1. Wine
2. A good run
3. My hammock
4. Comfortable shoes
5. Time to spend on guilty pleasures (e.g.: watching The Bachelorette, reading People Style Watch, days wrapped up in a snuggie)
6. Water: a pool, a river, but especially the lake
7. Teachers that make me work hard for an A (then actually getting an A).
8. Vacuuming, organizing, dusting (seriously, cleaning is my zen)
9. Cats snuggling in the bed
10. Boyfriend
Runners-up:
A good hair day
A good quote
1. It only took four months at my new job before I was dipping into our joint account again. I need to get my (new) budget under control, especially to be prepared financially for that six months after graduation when my student loans come due.
2. Starting training for my first full marathon this weekend, and just the thought of it right now is giving me a lot of anxiety and analysis paralysis. I need to explore those feelings. I haven’t yet figured out what plan I’m using either, so that’s likely part of the problem.
3. Enjoying a more relaxed state: being more relaxed about stuff happening/needing fixed in the house, not stressing about homework deadlines every week, not putting more pressure on the boyfriend, and generally more time in the hammock reading books. And wine.
4. Cross 5 books off my list for my 52 books in 52 weeks goal. I’m really eager to cross two items off my 30s Life List with this goal too — I have The Lion in the Bedroom, well, in my bedroom just begging to be read.
5. Random intention, but I plan to wear a dress or skirt at least once a week to work every week this summer — especially since recently tailoring a few skirts and dresses to fit.
6. Keep a blog schedule! That Blogger, May I? format really helped stoke the blogging fire again, and I’ve already bought a planner to help me. I won’t be posting every day, but it is definitely my intention to write more consistently.
7. So I have this bad habit of overwhelming myself with activities and fun things. Last month, I didn’t attend two events that I paid for in advance (one of the events was $50). So, I’ll either pay at the door on the day of interesting events or risk not RSVP’ing and getting sold out. No FOMO here.
8. My main goal is getting through this last semester, and with that intent comes a lot more pressure until August when I’m done with classes. A bad case of senioritis aside, and keeping in mind #3 on this list, I need to focus on a strong finish. By the end of this month, I’ll be changing over to my last two classes and ZOMG SO CLOSE. I promise, I’ll be more fun when it’s over.
9. Yoga. Kthxbai.
10. Now post-yard sale and basement/attic clean-out, I have an almost-empty, open-lofted, air-conditioned room to start setting up my office and yoga space. First up, find someone to replace drywall from when we purchased the house. I’ve decided to wait to paint until those things are complete because why do it twice? My intent here is to find someone to do the work, since unfortunately, this is out of my skill level.
IN WITH THE NEW
The big BUT: take the word “but” out of the conversation; replace with “and” when necessary. Work on everyday conversational language skills.
Procrastination, full stop: I need to get my shit together. And I need to stop overdrawing my checking account. I mean, I HAVE the money in my other account, and I just have to transfer it over, but… well, I’ve just felt like an irresponsible mess. It’s bad enough that I’m making nowhere near the salary that I did five years ago… ugh, just GET IT TOGETHER.
30-something problems: My self confidence has taken a nose dive this year on account of aging (and its associated havoc wrecked on my face) and not being able to find a job. Both have seriously made me feel worthless — as a woman and as a partner. I’M TRYING SO HARD, and I basically feel like a failure at life. The job market is tough right now — especially for someone at my age without a completed bachelors degree. School was obviously the next step, and I’m enrolled, and I have a plan, and graduation is within a two-year reach. So… breathe? I’m also meeting with a friend in a couple weeks who works with dermatologists to discuss some options (she seemingly knows everything about skincare and she’s a fantastic make-up artist) AND was referred a new dermatologist office (one that has all the new technology for face fixin’). It’s not like I don’t have plans, but lack of full-time income really does hold me back.
Let’s get cooking: Stop making excuses in the kitchen. Oh, I have many: I don’t know how, everything I make tastes like crap, I have no time, bones are gross, I hate doing dishes (I really just hate messes in general — even when the boyfriend is cooking)… I just don’t want to cook. Welp, this is going nowhere fast, see? Then I read about Feast from Summer Tomato. The 30-day “cooking bootcamp” with Feast includes online classes that teach the fundamentals and how to enjoy being in the kitchen. Yes, this will be one of my 30-day Challenges for 2014!
Me Time: Get more massages. Seriously. I need to start taking care of ME. My body is just miserable with knots and sore muscles — it truly is much needed therapy when you play a sport like I do.
In pants we trust: Find a pair of pants that fit. Last fall I had a complete breakdown in my closet, and subsequently had to rid it of at least 15 pairs of bottoms. As my glutes and hams continue to grow (I’m not mad!), I’m now busting out of the pants that remained. I have a problem with tights too, so generally dresses are out, at least for this time of year. The last 5 skirts I purchased needed serious tailoring to fit my shape (short, muscular people problems?). Regardless, I’m just a pants person. So help me, I’ll find a tailor and have pants made for me, if I have to!
What goals or resolutions are you setting for yourself this year?
OUT WITH THE OLD
My Resolutions for 2013 (in addition to my 30-day challenges)included the following:
To say I failed a whole lot is… well, a sucky thing to swallow. Good thing I’m OK with failure.
I did NOT pay off my credit card debt; in fact, my debt-income ration is WORSE. But my old school debt was paid in full ($2600!).
I did NOT go back to school (yet), but I have all my transcripts submitted and ready to register for winter!
I made the A-team for derby. I did NOT run the marathon relay. I started CrossFit, and I’m lifting! I’m getting stronger!
I probably cooked for myself three times in one year. Ugh, horrible.
I’m giving up the dream of freelancing full time . Because, well… it’s really, really hard being self-employed. It’s apparently hard being employed by someone else too, as I’ve been looking for a full-time job for nearly two years.
I read almost every day. Almost. But sometimes that’s on my phone. I made a good effort in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge, but reading that at that pace all the time is difficult — especially when I want to enjoy reading. For what it’s worth, I still can NOT relax.
We painted! Well, the professionals painted. And I guess I decorated my master bath (even though now we’re planning a gut remodel job). Still hate that space immensely. But yeah, there have been a LOT of house projects both completed and half-assed this year.
*sigh* Love is tough, y’all, and relationships are really difficult when one person in the relationship spent the better part of 2013 in a slight depression. Relationships are work, regardless of what any magazine will tell you; and mine is worth working on. And WORKING ON IT, is becoming fun again.
While I connected with old friends back home, I did NOT write letters. I still want to write letters! I did hang out with my teammates more, which makes me happy because they are all wonderful, fun friends — and we have a MAJOR passion in common.
I stopped volunteering this year because of personal conflicts, and I felt that I needed to make *myself* first, given my circumstances. Hoping to give my time and support to another local organization in 2014.
How did you do on your resolutions this year?
Up next: IN WITH THE NEW
Photo credit: from Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.
It’s not too early to think about resolutions.
To say the last year has been difficult is an understatement. As you know, I lost my grandfather in March, was told I had skin cancer in April (subsequent surgery in May), and then my grandmother passed in July. After grieving and vacationing and catching back up on life, I feel like I’ve spent the better part of the last six months… well, not feeling “better.” On the upside, I’m starting to feel like myself again. And feeling like I can handle a few 30-day challenges in the new year that were long-forgotten in 2013.
Promises Made, Promises Broken.
I started off the year with 30 days of NO ALCOHOL – my second year meeting the challenge; third-year attempt (I made it 28 days the first year). February was a lesson in waking up early; March, well, that’s when everything started to fail with my addiction to sweets. My 30-day yoga challenge for May was not possible because of my two-week healing (and no exercise) from MOHs surgery. For what it’s worth, I did NOT spend any money in June — that month’s intended challenge. (yay?) And I accepted a workout challenge in September (to replace giving up social media because… no) to start a fundamentals CrossFit program (not exercising every DAY, mind you, but starting the program AND going to all classes at 6am). Help.
A Year of Promises – 2013
January: 30 days of no alcohol.
February: 30 days of WAKING UP BEFORE 8am.
March: 30 days of no sweets
April: 30 days of “something new”
May: 30 days of yoga
June: 30 days spending freeze
July: 30 days of NO PANTS (dresses and skirts only; save for working out)
August: 30 days of volunteering
September: 30 days without social media
October: 30 days of dates!
November: 30 days of blog posts
December: 30 days of relaxing
Once you get off the ride, it’s hard to get back on.
Anyways, my 30-day challenges took a back seat to life, and I’m ready to go again January 1 with my annual no-alcohol challenge. But I’m also considering coordinating with a total Paleo month as well (I mean, since there’s no alcohol allowed anyway). But oh, THE CHEESE. I don’t know if I’ll keep the same list, but I’ll spend the next month figuring out how to plan the next year.
December, relaxing? Pssh.
What 30-day challenge ideas do you have — or do you complete — as part of your New Year’s goals or resolutions?
Image credit: from Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.
What is the Tough Mudder? Well, it’s a lot of freaking mud. Ten miles of it. Of course that’s why we called ourselves Team F*cking Mud! It’s not really a race, but a challenge — both physically and mentally. If you look up any of the obstacles and videos, you’ll know why. These things test every fear.
There was a little of this:
A lot of this:
And some of this:
THOSE ARE ELECTRIC WIRES AND I’M IN WATERY MUD. Yeah, that was the one obstacle that I almost walked away from. I’m so proud that I finished it.
And this girl — one of my oldest friendships. We’ve known one another since elementary school, and she’s the tough cookie behind why I do stuff like this in the first place.
I dove under barbed wire, crawled on my elbows through mud (under said barbed wire), jumped in ice cold freezing water (seriously, my heart stopped), jumped off a 15-foot plank, got electrocuted, jumped over fire, climbed through tunnels, pulled myself over walls, ran up a greased-up halfpipe… ran/climbed/swam/trudged through more miles of mud than I could even keep track.
My team finished in around 5 hours (whew). It was really fun to train for and accomplish an endurance-type event. I’m kind of still in shock that TM is already over AND that I actually finished that course and got my orange headband! And I think I might actually be back on a runners kick.
Going to Costa Rica was a bucket list-of-a-trip. The country that I always dreamed about visiting. The beautiful sights, sounds and scenery… a volcano — a tourist destination that was, surprisingly, not all that expensive to travel to (this time of year is considered the “offseason,” but the temps are freaking BEAUTIFUL this time of year; low 80s during the day and 60s at night). Seven days felt like a vacation too, even considering the travel time.
The clouds clear from Arenal — as seen from our hotel property:
The vacation was spurred by a conversation with a good friend — an opportunity to meet said online friend IN REAL LIFE for the first time at that. This, after knowing and talking to him almost daily for the last 13 years. Crazy story, I know, but I’ll touch on that another time. There were six of us altogether: my boyfriend and I, my online friend and his girlfriend, and another couple from Denmark that currently live in the states. Our varied personalities and interests made for a well-rounded vacation, and we all got along perfectly. In fact, I wish I could always travel with the same group!
OVERALL: As I mentioned, going to Costa Rica is a bucket list-worthy trip in itself (in fact, I crossed one item off my 30s Life List!). I wasn’t anticipating the perfect balance of beauty, adventure, fun and relaxation (although I really wish I would have booked an outdoor massage at the hotel). I enjoyed staying remote up in the mountains, but you might enjoy the beach — Costa Rica has both!
We’re all in here too:
The vacation was made through a Bookit.com deal and included both hotel and airfare.
LODGING: the Green Lagoon Lodge was incredible — the staff really went above-and-beyond our expectations. We ended up being the only couples in the place until the last night of our stay. The lodge itself is small and cozy (only 11 rooms, I believe), so it can book fast. There are no TVs in the rooms (a big YAY from us; I really hope they don’t ever add them because there isn’t really good noise insulation in the rooms); all of the rooms do have an air conditioning unit in the wall (I’m a light sleeper, and every time it turned on, I woke up… it might not bother you, but if those things do, bring ear plugs). Strangely, our room had a double bed and a single bed, but both were REALLY comfortable. The room is cozy and clean, and includes a refrigerator, small sitting area and shower bathrooms (bring slippers for the tiled floors that exist throughout the space).
The property includes a small restaurant area, outdoor cabana/bar area (which wasn’t open until our last day) that includes two outdoor pools (one large/one child size) and a covered hot spring tub area (we drank and played games outside every night). Because of the off-season, there was some construction occurring, but it wasn’t disruptive. We were honestly impressed by how much work was completed in one week.
FOOD: arroz con pollo, no bueno. But ALL OF THE PINA. Breakfast was included with our stay — there wasn’t a menu; the cook just decided what to make us every morning. Breakfasts typically included eggs, fruit, yogurt — but sometimes we had cheese or fried plantains or more rice. After five days of rice-and-beans-and-plantains-with-everything, I wanted something different. There are a few “American” restaurants (not chains) in La Fortuna for this purpose. The last night of our visit, our hotel hosted a travel group from France, but invited us to join them for a welcoming party (we enjoyed a really good meal and drinks and dancing). Also: THE COFFEE.
My rotating snack menu:
from left-to–right: Zucaritas! / Imperial beer of Costa Rica / Lime & Salt Platanos
ADVENTURE: white water rafting, volcano hikes, ziplining, canopy tours, cloud forests and rainforest exploration, waterfall diving, hot springs… yeah, Costa Rica has all of that. If adventure is what you seek, then I highly recommend staying around Arenal. A few other activities that we did: LOTS of hiking, visiting an animal sanctuary, Salto and sneaking into the “secret” hot springs location.
Then there’s this (NEVER MIND THE LANGUAGE):
Yeah, I was a little terrified.
THERAPY: disconnecting from all the stressors at home was what I was looking for — and some peace and relaxation to grieve a bit. This vacation was a good time to get away from everything… well, everything except the boyfriend. Ha! But there were also opportunities to challenge myself… and then, there was my battle with the resulting poison ivy rash.
But it was the perfect place to have a sandwich.
Have you traveled to Costa Rica? Tell me your favorite adventure in the comments!
Because of my surgery and mandatory activity break last month, I couldn’t complete my 30 days of yoga challenge for May. I will likely revisit this later in the calendar (perhaps at the end of my derby season). The 30-day promise for 2013 moves on, as I am currently on a spending freeze for June.
I’m glad that I noticed it was June before I did any shopping therapy this weekend. Because… ALL OF THE THINGS ON SALE.
This is a big month for my budget… and by “big” I mean this month will be HARD to budget. I’m still paying off doctor bills (estimate there’s another $300 left to pay; all these bills keep coming from various billing offices. ANNOYING.) It’s my last month of car payments (woohoo!)… but my car’s 95,000 mile maintenance is scheduled for the weekend. Also, new tires and front brakes are in the works (we have a $2,000 cap for car work before we just push that towards a down payment on a newer model. I’d like to have no car payments for a year, but that might be lofty plans.) Passport renewal cost me $200 because of expedited fees. Paying off an old debt to a former college so I can obtain my transcripts for Fall registration (what a mess) is over $1,000 (baby steps).
This kind of challenge is difficult for summer. But it’s all June, with none of the frivolous spending around here. I’m talking freezing the monies on: shorts, shoes, happy hours, all the little house things that I do not need right this minute, nail polish and snack box subscriptions, nip toys for the cats, trinkets from the gift shop at work, amazon books (*gulp*)… derby schwag (eeek). No charges on my credit cards. FROZEN. I need to dip into savings and joint account to even make this month work financially — and our joint account is already taking a beating from home repairs, renovations, decorating and an upcoming (kinda unplanned) vacation. Picking up a new freelance client was definitely a highlight (and much needed) this month.
And if I *do* find myself with a shopping itch, I have a $60 Target gift card from my birthday with which to scratch it. 😉
Read more about my year-long 30-day challenges.
Jan: no alcohol
Feb: wake up early
March: no sweets
April: something new (post coming!)
During our California trip, we made plans to drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix to visit my siblings for a couple days — and my new niece (squee!). It wasn’t that long of a drive, all things considered, and we’d just fly back from Phoenix. On our route was Joshua Tree National Park. When will we ever be on that section of road again? Likely, never. So we detoured into the park. It resulted in a three-hour detour (half of which was to get OUT of the park. Lesson learned.).
Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most wonderful places that I’ve ever seen on this planet. And another thing? The forest is quiet. One of those eerie quiets: a cleansing, big-sigh-out-and-breathe-it-in quiets. It doesn’t even echo. And it was beautiful and breathtaking and expansive (and there was no cell coverage). If you ever get the chance, it’s something you just HAVE to experience for yourself.
Take the detour.
When traveling, we look for quirky restaurants (or food trucks) and local breweries. Southern California is a craft beer mecca, so we knew that we were in for a treat. Stone (and its special cask night), Alpine (probably the BEST brewery in the country), Ale Smith and Ballast Point were just a few of the highlights during our visit to San Diego.