january 2019.

the first month of the year. a new year. a fresh start. the month that sets the tone for the year. you want to set obtainable goals so you don't lose heart and quit, but not "too easy" so the year only seems to get harder from that point on. setting the right goals can sometimes be pressure in and of itself. when does it all end?! lol. here are my goals for january:

1. pay off current balance and do not use second account

2. hit the gym at least 4 days a week

3. attend church at least twice 

4. schedule appointment with electrician

5. sort/organize/purge in office closet

6. organize/style office bookcases

7. hang art

8. start studying again - make flashcards for glossary terms

9. 31 day challenge - do not drink any hfcs soda

10. restart monthly cleaning sessions for bathrooms, kitchen, etc. i used to be so neat & clean!

to be continued...

call them resolutions. call them goals. they're both. hopes and dreams for the new year. some are ideas that carry on from year to year, that every year i hope is the year it happens! a fresh start and a continuation of the good decisions i made in the prior year. 2018 has been so great so i really hope 2019 can at least match the awesomeness, in different ways of course. Here's my short list for goals for the new year.

1. QUIT once and for all
2. CLOSE two accounts
3. STUDY for aicp exam
4. PAINT black nook in entry & white in the garage
5. PURGE get rid of the excess
6. SWEAT operation fit for 36
7. LOVE find someone worth my time
8. JESUS attend church at least twice a month

last chance.

31 days. last month of the year. the final opportunity to do all the things i've wanted to do the entire year in a few short weeks. it's the kind of month that feels so final and yet, the opportunity to take the next step in our lives. here are my goals for the final month of 2018:

1. work. i am really hoping to de-stress my life and that includes work. work can be one of the largest stressors in my life and i'm tired of it. i'm tired of caring so much, of investing my self so much into my work, of feeling beat down and so tired ALL THE TIME. i doubt much will change in a month, but at least baby steps could start...

2. sweat. same as november - get over it! get over my fears and get my butt back into the gym on a regular basis. i know i'm capable of it and i want to do it, i'm just scared of working out in such a big gym -- that is ironically small when it comes to finding space to do my own thing. but, i can't get the body i want and the health i want until i allow myself to be the best i can be...and that includes going to the gym.

3. routine. i am a creature of habit. so by establishing new routines, i hope to be able to change my lifestyle so that i am going to the gym regularly and doing the things i want to be doing (and stop doing other things). the first step? GO TO BED ON TIME. this should be no later than 9:30 pm sundays-thursdays. really i should be IN bed by 9:30 pm.

4. money. i am still on track to have two accounts paid off by the end of the year, and hopefully a third. i'm still trying to do with the FT funds...take them or let them grow. that will help decide the fate of the rest of my debt as well as growing my savings.

5. exam. i took the exam and still failed. i earned one extra point. i am still eligible and can retake it in may without having to reapply. i'm going to register and choose my date. but, i'm going to use december as a break - enjoy the holidays, tackle some projects around the house and just de-stress a bit. then, i'll pick back the books come january. i have a lot of reading to do...

here's hoping to end 2018 on a high note!

november 2018.

i have been working on this post for at least a week. it seems absolutely silly because i am 99% sure that i am the only one that reads and cares about this blog...i could be wrong, and if i am, please let me know.

...it is officially november. it's the beginning of the end..of 2018. less than 60 days until we write our resolutions for the new year and look fondly back on the year that was. i want to end this year well, and thankfully, i am already working on the best finish...i just need to stay the course. i always plan these lofty ideals of what i'm going to get done in a month and really...i'm doing a pretty good job of not doing this lately. so, here are the things i am going to do this month:


1. work. beyond the daily 8-5, we have two community events this month that i help plan. a) the community campfire is saturday, november 3. basically, i show up, we make a fire and people come roast marshmallows, make s'mores and be social for an hour and a half while i get comp time. b) at the end of the month, we take pictures of kids with santa and print them for them for free. i choose, buy and assemble cute frames and do my best to keep people out of my personal space for a couple hours. this one is fun because some of those kids are really cute.

2. sweat. i really just have to get over what ever fears i have and get my butt to the gym at the dark-crack of dawn every darn day (well, at least 5 days a week). i know that i'm capable of it and i want to do it, i'm just scared. i also know that i can't get the body i want and the health that i want until i allow myself to be the best i can be...and that includes going to the gym. this means i have to establish and stick to evening and morning routines so that this is easier for me.

3. routine. establish and stick to evening and morning routines. this will help me be more alert and open to certain things, as well as allow myself to get to the gym at 5am...a) turn the tv off at 9pm every night (except fridays and saturdays); evening routines = floss/brush/use act; wash my face; use bc night mask; in bed by 9:30pm nightly sunday-thursday. b) gym at 5am monday-friday; shower & do my hair every day, even if it means i start using dry shampoo(!!); be proud of what i wear to work every day...casual fridays are fine but some days, i do literally roll out of bed. i really gotta quit that habit; eat breakfast before work every day (i thimk this will help curb my snacking at work significantly). this also means that i need to change a routine that is deeply embedded in my life...i want to stop enabling the worst habit i have. i need to.

4. money. ever since my grandma passed this summer and left me a monetary legacy, i have been working on whittling down my debt. the first account is nearly depleted as planned - i have used it to pay off my 401(k) loan, pay off two credit cards (to be closed in january 2019), score my dream master closet system (on sale of course!), and have some leftover to help paydown my third account. it will just about have cleared away all my credit debt. the second account i received went straight into the bank, so that's exciting. the third account is an annuity. i chose to close that account and should receive those funds within the next week or so. those funds will wipe out the rest of my credit card debt, allow me to buy a new set of tires and brake pads for my car that has officially reached +100k miles, and have some left over to either put in the bank or blow. once i take care of those items, i'll decide. it leaves me with one more account...i'm trying to decide what to do with the funds -- sell or keep them going -- by the end of the year.

5. study. i am in the home stretch...less than 3 weeks until my exam. i am really starting to feel the pressure.

6. extras. additionally, we are travelling to NoVa for Thanksgiving this year. It will be fun and fine...I was just really looking forward to having the whole week/weekend to get stuff done & being stuck in a car with your parents for 8+ hours...doesn't sounds super fun. i've also been in a really sour mood lately and i can't determine what it is because i'm not sad. monday was the first day i wasn't on prednisone, so that may be one reason. my doctor didn't wean me off it...i don't know but i would really like to get out of it and be a more pleasurable version of myself.

HERE'S TO A GREAT NOVEMBER!

life goals.

Instead of doing my monthly goal list (that I'm pretty sure no one but me reads), I wanted to change it up because I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how I want to change me, change my life and become the best version of myself. So, here goes...

How I am going to live my best life...

1. Establish a morning routine.
This requires I establish an evening routine and go to bed promptly every night (Sunday - Thursday), in order to be at the gym Monday - Friday by 5:00 am. This means I need to be in bed no later than 9:30 pm. Which means I turn off the tv at 9:00 pm, floss/brush/act, wash my face, use night regime, and finish getting ready for bed. From experience, I also either have to leave my cell phone in the bathroom or downstairs. When I bring it up with me, I'm usually on it for at least an hour before I finally get drowsy enough to pass out.

2. Be consistent with going to the gym.
This requires that I actually GO. Ha. The plan is to go every morning before work - so get to the gym when they open at 5 am. On the weekends, I would like to let Saturdays be my "rest day" because I feel like it would be really busy at the gym and I don't love lots of people in one space. So, then I would pick back up on Sundays when they open at 10 am. This allows me to go to church at Summit on Saturdays.

3. Give up the worst habit I have.
I don't know if you can really call it a habit at this point...after all, I've been doing it for over 10 years. If I could go back to my college self, I would say: "don't do it because it's not easy to stop." I know I have an addictive personality -- it's the reason I never let myself do anything other than smoke some weed in college. Who wants to get addicted to coke? I enjoy being a highly functional (most of the time), contributing member of society thankyouverymuch. It is time to be determined and disciplined and make this happen...I can't keep putting it off because it's only going to make it harder.

4. Study my butt off.
There are less than 75 days until my exam and it's time to kick it into overdrive. I only missed passing last time by 5 points. It's time to win back those points and put a check mark on this career bucket list item.

5. Treat myself with the respect I deserve.
I know there are certain things I should avoid to keep my body happy and yet I will indulge. Just because I can doesn't mean I should, so I am going to commit to a clean eating, paleo/primal-based diet. It's very similar to how I already eat just taking it up another notch. To me, this means nothing mainstream (soda, regular candy, potato chips, etc.) and sticking to meats, veggies, some fruits, water...I've already quit eating skittles. I was able to replace them with Black Forest Gummy Worms. The bears are good too, but it is too easy to eat too many and then feel icky afterwards. But, a few worms and I've had my sugar fix.

This also applies to men, but since I am intentionally not dating right now because of my exam, I can hit pause on this part of reinvention for a few more months.

6. Establish a beauty routine.
I have started to invest in various skin care products, tools and taken an interest in taking better care of my skin. To really get the best results, I need to do it consistently. Like, the Beautycounter Overnight Peel - that could be used after I wash my face, put on my R+F and then add that. I was getting good at doing my clay masks every couple of weeks and trailed off from doing that. An important factor of this puzzle piece is that the first piece has to be in place and working in order for me to be able to stick with this step. Right now, I'm showering at night and just rolling out of bed in the mornings so there is no productive routine happening, other than using R+F consistently and 2-3 times a week using my pore sucker (that has really helped, I think with helping clear up my forehead).

7. Do my chores regularly.
It's getting better, but there for awhile I wasn't cleaning anything or really doing any chores other than unloading/loading the dishwasher. I do plan on full-on cleaning my floors again, hopefully before Thanksgiving, but maybe it will be in between Thanksgiving and Christmas because it's so laborious. But, even just vacuuming the stairs. I did it for the first time just about a month ago...and that's after living in my house over 6 months, after the movers and the mattress delivery guys rolled through and everything. Ick. This is not me. I am known as being a clean freak so I really want to get back to that...it makes me happy.

8. Become financially independent.
I really believe that my grandma has really set me up to be successful financially...I'm just waiting for the checks to arrive so I can put my plan into motion. The first step includes Baby Step #1 (opening a separate checking account for an emergency fund and dropping in $1,000.00) and Baby Step #2a (paying off and closing my credit card accounts). After that, I plan on doing Baby Step #3 (adding 3-6 months' worth of expenses to the emergency fund) before going back to Baby Step #2b (paying back my parents). After that, I plan to save, save, save and put every dollar towards paying off my house earlier (goal: by my 40th birthday).

 

august 2018.

since july was a MAJOR FAIL at being a "no spend month," i'm going to try it again this month. work is super busy but i love it. since my boss left at the end of june, i've put on another couple hats and with my new boss, it looks like i'll get to keep these hats. this is great because i'll actually be getting more experience in my field...something my former boss didn't really allow me to do and then use the fact that i wasn't doing as much with planning against me when i talked about other things i was involved with. it was a sick cycle and i'm so glad it's over. needless to say, time is flying by - in just about two months i will celebrate six years with this town. creeping up on the record for longest time spent with a single company or city or county. i'm no spring chicken anymore! ha ha. this month also begins the ramped up effort for studying for my exam in november. i'm working on my terms and reading up on areas i have less practical experience in, like gis. hopefully i will remain disciplined and focused on my end goal because truth be told, i'm getting the itch to go out. but, i don't really want to...i want to look "A-MAZING" the next time i go out. gotta put in the work.


- NO SPEND MONTH: money is allowed to be spent on gas and at the grocery store. no money will be spent on home purchases, clothes, shoes, accessories, eating out, caffeine, non-GF treats, or any other non-essential.
- car inspection/registration renewal due by the end of the month
- pay off balance for snowball #1 (LLC) in order to close account by end of september
- get sleep schedule on track because i am TIRED OF BEING TIRED. this means going to bed by 10:00 pm sundays - thursdays. fridays & saturdays i tend to stay up because fridays are the csi marathon and saturdays are rizzoli & isles and rookie blue reruns. i really miss these shows.
- work out at the gym 5-6 days a week. i can almost guarantee i won't be there on a saturday morning except for the fact that the gym opens at 8am on saturdays and not until 10am on sundays.
- go all in on GF & NO SODA. no crap. portion my snacks.
- babysit saturday, august 4 6:00 - 11:00 pm.
- study for at least 1 hour each night (when possible) during the week & the bulk of my weekends...3.5 months left until my exam!

this is the time to stop talking about making these changes and finally following through. plus, i want to be thinner for this year's family photos that my parents include in their christmas cards. ;)

july 2018.

    money.

^NO SPEND MONTH! I will not spend money on home purchases, clothes, shoes, accessories, eating out, alcohol, caffeine, candy, non-GF treats, c-sticks, or any other non-essential. I can spend money on gas and groceries...it's time to get super frugal! Exceptions: study materials for my exam and paint. FAIL
^Pay balance of HOA Dues
^Transfer remaining balance (LLC) to new card in order to close that account!
^Pay car insurance in full - this saves $90.00 + $90/month in payments + no payments until January 2019!
^Begin making *significant* payments on lowest balance and start tackling my debt with intensity! (*significant* means at least double the minimum payment due)

me.

^church: go at least 3 times this month FAIL
^sweat: hit the gym 4-6 days a week
^beauty: start using all my fun tools from VP; weekly clay masks; be consistent with R+F (daily); consistently brush/floss/ACT after every meal; home pedicure twice a month; start oil pulling 1-2 nights each week.
^NO CRAP! I will not drink HFCS soda - caffeinated or not; I will not have any non-GF treats which means no skittles; I will portion my snacks so I'm not eating all day long at work; I will eat breakfast before I come to work; I will make everything I eat (exception: pizza). FAIL

fun.
^holiday! 7/4
^sister's birthday 7/9
^nephew's birthday 7/16
^hang art
^finish organizing the guest room

STUDYING RESUMES...MONTH 1 of 5 -- Exam Date: 11/19/2018
^make flash cards for vocabulary
^read supplemental materials (at least 5)

work.
^office closed 7/4
^town council 7/12
^planning board 7/19
^cwep 7/24
^pfc 7/25
pay days: 7/13, 7/27