.:2013 - a clean slate:.

during our dinner on New Year's, drew and i were trying to brainstorm resolutions. truth be told, my attention has been focused on 2 things lately, my new job and my health, and i forgot to even think about resolutions ahead of time.

i thought it would be fun to review my resolutions that i made for 2012 to help me get the process going.....here they are:.

>become more organized and with this SIMPLIFY! do i really ALL those clothes, shoes and junk that causes more stress then anything? regardless of what my mother may think, i do not enjoy coming home to a messy room or driving around in a messy car, it makes me feel uneasy and stressed. my goal is to only have to spot clean every once in awhile vs. having to spend an entire evening cleaning a week's worth of mess!

organization has been kind of an uphill battle simply because of the move - it was a process for drew and i to compile our things. we had to take about 10 steps back in order to simplify (read: get rid of a ton of shit) and then move ahead with organization. luckily, we are now winning the battle and have fell into routine to help each other and our place stay (semi) clean. as far as my car, i always force myself to bring everything from the day in the house. this has been life-changing, it always stays relatively clean!
>take better care of my teeth:. i'll admit, i fell into bad habits of not taking care of my teeth while in college. don't get me wrong, i brush my teeth twice a day (most days), but i have white strips i would like to start using and floss that NEEDS to be used.

i have picked up flossing! i regularly buy those flossing sticks, or whatever they're called, and keep them in my purse or cube so they are always handy after i eat or when i'm bored.

>eat less carbs....i know, i know, what a lame GIRL resolution, but seriously, it can be a bit excessive.

my diet significantly improved this year, so i am going to consider this one a win.

>train for SOMETHING:. with my recent knee surgery, i may not be able to train for a marathon (yet), but there are a lot of other events i could should be training for! first on my list, Alexandria's Sprint Tri. going along with this, i would like to create a leaner body type. i consider myself to be 'bulky' (thanks to years of playing soccer and basketball) and i think it is time to get rid of that! i am hoping that by leaning myself out, my knees won't have as much pressure on them, resulting in being able to run long distances again (read train for marathon) !!!!
  i trained for my biggest and last 1/2 marathon, the Lululemon Seawheeze!


> make the next step in my career planning/pathway, i'm on a 3-5 year plan (more on this later....)

i have taken the next and biggest step in my career path!!!!!!! i recently accepted a Wellness Coordinator position which is an absolutely amazing opportunity for me - it hasn't really hit me yet, actually! this means so much for me both. personally and professionally - i may be able to save money by not having to go back to school, again!!!! also, i feel like i can finally start my 'adult' life. ever since graduation, i have been planning the 'next step' whether it's taking more classes, applying for grad school, looking at what requirements i need for a job that i want, but that can all be put to rest. i put in my notice at UCare and will start my new adventure on January 21st!!!!! 


>save more money:. luckily, my mf and i are both on a budget diet with the help of some expense tracker apps, but i'm beginning to realize the more money i have in my savings account, the more i seem at ease and the more risks i can take...
managing finances as a new grad is a rollercoaster. you get ahead and then you somehow fall behind. well, as of this last friday, i hit my goal for my savings account and have almost all of my bad debt paid off (school and car loans don't count here, yet). 

so, what should i resolve to do in 2013???  i have a couple ideas:.

>> eat less sugar:. in the nutrition class i recently took, i learned A LOT of truths and myths about the food we eat - maybe more than what is good for me (and drew). one thing that i took away is that too much sugar can really wreak havoc on our body. did you know that carbs turn into sugar once it's put it in our body??? neither did i!!! i could go on and on about how sugar causes inflammation in our body and it can screw up our hormones and the release of insulin, but i won't. let's just say i want to cut down sugar this year from ice cream to breads and pastas to yes, chocolate!
>> quit biting/picking at my nails and cuticles. i have improved this horrible habit signifcantly in the past year, but there are still days when stress takes over and i find myself mindlessly mutilating my nails. i am an adult with a new career and will need to make good impressions on a daily basis. even though i cringe at the thought, i am willing to spend money on shellac manicures in order to hold myself accountable for this one.

>> continue helping my immune system stay strong and improve. you know that feeling when you get sick and overload on Emergen-C, tea, Lysol and humidifiers to help kick your immune system into overdrive and then when you start to feel better, you promise yourself you will continue all of these immune boosting practices on a regular basis??? well, i have been forced to be consistant with all of these practices the past few months, but i should really continue it on into the next year and beyond! i meet with an immunologist on Friday about why i have been sick so much lately, but i think it wouldn't hurt to help out my immune system daily.

>> be carefree!!! like i stated above, ever since graduating from college, i have spent hours plotting a route to where i want to be, different options within that route and what would happen if i were to succeed or fail. i have hit my big break and i am going to enjoy it - i am finally going to live in the moment and quit worrying about tomorrow. while this resolution may not display concrete results, this is the one that i am most excited about!!!!

>> spend more time in the kitchen:. i really enjoy cooking and baking, it's kind of therapeutic for me and now that i am going to be spending less energy mapping out my life and all the "what ifs", i would like to put that energy into trying new recipes. on a regular basis, drew and i eat a lot of the same things (i'm not complaining) because it is safe, healthy (for the most part) and pretty mindless. there are so many tastes and flavors out there that i really would like to explore this next year!

as i mentioned before, i didn't spend much time thinking about resolutions before last night, so these are all that i could come up with.

i have a feeling that 2013 is going to be BIG year for me!!!

always striving for more,
dee b.