Resolution Time...

Hi!  Remember me? I've been on hiatus from blogging. I wanted to savor and enjoy the holidays and really clear my head and my plate of all the distractions I've had going on this past year. I didn't want to post just to post.  So, hi, I'm back!

My husband and I took a trip to North Carolina to the family cabin to vacate our lives after the holidays and on our way home yesterday, I decided to call my shots for 2014. Writing it down really helps me remember what I want to focus on but putting it out there will help me be accountable.  Here goes:

In the quite moments of our vacation, watching my husband with our dogs, I re-discovered how sweet, loving and wonderful this man is.  I want to remember and re-train myself to always be kind and loving to him right back. And to fight fair. And to take a deep breath and realize we're on the same team, always.  I tend to get so determined and involved in so many things that I can get tunnel-vision and need to remember to take the time to be loving.

We would like to buy a new house (or build one?) next year, so I'd like to work on wiping our personal debts clean and focus on tying up all our loose ends so we are in a healthy place to do so in 2015.

I cannot believe I'm about to share this out loud, but in the past 9 months I've lost 84 lbs!  Sounds like I love a good brag I'm sure, but it's important for me to continue to be accountable and talk about where I want to go.  We (husband and I) started a journey last March to get healthy and make good changes in our eating habits and we've acheived many good things in that area.  Sadly, I still have more to go, so I'd like to lose 30 more pounds by my birthday and one-year anniversary of our life-change. Totally do-able, if I just stay focused.

This is such a hard topic for me to explore because I've become such a good actress during my corporate career that the people-pleasing part of my nature has really started to take a toll on me. I have crafted a great career for myself (outside of decorating) and in doing so I've lost a bit of my soul.  Coupled with wanting to always make others feel better about themselves, and being a positive person, I tend to feel bowled over and used up at times.  I want, no,need, to start sticking up for myself in little ways.  Expressing my opinions without worry about how others will react.  Starting to be firm with boundaries.  Saying no.  Relying heavily on my own sense of self and reason and not compromising with others just to be agreeable.   I want to stand strong in what I think and how I should be treated by others.  I'm going to be 32 years old this year.  It's time to let others deal with their own baggage and reactions and set my own self free, no matter how others may feel about it.

I'd like to walk into a store and put on a pair of jeans that are a size 12.  Grossly, embarrassingly, and hauntingly, I started this life change wearing a size 26.  Ugh. I can't even hit publish without wincing that this info will be inked in the interwebs forever.  I already feel so much more liberated that I can wear a 16 at most stores now.  So if I can finish out at a 10-12, I'll feel good and be able to wear clothes at most stores I like!  That will be a wonderful feeling and well worth all of the hard work.

Lastly, I want to remind myself that yoga is always a good idea.  I get to the gym and get zeroed in on doing cardio or an intense workout class like Step, Kickboxing, Body Combat or otherwise.  I forget the restorative properties of yoga and how good it is for my mind.  I need to remember that, despite burning less calories, yoga is a great deal more effective on my soul.

My hope for 2014 is that it treats us all well, especially you, our loyal friends.  I would love to see what you have in store for your own resolutions and goals, as cliche as you may find these posts at this time of year.  I feel that we've tapped into an amazing network of new friends on this blog and would love to support you as much as you've supported us.  Thank you for a great year in the blogworld, friends! And may 2014 bring you joy and health!