2012 Goals * Check In

“Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!”

I always seem to set the same New Year's resolutions: eat healthy, exercise more, blah blah blah...and inevitably I always forget about them mid-January and go back to working out regularly but not obsessively and eating regularly, not starving myself. This year, I wanted to make some real goals - not some stupid resolution to be a better version of myself, but some actual goals to help me grow as the person I already am (because the point of making a goal is not to change who you are, but rather to improve certain aspects of your life). Seeing them in black and white, and knowing all of my Facebook world has seen them as well, makes them more real than just leaving them floating in my head, so here they are friends, my goals for 2012, which will surely be a great year.

~ Join a book club. Find one online or attend one with friends. Read more books in general, but remember that discussing them and engaging with other bookworms is fun and something I enjoy. Don't feel guilty for letting a great book suck me in and keep me in bed for 2 whole days in my jammies without a shower...a great book will sometimes exclude me from the rest of the world and that is just fine.

I cannot find one to join!! There have been ideas tossed around between friends, but so far, I have not even come close to accomplishing this goal. I am, however, reading much more. I am delving into books I normally wouldn't pick up based on recommendations from friends. I'm reading Into Thin Air right now, which Jeanine suggested. It is fantastic, I keep finding myself holding my breath because it is a very intense plot and Jon Krakauer is just such an awesome writer. I am still slowly plodding through Between a Rock & a Hard Place, but it is not going well since I saw the movie and completely ruined it for myself. Oops!

~ Write. Nobody ever published their first book before they wrote it. Find the character I want to write and get something on paper.

I am blogging more, does that count? I also read the emails I get from the online publishing group I joined, I think I should get a point for that.

~ Find out what it would take for the Tinkerbell on my lower back to become a tattoo I will love instead of just be annoyed by. Whether or not I ever actually get her covered up with something new, at least get my questions answered by an artist or 2 about what I could do with her annoying little face.

Oryan and Ashley, 2 good friends from Old Chicago, gave me the contact info of their tattoo artist to call and chat with. Now it is just a matter of making an appointment with her to see what I want to do and what the cost will be to do what I want. It is not that I hate the tattoo, it is just not a job well done. I think my reward for losing the weight I want to lose, at the point I am ready to show off my back a bit more, will be to have the work done on it.

~ Travel. Short drives to a favorite hiking spot, weekends to the coast, or big trips to visit family or friends, just get out of my bubble and see something new. Have fun, take photos, do it cheap and remember sunglasses. Use vacation days - that's why we have them - and drive somewhere new for a day.

This is a goal I am excelling in! I have made it to the Oregon Coast at least one time each month of 2012 so far, and I believe all of those trips have been at least one night spent, not just a quick afternoon trip. It is amazing what the beach does for my morale, it is like a complete life reset button. Everytime I think, oh I could totally move to Bend or Montana or Colorado or somewhere, I picture a landlocked life and it makes me think, ehhhh, maybe not.

Stacey and I are heading to Seattle next week for a quick overnight with Blake to hang out with Tyler's cousins, Shannon and Kimber, and their families. I am so looking forward to the drive time to hang out with Stace and get some good chat time in - Blake is so distracting, he makes it hard to have long heart to hearts with my Stacey Mate. Good thing he's so adorable!

And the big trip coming up? I bought my plane ticket to visit LaDonna in September! I am going for 6 days of sunshiney, humid, awesomeness. I can't wait. The only thing set in stone at this point is that we are not going to tell Mady Bug I'm coming; I'm just going to show up to pick her up from school the day I fly in. To make the timing work, I had to get a 5am flight (yikes), but I sleep on planes anyway, so why not?

Also upcoming are Labor Day weekend, which I was approved to take off for the Satcey Family Campout, and Dory Days at the beach, which I love doing with my mom and & Aunt Mitch every year...dorky family fun!

~ Do what it takes to get in good enough shape to run the stairs - all 262 of them - at Mt. Tabor Park. Start with a set at a time, don't get frustrated or mad that right now I can't do it and breath in & out simultaneously. Grasp this as a fitness challenge and take it head on. Accept that I am not, and never will be, a runner. I will never do a 5k, I won't take on Hood to Coast...I hate running. But stairs? I am up for this challenge.

I actually really enjoy doing the stairs and have been doing much better at making it happen twice a week now that the sun is out. I am by no means running them, but I am getting there. It is hard!!

Shannon and I are virtually checking in on each other's workouts. We've both committed to 4x a week 6AM workouts - her in Hillsboro, me in Milwaukie, but I think having someone to commit to will be really helpful.

I am ready, 2012, bring it on. :)

I am having an amazing year so far. I cannot thank my family and friends enough for being there for me as my world crumbled around me. Nothing like a homeless 28 year old coming running home to Mama for love, right? I am so appreciative of everyone in my life who loves and cherishes me for exactly who I am - I am never going to change, nor am I going to settle for anything less than pure bliss.