The Coming of a New Year

I am so blown away by how fast 2012 has flown by! It seems like just yesterday that my best friend was having her daughter, Emerson (my goddaughter) on January 10, 2012. I can’t believe that now she is starting to walk and talking and it has been so amazing to watch her bloom and grow. 

I can’t believe that just one year ago I was 30 years old contemplating my upcoming birthday to turn 31 (which was February 18) and now I am quickly reaching my next birthday and contemplating what 32 will be like for me. 

I am still amazed by my progress in my fitness and running. In 2012, I ran 3 half marathons, a 10 mile race, 2 8k’s, 1 10k and 3 5k’s in which one of them I PRed for the first time soaring past that 30 minute mark. I also ran a total of 677.92 miles, which surpassed my goal of 600 miles for the year. I also reached my highest mileage month in September with 87.29 miles.

Over 2012, I have learned that I am stronger than I really think I am. I definitely feel like a new person when it comes to my running and fitness, I have learned so much and have improved in so many different areas. 

In 2013, I plan to continue on in my fitness journey, becoming stronger and stronger every day and I won’t let anything stand in the way of my goals! 

I try not to get too personal or emotional on my blog, but I have dealt with a lot of personal trials and tribulations in my life in the past couple of years. I lost my best friend of 8 years and that was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. I had to choose to walk away from that relationship because it wasn’t doing anything but bringing harm to me and even though I deal with my decision every day I know that it was the right one for me. 

I also experienced a pretty bad break up about 3 years ago and since then I have felt broken, lost and confused, not sure where my life was leading me to. Sadly I have not met anyone that is able to fill the void that I feel every day. My heart is recovered and open to whatever comes around but the only person that knows when that time is, is God and I trust that he has the path mapped out and I will meet that person when the time is right.  

In the meantime, I have made sure to be the best person I can for me, because unless you are happy personally, you cannot make someone else happy. I have also made sure to be the best friend, sister and honorary aunt that I can be. I love each and every one of my friends like they are family and I am so thankful to have them in my lives. I have also had the opportunity to watch my friends’ children grow and watch all the steps they are making and that in itself is so amazing and fulfilling. It has just reminded me more and more how much I want to become a mom and have a family of my own. 

I have always been a Christian, raised in a Presbyterian church, I have attended several Baptist churches, but as an adult have not found a church that I felt like home in. I pray every night but sometimes I just don’t feel like I am connected. Just recently I decided to attend my mom’s church with her. Something just told me I should go and it was exactly what I needed. I feel like I have finally found a piece of my life that was missing. I have been saying for years that I didn’t think you needed to attend church to be a Christian and that can still be true but I have realized that since I wasn’t attending church that I don’t know the Bible. I have decided to return to the church and start reading the bible again and with the help of my mom and a few friends, I am on my way to rediscovering the Bible and God. A big THANK YOU to those, you know who you are! 

I don’t make NYE Resolutions typically but I do have a few goals for 2013. These goals are not just for fitness and running but for me as a whole person. 

In 2013, I want to find the ultimate happiness, which means I hope to be happy in all areas of life. I want to make sure to remind myself that I have a really blessed life and should appreciate each and every moment. Sometimes we get caught up in the meaningless stuff and forget that there is someone out there that doesn’t have a home or a car or a job or even money to put food on the table. We should all be extremely appreciative of everything we have been provided with.   

Life is too short and we don’t know when it will end to worry about the meaningless stuff. Be honest, be truthful, people will appreciate you. I have always prided myself on being a very blunt and honest person. People have not always appreciated that but I believe it’s the only way to be.
  

When it comes to my fitness and running, I am striving for a 2:15 half marathon and hopefully under 2 hours at some point. I know that the mindset I currently have will get me there. I have been so focused on my fitness and making sure that I get that daily sweat in. It’s so important and I feel so much better knowing that I am working out for me and no one else. Running and working out are not things that I make time for or try to fit in my schedule, they are an important part of my schedule. Now of course there are times during busy holidays or other busy weekends that I don’t get in my runs or workouts but there are always reasons that I didn’t and I am okay with that. Sometimes spending time with family and friend are more important than getting that run in. 

I won't go into much detail for this goal, but financially I would like to be debt-free, besides my house, and I would like to build my savings up. I have made a lot of changes this past year with my finances, I have cut back on shopping and have really limited myself when it comes to spending period. I spent ALOT of necessary money on clothes & shoes in 2011. I hope to be in a better place with my finances by the end of 2013.

 I haven't talked alot about my love for cooking on the blog, because it has really just flourished over the last year. (Hence the no spending money goal). During the week I cook breakfast every day, carry a bag lunch to work every day and cook dinner every night. I have fallen in love with trying new recipes and cooking your own meals is the way to becoming a healthier eater too! I hope to become more experienced in my cooking and branching out and trying more dishes in 2013. I am so thankful to my fellow bloggers that not only post their daily workouts but also post yummy, delicious & healthy recipes. I plan to do more of that in 2013 too. It's fun to share and trade recipes and share the wealth!

On the goal of saving money and cooking more, I need to get better at making meal plans. I have been checking my pantry & fridge before going grocery shopping, but I always seem to end up spending the same amount ($100) doing my grocery shopping. That shouldn't happen when there is still food in my cabinets lol I need to get better at making a meal plan, sticking to it and eating everything in the pantry & fridge before refilling.

I am extremely thankful to have an amazing tight group of friends, you have heard me say that we have all been friends for 10+ years and that is extremely rare. Even now when people are starting to have babies, we still make a point to get together for every occasion, holidays, birthdays, superbowls, girls nights, sporting events and make sure that we are a part of each other’s lives. We make a point to get together for whatever occasion it is. They are practically family and I can’t imagine my life without each and every one of them.  So in 2013 I vow to cherish my friends even more if that is possible! 

Do you make NYE resolutions?

What are they?

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!