Monday, January 23, 2012

Write it down and get busy!!

Wow...is it really almost February??    I don't know about you, but I have always struggled with January.  In one sense, it's an exciting time thinking about all that the new year holds, but it can also be a downer month after all the festivities of the months prior.  I absolutely love the holidays and all the hustle and bustle so when life slows down, I really don't like it.  The fact that I live in Ohio, which can be very dreary and cold in Jan, Feb, Mar, and even April can make it that much harder for me.  I learned a long time ago that I need sunshine...and lots of it!!  The good news is that it's actually been a very mild winter here so far, which has been great!!  The sun has come out quite a bit and it's not been unbearably cold....although things have changed in the last week to snow and cold....I guess I knew it would happen eventually:)

I'm not really one who sets New Years resolutions.  I do spend time reflecting on the past year and thinking of things I can improve on in the coming year...so in a sense, maybe that's making resolutions, but I guess I just don't call it that.  I do know that the gym I go to is always more crowded from the first of January till mid February so a lot of people do make resolutions to get in shape....seems like that's always the BIG resolution for people and that's great, but why don't people stick with it then?  I know some do, but it seems the vast majority don't.  Maybe it's because people don't see results as fast as they want to and it's hard so they give up.  Isn't anything in life that's worth achieving going to take time and be hard though??  I have to remind myself of that when I set goals and don't feel like I'm achieving them as fast as I'd like to.  There are times that I want to give up on my goals....I get frustrated and tired....I struggle with belief in myself that I can do it....I feel inadequate or undeserving....BUT then I look back at last year and see how far I've come and know that I want to do even better this year!!  Just like when I exercise, I know that it's a daily process.  I don't get in shape and stay in shape by going to the gym every once in a while or just when I feel like it,  and I definitely don't get in shape by just thinking and dreaming about it...I do it by going to the gym several times a week and being consistent.  It's hard...I have weeks that I don't do as well as I'd like to....and I'm not always in the shape I want to be in, but I know that it pays off to stick with it...and I have for many years now.  

I know that having goals is a good thing...I'm always thinking about my goals and talking about them, but it's been said that when you put your goals in writing and make them realistic and attainable, they're more likely to happen and to be honest, I'm not always good at doing that.  When I've trained for half marathons (and it's been a while since I have...dumb injuries:), I've printed out a training schedule and put it on my fridge so I knew what to do every day for the 12 weeks leading up to the race.  I knew that if I followed the schedule that when it came time for the actual race I'd be prepared,  finish and hopefully even beat my personal record.  It takes time and hard work to get to the race...but it's so worth it to cross the finish line!!  I want to make this more of a focus in other areas of my life as I continue my countdown to 40....writing out a plan and working on it daily.  There's a saying I've heard that is so true... "the reason people quit something is because they look at how far they have to go instead of looking at how far they've come"...by breaking down my goals and writing out a plan, it makes it seem more attainable and not so overwhelming.  I've come a long way and 2012 holds a lot of exciting possibilities!!   I better get busy!! :-)    
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

2012...a new chapter in our lives

& Happy New Year!!




I can't believe it's January 2012!!  We had a great Christmas traveling to spend time with family and friends!  I honestly can't believe it's January already!!  


We had the opportunity to be a part of a really fun Christmas surprise this year for my 13 year old niece.  My twin brother called about a month before Christmas and told us he'd found a breeder of Shorkie (Shitzu & Yorkie) puppies in Mount Vernon and that Morgan (my niece) wanted one.  We went and looked at the puppies and helped pick one out.  As well, we agreed (well really offered:) to bring the puppy to Oklahoma City on our way to Dallas for Christmas with Scott's family.  About a week before we were heading out of town, we decided to go pick her up so we could enjoy some time with her before leaving town.  We absolutely fell in love with Maggie!!  She was the most adorable little thing and we did not want to say goodbye to her.  I didn't realize it would be so hard!!  I took videos and pictures of her like I would one of my kids....it was crazy!! 


Isn't she cute???

Sleeping on Scott's arm while he was driving:)

The whole time we had her I had to keep telling myself, "she's not mine, she's not mine, she's not mine!"  I would have kept her if I could have, and so would've the rest of my family!!  I honestly think if it weren't for the fact that our dog, Max, really wasn't fond of having another dog around, we'd have been tempted to go get her sister:)  Of course, I do know puppies are a lot of work though.  It was definitely like having a baby around...I had to watch her all the time.  I had to take her outside constantly to try and get her to go potty...and she'd still potty in the house now and again.  If I wasn't careful, I'd step on her because she followed me everywhere and she was so tiny.  And she'd cry every time I put her in her kennel, which killed me!!  I really didn't mind taking care of her though, and as we drove away without her, as excited as we were for my brother and their family, we were really sad to not have her with us anymore.  I mean, we knew she wasn't ours to begin with, but we loved her!!

As I think about 2012 and what we have going on in the next year, at the front of my mind is Cody graduating and us having to drop him off at college next fall.  Honestly, I get teary eyed just thinking about it....I'm so not ready!!  I love having him in our home and being his mom...I'm so proud of the young man he's becoming!  I know that next year there will be a void in our family and it makes me so sad.  I hate to compare the thought of leaving my son, who we've raised since birth, at college...to leaving a puppy, that we had for less than a week.  It's obviously not the same thing, but bear with me for a minute:)  In much the same way that I had to keep telling myself that the puppy wasn't mine, I got to thinking that Cody, although my son, is really not mine either.  God gave him to us to raise him and help prepare him to go out into the world and make a difference.  When he was just a newborn baby, we stood before the church and dedicated him to the Lord.   He's a child of God, who's been entrusted to us for a short time.  I love my boys more than life itself and would do anything for them, but I know the time is coming (much sooner and faster than I'd like) that I'll need to release them and pray that they make wise decisions about their future as they venture out on their (almost:) own.  


So, although I'm sad to think that 2012 is the year that our family dynamics will change with Cody going away to college, I'm happy for him and know he's going to do great things with his life!!  I know God will use him to bless others as he has, and continues to, bless our family.  So, through spending a week with a cute little puppy, I have been reminded that all will be ok in the coming year...I just need to keep telling myself in the times when I struggle with letting him go, "he's not mine, he's not mine, he's not mine."   Happy New Year!!