January, you're half gone

2016 was rough, and I chose to make it that way.  Nothing bad "happened" to me, I just made bad choices and refused to let go of people and habits that were hurting me.  It was a step up from 2015 because I at least realized my need to let go and tried but I still failed.

2017 is here now.  That one particular thing that I had been grasping onto for far too long is finally gone, let go of, in the past.  I'm not going back this time.  I realize more than ever now that I can't be who I am, who I want to be, unless I let go.  I don't want the life that it brings, I never did but I thought I couldn't find anything better.

Last year I looked at other people's goals, a lot, on their pretty Instagram feeds.  This year I've created a list of goals that cover several areas, and each area has several practical things that I will do to achieve these goals.

Without listing every gritty detail, here's what I am working to make my 2017 look like:

Cultivating a deeper relationship with Jesus, investing in family and friends, being good to my body, being a good steward of my finances, reading at least one book a month, and developing a lifestyle of encouraging others.

In 14 days, I've unsuccessfully attempted to give blood, read 42 chapters of Genesis and roughly 14 of Proverbs, finished 2 books I started last year, successfully completed 14 days of a 3 month Contentment Challenge and started hand-writing my budget and sticking to it (mostly).

Nothing is going to change without a whole lotta Jesus and some gumption to make it happen.

Memorizing the Mount

I started memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, around the beginning of March and have made my way through Matthew 5:1-24.  (The memory cards and word art featured here are from Ann Voskamp, found at www.aholyexperience.com.)

This is going to be game changing. These passages ask a lot from Christians. They ask everything. This is a call to a higher moral standard than ever imagined. It's quite laugh-at-able, really.  No one can live like this, and the only way we can even try is with the Holy Spirit. Thanks for sticking with me, Jesus, when I trip and fall and fail at this every. single. day.

Enjoy this day!

Hey there! Nice to see you again.

I'm going to give this blog a try again.  It's already been with me since 2008, so I think I'll try to keep it going.  I prefer colorful pens, composition books and private thoughts over public, typed words on a computer screen, but I do enjoy the quick reflection that a blog can offer.

See you in a few days. :-)

Day 2

I didn't realize how much I walk at work. 

This challenge is not challenging thus far but it should be interesting to see what happens on my days off. 

June Challenge: Day 1

Goal: 10,000 steps

Accomplished: 17,575

Like a beast. 

Excessive amount of stepping due to:

The Color Run

and 

The Kansas City Zoo!

Great way to start a new month and a new challenge!

June Challenge: 10,000 Steps in My Shoes

The verdict is in.  June, my first challenge month, will be "10,000 Steps in My Shoes."  Every morning for the next 30 days starting Saturday I will wake up and put on my pedometer, after I put on my pants that is.

This little guy will be clipped to my pocket all ze time very soon.  We are going to get to know each other very well.  It's just a $9.97 pedometer by Sportline from Walmart, but it should do the trick.

You know what else is exciting?  The Color Run is on Saturday, which is the first day of my challenge!  I certainly shouldn't have any trouble reaching 10,000 steps on the day of a 5k!

A Challenge a Month

Recently I stumbled upon a fantastic blog called 12 Months of Lent (http://12monthsoflent.wordpress.com/).  Every month, Danne creates a new challenge for herself and records her experiences with each of them on her blog.

I love challenges, so this is right up my alley.  Today is May 30, which means I only have until tomorrow at 11:59pm to decide what challenge I want to embark on for the month of June.

Here are the top contenders:

1. Pedometer Month - 10,000 daily step goal
2. Read one book a week
3. Nail polish, because pretty nails make me smile
4. New word each day
5. GOOD's 30 Day Challenge - http://www.good.is/everyone

I'll have to ponder this for a few more hours, though I am leaning towards #1.