2011 Goals

I'm not the type of person who makes New Year's Resolutions. I've never really done it. I don't usually make goals for the year either. But I want to make some for this year. One thing I always have wanted to improve about myself is that I don't live very intentionally, either in my life in general or in the day to day. I think that having some goals for the year will help me with that.

So, my goals for this year are:

1. Complete my childbirth and breastfeeding classes. (I have two years from October 2010 to get everything done, but I would like to get all the knowledge I can from class/book learning as soon as possible. That way I can be prepared for my clients, and focus on getting them when I have a good knowledge base.)

2. Complete the minimum required reading for certification. (I only have 3 more that I have to read and I know I can get that done in a year. I will probably read more though, so I feel like getting the actual requirement done will be a good thing. I also want to do this for the reason mentioned in the goal above.)

3. Work out a couple of times a week. (I really want to be more fit and healthy, but I know that you need to have goals that are specific and measurable. I don't really have a weight loss goal that I want to achieve, so I figure this a good goal. And I think it's attainable.)

4. Go on the paddle boats at Rothwell Park. (Ben and I have wanted to go on those for a couple years now, and we've lived here two summers, and have never done it. Silly. This year we will go on them.)

5. Have a picnic date with Ben somewhere pretty. (We don't really go on a lot of dates, which is fine. The way our life works right now it isn't really that doable. But I would like to go on some, so I might as well make a goal for one. I don't want to just go to the park for this either. I want to actually find a cool place, maybe that we've never been.)

6. Read through the Bible at least once and keep a prayer journal. (I'm excited about this one. I think it will be really good for me. I am not great at making sure I'm reading the Bible and praying, and I think part of the problem is not being sure what to read. I think I'll probably read it straight through.)

I think those are all my goals for the year. Start small and reasonable, right?

A Look at 2010

As a new year is approaching I thought I would think over what's happened in this one.

As 2010 began we were heading into the second half of our first year of marriage, and that was when we really seemed to hit our stride. We seemed to have worked out a lot of kinks and made a lot of adjustments, and from then on things just seemed to get better and better.

In February both Ben's brother's sons were born, about a day apart. We gained two adorable nephews!

That spring semester was when we started learning Hebrew, and I got to the point where I was really comfortable with my job. We also started having a Saturday morning Bible study/breakfast at our apartment.

At the beginning of summer we went to Colorado to exchange cars and visit family. We got to meet our nephews for the first time, went to a wedding, and hung out with Amos and Caleb. We exchanged the Ranger for a Saturn. It was weird going from a truck to a really small car.

Summer was HOT and HUMID. The air conditioning in the Saturn didn't work. We had our first anniversary. We ate at Thai Kitchen and went down to see the our friends at the Lake of the Ozarks. I turned 24 and got my own office at work! They surprised me with it on my birthday. I also got a raise. We went out with a lot of friends for sushi on my birthday. I loved it! Best birthday I've had in years. My mom came to visit. We had a great time while she was here. The three of us went to Hannibal. It was the first time Ben and I had gone there. We experienced a lot of Mark Twain, and got very sweaty. Mom and I went to a little tea house in southern Missouri which was really fun. It was so nice having her here. And I believe at some point over the summer was when I decided to start getting serious about working on getting my Doula certification. And Kelly and Caleb moved out of the apartment next door to Columbia.

Fall semester we started our second semester of Hebrew. Our friends Ethan and Corey moved into the apartment next to us.

In October I went to my Doula workshop. It was great. I learned a lot.

November, I got to be a doula for the first time, and fell in love with it. I can't wait until I get to do it again. I brined and cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving. I cut my hair shorter than it's been in years.

December, not much has happened except what was mentioned in the previous post.

So that's my year. I'm sure I've missed a lot. But those are the things that stand out at the moment.

Change of plans.

So, no Texas for us unfortunately. Late Monday night my stomach started kind of hurting. And so it began. I got sicker and sicker through the night. Early this morning, I finally ended up throwing up. I felt better afterward, and was so hoping that I would just be better. We got up early to leave for the airport. I started to feel really bad again as we were getting ready and heading to the car. We got in the car, picked up Rich, stopped so the boys could get breakfast and I could get some pepto and gatorade.

We stopped twice on the road because I felt like I needed to use the bathroom. I took two doses of pepto and had been sipping on the gatorade throughout the trip. We'd gotten pretty close to KC and I was started feeling really bad. And then...bleh. I threw up in the car into a grocery sack. Ben pulled over, and it was this point that I looked at him and said, "I'm beginning to wonder if we should take this trip." Haha. Yeah, you think? But I just really didn't want to cancel it. So I think I was in denial, and just delaying the inevitable. I called Southwest to make sure we would get credit for our tickets so we could get some later, which we could. I felt better after I threw up, but after some discussion with Ben we made the ultimate choice to cancel our flight and turn around. It was a hard, sad decision. I called and texted the people that needed to be informed and everyone was disappointed.

Then we started the trek home. I was frustrated that we had gotten so far, or that we had even left Moberly. And then...the body aches started. I didn't feel super stomach sick, but that's probably because there wasn't anything in my stomach. But I started to be in horrible pain, which was even worse since I just had to sit in the car. It was awful. But we made it home.

Since we got home I've felt varying degrees of better or worse, and I still can't keep anything down. And it's hard not to feel mopey. I am very disappointed. But I'm trying to look on the bright side. It would have been awful to travel and be somewhere other than home with the way I was/am feeling. This way I won't get friends and family that I was to visit sick. If Ben catches it we will be home. Ben doesn't have to call in the days we would be gone that he couldn't get off. And as Ben says, we've just postponed the trip.

So that' my sad story. I don't know what we will do for Christmas now. I guess when I start feeling better I will try making some plans.

Going home?

Ben and I are going to Texas on Tuesday to spend Christmas with my dad. Actually, we're driving with my dad up to Oklahoma to see my grandparents and that's where we will be on Christmas. But we are going to get to spend a couple of days in Texas.

I feel excited and curious to visit Texas. I'm very excited to see some friends there. But I think it will be strange as well. It will be the first time there since my dad isn't living in the house I grew up in anymore. I keep wondering if I will run into random people from the past. Since we are only there for a few days, I've been kind of struggling with who all to tell we are coming, and who all we should try to see. Some people are a given, but others...I've been close to them in the past, but life seems to move on. It's been at least two years since I was there last. Maybe three.

It will also be strange to have Ben there with me. He's never been there, and I really do want him to see where I grew up, and at least see the house I grew up in from the outside. Not that I really think these places say much about who I am, and I have no great love for them, but they are a part of my history. I'm excited to share it with him, even though it's definitely not the part of my life I'm most fond of.

wish list.

so my mom always asks me what I want for christmas, and I pretty much never have an answer. and this year...well, i still really didn't have an answer. but there are some things I want. they are just too expensive or to complicated to have someone else buy for me. i really don't get caught up in all the commercialism that goes along with christmas these days. this is just for fun. anyway on my wish list:

Books - I still need quite a few of my doula books. I suppose I could of sent a list of them to my mom, but it just seemed like hassle.

New glasses - I really want new ones. Mine are starting to slide down my nose when I look down, and I can't stand that. I pretty much just want to get some from zenni optical. If you wear glasses and haven't been to that site, check it out. You can get glasses for super cheap. And it's a legitimate site. I've ordered from them before.

A Kindle - now, I originally thought these were lame. But when I realized you can download books in the public domain for free, I immediately saw the Kindle's potential for awesomeness and usefulness in my life.

So that's my little wish list. The first two I will get eventually, when we have a little money to spare. The third one is just one of those, "it would be kind of neat to have this."

Blogging...take 2!

Okay, here's what happened. I decided to turn my old blog into a blog about my doula journey. Then, a friend told me she couldn't get to it. So I decided to make a whole new doula blog (which I have yet to post to). But I have been wanting to do some personal blogs, and I don't want to use my doula blog. Thus, a new blog. So here we go.

But now, I think I'm too tired to do an actual post. But at least I have my new blog created.