Reflections

A Simple Life. 

That's what I like. 

To wake up in the morning with a purpose. 

To conquer "something."

To smile.

I choose to praise Him.

All day long.

While thankful for family.

And the friendliest of friends.

I choose to love.

A Simple Life.

My life.

While I have the mic (ehmm I just gave it to myself) I have a couple things to say. At times I find myself reflecting on life and most times I end up thinking about my family and friends one by one. After hearing from my grandpa this evening, who called for my address so that he can send me Valentine's Day chocolates, he wrapped up the call by saying, "I'm going to go fix myself a sandwich and something to drink (most likely a beer and then scotch) but I wanted to say that I love you." 

I love that sentence. Because it is so him! He eats dinner pretty late and on Sundays my grandma doesn't cook. So he's on his own. He loves his dranks, and that is not a typo. Beer in the evening and scotch for his HBO movies. And the love…well of course I love him too. xoxo

I don't want to forget the "little" things. That's why I'm writing them down. Because they mean a lot to me. I want to remember that at 8:25pm on a Sunday in January 2014 my dear Papa hadn't eaten dinner but didn't hesitate to write down my address, even after I offered to email it to him. 

And I cannot forget that just the other day my grandma called and left a message that was very similar. She was just calling to check up on me and to say that she was thinking about me. How sweet is she? I really do love her. I don't want to forget that she picked up the phone and gave me a call- because I was on her mind. 

And while I'm at it, just last week my other grandma called to thank me for a gift she received from my sister and I a couple weeks earlier. She had opened it and loved it! #winning! And somewhere in that voicemail she said, like she always does, "and that's it…I didn't want anything." Man oh man I wish I would have been able to answer that call to hear her excitement for myself. <--she had a stroke two days later and her speech just isn't the same…yet! Prayers, please xx

I am blessed. 

I think I'll be taking these thoughts to paper (or keyboard) more often. 

Love to all,

2014, I'm ready for you :)

Every year, millions and millions of people make New Year's Resolutions to:

Go to the Gym

Get Healthier

Lose Weight

Take time for themselves

Go on Vacation

Try a new food

Keep their home cleaner

Be nicer to others

Get back into going to church

Etc. 

Instead of creating a list of resolutions, another bucket list, or a "things to do" list, I have decided work on a different category of my life every couple months. This is in an effort to become more well-rounded. It's self explanatory and with 2 months per category, I should at least be able to attempt each. 

Isn't this awesome?! 

You can download a copy for yourself by clicking HERE!

Below are some things you can do for each category. Remember: Goals are supposed to stretccchhh you as a person. They shouldn't be comfortable and will take practice/some getting used to. But that's why they are great! We get to experience a sense of accomplishment after completing them. 

Now go ahead and make goals for yourself. State what your goal is going to be. Then how you are going to accomplish it. And finally, chart your progress or check-in with yourself every once in a while. It will be fun and we can hold each other accountable! 

Also, I am a big fan of rewards after accomplishments. Maybe you deserve that massage you've been thinking about…but only after deep cleaning your entire home and cleaning out your dresser/closet?!

----------------------------

Organization/Cleaning- Clear out your closets, bring clothes you don't wear to Goodwill, make a weekly chore list, give everything in your house a "home" or a special place so you're not scrambling to find things, deep clean your floors, fans and baseboards, etc, clean out your garage, organize your time (less time texting, playing phone games, facebooking, etc), file birth certificates, tax info, bills, etc.

Spiritual- Read your Bible daily, listen to sermons by your pastor (or go online, there are plenty available), be kinder to yourself, make a better effort at sincere prayer, stop gossiping, practice faith, keep a spiritual journal, meditate, look for the good in life, listen to uplifting music and watch uplifting movies

Physical- Workout X amount of minutes X many days a week, eat lots of greens, drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, go to bed on time, cut out desserts/sodas/junk, eat correct portions

Financial- Make a budget and stick to it, make a bin for all your bills, receipts, etc, cut extra costs, pay off any debt you may have, pay with cash, build up your savings account, get smart about where money goes

Selfless- Call up an old roommate, commit to talk to parents or siblings more, bring dinner to someone who is sick, just had surgery (or a baby!), was in the hospital, etc, reach out to someone who needs a friend, reach out to someone who has hurt your feelings, find a place in your community to volunteer

Your pick- could be an educational goal, career goal, family goal, a goal to use time more wisely, a repeat of one above, or maybe just a goal to survive.

Kudos to Danielle from La La La Love You for the great printable and category suggestions. 

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Cheers xoxo

A Year in Review

This is one of my favorite parts about January…when I think back about the past year and how good it was to me and for me. 

I am blessed beyond measure and I am thankful each and every day that I have a loving family, supportive friends, and live in a free country with the ability to travel the world. 

So with that, I will leave you with my favorite picture from each month in 2013. 

{January- Hit the course (mainly, the driving range) and started golfing}

{February- Checked an item off of my "things to do in 2013" list and became a Be The Match donor!}

{March- Spring Break Road Trip with Katie from SAS. Below: Grand Canyon}

{April- I studied a lot and entered the 21st century. Bye-bye Blackberry, hello iPhone}

{May- Studied, wrote, and passed my comprehensive exam for grad school}

{June- Gevirtz Graduate School of Education Graduate -- Woohoo Commencement!}

{July- Spent the last couple weeks living with this one. There really is something special about being roommates}

{August- Reunion in Florida with SAS friends. A day at Walt Disney World :) }

 {September- Jean visited me in SB and we made my headboard. Two minds are better than one}

{October- Gave the gift of life! Donated Blood and it felt oh-so good}

 {November- Cross-Country Road Trip with Kelly. Below: Cadillac Ranch in Texas}

{December- SAS Reunion in Nashville for NYE! We shared 5 days/4 nights of relaxed fun and ongoing excitement}

My prayer is that in January of 2015 I will look back on this year and know that I accomplished new things, explored the world a little bit more, was loving and caring to all I encountered, and grew spiritually, personally, and professionally, but not physically (wider, that is).

Thank you, 2013, for being so good!