Wow! So much has happened since I last blogged! First and foremost, I got engaged! Click here to see pictures. :) The story is on Ryan and my wedding website which will be public soon. :)
Anyway, I wanted to give a little update on my resolutions. I have found that this has been incredibly challenging for me, but I'm not intending to give up!
1.) Good Thoughts Jar I'm doing great on this! I put something in that jar at least once a week. I'm excited to see all of the notes at the end of the year.
2.) Photo Challenge Ok. Haven't done too well as far as my Instagram photos for February through April. Maybe I'll pick this up a little more next month...I do have a trip across the world coming up. Anyway, I am taking more pictures though. I've recently started using SnapChat. It's usually just to send silly pics to some of my fraternity Brothers, so technically I am taking pictures. That counts, right?
3.) Writing Challenge Again, this is kind of on hold for now.
4.) Fitness Challenge every quarter I'm utterly failing at this. The first quarter, I didn't get through the whole month. I got through about half a month as far as abs go. I tried this month on another challenge, but I only got in a few days. Maybe I'll try again next month.
5.) Yoga Challenge Another thing that I'm utterly failing at. :/ I want to get back to yoga!
6.) Healthy Recipe once a month Lately, my life has been bagels, cereal, sandwiches, and yogurt. Not really too much experimenting with food.
7.) Completed craft project once a month I actually completed this for last month! I made my 1920s dress for regional conference. I think it turned out okay (I'm on the right with the teal sash). :) I also have a plan for my craft this month (actually for this week), but it's a surprise gift for a couple of people, so I won't share just yet. :)
8.) Cards I was doing so well. January and February was great. I didn't send any during March. There's still time for me yet for this month!
9.) Bible plan daily So far I'm doing well on this one. I'm going to need to start another plan soon!
10.) Donate monthly So far so good! :) Last month, I donated to the Dominion Regional Conference. In February, I donated to a Brother's company, Squeaky Bicycle Productions. This month, I'm donating to my undergraduate Chapter for formal.
11.) Blog at least twice a month Obviously, since my last post was from February, I haven't been doing too well. Hopefully I'll be better at this!
Wedding Countdown
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Overwhelmed...kinda
So thinking about everything I've done this month, it's no wonder I'm exhausted! However, then I look at my resolutions list and realize I've been horrible this month! Okay, maybe not horrible, but I set the bar pretty high for myself and I've had kinda a slow start on some of my resolutions (yoga, crafts, the fitness challenges, the photo challenges), but I still want to push forward and try to do better. I need an accountability partner. Or maybe I just need to schedule some time for myself to actually get some of this stuff done! Oh well, this is just a little rant. :) Hopefully, I'll blog tomorrow.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Resolutions Check!
Ok. So I know this is the last day to do this to meet my goal! :)
1.) Good Thoughts Jar I actually have more than 5 notes in my good thoughts jar. So far...1/11. :)
2.) Photo Challenge So I kinda did half of this. I have a picture on my instagram of Indoor Play when Ryan and I babysat a Brother's son one evening. But I didn't actually get a second picture. :/ 1.5/11
3.) Writing Challenge Ok. So this one is kinda on hold because I haven't picked a month yet, so let's change this around 1.5/10.
4.) Fitness Challenge every quarter So I started the Abs challenge this month and due to illness (and pure sleepiness) I stopped about 2/3 of the way through the month. Maybe in February or March. Let's update that total again...1.5/9
5.) Yoga Challenge I have not been doing this one very well. At the most I've done yoga about three times in one week. I'm hoping to try and up this in the upcoming month. I'll give myself about a half a point on this one. 2/9
6.) Healthy Recipe once a month As you all know, I am a baker! So naturally, I picked a baked good to be a healthy recipe. I was skeptical as it is a muffin that has both zucchini and carrots in it, but it was actually very good! Ryan even enjoyed it. These are a must do again! 3/9
7.) Completed craft project once a month I started on a project, but I'm no where near completing it. I can't give myself a point for that one.
8.) Cards Check! I sent out 5 cards this month. :) I'm enjoying hand writing letters to people so far. 4/9
9.) Bible plan daily I've been doing great. I'm closer to finishing the One Year Bible plan. Recently, I've started the Made to Crave reading plan. I've enjoyed the plan so far. It's focus is on fitness and healthy living and how we can shift focus from food/weight/exercising to God and everything will fall into place. 5/9
10.) Donate monthly My first donation was made to the Phi Sigma Pi Epsilon Xi Chapter for Bluegrass Regional Conference. I'm hoping that they receive a 5-star conference award (the highest award for a regional conference in the fraternity). I know it was a small donation, but hopefully it'll be spent making the conference awesome! 6/9
11.) Blog at least twice a month This makes number 2! ;) 7/9
78% is pretty good I would say! Sorry this post is pretty short and to the point. I'm ready for a nap! ;)
1.) Good Thoughts Jar I actually have more than 5 notes in my good thoughts jar. So far...1/11. :)
2.) Photo Challenge So I kinda did half of this. I have a picture on my instagram of Indoor Play when Ryan and I babysat a Brother's son one evening. But I didn't actually get a second picture. :/ 1.5/11
3.) Writing Challenge Ok. So this one is kinda on hold because I haven't picked a month yet, so let's change this around 1.5/10.
4.) Fitness Challenge every quarter So I started the Abs challenge this month and due to illness (and pure sleepiness) I stopped about 2/3 of the way through the month. Maybe in February or March. Let's update that total again...1.5/9
5.) Yoga Challenge I have not been doing this one very well. At the most I've done yoga about three times in one week. I'm hoping to try and up this in the upcoming month. I'll give myself about a half a point on this one. 2/9
6.) Healthy Recipe once a month As you all know, I am a baker! So naturally, I picked a baked good to be a healthy recipe. I was skeptical as it is a muffin that has both zucchini and carrots in it, but it was actually very good! Ryan even enjoyed it. These are a must do again! 3/9
7.) Completed craft project once a month I started on a project, but I'm no where near completing it. I can't give myself a point for that one.
8.) Cards Check! I sent out 5 cards this month. :) I'm enjoying hand writing letters to people so far. 4/9
9.) Bible plan daily I've been doing great. I'm closer to finishing the One Year Bible plan. Recently, I've started the Made to Crave reading plan. I've enjoyed the plan so far. It's focus is on fitness and healthy living and how we can shift focus from food/weight/exercising to God and everything will fall into place. 5/9
10.) Donate monthly My first donation was made to the Phi Sigma Pi Epsilon Xi Chapter for Bluegrass Regional Conference. I'm hoping that they receive a 5-star conference award (the highest award for a regional conference in the fraternity). I know it was a small donation, but hopefully it'll be spent making the conference awesome! 6/9
11.) Blog at least twice a month This makes number 2! ;) 7/9
78% is pretty good I would say! Sorry this post is pretty short and to the point. I'm ready for a nap! ;)
Thursday, January 2, 2014
First Post of 2014
Happy New Year! I hope all of you reading this had a wonderful new year! Ryan and I had a nice quiet New Year's Eve celebration that consisted of walking around Opry Mills, eating at Johnny Rockets, watching American Hustle, and watching the New York ball drop with my parents. :)
Anyway, I wanted to share something with all of you. Ryan and I read through my "Good Thoughts Jar" for 2013 since I'm starting it again for 2014 (have you read my last post about my resolutions?). Anyway, it was so cool to read through them. I highly recommend everyone doing it! Sometimes you forget some of the blessings that have happened throughout the year. Luckily I wrote down several small happy moments that I was able to relive when I read it.
That's all that I have for right now. I just wanted to point that out. I also did a little blog template updating. I went with the winter theme because it's super cold here in Johnson City. I also added a new blog to the blog roll -->. It's my bro, Alex's, blog about his experiences living in the Philippines. He arrived there safely right before the New Year (Philippine time). Anyway, that's pretty much it. I'm considering a new blog title. I'm not sure what to change it to. I need some inspiration.
Anyway, I wanted to share something with all of you. Ryan and I read through my "Good Thoughts Jar" for 2013 since I'm starting it again for 2014 (have you read my last post about my resolutions?). Anyway, it was so cool to read through them. I highly recommend everyone doing it! Sometimes you forget some of the blessings that have happened throughout the year. Luckily I wrote down several small happy moments that I was able to relive when I read it.
That's all that I have for right now. I just wanted to point that out. I also did a little blog template updating. I went with the winter theme because it's super cold here in Johnson City. I also added a new blog to the blog roll -->. It's my bro, Alex's, blog about his experiences living in the Philippines. He arrived there safely right before the New Year (Philippine time). Anyway, that's pretty much it. I'm considering a new blog title. I'm not sure what to change it to. I need some inspiration.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
2014 Resolutions
It's that time of year again. First let me follow up on my resolutions from 2013. If I didn't complete it fully, then I will continue to work on it the following year.
1.) Start the Good Thoughts Jar. I periodically put something in my good thoughts jar, but not as often as I would like. I will try this again for the next year.
2.) Read the entire Bible. I got behind again, but I'm planning on getting caught up at least to where I should be now. I should finish my one year plan in April. I do have a resolution for the next year that will be similar.
3.) Lose weight...a lot of weight. I think that I did a good job getting on the right track. I still have quite a bit to go before I hit my goal weight (about 40 more pounds), but hopefully this next year I'll be able to lose it.
4.) Be more creative. I think I've been successful with this resolution. I have done several craft projects and I even started sewing! I have so many projects to do, it's crazy!
5.) Cook one new recipe a month. So this one was more difficult as the year went by, simply because of time, patience, and money. I'll have a resolution for the next year that will be similar.
6.) Save some money. So I may not have saved as much money as I hoped, but I got started and I have a plan. Hopefully in the upcoming year, I can cross off a few items on the "To Save For" list, especially after my tax refund!
7.) Drink more water. This one was a home run. Thanks to using my water bottles at the beginning of the year, I've learned to drink at least the minimum recommended amount of water each day. Often I drink a lot more because of work outs. I consider this a habit now. :)
8.) Be more appreciative. I think that I've done a good job (please do correct me if I'm wrong on this!). I've made a conscious effort to make sure that I tell people thank you or that I appreciate what they do.
9.) Take more photos, and not just photos of my dog, Butch. Epic fail again. I've posted a few things on Instagram, but not enough to consider this resolution a success. I have another resolution for the next year similar to this one that is a little more measurable.
10.) Blog once at least once a ...month. I did awesome here! Last month, I even blogged once a day! ;)
Now, for the upcoming year, I've tried to get some inspiration from my previous resolutions that weren't 100% successful and from Pinterest. (FYI: Readers, you may have noticed that I have typically have links in my posts. I have links in posts for a reason, so click on them!) Anyway, these resolutions are SMART resolutions, primarily that they are more measurable.
1.) Good Thoughts Jar This year, I'm hoping that I will have a "good thought" note in my jar at least once a week. So at the end of the year, I should have at least 52 "good thoughts" in my jar!
2.) Photo Challenge This one is going to be fun and hopefully will finally help me with this resolution! Anyway this is a two part resolution. The first part is to take at least two pictures off of this list each month. The second part is to complete this challenge sometime during the year. Now, I'll need some help from my readers. First, follow me on Instagram. I always have my phone, so I'll probably take a lot of pictures using my phone instead of my camera. I will most likely post them on Instagram. Anyway, secondly, help me pick a month to do the second part of my resolution! (Please don't pick January.) Leave them in the comments.
3.) Writing Challenge Here is another resolution that I found on Pinterest. Last month, I found it very challenging, but rewarding, to write a blog post every single day! I want to try this again. I would like to complete at least this one writing challenge during the year. Readers, again, I'll need your help here. Pick a month for me to do this (again, not January please)! Also, if you find any more writing challenges, post the link in the comments section.
4.) Fitness Challenge every quarter This resolution will help me finish losing the weight that I want to lose. I've seen these Fitness Challenges on Pinterest and I want to try it. My resolution is to compete these monthly fitness challenge at least once every quarter. (If I'm feeling confident, then I may even post before and after pictures.) Anyway, my first fitness challenge will be in January, hence the "don't pick January" in the resolutions above. If you see one that you think I should try, send it to me!
5.) Yoga Challenge One of my yogi friends told me about a Yoga Challenge that someone was doing on Instagram where they take a photo of themselves doing a yoga pose (some were super hard). I want to complete one of these (I haven't found it yet). But another part of this is that I would like to expand my yoga practice to more than just two or three times a week. I know that setting a daily yoga practice is a lofty goal, so I want to set a resolution to do some sort of yoga practice (either at the gym or at home) at least 5 times a week. I have reaped so many of the benefits and I know that increasing my practice will just continue to make me feel better.
6.) Healthy Recipe once a month So last year, I sought out to try at least one new recipe a month. That got a little harder as the year progressed because I was eating pretty much sandwiches and protein shakes. This year, I'm changing my eating habits a bit (shout out to Chica for helping me find out a good eating plan) so I should have more opportunities to try new recipes. My goal is to try at least one healthy recipes each month. I will probably pick some from here.
7.) Completed craft project once a month Last year, I said that I wanted to be more creative and I feel like I was very successful at this. However, it wasn't very measurable. This year, I want to complete at least one craft project each month whether it be knitting, sewing, painting, etc.. This may be difficult, but I just have to keep in mind that a craft project can be small too! I already have a couple of ideas. Again, refer to my Pinterest for all of my ideas!
8.) Cards I've had a similar resolution to this one. I didn't do too well either. This year, I would like to send at least 5 cards through snail mail to someone. This can be a birthday card, thank you card, thinking of you card, whatever.
9.) Bible plan daily So I started the One Year Bible plan in YouVersion this year, but I got a little behind, so I plan to finish this plan in April. Even though I got behind, I found it very rewarding to read several stories that I've never read before. I know that I asked Ryan a billion questions just in the first few books. I find myself wanting to study more! This year, my plan is not only to finish my resolution from last year, but to dive into more reading plans where I get a more in-depth study of the text. I want to read something every day. That is my goal for this year.
10.) Donate monthly This one is a new one that most people probably don't put on a resolution list. Let me tell you a little back story. Toward the beginning of the year, ETSU launched a fundraising campaign called "Now Seating" to assist in funding a new arts performing center. I signed up immediately because of my background in music. I remember being able to perform at the Blair School of Music for competitions and recitals, so I found this project to be of interest. Anyway, I donated $250 over the last ten months to this cause. Now that I have paid my part, that's $25 per month that I have back now. However, I want to pay it forward again. I didn't miss that $25, so I want to donate it. This year, I would like to donate $25 each month to a cause. Already, I can think of a few that I will donate to (Mission of Hope, the Epsilon Xi Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi, the Phi Sigma Pi Foundation). I'm sure I will find other causes that I would like to donate to throughout the year. If you think of anything, please let me know.
11.) Blog at least twice a month I think I have mastered the art of blogging once a month. I'm going to up the frequency this year. I want to blog at least twice a month (obviously one month I'm going to be blogging every day). One of these will include a resolution update because several of my resolutions require some sort of monthly action. I will include more links, more pictures, and just more in general!
Well, that's a recap and an update for the upcoming year. I hope to see everyone making their own resolutions! I would love to add you to my Blog roll -->; so if you have a blog, let me know!
Happy New Year!
1.) Start the Good Thoughts Jar. I periodically put something in my good thoughts jar, but not as often as I would like. I will try this again for the next year.
2.) Read the entire Bible. I got behind again, but I'm planning on getting caught up at least to where I should be now. I should finish my one year plan in April. I do have a resolution for the next year that will be similar.
3.) Lose weight...a lot of weight. I think that I did a good job getting on the right track. I still have quite a bit to go before I hit my goal weight (about 40 more pounds), but hopefully this next year I'll be able to lose it.
4.) Be more creative. I think I've been successful with this resolution. I have done several craft projects and I even started sewing! I have so many projects to do, it's crazy!
5.) Cook one new recipe a month. So this one was more difficult as the year went by, simply because of time, patience, and money. I'll have a resolution for the next year that will be similar.
6.) Save some money. So I may not have saved as much money as I hoped, but I got started and I have a plan. Hopefully in the upcoming year, I can cross off a few items on the "To Save For" list, especially after my tax refund!
7.) Drink more water. This one was a home run. Thanks to using my water bottles at the beginning of the year, I've learned to drink at least the minimum recommended amount of water each day. Often I drink a lot more because of work outs. I consider this a habit now. :)
8.) Be more appreciative. I think that I've done a good job (please do correct me if I'm wrong on this!). I've made a conscious effort to make sure that I tell people thank you or that I appreciate what they do.
9.) Take more photos, and not just photos of my dog, Butch. Epic fail again. I've posted a few things on Instagram, but not enough to consider this resolution a success. I have another resolution for the next year similar to this one that is a little more measurable.
10.) Blog once at least once a ...month. I did awesome here! Last month, I even blogged once a day! ;)
Now, for the upcoming year, I've tried to get some inspiration from my previous resolutions that weren't 100% successful and from Pinterest. (FYI: Readers, you may have noticed that I have typically have links in my posts. I have links in posts for a reason, so click on them!) Anyway, these resolutions are SMART resolutions, primarily that they are more measurable.
1.) Good Thoughts Jar This year, I'm hoping that I will have a "good thought" note in my jar at least once a week. So at the end of the year, I should have at least 52 "good thoughts" in my jar!
2.) Photo Challenge This one is going to be fun and hopefully will finally help me with this resolution! Anyway this is a two part resolution. The first part is to take at least two pictures off of this list each month. The second part is to complete this challenge sometime during the year. Now, I'll need some help from my readers. First, follow me on Instagram. I always have my phone, so I'll probably take a lot of pictures using my phone instead of my camera. I will most likely post them on Instagram. Anyway, secondly, help me pick a month to do the second part of my resolution! (Please don't pick January.) Leave them in the comments.
3.) Writing Challenge Here is another resolution that I found on Pinterest. Last month, I found it very challenging, but rewarding, to write a blog post every single day! I want to try this again. I would like to complete at least this one writing challenge during the year. Readers, again, I'll need your help here. Pick a month for me to do this (again, not January please)! Also, if you find any more writing challenges, post the link in the comments section.
4.) Fitness Challenge every quarter This resolution will help me finish losing the weight that I want to lose. I've seen these Fitness Challenges on Pinterest and I want to try it. My resolution is to compete these monthly fitness challenge at least once every quarter. (If I'm feeling confident, then I may even post before and after pictures.) Anyway, my first fitness challenge will be in January, hence the "don't pick January" in the resolutions above. If you see one that you think I should try, send it to me!
5.) Yoga Challenge One of my yogi friends told me about a Yoga Challenge that someone was doing on Instagram where they take a photo of themselves doing a yoga pose (some were super hard). I want to complete one of these (I haven't found it yet). But another part of this is that I would like to expand my yoga practice to more than just two or three times a week. I know that setting a daily yoga practice is a lofty goal, so I want to set a resolution to do some sort of yoga practice (either at the gym or at home) at least 5 times a week. I have reaped so many of the benefits and I know that increasing my practice will just continue to make me feel better.
6.) Healthy Recipe once a month So last year, I sought out to try at least one new recipe a month. That got a little harder as the year progressed because I was eating pretty much sandwiches and protein shakes. This year, I'm changing my eating habits a bit (shout out to Chica for helping me find out a good eating plan) so I should have more opportunities to try new recipes. My goal is to try at least one healthy recipes each month. I will probably pick some from here.
7.) Completed craft project once a month Last year, I said that I wanted to be more creative and I feel like I was very successful at this. However, it wasn't very measurable. This year, I want to complete at least one craft project each month whether it be knitting, sewing, painting, etc.. This may be difficult, but I just have to keep in mind that a craft project can be small too! I already have a couple of ideas. Again, refer to my Pinterest for all of my ideas!
8.) Cards I've had a similar resolution to this one. I didn't do too well either. This year, I would like to send at least 5 cards through snail mail to someone. This can be a birthday card, thank you card, thinking of you card, whatever.
9.) Bible plan daily So I started the One Year Bible plan in YouVersion this year, but I got a little behind, so I plan to finish this plan in April. Even though I got behind, I found it very rewarding to read several stories that I've never read before. I know that I asked Ryan a billion questions just in the first few books. I find myself wanting to study more! This year, my plan is not only to finish my resolution from last year, but to dive into more reading plans where I get a more in-depth study of the text. I want to read something every day. That is my goal for this year.
10.) Donate monthly This one is a new one that most people probably don't put on a resolution list. Let me tell you a little back story. Toward the beginning of the year, ETSU launched a fundraising campaign called "Now Seating" to assist in funding a new arts performing center. I signed up immediately because of my background in music. I remember being able to perform at the Blair School of Music for competitions and recitals, so I found this project to be of interest. Anyway, I donated $250 over the last ten months to this cause. Now that I have paid my part, that's $25 per month that I have back now. However, I want to pay it forward again. I didn't miss that $25, so I want to donate it. This year, I would like to donate $25 each month to a cause. Already, I can think of a few that I will donate to (Mission of Hope, the Epsilon Xi Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi, the Phi Sigma Pi Foundation). I'm sure I will find other causes that I would like to donate to throughout the year. If you think of anything, please let me know.
11.) Blog at least twice a month I think I have mastered the art of blogging once a month. I'm going to up the frequency this year. I want to blog at least twice a month (obviously one month I'm going to be blogging every day). One of these will include a resolution update because several of my resolutions require some sort of monthly action. I will include more links, more pictures, and just more in general!
Well, that's a recap and an update for the upcoming year. I hope to see everyone making their own resolutions! I would love to add you to my Blog roll -->; so if you have a blog, let me know!
Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
It's so hard to say goodbye...
Every year, really every semester, I find myself having to say goodbye to someone. Usually it's a Brother who is graduating and moving on to bigger better things outside of Johnson City. However, this month, I've already had to say goodbye to several people in the past week (one includes a wonderful instructor from the Chemistry department who will be greatly missed). I will also have to say goodbye to my brother (not fraternity brother), Alex, at the end of the month for when he leaves for the Philippines to be rejoined with his lovely fiancee and to begin his Ph.D. program .
I wanted to post about how I feel about goodbyes. I hate goodbyes, yes, hate. When this song played at the end of my 8th grade year of middle school, I cried. When I left for college, I cried. I hate saying goodbye. So, being the introverted self that I am, I tend to try to not say goodbye anymore...if that makes any sense. For example, when graduate students leave for their next graduate school or to start their career, I typically just do the usually check-out paperwork and get their keys from them. Never do I really say, "It was nice working with you" or "Good luck with you life". It seems too final for me! I often will say, "See you later" or "Have a good day" like I normally would. It may come across a little cold, but it's just my way of dealing with the fact that I don't want to say goodbye.
Anyway, so if I had to say goodbye recently or if I'm going to say goodbye to you soon, please don't take my nonchalant conversation and tone as being cold. I just simply don't want to say goodbye! I will definitely give hugs (if you move first though, again, I really hate goodbyes) and I will keep in touch if you would like! I know that all of you are going off to do awesome things! :)
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Thanksgiving: Day 30
Ok...last but certainly not least. Today I'm extremely thankful for my parents. Tonight, Mom cooked Thanksgiving dinner for Daddy, Christie, Alex, Ryan, and I. It was a wonderful dinner! You knew it was good food when the dinner table was quiet! ;) Anyway, I am so thankful for my mom and dad. I literally wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. :P They have shown me so much love and given me so much support throughout my life and continue to do so. I don't know what I'd do without them. I could go on about how awesome they are, but I want to keep this post brief. All in all, I love you both, Mom and Dad, and I'm so glad that I got to spend this weekend with you!
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