Thursdays are now for Thinking Out Loud!

Hello, hello!

So, you’re probably wondering what the heck I’m talking about.

Pssh, like that’s anything new. I often wonder what the heck I’m talking about, too!

Well, this time, it’s your lucky day! I’ll tell you. 🙂

I’ve decided to join in the fun and link up with Amanda’s blog over at Running With Spoons! Here’s what Thinking Out Loud is all about – uh, thinking out loud (duh) without looking like the crazy person wandering the grocery store talking to herself!

Unless, of course, that’s where you do some serious thinking out loud and then, well, you’re on your own. #crazypersonalert

1. Printed/patterned socks

I love printed/patterned socks. I probably shouldn’t. They certainly aren’t fashionable (but, remember when they WERE?!) and I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a pair out in public. But, for some reason, I held on to some. I mean, really, it’s cold (um, hello, unless you live in Hawaii, Miami, or Mexico, you’re probably freezing right now) and we have wood floors. And, I don’t want to put on running socks when I change out of my work/workout gear because those are only for RUNNING and I certainly don’t want to put on boring work appropriate socks and just lounge in them so……

Is it bad that I’m wearing my Christmas socks and it’s not Christmas anymore?

2. Homework

Hoooo boy. It’s been a minute since I’ve had homework.

I may have bitten off a little more than I can chew, too. I’m presently registered for 2 classes and, once my Consortium Agreement is approved, will be registering for another class at a different university (the class I need isn’t offered online at Eastern Michigan). So, I’ll be taking 9 credits.

NINE.

And still working full time.

Pray for me.

3. Pinterest boards

So, we have an entry way in our house. I mean, everyone pretty much has an entry way but our little foyer is its own little room. We have a Cape Cod and the front door is pushed out a little. Yes, I know that’s a terrible description. Here’s a picture…

see what I mean? Yes? Good. (isn’t my house CUTE?!)

Anywho, we open the front door and we’re in the foyer with a nook and a coat closet and then, there’s another door (glass paned) to get into the house.

*side note – we don’t call this room the foyer. it’s the ‘forbidden room.’ as in, forbidden and off limits to the animals. makes answering the door a much calmer situation without the cats trying to escape or the dogs being nosy. 🙂  it’s also a very cold little room. probably because we keep the inner door closed all the time so it never gets any heat from the house. cold and forbidden.

Well, we want to “warm” it up a little with some paint in the nook and maybe a bench, umbrella stand, some hooks, and a mirror.

But, the closest I’ve gotten to making something happen is taping paint chips to the wall (been there for a couple of months now. still no paint.) and filling up a pinterest board with ideas. I really like that one. Can someone come help me make it reality?

4. Sunsets

I’ll tell you what. I am very very well aware of the fact that I should not be taking pictures while I’m driving but, come on, how could I not?! We have some absolutely gorgeous sunsets over the river. *love* So, there. Now you know. If I share a picture of a sunset (or even a sunrise over the shipyard) and there’s water involved, there’s a 99% chance I took it while I was driving. Please don’t tell on me.

Talk to me: Your turn! Tell me something random. 🙂

– jennifer

Holiday reflections and looking forward to 2015

Hello, hello!

I hope you and yours had a very merry Christmas!

I had planned on taking a few days off of blogging but certainly didn’t plan on a whole week!

Our Christmas was pretty fantastic.

Thing 2 had to work the early shift on Christmas morning but I still got up early.

I had muffins to make and deliver to her at work! 🙂

We did gifts when she got off work.

Let me tell you something – we clearly are still children because that was the LONGEST. WAIT. EVER! We kept looking at the gifts and then at the clock and then out the window. #impatient

Then, it was time for Christmas dinner!

Of course, we grilled our turkey. Thank you, Mother Nature, for giving us a gorgeous day for it!

Think this is enough for 4? 😉

And then the bubonic plague flu set in and we’ve been down for the count ever since.

I’ve literally been on the couch since Friday. It’s my new home.

There are only a couple of pictures of my misery.

As you can see, I was well taken care of. 🙂

Thing 1 came up the day after Christmas and took one look around and decided she was better off at home. It was nice to have her here but I understood her early departure.

My sailor got hit pretty hard too – he’s a day or so behind me in the recovery process so this New Year’s holiday and weekend is going to be filled with rest and recuperation rather than parties and celebration.

Speaking of the new year, ’tis the season for those resolutions!

Are you making any? Did you make any last year? How did that work out for you?

I find that most people make resolutions in hopes of “changing” something fairly ambiguous (usually revolving around a number on a scale) like a behavior. “I resolve to lose weight!” or “I resolve to get back in shape!” Gym memberships tend to spike in January and then, by February, all those “resolutioners” are back on their couches because they didn’t actually set GOALS.

Instead of saying, “I resolve to get back into shape!” say, “I’m going to train and run a 5k!” or “I’m going to learn how to dance.” (that’s fun!) or “I’m going to eliminate soda from my diet in January.”

Smart, attainable goals that allow you to see results and move forward from there!

I’d already been thinking about my goals for 2015 but all my recent time on the couch has afforded me some extra time for reflection. At least, when my brain wasn’t foggy, that is.

So, without further ado, these are my goals for 2015:

Fitness

Well,  I have a few fitness goals. Barring any unforeseen accidents, one goal is to stay physically healthy. I should be able to manage this by working more on mobility and flexibility, upgrading my shoes on time, and listening to my body. Getting back to back fractures in my feet really stunk and I do NOT want to go down that road again. I also plan to run just because I love it. I’ve kicked around the thought of still shooting for a 50k. I obviously haven’t gotten the okay to run from the orthopedist (now THAT would be a sight since I’m still in the boot! ha!) but, once I’m clear, I just want to enjoy my time out on the road. I’ve got plenty of time to do a 50k if that’s what I decide I want to do. As far as CrossFit is concerned, I plan to really work on achieving chest-to-bar pull-ups, strict ring dips, and a bar muscle-up.

Education

In case you missed it, I am starting back to school on January 5th! I’ll be completing my undergrad science pre-requisites this year and completing my application into the Coordinated Program in Dietetics. My goals are to earn all As and have a perfect application packet. 🙂

Life

A friend/colleague of mine recently suffered a huge health problem. She went in for a hysterectomy and, while the doctors were operating, they discovered she had a severe case of flesh-eating bacteria. It was literally eating her from the inside out. She had 13 (!) surgeries, flat-lined twice, and spent some time in a coma. She was in the hospital for numerous weeks. During her first week back at work, we talked about some of the things she had experienced. She told me about this dream/vision she had during the second time she essentially died. I won’t go into the details because, well, it’s not mine to share and it was also a little scary but basically, she saw the face of evil. The take-away she got from it was that she needs to love people more. But not just her family and friends. ALL people. Especially the ones she doesn’t want to love.

I happen to think that’s an excellent idea.

There is entirely too much negativity and hatred in this world. But, just because we’re surrounded by it doesn’t mean we have to let it into our own world.  We certainly don’t have to add to it. Maybe we can even help to change it. A smile and a kind word go a long way, even if you’d rather give that person a piece of your mind instead. So, in 2015, my goal is to love more and to get involved with a humanitarian organization in my community.

Well, there you have it. It’s going to be a busy and fantastic year!

If you’re heading out to celebrate tonight, have fun and be safe! 2015 won’t be the same without you. 🙂

Talk to me: What are your goals for 2015?

– jennifer