spring fever week12

oh. it's over... the last few months have just flown by. it's the first official day of summer! when the crap did that happen? since it's the end, it's time for a review :)

the goals:

1. drink more water
2. new workouts/weigh self
3. change morning routine
   
4. tackle to do list
   
5. stop overspending
6. *bonus* perfect a baked mac n cheese
   

(1) last week, four of seven days with five glasses of water meant lots of potty trips. i need to adjust when i'm drinking the water to give my system time to catch up. it's totally worthless to drink all that water, then lose it the next hour. overall though, i've succeeded in increasing my water intake greatly. hooray for tea and keeping my water bottle close

(2) i skipped bikram, but i did weigh in. not happy with this week's numbers... it's hard to really review this goal since i changed it midway. the fitness component has pretty much fallen off, while the tracking his done well. i'm weighing myself three to four times a week; only sundays weight officially counts. considering all the missteps, this is the first week i've been over my maintenance goal. i'm starting to retain water so i'm really not surprised. unhappy yes, surprised nope

(3) horrible horrible horrible bust. we lost power for 10sec the other day. when i reset my alarm, i forgot to also reset my radio presets. so my 2nd alarm, usually set to my fave station, played a dead station. no morning talking means no woken michelles. add that to the previous month and a half. another disappointment. i need to find a better balance for getting out of the house, but not falling asleep at my desk in the afternoon. i spend less time checking twitter before my shower, but that's just translated into spending more time with my eyes closed under the covers

(4) i spent sunday morning vacuuming and scrubbing. amazing how irritation can become motivation. i'm still not done with spring cleaning, but at least i'm nearing the end. overall, the to do list is looking pretty good. only three items left from the original list, and i'm in the middle of two. i did add another two last week, and i'm in the middle of one of those as well. it's taken awhile, but i finally am knocking things off

(5) summer shows killed me. it's going to be a close month, but the extra expenses are SO worth it. the last few months definitely could have been better. but given the various circumstances, not that much better. i'm still meeting my savings goals so it's not a total bust

(6) no mac making this week, but i'm thinking about what to make next week. i think i'm going to build something completely from scratch again based on what we've liked so far. should be interesting :) there have been some very good and some kinda bad recipes, but i'm having fun. bonus that now neal prefers homemade to take out mac muahahahahahahaha ;)

i need to work on doing more to feel good about myself. not that i don't feel good, but i definitely could treat myself more in small ways. the closest i came was taking a breather when i needed it. instead of going out saturday, i spent the whole day being lazy. the rest of the weekend was spent out and about with neal. saw marina and the diamonds friday; saw company and went out to dinner sunday. all around good weekend on many counts, excluding the annoying families at the restaurant. people can be such assholes for no reason

as a whole, i think i did ok on this challenge. there are a couple things i'll be carrying forward into the summer round though. it seems i'm more likely to do them if i write them down and announce them publicly :)

via *nishe on flickr

the time has come... i'm getting my hair chopped this weekend. i'm totally nervous because i've never had short hair. but i'm excited because i've never had short hair. think tabatha coffey short :)

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spring fever week11

this week's questions:

1. What have you done this past week to help achieve your goals?
2. What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. With one week left, what is your plan?
4. What time of day are you most productive?
5. Fun Question: Are you reading a book right now? If so, share! If not, what was the last good book you read?

question 1: (1) stru-stru-strugglin. i almost didn't make it because of slow drinking. somehow i managed to get them all in though, and this week i'm at five glasses per day. today's going to be hard because everything's been off. i'm still gonna try though (2) weighed myself a few times last week. i've started gaining, but... my fat percentage is down and my muscle went up :) take that, scale! jesse visited this weekend so i changed up my workout routine ;) must get consistent weekly workouts (3) did much better than previous weeks; only late one day (4) finally got my blogroll updated [edit: during another update, blogger reverted the page. i couldn't get anything back so i've got back to blogroll on the sidebar]. it would be easier to use a side widget, but i hate cluttering my sidebar. i also got ride of my buttons page. same deal with the sidebar plus i realized no one was even checking it. half my "cleaning" to do list is now done, and another task has been crossed off the master list :) (5) doing ok; could be doing better. curse the allure of summer concerts! some stuff has been rescheduled so the bank account isn't getting squeezed too much extra (6) last week i used up the light cream and mascarpone. this week i used up the half n half in a cheesy beefy pasta bake. i liked the ground sirloin with pepper jack, amadeus and asiago cheeses. i did not like the thinness of the sauce: combination of the half n half separating and there not being enough to cover a pound of penne. i think it would've baked better with a thicker sauce. i think, in the future, i'll stick to light cream as the dairy base for all from scratch cheese sauces. it still tasted good and got the jesse stamp of approval though :)

question 2: i didn't do anything for myself last week... well, not to make myself feel good. some things happened that make me feel good and happy for other people though :)

question 3: ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK! i'm going to keep hammering away at my to do list, stay on track (as much as possible) to my health goals and not let little setbacks become huge obstacles. i'm already deciding my list of summer goals, carrying forward the important things from the winter and spring sets. this challenge series has helped keep me focused and on track so well. i don't want to lose any momentum :)

question 4: huh i'm not quite sure. i guess between 10am and 2pm most days. that's when i focus the most at work and, typically, when i pry myself out of bed on the weekends. i can keep going as long as i don't get distracted or run out of things to do

question 5: oh my. i'm in the middle of jonathan strange still. i'm also reading business books for MKN stuff. you can keep up with my (non)progress on goodreads (ps - are you on goodreads? be my friend? ;))

via i like this, and this, and this

semi positive photo this week. everything makes me think of jesse. i miss him and won't see him for a month :( skyping isn't the same... this cute little, mop topped nerd makes me think of the future nerds i'll be raising one day *sigh* some day

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spring fever week10

this week's questions:

1. What have you done this past week to help achieve your goals?
2. What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. With two full weeks left in the challenge, what goals are you making your priority?
4. Summer is just around the corner, which season do you find the easiest to accomplish goals?
5. Fun Question: What do you miss most about being a kid?

question 1: (1) totally on track all week :) although, i still feel parched ALL the time (2) weighed twice over the weekend, getting my new baseline numbers. more about that below (3) another bad week since i was recovering from the move. i hope getting out of bed will be easier this week (4) i'm behind on my to do list, but i started cleaning finally. i need to tackle two items each day to finish cleaning this week. i also need to get those recipes on cards. must. stop. letting. things. pile up. so they aren't so problematic in the future (5) well everything's updated. miscellaneous fun isn't looking pretty though. i went over last month, and i'm already over for this month. good thing i always have extra money floating around for these situations (6) i didn't pull anything for this week, but i have supplies leftover from the last round. i'm making up my own cheese sauces in order to use up stuff before it goes bad. the shells with mascarpone and parm weren't bad, but definitely missing something. i was surprised how thick the sauce was yet the consistency didn't change as it cooled. might try less mascarpone though so it's a bit thinner. i didn't bake the pasta so i'm not sure how it'd hold up in the oven

question 2: setup my new scale and used it for the first time. all my numbers (fat, water, muscle and bone mass) are within normal ranges (take that, wii!), and i've identified areas i want to improve. i also made a new tracking spreadsheet to monitor my progress :) feeding my spreadsheet addiction is always fun

question 3: definitely focusing on the schedule and the to do list. i was doing fairly well on both, but have gotten way off track in the last few weeks. i'm starting to think it's because i'm on break from class. i always find it easier to get things done when i have way too many things to do. i'm so backwards :p

question 4: it seems that any semester i'm taking classes would be best for me. so fall and winter. although, this is the first time i've set goals like this so who's to say which season is best. i think for the summer, i'll keep working on my winter and spring goals instead of making new ones. i need to put more effort into the things i've gotten lax about

question 5: the most? i couldn't say. i miss someone paying for me. i miss saturday morning cartoons. i miss summer reading lists. i miss trying to move in with all my friends because their families were inherently awesomer than mine. i miss my daily cloverfield chocolate milk box. i miss having homework that was easy for me and always feeling like a smartypants. i miss playing board games with my sister (i kick her ass in everything)... i just miss being a kid in general i guess :)

via lance ramoth/fotoblur

i also miss running around and through the sprinkler, making mud "bricks" and stretching out on the deck to read a book. once the deck is cleared, maybe i'll spend some time at the parents' this summer :) work on my tan; finish some books ;)

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spring fever week9

this week's questions:

1. What have you done this past week to help achieve your goals?
2. What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. What is your ultimate fitness goal in life?
4. Do you have something you'd like to accomplish but think you can't?
5. Fun Question: Do you wear perfume/cologne? If so what kind?

question 1: (1) with all the moving, i got my waters in easily (except for yesterday). i didn't make the best food choices though. can't win them all :p LOTS of cleaning and lifting and carrying should balance it though *fingers crossed* (2) i weighed myself on wed. i gained a little over a pound, but i'm still within my goal range :) (3) shaky completion. i'm counting friday as a complete. i worked from home, but i had the work laptop booted before 9am (4) i'm getting lots of MKN (that's our firm) stuff done, but not much else. i didn't do a single bit of cleaning at my apartment, but spent quite a bit of time cleaning at both jesse's places. karma? (5) budgets are updated. full analysis isn't too bad; still not the balance i would like though. need to get my cards (re)paid off so i can boost my savings. i'm not off track; i'm just greedy ;)

question 2: after whining about the scale i wanted being sold out, i ended up getting it! they randomly popped back in stock on friday, and i snagged the very last one of the restock. so excited! it measures weight, fat, water and muscle. plus it's kinda sleek and sexy...in a scale telling your secrets kind of way... :)

question 3: to just stay active. no matter how many times i get off track, i need to never go back to complete nothingness on the active spectrum. and i don't just mean always taking the stairs instead of elevator :p

question 4: if you asked me this two weeks ago, i don't know if i could've come up with something. i'm pretty sure i can do anything i want to do. however, after getting my grades back for this semester... it's not that i don't think i can get my degree and license. i'm worried that i won't be able to finish in any reasonable amount of time. constant roadblocks keep making me second guess myself, which i hate. i'm going to keep trying; i just don't want to be 35 and still in this program

question 5: i used to but stopped at some point. i have a huge stockpile and recently decided i'm going to start wearing it again. wish i could remember what i've been wearing the last week, but today i'm wearing bath and body works pink grapefruit. one of my faves. i keep that and cucumber melon in my travel bag :)

via we heart it

summer grilling! or just burgers heh. i panini'd some little patties last night that were quite yummy. i'm off to make some more for tonight :D

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spring fever week8

this week's questions:

1. What have you done this past week to help achieve your goals?
2. What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. How do you measure success of your goals?
4. What is failure to you when it comes to goals?
5. Fun Question: If you could hop on a plane right now, where would you go?

question 1: the good - (1) i was short a couple days, but most of the week i got in my four glasses (6) mac and cheeses with prosciutto and smoked cheddar. neal liked both; i really liked the proscuitto. yay for fancy macs. unfortunately, fancy is expensive. so i'm changing this goal to every three weeks rather than every other. the bad - (4) i still haven't finished transferring recipes on to recipe cards, but at least i pulled the last of my recipes from ww. i have so many printed pages littering the coffee table right now *sigh* think i'll be taking the whole stack with me to jesse's this weekend. (5) i WAY overspent on groceries for this week (thanks, fancy mac) so i'll be scavenging the pantry for next week. glad i already bought meat for burgers this weekend. yay grillin! the ugly - (2) i skipped bikram this week. i was exhausted and really didn't want to spend anymore money. i also decided to change this goal. getting a gym membership is out; weighing myself on the regular again is in, starting with this wed. monthly bikram stays (as long as i can afford it) (3) i definitely hit a wall so i'm not fighting it anymore. i don't really need to be at work earlier than 9am so i'm not going to keep beating myself up over being "late". i am still limiting the amount of time i waste on my phone in the mornings. less time on twitter means more time for making breakfast or a slightly longer shower. works for me :)

question 2: i'm mega bummed about this. i was going to buy myself a scale last week, but the one i wanted sold out on amazon. i'd be less concerned if i hadn't spent two days researching every scale they sell. the only place it's available now is at sears for double the cost :( on the :) side of the week, i sent a snippy email to someone who's pissed me off one too many times, and i redyed my hair. my summer red is officially back. might post pictures next week once the color settles in

question 3: many of my goals are ongoing so i focus on consistency. i shoot for 50% completion to start and work on getting closer to 100% as the weeks go by. if i struggle through a goal, i try to reassess instead of giving up. hence the above changes. i'd rather make tweaks than completely give up on something

question 4:dropping them when i have absolutely no excuse for doing so or not making a plan to get back on track. for example, there's no reason i can't workout. yet i haven't done it consistently in weeks. that's a fail. i know i need to get back on track; i know i can get back on track. i just haven't done it

question 5: first thought, joplin mo to help with clean up. screw all these terrible, recent natural disasters. there's actually an infographic detailing the best and worst zones for natural disasters. north dakota seemed to be the only US state with zero disasters... second thought, anywhere outside of the US. i need a break from the political bigotry, religious propaganda and general asshatery of this country. we're not the only ones, but at least i can go about being a tourist, ignoring all the ugly parts of other countries

via tumblr

i'm spending a long weekend at jesse's for memorial day, but it won't be enough. it's never enough. i need a real vacation... take me anywhere. i need out

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spring fever week7

since blogger had it's fuck up, my week 6 post was removed. if you're reading me in a reader, it's still there, but you can't actually link to it to comment. sorry if you tried linking from amy since the link is now broken. i'm so furious with blogger right now


this week's questions:

1. What have you done this past week to help achieve your goals?
2. What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. When you go away on vacation or business do your goals get put on hold/pause or do you continue to work on them while away?
4. Do you have friends/family members that you work on a goal(s) with? Do you find working towards a goal with someone easier or more challenging?
5. Fun Question: What is your favourite magazine to read?

question 1: (1) even with the stumbles, i'm plugging away at getting in my water. i even spent 20 minutes the other night melting ice to make sure i got in enough. was melting ice only because i refuse to pay $2 for bottled water from hotels :p today starts four per day, which is less daunting than when i started. one down, working on glasses two and three (water bottle). should get number four when i get home from work :) (2) i still haven't decided how i'm going to change this goal, but i did jack last week. must. get. back. on. track (3) my impromptu PA trip plus mega exhaustion from stress equal fail. this is the last week for this goal as it is now. may revamp it over the weekend *sigh* (4) i need to get on my recipe condensing, but business research is going well. i'm getting almost two chapters read a day in this book (5) doing pretty well with the budget. came in right on target on groceries and under on gas. just need to watch the miscellaneous expenses (as usual) (6) loved doni's mema mac, but i'm still trying other recipes. pulled two from food network to whip up this weekend. one has proscuitto in it; the other uses smoked cheddar and mascarpone. we're getting fancy up in here :)

question 2: saved my own sanity a bit by applying the brakes on the emotional rollercoaster, requested (and was approved) to work from home once a week through the summer and spent sunday being totally lazy, guilt free

question 3: the only thing i put on hold is working out. staying with family means constant interruptions, staying in hotels leads to no motivation and visiting friends are usually super quick trips. i try to still make healthy food choices and drink more water than other stuff. i try not to overspend any preset limits. any other goals (like cooking) get rescheduled to compensate for the time i'll be away

question 4: huh. i'm all about the buddy system, but i don't have a buddy for any of my current (or previous winter warrior) goals. fitness goals are much easier with a buddy because there's always someone to talk you out of your own excuses. neal has suggested evening walks together, which i more or less vetoed. it's always fun cause we can catch up and such. i just hate walking outside. and julia wants to restart our gym dates. i immediately was on board, and then i remembered gyms cost money.  if only she were moving to our apartment complex; we have two fitness centers on site... hmmm seems i need a buddy to talk me in to being a good buddy

question 5: the only magazine i read is food network, except my subscription expired. didn't see the "hey, renew me" note so i've missed out on the last few months. need to get on that soon; i miss it

via we heart it

this will be me for the next few nights, reading about business or reading comics. either way, i'll be happy :)

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spring fever week5

this week's questions:

1. What have you done this past week to help you achieve your goals?
2. What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. It's May! What were your victories in April? Challenges?
4. Do you have any plans for the challenge in May?
5. Fun Question: What is your favourite type of ethnic cuisine?

question 1: (1) kept my glass and water bottle full :) i was actually so parched on tuesday that i drank two full water bottles worth of water! sunday was a bit more of a struggle since i didn't walk or play wii like intended (3) not an easy week, but i still got out on time more often than not. i'm calling it a victory (4) i switched around my to do list to compensate for weekends away. so this weekend had a lot of filing, two years worth of documents. i really need to stop falling behind. it took me eleven hours to get through it all. luckily, i had skins s3 and arrested development s1 to keep me company :) i have one stack left to sort, and one stack to shred (5) i came in under budget on gas (thanks for the tank, neal), groceries and miscellaneous charges. so what did i do? i spent some more money. i'm still under, but the cushion isn't as nice :p getting creative with the groceries was definitely interesting and time consuming (6) i pulled two recipes from doniree that i am really looking forward to trying. jesse found one from the food network that included egg and mustard. ve-to

question 2: i bought myself issues 1-8 of amory wars: iksse3. can't wait to read them! next i'll have to track down sstb vol 1-2, the revamp. i have the originals with the first illustrator. i'm debating if i'll also pick up good apollo since it was a single issue, not sure how it fits in the story. so glad comics aren't expensive compared to other stuff i spend money on :)

question 3: i'm surprised that i managed to cross every item off my list last month. getting my water in is moderately easier overall, but there are still days i have to force myself to remember to finish. it's not that i'm not thirsty, i just don't think about it until later in the day. i really need to work on that these next two weeks. it will not be pleasant if i have to choke down four glasses at once right before bed :p also completing my to do list is a bit hard. i'm still not making time (or setting aside enough time) to get things done by their deadlines. i usually end up needing a couple extra days, which is why i had to put deadlines on everything in the first place. nothing was getting done because i kept putting them off

question 4: i'm not taking a class this summer (woot!) so i'll have evenings free to play some games, read some books and make my way through my netflix queue. i can also put more energy in to meeting these goals. i'm stepping it up a notch mid-month: increasing water and bumping up my "get out of the house" time. i'll also have more time to work through my crazy to do list. i'm actually looking forward to it

question 5: love love love asian foods. chinese, japanese, thai or indian. i want it all :) one order of drunken noodles, chicken & broccoli, sushi and naan please [random aside: i wonder if people in other countries categorize american as "ethnic" food]

via food network

happy early cinco de mayo :) dunno if i'll be celebrating on thursday, but i do have plans out on friday. yay margaritas!

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spring fever week4

this week's questions:

1. What have you done this past week to help you achieve your goals?
2. What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. _____________________ comes naturally to me.
4. _____________________does not come naturally to me.
5. I wish _____________________ came naturally to me.
6. Fun Question:  What is your favourite Easter candy? Are you allowing yourself some this year?

question 1: (1) i'm up to three glasses per day, which means one in the morning and my water bottle the rest of the day. this is way easier than i thought it'd be (2) i went to yoga on saturday. my muscles are still mad, but i got a couple tips on how to make some postures easier on my knees. i'm glad i went to get my sweat on (3) also not a struggle. i missed my 830 deadline on wed by a few minutes, but i'm still counting it as a success. this week will be the true test cause i'm gonna be super exhausted (thanks, uterus) (4) i didn't have a specific task for this week, but i did manage to get my old shredding done. one less thing to worry about when i start going through my filing. this week will be all about copying recipes on to cards (5) i actually managed to do this! came in under on both my gas and grocery budgets this week. that being said, i'm so glad the month ends this week so i can have a fresh pool o' monies (6) this was a disappointment. i tried two weight watchers recipes and was impressed by neither. i still can't decide if i want to tweak them or completely nix them

question 2: i had talked myself out of yoga because of the budget. well, then i talked myself back in to it because i decided the expense was worth it. driving in to the district isn't ideal, but i really like the studio and the instructors. plus they have the cheapest classes and multiple pass option. $170 for 10 classes i have to use in two months or $150 for 10 classes i can use over a year? yea, bikram isn't that special to me. i don't plan to drop a grand for a year's worth of classes, most of which would be wasted. this way, i can go once a month as a little treat to myself. heh who would've thought of sweaty balls bikram yoga as a treat? especially for someone like me who thinks yoga is woo woo nonsense :p after yoga, i went to old navy to peruse their sale. i came home with yoga clothes and new sweaters. one of those sweaters... i only grabbed it because it was in clearance, even though it's a small. what could i lose by trying it on? i was shocked and pleased when it actually fit. two years ago i was admitting that i needed XL tops and 16 jeans. today, i'm strutting the town in S/M and 8/9 jeans :D that was definitely an ego boost

question 3: singing :) i'm no great soloist (singing in front of people TERR I FIES me), but i love singing. rocking out in the car, belting out drunken karaoke or humming along to adele while shopping at old navy. some days i have to stop myself from singing out loud at my cube :)

question 4: admitting when i'm wrong. obviously, no one likes being wrong, but it makes me twitchy. it's double frustrating when i am wrong, but i don't know/accept it until way after the heated discussion occurred. i always feel like more of an idiot saying "oh hey, by the way, that conversation we had two weeks ago? i was wrong about x. sorry for getting all up in your grill" cause i think a) the other person has forgotten or b) the other person didn't really care. but i can't just let it go. i randomly think about instances when i was wrong and how the conversation should have gone. i'm talking years later, people. that's the kind of nut i am

question 5: engaging offline as easily as i engage online. i dread meeting new people. every insecurity i've ever had comes bubbling to the surface when i'm forced in to a situation with all new people. i spend far too much time worrying about saying the right things and not being an asshole, even though i am an asshole. oddly, i actually have a filter online (except when it comes to swearing) and triple check things before posting them. i don't have that luxury face to face, which is super scary. i have a list of bloggers i would love love love to meet, which equal parts excites and terrifies me. i swear i am the same person; i just don't know how to behave in public

question 6: cadbury eggs! caramel is my favorite, and i will definitely be enjoying the ones mom got me. yea, i'm 27 and still get an easter basket. haven't we had this conversation before? ;) usually, we get a cute little basket with card, trinkets and candies. unfortunately, this year (like christmas) was short on funds. no big to me as long as i get my damn eggs. sudoku puzzles, desk decoration and a four pack off eggs (in a gigantic victoria's secret bag hahah) were just fine to me. won't lie, i was disappointed in the lack of card. i'm the unreligious child so mom gets creative with the card giving. those little things amuse me. at least there's always next year :)

via tumblr

i bought a new bikini over the weekend :D i get a new one every two years, but had the urge to go off cycle this year. the top is plum; the bottom is eggplant. it shipped today, and i'm super excited. bring on the beach! (no, i don't let belly flub prevent my two piece awesomeness :p)

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spring fever week3

this week's questions:

1. What have you done this past week to help you achieve your goals?
2. What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. Are your SFC goals your ultimate goals or steps to your ultimate goals?  Do you find it easier to set big goals or do you like making mini-goals?
4. What are some of your ultimate goals, things on your bucket list?
5. Fun Question: If you could achieve only one more thing in your life, what would it be?

question 1: (1) water bottle and workouts to the rescue! weekdays were no problem again. however, unlike last weekend, this weekend was a breeze. i had two good workouts, and i always down a glass after working out. plus i finally had my last session for class. i filled up my water bottle beforehand since i use it as a method to slow myself down. i have a tendency to speak before fully thinking through what i want to say. i drank almost half by the time we were done with the session and review :) (3) it's getting easier to get up and out, even with my wed shift. i still haven't decided if i'm going to keep my late wed though. i like morning workouts, but i won't have a need to work so late starting in may (no more weight watchers meetings). i have contemplated more morning workouts, but i don't want to fiddle with the schedule too much just yet (4) i needed an extra day cause i'm laaazy, but i finally got my comps backed up. scratch that off the list :D (5) well i came in underbudget on gas, but went overbudget on groceries. so i changed my sunday plans to avoid also going over on my misc expenditures. not an easy or fun choice (6) i decided on two weight watchers recipes to try, and was all set to make them... then i just didn't feel like it. no big since, technically, i would've been a week ahead of my mac schedule

question 2: as much as it sucked, deciding to not take myself out for dinner, which would've come with complimentary dessert *sigh* my priorities are saving, and staying on budget is key to that. i keep thinking back to friday. because of my aggressive and obsessive saving, i would actually save more than necessary on two goals. i opted to recalculate both goals so that i can start contributing to one that's been on hold for months, my emergency fund. this fund is now my "i'm not working spring 2013" money so i'm double excited to restart it. i also started assessing other goals, which led to the creation of a brand new goal. i'm seriously not joking when i say i'm obsessed with saving and SmartyPig. knowing that i can pay for grad school without another student loan is one of the best things in the world :)

question 3: these are, mostly, steps towards ultimate goals. i used to set big goals, but never accomplished them. either because i didn't think about the steps it would take to get there or because i was too overwhelmed to implement anything. being on weight watchers forced me to look at incremental changes instead. my ultimate goal was to stay/get healthy, which broke down to eat healthy, workout and be mindful. those broke down in to more specific goals that i'm now using routinely. i am a giant leaps kind of person, but taking smaller steps has gotten me more successfully to my end point

question 4: good question! i'm never quite sure how to answer :) my life goals are not necessarily what i would consider bucket list items... i want to get married, buy a house, have babies and get a dog. i want to open my own counseling practice. i want to travel to europe, especially ireland. i want to really learn russian and american sign language. i want to retire to a cute little cottage in the "middle of nowhere" that still has awesome internet service and cell reception. i want to be able to leave money to my favorite organizations, charities and schools when i die. i want to get more tattoos... ok that last one isn't really an ultimate goal. i'm just really excited about getting more tattoos :) getting the first probably would've counted as a bucket list item. let's replace it with i want to read every book on the banned book list

question 5: financial independence. i don't want to live my entire life relying on loans and credit to pay for myself and my family. i don't want to end up like my parents who struggle every month to make sure that bills and expenses can be covered for everyone from my grandmother to my sister. i don't want to live paycheck to paycheck, having to decide if i'm going to pay the electricity or buy food for the week. i don't want to leave this world having to stick someone else with the bill... of course, this assumes i only accomplish one thing and then die immediately. cause nothing will hold me back from achieving all of my goals ;)

via we heart it

this is probably self explanatory :) i am a lot of things, but i am always me

{follow my progress and all the weekly questions}

spring fever week2

this week's questions:

1. {This will be a weekly question} What have you done this past week to help you achieve your goals?
2. {This will also be a weekly question} What did you do this past week to make you feel good about yourself?
3. Is your mindset future-oriented or living in the now? How does this impact you when you are working towards a goal?
4. Is there someone in your {real} life that inspires you to strive for the best?
5. Fun Question of the Week: Do you read blogs on the individual websites or via Google Reader?

question 1: (1) i filled up my water bottle at work and made sure to finish it before bed. must get on finishing before leaving work... the weekend was way harder. i brought my water bottle home, but didn't use it. i struggled, but managed to get my two glasses in both days (3) dunno how i did it, but i got myself out of the house every single morning by 830. i readjusted this goal to ultimately get back on my 8-5 schedule since i'm pretty sure i didn't get the job. s'ok, countdown to 12/31/2012 has begun; i'm updating my calendar as we speak :p (4) i only had a few items, but i've given each one a two week time frame for completion. i put the tasks on my google calendar, wrote them in my planner and added then to my task manager app on my phone (which put reminders on my calendar, too). it. is. on, to do list! i also added my spring fever goals so that i can cross things off every day :) (5) budget's been updated, and i'm already close to going over. i decided to limit the amount of eating out i do, including starbucks trips, after this week. i'm excluding this week only because i have freebies for my birthday. i won't be going to any concerts or happy hours until the semester is done. i also won't be stalking items on etsy and amazon for awhile after that *sigh* it's worth the sacrifices, but it still makes me a little sad (6) i mentioned last week that the first mac batch was completed with mixed reviews. i'll be eating the last of it (with chili powder and breadcrumbs) this week. i've already pulled recipes for the next round, but i'm not sure how i want to tackle it. i do know for sure i am never making a box of kraft ever again

question 2: i... didn't do anything. i skipped my workouts because of meetings, class assignments and stress. i haven't touched my 3DS or kindle for the same reason. no netflix, no jonathan strange, no mega bubble bath with wine. i cleared out about 600+ posts in my google reader, but that just made me feel guilty. i was supposed to be working on my transcription the entire time... i guess not weighing in at weight watchers is the closest i'll get

question 3: i guess i'd have to say future oriented. i love making plans and thinking about things way down the road. i don't have trouble focusing on the present, but i think having a future goal keeps me motivated to keep working on the here and now. i like having goals to strive for and knowing that i have control over where i'm headed

question 4: i think it's weird to say, but... myself. i want to be the best person i can be because i believe we should all work towards becoming our best selves. my best self changes as i grow, which is why/how i know i'm not quite complete. something internal keeps me motivated, and the people i surround myself with keep me supported

question 5: when i'm actually reading blogs on the regular, google reader. i like leaving comments, too, so i do click over. i'm reprioritizing my follows though. some of my faves have gone to partial RSS feeds, which sucks balls. i'm not clicking through 30 times when i've fallen behind. i'll skim the first five partials to see if there's anything worth opening, but the rest get marked as read. i do feel a wee guilty, but only for a few minutes. i simply don't have the time these days

via we heart it

i've taken to scrolling through the random images of we heart it a few days a week. i'm thinking of planning a trip to king's dominion this summer, which this photo reminded me of this morning. i LOVE roller coasters :)

{follow my progress and all the weekly questions}

spring fever week1

this week's questions:

1. What are your goals for the Spring Fever Challenge?
2. Why did you choose them?
3. What is your plan of action to make them happen?
4. What does this challenge mean to you?
5. Fun Question of the Week: Let's get to know each other! What is something most people (er... fellow bloggers) don't know about you?

questions 1-3:
1. drink more water. i'm only getting two glasses a day (if even that) so i'm gonna work my way up to four to five, depending on how much milk i drink. i use my water bottle at work, but i've gotten lax about when i fill it. my hope is to fill it first thing in the morning, and finish by lunch. then refill it at lunch, and finish by end of day. i usually have a glass with breakfast or before bed so that'll be the odd one out (water bottle = two glasses)

2. stick with new workouts. i'm going to get a gym membership so i can keep taking classes. i'm also getting a yoga pass for monthly bikram sessions. i like working out at home, but i'm starting to get bored. plus my body is starting to get used to the routines. sooo i'm hoping to take a few gym classes to keep me on my toes. i'm not big on yoga, but bikram would definitely benefit my flexibility. i'm starting to lose it, which makes me sad

3. change morning routine. part of the reason it's hard to get to work on time is i waste way too much time in the morning. i need to stop spending two hours in bed scrolling through twitter :p mini goals include: no twitter before shower, no non-phone tech before work (i'll be posting about my new tech later :)) and phone is only for checking important emails before work. everything else waits until post-shower or in the office. first hour at work will be for checking all email (work and personal) and twitter

4. knock out to do list. i have a list with no deadlines that is growing instead of shrinking. i hate looking at it, but never clearing things off. i'm giving everything deadlines to start getting shit done before it drives me completely bonkers. my life is full of lists, but everything is meaningless when i never do anything listed

5.stop overspending my budget! even though my overall budget has been affected minimally, subbudgets are all wonky. i need to get on top of this so i can stay on track with my savings and debt reduction plan. mini goals include: reduction of eating out (even starbucks runs), no use of credit cards (except as necessary for gas and groceries), no unplanned non-essential purchases and no fiddling with the numbers to make it work. i have everything mapped out, but following through 100% hasn't been my strong point. i have so many attainable goals, and i need to stop sabotaging myself

6. so jesse has yet to have a homemade baked mac and cheese that tops some restaurant's. i obviously can't have that so i've decided i'm going to create something better. there will be a lot of mac eating in the next few weeks, you know, for research purposes ;) i tried one recipe over the weekend. it was good, but i'm not loving that it's base is kraft deluxe. i used to LOVE kraft mac, but they're "cheese" tastes awful to me now. maybe next batch will be amy's based. it's jesse's favorite mac and cheese, and it's way more natural tasting*

question 4: the winter wonderland challenge helped me really focus on areas i wanted to improve, and i'm hoping the spring fever challenge does the same. i don't know why, but i do so much better when the word challenge is involved :p it's a competition with myself i guess

question 5: great question :) this is random, but came up over the weekend: i'm left handed. one of my best friends completely forgot this, and there are people i see on a regular basis who've never noticed. it always makes me laugh (and annoys me a smidge) when people i've known for years, out of nowhere act all surprised that i'm a lefty. been one my whole life lol. i write so little these days, but i love my leftiness. i have decent handwriting, too :p

it's kinda silly, but my pos pic is my ramekin. i bought some to make mini macs, and i love them already. they're perfectly sized for single portions (proper portions, not the ridiculousness you think is a portion). i ordered them from amazon, two cobalt and two plum, after mandy revealed her fiestaware addiction. i want to use them for everything now!

{follow my progress and all the weekly questions}

*challenge within a challenge ;) this will be an ongoing, for fun kind of goal