Sunday, January 1, 2012

Looking forward, looking back.

So, it's 2012. Um.. what?

I unfortunately started this year with a cold that I've had for the last few days. I was in bed early last night and while it wasn't that thrilling of a night - I'm looking forward to this year. Before I dive into this year, I want to reflect on this year's high and low lights.

Back in February, I broke my ankle. What a way to start the year, huh? It was the first time I've dealt with a serious injury. It took 2 surgeries and a lot of therapy to get me back to normal, but all in all it could have been a lot worse.

On May 6th, Cameron and I got engaged! That was such a great day and the whole reason this blog came to be.

I'm the type of person that believes everything happens for a distinct purpose. If I had never broken my ankle, I wouldn't of had the motivation I did to start running. In July, I started the couch to 5k program and in September I ran my first 5k and in October my second. I was lucky enough to run my second with my friend, Drew.

Yes, I wore the same shirt for both :)

About a month after running my 5ks, I was going through some serious hip pain which brought me to the chiropractor where I found out about some issues I'm having with my back. I'm happy to say that I'm doing so much better today. While there have been days of struggle, I had planned on getting back to running in January and look forward to starting again. 

Which brings us to now.. January 1st. 

There's a lot in store this year for me individually and for Cameron and I. 

Let's start with running. 

Since I haven't done any serious running in a couple of months, I plan on starting out slow this month. I need to build myself up at a pace that I know I can handle and that won't worsen or bring back the back pain. Cameron and I plan on running a 5k together at the end of February, early March. From there, we will be running a 10k, 15k and the ultimate goal is still a half marathon. While my previous goal was to run the half at the Wisconsin marathon in May, it depends on how these next few months go. I want to be realistic about this. By this time next year, my goal and our goal is to run a half marathon. 

I graduate on May 12th! This semester I have a light load, 13 credits, with a lot of great professors I've already had or know. Should be a great end to my undergraduate career. 

The next one we have been building the foundation for since the summer, but are really taking it seriously starting this year. I mentioned in previous posts that Cameron and I were apart of a growth group called Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. First, I want to say if you are ever given an opportunity to take this course - take it. You will not regret it. It's a realistic look at how to handle your money and how you get yourself out of debt. When it comes down to it, Cameron and I collectively have a lot of student loan debt going into our marriage. We are fortunate to not have that much credit card debt (no thank you, gap card with a 24% interest rate) but what it comes down to is that we need to get ourselves out of the hole we are in. Yes, a college education is worth the money, but looking back on it I should have applied for scholarships and thought harder about where I would be 4 years later in 2008. Using Dave Ramsey's total money makeover plan, we will be on a budget for the first time starting this month. Every penny will have a place to go, before it is spent. It's widely known that finances can rip a marriage apart and it has taken Cameron and I a long time to get to where we are today, but I am so happy we are taking this step forward. Most importantly that we are doing it together. 

Last, but not least, weight loss. This Christmas I got a juicier for Christmas (thanks mom) and I will tell you why. A few months back, I watched an amazing documentary called Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. It is on an Australian man, dealing with a serious condition that causes him to experience a pain like a mosquito bite at random times all over his body. He had become frustrated with all of the meds he was on, the different explanations he was getting from doctors and knew he had to take hold of his life. He juiced for 60 days, his diet included fruits, veggies and nuts (for protein). In that time he lost nearly 100 pounds and after a short period of eating raw fruit and veggies following the 60 days, he was off his meds completely. This is inspiring. It makes you take a hard look at the toll you put on your body year after year with processed food. I invite all of you watch it and check the website. I want to incorporate juicing into my diet heavily this year. While I don't think I could ever do a 60 day fast, my goal is a 7 day one this month. I've been doing my research and just need to make sure I have all my bases covered. I juiced this morning for breakfast (2 pears, 2 apples) and it is delicious. I see the 2 biggest barriers being juicing vegetables and not eating solid food. More on that later! 

2011 was just a stepping stone into my life that will change drastically this year. 2012 will be an incredible year. 

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