2011: Bring.It.On

I've never been real big on resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I always say I have them.  And they are always things like, lose 10 pounds, get better grades, blah blah blah.  I've also never been big on "goal-setting" per say.  I have goals in my head, but I don't talk about them as such, and I never write them down.

But, maybe it's time to change that.  I've got high expectations - not of 2011 - but of myself in 2011.  This may seem like rambling and probably the same as every other resolution you've ever made or read.  I don't care.  Let's consider these goals and expectations.

Worry less about keeping up with housework, and more about keeping up with friends and family.
Let's be honest, I'm not a stellar housekeeper as it is.  I've always been on the messy side, and found other things more important.  But, now that we have our own house, and I'm a wife, I sometimes feel there are expectations of me, not necessarily by B, but in general, to have a clean and presentable house.  And when its not, that's a reflection on me.  Um yea, apparently there's a 50's housewife somewhere inside of me - she doesn't really come out and actually get the house clean, but she sure sits on my shoulder and makes me feel guilty when its not.  In 30 years, are we going to remember that time my friends came to dinner and the sink was full of dirty dishes and there were dust bunnies in the corner?  Or will we all remember the time we laughed ourselves to tears when we had to open the wine bottle with a drill?  Now, don't worry Mom, I'm not going to give up on cleaning altogether, but who says you can't fold laundry while hearing about a friends day, or helping them brainstorm wedding plans?  It's all about balance, and keeping in mind what the *real* priorities in life are.

Stop wasting time and energy comparing myself to others, and enjoy my amazing life as it is.
Because, in case you didn't know - and not to brag, I've got it pretty good.  Sure, other people might have nicer cars, or I might view their houses as "better", or their jobs more meaningful.  But I have a car in good shape that gets me where I need to go, I have not just a roof over my head - but a house that we are truly turning into our own and I love more everyday, and a job that I enjoy more times than not.  I realize I'm fortunate and have had luck on my side in a few cases, but I've also worked really hard and I should really enjoy and appreciate the "fruits of my labor" (god I hate that saying...).

Much more importantly, I have a husband that happens to be my best friend; an adorable, fun, and sometimes well behaved dog that makes me laugh everyday; an incredible family; and an amazing group of friends.  And those things, those are irreplaceable and I'm not sure it gets any better than what I've got.

Quit defining my health by the scale, and start defining it by how I feel.
Newsflash you guys - when you eat crap, you feel like crap.  Trust me.  I certainly proved that over the holidays.  I've been tired, cranky, and generally unmotivated a majority of the time.  And to that, I say, No More!  I'm not going to pull the whole "I want to lose 10 pounds" thing (although I wouldn't complain if that happened to be a by-product!), but I need to be more conscious about what I eat on a regular basis.  When I eat mostly healthy (its never *totally* healthy), I feel so much better, so why deny myself that?  I also plan to continue and expand my physical activity.  I've loaded myself up with so many options, I'm a complete dope if I don't succeed in this.  Five to six days a week I need some kind of physical activity.  And that can be any of the following: gym workouts, running, Zumba, walking the dog, any one of the extensive workout videos I have, any of the Wii workouts I have, the exercise bike I just HAD to have last year, snowshoeing, skiing - whatever.  Just something active, five to six days a week. An hour run? Sure. 15 minutes walking the dog? Fine. Just do something.

And speaking of the dog.... it's time for her to grow up.
I love M to death, seriously.  I spoil her rotten, and she's well aware of it.  But the jumping on people and the pulling on the leash need to stop.  I don't want to worry about her punching one of my pregnant friends in the stomach.  And I could also do without the little bruises I end up with on my legs from her paws all the time.  And I'd enjoy walking and running with her alot more, if she didn't pull my arm out of its socket.  (She might be little - 32 pounds - but she's pure muscle guys, freakishly strong.)  So yea, being a better dog owner and actually getting her trained a little better is on the agenda for 2011.

Finally be done with grad school.
Barring the Apocalypse (which appears to be closer than I thought - did you guys hear about those random dead birds and fish down south?! eek!), this will be accomplished.  I will have two Master's degrees as of the middle-ish of June.  Who knew I would end up so educated?  So I guess this isn't really a resolution, and hardly a goal, but it's still a big deal.

Oh and you know... get a few things done around the house.
There are a few things I feel strongly about getting done this year...

• Finally hang wedding and family pictures
• Add the mudroom on that we've been talking about for a year
• Gut the basement
• And then hopefully actually re-do the basement
• Get non-80-year-old-lady shades for the master bedroom (they're awful)
• Get that 3rd bedroom cleaned up so its actually functional and not just storage
• Maybe some things in the backyard... we shall see there...
• And whatever other little projects I come up with - stayed tuned, could be a busy year!

And then there's this here blog...

I know I haven't exactly been the #1 blog updater lately.  And there's probably like a million reasons for that (work, school, holidays, life etc etc etc).  But I don't really feel like I need to explain.  This is my blog, and I'll update it when I want to.  And for that matter, I'll write about whatever I want to.  See, when I started I felt like I needed to have a "theme".  Most of the blogs I read have a topic that they are about (homes, home improvement, running, etc).  Some I can always count on for a laugh, some for motivation, and others are thought provoking.

This blog, does not have intentions of being any of those things.  My intention is to use this blog to keep track of events in my life and the things that are important to me at the time.  That's pretty much the "theme" I guess. Our lives and what's going on in them.  Sometimes it'll be about running or working out.  Sometimes it'll be about our house or a vacation we took.  Sometimes I'll throw out some recipes or it'll be about nothing at all.  And sometimes, if you're lucky, maybe I'll be unintentionally funny - but don't hold your breath.  But as I said, I'll update when I want to, and I'll write about what I want to, deal?  Deal. :)

So bring it on 2011.... I've got big plans for you.