Posts tagged 2012
Dear World,
I'm reaching for my dreams
25/30 Days of Clean Eating
The holidays were bad this year for eating well. I was buying snacks which meant we were eating snacks. I wasn’t cooking much so we were eating out a lot. It just wasn’t good.
One of my goals from last year was to try thirty days of clean eating. I never really got that opportunity last year and was always making excuses. But since I do have a wedding to be in soon ;) and the holidays were so bad, Jesse and I both decided to stop drinking until Super Bowl and eat as clean as possible. We are 25 days in since we started on the 2nd. We’ve been really good! Mostly clean foods, organic whenever possible, cooking at home instead of eating out, no red meat, and definitely no drinking.
The first two weeks I really wanted a glass of wine, but that craving went away after that. I could have definitely enjoyed a bad snack once or twice but I didn’t give in to the bags of chips in my new office break room one time last week! I feel like I have more energy and I lost 5 pounds which is what I was hoping to do! Jesse has lost 11! Making my meal plans for the week on Sundays are helping so much. I should start posting them here as well.
Tonight we had to go to Jesse’s boss’s house for dinner so we did have a glass of wine and ate steak. I was so tired after dinner and wine though! And I didn’t really enjoy it all that much. I am definitely enjoying eating this way. I know I’m not being perfectly clean in all my choices but it’s good enough for me right now.
In November, I did a thirty days of thanks where I actually thanked all of the wonderful people in my life. I called/texted/wrote/emailed these great people and told them how important they were to me. It was very fulfilling! I hope to do this every year. Some of it was repetitive, but I was just keeping track of it on twitter. Anything is better than not telling people how important they are to you.
- Grateful to have my brave, funny, caring, and beautiful sister in my life! How lucky I am!
- I love my Mom! She is one of my best friends and I value her opinion so much!
- I am so grateful for my fiance. I hope I can care for him as well as he does me. Live Goal: be a great wife!
- I am thankful for my house. I love being a homeowner! So empowering! I love making a home with my best friend.
- I am grateful to have a job. While not ideal, it has helped me buy a house, pay the bills, and have benefits.
- I am grateful to be a citizen of a great nation where I am granted the freedom to cast my vote and voice my opinions.
- I am thankful for my fitness studio: Beyond Motion. They helped me find a fitness routine I not only do, but love!
- I am thankful for dinner and margaritas with a friend after work. It was great to chat!
- I am blessed to be living in such a wonderful place! The weather and views are unbeatable!
- I am thankful for the gift of love. And to have my own soul mate!
- Thank you to all the men and women serving our country! I truly appreciate your sacrifice!
- I am thankful for the grocery store! Silly but as much as I hate going I am glad I don’t have to hunt and gather!
- I am grateful for my Grandad. We shared many interests: dancing and photography included.
- I am thankful for my exercise calss. The instructor is so sweet and the calss helped get me exercising again. And I love it!
- I am thankful for my sweet future sister-in-law!
- I am thankful for my energetic, cute nephew!
- I am thankful for my future in laws. How giving they are and how well they raised their son!
- I love being a homeowner!
- Grateful to have a friend who I would feel comfortable talking to about anything. Plus I love our pen-pal ways!
- I LOVED writing tomorrow’s to-do list item: Read Magazines. aka a day off from work
- I am thankful for my Gran and her never-ending love. So inspiring!
- Grateful to have a wonderful day to spend with BOTH of my families! And that my Dad was home this year!
- Thankful to crash a 10-year high school reunion and catch up with old friends!
- Thankful for my Wash U friends! I was watching Senior Dances and just missed you all so much!
- I am grateful for 17 wonderful years with our Chardonnay! We miss him every day.
- I am so thankful for my father for his endless giving. Time, love, gifts, everything. I love him.
- I am thankful for my Nana. She was an incredibly sweet woman and I am lucky I got to spend the time with her when I did.
- I am lucky to have an Aunt and cousins who, despite distance, would help me out with anything!
- I am so blessed to have Jesse in my life every day!
- I got a little behind on #30daysofthanks, but I am so grateful for everyone in my life. My friends, family, fiance, house, job, and so so so SO much more!
I decided to abandon my “Find or create a science club” goal from 2012. I didn’t have the time to do it the way I wanted to. I was hoping to gather a few people to watch a science-based movie, most likely sci-fi but a science documentary once in a while, and then read an article related to it. We could then discuss and bring our respective knowledge together for it. I had a few bites of interest, but I knew I didn’t have the proper time to devote to choosing the movie/article/time and even place to host it. Then I kind of just lost interest in the whole idea. I still love reading about science but I don’t necessarily need to discuss it with anyone.
What have I learned in my 20s?
I’m only 27 so I’m sure I still have plenty to learn, but a huge lesson that I learned this year is that a career doesn’t define who you are.
Maybe it’s obvious to know that, but for more than the first half of my twenties I was job searching! I have a full-time job but it is so unsatisfying and doesn’t make me happy in the slightest. I wanted to find my dream job. Who doesn’t? It sounds so glamorous and how empowering it would feel. A couple years ago I learned that there is no one dream job. It is all work, whether you enjoy it or not. Sure there are jobs that can be a perfect fit. But where I live, I know I am not going to find that for myself, it doesn’t have the industry. I started my photography business in this time because I thought maybe I should make my dream career.
But this year neither “job” has made me happy, I realized that I don’t need the perfect job to be the person I want to be! Relationships and helping others are the key to true happiness. If you can do that through your job that’s wonderful. But if you can’t, it doesn’t make you a failure and you CAN still be happy. You just have to put more effort into other things. I want to be a good wife, good daughter, good friend, and eventually a good mother. None of that is dependent on what job I have! If I can pay my bills while still achieving these things then I am a success. This was a huge lesson that I am so grateful to have learned.
As you read this I am wrapping up my first day of my new job!
In 2012, I had decided that with buying a house and planning a wedding, I didn’t really have time to throw job searching into the mix. Jesse and I planned for me to keep my job, try to be positive about it, really work hard to deserve a raise and get it, and then start searching for a new job after we got married and had a honeymoon. I stopped complaining about it, as much. I did work as hard as I could to change things. But there was only so much I could do.
The best part about the job is that I had built up a nice large amount of PTO (paid time off) to use while I was wandering around Italy with Jesse for our honeymoon. It also gave me some flexibility when it came to taking time off for wedding vendor appointments or buying a house. Overall, though, the job wasn’t very rewarding.
The first weekend of December my fitness studio was holding a anniversary/holiday party. I wanted Jesse to go with me to meet everyone, but he had another event he had to go to. I decided to go by myself anyway. While I was there I bumped into his old boss and his wife. His wife is actually the person who suggested I start at the fitness studio, so I took the time to say hello to both of them. It was a quick chat and I said I would pass on a hello to Jesse.
The following week, his old boss called Jesse to ask him a question. Jesse missed his call and we both thought that he would be asking him to lunch. Jesse called him back the following day and the question was about me! He wanted to know about my current job and if I was happy. He remembered Jesse had said that I would be good at “this kind of work” and wanted to interview me for a new position that he was currently trying to fill. Since Jesse approved of the job, I set up an interview for the following week. Honestly, despite all my best efforts I went into thinking I wouldn’t like the opportunity or that it would conflict with Jesse’s job. We chatted for about an hour and really hit it off. It sounded like I would be a great fit for the position: love working with numbers, organized, and strong attention to detail.
The following week I was offered the position. After thinking and talking it over with Jesse, I accepted the job! I feel incredibly blessed that this opportunity came to me. It really is true that things happen when you least expect them. I put in my two weeks notice on New Year’s Eve. It was incredibly surreal leaving my old job for the last time on Friday. I wish them all the best.
I am now working for the same company as my fiancé, but in a different office. The job is in the insurance and financial planning industry. I am really looking forward to this job and I am taking the same positive attitude I started putting on my job last year to this new opportunity. I must make it the best! I will need to get my insurance license and my Series 6 or Series 7 by next January. Wish me luck!
My Vision for 2013
Act for other people. Making them happy is better. Be a better friend. Instead of thinking how they can help me, let me treat them to what they like! Do good for strangers too. Don’t sacrifice my own fun and wants but don’t rely on myself so much. Life is about relationships. Live in the present. Celebrate the every day. Make it fun. Don’t get bogged down with planning for the future or stuck in the past. Feeling sorry for myself doesn’t pay off. Magical things happen when you live in the present. Jesse comes first. Always. Our marriage will be our savior in the future. Strong marriage, happy life. Take the time to e active even if it is just for a walk. Sitting in front of the TV doesn’t help anyone. Love on Jesse.
2012 Wedding Planning Timeline
Last year I crossed off my “Plan a Responsible Wedding” goal. While the planning isn’t quite done. All the big stuff is decided. While I went over budget for my photographer, Jessica Lorren Photography, I went under budget with my florist, invitations, and other stuff. Overall I am under my budget and I’m really proud! Sometimes you get so hung up on something looking like a magazine article, that you forget that they may have been on a different budget than you. There is nothing wrong with addressing your own wedding invitations to save some money, like we decided to do. Here is a quick timeline to cover my vendor search.
January
- Started looking at wedding venues
February
- Started looking for my wedding dress
- Asked my bridesmaids to stand up with me at my wedding
March
- Jesse’s parents and my parents met for the first time at Chop’s
- Booked our wedding venue
- Found an officiant for our wedding
- Found a photographer for our wedding
April
- Had a -1 Anniversary dinner at our wedding venue
- My parents threw an Engagement Party for us at their house
May
- Found my wedding dress!
June
- We had our three year anniversary!
- Mailed our Save The Dates
July
- Found florist for our wedding
- Bought our wedding bands!
August
September
- Had our food tasting for our wedding
- Had our engagement shoot!
November
- Started our wedding registries
December
- Ordered our wedding invitations
- Found a hairstylist & makeup artist for our wedding in a family friend
Happy New Year! I waited a few days to post my 2012 summary this year. I’ve been working through Year in Review summaries from Lara Casey and Gina Zeidler. It has been so powerful to think and plan and visualize. You can see my Pinterest board for 2013 here.
If you would like to review my 2012 goals, please click here. This year wasn’t the best for achieving goals but I did achieve 50% of them! I think the problem lay in the fact that wedding planning and owning a house took up much more than I anticipated. I will do some summary posts over the next week on a few of the goals not previously discussed.
The things that worked for me in 2012 were: 1. Being grateful and honestly appreciating people. It really improves relationships and life. Life and true happiness lie in relationships. Loved doing Thirty Days of Thanks in November! 2. Putting my all into everything pays off every time. Living with Jesse, making a job I dislike work, finding an exercise class I love, earning a new job, buying my first house. 3. Taking time for myself helps me grow. Planning and creating vision is crucial. 4. Learned a great lesson about being the woman I want o be despite what my job is. I am not defined by my job but by who I am.
In 2013 I am saying NO to…mindless tv watching, checking Facebook/twitter/Instagram/etc every five minutes, comparing my life to others’, feeling sorry for myself, fear of the unknown, putting anybody before Jesse, worrying, being lazy all weekend, fast food, staying up late, being too harsh on myself, negativity, perfection, wasting time online, over-thinking, and clutter.
In 2013 I am saying YES to…growing relationships, buying birthday presents, sending cards in the mail, doing something active each weekend day, snuggling with Jesse, laughing, dancing in my pjs, friends, meal planning, relaxing, personal photo projects, working hard, approaching new things with curiosity and excitement, long walks, weekends without phones at all, grace, smiling, positivity, outfit planning, phone calls, trying new things, reading, random acts of kindness, journaling, letting people in, and joy.
Goals for 2013
PERSONAL
- Not be a bridezilla
- Have a relaxed and enjoyable wedding day
- Send birthday cards to family and friends
- Ask “How can I help you?” To one person every day, and do it
- Find a new friend
- “Comparison is the thief of joy.” - Theodore Roosevelt
- Plan out weekly meals and go grocery shopping on Sundays
FINANCIAL
PROFESSIONAL
(Half) Completed!
While I didn’t completely finish this goal. I have done all that I can do. Due to unforeseen incidences I know I will not be receiving a raise, but I did deserve one! I have gone above and beyond all year and compiled all of my work into a big presentation that I presented yesterday to a few coworkers and others I had never met. Unfortunately my boss couldn’t make it, but her boss was there!
My job description has grown and I will be finishing up a notebook/guide for my duties by the end of the year.
I was worried about presenting the information all weekend. So much so, that I woke up on Monday morning and felt physically sick. I didn’t have a choice about going or not, so I got there and once I was at the location, I was much more relaxed. During the presentation, I wasn’t nervous at all anymore. Yes I did read off my slides quite a bit, but I received good feedback from the attendees! There was a lot of audience participation too!
So I contributed to as much of this goal as I can. The rest was truly out of my hands and I am counting this as complete. :)
