goals
Goal updates – March edition…
Mar 1st
Ten months left in this year… and so far the goals are about 1/2 and 1/2. Not terrible, but I think I over extended myself in a couple of areas. Below are the goals that I laid out in February – and you can see (in red) what I am updating… or changing. Here’s the updates…
1. Write, write, write…
Well, I am writing more – back to daily on this blog. But I’m not writing my weight loss story (or any fiction/creative writing) currently. I hope to start that after next week. I’ll be going to a writing workshop and am hoping that my creativity is inspired.
2. Take a photo everyday…
Fail… I think I was successful for a week. And at this point I have no immediate plans to pick this back up. I think this falls under the “taking on too much” category.
3. Host a girls night out — or in!
Still on track for sometime soon – after the snow is gone.
4. Track my food.
Doin’ ok on this… some days are better tracking than others, but at least there is some tracking happening again! As of this morning it looks like I might have a REALLY good loss at my weigh in. 
5. Run in the Fifth Third Riverbank Run.
I am training. Run, run, run. Need to contact Riverbank organizers about changing to 10k though.
6. Read and comment on at least 5 blogs daily.
So far I’ve been ok on somedays with this and not so good (read: terrible) but I’m going to have to step it up with the challenge I’ve taken on for March.
7. Invite my family over for Sunday lunch
Date yet to be determined. This may be something we do in summer/no snow weather. Not much parking at my house otherwise.
8. Exercise at least 5 days each week
Complete fail. Will try to start that this month. Although I doubt it will happen this week. 
9. Read one chapter of the Bible daily
So far, I’ve been doing ok – missed a few days here and there, but because I’m doing the Daniel Study by Beth Moore it’s not been too difficult.
10. Clean my house for 20 minutes per day.
Once again, I started out really well with this one but in the last couple of weeks, this has really fallen off. I’m going to try to do this once again starting tonight.
11. See a movie by myself.
No plans yet.
Move this blog back to Wordpress.
Success! I’m a wordpress blogger officially now. If you are still following the Google blog – be sure to change over to the Google friend connect here. I’m shutting the old one down at the end of March. Thanks!
So there you have it… the updates. And I’m more than happy to also say that I am going to my first blogging conference later in October! SO excited. I stayed up extra, extra, extra, extra late to get my ticket. It’s official. I’m going.
What is next…
Feb 28th
Last night I listened/watched online (to be honest I listened much more than I watched) the Help Haiti Live event that Compassion put on to raise money and re-ignite some of the interest that has been lost now for the plight of the Haitians since the media presence has dwidled. Especially now that there has been another major earthquake in Chile. (From what I understand, Chileans are pretty used to having earthquakes… but this was MAJOR… so definitely keep them in your prayers along with the Haitian people.)
Anyway, during the concert – Shaun Groves told some stories and then near the end… gave a challenge. He said “Now that you know, what will you do?”
This question speaks to me on so many levels. After seeing the need in the Dominican Republic, I truly didn’t know what more I could do. I’m not someone (or at least as of this writing) who is going to get up, move to a 3rd world country and serve God’s people that way. Not saying that God won’t call me to it, I just don’t think that’s where God wants to use my talents in this life.
I know that God has big plans for me. I’m just not entirely sure of what they are… other than that I have to keep writing about my weight loss journey. That I know. After all, HE needs to be given the glory for what he enabled me to accomplish… and now maintain. I’m just not sure how this will completely finalize itself out yet… but I’m looking into some things. Good things.
Next week I am taking another writing workshop. I’m hoping to get back into my “groove” (so to speak) and get another segment of my weight loss story completed. One step closer to getting it all in book form. One step closer to helping others learn from my mistakes in life… or even my regrets… and hope that they can begin living their fullest life sooner than what I did.
I’m also trying to take this blog to “the next level”. I am going to be signing up for at least 1 — if not 2 — blog conferences for later this year. I’m hoping to get sponsorships for this, but I am also trusting that God will provide what is needed before the plane (or car) is set to travel across the country. I’ll tell you more about these events as they get closer — but I am SUPER excited about both — and am hoping to meet some awesome bloggy friends… and see the sights of at least one city I’ve never visited before (and maybe even see the Pacific Ocean?!?!?)
Anyway… so that is kind of what’s next for me. I’m seeking out what God wants… I striving to lean on Him so that I can follow where he is leading me and not going down the wrong path. Although, as a final thought here… even if you travel down the wrong path in your life for a while, God seems to bring you back to the path HE wants you to be travelling… whether through friends, family, or even a random stranger… at least that’s what I’ve seen in my life.
On the edge of breaking down…
Feb 1st
That title desperately describes what I’ve been feeling in the past 36 hours — or maybe even a little more than that. With the pain that I’ve been experiencing, I haven’t really cared about much else in life. Not about laundry, cleaning or frankly anything that’s been entering my mouth. And I’ve been tired. So that doesn’t help my choices with food either.
And while the pain in my jaw has subsided quite a bit — partly due to the pain medication, mostly {I think} due to the massage I got last week — I’m still not making good choices.
It’s been 10+ days since I’ve logged anything in my food tracker. And my weight has PAID FOR IT. I officially am now about 15 pounds over goal. I am feeling crappy about myself and decided last night that THIS HAS GOT TO STOP. I need to change my mentality about a lot of things. I need to love myself. I need to find the quality in me that I am worth. I need to find a purpose in some things that I’ve been working toward.
As I was looking back over my previous blogs this weekend, I realized that I never really set clear goals for myself. So on this first day of February I am setting up some new goals… 11 goals for the next 11 months. And each month I will be updating to showcase my progress for each one of these goals.
1. Write, write, write… as many days as possible. The first part of this goal would be posting one new blog per day here… the other part of the goal would be to post weekly on my writing blog.
2. Take a photo everyday — and post it on my new Project 365 blog.
3. Host a girls night out — or in! Serve drinks, play games and just have a grand time with friends.
4. Track my food. While I am going to “take a break” from the Weight Watcher’s meetings for a bit (only for part of the month of February — just to save the $13/week that it’s costing me right now), I am going to get this part of me BACK ON TRACK. Once I am back to goal weight (or as close to it by the end of the month), I will get back to the meetings.
5. Run in the Fifth Third Riverbank Run. While my goal right now is to do the 25k, I may be changing this to the 10k to make it more manageable for myself. More to come on this soon…
6. Read and comment on at least 5 blogs daily. This can easily be done on a lunch hour — or even as I am getting ready for bed at night. I’ve been trying to be an active member of SITS for a while — and I think this may be the best way to get and keep me involved.
7. Invite my family over for Sunday lunch… and try a new recipe out on them. Ever since moving into my condo all of my immediate family members (ok, now with the exception of the newborn nephew) have been over, but not all at once. I have gone over to each of their homes for a meal, and now would like to return the honor to them.
8. Exercise at least 5 days each week… more if able. Lately I’ve been getting to the gym 3 times a week… or maybe 4 if I’m lucky. With as much as I’m spending on this membership, I need to be there a whole lot more than what I have been.
9. Read one chapter of the Bible daily… or better yet, do the Bible in 90 days reading plan this summer if I do not participate in any online Bible studies.
10. Clean my house for 20 minutes per day. This might not seem like a lot, but I figure if I do a little bit everyday (especially since most of that time is now spent on wasted things like Facebook currently) that I will feel more in control overall. Not to mention, I won’t be spending hours on the weekends doing
11. Go to the movie theater and see a movie by myself. You might think I am weird for doing this, but I think it will be very self empowering. Either that or I will regret every minute of it.
*bonus* Move this blog back to Wordpress. Both of my other blogs (see above) are on their system… and I need to move this one back there. I just don’t want anything to be inturrupted for my loyal readers — and I want to have the ability to customize certain things as well. I have some books from the library on it right now… hopefully they will actually be helpful.
So overall, I don’t know if this will help me regain the control I’ve been lacking… or if it will help me realize who I am… but it’s a start to helping me live the way that I need to.
*today’s lyric title: Simple Plan – “Welcome to my Life”
