How did I do?

As a recap, here were my goals for 2011.

1. Don’t get kicked out of Fat Camp
How I will accomplish this goal:

• Lose 7 lbs every 2 months
• Track food (myfitnesspal.com)
• Exercise 4-5 times a week for at least 45 minutes – can include walks on break if they get my heart up – Track it
• Pack my own lunch 3-4 times a week (or go home)
• Walk Nova 3 times a week (that is more than now, I=bad owner, but I need to be above freezing)
• Eat breakfast I prepare EVERY DAY (okay I can eat out occasionally, like 3 times a month)
• Be honest with myself

2. Keep my house company clean

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Open/sort/toss my mail the day I get it.
• Empty dishwasher when it is done, add dishes as soon as I finish with them
• Vacuum/Sweep once a week
• Mop at least once a month
• Put things away, don’t pile!

3. Add to savings

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Track expenses
• Quit random purchases (but not all random purchases, sometimes a girl needs to buy things she doesn't need to live, but it will make her life happier or easier - i.e. fish, pet toys, music, etc)
• Put money in my savings and if I pull out of savings I must replace what I took plus more (even if it is just a dollar) within the next month.

4. Read 60 books

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Read instead of tv or really keep on keeping on (I love this goal)

5. Write in my journal at least once a week.

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Remember that I have it.

6. Ride my bike to work 52 times.
How I will accomplish this goal:

• Since Charlie retired and isn’t here to push me anymore, I think I need to just suck it up and do it!
• Go clipless – this is a two prong approach, first prong is that it will make it easier, second is that I will have spent money so I will feel like I need to make it worth it.

7. Secret plan
How I will accomplish this goal:

• By doing secret

So how did I do? Um, crappy.

1. I got kicked out of Fat Camp. I can get back in now, but I have to lose like 3 pounds to do so, and we are switching insurance on April 1st, so it is now or never. But I will try. The County has a health coach now, so I have been meeting with her, that program just doesn't pay for my gym membership, but it is nice to have someone give me advice about training and stuff.

2. I did okay on keeping my house clean, not great, but okay.

3. I did not add to savings. Buying a new furnace, solatube (totally worth it) and repairing my fence required me to pull from savings. :(

4. I have KICKED ASS AT THIS GOAL!! WOO! Really by the end of the week I plan to have read 65 books (I need to finish one and a half books to do so)

5. I sucked at this goal. I may have written in it like twice..

6. Charlie would be sorely disappointed in me, I think I made it 9 times.

7. I actually did really well at my secret plan. What is it you ask? It is what you all guessed, to date more. Don't get your hopes up Mom or Dad, I haven't met anyone, but I have been at least trying. And they are all guys... (inside joke with my Dad, though I think my mom also worries). This has been a hard thing for me, because I am not good at being flirty and cute or willing to play dumb. But I did pretty well, I don't know how many guys I went out with this year, but it was multiple guys. Some of them were really fun, but I knew they would drive me nuts and others were better fits, but had WAY too much baggage and didn't seem to be willing to dump some of it. Oh well, c'est la vie, there is always 2012. So now you all know, I have been dating and it sucks and it so freaking weird!

So 2.5 out of 7, not exactly good, but it was okay. I actually did pretty well at the parts of my first goal, so maybe I get 3 out of 7.

I don't know what my goals for 2012 will be, maybe I won't have any. Or maybe I will think about it for the month of January and set them in February.

Peace out for now, Party People!

My year in words

This year has been an interesting year. I feel like I made a lot of changes. Yet, I don't really have any regrets, even about the hardest choice I made. Especially since I got the exact result I knew I would once I made that choice.

I feel like this year focused mostly on getting healthy. I spent my year counting my calories. I actually like counting calories, it is just one more thing I can track and I do love tracking random things. I also spent a lot of time working out, sure I could have worked out more/harder, but I think I did pretty good considering how little I have worked out in the past 10 years.

Here are some of the things I learned this year:

I learned that no matter if I stay within the recommended calories that my body is not going to be happy losing weight and will probably resist. Hopefully, 2012 will allow me to get over my plateau...

I learned that even if the scale isn't moving, other things are happening. I can now wear everything in my closet. In fact, I have actually got rid of somethings that are now too big. It is nice. I really don't plan on going back up ever, so I don't feel bad about donating clothes to the Road Home. Plus I am less jiggly. Sure some parts still jiggle and probably always will, but that is okay, other parts are no longer jiggling.

I learned that I can complete a triathlon (sure it was a sprint, but it was still a tri), a half marathon and 35+ miles on my bike (twice). I had some kind of organized event each month from April until October. It actually was really fun. And even though I spent a crapload on paying for the events, I think it was worth it. There is something about doing something with a large group of people, even if I am in the bottom 25%. The energy I got from the masses of people was worth way more than the t-shirts. Plus, I must admit, they were excellent excuses to drink chocolate milk.

I learned that it is okay to be me and not feel bad about it or apologize for it. This seems like such a weird thing for me to say, because I have always been fairly comfortable with myself, but there were/are some situations that I felt like I had to constantly defend myself or apologize for being me. Well, I am done with that (mostly).

I learned that it sucks to be rejected. Okay, so I already knew this in my personal life (as it happens A LOT), but I have never really had professional rejection. And boy, did I have some this year. While I am still having a hard time with it, I will get over it, hopefully. Though it would help if the person that "was better" could actually perform the job, or at least act like he is attempting....

I learned that I really love my friends. I don't have a lot of good friends, but the friends I have I truly love. They are such awesome people and I feel like they are always there for me, even if it is just over email or Facebook. And most likely if you are reading this, you are one of those people and I want you to know that I love you and appreciate your friendship!

I learned that I really love my family, even when they frustrate me. I can't imagine my life without them, even when I make hard choices about them. I am so grateful that I have two sets of parents and additional siblings/nieces/nephews. And what can I say about my wonderful sister-in-laws? They are the best! I love the women my brother's married and am so glad that I can call them up or drop by their houses to chat. And my Dad is just out of this world, we have done so many emergency projects in the last couple of months, it makes me extra glad I can call him my Dad. My Mom is one of the best out there, even if she comes to my house just to see if it is clean ;) I am glad that she stays at my house and even gladder that she has finally accepted that I am not a morning person and just can't have conversations before I eat and especially not before I shower!

I learned that I can no longer imagine my life without my pets. Occasionally, I think about what I will do when they die and I find myself fighting tears. The dog may get called the Damn Dog a lot, but she also makes me laugh every day. And the cat may terrorize anyone/thing that is not me, but to me, she is the cuddliest/sweetest/smartest kitty a girl could have.

I am sure I learned a lot of other crap, but my project is done uploading. So I can now leave the Starbucks and stop pretending to be a screen writer (it was my cover for mooching their wifi). Stay tuned for my plans for for the New Year (and probably a report on how I did on my plans for this year, this kind of was that, but not really).

Hey Mom!

Hey Mom,

I am going to keep blogging. Maybe you should set up Google Reader or another RSS feed so I don't have to remember to remind you, it will just pop up!

Love you

XOXO

Jenni