2014 Goals

I welcome you to the new year with Addie’s first morning smile of the new year…

I am part of the 90% of people who make New Years Resolutions but never stick with them. So instead of making resolutions this year, I am going to make goals. I am making specific goals that are measurable and attainable. I am much more likely to stick with a goal that I can see progress on.

2013 was a really good year for my family and me. I have to admit it will be a tough year to beat for us. We had our sweet Addilyn, and purchased a house along with many other small things. I am really looking forward to 2014 to see what God has planned.

Most people say “I am going to get in shape for the new year”… Well that is not measurable. There is no way to track progress on getting in shape. Instead lets put a number with it.

I am going to lose the last 10 pounds of baby weight and hopefully an extra 5 pounds as well. I plan to eat better and exercise more…

Which brings me to my next goal. I want to run at the very least 2 times a week this year. Preferably 3 times or more. I am running for Jocelyn. and I think 2 times a week is a fair number to strive for. She goes to therapy and I will run.

For the New Year, I really need to return my focus to God. I have really been slacking when it comes to reading scripture and praying. My Goal is to read my bible at least once a day for at least 5 minutes. I think this goal is my top priority this year. God has blessed us tremendously and we should focus our life on Him.

Last but not least, my final goal is to be more financially sound this year. My husband is blessed to have a job that allows me to be a stay at home mom with Addie. If it is God’s will, I hope to start selling my crochet creations and bettering my sewing ability to make a little bit extra cash flow for our family.

What are your goals or Resolutions for 2014? What are you looking forward to most?

I’ll leave you with another picture of my sweet girl:

Day 1 of Training

It is official I have started training for the Disney Princess Half in February. My goal is to finish the race in 3 hours or less. There are a lot of training plans out there for half and full marathons to follow. I am going to try and follow Jeff Galloway's training plan. His plans usually include a long run on the weekend then two 30-45 minute runs during the week. I am going to try and do three shorter workouts during the week to get in shape quicker. Or at least that is my plan. Last night I was trying to figure out the best time of day to try and get my runs in. I don't really like running with the jogging stroller, because it slows my pace, and it is kind of hard to push. Well after talking with the hubby I decided that unless I can find a cheap tread mill and run when Addie is sleeping that it is best to just push her in the stroller. With hubby's work schedule we never know when he will be home. One week it could be 5 PM every day, then the next week it might be 8 PM. I could try and run early in the morning, but running in the dark around my neighborhood doesn't sound appetizing to me.

Water Hazard on the Golf Course

So day 1 of training started today. I loaded the stroller, the car seat, the baby, the diaper bag, the dog (i decided she needed to get in shape too), and me in the car to drive to the path I mapped out.

We live relatively close to a retirement community and they have golf cart paths that follow all of the main roads through the community. One of the paths travel like 20 miles or more through the community from one town to the next. The path is nice and paved, plus the landscaping is pretty.I parked at the sheriffs department at the beginning of the path and unloaded all of the above list.

I am the typical first time mom. I packed everything I could possibly need for Addie. Wednesday when I go to run again, I am NOT carrying nearly as much stuff. Is there a reason why I think I would need a fully stocked diaper dag? I don't know, maybe, but I doubt it.

Anyway back to my run today. We started out great! A nice warm-up followed by run/walk intervals. I had planned on running .20 miles then walking 2 minutes. I did that about once then had to start running shorter distances. My running partner Bella (a miniature australian shepherd) is very out of shape as well. At about 3/4 of a mile she started slacking way behind. We were running early this morning, but it was still kind of humid out. I started running less and walking more. The whole 2nd mile we pretty much walked back to the car. It is going to take some time for her to lose some weight and being a productive running partner, but that is what team work is for.

I must of made her bored.

The running path is a golf cart path that is about 12 feet wide and nicely paved. However, the drivers of the golf carts are not so nice. Some of them were really nice and gave me a lot of room when they passed, but some... not so much. Also, the path is mostly straight, but there is some turns. Those turns... how can I say this nicely... some of those drivers think they are in the golf cart version of Nascar! They fly around the turns. I am pretty sure they are pulling an Earnhardt Sr. and throttling through the turns instead of braking! But we didn't have any near death experiences so I think this is my new running path. There is quite a bit of shade along the way as well. Some of the best qualities of this running route is the fact that the paving is smooth, there is shade, most of the people are friendly and wave or say good morning. and it is pretty much unlimited running. The road is called Buena Vista Blvd. It goes from one side of the community to the other, so it is probably 15-20 miles long total.

While on our run Addie must of gotten bored because she passed out in the stroller. Since this was the first actual run with her in the stroller I used the head support from the car seat. I am glad I did, because it supported her head when she fell asleep. She was a great running partner. Once we started going, I didn't hear one peep out of her. Normally she is a very "vocal" baby, but not today on the run. Either she slept the whole time, or she was really enjoying it.

Here we are midway through our run. She of course was sleeping, but I couldn't help getting such a cute picture of her!

The actual run wasn't that bad. I completed 2.06 miles. My pace was really slow because of all the walking. **And my dog thinks she must stop and potty about every quarter mile (Read about her here)** It was actually probably one of my slowest runs ever, but at least we got out there.

I am officially on the waiting list to be matched with a buddy for I Run 4 (IR4). The email says it could take 6-8 weeks before I get a match due to the over abundance of runners requesting matches.

With that said, if you know any one who is a runner and would be interested in being matched send them over to whoIrun4.com. Also, if you know anyone that is physically or mentally handicapped that would love to have a runner, or some one that has a child that is handicapped, please send them to the website as well.

On a side note... I listen to Pastor Mark Driscoll podcasts during my runs. He said some pretty awesome things: One of which was... "When good things become God things, they become bad things." He was preaching on one God and how we worship other things like: sex, money, people, things... It was something that really stuck with me.

The baby is awake now... Time to play. Stay tuned.

IRun4

God works in very mysterious ways. The other day I was thinking of writing a blog post about why or what I run for. I thought about all of the reasons I get out there on the pavement. Some of the reasons included: running to stay healthy, running to lose weight, to relieve stress, for God, and to run for those who can't. I think about the people who literally can't get out there an run. A couple days later I was reading some blog posts from other runners and came across one that was titled, "I Run 4." This post was about an organization called, "IRun4."  I took the time and looked at their site and read about the organization. It was started recently by someone who decided to dedicate his runs to a handicapped child that he knew. Well the idea spread like wildfire. It is now over 6300 people strong and growing in leaps and bounds daily. After learning a bit more about this group, I sent a request for my own running buddy. 

I truly believe that God sent me to this group. The group is not just for runners, it is for anyone that is willing to get out and run, walk, workout, or dedicate any type of physical activity to their buddy. I am still waiting to find out who my running buddy will be, but I am very excited and I am trying to have lots of patience while I am waiting. If you are a runner or know a runner please visit the website. 

Once I get my running buddy (and it is okay with the parents) I will share the joy with you. 

Playing Catch up!

Wow! It has been a long time since I posted! July and August were pretty hectic! Long story short... We were gonna buy the house that we were renting, then we found out the homeowners changed their minds and we had to move out in 30 days (with a 2 month old baby). I packed up our house, we looked for a new house, and I tried to find a place to rent until we could close on a new home all in 30 days. I truly owe it all to God in making it all happen. We made 4 offers on different houses. All of the offers were over bid. Just when we were going to give up. we found our house and made an offer. The seller went into negotiations with us. Three days later we signed a contract and started closing on a home. We literally closed on our house in 23 days!! When I said God helped us, I mean he opened every door possible for us to be new home owners. I will write a post on our home buying process soon.

We had to be out of our old house on July 31st, and didn't close on our new house until September 6th. Yes that is a month that we were "nomads."

He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you. Luke 17:6.

It is true that a little bit of faith goes a long way. We were two days away from being literally homeless and still no luck on finding a place to live until we found something to buy, when out of the blue a friend called me and said their neighbor has an old place that we could rent. Praise God on that one for sure!

Then it was supposed to take 90 days to close once we got a contract signed. God was looking over us again and we closed in less than 30 days.

The inspection passed, the appraisal passed, the paperwork on the banks side only too 5 days. We moved in the day we signed the papers.

We are now home owners instead of renters. Our house is perfect in every way for us. My blogs outline now includes home-ownership as well as running and DIY. Another wonderful thing about our new home. It is only 2 streets from where we were living, and we love the neighborhood.

A lot has happened since my last blog post. I will try to get caught up and stay up-to-date with blog postings.

An update on Addie is in the making.

-Jenna