  I'm sure that if I let someone do that, then sure, they would.  But, I believe that if someone is treating you badly, you cut them out of your life.  Obviously, if they're that kind of person, you don't need them anyways.  :)

On a side note, I have an exam tonight.  I've studied and studied...and well let's just all hope for the best.  :)  *Fingers crossed*

Someone Who Has Made Your Life Worth Living For

You know, I don't really know how to answer this topic.  I have to be honest and say that there isn't just one person in particular that would make or break my entire life.  Sure, there are people who are near and very dear to my heart.  But, would I die without them?  And if so, what kind of person would that make me?  I believe that YOU make your life what it is... and that YOU are worth living for......

Of course, my life would be very different without my family.  That's just a given!

Day 6

Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.

Wow, there are a LOT of somethings that I hope I never have to do! 

But, here's a list:

• Lose a child.
• Go through another divorce.
• Having a loved one on life support and having to make THE decision. 

All of those scare me to pieces!

Day 5

Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.

Wow.  There's actually a lot that I hope to do in my lifetime.  I have a bucket list and everything.  Like these things....

• Have a Baby.
• Get my Master's Degree {MBA}.
• Work in a non-profit or hospital with said MBA.
• Celebrate my 50th Wedding Anniversary.
• Travel to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Antigua, and Ireland with my husband.
• Go to Disney World with said kid(s).
• Live to be 100.

Day 4

Today's Truth Topic: 
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.

Forgiveness... For the most part, forgiveness comes easily for me {with time}.  I've forgiven everyone that I can think of for things that have happened in the past.  But, what hangs me up {each and every time} is when that person {people} does the exact same thing that I've already forgiven them for.  THAT makes it harder for me to forgive them.  But, when you think about it, we do the same thing to God and yet, we expect forgiveness from Him.  We constantly repeat our sins, but He forgives us each and every time.  Right?

So, I guess while I forgive people for things in the past... I need to work on the repeat offenders. 

P.S.  One year ago today, we lost a great woman in our lives.  My Grammy fought a huge battle with cancer {multiple times} and went to Heaven one year ago today.  I know she's smiling down on us today {and everyday}.  Please pray for my family.  We all miss her, but I think it's hardest today for my aunt.  My aunt is the youngest child {of my grandmothers} and today is not only the day she lost her mother, but it's also her birthday.  If you could, say a little prayer for her. 

Day 3

Today's topic:  Something you have to forgive yourself for.

Yikes.  Today's topic is scary stuff.....  There are 2 things that I have a hard time forgiving myself for.  Okay, if we're being honest, there are 3.....

One has to do with something that happened in college.  Something that changed my life and the life of another person forever.  Now, I will say that I wasn't totally the one to blame, but I put myself in a position that I shouldn't have.  For that, I need to forgive myself.  The thing is, I keep saying that I have forgiven myself {I've totally forgiven the other person}, but I keep returning to it and wishing I would've done something different.  Guess I really haven't forgiven myself...

The 2nd has to do with something I "did" to my exhusband while we were still married.  I honestly feel very guilty for this and I wish there was some way that I could go back and undo it.  But, it happened and I can't.  I guess the only choice I have is to pray about it {some more} and move on.  Besides, if I can't forgive myself, then how will God ever forgive me?

And well the 3rd... the 3rd is something that is in progress and I have the ability to change it still.  I just have to come up with the courage to do so.  {Cue Anxiety}

Day 2

I forgot to tell ya'll, I got this challenge from You + Me = We. 

Today's topic is Something You Love About Yourself.

Isn't it sad that we can think of a billion things we dislike about ourselves, but struggle to come up with things we love about ourselves?

Physically

I love my eyes.  I think they're pretty unique in shape and I have a gold dot in my left eye.   I get lots of compliments about my eyes, so I think that's why it's easy for me to say that I love them. 

Non-Physical

I love that I care so much.  Seriously, I want to save the world.  I really wish there was something that I could do for each person {and animal} that is hurting or in need of something.  Seriously.  I also love that I'm strong willed and stubborn.  I will try my darnest to do something that someone says that I can't do.  It's a thing of mine.  LOL  :)

Day 1

I've decided that I'm going to do the 30 Days of Truth Challenge.  Mainly because I'm sure ya'll are tired of hearing about Grad School and my lack of running.  :)  You're Welcome.

Today's Topic:  Something You Hate About Yourself.  

Ouch.

Let's see...

Physically

I really dislike the back of my thighs.  Who doesn't, right?  That's probably the only thing that I really, really hate about myself.  And, I'm pretty sure that I could change it {some} if I went to the gym like...at all.  But, alas, Grad School takes up my time right now - darn it, I mentioned that again. 

No, but seriously, I plan on going back to the gym at some regular occurrence soon.  Really soon.  Then, maybe I wouldn't hate the back of my thighs so much.  :)

Non-Physically

I don't like how I get so anxious in social settings - especially around people that I don't know that well or who aren't normally in my circle of friends.  This is one of the main reasons why I don't "do" a lot of stuff with my friends.  Sure, we keep up on Facebook, but that's about it.  Plus, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy sitting on the couch, watching some good tv with the hubs instead.  :)