2016 Goals.

January 1st, 2016. The first day of a new year. Maybe it's because I'm a teacher or because I've always loved school, but this first day of the year on the calendar doesn't feel as much like the first day of the year as the first day of school does. I will still go back to the same job with the same kids and be counting down the days until June. 

Regardless, I do like the time of the year to reflect and look forward. This past year was the best of my life. Most importantly, I got married. Along with that I had so many fun events with my friends (bridal shower, bachelorette party, trips to Pullman) and generally good things happening in many areas of my life. I feel blessed to have had such a great year. It makes me a little nervous about if 2016 will be able to live up to it, but I will do everything I can to enjoy every minute and find the best in each day. 

Here are some goals I have for this year:

1. Buy a house! 

We have been living in an apartment for two and a half years and I am ready for more space. We started looking at houses more seriously in the past few weeks and we are going be getting pre-approved soon then looking for a realtor. If anyone has a great house buying tips, feel free to share. :) 

2. Spend less time on social media and more time present with my husband and others in my life. 

I spend a lot of time on my computer and phone, especially after school and in the evenings. It's hard because I do enjoy it and think of it as my time to unwind but I also feel like it's way too much. I need to put it away and focus on my husband and us spending time together. Even if we are just watching tv together I would rather be focused on that together instead of texting or scrolling through twitter at the same time. 

3. Get back to the gym 3 times a week and run at least one 5k. 

I am the epitome of a yo-yo dieter and gym goer. I was working out twice a day in the summer and on a super strict diet to lose weight for my wedding. I didn't have a lot to lose, but I made it to my goal weight and was the smallest I have ever been in my adult life. I loved how I looked for the summer and all of the events that took place surrounding my wedding. I don't need to go on as crazy of a diet, but I know how good I feel when I am working out so I need to get back to that. 

4. Spend more time in the word, journaling, and in prayer. 

I have a one year bible that I started last year and didn't make it all of the way through last year. I want to try to finish that this year. I have also been given quite a few Christian books, both novels and other studies, that I want to start getting through. I should be spending time doing this as opposed to being on social media, so those two goals will go hand in hand. I am also leading a high school small group and I know that will help me grow and I look forward to growing through that as well. 

5. Read at least one book a month 

I enjoy reading and I don't make enough time for it. I want to be more intentional with my time and that includes reading which is both enjoyable and relaxing for me. I am in a book club where we read one book a month so that should make this goal easy, but I still wanted to include it. 

What are some of your goals for 2016? 

*All images from Pintrest 

June Goals

I love setting goals & I wanted to have something different that just my monthly wedding lists. Here are my goals for this month.

1. Get back on track with reading my bible daily.

I have a One Year Bible and I fell way behind last month and have about 20 days to catch up on. I know it's not realistic to catch up in a matter of days but if I am dedicated I can easily get back on track by the end of this month. 

2. Make my health a priority.

I know that I need to start working out and dieting, but I still struggle. I want to start making the changes before it's too late. I don't have a ton of weight to lose and I know that I can do it, I just need to be dedicated. I don't want it to be July and me be upset with myself for not trying harder and me not feeling good about how I look. 

3. Make intentional time with C

We have so much going on in our lives with work and the wedding but I don't want our time together to fade. I want to make sure we still have at least one 'date night' and that we spend time with just each other, not always surrounded by family and friends. 

4. Finish the school year strong

I want to try and keep a positive attitude with my kids and keep them engaged up until the end of the year. 

5. Achieve my wedding goals: book a day of coordinator, florist, make up artist, and start DIY! 

Did you set goals for this month? Leave a link in your comment! :) 

Update!

I've disappeared off of the blogging radar the past month and I wanted to do a little update on things that have been going on.

Wedding: Wedding planning is great! Things are coming together and I am as excited as ever. My spare room is exploding with things that I have been buying and it's pretty much all I want to talk about. The countdown is at 132 days! I will be sharing more on Wednesday and the Wednesday's following.

Grad School: I am working on my capstone! I will be walking at graduation on May 2nd which totally blows my mind. I might not be completed done with my paper by then but I should be getting close. I have to have it submitted by the middle of June. I can't believe I am actually going to have completed my Masters Degree in a year.

School: Teaching has been great! My kids are only driving my slightly crazy but thankfully we have spring break in a week. My FFA students have been working hard and we have our district competitions this week. After those we will be preparing for State Convention in May. Even when I am exhausted and swamped with life I am so thankful for such a rewarding and fun job.

Healthy Living: I have been failing miserably at eating healthy and working out. I can do so well for a month and then I totally fall off the wagon. I am going to start again (for real) either this weekend or next week when spring break starts, and I will be making myself work out daily. I'm down to 2 months before my dress fitting so there really isn't any time to mess around. I don't need to lose a ton of weight but since I'm going to hawaii for my honeymoon and planning on running around at my bachelorette party in a tutu, I want to be feeling good about myself.

That's pretty much it. I'll try to be more consistent with writing, but thanks for stopping by to catch up!

Five on Friday:

I am trying really hard to not spend money since I'm trying to save for a wedding and honeymoon this summer. I tried to not spend money this month but since today is payday and my birthday is coming up, here are five things I wish I could buy...or receive this month. 

Yoga Pants

The compression capris from Old Navy are my fav! 

Bathing Suit

I want a simple white top to wear with two new bottoms I got on clearance in the fall. 

Tennis Shoes

Dress Pants

As I start to lose weight my dress pants don't fit well anymore and i find myself wearing jeans to school more often. Just because the year is (slowly) ending I don't want to slack off in looking professional. 

A Vacation

I would love some sunshine and time off right now. I'm not sure what it is about this time of the year but even with 3 day weekends and Christmas break just a month ago I am really dragging. I'm dreaming of Disney. 

Linking up!

Happy Friday! :) 

Sweat it Out Sunday: 3

Does anyone else have a fitbit? I find that it helps me a ton because even on days when I don't want to work out I always want to find a way to get to my step goal.

Best day: Monday - 13,846
Worst day: Wednesday - 7,663

My workouts weren't the best this week. I got called to babysit last minute on Tuesday and missed Zumba then a late meeting on Wednesday prevented me from doing anything. I've been in a funk this week and I'm hoping next week will be better.

Goals this week
Monday: ZUMBA
Tuesday: ZUMBA
Wednesday: Day off
Thursday: ZUMBA
Friday: cardio and weights

...or in 7 months when I'm getting married! :) 

Have a great week! 

Sweat it Out Sunday: 2

I successfully completed my goals for this week! I switched my off days, but I still did worked out 5/6 days. According to the scale I lost about 2 pounds! Here's what my workouts looked like:

Monday - 35 minutes on the elliptical and arm weights

Tuesday - ZUMBA

Wednesday - off day 

Thursday- 20 minutes treadmill, squats/push-ups/abs

Friday - Mixxed Fit (new class at my gym)

Saturday - Ripped (resistance, intervals, power, plyometrics, endurance -- class at my gym) 

I'm feeling so good. It's crazy how even after just a couple of weeks it makes such a big difference. Maybe I'm alone in this one, but I feel like so much of it is mental. I know I'm doing good things for myself and it instantly makes me feel better. Yes, working out is tiring and sometimes after work all I want to do is lay on the couch, but I know how good I will feel. Now let's hope I can keep this up for the next seven months. 

Goals for next week: 

Monday: ZUMBA

Tuesday: ZUMBA

Wednesday: off day 

Thursday: ZUMBA

Friday: at least 30 minutes cardio

Saturday: at least 30 minutes cardio

What are your fitness goals? Anyone else a zumba fan? 

Have a great week! 

Weekending: checking things off the to do list!

Friday night C and I went to the gym after he got off work. We've both been trying to eat healthier and workout so we decided to go even on a Friday night. Afterwards we came home and changed and went out to dinner. I got a salad, and it was even more delicious since I was starving. We came home and tried to watch Noah but fell asleep on the couch and decided to just go to bed, we never finished watching the movie.

On Saturday C had to teach drumline during the day so I worked on my masters for a while and went to the gym. I'm also working on planning a surprise party for my mom so I was chatting with my brothers about that. I'm really excited for her party, I think it's going to be a lot of fun and she is going to be totally surprised. I love the invitations that I got for her.

Saturday night we went to my mom's house to watch the Seahawks game. Was anyone else watching? The best part of the game was when Chancellor (31) jumped over the defense, TWICE, to try and block a field goal. It didn't end up working either time but it was still awesome.

Saturday night we went out for drinks with some friends. They are recently married so we chatted wedding stuff for a while. I love hearing from other people what they did and their opinions on some of the troubles we are having.

Sunday morning we went to church then one of our friends came over and we relaxed and watched football all day. I also finished another one of the classes for my Masters. Woo! It was super relaxing and a great weekend with a mix of fun, productivity, and relaxation. 

How was your weekend??

Linking up with Meghan && Lisa! 

Sweat it out Sunday

I am trying really hard to go to the gym and get back in shape. Since I was a teenager I have struggled with self-esteem and my weight, usually leading to dieting/exercising for a while to lose weight and then gaining it back. I've never been overweight, but usually on the top end of healthy and always wished I could be a little skinnier.

Knowing that my wedding is 7 months away I am trying to keep that in mind and not totally overwork myself so that I get sick of it. I'm an all or nothing person so I have to remind myself that off days are okay.

My goals for working out this week:
Monday - Cardio 20 minutes, weight machines for arms
Tuesday - ZUMBA
Wednesday - TBD
Thursday - Off day (evening meetings at school)
Friday - Mixed Fit Class
Saturday - ZUMBA

I'll check in next Sunday and see how far I've gotten. What are your favorite things to do to workout? Do you prefer classes, weights, running, or something different?

Dear September...

Dear September,

You are an exciting month! I am really looking forward to many things that are happening this month and I hope that you live up to all of my expectations.

First and foremost, school is starting! I'm going into my second year of teaching science and agriculture at the high school level and I love it! I can't wait to meet all of my students and start this year on a positive note.

I want to get back into running and I set a goal of 70 miles this month. I've never in my life been a runner but I had a 100 mile sin June challenge that I accomplished so I decided to try that method again. I'm running a 5k at the end of the month and I can't wait to see how much I can improve my then. Please bring good weather for running outside and lots of motivation. :)

I get to go back and visit my college and attend a football game towards the end of the month. College was, by far, the best four years of my life and I love going back to visit. I loved our campus and everything about my school. My brother is attending graduate school there so not only do I get to visit a place I love (and often refer to as the happiest place on earth) but I also get to see my brother. It will be a win win. On top of that I have field passes to a football game, talk about an awesome weekend.

There are some hard dates to get through this months, an anniversary of a death that is still very painful for me and I'm hoping that I can make it through that time without too much pain. I know that grief is an ongoing process and even a few years later the wounds are still not healed. I'm hoping for time to process things and accept that it's okay to be sad but know that I will get through it.

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What are your hopes for September? I hope it's a great month for all!