The Ever Evolving List - Jan. 1, 2016 Edition

           

       I find that if I don't have a to do list, I forget about things I was supposed to do. This has been a bit of the case with my 40 things to do by the time I'm 40 list. However, in reviewing the list, I realize there are some things that don't interest me much anymore. 

       First, I'm moving this to a bit looser "Bucket List". There are some bigger goals I'd like to achieve, that I know just aren't possible in 5 years. And, there's still LOTS of work here, but if I look at my 5 year goals, they match up well. :-)

       So, here is my "edit" so far.

       1.       Run a marathon (Planned October 15, 2016)

       2.       Get a passport  Done August 2014
       3.       Finish master’s degree  Done August 2015
       4.       Buy a house
5.       Visit Poland
6.       Pay off credit cards  Plan in place and moving along
7.       See Paul McCartney in concert  Done TWICE (October 2014, October 2015)
8.       Read “Midnight’s Children”
9.       Visit France
10.   Have living space in order  Seems to be a work in progress
11.   Visit all presidential libraries
12.   Eat at the Knight Cap
13.   Visit England
14.   Take a do nothing vacation
15.   Visit all Big Ten football stadiums
16.   Scuba diving
17.   See a Broadway play
18.   Ride in a hot air balloon
19.   Sing karaoke at  a bar
20.   Run the Mackinac Bridge
21.   Have 6 months living expenses in savings
22.   Regularly practice yoga
23.   Read 52 books in one year
24.   Go to the Kentucky Derby
25.   Visit Graceland
26.   Learn to meditate
27.   Own a bulldog
28.   Eat sushi in Japan
29.   Take an Alaskan cruise
30.   Raise $10,000 for Team in Training
31.    Visit the DIA
32.   Tour the White House
33.   Go to Mardi Gras
34.   Buy a bike
35.   Learn to write grants  Done through MPA program and work
36.   Run the Detroit Half Marathon
37.   Learn to swim
38.   Buy a pair of Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo shoes  Removing: I just don't need more stuff
39.   Put together my family tree  Maybe some day, but I don't need it to happen
40.   Read the Bible  Maybe some day, but I don't need it to happen
41.   Start a charity

       42:  Run a half marathon in each of the 50 states and D.C.  This is a new one!

Simple gestures

Looking at this blog, I haven't written in almost a year and a half. That's fairly coincidental, since today's events have lead me and Dakota (my dog) to a familiar place: the vet. You see, around that time, she had to have surgery on her left doggie ACL, and had a few weeks recovery time. Today, she was 1 1/2 hours away from me when I got a call that would get me to pick up and race to get her for a late afternoon vet appointment - she tried to chase a school bus outside, yelped, and stopped putting weight on her right hind leg.

From the description, it sounded like what happened in May 2014. So, I raced to my parents' house, picked her up and brought her back to Lansing. We got back a little early, so we stopped home. Then we went to the vet.

Sometimes, we don't plan to be in a particular place. I certainly didn't wake up this morning and think I would be at the vet this afternoon because, well, I wasn't picking my dog up until this evening. But here I was, with my almost 11 year old, grey snouted mutt who was laying on the floor near my feet and in pain.

Another dog, who was larger, and his owner were also in the waiting room. The dog was a stately old gentlemen who moved gingerly and slowly. He was grey around the muzzle like Dakota. Overhearing the tech and owner, the dog was in for blood work to check red and white cells. He'd been doing this every two weeks.

The tech took the dog back to get the blood taken, and when he brought him back to the waiting room. His owner told me his dog was 12 years old and had been sleeping a lot lately. As his owner tried to leave, the dog walked right over to Dakota and started to sniff her. She also sniffed him. There was no growling.

It was peaceful. Then, the dog licked the side of her face, as though he knew that she was also in pain. And she let him. She had no issues with him, but they started to head out. They would get their results tomorrow. For some reason, my eyes had teared up. And then we were waiting again.

I'll admit - I panicked a little this morning. Though I sort of thought it might be a ligament issue similar to the one she had before, as she's been getting older, I worry that something is going to be bigger than that. But we have't gotten there yet.

And while the vet office waiting room wasn't where I expected to be this afternoon, the simple gesture of one dog meeting and greeting, and perhaps comforting another dog was perhaps the most important thing that happened to me today.

To run or not to run - that is the question

This weekend, I was faced with what turned out to be a more difficult decision for me than I thought it would be - to run or not to run.

I've been dealing with two nagging pains in recent weeks - left shin and right IT band/hip. My plan this weekend was to run a 5K on Saturday and then run the remaining 10 miles on Sunday. And it didn't happen.

The 5K went pretty well and I felt fairly good during the race. But after, the pain in my shin began to increase, despite ice and wrapping it. I woke up on Sunday morning and cancelled my plans, opting to RICE my leg in hopes of making it feel better. I had thought I would go to yoga or the Y to use the elliptical, but I ended up just staying home.

Which brings me to today. I've continued icing my leg, but also went to the Y and did two miles on the elliptical and 5 miles on the bike. While this burned just as many calories as running would have in the same amount of time, it's not the same. I'm having a bit of a rough time with the idea that I should stop running to heal. I'm planning on heading to the injury clinic on Wednesday to get it checked out and see if there's anything else I can do.

I know cross-training is good. But I can't help but think that maybe I shouldn't be running. Maybe the pain is getting to me, since I had just started all over again and now I'm facing another setback.

At this point, I'm playing the waiting game until I can get a better idea of what's going on. At least my dog and I are operating at about the same speed this week...

The Race

I was asked an interesting question last night about my running.

"Why do you race?"

It was followed up with things like "the training schedule would drive me nuts", "why not just run?"

I've been thinking about it this morning (as I slept late and skipped my long run again).

I like some structure - so training schedules are typically good for me. It gives me something to strive for. That's also partially why I race - to give myself a goal. This is especially useful for someone who was never a runner before. I sometimes need to prove to myself that I can do it.

But the more I think about it, the more I keep coming back to the running culture. It's about being around people that get what you're going through - the struggles, the triumphs and the support.

I am always in awe at the running community, particularly at races. There are so many of the fast runners that stick around and cheer on us slow runners to the finish. Theres always such a happy, festive atmosphere.

So I would say that I run for many reasons - fun, goals, bling, comraderie, health, structure, being introduced to new courses/areas.

Why do you run races?

Around the Country...

Most days, I have squirrel syndrome. I should be doing one thing, and 18 other things pop up in my head.

This happens most ridiculously when I have to write a paper or do homework. My brain hops around from topic to topic. I get a lot of dishes and cleaning done. I end up booking hotel rooms for early 2015. I actually did this on Monday for the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans race in January 2015.

But this week, not only did I book the hotel room, I started to look into a 2015 Team in Training race. In Alaska. You see, comparatively to others, I haven't traveled a lot. I haven't take many vacations and I think it's about time that changes.

What better way to marry running and traveling?

So, I have put together a spreadsheet of all 50 states, plus D.C. My goal is to run at least one long distance race in each US state. 

So far, I've got Michigan (duh) and Washington, D.C. I am scheduled for a race in Florida in November. And, I suppose I will be running to and from Canada in October, eh?

What I ask is this - wanna go on a trip? I'm happy to have travel companions!

Sometimes, you just have to get by...

Over the weekend, something popped into my head that I was finally able to think about. You see, I've been just getting by. Doing the absolute minimum, making excuses for doing so, being tired, etc.

Yup, I've been lazy. I'm sure I'll get push back from that. Obviously, it's relative. In some ways, it's not exactly lazy, but prioritizing things differently. Unfortunately, it's also gotten to the point of prioritizing being lazy over most other things.

I've just been working on getting by. It's incredible how quickly things happen: junk piles up in various places, due dates come up, weight piles on, running ability is gone, etc. But to get those things back to normal it takes time. Things can be ripped away so quickly, but it takes time to build things back up.

I started thinking about this because it's been a theme in work, school and life for me this year. I was reminded that we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves. 

I've been thinking things like:

1) Why can't I run 11:30/mile anymore?

2) This paper should be so much easier than it is.

3) I really should be much further along in X, Y and Z.

4) Wait, there's only one of me and I can only do so much...

It seems the puzzle is finally coming together for me. I've had a productive few days, and I hope it continues. I have had to remind myself that I cannot get the 8,000 things on my to do lists done today, this week, or this month. 

I see a picture in my head of a skyscraper, half built. While we can't come to a halt on things, but we also need to be realistic with what we can do and how long the bigger picture takes to get to.

It seems like today, people are expected to do so much more and be everything to everyone at all times. It's not realistic, and I've been reminded of this recently. And what I take from that is that when we don't allow ourselves and others to hold us to unrealistic expectations, we're happier and more productive.

Don't sweat the small stuff - embrace it

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." - John Wooden

Over this past week, I've noticed a different in how I'm looking at life. I've finally started to come out of the awful rut I've been in. Part of it is that I have taken the last couple of weekends to myself and had some quiet time. I've been listening to what my brain and body needs. It's not the easiest process when things are nagging at me from the to do list.

But in the process, I've noticed some little things that I've had some success at. Seriously, the fact that I cleaned out an entire drawer in my bathroom was a success for me. Small, seemingly trivial things are what I'm basing things on right now. It's all about baby steps.

We have big dreams. But what we need to remember is that there are steps to get there. I look at my to do list and it overwhelms me some days. Then I remind myself that not everything on it needs to be done RIGHT NOW. Prioritizing needs to happen. Sometimes I need to get away from the list and do something that I can just finish.

The moral? Honor what you can do at the moment. That small chore is the first step toward something bigger. Success builds upon success.

Sharing the struggle

As I was driving home from class tonight, I took a little time to reflect on the past few months and the struggles I've been dealing with. I mentioned in my last blog that some people probably wouldn't like that I was open with my struggle with depression, but honestly, the sentiment above is what I've chosen to follow.

I went to a meeting in Ferndale today with some colleagues, and if they didn't know before that I'm a smart ass, they know now. But anyway, I was sharing a little of what I've been dealing with, and in the conversation, we started talking about the stigma mental illness brings and how when you hear about it in the news, it's attached to violent acts or something to laugh at. It was brought up that one of my colleagues hadn't even noticed any changes. That's not the first time that has happened.

I still have the ability to function. The problem is that sometimes, it's only because I spend an hour talking myself into doing something. Sometimes, it's because my brain just doesn't believe I can do it. Sometimes, it's because I don't know what I can even contribute to the world. But I try to pull it together and get at least something done each day. 

It's not the way I like doing things. One colleague today was talking about everything that her high school daughter is involved in. And another made a statement about how she sounded like "that one" while pointing at me. Those of you who know me understand that I tend to do a lot with my time. So you can imagine that when my drive to do things isn't there, I end up beating myself up because I'm not being as productive as I believe I should.

I share what I'm going through to show others that it can happen to anyone. The stigma drives me nuts. Our society treats mental illness so differently than things like cancer or chronic disease. It shouldn't be that way. I share my experience so others know they are not alone. I share it because it's me. I'm tired of hearing that we all need to be happy and positive all of the time. Yes, there are people that are just cranky. But depression and mental illness are real. It's not something one can just snap out of. 

It's the struggle I've dealt with for a number of years. It's my struggle. Some days are better than others. Some weeks are better than others. Some years are better than others. The struggle has been triggered by multiple things - unemployment, stress, money and social shunning have all been culprits. But it ebbs and flows. When it happens, I just hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I know the tunnel is always around.

Failure and light

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." - Robert F. Kennedy

During the holidays, things started to slide for me. Since then, I've been fighting a pretty deep depression. I've been going through the motions, while longing to sleep most of the day, eat everything in sight to try and make me feel better, and barely stay afloat. I just haven't cared much.

Some of this may be news to you. Life has been off the rails for me since the beginning of 2014.

I've had a hard time getting any traction with my running. That led to me doing a half marathon this past Sunday only having run 25 miles since January 1. In case you were thinking about doing a half marathon without training, I'd highly suggest you don't.

Anyway, earlier in the week, I was cursing this decision to do a race in early March. I was cursing my friend Dave, whose idea it was (after we finish the GR Half back in October). I had lead time, I could have trained. I planned on training, but life and the dark cloud had hit me harder than I have experienced in awhile.

I was cursing on Saturday night. I was cursing on Sunday morning when my alarm went off (let's be honest, this is a daily occurrence). Leading up to this race, I was concerned about finishing before they closed the course. I was concerned about not finishing. But somehow, I still got up and went (paying for it already probably helped). I told myself it didn't matter when I finished, but I'd still get bling.

I walked a lot. It was slow. I used my YakTrax for the first time, and got huge blisters on my feet. At mile 6, I nearly fell (did the splits instead) and kept going. At mile 11, I really started to feel my body screaming at me. I was walking almost the entire time by that point. I couldn't get a good running rhythm the entire race. I thought about quitting multiple times. There was a good chance I was not going to finish this race.

Just after mile 12, there was a cheer station that was packing up when I got there (told you I was slow). But they were there, cheering just as they had been the first time I went by (around mile 8?). And there was one gentleman who saw I was struggling, put his hand out and gave me a high five. He told me that you could smell the finish line from here. And that kept me going at that point, despite the sniveling I was doing because someone cared enough to tell me I was almost there.

From there on, there was a city worker in a truck that gave me a thumbs up. I watched as people that had finished long before me were walking to their cars to go home. I reached the entrance to the school parking lot (where the finish line). I hit the 13 mile marker, could see the finish line and started to run (if you call it that...it was still pretty slow). I ran that last .1 mile in to the finish line.

There were a few people there to cheer me in, but most had already gone inside because it was so cold. But I kept walking to get my medal. Then into the school to warm up. As horrible as I felt, I had my bling.

I've been limping around since then. And while I may not have achieved greatly in the grand scheme of things, I put it out on the line to possibly fail horribly by not finishing this race.

This race was something I needed. I needed it to help me crawl out of the depression that's been keeping me down. It showed me a light I haven't been able to see in awhile. I hope there's more light. In fact, I need more light.

Black, white and the in between

There's a saying that things aren't always black or white, sometimes there's a lot of grey. I tend to gravitate toward this saying, but it's hard to say with a straight face sometimes, now that our society has been introduced to "50 Shades of Grey". It's funny how an awful book can ruin things sometimes.

Anyway, I was having a discussion with a colleague yesterday and it made me realize how far I've come personally and also with how people perceive me. Those of you that have known me for awhile probably remember when I was hot headed, get annoyed and frustrated at EVERY LITTLE THING and my view is always right.

Now, this isn't to say that I don't have those tendencies still. Because I do. And I recognize that. However, over time, I've had a lot of experience dealing with people - kids, adults, tweens, teenagers. It's amazing what teenagers can teach you. But what I've learned during that time is that many times, there's not a "right" or "wrong" answer. There are some beliefs that I have that are hardcore and not changing. But in most things, there's just a difference of opinion and views. But those differences are what can make something huge and impactful. If we'd put aside our stubbornness (yes, I am quite stubborn) and realize that we don't all have the same views and that's ok, I bet we'd be able to solve the problems of the world.

But right now, I see a lot of screaming from one side about how there is no good to taxes. I see a lot of screaming about how my view is the right view. But what we need to look at is how do we hold our beliefs, but still be flexible and listen to others? How do we put the right questions and model to the situation that will work best at that time? How do we take our beliefs and look at the long term consequences and what's best for everyone?

I can't answer all these questions. But I do think that as people that come from very different backgrounds and styles, we need to each ask ourselves these questions.

Looks can be deceiving...

I'm sure we've all heard it before that first impressions matter. And while this is true in most cases, I think we need to take those impressions with a grain of salt.

I look at this from my own experience. I've been told that I tend to seem stand-offish much of the time. I try to work on this, but in all honesty, it's a coping mechanism for me. Despite seeming outgoing, I really am nervous about meeting new people that I don't know much about and also interacting with people that I know do not like me. I put up a wall in order to protect myself.

As we continue to evolve, we need to make ourselves aware of our faults and try to work on them. But in that process, we also need to accept that there may be something more to those faults. Someone may act like a jerk not because they are, but because they're uncomfortable, worried or anxious.

So, while first impressions matter, I hope that we can sometimes learn to look past them. Many times, I have had the opportunity to change my opinion of people and add them as friends. We certainly could all do with a bit more understanding of others.

Change can be...uncomfortable

"Things do not change; we change." - Henry David Thoreau

Over the last six months, things have felt off. In some ways, I haven't been able to pinpoint it except to say that there are changes: changes in priorities, changes in interests, changes in how I feel, changes in how I look at things.

As I've changed interests and added goals, it's changed my priorities. I'm not as social as I used to be. Part of that is because I'm working on saving money (so not going out as much), I have been busy with school so I can finish my degree next year and honestly, I've just been tired. I still like beer, but I'm not the one you're gonna find drinking it more than once or so per month (if that). Running goals sometimes dictate my schedule and force early bedtimes.

As we change, it seems like things around us change also - sometimes it's that you don't fit in anymore. Sometimes it's that you're seen as anti-social. Sometimes it's seen withdrawal. But, sometimes people see it for what it is - that you're focusing on you for a bit.

So, that leaves me feeling...uncomfortable. In groups, in organizations, at home. It's not always a bad thing. But sometimes it does feel as though you're "on the edge, looking in". In the short term, it may be odd and rough. But I'm trying to see the long-term, bigger picture. The light at the end of the tunnel, if you will.

I still want to help people and learn things. I still want to teach people things. And in many ways, the uncomfortable feeling is teaching me about myself.

Thanks to the 90s

As I drove home from Ann Arbor tonight, I decided to do a quick blog as a shout out to the 90s music that kept me awake and driving. From grunge to rap, metal to cheesy songs, I had quite the sing-a-long.

One of those songs reminded me of one of my favorite concerts I've been to. The Wallflowers just put on a great show where they played and shared their music. And this song sort of feels fitting tonight.

Some would say I'm crazy...

Today was the annual Winterlaufe 8K race in Frankenmuth. This is the second year I've done the race, and it almost didn't happen because I really didn't want to get up this morning. But, after some prodding, I got up, got in the car and headed with my friend Dave to run the race.

Now, it was much snowier this year than last year. I don't have YakTrax and I thought I'd be ok. What I didn't bank on was the amount of snow that was on the roads and trail in this race. Most of it is on the roads, but there's a section that goes onto a trail that takes you over a bridge. I never felt like I could get my bearings and ended up walking a lot more than I had hoped.

During the race, I had a few thoughts about this running thing. I started thinking that maybe I'm not cut out for it. In the end, I ran about 14:46/mile, much lower than last year's 11:01/mile. I knew I was going slow. I anticipated being last in my age group (second to last). But it still felt like maybe I'm not good enough. But I kept going.

In the end, I remembered that I haven't been training regularly (and just getting back into it) and having to build myself back up after a lackluster end to 2013 and beginning to 2014. This was the opportunity to start over for the year (February 1) and recommit to my training. It also happened to be Declare It Day through Fellow Flowers (I have one of my favorite t-shirts from here - it's about courage).

So, I made an audacious goal:

It's a good thing I'm already signed up for 3 this spring, right?

In addition, I learned a few more things out of today's run (in no particular order):

1) I need YakTrax (I just ordered them).

2) I'm not entirely sure how to log a family style meal at Zehnder's into My Fitness Pal, so I'm just going to call it a ridiculous amount of calories and accept that I was not under my calorie goal today.

3) I DO have pain from my fall the other night (and I felt it with almost each step and I can feel it as I twist).

4) It could have been worse.

5) I might have a race plan for the year...

B Words

I'm taking a short break tonight to write a bit about something that was brewing in my head yesterday on a long drive to Ludington and back.

Balance and Boundaries.

Over the last couple of months, it's felt a little like life has been spinning out of control. Mix in getting used to new things about 2014 and starting two classes for school, and it's been pretty scary.

But I finally had a little time to start sorting out my schedule and getting things back in order. And once I did that I realized a few things:

1) I can say "no".
2) I need to get caught up and keep up.
3) I need more fun time to balance out the work, school and other commitments.
4) I don't take the time I need for myself.

And that's where Balance and Boundaries come in.

I have commitments that I've made to myself and to others. I will honor those. But I will also be working on not offering to do everything, unless it's part of those commitments. I have personal goals and I can't succeed with those unless I curb other things.

Boundaries are being set. I've missed a lot of things because I've always tried to make myself available. I've been working since the new year (and before) to limit my time with technology, on social media, etc. It's helping with my attention span and my productivity. I'm doing more of the things I like to do instead of getting sucked into things for too much time.

This semester in particular is going to be extremely busy. While I didn't prepare properly before it started, I finally feel like I'm starting to get some traction on the new year and things are falling into place.

This year I will be working toward Balance in my life and Boundaries will help me achieve that.

Tales of the Absentminded Me

First off, I apologize. Over the last month or so, I have lost my damn mind. I'm not particularly sure where it is, but I probably lost it sometime in early December, so it may be in D.C.

Since Thanksgiving, I've taken two work trips, a fun trip, and was home for about two weeks total. I co-chaired a big project for the Jaycees that ended up being more than I had counted on. Household chores went by the wayside, Dakota spent a lot of time on vacation (which equals lots of biscuits), my brain and ody were not sure where I was and lots of money was spent. Just before the new year, after returning from Boston, I crashed.

And I haven't quite adjusted since then. And that's turned into things just looking like a huge mess in my calendar, email, on paper, and at home. I know I just have to look at it one small thing at a time to get the ball rolling, but with the weather and classes starting, it feels a bit overwhelming.

So I ask for your patience as I dig out of the hole I find myself in. There are things I've been neglecting (running) and things I've been doing too much of (sleeping). It's time to find the balance again and tips the scales in the right direction (literally, I have gained a good bit of weight since the half marathon). This may include scheduling my time more, being online less, spending more time studying (actually that's a given).

So, it's time to take a deep breath and get rid of this discombobulated feeling I've been dealing with.

What do you do to get back on track after crazy periods?

Quasi-goals

December was such a crazy month for me that I hardly even thought of things I want to accomplish in the new year. I was mostly traveling, working, sleeping or reading (aka enjoying time off from school).

So the last few days, I've been getting sucked back into reality and 2014. I've paid my first round of bills for the year, adjusted my budget, prepared for classes to start, cleaned up the mess my apartment has turned into with me gone most of last month and signed up for races. So, in order to keep pace, here are some of the personal quasi-goals that keep running through my head.

- Get my passport this year
- Read 20 books
- Get back into training (yoga, running - 3 half marathons between March and May)
- Keep reducing debt (and making sure I keep up on my budget, which fell off the last half of 2013)
- Less technology time
- Be more mindful of what I eat
- Be me

Many of these are similar to years past. It happens. But I think it's more getting back on track to where I was before the last couple of crazy months that included finishing up a semester, travel and just plain feeling burned out and exhausted. I think that holiday break has helped and I hope to continue carrying the less stressed feeling that I've had recently.

It's time to get 2014 in gear!

Outgrowing things

Over the past year, I've been working on a project to clean out my apartment from all of the stuff I've just moved around since I've been on my own. I'm still not done yet (it seems like I never will be), but at this point, I think I have ruled that it might be time to upgrade to a bigger apartment.

One of my goals for 2014 is to continue to purge items I don't need, but also start getting ready to move into a larger apartment in my complex later this year. In addition to more space, it'll provide office space that is much needed since I began working from home.

Everything is starting to feel crowded. It's me, Dakota and a bunch of stuff in a very small space. I hate using my kitchen because it's so small and there's not a ton of storage space. Granted, I just pay rent here and Dakota lives here.

As I've been cleaning things out, I've gone through a lot of pictures and papers. It got me thinking about other things I've either outgrown or seem like a lifetime away. I used to be in band and even auditioned for music school when I originally applied to college. There are things that I used to be extremely passionate about that I now don't quite know how I feel about them. There are things like running that I used to say "heck no!" and now I'm signed up for three half marathons between now and May.

It's just amazing to me how different needs arise over time. I once had a two bedroom apartment right after college, and it seemed very empty. However, now, over 10 years later, I'm fairly certain that I will have no problem filling one up and enjoying some space.

May 2014 be a year of continued growth!

Where do we go from here?

I've been in the car a lot the last few days, taking a trip to Boston for some sightseeing. As we were driving back, it dawned on me that today was going to be the last day of 2013, and I might want to write something about the past year and what 2014 might hold.

2013 was pretty good. I did a lot of traveling, had more time for me, got halfway through my MPA program at Western. In the last half of the year, I returned to reading more and ran my second half marathon.

When I started the year, I was writing down things that I was doing and putting them in a bucket to pull out today. I wasn't THAT good at keeping up with it, and hope to be better in 2014. But, here's a highlight list!

1/1/13: Ran my first 6 mile run on New Year's Day. Big deal, despite being last!
1/27/13: Honored to be named co-Key Member for the 2012 with the Lansing Jaycees and also receiving the Spirit of the Jaycees award for the second time in my career.
2/1/13: Got my first pedicure. Maybe I should go do that again.
2/2/13: Ran my first 8K in Frankenmuth. I was able to reach 11:01 min/mile. Subsequently went to Zehnder's for the first time and ate waaaay too much!
3/9/13: I ran 10 miles for the first time ever.
4/6/13: I ran 13 miles for the first time ever.
4/28/13: I ran my first half marathon in Washington, D.C. This was also my first trip to D.C. Along with the half marathon, another highlight of this trip was being able to visit Arlington Cemetery and see the Kennedy gravesites.
5/17/13: I shaved my head for cancer. 12 inches of hair was donated to Children with Hair Loss.
6/6/13: I got to visit Seattle and Portland again! I was also able to get maple bacon donuts. :-)
6/12/13: Fleetwood Mac was awesome in concert!
6/15/13: I felt honored to be there when Carrie and Jason were engaged. :-)
7/2/13: One year work anniversary. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to learn on the job.
8/25/13: I went camping...and liked it?
8/26/13: I met Batman today! Adam West signed my Batman button.
9/2/13: I ran across the Mackinac Bridge. This was an amazing experience.
10/20/13: I ran my second half marathon - the Grand Rapids Half. I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but I received my first real bling!
11/19/13: I officially am halfway through my MPA degree program.
12/4 - 6/13: I was able to visit D.C. again for a work trip. During this time I was lucky enough to sit in the Supreme Court chambers and pay my respects to Nelson Mandela at the South African Embassy when he passed away.
12/17/13: I've been able to keep a 4.0 GPA in my grad program.
12/27 - 30/13: Visited the JFK Presidential Museum (2nd one on the Presidential Libraries list), walked the Freedom Trail, and did other various touristy things in Boston. Also visited 4 state capitals (Albany, Boston, Providence, Hartford) during the trip.

Which brings me to today, the last day of 2013. Somewhere in there, my trivia team won $1,500, I met some great new people, cut some negativity out of my life and continued to try to make a difference.

Today, I'm catching up on sleep, getting ready to run (walk) a 5K tomorrow (I've been horrible about running since the half in October) in order to jump start my training for the year, cleaning up, finishing a book. I'm also working on things to focus on in 2014, which will include:

Running - I plan on doing 3 half marathons this spring - March, April and May. Maybe one in June also.

Work - Always something new to learn!

Yoga - I need to go back, if not just to use the 5 classes I bought. But more because I need it.

Technology - I need less of this in my life.

School - I have two classes this spring, and then a semester off before going back full throttle again. I'm looking to keep up the GPA.

Jaycees - Local and state board. It'll be nice to be back and I'm thankful for people that are helping me return.

Reading - I need to make sure I make time to read for fun.

There are times that have been difficult in 2013. The best I can do is take what I've gotten from the good and the bad times and move forward into 2014. I hope that 2014 brings joy and success to you all.

Happy New Year!

Lazy makeup

I understand this may come as a shock to people, but I like makeup. I have quite a bit of it, especially eye shadow. The problem is, I'm lazy. When it comes to making the choice between sleeping 5 extra minutes and putting on makeup in the morning, sleep almost always (99.999% of the time) wins.

Most of the time, people see me without makeup, so it's a surprise when I do end up wearing it. It doesn't quite seem to go along with the rest of me: laid back, nerdy, etc. 

2013 was a lot about purging things in my life. That will continue into the new year, along with trying to be a little more put together. 2014 is coming up and because I've spent some money recently on some makeup I really like, one of my goals is to start wearing it on a more regular basis. 

So here's my ask to you all - do you have tips on getting it into my routine? Or ideas on how to blend eyeshadow shades (I have plenty of Urban Decay shadows).