Coming up in 2011

In just under 3 hours, we'll be starting a new year.

New year? Wasn't Thanksgiving just yesterday? Sure seems that way. I feel like December was lost.

The last few years haven't turned out the way I might have pictured them. But our life is perfect. During 2009, I never stopped believing that things would happen to us when and how they were supposed to. It was really a challenge in 2009 because that was the longest I've had to wait.

And even though my life isn't how I might have pictured it two years go, my life is how its supposed to be. 2009 was rough and it will always stick with me. But 2010 was a great year and in 2011 I know things can only keep getting better.

I don't really consider my goals for the near year as resolutions. Resolutions just seem so easily forgotten. So to me they're just goals. And I have a lot of them for 2011, lofty ones. But I know I can achieve some of them, maybe all of them!

So here's my official list of new years goals:
1.) Run a half marathon. My goal is the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon May 15. If for some reason I can't run a half in spring, I'll run one in fall. But I totally know I will run a half this year.

2.) Run 600 miles. This year I'm ending with 355.3. In November I thought I might finish the year with 400 miles, but then my shin splints came back into the picture. In light of my shin splints I have worried a bit that 600 is too much. Its 50 miles per month. But its only 11.5 per week, which is a lot less intimidating. I can do it.

3.) Lose the baby weight. If I hadn't been injured before pregnancy and if I'd been working, I know I wouldn't have gained 65 pounds. But I did. And those pounds have overstayed their welcome. Right now I have about 37 pounds to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm going to cross train and incorporate strength training and hopefully some yoga. And we're going to overhaul our diet. Doug and I are joining weight watchers to help with the diet. One of the reasons I was successful in losing weight back in 2007 is because I was seeing the nutritionist, so there was the element of accountability. So weight watchers will help us figure out how to eat right (because while I used to know how, I don't anymore) and give us the accountability.

4.) Figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I feel silly writing that, considering I just turned 30. But thats what happens when you get kicked out of your chosen career at age 28. I have a year left on my job. In this year my goal is to figure out what I want to do and how to make it happen. Right now I'd like to get back into some kind of writing capacity, so I'm going to work on getting into freelancing and maybe take a class or two to get skills to get a job.

5.) Getting our lives organized in order to enjoy ourselves. Doug and I carpool for work and we get home usually around 5:45. Then we have to feed Allie and also feed ourselves and put Allie to bed. By the time we accomplish all those tasks its time to go to bed. I want to enjoy my family this year, every day and not just on the weekends. So I want us to organize the kitchen, all our stuff, streamline the process of dinner. Its been really hard for us. But I'm already making progress on this task.

So thats it.