1.02.2013

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013 sweets!

Is it just me or does it feel like Halloween was just yesterday?  How has Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's passed already?  Each year time seems to go by even faster than the one before.  I am hoping to take advantage of every second of 2013 and hopefully enjoy time, even if it seems to be zipping by!


A few nights ago I couldn't sleep....my  mind was racing with New Year's Resolutions!   As I tossed and turned trying to sleep, I couldn't stop myself from reflecting on 2012 (a new job, new apartment, new friends, and more) and also thinking of what I could do to make 2013 even better.  I came up with 3 solid resolutions and am going to share them with you now, hoping that putting them in writing will also give me an added push to stick with them.  Please bear with me in this lengthy post!

NUMBER ONE:
BLOG MORE
I say it all the time:  I miss blogging!  I'm at the happiest point in my life- I enjoy teaching more than I ever could have imagined, each day I fall in love with Bryce a little bit more, I am surrounded by wonderful friends, I am having a blast living in the apartment- but in the process of all this LIVING, I seem to have lost time to blog.  I put nearly all my free time into family, friends, and Bryce and usually spend the little bit of extra time relaxing.  That being said, I miss the way blogging allows me to be creative, to share and learn with others, to connect with all of you.  I've realized I need to simply MAKE time to blog again.  The way I am going to achieve this resolution is by adding time to blog into my schedule! I have decided that Tuesdays will now be my blog day.  Tuesday afternoons will be reserved solely for Sundresses and Smiles.  I will write a post for the week and take time to read and comment on your blogs. This way, I will guarantee that I publish a post every Wednesday morning.  I hope to find more time than just this for blogging, but am also being realistic and working to ensure I post at least once a week!


NUMBER TWO:
GRIPE LESS
I tend to be a very bubbly, positive, glass half full kind of girl.  However, I've found that sometimes with Bryce I can be negative and too hard on him about little things.  When I think about all the jerks I dated before him (and all their crap that I put up with) I laugh at myself for the little things I nag Bryce about.  In 2013, I resolve to treat Bryce better and choose my battles.  I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend...he's there for me, even when I'm an emotional mess; he spoils me, even when I don't deserve it; and he truly loves me unconditionally.  

Shells Bryce recently brought back to me from his recent hunting trip on the Eastern Shore...how could I nag someone so sweet and thoughtful?

NUMBER THREE:
GET FIT...again
In college, I worked out 4-5 times a week and was very active.  I was a bit of a cycle fanatic (see my tips for beginners here) and loved the energy and feeling I got from regular exercise.  Since college, I've had a harder time making exercise a part of my routine.  During the school week I have eighteen 5 year olds in my room starting at 7:20 am.  By the end of the days I'm exhausted and the thought of going to the gym is anything but tempting.  On the weekends, the thought of sleeping in, seeing a friend, shopping, relaxing with Bryce, reading....just about anything, seems better than lacing up my tennis shoes and exercising.  I know, however, that once I commit to regular exercise I will crave it- it will be enjoyable again and I will be happier, healthier, and more confident.  I've come to the point where enough is enough- I'm tired of fighting with my closet because nothing fits as well as it used to (or doesn't fit...period) and am ready to make a change!  In order to stick with this goal, I've added an additional catch.  I will pay myself to work out.  Each time, I workout I am going to put $2 in a jar...AND...I'm not allowed to buy any clothes until that jar contains $100!  Once I reach a hundred, I get to go out and buy something fun and new...and hopefully I will be quite happy to buy something that is in my old size again!

I want to look like this again!

And last, but not least, I have one addendum that Bryce suggested:
TRY ONE NEW FOOD A MONTH
Bryce has introduced me to a lot of new foods and is bound and determined to make me less picky.  Well my friends, when I was sharing my resolutions with him, he threw me this curve ball as a resolution and I agreed!  I never agreed I had to like the new foods though, haha!

I'm planning to share the progress of these resolutions at the end of each month to give myself some added accountability!

Did you make any New Year's resolutions?  What are they?

Have any tips for me?

Be back next Wednesday!

Have a great week!