Getting Ready For The New Year

So it is almost here and I am getting my lists and such together.  I have a big list and so I have a lot of things to do to make those things happen.  There are many small things I will have to do to get to my goals.  With out a plan I am not going to make my goals so  I am putting in the hard work and this year I am going to make these goals happen.

So here are a couple of goals I will be working on this year.  I am going to get my house cleaned and organized.  If you don't already know when I moved back to MI I had to move into my parents house which they left all of their stuff here when they moved.  I am left with cleaning it up and repairing anything wrong with it.  Unfortunately I am part time so I do not have a lot of money so it has been hard.  I plan on making it happen in 2014.

I also plan on losing 30 pounds at least.  If you saw my previous post you know that I am  going to be sharing my weight loss journey over the next year.  It will not be easy and I must admit I am not off to a good start but I have some things in place to get going so I plan to make this year the year I get back to a healthy weight.

I also have a goal to save $5,000 by the end of the year.  I think of all my goals this will be the hardest.  Being part time I do not make a ton.  I will however be getting child support so that will help with my daughters expenses so I can put that money aside once I start receiving support plus I am selling items on Ebay and I am doing surveys.  I have also gotten back into couponing so that save me money.  I also have some other things to make extra money so I am working on it being enough to put stuff away toward this goal. 

So plans are in place but the real challenge will be doing them.  I am the only one that can be held accountable so I have to work hard or it will not get done.   What are your goals for this year and how do you plan to accomplish them?  Are they small or is this the year you go for the big one?  Whatever your goal do it.  Make this the year you make it happen and we can do it together.  We can cheer eachother on along the way.  Lets make this year count. 

A Quick Update

So I have taken a couple days off as I was busy and I was not really sure what to write.  So here is a quick update on my weight loss journey.  I am off to a rocky start to be honest.  I have not been eating to healthy and still haven't gone to the gym.  We have been very busy and I just have not felt like it.  Not to mention I fell and have bruises every where so I am completely sore.

I really do want to get some improvement going I just need to get the motivation.  I will get there I am not discourage yet.  I am however extremely tired so this will be my post for today.  On a side note almost everyone has gotten their power restored from the storm.  I have learned some new things, my next house will have a fire place or some type of alternate heat source and I need to not rely on power so much because I could be with out it.  Maybe I will invest in solar power energy for my next house too.  Have a great Sunday Tomorrow and I will be back with more tidbits to share.

The Beginning Of A Long Journey

We all have things we don't like.  Some we can change and some we can't.  Mine is one that I can take control of.  I plan to undo some very unhealthy damage to my body.  It has been happening over the course of about 8 years and I finally really just said this is it.  I have to make a change.

Due to medical issues I started putting on weight.  It happened very quickly in a matter of 8 months I grew 2 dress sizes but hadn't changed anything I was doing.  I even started exercising more and nothing changed.  I eventually gave up and started getting bigger.  It took the Dr's 2 years before they gave me a diagnoses of something I could actually battle.  Unfortunately by this time I had given up and over the next 6 years I gained over 100 pounds and 8 more sizes.  It was bad.

I moved back to MI a year and a half ago and I did lose 30 pounds so I was getting excited.  Then real life kicked in my body got stressed out and now I have gained back 10 of those pounds.  I am very upset with myself for not staying committed  to losing all the weight I can.  Well things are about to change.  I am sharing pictures of what I look like now so you can see how things progress. I can't tell you how this will turn out a year from now but I am going to really try hard to make it better.

 I am going to put it out there and let you guys follow me on my journey to get healthy again.  I have a gym I pay for but don't use so that needs to change,  I have food at home but get tired and lazy so I eat out to much.  This has to stop.  I literally have people asking me when I am due and I lost weight so I am not happy.  I hope that through this time I will inspire others to take their health back.  Am I some crazy health freak? No, not by any means, but I am tired of being unhealthy.  I don't get work out crazy and I don't buy tons of health food.  I am just a regular person looking to feel better.

I hope that you will follow me and be inspired by my journey and get back on track with your journey as well.  No matter what it is get back to it and make yourself happy.

A quick moment

I thought I wouldn't write but I had a quick second.  I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  I hope you get to spend time with family and friends.  No matter what your circumstances may be, be glad that you get to spend this time together.  There are some that do not have this privilege.  Make it count and tell them you love them and enjoy every second you get with them.

                                                      MERRY CHRISTMAS

So Christmas Is Here

So Christmas is here.  People are excited and can barely contain themselves.  It is a great time of year.  We get to relax for a day and just take it all in.  It is the prize we get for making it all year long even through Thanksgiving when Black Friday hits and people lose there minds. 

So what is really important about Christmas.  Well it is a time when we as Christians can teach people about the birth of Jesus Christ.  We can touch the lives of others and hopefully help them learn about what Christmas is all about.  Now if you don't believe in God I am not here to preach to you and make you feel bad.  I am just saying that it is a chance to get the word out to people about a wonderful savior that is here. We can reach out to families that want to know more about what this season is about.

It is also a chance for family to spend time with each other.  We get one day to sit with each other and look back at all the amazing things that happened during the year.  I saw an idea on Pinterest and it was to put a slip of paper in a jar telling each time something good happened then on New Years eve take them out and read them so you can remember how good the year really was.  Me and my daughter have been doing this so I can not wait to pull them out and remember the awesomeness that was 2013. 

Christmas is a time of togetherness.  So make sure that you slow down.  Take it all in together.  Make sure you say I love you to the people that really matter most.  Even if you had a rough year there is something to be grateful for, even if it is just that you made it through the year and now have another to turn things around.  Just take the time to enjoy it.  Even if you don't have a ton of gifts to give you get to be with people you care for and that is worth more than anything you can purchase.

I probably wont write the next two days so I hope you guys out there have a blessed and wonderful Christmas.  I hope your time with your family is the best part of your year.

Mother Natures Wrath Is Scary

So last night we got hit by a terrible ice storm.  It was awful outside when I got up.  We have thousands with out power and the temp outside is only 30.  It is a great reminder of the fact we are still vulnerable to some things.  Mother Nature can do what she wants when she wants and we just have to hope that we survive when her wild angry side comes out.

With all our new technology we are still no match for nature.  She can disrupt anything at anytime without warning.  She is still reminding us of this as I write.  After the storm raged it began to drizzle and is now lightly snowing again.  Only further complicating the efforts to restore power.  So many that rely on this stuff are without.  Businesses have been forced to shut down due to no power or wires being down.

Travel is slow going as we have to play nice since a lot of the traffic lights are out and we have to make our way around the fallen trees.  The damage is absolutely crazy out there.  Huge trees brought to the ground.  Vehicles under them or behind them unable to move.  They have warnings that unless it is an emergency stay home.  Our power crews have even been borrowing help from other utility companies to try to get things cleaned up on the roads.

Just remember there is always something out there bigger and meaner than you.  It can take things out in the blink of an eye.  Tempting nature is very dangerous, and while thrilling it can be fatal.   Do not risk your life if not necessary.

Time for Goal Planning

So with a new year coming it is time to assess what it is that we want to accomplish.  We start planning out what we will make out of the new year.  What kind of amazing things will we do this year that we have never done before?  It is a time to get creative and dream big.

Although if you have not had the best year you may just be trying to plan how to survive the next year too.  Sometimes it is just the hope that the new year will be better than the one before that gets people through this time of year.  It is the dream of great things to come that helps one hold on.

Then there are people like me.  I am going with both.  I have hope that with this difficult year ending I am headed for a great year ahead.  I have changed the way I think about things, I am practicing better actions and trying to look past peoples flaws to really feel compassion for them.  I have big goals for this up coming year.  I want to save enough money to redo the house I am living in, start my own business, and pay off my bills.

How do you achieve big goals?  First you have to have some.  Sometime people get so down that they just give up working toward anything.  when you stop dreaming you are really just coasting through.  Start thinking of things you have wanted to do.  What is something that has always been an interest to you but you just never did it?  Is there something you wanted to do but as you got older and started a career or family you set it aside?  Well it is time to get back to those things.

Next put it in writing.  You have to make yourself see it.  Make a to-do list so to speak.  Just like you have a list to check off each day you can make a list for the year.  Put down everything you would like to accomplish this year and put it somewhere you can see it on a regular basis.  If you can see it you can do it.  It will help you stay on track if you can see what it is you want to do.

Then prioritize.  Put the items in order of which you want to get them done.  What is most important to you should go on top of the list.  Then continue down the list and whatever you can handle doing last should be last on the list.  Don't just go random in listing.  really make this list important.  Make it so it is something you will check in on regularly to accomplish.

So now that you are thinking about it get going.   Start the yearly to-do list.  Make it fun too.  You can even make it a family thing to have even more fun.  What ever you decide just make sure you do it.  Then remember like any list, if you don't finish it this year it can roll over to the next.  So lets get listing and see what we can accomplish this year!

New Year approaching, Proceed with Caution

So this year is almost over and that means a whole new start again.  This year has definitely a struggle so I am ready for a new beginning.  On the other hand I worry that I will bring this year to the next and that is not a good thing at all.  I want to start 2014 clean. 

My divorce will be official in March so i can finally move past all this drama.  My finances seem to be looking up so that is very relieving and mine and my daughters health have improved so I am super happy.  I am excited by all the blessing we are receiving.  It is hard to get too excited since I have been at this point before and then got sent all the way back to the start again.

I am very proud of myself for hanging in there and keeping my faith even when everything looked like it was over.  I still have a ways to go to be back where I was but the fact that I am on the right path is very exciting.  I feel that 2014 will be the year of recovery.  I see things getting better and better from here.

I encourage anyone who has been struggling to really reach deep.  Know that if you keep strong and keep your faith you can get through what ever is holding you back.  It may take some time but do not give up.  There is a bright side that will come through.  Please stay positive and just be true to yourself and it will work out.

Make sure that you pay real close attention to the people in your life too.  They can have a real impact on what happens.  Make sure you are trusting the right people and staying for away from the wrong ones.  Having positive people in your life that help you reach your goals can get you far.  You need people that will help you when you have nothing.

It is going to be a great 2014 just make sure you pay attention to what you are doing and don't give up.  Stay blessed and you will be impressed with how far you go.

Holiday Busy

With the holidays here it has been so busy.  I have been making to do lists and really trying to stay organized so I keep on task.  It is not easy when you have to fit in your child's scheduler either.  We are doing pretty good though.  I have all of my Christmas shopping done.  I just have to wrap them.  I am very excited about the gifts I found for my daughter this year.  I found some great deals early on.  I got an $80 item for $35 by watching sales and having some killer coupons and such.  It is going to be so fun watching her open them. 

That has been one of my time consuming events.  Going from store to store to get things I need on my list at a good price takes a good chunk of time.  You have to go with a plan to really optimize your time.  I have my list for each store and stay on track to those specific items.  This really saves time instead of just wondering to look for things.  Know what you want from each place and go.  If you get of track then you will waste precious time. 

The next problem I have is I had to have all my gifts for others now.  My daughter has to go to her Dads on the 20th so that cut time short to have our celebrations with other families.  We have one each day starting tomorrow through Thursday.  So I work then go to the parties each day.  So Friday will be a day to finally relax.  That will be different I don't even know what I will do with the time.  I am sooo busy that it will be crazy to have nothing to do.

There is also the work schedule.  It is all over the place and then sometimes Saturday so I have to work my time around that too.  I am happy to have a job but sometimes the hours make it hard to get stuff done this time of year.  Luckily one helpful thing is there is a Walgreens right in the same parking lot so I have been able to utilize them for some things as well, which has been nice. 

I can hardly wait until Christmas day when we get to relax and just enjoy each other.  It will be so nice to just hang with my parents and my daughter and enjoy each others company.  Which frankly is what it is really about.  I just cant help myself during the holidays

So what is your struggle during the holidays and how do you handle them.

Starting Again

So I was doing really well with the blog and then got distracted but I see many people are still looking.  I am going to get back to it and we will see where it goes from there.  I have been up to so much this year.  I have been just so busy and working on so many different things. 

This year I started out separated and not feeling to happy.  I am now only three months away from my divorce and doing ok.  I have gone back to church more often and I am feeling much better in my faith now.  I am learning a better way to pray and to trust God even more.  It is nice when you can just feel great about things. 

 My job not so awesome but I have one and right now that is a bonus.  I can kinda pay my bills and I can feed my daughter and myself so that feels good.  My car is almost paid off so that will be nice when I am done with that.  It will be extra money to put toward some other bills.  I have been turned down for full time three different time so that has been a little crushing for me.  I applied for another one but not getting too excited about it because I have a feeling I am not getting which has a lot to do with the position itself and a little with my employers.

I have reduced my medications drastically which has been a very nice change for me.  My daughter has been having less seizures which is very exciting and her grades are up from last year along with her reading skills improving this year.  This is something she has struggled with for years.  She also got nominated for the new Leadership club at school.  She makes me so proud.

I have also been working on getting my business up and going strong.   I have made some changes to what I am doing and I hope I can get things going so I can work for myself and have more time with my daughter.  She is growing up to so fast I want to get as much time with her as I can before college comes around

Well that is a quick catch up of some of the things that have been going on with me since I have been absent from writing.  I hope I can keep you interested and get things going on the blog regularly again.  Thanks for reading.