Thursday, January 31, 2008

Oh my I forgot resolution number 28

Bad me - I almost made a huge blunder and skipped number 28...I forgot all about coming back that day and finishing... dang it I thought I was done.... Okay number 28. Here we go - can you tell I am trying to stall...which is kinda silly since you would have no idea that I was just sitting here looking at the screen...okay I am going to stop rambling and write a resolution.

Resolution number 28 - Pursue speaking as option for a future career. That is a bold statement with a lot to consider. Anyway - I have had a big dream for the last several years that I would love to "Grow Up" and be a conference speaker whether it would be to girls, or teens or women. I just feel as though God has laid that on my heart and I love doing it. I have had some opportunities to speak over the past couple years and I love it but I think it is something that I want to do more of. And be intentional about seeking this out. Next month I am meeting with some people from Group publishing about the possibility of Emceeing some events. I am really excited about that - I just need to start looking for some avenues to get my name out there and seek God in the midst of it all. So there is my big dream! Let me know if you need a retreat speaker - I think I would love to do it.... as long as it's not a men's retreat :)

Day 31 - My last three resolutions!!!

Oh my!!! It is January 31st and I still owe three resolutions to finish off the month so let's get started so I can get to bed and feel as though I have accomplished my mission of coming up with 31 resolutions by the end of January - well friends I have one hour until the end of January so I guess I better get started so I can get to sleep.

Number 29 - Stay better connected with my family. Because I am the only one of the family that moved away I sometimes feel disconnected, because I live a couple hours away. We have a big family and as my siblings have kids we just keep getting bigger. I love the little ones they are so much fun! Holidays are so much better when they are around - they make me smile. Anyway - I am going to make it a point this year to make a call to at least one family member each week, making it a point to stay connected! Included here is a picture of the family the only one that you can't see in this picture is Hayes (he is there he is just hiding in my sister's belly!)

Number 30 - Conflict resolution is the topic of our radio show this weekend. Conflict is something that I hate - wait I think most people don't really like it. Anyway - throughout most of my life I have avoided conflict just to keep the peace thinking it was better to keep my thoughts to myself especially when someone hurt me. Well - I don't think that is what God wants for me and my life as a Christian - I am committing this year to deal with conflicts as they arise and not let too much time laps because that just makes for anger and bitterness and I don't want that in my life. So I am going to confront even when it is hard. Even if it is just a letter or an email, of course the best is face to face but that is not always a possibility - so I am starting this today! Confronting in love through prayer will I get strength and gentleness and love.

Number 31 - WHOWHOWHWOHWWWW!!! This is the last one!!! No pressure but this should be really good... I hope I can handle the pressure. I was going to resolve to keep my resolutions at least 80% of the time - but I thought that might be cheating. So what can I write for my resolution. Well I have one and I have greatly debated whether or not this was a good resolution or if I should write it down, but after a great conversation with my friend Sylvia I feel like this has been confirmed. It is actually kind of personal, but I think I can share the jist of it and why I am making this resolution.

I will tell you my resolution and then I will explain why... well I am resolving not to date, pursue dating, or think about guys in a romantic fashion during lent this year. One of my greatest hopes and dreams is to one day get married and have a family, I have longed for that for many years. Obviously it has not happened yet, and often I get very anxious saying "God - I am ready now - I least expect it" because that seems to be everyone's response - "oh when you least expect it" - let me tell you that gets old fast - so let me speak for all the single people in the world - please don't say that - it is very annoying. Anyway back to my point - I have been mostly content with my singleness - going through stages that I am mainly content and then some where I am not content at all.

But I am not sure if I have even gone through a time in my life that I was content with me....content with just wanting to know God better and get my life on track with him. In fact - I know that I have not. The past two weeks I have really been focusing on looking at my life and who I am in Christ and have realized that I have not ever really been content with me until just recently. I know that this may sound silly to some of you but to me this is huge and I am going to celebrate that during lent, by not worrying about relationships with others, but instead just focusing on my relationship with my creator! He loves me, for me...just how I am...I am his favorite (don't worry you are his favorite too!) So I am taking the 40 days of lent and giving God 100% of my attention, my love, my feelings, my adorations, no distractions, just God! Now don't get me wrong - I will still hang out with all my friends, but I don't try to figure out my feelings, I won't let my heart wonder from my savior for this period...I see this as a time of preparation....a time of waiting.... a time to Be Still and know that He is God!

I can't believe I just wrote all of that but that is me, that is my heart and that is my last resolution!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Catching Up on the Resolutions

Since I was away all weekend I have gotten a little behind on my blogging and on my resolutions, I don't have one more week of resolutions and then I can just work on actually keeping my 31 resolutions of the year. So without further waiting here are my resolutions for the past few days.

#25 - This one is work related - last year I did an awful job recording my miles for reimbursement, so then at the end of December I was scrambling to remember where I had gone in April - it was a bit stressful, so this year I am resolving to keep a notebook in my car with a mileage log and each time I got somewhere work related then I will have the log right there. Along with that I will also resolve to turn them in at the end of each month.

#26 - Since on of my goals of the new year is to work on my finances I am going to try to do a better job setting up a system of keeping all my bills together so I don't forget to pay them. You see I have always been very organized, but over the last year I seem to be a little flustered in my organization, and overwhelmed by all the papers and such that I have. What I really need is a desk so I can organize my bills and such as I get them, and pay them on time. This is going to be a challenge.

#27 - This resolution is to help me stay connected to my adventurous side. I love adventures especially outdoors, however sometimes with my fatigue and such I shy away from those things, for fear that it will use up all my energy (which it often does). But regardless I still want to have adventure, so I am committing to do at least one spontaneous adventuresome activity each month. The first one was this past Sunday - we were on the church family retreat and everyone was outside playing, so I decided to play also - I played football for about 40 minutes (I threw two touchdown passes!!!) Then I ice skated on the pond for a half hour, and then I went tubing for two runs down the hill with 4 middle school girls piled on top of me. Now that my friends is an adventuresome moment!!!

Now for today's resolution....this is the one that I have been avoiding until closer to the end of the month because the longer I wait the longer I get to be a little bit lazy, but here it goes! I have become significantly weaker over the past few months - I even have trouble picking up the bag of dog food. (What a wusss!!!!!) Anyway - I would really like to work on that - so I am committing that each day at some point I will do 20 pushups and 50 sit-ups. My goal is 5 days a week (it is much more realistic than seven days a week!) I will start that tonight.

Now I only have three more resolutions to go - I hope I can think of some good ones between now and then!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Resolution #24

My resolution today is a little shallow I must say but it is kinda fun so I am going for it. My resolution for this the rest of this year is to get 700 facebook friends by the end of the year. I currently have 470 friends. So if I can 650 I will be really excited but if I can get 700 by Dec. 31st I think that would be fun. The rules of this resolution are that I must actually know and have interacted with that person at some point in my 32 years of life. The challenge is that since I am a bit older many of my close friends do not have a facebook account, so then I have to rely on meeting new kids at church and at school. So yeah - this will be a fun one to see if I can actually complete it.

An update on one of my other resolutions is that I called about Life Insurance today! One step closer to fulfilling that resolution. Now I just have to work on the will thing. That will be a little weird I am going to be honest. Anyway - there you have it!!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Resolution #23

I have been thinking about doing this resolution for a while, but after last night I have confirmed that this is a resolution that I am going to do and have some accountability on.

Before I reveal my resolution I want to take a moment to say how much I enjoyed our small group bible study last night. It was our first one of the semester, so it was me and 7 girls from Bucknell. We had dinner together, celebrated an early birthday for Allison (aka Loveeeee) and then we got our spiritual butt kicking from our study. The study is so good! We all love it!

Last night part of the study was the idea of claiming scripture for your life and using the power of God's word to break down the walls in our lives. We all decided that we need to know scripture better. So we have all made a commitment to each other that each week we would pick a verse and memorize it and share it with the group the next week.

So I am resolving to memorize one scripture a week for the year. I am thinking that this is going to be a challenge but I am hoping for some accountability from my girls. My first verse is from Isaiah 61:1,2 and it says this....

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengence of our God, to comfort all who mourn."

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Resolution #20, 21, 22

So I guess this whole house sitting thing is keeping me from blogging regularly. In fact I have been so tired this past week that I don't even remember some of my resolutions. Last night before I went to bed I made up three good ones and for the life of me I can't remember what they were. Wow I need to get a better memory!!! Anyway - just to catch up on my resolutions here we go....

Resolution #20 - Since this was a Youth Group night - My resolution is to drop a note or an email to a student each week that has missed Youth Group - letting them know that they were missed and that I hope they will make it the following week. This will be good because it will help me to stay connected with the kids that seem to miss youth group regularly, and encourage them to get involved. I will start this one today!

Resolution #21 - This resolution is made along with my friend Jeanne - we have this little new obsession - it is called Gilmore Girls - we never watched the show when it was on TV - but when I got sick this Fall a family from my church bought me season one and two - I became hooked! Now I am on season three and can't wait to see what happens next. So we are both resolving to watch all seven seasons before the end of the year - this will be a very fun - non-productive resolution - my favorite kind!!!

Resolution #22 - This is for today - I have lots of friends from lots of different places. The bad part about that is that I don't get to see them or talk to them very much, some of that is my fault as I get so involved in my work and my life that I just don't make the time that I need to make to stay in touch. So with that being said I am resolving to stay in better touch with my friends. Each week I will either make a phone call or send an email or a card to one of my long distance friends. I am actually really excited about this one! I really miss my friends!!!!

So there you have it!!! I am caught up on my resolutions, and I would like to update you on my past resolutions. Last night at the basketball game Dr. DiRocco came up to me and thanked me for my letter to him and said that he would keep it in a special file! What a great encouragement! Now that makes me want to write even more letters to people when they exercise random acts of kindness!

I have been doing pretty well on the whole resolution things as a whole! I only have 8 more to make, let me know if you have a suggestion for a resolution, just in case I run out!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

I owe some resolutions!

Don't worry I didn't forget about making resolutions, In fact I actually have been good about making them and keeping them, I just haven't had my computer for the last couple days so I am a little behind in blogging about them.

So here is #18 - Find an Eli - that is a strange one you may think, but let me explain - we are doing a bible study right now about Descerning the voice of God and one of the things that they encourage people to do is to Find an Eli - he was a mentor, he trained the young men and taught them. I want to find an Eli - a woman who is spiritually mature who would be willing to mentor and encourage me to be a Godly woman. I am praying that God will give me a great woman of faith to challenge me in my walk with Him

#19 Is a result of our radio show this week - we did a show called Cats Got your Tongue - it is about being willing to share your relationship with God to others and not be ashamed. So many times in my life, God has given me great opportunities to talk about my faith to non-believers and too many times I just change the subject because it feels uncomfortable or I am afraid of what they will think. So I want to resolve to speak up for Christ when given an opportunity.

#20 - Well it is only 12:30 so I still have some time to think about this one....I will get back to you on this one!

Sanctity of Life Sunday

Today is a very meaningful day - I actually can't even put to words what I feel or what I think, but I can say thankyou - to my birthmom - thanks for giving me life. I don't know who you are, or where you are, but I love you and thanks for loving me. I have included an interview with Mark Schultz about the song that I included earlier in the week. His interview says it all.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Resolution #17

WOW - I am at 17 already - where has this month gone! I can't believe it! It has been one of those days...a dog day if you will. I love my baby but sometimes he just finds things to do that just get him in trouble.... for instance, this morning I was getting out of bed and went to the living room to find my dog eating a chunk out of the front of my couch - the worst part is that I must take the blame for this one, I spilled some of Boo's fish flavored medicine on the couch and didn't have time to clean it up properly, and of course that is the part that Tucker ate. Then later we came home from a nice 50 minute walk and as I was doing something I noticed that Tucker was destroying a pillow - this I take no blame for! So it has been a not so good day in that department. And speaking of bad things happening....my water heater is leaking water, my shower is still leaking in the basement and to top it all off - that resolution that I made last night...well I may take that back since today I got my electric bill....301 dollars - oh my - and that is with my heat at 54 degrees - could you imagine what it would be if I actually turned it to 60? It is just crazy!!!

So anyway - I have now vented, and I am ready to make my resolution for the day. I am resolving to buy new furniture for my living room sometime in the next 6 months. I was hoping to wait until the end of the year but I think it is time since I am missing a large chunk of my couch, and my furnature is about 25 years old - it kinda smells and it looks pretty crappy. So the bathroom update is going to have to wait and my new saving project will have to be my furniture. I am thinking dark sage green for the color - does that surprise anyone????

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The resolutions continue!

So today has been a long but eventful day! Up at 5:30 to make breakfast for my kids - Choc. Chip pancakes! It was yummy - I even made some banana pancakes in honor of Jack Johnson's song banana pancakes, they actually weren't too bad. Then office work - I actually got a couple things done. I have been struggling to get office work done this week, I don't know what my problem is...well okay maybe I do know, maybe I am really deep down inside a lazy person and it is finally coming out..hmmm we will have to see about that.

Well then I spent some time with my friend Sylvia, good times, great discussions, lots to think about! Then Tucker and I went for a little lunch time walk. Then off to the school for tennis sign-ups, it seems that once again that about 1/3 of the team are kids from our church, cool then I guess I am working double time!!!

Back to the office after nice chats with the LHS office ladies - they are so nice! I got a little more work done, then I went for another walk - this once much longer - 1 1/2 hours long - I think I am going to be a bit sore tomorrow. Too bad it didn't tire Tucker out - he seems to have so much energy tonight! And he will not leave Boo alone. Then I was off to see my girls play some bball...tough nice for the Lbg girls! It was a hard game to watch, we really made a run in the third quarter but just fell apart during the fourth. Then back home for a nice conversation with a friend, and now finally in bed and ready to call it a night if my dog would just settle down a bit.

So my resolution tonight is going to sound a little strange but there are a couple avid readers who will really appreciate this resolution starting tomorrow. I resolve that for the next few cold wintry months I will not let my house get below 58 degrees. As I was typing I realized it was really cold, so I looked at the temperature and realized it was 54 degrees in my house. I think that is a little too cold. So I got in my bed and loaded on the covers and tomorrow - I will turn the heat up so my animals won't have to have those silly dog and cat sweaters. Sorry if you have them for your pets I just think that Tucker would eat his then it would make him want to eat Boo's and her while he is at it.

So starting tomorrow - the heat wave begins I think I am going to try for a 60 degree average just not getting below 58!!!! If only electric heat was cheaper!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Resolution # 15

It is hard to believe that the month is half over! WOW!! I can't believe it, better yet I can't believe that I have not run out of resolutions yet, I guess that means I am such a mess that there is a lot of fixing that needs done (hahaha!)

Before I get to my thoughts today I figured that I would say that I just went for 30 minutes walk and it was so nice! And on a Tuesday, to be honest I was really tired and I wanted to just take a nap (and I guess I will find out later when I crash that I should have taken the nap), but Tucker needed a walk desperately!

Anyway - this morning when I finally got to work (getting out of bed on Tuesdays is pretty hard, it is like moving a large bag of sand!) I took care of a couple business/financial things that have been hanging over my head. So that was a huge relief and it got me thinking... I really need to have a plan for my finances. I have a couple books that I haven't really read, and now that I have so many medical bills and suck, I really need to sit down and come up with a budget, so I will not overdraw my account and I will be able to pay my bills on time. So that is my resolution for the year, make a budget, stick to the budget, and set up some saving places for emergencies, for trips, and for home improvement projects such as my bathroom and my living room furniture. If I would be around next weekend I would go to the Financial Map Seminar at the First Baptist Church in Danville, it is sponsored by How to Manage your Money.

So there you have it - Resolution #15 - Make and stick to a budget!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Resolution #14

I have so many options for resolutions today - I am not sure which one to choose, I guess the good news is that I am not running out of new ideas for the rest of the month as I was fearful that I might. Anyway - before I get to today's resolution I will do a little update on my others. I am doing pretty well with the water thing and I have not had a rasp ice tea in over a week. I have been walking, today I just went around the block because I feel like crap. My bible reading is sub-par - I need to work on that one. Accountability - we are chatting tonight, journaling ---um yeah this is the one that I have yet to accomplish, I know that I need to do this and it will be good for me and I love writing, but sometimes it is really hard for me, for reasons that I am not willing to go into at this time. Anyway back to following through on the resolutions...I wrote and mailed a letter to Dr. DiRocco today so I am glad about that. I am reading a book about the cognitive struggles of MS so check on that one.

So over all I would say that I am doing pretty well for the most part. I really need to work on that journalling thing, maybe if my hands felt better then I would be more willing to write - I guess I could always type it and then print it out and tape it in. We will see.

Resolution #14 - So tonight on my way back from the farm I was listening the WGRC and a song by Mark Schultz came on. His songs are often stories, and the one I heard tonight was no different, it is called Everything to me.

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As I listened to the song tears came to my eyes I realized that the song was about a teenaged mother who chose to give her child up for adoption. It was about me and my mother who is out there somewhere. So when I got home tonight I found the video which I have embedded in this blog, if you have a moment you should watch it. Once again I cried as I heard the song again and watched the video. So now to the resolution part, I am not sure if you can resolve to consider something or if you have to resolve to actually do something. Well I guess since this is my blog and my resolutions I can do whatever I want....so here it is, I am resolving through this year to think about my adoption, to consider if I would like to search for my birthparents, especially considering all my medical issues. My mom keeps bringing it up and I keep pushing it away. I am not sure what all this will mean, but I do know that I have a lot to think about and consider, not that I haven't thought about it before, but I really want to be intentional about it and pray about what God would want me to do.


I will close with the words of the song: Everything to me by Mark Schultz

I must have felt your tears
When they took me from your arms
I’m sure I must have heard you say goodbye
Lonely and afraid had you made a big mistake
Could an ocean even hold the tears you cried

But you had dreams for me
You wanted the best for me
And you made the only choice you could that night

(Chorus)
You gave life to me
A brand new world to see
Like playing baseball in the yard with dad at night
Mom reading Goodnight Moon
And praying in my room
So if you worry if your choice was right
You gave me up but you gave everything to me

And if I saw you on the street
Would you know that it was me
And would your eyes be blue or green like mine
Would we share a warm embrace
Would you know me in your heart
Or would you smile and let me walk on by
Knowing you had dreams for me
You wanted the best for me
And I hope that you’d be proud of who I am

(Chorus)
You gave life to me
A chance to find my dreams
And a chance to fall in love
You should have seen her shining face
On our wedding day
Oh is this the dream you had in mind
When you gave me up
You gave everything to me

And when I see you there
Watching from heaven’s gates
Into your arms
I’m gonna run
And when you look in my eyes
You can see my whole life
See who I was
And who I’ve become

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Resolution # 13

I am having a pretty rough day I must say... instead of going to youth group tonight I am laying on my couch feeling like someone has just beat me up... but that is actually beside the point and has nothing to do with my resolution... other than this may be shorter and less explained than usual. Anyway - I was talking with some friends last night and we were talking about wills and living wills and life insurance and all that fun mature people stuff. So this resolution is that sometime in 2008 I need to look into writing a will/living will and look into getting life insurance. Now I know for some people this may be a very boring resolution but I think it is important and so I guess this means I am officially a grown up now - YUCK!!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Resolution #11 and #12

Yesterday was crazy - I went to bed at midnight and I couldn't remember for the life of me what my resolution of the day had been...well at least I am not going crazy because I hadn't written one so that is a really good reason to not remember what it was.

So now I have to come up with two and make one of them retro-active. So here goes with Resolution number #11 - Since this past year has been a very rough year with my diagnosis of MS, I have had to process a lot of things...infact I am still processing a lot of things. There are days that I feel like I have come to grips with it and there are days that I just struggle to understand why. One of the hardest parts about the disease is that it is so unpredictable and it affects different people differently. One of the challenges of the disease is that many people don't really understand it (sometimes I don't understand it and I have it) but it can be awkward for people to not know what to say. It is also hard when people tell you that you look like nothing is wrong but you feel like someone put a 100 brick in your body and you can't really move and if you do it takes excessive amounts of energy. So what is my actually resolution after this disertation.... well, I am resolving to educate myself with the disease, to read books, research, and stay up to date on new findings. Also with this I will educate my family and friends, so they can better understand my struggles and my need for independence despite my also needing their assistance. I have actually already started this one, at Christmas - I gave all of my siblings a booklet about MS since no one ever talks to me about it, I figured it would be a nice way to open the lines of communication. So if you are out there and you would like to know more about MS, please don't be afraid to ask me I would be happy to share, suggest books, or maybe even let you help me on one of my "bad" days.

Resolution #12 - Many times in my life I see someone do nice things and think to myself - wow that was really cool that they did that, but they it just slips my mind and no words of encouragement are ever shared or sent. I don't want to do that, I want to do a better job of letting my kids, my friends, or maybe even strangers know that I noticed something cool that they did and I just wanted to let them know about it. I mean think about, I love getting random letters in the mail thanking me for doing something that I didn't think twice about. So this resolutions is called Catching Random Acts of Kindness! So I resolve to do one of three things when the thought go through my mind that someone did something cool that stood out to me. I must give a call, send an email or send a note to let them know. And the first person that is going to get a note of encouragement is our superintendant - I have thought on several occasions that I should write him a note to let him know that I admire his integrity in the midst of challenging situations, but I have never sat down to do that - so on Monday - that will be my first note of affirmation.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Resolution #10


So I am on resolution number 10 already...I better start thinking ahead so I don't run out of resolutions, someone asked me today what my new resolution was and I had no idea so I figured I better start to think about it! So after my drive home from job #2 I decided that my next resolution about be about walking. The weather here in Central PA has been rediculously warm, to the point of wearing a long sleeve t-shirt and pants. So I have been spoiled this past week! Anyway - back to my resolution, walking! I have been much better at walking daily since I have Tucker, but sometimes that is just a short walk to get him out - what I would really like to do is at least three times a week go for a longer walk, at least a 30 minute walk, maybe even throw in a hike every now and then... but that may be it's own resolution. Anyway walk for at least 30 minutes three times a week that is today's in a nut shell, if anyone wants to walk with me just let me know!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Resolution #9

So I was told yesterday that I should have a resolution about blogging - so here it is...my blogging resolution. I resolve to blog for it is good for the fingers, although it hurts my fingers and sometimes my fingers aren't very coordinated, I think it is good for them. I will blog because it is good for my friends that actually care about what I am thinking and the silly little things that happen each week. I will blog because sometimes I think I am actually funny and can say really funny things to make people laugh. I will blog because it is good to get my thoughts out of my head and into my computer, because I have way too many thoughts going through my head every minute of every day - it gets really tiring just thinking about the thoughts, so yeah...blogging is theraputic, so everyone should do it. I am going to blog a couple times a week - don't worry I chose the word couple because it is just vague enough to help me if I have a slow week of exciting things to write about.

Some people actually care if people read their blog, and they actually have blog followers, well I am not sure if anyone actually reads mine, but if you do I hope you enjoy it, and if you don't well then at least I am enjoying it!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Resolution Series #7 and #8

So the resolutions continue and what's great about this whole series is that I have now sucked one of my other friends (Jeanne) into doing the same - she is doing 31 resolutions and blogging about it. She even admitted that she is going to copy some of my resolutions. But that's cool imitation is one of the best compliments!

Anyway - so resolution number #7 could be one of my hardest resolutions to keep, sad to say, but it is the truth. I hate flossing my teeth!!! I am not sure why - my mom actually loves it - she is obsessed with it - she flosses several times a day - she even keeps floss in her pocket! For Christmas I got her an electric flosser - I didn't even know that they made such a thing - but it is true and I am sure my mom loves it. So back to me and my flossing issues, every time I go to the dentist they ask me about flossing and I have to tell them that I don't floss and they tell me I should and then proceed to rip my gums apart with floss. You would think that that alone would be a good reason to floss, I always have good intentions but bad follow through. So here is the deal - like all my resolutions I have decided not to go overboard and say that I am going to floss daily - because I won't, but Mondays are now my flossing day. I figured if I floss 52 times a year, that is a lot more than one or two days a year. GO ME!!!

Resolution #8 - Since 8 is my favorite number I thought I would resolve to do something that involved one of my favorite things....Raspberry Ice Tea - I love it - I could drink it everyday for every meal....I especially like the Rasp White Tea - thinking about it makes my mouth water, however it is full of sugar and all that stuff that is not good for you. So last night as I was enjoying my first Rasp tea of the new year, I decided that I would limit my tea intake to once a week. I actually love Rasp tea so much that I gave it up for Lent last year, not because I feel that I have to give up something, but to see if I could do it. One of my friends thought it was so silly to give that up that he would put bottles of Rasp tea in my car, on my porch, in my fridge, just to try to get me to budge! But I was strong and I made it, so lots of water for me and little tea - that is the theme of the new year.

Updates on my resolutions so far....not bad so far...accountability - last night - good times had by all. The water thing - I definately need to drink more but I have been drinking it daily. The bible thing - need to do that tonight! The journal thing....need to do that tonight as well. Celebrating the good days....that is today - it is a beautiful day and it is a shot day but I feel pretty good!! AMENNNN!!!! I think I will celebrate with a nice walk in this 60 degree weather. Know when to rest, listen to my body - I think I may stay home this weekend instead of going skiing again...although I have not made that decision yet.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Resolution Series #5 and #6

This was actually supposed to be for yesterday, however since I was putting my resolution into practice I was not able to write....Resolution #5 - Celebrate the good days! Yesterday was a good day, I actually felt pretty good, not too tired and not too fatigued, so I went with a bunch of kids from the school skiing! It was so much fun to feel somewhat normal and enjoy time in the great outdoors with my kids. We had so much fun! So I have decided that when I have good days, I am going to celebrate them! Enjoy them, live them up, and go all out just like old times!

So the only problem with the Celebrate the good days, is the day after the celebration! The feel like you got hit by a car day... that leads me to resolution number 6 - Listen to your body! I am getting older (so i have been told by several people) and with that comes slower recovery from activity, but with my MS I have to now plan in recovery time. (yuck!) I just really wanted to hang out with my friend Meg today and see a movie but instead I need to spend some recovery time on the couch because my body is saying - DO NOTHING! So listening to my body is something that I Have had to really learn this year...I am not great at it, but I am getting a little better at planning recovery time. Actually last night, as I was going up the lift, I could feel my body shutting down so I said to the girl next to me, my body is done for the night and this will be my last run, I think she thought I was kidding, but it is amazing how quickly the shut down happens.

So that is it for my weekend of resolutions, celebrate the good days and listen to my body! I think they are both good ones to work on - especially since I am a little stubborn from what I have been told!

Friday, January 04, 2008

Resolution #4

So the series continues....and today's resolution is to journal! I could just say journal more and that would mean that I would just have to journal one more time than I did last year, so I think for this one I need to be a little bit more specific, or I won't follow through. So I am going to say weekly. I need to journal weekly. I love journalling so I am not sure why I don't do it more often. It really is a great way to get things off your chest. For me it also is a great way to help me focus when I am praying (I think I have prayer ADD!) Anyway - I will keep you posted on how that is going.

An update on the other resolutions - Accountability - I have a partner, now we just need to set a time to meet! Water drinking - that one is going well so far, but I had a friend tell me that if you want to lose weight you need to drink the same amount of water in ounces that you are in pounds. For example, if I weighed 160 pounds I would need to drink 160 ounces of water daily. That is a lot of water. Maybe I will try that. And the Bible reading...well I found the Chronological bible and moved it to my night stand - that is a start!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Resolution Series #3

So far I have been able to keep my first two resolutions but I actually had to make a conscious effort this morning to remember to drink a glass of water.

Another snipit of information about resolutions as I have been thinking about them...people should avoid saying that they are going to do something everyday...because then if you miss one day then you feel like you blew it and it is off all together...but if you were more general in your resolutions they would be easier to keep... so that leads me to resolution number 3.

Resolution #3 - Finish reading the Chronological Bible this year. So three years ago I decided to try to read the Chronological bible in a year, each day there were specific readings and it is supposed to help you get finished in one year...well it is three years later and I am about half way through it. So instead of saying that I am going to read every night before I go to bed or every morning when I wake up, my goal of 2008 is to finish it!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Resolution Series #2


I should really start to make a list of all these resolutions that I think of so I don't forget them - it would really be ashame if I couldn't come up with 31 good resolutions!

Anyway - today's resolution is water! Yes water - I am going to start the new year and hopefully the whole year off with a nice glass of water. Instead of tea or something like that. Water is so good for you - so I am going to drink more of it - starting today! So far so good - it is 4pm and I have already had three glasses! They say 8 a day is what you are supposed to have - I am not sure I will get there but if I try to drink more I think that will be a good start to my new year!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

The Resolution Series #1

Happy New Year!!!! With the new year comes a new start and new resolutions and new everything (okay not everything!, but you know what I mean). Anyway - I am not sure about you but sometimes I really get into things that are a series, I always want to see what is going to happen next ... which is why I had to go online today and get Season 3 of the Gilmore Girls just so I can stay in the loop (I don't have tv, so cut me some slack)

Anyway - I am going to do a series through the month of January, it is called the resolution series. Each day of the month I am going to blog about a resolution that I am going to make to allow for a great 2008! So let the fun begin.

These are going to be fun and serious but all things that I legatimately should be able to keep. So here we go.

Resolution #1 - Accountability Partner - last year I had talked to my friend Jeanne about this and we both agreed it would be great to have an intentional spiritual accountability partner. We actually did it for a while and then our lives went crazy and our accountability time went down the drain - so after chatting with her this afternoon we are both up for the challenge.

So what does this entail - asking direct questions about our prayer time, our bible time, talking about our bible study, and just being real with one another about what is going on in our lives. And making sure that it happens weekly or at least bi-weekly.

So there you have it folks - Resolution #1 - stay tuned for tomorrow's resolution!