2012 Hopes & Dreams

ENDING SOON!!:



 

Oh December!

I cannot believe that December is here.  Wow.  What a whirlwind of a year!  I feel like I've been going non-stop since this same time last year, and at the same time during the actual days it often feels like time is at a standstill.  I honestly can't wrap my mind around it.  How are we a month away from chiming in another New Year?

I think if I were to pick a favorite holiday it would most definitely be Christmas.  I love the decorations, the activities…the family gatherings.  I love the glow of the lights on trees, an excuse to drink gallons of hot cocoa and the snuggling together to keep warm.  As this year comes to a close, I am reflecting a lot on what I want 2012 to be like.

Will I finally finish the novel I've started?  Will I drag my heels into 2012 instead of completing the last 4 lessons in my counseling coursework?  Where will I take this blog in the next year?  What will Zion be like a month from now?  Will we actually make the switch from not-trying-not-preventing to trying-to-conceive or will I find myself entering the new year knocked up?  Will I finally switch to a more healthy eating style? Will I finally lose the extra 20lbs I'm carrying around?

While I may not have all of the answers to these questions…maybe not even a single answer, I do have an idea about some wonderful things that are happening in 2012.

• I am currently working on an extensive re-design of my blog (will go live 1.1.12!).  

THIS…

...is a sneak peak!

• I'm launching a comprehensive FREE blogging tools website (basically a ton of links that have helped me immensely), hoping to have that live by 1.1.12 also!
• I'll be doing Medifast for 2-3 months starting either January or February with a goal to convert to a modified vegetarian diet (fish,dairy,eggs) after that.   
• I AM going to run a half-marathon…I don't know which one yet, but I'm GOING to do it!
• I am going to BlogHer 2012 in NYC (hey I live there…score!)  I'm thinking about having a slumber party at my apartment for those interested in inexpensive lodging…interested? Shoot me an email!

I'm not really big on New Year resolutions…so the most you will get is goals and objectives from me.  :)  I have more but for now I am going to take this month slowly and enjoy all that the holidays have to offer.

Have you stopped to reflect on this past year?  Excited for Christmas?  I'd love to hear what you are contemplating this last month of 2011!


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Top 5: "Nails-on-Chalkboard" Blogging Peeves

Okay, seriously…as a contributing editor and fellow blogging community member, I read/follow several hundreds of blogs…yes hundreds.  When you commit to being a part of the blogging community it is not just about people reading your own blog, it is about connecting with others and reading what others have to say.  And people have a lot to say.

I mostly enjoy my 300+ posts a day, but I have recently become "nails-on-chalkboard" annoyed with some recurring themes in the blogging world.  So, sit down and brace yourself for my Top 5: Blog Peeves.

5.  Auto-play music.  Usually at the VERY bottom of your blog.  When "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" comes on unexpectedly while I am trying to read your emotional post about post-partum depression, I literally can't find that little X box in the top corner of my browser fast enough.  Your music choices can seriously make or break my desire to continue reading your blog.

4.  Spelling/Grammar FAIL.  I don't care how beautiful your design is, the perfectly formatted layout that grabs my attention, or even you 1000 followers.  The minute I see you "Axing" someone a question, or completely disregarding grammar rules, my skin crawls.  I shudder for you, then I shudder for me.  Spell check was invented for a reason friends, it takes two seconds.  And please tell me you at least re-read your post before hitting that Publish button?  Don't insult my intelligence and don't undersell yours!

3.  GREAT (borrowed/inspired) Ideas with ZERO credit.  I cannot even tell you how ANGRY it makes me when I read two posts, from two completely different bloggers that are EXACTLY the same, yet NO credit is given.   If you read a great blog post or idea, or even find a great recipe or tutorial, don't remake it on your own blog without giving credit to the person who inspired it.  Give credit where credit is due! I saw two examples of this this week…one was a recipe and people used the EXACT same pictures…how does that happen?  And the other sharing a recent find for a product online - the posts were seriously almost identical!

2.  Desperation-TBB-Reset posts.  I cringe the minute I find out there is a blog directory vote reset, omg, I should just stop reading posts for at least a week afterwards, as EVERY SINGLE ONE of the posts is a plea for votes.  I thought I escaped high school popularity contests when I graduated, but apparently we can still stoop.  I am not belittling the directory or its power to gain readership, but I'd prefer it if emails were sent out newsletter style or better yet, just ask your closest friends and family or slip it in at the bottom of an enjoyable post, not a single "vote for me" dedicated post.

~And Finally~

1.  This one might surprise you…not allowing the FULL POST option in RSS readers.  I realize that you might think it better for stats to force people to come to your actual site to read your post, but let me remind you as an editor I read over 300 posts a day.  I don't have time to visit every single blog that I read, but if I like your post I will definitely "star" it and visit it to either leave a comment or clip/pin/explore further.  If you are leaving me only two lines and a headline, let me just say it is going to have to be quite the line in order to get me to actually take a break from my reader to visit your page.

So there you have it.  Do you have any skin-crawling peeves about the blogging community?  I'd love to hear from you!  Also, I'm pleased to begin offering the following editorial service to readers:

Don't be scared!  I'll tell you the truth, tempered with gentleness and grace!  For more info, click the "email" button below and send me a note.  :)


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Body for God: Couch-to-5k in 9 Weeks

I've decided to do a 9 week program to get back into running.  I mentioned in my previous post, I have had a lot of injuries this year, due to thinking I am invincible starting out too hard and fast, and not giving my body enough time to adjust to new routines.
I was browsing training programs and stumbled upon this guide here.  I have a hard time accepting that this is where I am at, because I honestly do not enjoy running under 3 miles.  I am more of a distance runner, in fact, I love running 6 or more miles at a time.  I now understand that in order to get back there, I have to take baby steps or I'll be benching it yet again, waiting for my injury to heal.
The thing I love about this particular 5k training program is that it only requires 3x a week.  That is less than half of the days, which seems like less pressure to get out and run.  Time won't be so much of an issue either, 20-30 minutes per workout is all that it takes.  
I have to get my jiggly-self outside (rain or shine) and do it this week, or I'll likely be faced with the "it's too cold outside" dilemma.  If I can get back to an addictive 3+miles a run before the brutal chill of winter, there is a very good chance I will be in crazy-running-addict-mode enough to run in the 20 degree tundra that I expect will be hitting by December.
If I get my way, next fall I will run my first marathon, in Chicago!  I've been dreaming of running that 26.2 mile race for the last couple of years.  (Not to mention visiting Chicago, which I hear has some serious foodie-friendly restaurants!)  
What are your fitness goals for the fall and the winter?  Do you want to try the 9 week program? 
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Lessons Learned: Seasons of Lack

radicalgenerosity.jpg

When Jerry and I moved back to NYC in the Fall of 2009, we had no idea that we'd be literally living out of our car, and at the grace of good friends for the first whole month. We had spent the last year and a half completely oblivious to the very real struggles that the dwindling economy were causing people in places outside of Southern Louisiana.

We were reading the articles and seeing the news about millions of Americans being jobless, but we weren't feeling the effect at all. We were in a bubble, making above average and paying below average, in the small community where we lived.

When we knew it was time to head back to NYC, we just packed up our car, made arrangements with a friend to stay for what we thought was going to be a week or so, (just until we got an apartment and jobs) and hit the road. It was a complete shock when finding an apartment became a nightmare, and jobs were few and far between. It became less about choosing a career path for ourselves, and more about just finding a job for some income.

After about 3 weeks at our friends house, we knew our welcome was wearing out, and we headed to a hotel in New Jersey where we reflected on the absolute madness of our very miscalculated plan to just "wing it" when we got back in the city.

Body for God: My Home "Gym"

While Jerry is blessed with a complimentary gym membership including personal training three times a week, I have to be much more creative in my approach to physical fitness.  Being in good health is extremely important to me.  When you feel good and look good it shows, and it makes a huge difference in the life of a homemaker.  I have to keep all those cookie-baking, gourmet-recipe-trying, toddler-running-circles round me, lazy pajama day calories at bay, you know?

There are likely a million reasons out there for why you should get regular exercise, a few that are personally important to me are: stress relief, mood elevation and libido.  I also believe that God wants us to be good stewards of our physical bodies, taking the best care of them possible.  My cure for the no-time for a gym-membership blues is my ever-evolving home gym.  Lets talk about what I have created so far, and what I hope to gather in the coming months.