Friday reflections – my 2014 goals and how I’m doing

Hey there, hi there, ho there!!

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It’s Friday!!

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So, um, did you realize that it’s October already?

I mean, I knew it was October but I didn’t really comprehend that it’s OCTOBER already.

There are only 82 days until Christmas, which also means that there are only 89 days until it’s 2015.

What?!

In the middle of my mild panic attack, I remembered that I had set some goals for this year.

Let’s see how I’m doing.

1. Get a BQ at the Flying Pig Marathon

Well, that didn’t happen.  And, way back on January 16, I KNEW it wasn’t going to happen which is why I reevaluated my goal and edited it to breaking 4 hours.

Which didn’t happen either.

But, that’s okay. I had FUN and sometimes, that’s the most important part. 🙂

2. Run a 50k

Hmmm.  The 50k is in 8 days and you know I’m not running it. 😦

BUT, I’m not letting it get me down and I’ve already started thinking about next year now that I’m out of that stupid boot!

The time IN the boot, as much as I hated it, was really good for me to evaluate who I am, as well as helping to heal my injury.

I’ll be back to running soon and I CAN. NOT. WAIT. #patiencegrasshopper

3. Upgrading my pantry, cutting out processed foods, and recipe development

Well, I think I’ve done pretty well with upgrading my pantry and cutting out processed foods.

I didn’t really eat too many to begin with but I’ve definitely been more conscious about what I buy at the grocery store.

As for recipe development, I think I’ve been doing pretty well!

I’ve made

Triple Chocolate Avocado Brownies

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Brownie Cookies

Bacon Bourbon Blue Cheese Bison Burgers

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Salmon Fillets

Crockpot Tomatillo Salsa Chicken

Quick and Easy Crockpot Roast

Wow! I’ve been busy!!

And, there’s still 89 days left this year for me to come up with some more new stuff!

4. Have fun

I think I’ve aced this goal so far. 🙂

I went to my first FitBloggin‘ conference, got to hang out with my blogging buddy Lena, and met a whole bunch of  awesome new people – including Arian Foster!!

lemme take a selfie

We went to Colonial Williamsburg, I took Thing 2 to Busch Gardens, went to our first Navy Dining Out, my sailor got promoted to Master Chief!, we went hiking, I saw a bear, we went antiquing, got gussied up and rode a water taxi to the Navy Khaki Ball, etc, etc, etc.

Yeah, definitely hit the nail on the head with this goal. 🙂

So now, it’s time for me to start evaluating and thinking about goals for next year.

And, some short term goals for the rest of this year.

Like, finally trying my hand at some homemade barbecue sauce.

Or, power cleaning more than 95#.

Or improving my overhead squat.

And definitely – MOST definitely – having more fun. 🙂

Talk to me: Did you set goals for this year? How are you doing on them? Do you reevaluate your goals regularly or do you forget about them until faced with a new year?

Five on Friday – randomness

Oh. Em. Gee. It’s FINALLY Friday!

This week has been ridiculously long. Painfully long. That’s probably because last week was a 3 day week with the 4th of July falling on a Friday. A 3-day weekend that’s Friday, Saturday, and Sunday rather than Saturday, Sunday, and Monday is just odd.

Speaking of odd, I have some random things to share with you in this week’s edition of “Five on Friday.”

ONE

So, Eliza doesn’t like to be brushed. In fact, she really doesn’t like to be held. Sometimes, like maybe 2 or 3 times a year, she’ll sit on your lap but only when she decided that’s what she wants to do. She also likes to be outside. Not outside, outside but outside in our screened in porch. Where it’s hot. And humid. And OUTSIDE.

She has a fur coat.

She doesn’t like to be brushed.

She’s not big on grooming herself. Yes, she’s lazy.

Because of that, her fur gets really matted. Like BAD. HUGE. AWFUL clumps of fur.

And then she gets a hair cut.

 

She’s happy. Trust me.

TWO

These Vega bars.

Oh my goodness. So good!

I was lucky enough to get a hold of a few dozen at FitBloggin’ and I’m in heaven.

I eat them as I go from work to CrossFit and we even took them on our hike last weekend. So what if they got a little melty and smooshed on our fingers? Chocolate + peanut butter + melty = licking the wrapper. 🙂

THREE

W. T. F.

Have I ever mentioned that my new CrossFit box is attached/next door to a dry cleaners? We share the restroom and I see some odd things when I’m going back that way.

FOUR

I found these at Harris Teeter. You must find them. They are UH-MAY-ZING.

 

They come individually wrapped so you could even throw one in your lunchbox if you chose to. We’ve grilled them and served them with grilled veggies, tortilla chips, and guacamole. My sailor put his in a bun. (you know, no matter how many different ways I tried to say that, it all just sounds really, really inappropriate.)

 

FIVE

Random spray painted words on the street.

 

I don’t know. I got nothin’.

Talk to me: What sort of random things have you seen/heard this week? Have you ever given a cat a hair cut? Do you think all manholes are filled with dirt?  (Ha! More inappropriateness. I crack myself up.)

 

An interesting take on how to measure success

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!

(It seriously feels like it should be Thursday. Why is it not Thursday?)

So, there’s this article that’s been circulating on Facebook. Have you seen it?

It’s called, “20 Signs You’re Succeeding In Life Even If You Don’t Feel You Are.”

It’s actually pretty interesting.

Success is not always measured by how much money you make (not enough!) and what kind of car you drive (a paid off one, thankyouverymuch!) or other physical things/objects.

Success can be measured by intangibles. Bet you never thought of that, did you? I know I didn’t.

Out of the 20 signs, there were a few that really resonated with me. Like, they made me stop and think about how much I’ve grown and changed over the years (thank goodness!) and what really drove some of those changes.

(And just so you aren’t confused, I’m numbering them the way they are in the article. I didn’t forget how to count.)

1. Your relationships are less dramatic than they used to be.

Boy, oh boy, is that true!  And she’s not just talking about your relationship with your significant other – it goes for friends, too. That drama may be fun when you’re young and every feeling is just so magnified and love hurts you down to the follicles of your hair but, sheesh, who’s got time for that when there’s kids to raise, jobs to go to, bills & mortgages to pay, and LIFE to be LIVED? And those friends that just reek of drama? You know the ones – the ones who are angry about anything and everything, the ones who complain about all manner of things (even if it’s their own damn fault), the ones who pull the “woe is me” card all the time. I mean, I get it – been there, done that, got the scar/stitches on my heart/psyche but…..isn’t it time to let it go? Grow up a little? Leave the teenage drama for the teenagers? #justsayin

3. You have raised your standards.

I don’t know when it happened but it did. All of a sudden, I expect people to behave like mature, normal human beings (see #1) and I hold them accountable for their actions. I mean, I don’t make promises I can’t keep and I treat people the way I want to be treated and I want the same in return. I deserve it. And, if you want to act a fool, ain’t no one got time fo dat!

5. You have moments where you appreciate who you see in the mirror.

Well, I’ll be honest. It definitely took some time to get to this point. Too MUCH time, if you ask me. Seriously, I was 38 when I decided I was okay JUST THE WAY I AM. That, coincidentally (or not), was when I got my first tattoo. For me. About me. She’s (me) got my back. I wish I had realized that I’m pretty awesome back when I was younger. THAT would have saved a lot of grief, stress, broken hearts, time with people who didn’t think the same thing and weren’t worth it. But, all of that made me who I am today so, in retrospect, I’m okay with it. And now that I like me, I do more things for me and I enjoy them!

I should add, I was 38 when I got back into running and ran my first marathon. 🙂

8. You don’t complain much.

The article states, “Because you know there really is nothing to complain about. Unless you really have gone through some horrific life experience and had unimaginable losses, most of what we all experience on a day-to-day basis is just mundane. And successful people know that. And they live in a space of gratitude.”

Exactly. (also, see #1)

Life’s too short to complain, especially about something ridiculous or that you can’t change. (in the article, see #17 and #18)

16. You don’t care what other people think.

Well, I’ve mostly got this one. I spent so much time worrying about what other people thought that it’s kind of a hard habit to break but, yeah, Dr. Seuss said it best:

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

I actually have that written on a sticky note above my computer at my desk. Sometimes, it helps to have that reminder so I don’t fall back into old habits. One

Worrying about what other people think isn’t likely to change their opinion, anyway. The only person’s happiness you are ultimately responsible for is your own. Make yourself happy. You deserve it.

Talk to me: What do you think? Which signs do you see in your life?