It's been awhile since I've said anything here. I realized that I've been posting here for ten years, so I decided to republish some of the older posts from the past decade. It's crazy how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. I guess that's a fairly common realization but I'm still amazed none the less. I came here to document the big changes that have been going on just the last few months and some plans I have for the coming days, months and years. Instead I'll give you a reflection of the past, a flash of the present, and my hopeful projection for the future. Excuse the entirely narcissistic nature of this post as I won't be discussing much other than my immediate world. It is my blog after all.

Past and present...

• I guess the biggest change is that I'm single again, or as every form I fill out likes to point out, my marital status is divorced. I honestly couldn't be in a better place emotionally. 
• I've completed 2 Tough Mudders. I never would have thought I would be participating in anything 12 miles long that had obstacles involving ice water and electricity. 
• The munchkin isn't much of a munchkin anymore, she just turned 8 in January. She's an amazing person; She's smart, witty, tenacious, loves music, and is beautiful. 
• I had a great run at an amazing company over the last 3+ years but we parted ways in October. I'm still looking for my next "big thing".  
• My parents are retiring to Ecuador, within the next 12 months. Yes, I said Ecuador. I think I may be more excited than they are about this great big adventure.
• I still have massive time management issues. I'm still working on them. I'll still probably blog about it too. 
• I finally graduated from college, B.A Communication Arts (Advertising). Who saw that coming?
• Music is still a huge part of my world too. Listening mostly and occasionally still playing the guitar.

Future...

• I'm going back to college. I have a 6ish year plan that will result with me being a Registered Nurse Practitioner. It's going to be an interesting journey and I'm pretty psyched to get moving. Starting classes this summer, sooner if I work a couple of things out. 
• I've lost a lot of weight over the last few years. I have a few more pounds to go and a lot more endurance events I want to participate in.
• My friend Wes asked me a few years ago, "What big idea are you working on?". I didn't have an answer at the time. I'd lost my drive and vision for big ideas. I have a few in mind now Wes! Hopefully I'll be telling you all about them soon.

If you've made it this far, thank you.  I'm not sure how often I'll be posting and I've learned not to make a promise to do any better, but I'll be back.

Rings, Rings, and yes...more RINGS

Those of you that know me well know that I'm a bit of a DIY yourself junky, you also know that I'm not much of a jewelry person. What you may not know is that I'm a bit obsessed with rings that I can make. Long before every man, woman, and child's obsession with pinterest, I have scoured the internet for ring tutorials. The only one I have made with any success is the famous coin ring. I have a list of many others I want to make, so as my place is now finally getting in order I think its about time to get started.

I believe I will start with this one...

So you like broken records? Read on!

Since we last spoke I started drinking soda again and my sleep schedule is way messed up. And no I don't think there is a correlation between the two. Argue all you want but I generally know why I do what I do.

I'm quitting "the soda" AGAIN, tomorrow. Good grief I'm glad I'm not an alcoholic. I say that only because I know the damage that would do to those around me and at least with soda I'm only hurting myself.  We'll see how I do this go around and I'll let you know.

As for the sleep thing, I'm a heavy procrastinator. I always meet deadlines but I wait till the very last possible moment to get started. It seems most of my life I have procrastinated sleep as well. I have attributed this to being a night owl but really I think it's more of wanting to use my time seeking information. As a kid I would stay up reading until I was caught, and many times not caught, sometimes till 2am. As an adult, if I'm not diligent and disciplined I will stay up till 2 or 3 in the morning. It's not that I can't go to sleep, I usually fall asleep quite easily. I just want to read more, learn more, see what other people are doing, make stuff. If only I could turn this ever growing quest for knowledge and information into a job, that would be heaven. Do any of you procrastinate sleep? Do you just go with it or have you found a way to get some rest?

Here are some things I'd like to achieve this April. I'm just putting these out there, making them more concrete.

1. Run at least 4 days a week. 
2. Lose 10lbs
3. Teach the munchkin something new and hopefully something we can do together. 
4. Figure out if I really would use a sewing machine and maybe find a used one. (I really want to start making messenger bags)

I think that's enough for now, I'll let you know how it goes. 

The Proverbial Wagon

So I'm back on the wagon on several fronts...exercise, soda, time management, blogging (cough, cough). Okay, so I have never been good about blogging, but who knows, one of these days it might stick. So let's see, a brief catch up from the last post 13 months ago.

I have been on and off soda all year, and am currently off with no intentions of starting back. I know it sounds dumb, but it will always be hard for me, and it really is an all or nothing kind of thing in my world. When I'm not drinking soda I naturally eat healthier too, so that's a bonus. I'm still slowly losing some weight and I'm running/walking.

Speaking of running, I completed the Florida Tough Mudder, a 12 mile very muddy extreme obstacle course, back in December. I can not begin to describe how amazing that experience was. My teammates were phenomenal and supported me the entire way, I couldn't have done it without them. We are planning on doing it again this December and we want to expand our team (wanna come run with us, let me know!!!!) and train harder. I can't even imagine how much more fun it will be this year, having an idea of what to expect and being in better shape. In the mean time, I am signed up for two 5Ks in the next couple of weeks and I am starting to break in my new Vibrams for the Tough Mudder and the Emerald Coast MUDRUN for Orphans in May. Can you tell I'm hooked on the mud runs?

In other news I moved into a much smaller place this winter. So I am trying to organize my belongings, downsize even more, and simplify (even more). I have found that if my space is disorganized and a mess then I tend to waste time and time management begins to lack. When you work from home that becomes a major issue. The new place is slowly coming along, and if I can stay off pinterest long enough to implement some of the new ideas I find, I should have a functioning living and work space in the next week or two.

I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to take this blog, but I have a lot of ideas floating around right now. A few diy projects I am working on and projects I want to start; some crafty, some nerdy, some a little bit of both. So keep checking back, and hopefully this "wagon" will start goin' somewhere.

Colds, Goals and Soda

Alright, well the year has definitely started out with a little less momentum then I wanted. I have had a nasty virus for just over 3 weeks now, and it's still lingering. It's a bit hard to be excited about plans and to get moving on them when all you want to do is crawl under the covers. Enough about that, moving along.

So it's been 10 days facebook free, I can't say it's been easy. I still feel pretty disconnected from some people and events. Also, it's been eye-opening to see how much marketing and information is filtered through facebook. I come across bands, products, restaurants and they all direct me to facebook for more information. Before I just clicked through and didn't even notice that I was on facebook, now I notice how it has permeated everything. This has just reinforced how much I need the break, I'm sure as time goes on it will get easier.

As soon as I can do more than walk and not get into a coughing fit I am going to start P90X. I'm shooting for Monday, so we'll see how I feel. I have been wanting to try it for some time, and have had one excuse or another. I'm not going to post before and progress picks here, I'm not that brave, but I will post updates as to how I'm doing. I have some weight to lose, but mostly I just want to be more athletically fit. The McGuires 5K prediction run is coming up in March, I attempted to run it last year and ended up walking a good bit. Considering I had only done one other 5k and had no training whatsoever I was just happy to finish. This year I would like to at least run the majority of it. I've read several accounts of people using P90X to train for runs. So we will see.

The other big change I just started is giving up soda. Now I have to be honest and say part of it is due to a medication that I have to take that just makes carbonation taste nasty. I quit taking the medication a few months ago by choice and am back on as I should be. So, it certainly makes quitting carbonation much easier.  I also feel so much better when I'm not drinking soda and I know that it will go a long way in helping with the weight loss and exercise. Today was the first day and I have a killer headache from the caffeine withdrawal. That should give you an idea of how much soda I've been drinking.

If you've made it this far, bravo! I'll try to post updates a little more regularly so they aren't so long.

Facebook and Free Time

In being deliberate with my time I am finding I need to eliminate some things in my life so that I have more time available to be productive and have new experiences. To start with I am taking a break from facebook for the entire year. I won't be logging in at all through my phone or computer.

Those of you that know me well know that this will be difficult to begin with. Which just goes to show how important it is for me to remove this distraction.  I don't know how much time I spend a week on facebook but I know it's enough that I'd be embarrassed to actually figure it out. To be clear I am not giving up on other forms of social media, at least not yet. Nothing else even comes close to being habitual at this time.

I'm still working on my goals and specifics for the year, but I will be documenting some of the smaller things that I begin doing to fill up all this free time I am going to have now. Maybe I'll start to see some patterns of what I am gravitating to and enjoying.  

Just to give you an idea of where I am so far on the goals; I do know that I want to begin some sort of regimented exercise program and I need to work on some sort of spending plan. Some of the things I want to do this year are going to require money and good health. Seems like the start of this is more taking things away then adding experiences, but it's all part of the story.

If you have had any positive results with an exercise program or have any budgeting tips leave them in the comments. I would love to hear about them!

The Moments Add Up

For possibly the first time in my life I feel content. Today amongst much chaos in celebrating the new year I was able to reflect on the past year. Now, I am not one who does a lot reflecting and introspecting, so even though this may be common for many people this time of year it is a rarity for myself. I came to the conclusion that I am ready to make some changes in my world, some small and some large. Many of these changes will only be noticeable to me, some maybe only to a few, and others to most anyone in my life. Regardless of how big or small, they will be accomplished one deliberate moment at a time. I am going to use this blog to document the changes and maybe bring a little more reflection into my life. I am finally choosing to live my life as a story and I want it to be a tale for the ages.

(insert here your favorite quote or cliche regarding life being about the journey and not the destination)

At this point I am still working out what my specific goals will be for 2011. As of this writing I only have general categories that most resolutions and goals fall into - finances, health, travel. Over the next week or so I will be exploring ideas and specifics. If you would like to follow along with my story feel free. I can always use the support and friendship.

I leave you with a quote that I hope defines 2011 for me.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."
                                          - Ralph Waldo Emerson