Well... I set a bunch of resolutions this year and have been working really hard on reaching them. They are kind of broken up into categories and the first is about money. Ugh. Money. Ever since I was little I liked saving my money. I would put coins into empty medicine bottles at my grandma's house and she would keep them safe for me. My little bank. I did pretty good at saving until I got to college and fell into the trap of wanting all the things. So, I put some stuff on credit, and took out some student loans to pay for school. I don't beat myself up too bad though because I did work full time while in college and only ended up with $14,000 in student loan debt even after attending UC Davis for 4 years. Well, fast forward to 2014. Married, two kids, mortgage, 2 car payments, hubby's student loan debt on top of mine, credit cards... We were feeling the pressure of debt. I did a bunch of research online (one of my favorite pastimes... I mean, I am a researcher after all) and discovered Dave Ramsay. If you aren't familiar with him, look him up. He has a lot to say. I don't agree with him 100% but I did like the principles of his becoming debt free plan so I talked to hubby and we started our first real budget.
That was in November 2014. We are only 8 months into the plan, but we've been able to pay off so much already. It has been incredibly freeing to set a budget and plan appropriately for expenses. Why haven't I been doing this the last 10 years?! Oh well, I am now.
The second category of my 2015 resolutions have to do with running. If you've read my blog for any number of years you'd know that I've set running/fitness goals for the last 4 years. Every year I give myself goals, and every year I fail. Ugh. Well, here I go again. This year's goal is to run 201.5 miles (because it's 2015, get it?). That averages to about 4 miles a week. I can do this. I started the year well and ran my first 5k in March, but since then, I've been slacking. I'm at about 48 miles for the year, which is good, but puts me pretty far behind. I kind of derailed from this goal in May when we packed my elliptical to stage our house to sell. Instead of running, I've been doing a strength training program called ChaLEAN extreme. I LOVE it. I feel so much stronger and while I'm not running, I'm proud of myself for keeping up with a fitness routine. Hopefully I can get back to running soon.
The last category of my 2015 resolutions are about improving myself. Spending time on myself. Doing things I want to do. This is always hard for me, but I'm working on it. I'm reading more, took a trip with Chelsea to see my sister and her family, I'm actually giving myself an allowance to spend on things just for me. I still need to work on my hobbies, but I haven't quite made time for that yet. Baby steps.
In addition to my resolutions, hubby and I have been planning to move this year. We absolutely love our house, but it's small and overrun with toys and STUFF. I am not a hoarder and I love to organize, but no matter what I do, I cannot contain the mess. So, it's time to sell our house and get something bigger. Luckily, we bought our house in 2011 when prices were low so we are anticipating a nice profit to put towards the next house. Thank goodness. When did prices skyrocket anyway? Well, we found the perfect new house and hope to make the big move this summer. Selling, buying, packing... It. Is. Exhausting.
Despite all the exhaustion and work of the last few months, this year feels like my best yet. I love my life right now. Of course being a woman/wife/mother is unbelievably hard and tiring most of the time, but I haven't let that swallow me. I think all my hard work on this year's resolutions have taught me a lot about how to be happy. Plus, I have two AMAZING daughters and a supportive hubby by my side through it all.
Speaking of my beauties... Would you believe if I told you that Chelsea is almost FOUR?! Wha?!
And Brooke, my sweet baby, is not much of a baby anymore.
And here are some more pics for fun...
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