2013 In Review

I started this blog as a way to consolidate and blog about all of the things I am into: fitness, knitting, quilting, scrap-booking,crafting in general, reading, and of course, my family! Like a lot of things in my life, I got sidetracked and didn't stick with it. Hopefully I will be more "faithful" to my blog in 2014!

Before we head into the new year, though, let's look back at 2013. I was inspired to do this by Jennifer, who is an amazing, incredibly strong woman, IMHO!

 Let's wrap up 2013 and put a bow on it, shall we?

  

Gained or lost weight? Yes


Predominant feeling in 2013? Up and down!

Predominant feeling for 2014? Anticipation! New state, new home, and so many new possibilities!

Something you did for the first time in 2013? Became a licensed Zumba instructor and taught my first class. I continued for a few months until we moved.

Something you did again in 2013 after a long pause? I'm knitting and crocheting again! Loving it!

Something you unfortunately did not do in 2013?  Two things did not get crossed of my goals list from 2013: size 9 and paying off bills. I made big progress on both, though! Mark my words, I WILL achieve these two in 2014! Watch me!

Word of the year? Changes! We waved bye bye to Chuck, our 50 year old mental patient and moved from California to Texas, to name a few1

Hair longer or shorter? Longer and more red.

Hospital stays? I didn't stay, but I did end up in the ER the night before my daughter's birthday due to getting oils from the world's hottest pepper in BOTH of my eyes.

(Fallen) In love? Still very much in love with my husband!

Most called person? I don't talk on the phone much these days. I guess I talk to my mom the most.

Whom did you spend the most beautiful time with? Wow. That's a tough one. Most of the moments with my daughter are beautiful! I also had a very memorable night out with my BFF, J'Ho of Mom Rocks Mealtime!


Song of the year? Overcomer by Mandissa


Book of the year? 1, 2, 3 Magic


Movie of the year? Frozen. Proabbly cuz it's the most recent one we saw and the only one I can think of right now.


TV Show of the year? SCANDAL! Hands DOWN! I don't even want to wait and play catch up on DVR. I HAVE to watch it as soon as it comes on!

Insight of the year?  It's never to late to become the person you've always wanted to be.

Three things you totally could have done without?

• The whole oil of the hottest pepper in the world in my eye thing.
• Ugliness from someone I love. 
• Escalation of Charlie's condition.

The most expensive thing you bought? A new to me Chevy Traverse

The most delicious meal or food you ate? Wasabi Crusted Tuna with Ginger-Soy Sauce!

The best party? Girls Night Out with J'Ho! It was EPIC!

The most important thing you wanted to convince somebody of? Myself: That I can accomplish anything I set my mind to!

How will you celebrate New Year's Eve? At home. Nothing exciting.

What will you have for dinner? I need to check the menu and get back to you.

What drinks will be in your glasses to clink? If I know my hubby, he got champagne.

Will you ignite any fireworks? No.

What are you going to wear? Comfy or glamorous? Comfy!

Did you have any resolutions for 2013? And how about 2014? I prefer to call them commitments. I sure did for 2013. Wrote 'em on a white board and posted it on FaceBook. I then checked 'em off (almost all of them anyway) and re-posted it each time I accomplished something. Definitely going to do it again!


What are your wishes for the new year? I really hope to start teaching Zumba again. And get plugged in to a church that feels as much like home as our church in Chico, California did. That's a pretty tall order.

In one word, 2013 was... Dramatic.

Now it's your turn. Pick a question or two or all, and tell me what your answer would be!

Fail to Plan or Plan to Fail Part 2

When I posted Fail to Plan or Plan to Fail Part 1, about two weeks ago, I had another post planned out in my head. That post was going to include how clever I was to plan my NaBloPoMo in advance. I used a calendar from Calendars That Work and plotted out all my topics. Ok, not ALL the topics and not one for every day...

And there en-lies the problem!

Life just up and got in the way. Between sickness in the home, searching for and buying a house, on top of a sudden influx of actual work to do at the jobby job, my lack of planning for NaBloPoMo really kicked me in the backside. I didn't actually complete the plan. I didn't plan for contingencies like sick kids or sick me or deadlines piling up.

That's what I get for being smug! 

As we stare down the countdown app which currently reads "8" days, and January 1st hot on the heels of Christmas, I find myself setting some lofty goals. I had some pretty good ones last year, and I've crossed all but one off the list! I didn't even really have a plan when I set those goals. That may explain why that last one is still on there.

I have goals for my own health and fitness, reading goals, and business goals. What will determine whether or not I achieve them? What is the difference between crossing one off the list and checking them all off completely? You guessed it...it's whether I: 

Plan, Schedule, Plan Some More

Plan: This involves taking each of my goals and breaking them into mini goals. For example, take the amount of weight I want to lose over the next 12 months and break it down into monthly and weekly goals. 

Schedule: I can vow to exercise more and eat healthier, but unless I get my workouts on the calendar and plan some healthy meals ahead of time, life is guaranteed to come up again and get in the way. I will put my workouts on my calendar and stick to them like I would a meeting with my boss, a doctor's appointment, or a date with my husband! 

Plan Some More: Once I've got my goals figured out, broken down, and scheduled, I also need to review it all now and frequently. I'll check my progress and make sure I'm on track. These check-ins will go on the calendar as well, or they won't happen. 12 months will slip right by and I'll weigh the same and not have read any more or gotten any scrap-booking done! 

There you have it. That is my strategy for 2014. What about you? Do you have goals? Do you have a plan in place to make sure you'll get there?