2012 Goals

Here we go again, another year has come and gone.  Ridiculous.  By now, you've probably realized that the list didn't get completed by the end of 2011.  Disappointed?  Yeah, I am a little bit too.  But, all in all I'm ok with it.  2011 took me down a road that I wasn't expecting and I think all things considered, I crossed off a good amount of my list.  I realize now that my list was a little lofty, and considering that a lot of the items cost a decent amount of money, a bit out of reach.  That's ok though.  It gave me something to work towards and caused me to get out of my comfort zone.  It also forced me to start this blog which, though it doesn't seem it due to my lack of posting recently, has been one of the best things I've done for myself in a long time.

So what's happening with the list now, you ask?  Well, as of now my plan is to make that list a "101 in 1001" list.  Therefore, my new goal is to complete everything on my list by September 28, 2013.  I think this is a lot more feasible and I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Now a little housekeeping business, my december goals?  Major fail on almost all fronts.  Once again, I failed to realize how CRAZY December was going to be for me.  Besides all the Christmas craziness and family gatherings, I also started a new work schedule that I've been trying to adjust to.  Regardless though, I hate setting goals for myself and failing to complete them.  One of my major goals for 2012 is to change that.

Tomorrow I hope to share with you my goals for January, but here are my 12 goals for the year 2012:

1. Spend more time in prayer and reading the Bible.  Pretty self-explanatory.  I've been slacking at this and it hasn't done anything good for my life.
2. Lose 50 pounds.  I'd love to say that 50 pounds would put me at my goal weight, but truth be told, even after 50 pounds I'll have a ways to go.  I believe that 50 pounds is attainable and reasonable, however.  I know I can do it... I just have to do it (go figure, eh?).
3. Find a job that I'm ok with.  Yeah, that sounds as bad in writing as it did in my head.  I love my barista job, but the cold hard truth is that I want to make more money.  I want to be able to pay off debt quicker, I want to be able to give more to others and honestly, I want to do more things that cost money!  Sorry I'm not sorry.  However, I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to find a job that I'm really passionate about at this time in my life.  A lot of this is because my passions are other places right now.  I'm passionate about being a wife and serving my husband, I'm passionate about trying to find a healthy lifestyle and I'm just not sure what I will be passionate about as a career.  I'm ok with that though.  I'm only 22.  I have time to figure it out.  Plus, my ultimate dream-job?  Stay at home mom.  Yep, I said it.
4. Go on a real vacation.  When I say "real" I mean something like a cruise or going to California... Not going to Chicago for the weekend.  A real vacation that's like 7 days.  It's completely selfish but I think it's good for the mind and soul.  We all need a vacation.
5. Pay off debt.  Hubz and I met at a small, private Christian college.  People who meet at small, private Christian colleges tend to accrue a decent amount of debt.  It sucks but we both agree it was worth it.  My goal for 2012 is to pay off a few small debts (equalling less than $1000), all our credit card debt and my car loan.  Yes, it's lofty, but I think that if we really buckle down and I start bringing in more money, it's definitely something we can accomplish.
6. De-clutter.  We have a lot of stuff.  How we got all this stuff, I'm still not sure, but there is a lot of it.  I really want to start living more simply and de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff is the best way to do it.  AT the end of the day, that's all it is: STUFF.  We don't need a lot of stuff, especially considering we life in a 700 sq. ft. apartment.
7. Begin saving more.  I would like to have at least $3000 saved by the end of the year.  Having that cushion would relieve a lot of stress and even allow us to do things like take vacations, begin saving for a house, etc.
8. Read 12 books.  After college I kind of stopped reading for a while.  Recently I've started reading more and realized how much I missed it!  I think that one book a month is pretty reasonable, and actually think there's a good chance I'll read more.
9. Join a nice gym.  Hubz and I belonged to a cheap-o gym that neither of us liked for half of 2011.  We ended up canceling our membership because we never used it.  Although I really like working out at home, it would be really nice to be able to take classes at a gym, swim in the pool and even step on a treadmill every now and then!
10. Move!  Hubz and I are feeling a little trapped at our apartment right now for multiple reasons.  We're wanting to move somewhere bigger and nicer (who knew cabinet space was such a commodity?), but that obviously costs more money.  And honey, moving ain't cheap.  I'm hoping that we will be living somewhere else by this summer.
11. Gain revenue from the blog.  This obviously forces me to become a better blogger, as well as a more consistent blogger.  I really want to spend time on my blog in 2012 and really invest in it.  When I'm writing often and expressing myself through writing, I feel at my best.  I'm ready to take Keeping Up With Kayla to the next step, I'm just not sure how to get there yet.
12. Watch less TV.  Hubz and I don't have cable or anything, but we do have Netflix, and I make sure we get our money's worth on it.  When I'm home alone in the afternoons, I like to have some sort of noise, and usually that ends up being the TV.  I don't think I realize how much time and energy gets sucked into that stinking digital box every week.  I need to unplug more.  I know it well help my productivity and will help Hubz and I spend more quality time together.

So that's that.  Hope you're feeling as motivated as I am to make 2012 awesome!  

K.

sick as a dog

For the past 24 hours, I have kind of felt like death itself, sniffling, coughing and feeling like my head might explode. Imagine my enthusiasm. Luckily, I was able to get a co-worker to cover my shift today, although in the hourly-wage world that means that I'll be missing out on some hard-earned cash. Boo.

So as I was lying on the couch watching "Parenthood" on Netflix, guzzling water and feeling bad for myself, I figured that I might as well take this opportunity to share my essentials for when the cold of death overtakes your immune system.

1. Juice. Much to the dismay of Hubz, I'm not much of a juice drinker and rarely ever buy it. However, when I'm sick, juice is a must, preferably Naked juice.

Vitamin c is a must for me and this stuff is tasty!

2. ...More vitamin c! Surprise surprise. Grapefruits have been on sale lately at the grocery store and we loaded up on a whole bag of them.

 

Lately I've been just eating these like an orange, except that I have to take the actual fruit out of the skin of each section. Make sense? I just can't handle that stuff. It's too thick!

3. Leafy greens. Obviously these babies are healthy for you and are an important part of any diet the way it is. I always feel better and have more energy when I eat more spinach and other leafy greens. When I'm sick I feel completely drained of energy so these definitely help.

4. Tea. Nothing makes me feel better than a mug of tea. It soothes my throat, helps ward-off headaches and just makes you feel comforted.

This tea is is one that we got at my favorite coffee shop in Sioux Falls. It's orange passion fruit and it's super mild. I love it.

4. Showering. When I'm sick, I'm usually in the tub at least twice a day. There's just something about the hot water streaming down on me that just clears out my sinuses and allows me to breathe... At least for half an hour or so.

5. Omega 3 fatty acids. Today I had salmon for lunch, not only because it's delicious and it's what I had at home, but also because of the omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3s are super good for you and most people are deficient of it. It helps brain function, immunity and also helps your hair and skin be healthier! Salmon is a great source of omega 3s.

6. More omega 3s. I take a daily fish oil supplement for all the above reasons, especially since I don't eat a lot of salmon, mainly because of how much it costs to get quality salmon.

I got these supplements at the chiropractors office, but you can find fish oil supplements pretty much anywhere you can get other supplements and vitamins.

So that's it... Plus if all the above fails, I'm also rather fond of the blue Tylenol PM cough syrup. It knocks me out like.that and after I wake up from a 3 hour nap I usually am feeling significantly better.

So tell me, what are your "sick as a dog" essentials?

K.

december goals

it probably seems odd to be setting monthly goals for the month before the new year... oh well.  i've never really considered my life to be normal, so why start now, right?  it's more fun that way.  as i'll explain in the next couple of days, i planned on 2011 being much different than it actually has been.  i planned a year of success, accomplishment and adventure.  turns out that 2011 would actually be a year of struggle, pain and doubt.  however, there has also been beauty in 2011.  the lord is faithful and is bringing perseverance from struggle, beauty from pain and strength from doubt.

i want 2012 to be everything i hoped 2011 would be... but i'm not giving up on 2011 quite yet.  i've still got one month left, and even though it's the craziest month of the year and i have 11 christmas celebrations i'm expected to attend, i want to make this last month of 2011 count.  here are some goals to help me transition into 2012:

1. complete the chalene johnson 30 day challenge.  i attempted to finish this in october but fell off the bandwagon about halfway through the month.  it's a really cool challenge though and i know it will help me accomplish both short-term and long-term goals if i stick with it.
2. workout at least 1000 minutes.  this can be anything from walking to yoga to a beachbody video, as long as it gets my heart-rate up and my fat cells crying, it counts.  hopefully this will counteract some of the christmas treats and craziness... and hopefully it means that i won't need to ring in the new year with bigger jeans.
3. have at least two date nights with the hubz.  with all the time that we will be spending with friends and family this month (which is such a blessing, may i add), it's important that we get some alone time to keep our relationship in check and keep my from getting crabby-crazy.  plus, it's just plain fun.
4. track food/exercise intake every day.  this probably sounds kinda crazy but i'm really trying to commit to my weight loss and right now that means tracking everyday and staying committed everyday.  at least with weight watchers i can still have a couple mint mochas and coconut bon-bons and i don't have to feel guilty about it.
5. blog at least 7 times.  i don't like how little i've been blogging lately.  blogging brings me joy, purpose and an outlet from everyday life.  i don't want to let something that i enjoy and is actually good for my health to slack just because life is crazy.

so that's that.  i want to end 2011 on a positive note and get a jump-start on 2012.  join me, will you?

-k

p.s. i hope there's a lot more of this happening in 2012... just sayin.