10.16 Review

And just like that October is over. Somehow there are only TWO more months of 2016...TWOOO! HOW???

I'm not going to lie, I am overly excited for 2017 and may have already started goal setting.....but, let's stick to the present.

This month was SO good! October 1st I ran a freaking marathon. I still can't even believe it happened. I worked so hard and it wasn't easy, but now I can say I've done it! I didn't have a goal time, just a goal to finish, but I kind of also wanted to get under 5 hours. I ended up finishing with a time of 5:09 and initially I was a little disappointed, but now I'm just proud.

I spent pretty much all of my free time with my family, which was wonderful. My sister Khemia came to Utah for a two week visit and I soaked it all up! Fall is my favorite so it was wonderful sharing it with my family. I wouldn't have changed a minute of how I spent my time while she was here...unless I would've spent more time with her, but....I didn't go well with my goals. And that is OKAY! Some months are really great and productive and others just aren't; it's called balance. At any rate, here's where I stand 10 months into 2016:

Go to the temple 24 times: I have been 19 times, so I am still one behind. Ever since I went to the Provo City Center open house in March I have been saying that I want to go back and do a session and this month I was finally able to do so. This temple has quickly become my favorite; it is SO beautiful inside!

Run a half marathon: This month I ran my 5th half marathon of the year! (in addition to the St George Marathon) On Saturday I ran the Provo Haunted Half and I loved it! The course was beautiful and it was fun to see everyone running in their costumes.

Run at least 200 miles: I should've changed this goal months ago, but oh well. I am at 796 miles for the year. This month my mileage was pretty low, but I needed some time to rest up. I have one more race this year and then I wil start thinking about what I will do next year. Favorite half marathons...anyone??

Travel somewhere new: Not this month. Although Mike and I have never been to St George together, so that was new. But stay tuned for when I post about my travel goals for next year. They have me tremendously excited and giddy!

Get a job that uses my Master's Degree: I accepted another semester contract with BYU-I. I have enjoyed teaching so much and hope one day to do it as my primary job.

Buy a house: Which turned into: rent a duplex. If you had asked me a month ago if we were going to buy next year when our lease is up, I would've said yes, but now I think we're good here for awhile.

Become foster parents: I've already written about how we can't foster with my current job. We talked about maybe fostering next year, but Mike works with foster kids and isn't sure if he wants it to be his full life, so we'll see. I'm not ready to give up that easily.

2016 reading goal: This was my ultimate focus this month. I made it a goal to read 5 books, which I was able to do. I am on book #43! I getting towards the end of my list and finding books is starting to get hard, but I am so close!


November goals:

Read 5 books and go to the temple 3 times.

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Every month I find myself more and more amazed at how happy I can be even though my circumstances haven't really changed. It's amazing that by simply changing your attitude, you can start to see all you have and appreciate it for what it is. This year's happiness challenge has empowered me and taught me to shoot for the moon. I've learned how important it is to take care of myself and to embrace all the things that make me who I am.

If you're interested in reading about having joy regardless of your circumstance, check out this talk:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival?lang=eng

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I dare you to set a goal for the next two months, crush it, and then see how good you feel!

9.16

Holy moly! September is already over! I say it every month, but this year has seriously FLOWN by! September was a busy month, a whirlwind; both good and draining! I was busy every weekend and felt like I didn't have much downtime, but I was able to do some fun things! 

Highlights from September: I ran the Big Cottonwood Half-Marathon and got a new PR, I enjoyed a birthday hike up to Willow Heights, I went to the State Fair with my family, Oktoberfest with my family, had a JJ camp reunion, went up to Millcreek Canyon multiple times, drove the Alpine Loop with Trevor and David, and my sister-in-law got married.

I really only have two goals left that I can work on finishing up before the end of the year, so I will start prioritizing them a little more than I have been. 

As I said, I ran a half marathon in September, so my total for the year so far is 4. 

No new traveling in September, just getting so anxious for our cruise in January! 

My running total for the year is 759 miles

I started teaching in September and I LOVE it! I always forget how much I love teaching until I start doing it again! I definitely want to do it again next semester and will probably apply to teach two classes starting next fall. I feel fulfilled knowing I am using my master's degree, which makes it all even better. 

I have attended the temple 17 times so I am behind by one trip. I am hoping to go three times this month. I did go to the SL temple in September which I haven't done in years, so that was pretty cool. I also FINALLY bought a new temple dress with some birthday money and I 100% regret not buying one sooner. Having a comfortable temple dress makes such a huge difference! 

My reading goal is coming along okay. I am behind with it, but only by about 3 books. I will have to read an average of 5 books a month for the next 3 months to finish on time, but that should be manageable. 

Goals not fulfilled this year:

I was really hoping we would be able to foster, we had talked about it and planned on starting the process around this time. With my job, I am not able to foster as it is a conflict of interest. I was so disappointed when I found that out. We are looking at some other options which I am sure I will blog about at some point. 

We had also hoped to buy a house this year. We figured we were both done with school and had the potential to get better paying jobs and the ability to "move up in the world". It took us too long to get jobs and since Mike is still building up his client base, we decided this was no longer realistic for this year. We are moving into a duplex and hope that maybe this time next year we can buy. The good news is we will be saving a lot of money, so maybe we will get to travel some more instead! 

This year really has been a good year. Every month when I sit down to blog about my progress, I am reminded how much I have really tried to stick with all of my goals; the ones listed and my overall goal of creating a happier lifestyle. I have learned that happiness is a choice and it is my choice. My life is far from perfect and not at all what I had planned it to be, but I am still happy because I choose to be and because I purposefully do things that make me happy. I have learned to do things on my own and to find people who like the same things as me. I don't hold myself back from opportunities. I don't sit around waiting for tomorrow or for the weekend. I take a few minutes everyday to think about all the things from the day that made me happy. All of these things have truly changed the way I see things. I wasn't unhappy before this year, but I can truly say that I am happier. 

It's never too late to start making the choice to be happy. 

It's fall y'all!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! I love fall! It is my favorite! I'm so excited to be able to participate in fall activities this year. Living in Arizona, it was too hot and we were limited on what we could do, so this year I plan to pack in all of my favorite things! I've been doing these lists for at least 6 years now, but I'm always looking to try something new, so if I didn't get your favorite fall tradition or activity, let me know what it is so I can add it! 

🍁🍂It's fall y'all! 🍂🍁

1. Visit a pumpkin patch

2. Make apple cider 

3. Watch: hocus pocus, it's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown, house on haunted hill 

4. Hike: willow heights, silver lake, bells

5. Alpine loop

6. Make pumpkin chocolate chip bread 

7. Bake a pie

8. Be thankful 

9. Carve a pumpkin 

10. Candy corn! 

11. State fair! 

12. Oktoberfest 

13. Gardner village 

8.16 review

How is it already September?? I don't understand. This year has flown by! 4 more months and I'm feeling pretty good about where I'm at. I feel like I've been actively working hard on my goals and working towards a happier lifestyle. This year has been really good, but I'm not done with it yet. 

Here's where I'm at so far: 

Go to the temple 24 times:  I've been to the temple 16 times! I only went once in August because I was so busy, so I need to step up my game. I keep complaining that the temples are so far and too busy and I need to stop. I'm way too lucky to have my choice of where I can go and need to take better advantage of it. 

Run half marathon: Even though I've already completed this a few times over, I have two more halfs and one full to go! Then a breather for a bit. Haha

Travel somewhere new: I'm so excited! This month we booked a Bahamas cruise that we will go on in January! Since Mike didn't come with me to Europe this year, we are using that money to go on a trip with two of my siblings. We can't wait for some sun in dreary January! 

Run at least 200 miles: hahaha so I surpassed this goal awhile ago. My total miles for 2016 is 628! This month I ran 113. 

Get a job that uses my masters: I start teaching in a couple of weeks and I'm hoping I don't burn myself out! 

Buy a house: we were hoping to be in a house by now, but I've decided I just need to stop planning because planning doesn't always work. But! Mike finally got his Utah license so he started working last week...so maybe in a couple months! I hope. Cross your fingers! 

Start the process to become foster parents: unfortunately because of my job, we aren't able to foster. I'm pretty bummed about it. :( 

2016 reading goal: my reading is going pretty well. August started out really well, but I slacked the last week. Oops! I'm on #34. 

Like I said, overall this year is going well. All the goals I can completely control are progressing well. I'm starting to think about next year's goals and it's a good feeling knowing it will be tough to beat all I've accomplished this year. 

Sometimes things you really want to do aren't in your control. So I challenge you to pick one goal or something you want to do and work on it for the next 4 months. Really prioritize it and you may be surprised to see what you are able to do! 

7.16

7 months down, 5 to go! Here's my progress: 

Go to temple 24 times: So far this year I've been to the temple 15 times. It's been so nice having family be able to attend with me since we've been back in Utah. This month I made it to the Bountiful and Draper temples. With so many temples near me closed in August, I'm hoping to branch out and go somewhere new. 

Run a half marathon: I've already shared my half marathon experiences from this year. I didn't race in July, but I have really gotten into my marathon training. 2 more months! 

Travel somewhere new: I'm already ready to travel again. I have the travel bug so strongly. I love new experiences and new places. We will be booking a cruise for January in the next few weeks. So any recommendations for the Bahamas, send them my way! 

Run at least 200 miles: This goal was obviously too small for me. Oops. In July alone I ran over 100 miles. My mileage for the year is 515. 

Get a job that uses my masters: I've been working on this goal since December. I'm so excited to check this goal off! I was recently hired by BYU-I to be an online adjunct professor. I will be teaching an online class this fall. I'm SO excited!! On a semi-related note, I was also offered a position by the state of Utah to be a case worker for DCFS. 

Buy a house: Now that income will be coming in again, we can start looking at houses in the next month. Hopefully we will be in a house in October. !!! 

Start the process to become foster parents: At this point, this may not happen until next year, which is such a bummer. To be foster parents takes a lot of work, but we still plan to do this in the very near future...as soon as we can! 

2016 reading goal: My reading goal is going okay. I've found having to read specific topics is kind of hard. Sometimes I just want to read what I want to read. I've already decided that next year I'm going to read all of my favorites. I'm on book number 28, so not too far behind schedule. 

This year has been so wonderful and I feel so blessed. I'm incredibly proud of the progress I have made with my goals for the year. I have worked so hard and it's been worth it to see the results. I don't know if I am going to fulfill every goal, but I'm never going to stop trying. 

These goals I've been working on have been hard at times, but ultimately have been good. Happiness was my biggest goal for this year. I have truly learned that I can choose for myself how I want to feel. Nobody can dictate how I feel except me. There are days I'm grumpy, frustrated, or sad, but everyday I write down something that was happy about the day and I reflect on that and think about how blessed I am. I have spent more time doing things I love. I've realized that I can do the things I love alone or I can find others who love the same things. Mike is not always going to love what I love, but that shouldn't stop me from what makes me happy, and it doesn't anymore. I am happy and have found the joy in my life; and with the year a little more than halfway over, that has been my biggest accomplishment yet. 

2016 reads (so far)

Well I'm a little behind on my reading goal, but because the year is halfway over I'm going to share what I've been reading so far! 

1. A Thousand Miles to Freedom- Eunsun Kim (for the category: a book that was originally written in a different language) 

2. The Zoo Keeper's Wife- Diane Ackerman (for the category: a book based on a true story) 

3. Adulting: how to be a grownup in 468 easy(ish) steps- Kelly Williams Brown (for the category: a book written by someone under 30)

4. Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte (for the category: a classic romance)

5. The Lake House- Kate Morton (for the category: a book from an author you love that you haven't read yet)

6. Big Magic- Elizabeth Gilbert (for the category: a book you can finish in a day)

7. Angela's Ashes- Frank McCourt (for the category: a Pulitzer Prize winning book)

8. Survival in Auschwitz- Primo Levi (for the category: a nonfiction book)

9. Exterminate all the Brutes- Sven Lindquist (for the category: a book a friend recommended)

10. My Fight, Your Fight- Ronda Rousey (for the category: a book you own, but have never read)

11. Will Grayson, Will Grayson- John Green & David Levithan (for the category: a book set in high school)

12. Grimm's Fairytales- Jakob & Wilhelm Grimm (for the category: a book of short stories)

13. Fangirl- Rainbow Rowell (for the category: a book with a one word title)

14. Next to Love- Ellen Feldman (for the category: a book written by an author with your same initials) 

15. Daring Greatly- Brene Brown (for the category: a book by an author you've never read before)

16. The Jungle Book- Rudyard Kipling (for the category: a book more than 100 years old)

17. 1984- George Orwell (for the category: a book you were supposed to read in school, but didn't)

18. Can't we Talk about Something More Pleasant?- Roz Chast (for the category: a graphic novel)

19. Wild- Cheryl Strayed (for the category: a book that became a movie)

20. 50/50- Dean Karnazes (for the category: a book with a number in the title) 

21. Me Before You- JoJo Moyes (for the category: a book that made you cry)...like a baby!

22. Letters for Emily- Cameron Wright (for the category: a book that takes place in your hometown)

23. Big Little Lies- Liane Moriarty (for the category: a book with antonyms in the title) 

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Books to read! 

Out of the above books my favorites (in no particular order) have been: 

The Lake House 

Big Magic 

Daring Greatly

Me Before You

I think Big Magic has been my ultimate favorite so far this year. I read it in a day because I literally couldn't put it down. It's about living creatively, but that isn't really what you think. I would highly recommend it and can't wait to read it again! 

6.16

Can you believe June is already over? 2016 is halfway through. Is anyone working on resolutions still? Have you completed any? 

I think this is the perfect time to sit back and contemplate on the year and how it's been going. 

This year has been my favorite year ever. I've mentioned throughout the last six months that I am focusing on choosing happiness, because really, it IS a choice. I'm unemployed and living in a basement, but it doesn't matter. I'm so happy because I have been choosing to be happy. Each night before I go to bed, I think back on the day and what I enjoyed about it. Everyday I have been able to pick at least one thing, and many days I have more to write than lines to write on. 

I have sincerely enjoyed focusing on my needs and giving myself time to do the things I enjoy. It means I spend less time watching tv, maybe less time with friends, or sleeping, but I have created so many wonderful memories to look back on from the last six months. Happiness has been my ultimate goal this year and I am so thankful I have shifted my attitude in regards to my happiness. 

My other goals have only amped up my levels of happiness. 

I've been to the temple 13 times this year. I've been to 4 temples and even though I miss the Mesa temple, I am excited to spend the next six months attending sessions and doing temple work in other temples. The peace I feel in the temple is unlike anything I have ever felt. It gives me such joy being able to sit and feel of the love my Savior and Heavenly Father feel for me. If you haven't been in awhile, and you're able, Go. You will leave feeling so much better than before you walked in. 

I made it a goal this year to run a half marathon. I hadn't run one in 2015 and really wanted to run one in 2016. I've run 3 so far this year and have one more plus a marathon to go. Likewise, I made it a goal to run 200 miles, which is more than I've done for a few years. It's incredible that I have already run nearly double that (397 miles). I love seeing what my body is capable of. Running gives me endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. Thus, running=happiness. I always come back from a run feeling so good. I'm glad I have pushed myself to run more than the small goals I set for myself. 

I already talked about traveling somewhere new and it was so wonderful going to Europe, but I still strive to look for new experiences. Last week, Mike and I were able to go to goblin valley for the day. I was so excited to go somewhere new. It was so fun and made me so happy to see a new spot in Utah. New adventures are still coming and I'm excited! 

June was helpful in amping up my reading. I'm on book 23, which is only 4 behind schedule. This month my favorite book was 'Me Before You' by JoJo Moyes, but I'll be writing all about what I've been reading in another post.  

I'm still looking for a job and hope to find something which will use my masters degree, but in the meantime, I'm not stressing too much because I know I can't control it. I'm respecting myself and my abilities and not settling for a job I won't love or that won't support us financially. I've never really done that before and I'm glad I can stand up for myself and what I deserve. 

No house yet, but it will come and we will love it. 

No fostering yet either, but I'm so excited for when we are in the position to start in on the process. We have talked more about it and can't wait for the experience. 

All in all, 2016 has been wonderful. It's not too late to work on those resolutions or to make new ones. Go out there and crush your goals. You will thank yourself later!