Last Minute Christmas Shopping

I am usually one of those people that get's most of my Christmas shopping done early, but that was not the case this year. I have kept my self pretty busy between church, teaching and basketball that I just haven't had the time or the energy to go out and buy Christmas presents.

So my mom graciously accepted an invitation to tackle shopping with me in the Fort Worth only a few days before Christmas. So we headed out this morning on our adventure and there were quite a few people out and about, but it wasn't as chaotic as I believed it would be.

We made a few stops at some of my favorite places including: JCPenney, Hobby Lobby, Pet Smart, Sam Moon, Kirkland's, Ulta, and Academy. I was very excited about some of the deals we found this day and I stayed within my planned budget (part of my Operation 2012).

I am very glad that we went out today since we had to put down my parent's dog Bandit yesterday. If Mom had stayed in today she would had too much time to sit and think about it all. Bandit at Thanksgiving was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure and was given six months to live. Well a few days before I came home for Christmas she stopped eating and then yesterday she was swollen with fluid and was having a lot of trouble getting around. It was a tough decision but we all decided that she didn't need to suffer any longer. So it won't quite be the same without our furry little family member and she will greatly be missed.

But me and Mom had a nice day getting to talk and shop and enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather (not very December like weather, I might add). Also we ran into one of my favorite people (Patty Shumate) on the way home and had a really nice chat with her. God is good and I feel very blessed to have such good family and friends.

Gearing up for 2012

As some of you know 2011 was a year that started off with an unexpected twist. But I think 2011 was vital part of me knowing the person that I really want to be.

Now hear I sit a year later and feel like a much happier person than I was year ago. Don't get me wrong I have always loved and embraced life, but I think before the events of last year I had become comfortable where I was and I had stopped striving for goals like I used to. The last year I have taken time to re-evaluate some things and have decided that I am no longer going to sit on the sidelines of my life.

I have began to brainstorm about something that I am calling Operation 2012. In this I am setting a lot of goals for myself to help accomplish the total me that I have always wanted to be. This is kind of like a HUGE New Year's resolution, but hopefully with a much better outcome. Who knows I might be sitting here next year with the same wish for 2013, but I certainly hope not.

I would like to blog about my results so I can see how far I have come in the year. I have also created a notebook that states my plan for the year and is divided into four sections. These four sections represent areas of my life that I wish to make some changes in this year.

The first area is GOD... he is the most important thing in my life and the thing that many times we take for granted or put on the back burner. Well I am tired of this mentality, so I am putting together a plan to help me get around this. In the coming year I am making a schedule for myself and hoping to be better at things like: my quiet time, scripture memorization, journaling, spiritual disciplines, discipleship, stewartship, etc.

The second area is FITNESS... and I don't just mean excercise, even thought that is a part of this. I want to accomplish overall fitness. I want to be eating better again, working out, and other things that care for myself. Some of these things include: good ways to handle stress, cleaning my face more regularly, and other self pampering ideas.

The third area is FINANCES... I want to not only get my self physically fit, but also my debt needs to go on a diet. I am not a big spender by any means, but I did have some times in college when I depended on my credit cards a lil too much. I want to start following the Dave Ramsay plan and start living on a budget, paying for things with cash, pay off my debts, and do other things to help me save my money.

The fourth and last area is PERSONAL... this area covers a lot of different things in my life. Some of the things I would like to accomplish is better organization in my home, classroom, and life in general. I also want to become a better and more thoughtful family member and friend. I want to look outside of my life and do some things to show my friends and family that I care about them and that I am thinking of them.

I know this looks like a lot and it is... but I really think that this is something that I can accomplish in the upcoming year. I am going to pace myself and over the year I am going to make small acheivable goals to help me reach these long term goals. I am also going to need people to hold me accountable or laugh at me next year when I am sitting in the same place... so I hope that some people are willing to take this journey with me!! Let's get geared up for 2012!!

Now I am going to work toward one of my goals and go get a new hair style!!

Jess' TSU pictures

Well one of my new year resolution's was to become a better photographer. I have always loved photography and now I am hoping to pursue it as a hobby.

A couple weeks ago my friend Jess asked me to take some TSU pics of her because she is graduting in just a few weeks!! CONGRATS JESS...

Well last week we went to good ole TSU and took some shots of her. I thought I would post some of these shots to show how it turned out.

It was a lot of fun rolling around in the grass and getting to do this... Thanks Jess!!

Well there is a look of my favorite shots... Jess is so beautiful, inside and out... and a lot of fun to take pictures of! I love ya girl!!

p90X here we come...

So me and mom have really been working to get our selves thin and in shape. We first did a 30 day workout challenge and finished that only losing a few pounds, but mom lost nearly 7 inches and I lost a little more than 8 inches.

We then decided we wanted to continue, so we bought a 30 day workout DVD. It seems really good, but after doing it a few times me and mom were both convinced that we needed something a little more intense.

So I FINALLY convinced her that we could do p90x. She might still be a little nervous about doing it, but I think we are both excited to be moving to a more extreme workout. I have really noticed I have had a lot more energy. So we should get p90x this week sometime. We are hoping to start on Sunday. I am hoping to blog and tell you how my journey with p90x is. I think I will even be brave and post some pics... if you promise not to be disgusted with the beginning pics!!

I wanna watch 80's movies!!

So I was watching the Academy Awards and they did a tribute to John Hughes and that inspired me to watch some movies from the 80s. Only the best decade ever!! Well I might be a little biased because I was born in the 80s..lol. Well today we were watching TV and St. Elmo's Fire came on and I didn't watch it all(even though I did DVR it so I could watch it later)... and re-inspired me to watch some movies from the 80s. So I have compiled a list of propective movies and me and my friend Kassi are going to go on a quest to round up some of these flicks!!


I thought I would also give an update on how I am doing with my 2010 goals. Here are the results:

1.To build a better relationship with Christ.
Working on that still… trying to get back to more consistent with being more God focused throughout my day (Still need a lot of work)
2.To be a better girlfriend
I am trying to be better at “going with the flow”:which I am HORRIBLE at… I like having a plan and I think that drives Matthew crazy… lol I have my good and bad days!
3.I want to try and blog for the next year as a way of keeping up with my progress and changes in 2010.
Well OBVIOUSLY I haven’t been doing good at blogging… I just plain forget to log on and update it… I will continue to work on this.
4.I want to drop 30 more lbs (I have currently lost 9 lbs by doing WW)
Continuing to work on this I am at about 15 lbs… yay!! Fitting into a lot of my clothes a lot better… I have been kind of at a standstill the last month… been trying to think about how to get over the HUMP… been contemplating trying P90X… I don’t know yet!
5.I want to run a 5k
Still wanting to do that… but haven’t started running  We will see
6. I want to become a decent photographer (I recently bought a Cannon Rebel XS)
I did purchase Photoshop Elements and have been playing with some of my photos to see what I can do.
7. I want to put a dent in my current debt
I have paid off one credit card… yay!! And I am about to pay off another one this week!... now moving on to the next one…
8. I want to be a better relative and friend to those around me
I have been trying to call my friends and try to hang out with them more consistently
9. I want to put a HUGE dent in my LPC hours
I have made some progress I have 600+ hours down… I only have to get to 1500 eek!
10. I want to do iTeach Texas and become a teacher... so I can become a school counselor
I have started the iTeach process and I take the 4-8 Generalist in a week in a half!! We will see!
11. I want to be able to wear a swim suit and not be embarrassed
Def. not there yet!
12. I want to learn to be better at dealing with the unknown... aka my future
I feel like I am making progress towards this one… more of that trying to just go with the flow!

Becoming content... what a hard task!

At my job I come in contact with a lot of people through out the week. Some of the people I see are going through the same struggles I am, some are lost and don't really know what direction to go, and some just inspire me. But as I go through my daily life I realize how many times I am not content with what I have.

I feel like a really blessed girl, I have an awesome family (like my ADORABLE nephews in this picture) that I am really close to, I have a pretty good job, I am been able to acheive many of my education goals and I have a wonderful boyfriend. Yet I still want more.... which I guess is a double edge sword... wanting more keeps me motivated to achieve more, but it also has me wanting the biggest and best of everything. And being kind of a gadget freak makes it really hard for me to control myself at times.

Not being content is a scary thing... we easily get bored with something, so we go out on a quest to find something that gets our attention. This is true with all sorts of things. Think about it when your job gets tough how many times do you say "I'm ready to quit!" I realized this in myself when a co-worker got a new car... well who am I to want a new car. I heard myself tell her "I'm jealous." In the last 3 years I have had 3 different cars. I know that buying the new cars were out of my control (2 totaled Honda Civics) I have only had my current car since June and it's not like it is a crappy car. It's fairly new 2007, it's got lots of bells and whistles (navigation system, sunroof, keyless entry/start, hands free phone calling, etc).... so why do I envy someone's new car. I know I am not alone, but it's scary that we have become a world where we feel like we always have to keep up with the Jones'.

I feel like there are plenty of areas in my life when I don't care what other people think. But I do find myself getting wrapped up in wanting the next best thing. So is there a cure for this? I sure hope so... lol

I Timothy 6:6-10 says:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Ouch!! That verse sure hurts... it is so easy to get wrapped into what the world defines as sucess. So what is true sucess?? Sucess to me isn't going to work everyday and trying to make the most money, so you can buy the best stuff. I will feel sucessful if I can take part in helping change the lives of others. This could be hundreds of people or many just one. I know that God has a plan for me and my life and I hope that I live a life that will be pleasing in his eyes.

So hopefully I can remember why I choose to get into the counseling field and go into work with a better attitude that I have been lately. I hope that when my clients come to see me they feel that I truly care about their well being and don't feel like I am just trying to rush them in and out to get my time for the month. I hope they feel that I am making a difference.

Coming back to the blog!!

Okay so it is 2010... lots of buzz about New Year's resolutions... so I was thinking tonight that I was going to try and be better at blogging... not that anyone is remotely interested in what I am doing... but it will be a good way for me to keep track of what I am doing and how I have changed in 2010... we will see next Jan I guess...

Well I have a lot of goals for myself for 2010... (probably because I am currently living with the rents and feel like I need ways to make myself productive... I will explain in a moment)

1. To build a better relationship with Christ.

2. To be a better girlfriend

3.I want to try and blog for the next year as a way of keeping up with my progress and changes in 2010.

4.I want to drop 30 more lbs (I have currently lost 9 lbs by doing WW)

5.I want to run a 5k

6. I want to become a decent photographer (I recently bought a Cannon Rebel XS)

7. I want to put a dent in my current debt

8. I want to be a better relative and friend to those around me

9. I want to put a HUGE dent in my LPC hours

10. I want to do iTeach Texas and become a teacher... so I can become a school counselor

11. I want to be able to wear a swim suit and not be embarassed

12. I want to learn to be better at dealing with the unknown... aka my future

Pretty hefty list of goals for 2010... we will see how it pans out... why do I want to blog in 2010?? I don't really know... partly because I was inspired by the movie Julie and Julia... not that anyone will ever read this blog so maybe it is only for my own benefit... and partly b/c in WW they have a thing called the Traveling Journal and our leader said that on avg a member loses 4 lbs per week while having the journal. I guess I am hoping that keeping track of my goals throughout 2010 will hold me more accountable and thus help me achieve more things on the list. That is all for tonight, but there will be more to come!!