Three month update...

I wrote down this list of goals for the new year.  Some of them are pretty specific, while others are kinda dumb or too broad.  I figured I write a little update about how things are coming along.

Here's what I wrote:
1.  Whiten my teeth by the end of February.  Haven't done this yet.  I figure I'll wait until a couple weeks before Mexico.
2.  Chop off all of my hair by the end of the year.  Again, I'm waiting until after Mexico to make this change.
3.  Find ways to better cope with stress.  I've been getting better at this.  Exercising, eating better, journaling, making lists of positive aspects of my day and seeing a school counselor have helped relieve a lot of unnecessary anxiety.
4.  Get a gym membership by February.  I don't have a membership but I do have an awesome fitness plan including two nights of climbing and two nights of yoga per week.  It's been more than fabulous.
5.  Stay off Facebook for the year.  I kind of sucked at this during the first part of the year.  I even made a new Facebook with the goal of only being "Friends" with people I see on a regular basis.  Facebook just doesn't allow for real life, however, and I've been doing better ever since.  I still check Jeremiah's newsfeed every once and again, though.
6.  Fix my shoulder with physical therapy.  OH YEAH!  BOOM SHAKALAKA!  I've been seeing the most amazing physical therapist for three-ish months and my shoulder is almost completely back to normal.
7.  Clean out my car by the end of January.  Check.
8.  Take the rest of my clothes mountain to Goodwill.  Check.
9.  Cherish the relationships I hold most dear.  This is where the goals start to get a little vague.  I think I'm doing okay with this one, but really, who knows.
10.  Stop putting so much pressure on myself.  Again, I think I'm doing okay but this is a pretty vague goal.
11.  Drink more water and cut out all soda.  I'm proud of this one.  I still love me some soda but I don't ever have it in my house.  I've been drinking La Croix as a replacement when I get desperate for some bubbles.
12.  Do one meaningful or productive activity each day and take the time to reflect on this activity.  I generally journal about my top three best moments of the day.  So yeah, this is going okay.
13.  Start volunteering.  Just started today.
14.  Continue journaling.  I haven't been journaling much this semester because I've been composing a day book for one of my writing classes.  My usual journaling has been replaced by my day booking.
15.  Get a better sleep schedule.  Since I started tutoring, my sleep schedule has been SO MUCH BETTER!!!  This will always be a work in progress for me.

YAY GOALS CYA LATER BYE

Lately...

Things that have been happening lately:
1.  I got another job!!  I'm so thankful for the opportunity and for the people at my primary job hooking it up.
2.  I committed to spending a week in Mexico with some of my best pals.
3.  I started volunteering at Metro Denver Promotion of Letters and had my first shift today.
4.  I got a puppy and named her Peaches.
5.  I'll soon be moving into a bigger room of our house.
6.  MY SHOULDER IS FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!  I've been climbing and yoga-ing up a storm!  STOKED!

Life has been pretty good all around.

Bookybookbook...

I've been quitting and un-quitting Facebook over the past few months and although I've relapsed multiple times, even creating another account at one point, I've managed to read a lot more books for fun during this time.  I don't really care to review any of these books.  They've all been valuable in their own way and after years of studying literature, I've become a lot better at avoiding stinkers.  I just hope to keep a record of what I've read thus far.

 

The next three books are some I've found on my work's bookshelf.  We are required to complete a book review each semester and I've enjoyed the process.

We've been reading excerpts of the next book in my Rhetoric of Sound class but I want to read all of it before I attend Peter Elbow's seminar in Estes Park, CO this summer.

Resolution...

I really love New Years Resolutions.  I tried to get my entire family to participate in making their own lists of goals but alas, no one else really cared to do so.  Since I love lists and I can't seem to sleep (EVER), here is a reflection of last years goals and a new list for 2013.

What I wrote for...
2012:
1. Self-reliance will be a big deal for 2012; I can feel it!
2. Scratch my fashion itch.  I'm loving on everything fashion lately and 2012 is the year to scratch that itch.
3. Introduction to Powder 101.  I'm wanting some winter sports in my life so skiing and snowboarding will be a MUST.
4. Get a job, yo.  Not much more to say about that one.
5. Maintain relationships.  I always try at this one and it's HARD.  Whether it's family or the many friends I have scattered around the globe (including the ones in Denver), I must get better at maintaining these relationships.
6. Find a hobby.  I've been big into riding horses, checking out art and going to shows in 2011 but I'm not so much feeling those scenes anymore.  (Except for the horseback riding "scene."  I'll always be into that!)  I'm looking for something new and different.
7. Do well in what I do.  School must continue to be my priority.  Getting scholarships, writing a bangin' thesis and applying to grad school will be my priorities for 2012.
8. Continue to travel.  France and Italy were the perfect introduction to all the traveling I MUST do in 2012.  Here's looking at you Amsterdam and London!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ERR'BODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And here is how I did in 2012:
1.  I live in my own place and do what I want whenevah I want.  Bingo-Bango.
2.  I've really enjoyed blogging and made an extra effort to dress up for school even if I was feeling oh-so lazy.  Check.
3.  Nope.
4.  Got a job.  Love the job.  Check.
5.  This one is getting better.  I backed off on Facebook and ever since, I've done a better job at keeping in touch with people who mean the most to me in my daily life.  I will always love visiting and re-connecting with old friends and family but staying away from social media has helped this goal a lot.
6.  Hobby.  Um.  Does cleaning my room count?  Actually this is another win because as soon as I quit Facebook, I became so bored that my bookworm self was born again.  I've been finishing a book every couple of days now!
7.  This year was a lot.  I put too much pressure on myself and it sort of turned into a hot heinous mess.  I'm not very worried about this in 2013 because I'm pretty sure it'd be impossible to do worse than last year.  Fingers crossed!
8.  Nope.  Frustrating, but nope.


I have smaller goals for 2013.  I've found that making super broad goals leads to little success.  I almost never stay conscious of my goals after I've written them but I actually did okay last year.  Though, I don't know if a couple of those count considering I just achieved them a week ago.  Whomp.  Nevertheless, here are some random goals I just thought of for 2013:
1.  Whiten my teeth by the end of February.  This is totally vain but I don't care. I want a whiter smile and this is a super easy, achievable first goal.
2.  Chop off all of my hair by the end of the year.  I've wanted a chopped 'do for forever and 2013 must be the year.
3.  Find ways to better cope with stress.  I'm determined to handle the hurdles of school/work/life better in 2013.  I don't want to get a million wrinkles or die when I'm 30 so I really need to find some ways to better cope.
4.  Get a gym membership by February.  If I go to a gym to get a membership, I might be able to convince myself to go there again.
5.  Stay off Facebook for the year.  My life has already hugely benefited from breaking up with Facebook.  I live in the moment more, I don't feel as pressured to fit a certain mold, and though I still waste time like whoa, I feel so much more accomplished when I've just finished a book than when I used to blow a couple hours on the Facebook.  
6.  Fix my shoulder with physical therapy.  Omg, my dumb shoulder.  I've been frustrated with it for over a year, so I need to buck-the-fuck up and get it fixed.  Sorry for the language.  It's just been the most horrendous bother.
7.  Clean out my car by the end of January.  This is another small goal.  My car is almost always a nightmare and it's been even worse because I have a million clothes needing to go to Goodwill.  A cleaner car will make a happier Sonja.
8.  Take the rest of my clothes mountain to Goodwill (see above).
9.  Cherish the relationships I hold most dear.  I don't want to care about what people think about me and my life or relationship choices.  I love the people that I love and I want to be in touch with them as much as possible.
10.  Stop putting so much pressure on myself.  This one really applies to everything.  Relationships, school, work...I want to live in the moment with relationships and work the hardest I can at school and work.  I psyche myself out by putting so much extra pressure on myself and it's really just silly.
11.  Drink more water and cut out all soda.  I just bought a new water bottle in honor of this goal.  I've already made strides in cutting out soda but holy mother, fancy root beer might just be my downfall.
12.  Do one meaningful or productive activity each day and take the time to reflect on this activity.  It doesn't take much for me to feel like I've had a super productive day.  I want to make sure I take the time to reflect on those moments and give myself a pat on the back whenever I can.
13.  Start volunteering.  I've been wanting to do this every since I volunteered at Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City.  I have the opportunity to do so through work and I'm truly stoked to start.
14.  Continue journaling.  If you've noticed my absence on this "lifestyle" blog, it's because I've been journaling up the heezy!  It's awesome!  Though I enjoy sharing posts from time-to-time, I feel so much more like myself when I can no-filter, brain-vomit on a fresh sheet of journal paper. 
15.  Get a better sleep schedule.  This has been a life-long struggle, so it's really just a filler for the list, as this goal goes without saying.  But hey, why not start in 2013!?  Why not start now!?  At 630AM!  Lordy.  We'll see about this one.

I'll update y'all next year:)  Hope you're having a fab January thus far.

Update...

Hi all.

Just wanted to give a short update in case you were sitting on the edge of your seat.  Jeremiah's surgery went quite well.  He is still in a lot of pain, suffering from both the psychological and physical tolls of recovery.  I don't envy him, that's for sure.  But he will be entirely healed in six months and has already made great strides.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately.  When my computer crashed (the first time), I bought myself a leather bound journal and have been diary-ing, Anne Frank style, ever since.  I've always loved to externalize my experiences and I imagine I'll continue to phase in and out of public "externalizing" via my various blogs.

Either way, I appreciate you checking in on me!  I hope y'all are well.

I'm headed to Iowa for a much needed break.

My Dad already informed me that he bought the biggest Christmas tree we've ever had to celebrate the boys and my homecoming.  What a lovely man. 

Happy holidays to you and yours.

A picture of my favorite scarf and me at the ranch.

Today...

It's a beautiful day outside.  A beautiful morning.  Good friends and family are helping us through an important day.

This morning...

Please pray for Jeremiah today.  Not only does he have an extensive surgery to power through this afternoon, but he also just received the absolute worst news from one of the insurance companies involved with the accident.  Those dirty animals called him at 7am on the day of his surgery.  If you know Jeremiah, you know he is strong.  You know he can get through anything.  I know he will take this setback and move forward.  Keep him in your thoughts today as he moves forward with his life, insurance companies be damned.