Christmas is my favorite holiday for multiple reasons. I always enjoy the facial expressions I get from Daniella as she is opening her presents. i also enjoy making cinnamon rolls, bacon and eggs for my little family. having a quiet Christmas this year meant the world to me.
On Christmas Eve, Daniella's school did a Christmas Eve program on Jesus' birth followed by us having a nice dinner with my mom. There were so many laughs. We ended the night with "Elf" to prepare for Christmas morning. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, enjoy the photos.
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1. Become the best version of me. This will include leaving things, people, relationships, and hardships in 2015 that will not be brought up as past thing in 2016.
Becoming the best version of yourself is always a work in progress. I have made mistakes and had moments I wasn’t proud of, but I think overall, I had more triumphs then let down’s in myself. I managed to learn so much and grow even deeper than I thought or even realized. 2. Continue not to diet and find my strength in the gym. As I have settled into tracking macros. It has allowed me to free myself from feeling like I am dieting and be in charge of my own food choices. I definitely have found my strength in the gym over this year and pulled a 341# deadlift that I would have never dreamed of. This continuation is because I invested in myself through a coach to teach me these habits. 3. Run 10 5k’s and 2 10k’s. This goal was not accomplished for multiple reasons. It was kind of a battle for me to keep up with the running in order to make my goals for powerlifting. Sure, it is totally possible to complete both but with limited training time, I had to settle into one passion and naturally, powerlifting won. I have fallen out of love with running and I am actually ok with that. 4. Love myself in ALL forms and phases my body will go through. This is where I have made the most strides this year. I used to obsess over how I looked. Now, I obsess over getting stronger. Fitting into a singlet will help do that to you. Those are the most unflattering pieces of clothing you will ever meet. 5. Journal for 10 minutes each day, minimum. I would say that I kept up pretty good with this and I have really just made it a natural part of my day. 6.Read a minimum of 3 hours each week. Getting involved with a book club has definitely helped this transition and between audible and the actual books, I find myself really enjoying reading. I had hoped I had come back to that point, and I have made it, so this is definitely winning. 7.Compete in minimum 2 Powerlifting competitions. I can definitely check this one off! I even went one step further and became a state certified referee and have my first meet I ref’d under my belt. 8.Laugh More. Good friends have helped make this possible. I have laughed until I have cried and my belly hurt. 9.Build a stronger relationship with my daughter. I have made strides with her. I would never say that I am her best friend because that is not due to happen until later in life BUT I have definitely bonded with her over a mutual respect. We have learned so much from each other. I look forward to more growth in 2017! 10.Eat Well Balance over Eat Well is what I have learned and in my opinion, this was so much more valuable. 11.Do more DIY projects. I didn’t complete as many as I have hoped but I do have some extreme ideas for projects in 2017. Stay tuned. 12.Stay organized. I would say I have set myself up with some good systems such as my office, happy planner, and a training planner to aide in my success. I have learned to throw meaningless things out of my life and focus on the things that I couldn’t live without. I also started recycling and eliminating trash waste within my home that has been beneficial. 13.Blog 3 times a week, at a minimum. On average, my blog has remained consistent at 3 times week. I finally am putting a focus on it and have seen it grow. So I will expect it to grow further in 2017. 14.Pay off 50% or more of my debt. I have definitely put a dent in it but I have more to go. I look forward to 2017 being more productive on this scale. 15.Travel to a minimum of 3 new places with people I love. I was able to travel to two places that were new to me and I look forward to putting more on the bucket list for the next year. 16.Build a stronger, deeper relationship with my husband. We have had to bind together closer than ever this year. There have been times of uncertainty, discontent and close bonding that have made 2017 a fun, scary, and well anticipated ride moving forward. 2016 has proven to have it’s challenges but there was also so much growth. So many changes were made this year with so many more to come. Stay tuned for 2017 goals and expectations. I refuse to make resolutions, but i can definitely put together a bucket list of recommendations for myself! If the house chose for the gathering house happens to be yours. I’m sure you find yourself to be in a panic every year. I know I do. I always think I am ahead of the game then I stop and look around and realize I am so far behind. Every year, I tell myself that I am going to make an effort to stay on task and make a list of thig I can do to eliminate the exhaustion, frustration and overwhelming feelings of never being done the last week of Christmas. This year I finally did it! After sorting and documenting through some of the ideas that worked and didn’t work, I hope you can find some help and relief from this easy timeline to help you reach Christmas dinner with zero stress!
The final tip is so important. Relax and enjoy the day. Christmas is a time for love and celebrating, don’t get all tied up because the laundry isn’t done or your house isn’t spick and span. I promise you, everyone will still love you. Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas! Welcome to the 2106 last minute gift guide! The last few days are upon us for holiday parties, work gatherings and trying to remember who we could possibly be leaving off the list, more importantly, what to get the person who seems to have everything! The next few posts will be categorized for those you may find it hard to come up with ideas for or need something small for the stocking. The first Last Minute Gift Guide will feature The Adventurer! This will include gift ideas for the recipient who adores the outdoors. The second Last Minute Gift Guide will feature The Gym Buddy! This will include gift ideas for the recipient who you can generally find at the gym. The final Last Minute Gift Guide will feature The Office Commander! This will include gift ideas for the recipient who loves to spruce up their desk with gadgets! I will include links (some include affiliate) to all the adoring items making it easy for shopping. I hope you are excited for this mini series! Today's Last Minute Gift Guide is for the Adventurer! Let's see what gifts will out do the outdoors! WHAT MADE THE LIST! 1. Eyeskey Military Optical Lensate Sighting Compass 2. Premium Merino Wool Crew Socks 3. Kizen Solar Powered LED Camping Lantern 4. CamelBak Rogue Hydration Pack I hope this Last Minute Gift Guide gives you some inspiration for the adventurer in your life. Feel free to leave other suggestions below to add to the gift giving season!
When the depression sets in, there is nothing I can do about it. Or can I? In a past couple of blog posts, I wrote about seasonal depression and how I battle it and try to help it along. I don’t think I will ever be cured from it but I definitely thought I had set myself up for success by researching other methods of helping it this year. Needless to say, it crept up on me and I couldn’t control it.
These past couple of weeks, you have probably noticed that I haven’t been prowling the social media, I haven’t been posting on my blog, and to be honest, I haven’t even been training. Sometimes when the seasonal depression hits me, I push the little things that I love doing away and sulk into my own depressive state. I find myself wandering around, as if I am in a dark room trying to find the door, searching for anything and everything to just let me out. I want out and no matter how many doors there are in that room, the right one to escape seems so far away and nonexistent. There are a few things people don’t understand. Depression, seasonal depression, is real. It is a true thing that happens. Most people will say “all you have to do is find you’re happy. You know what those things are, just do more of them.” Sure, in real life, from an outside looking in, that is a great plan. It is. I agree. However, when I am wrapped so tightly in my mind, those are not options. I can talk myself into and out of anything. I am my biggest cheerleader and my worst critic. So, when my mind is weak, it goes in circles explaining to myself that those things are not worth my time that they don’t provide happiness and I am the worst human. I am not worth what I give myself to be happy. I won’t apologize for taking a hiatus because it has been a new adjustment with a new travel and work schedule. So, in reality, taking the back seat on a few things has helped. Now, however, I have a pretty good plan of action and if I just remember that all I have to do is get through the next 24 hours and be who I want to be during those hours, I have won. Sometimes it isn’t about the long term success. Hell, sometimes 24 hours is a long term success. But, sometimes it is just about surviving to be happy. I can’t promise you that there won’t be another hiatus but, I am hoping next time, I will provide a warning. Thank you to my family and my coach (especially) for standing by me to be ears and shoulders. Without those, I am not sure I would be here. Life happens in seasons and I know that once this season passes, I will be better but I also need to learn how to better manage myself through this seasonal depression. Hugs to all of you who suffer from this along with me. Friends, we will make it together. |
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