How are your resolutions coming?

So how are you your resolutions comings a long? Have you changed your mind? Or maybe just given up already? Are you not seeing a dramatic change right away so just want to quit?

I am doing ok with mine, definitely by no means perfect, but I did decide right away that I was going to be in this for the long term changes, not just the immediate perfection and I have let myself slack on some things for that reason. But I am trying to improve on all aspects. I figure even if I am doing what my resolution is/was it can always be improved.

So here is my update on my resolutions and maybe it will inspire you to keep going with yours:

1. Stick to the budget- overall this is going quite well, I am over in a few categories and need to work on sticking to those better, but others I am well under budget, so it does even out. I need to move some things around and motify it for next month and see if things improve. I do feel really good about not having to worry if it will all work out in 6 or 7 days and just knowing that we are good to go and saving, its a really nice feeling and I am definitely going to keep up with this one and improve on it. My grade: B+

2. Get my event planning certificate. I have been working on my class. I was hoping to be done with it by the end of January, but it might be slightly in to February before I start the next one. I am feeling good about my choice to pursue this and am constantly changing my mind as to what facet I want to be involved in. As much as I always said its not what I wanted to do, I am leaning towards weddings more, they are special and unique and different and allow for a lot of creativity. So anyways, this is going, just not as quickly as I had hoped. Grade: B

3. Try at least 1 new recipe a week. This one is going quite well, I have tried at least 1 a week, and am keeping track of them and whether I like them or not. This was intended for meals for us during the week, so we didn't always do our staple easy to fix meals, but I have added cakes and frostings in as well and thats helped. So an A+ here!

4. Read at least 1 book per week or 52 books this year. I am already starting in on book number 6. So I am ahead of schedule here. I got in to a series that my mom had loaned me and got through it quite quickly because I couldn't put it down. Since that was just chick lit, I am trying something a bit more thought provoking this time around, I figure a good mix is a good idea. I am now reading "the four agreements". We shall see what I think, so far can't say I like the writing style he uses. Grade: A+

5. Run a half marathon: well, um, yes I still want to do this at the end of Sept at Disney but can't say I have been all that motivated to actually do anything about it. Which isn't good because I know these things sneak up on you and then you aren't prepared and don't do it. Anyway I need to get going on this more than just thinking about it. Grade: F

6. Lose weight: can't say this has been all that much better than the running, although I have done a few workouts here and there, but nothing consistent. While I desparately want to succeed at this I haven't fully given in to what that means. I know its a process and it takes time but I like to see immediately results and with my body type it just doesn't happen that way. So its hard to get and stay motivated. But I am going to start doing a rewards system. Also all the junk food is leaving the house. We don't have much to begin with, but we both decided whatever here is by the end of the week will go, if its not opened we will donate it, if it is we will chuck it. Hopefully not having the temptation at home means less cheating on what I eat. Grade: C-

Well those were the goals I shared with you before, and the few other personal ones get a grade of a C+ because I have been tracking them and trying to make an effort. As you can see, some things integrated in to my life easily and without much problem or extra effort and some others are a bit more difficult to come up, but I will say that I am trying still and I am still committed to my efforts. So hopefully in a month I can change some of those grades to better ones and maintain the good ones I already have.

I hope you are sticking with your resolutions and recommit yourself to them again and again so you don't end up like millions of others in March and forget what they even were.

New Years Resolutions!

So how many of you have made New Years Resolutions? Do you have a lot, a few, none? I have made several this year. It is actually quite unlike me to do this, as I usually come up with goals throughout the year instead of just one particular time of year. This time I decided to try it this way, partly because it was a fun idea and I hadn't tried it this way, and secondly because it just happens to be when my life doesn't have a million projects or things going on, so maybe more coincidental than anything.

I thought I would share a few of my new years resolutions with you and how I am thinking of keeping track of my progress.

1. Stick to Our Budget. Each year we have a budget spreadsheet that I diligently keep track of our spending and expenses, each year it seems that at some point throughout the year, life gets in the way of accomplishing this and we put it aside for a month or two or throw it out the window all together, this year I want to stick to filling out, as well as trying to stick to the actual budget. Now some things we don't put as apart of our budget, like house projects, and as you know, we do a lot of those, but overall I want to try and keep to it.

2. Get my Event Planning Certificate. I signed up for my first course last year when I was in China and then it pretty much died there, life got in the way and I wasn't able to move forward, this year I want to accomplish getting it.

3. Try at least 1 new recipe a week. Brian and I tend to stick to whats safe and easy as far as food goes, not because we don't like trying new things, but because neither of us really are dying to cook and the easy recipes we already have and know are just that, easy. This week I have already tried a great new Salmon recipe that i loved! It was Maple Glazed Salmon, both of us really liked it, and I am planning on making it for my parents next time they are in town. I am going to try and keep track of this through a spreadsheet, that will list all of the new recipes we tried and whether or not we liked them, or changes we thought should be made.

4. Read at least 1 book a week, so 52 books. I am starting off right with this one as I just finished a book last night and will start a new one today. Its not so much that it has to be every week, but I would like to read more, and wanted to quantify it. So some weeks I may not read at all, some I may read 2 or 3 books. This one is also going in a spreadsheet and I am going to keep track of whether I liked it and would want to recommend it to anyone, my mom, sisterinlaw and I are always trading books around so that will be fun! Maybe even if I get a chance I will try starting a book club here.

5. Run a half marathon. So last year my friend Crystal told me about Disney's wine and dine half marathon, so you run, then there is a wine and dine festival at disney afterwards. Needless to say I was excited. I haven't done any significant running before in terms of just running, at least not voluntarily. But I really want to do some triathlons in the future and figured a good way to start was to start with running. So hopefully by the end of Sept I will be all ready to complete the 1/2 marathon in Florida. I have running buddies that are hopefully doing the run with me and will keep track to share with them :-)!

6. Lose weight, yep its a cliche, but of course I am female and not exactly where I was in college and high school and want to lose weight. I am hoping my running will of course help with that, but I am also going to be joining a gym here, I wish it weren't January when all the "I think I might want to try the gym again" people were there, but thats what it is. I am waiting probably until 2 weeks in to the new year when the initial people start to fall off before joining. Joining at this point is sort of a coincidence for me, it just happens to be when I would join the gym after moving here. Hopefully I will find a good gym that both Brian and I can enjoy. I am going to keep track of what I eat and calories burned, I may reconsider buying a bodybugg, I had one and ended up returning it just do to the fact that I could estimate things relatively well and didn't really need it, but it takes the thought process out of it, and now it syncs to your phone instead of having to sync it to your laptop everyday. Hopefully I will reach my goal by April or May and then be able to maintain it with training for the 1/2 marathon.

Well those are my top goals and ones worthy of sharing, the others are well just little things like learn to sew, learn more about photography, doing the photo project I have been meaning to do for 2 years, silly little things. How are you starting out your new year? any good, fun, interesting or similar goals?