Lost

When I was a little girl, my dad used to play a game where he'd take a turn he didn't know just to do something a little different. I'm sure he thought it would bring out the adventurous side of me, but I was always terrified that we'd get lost forever. I never really made it known to Dad so he probably never knew and therefore had no reason to stop playing this game. He knew the area I grew up in really well and he was always interested in learning more ways the roads connected. He is the best at detouring whenever we hit traffic.

When I started driving, Dad and I used to drive for hours and hours. Back when gas wasn't that expensive. We started by driving the routes I was already familiar with and slowly Dad pulled out my adventurous side by having me take turns I didn't know so I could learn how to deal with detours and getting lost. We never had a map on us, just our combined knowledge of the highways and roads in the area. It was really scary for me at first, but I started learning the roads really well. And I started memorizing roads. Eventually, I started looking at maps to enhance my local geographical knowledge. I would experiment with different routes to get to and from almost everywhere.

When I started working full-time a few years ago, I started traveling pretty often for work and I had to learn to adapt to new places because I was often alone in a new city. I had to get over any lingering fears of getting lost by glancing at a map and figuring out which major roads I would be near so that I'd eventually run into something familiar. I do drive with a map in unfamiliar areas, but I have lost all of my fears in terms of directions and getting lost. I quickly memorize routes and I could probably still drive some of the cities that I haven't visited in a long time. I've even become one of the most knowledgeable of my close friends in terms of everything that's near home.

And it all started with my dad's strange little game when I was little.

20 Questions

I found this on a few different blogs, so I copied it. I also cannot sleep tonight. :)

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while you are blogging?
I don't have a specific blogging snack, but I do enjoy salty snacks pretty much all the time.

2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?
Aside from Jesus? Probably access to a fantastic library system.

3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Where would you live?
Farm in the moutains. Oh, wait, that's pretty much where I'm going to settle down. :)

4. What is your least favorite household chore?
Taking out the trash.

5. Who do people say you remind them of?
The only person I can think of was the time a friend said I remind him of Felicia Day.

6. Parties and socializing or staying home with the family?
Home. But I also like to host smaller type gatherings.

7. What's your all time favorite movie?
The Rocketeer. It's been my favorite since I was about 6.

8. Do you sleep in your makeup or remove it every night?
Sometimes I sleep in makeup, but I don't wear makeup all that often. So the days I forget are pretty few and far between.

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn?
I don't know that I have any hidden talents, but there are several things I'd like to learn: photography and how to read a bit faster (without losing retention), for example.

10. What's one strange thing you are really good at?
I can adapt pretty well to most situations, even though I'm really shy.

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?
He's not my spouse yet, but I'm not sure what attracted me to him first. I did notice that he was the only person in the room outgoing enough to talk to me (I'm so shy that I have a really hard time meeting new people, and most of the rest of the people in that room share that trait with me). And that his smile was incredibly genuine.

12. What is something you love to smell?
clean laundry, homemade peanut butter fudge, and gasoline (not all together, obviously)

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people?
I tend to want to fix everything.

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you do with it?
Get married/build a house

15. Are you a silent laugher or loud laugher?
Both, depending on how comfortable I am. Silently when I'm nervous, loudly any other time.

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?
Ann Taylor/Ann Taylor LOFT and Barnes & Noble (although I've banned myself from shopping at both places for the time being)

17. Whats one thing you would do more often if you had more time?
Read and/or work out

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?
Naturally I'm a big spender. But I have taken certain measures to make me a lot more frugal.

19. Who is your favorite character of all time?
I have absolutely no idea.

20. Would you want to be famous?
No. Definitely not.

Show Us Your Life - Talgates and Favorite Teams

I've never participated in this before. But today is possibly the best day for me to start. Kelly over at Kelly's Korner hosts Show Us Your Life every Friday. This week is Tailgates and Favorite Teams. I regret that I do not have any pictures right now.

As far as professional sports, because I grew up in Philadelphia and still live nearby, I have to support every Philadelphia team. I'm especially excited about the Phillies because of how well they are doing this year (and last year). But my boyfriend Josh got me into the Steelers last year, and my grandmother who's from Pittsburgh area is thrilled.

As far as college sports, I blame my boyfriend for getting me into WVU football. This evening, I purchased tickets for the game against Connecticut in two weeks. This is my first college football game, and I am so fortunate to be able to take my boyfriend and his father. They are two of my very favorite people, and they are both WVU fans. I am so excited. I am going to have to get myself some blue and gold to wear. :)

Josh and I were walking around town last weekend and we ended up seeing the church he volunteered to help when he was a Boy Scout. He and several other boys laid the stone walkway through the graveyard maybe 10 years ago. I didn't take any pictures, but it was so nice for Josh to see that it's still in great condition. It was so peaceful in that little graveyard, and we're so glad we stumbled across that memory.

We also got some pictures of some ducks in the lake. My mom really likes mallard ducks, so I think I'm going to put together a small collage of pictures for her to hang next to her figurine collection. I had totally forgotten about that collection until just now. I used to climb up on the chair when I was little and play with the ducks whenever I could. Now I really have to do something with those pictures I took. I will also get around to posting the pictures once I find my cord to upload my pictures.

Countdown until Christmas

Not seeing Josh much these days due to physical distance between us has made me look for ways to keep busy. I found a link called 100 Days to Christmas and I'm working on this. I am creating my list for Christmas cards tonight. This is the earliest I have ever done this. I'm amazed, but it will help so much to be able to get this done before Christmas Eve. I started a few days late so I'm working my way backward. I probably won't have a binder, as I plan to do most of this online. But I'm guessing this will help a lot for keeping me busy and creative this fall. I look forward to having Christmas organized this year. :)

Anyway, here's the link: http://100daystochristmas.com/

Tomorrow is the first day of autumn!

Today is my boyfriend's birthday, and I am excited. While we're going able to see each other tonight, we are going to meet for lunch tomorrow with a couple other friends. And tomorrow night we have a date. :)

Tomorrow is also the first day of the best season of the year: autumn. It's all about crisp air, crunchy and colorful leaves, the new fashions and sweaters, apple cider, pumpkins and pumpkin seeds, among other things.

And I'm officially terrible at a meal plan. I'm going through my shopping list now, and it looks like I can get stuff at 3 different stores.... It's a little overwhelming right now. But there are some great deals. I'm going past a bunch of these stores on my way home this week, so it's not like it will be hard to get to any of these or that I'd have to go out of my way and spend extra gas money. But choosing which stores to go to sometimes gets a little frustrating. But because I have virtually nothing in my current home, I kind of need to stock up a little. Trying to save money while doing it is a little bit of a challenge.

Log Cabins

Okay, so my boyfriend does not live in a log cabin. But a lot of it is wood and it's absolutely amazing. I have not slept so well in the past 18 months as I did in this place last night. I even slept through a major thunderstorm where we lost power not once once, but twice. It's certainly the first time in the past 18 months that I've slept through the night without medication.

We decided that because I live two hours away from my client site and Josh is only an hour away it would be good to spend yesterday and today with him and his dad. So yesterday after work I drove up and then we went grocery shopping to make dinner. We decided to try something new: black beans, yams, and tomatoes in a tortilla. It turned out pretty well (especially when we added venison and onions to it today - yum!) and I'll probably make it again with some modifications. We also made chocolate chip cookies today, and oh my goodness they were delicious.

And then we watched The Hunt for Red October. It was pretty awesome. We also watched Clear and Present Danger. So it was kind of like a Tom Clancy movie weekend. I think I need to read his books. I really like the movies based on his novels.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with Josh and another couple to carpool to church together and then have lunch. And then we're going to a movie with another friend. I think this is the beginning of a tradition to lunch together for free (we pack lunch so we can either eat at someone's house or we picnic) after church. I love the idea of having time with friends after church. It's really quite awesome to be able to have that kind of time together with everyone.

Car Adventures

I'm all settled into my new home now. I still need to take some boxes back to storage though - that's a project for Sunday since the storage facility is near church. I've been running around a lot though, so I haven't spent a whole lot of time at the house yet. I'm assuming that will happen starting next week, since this weekend is likely going to be busy.

So I'm working about two hours from home right now thanks to a last minute client need. I managed to lock my keys in the car yesterday. And then because of a few complications, I ended up waiting 3 hours for AAA to come unlock my car. And then the 2 hour drive home. Last night was not the most fun night, but I still managed to get to bed at a decent hour.

Things have been really busy lately, and perhaps it's time to realize that things will not really slow down. I can, however, avoid stress from it. And I can say no when things are really too busy. So perhaps this next four months is supposed to teach me this too. How to find peace even when things are insane.

Almost finished in this apartment

I am moving out of my apartment and into a lovely townhouse about 30 minutes away (to be closer to work and friends while not going too far from my wonderful church). I'm hoping to get everything moved on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, depending on when the owner of the house is okay with it.

Until about a week and a half ago, I had been planning to live with my friend Amber in an apartment of our choosing. But last minute, Amber had to back out and I had to scramble to find another place to live that wouldn't break the bank. I have been so blessed. I asked my pastor to pray that I would find a place, and suddenly I had offers all over the place. I settled on living with a friend of a friend who has a house near my office. I'll have my own bedroom and bathroom, and I'll get to learn what it's like to live with multiple animals (two dogs and two cats). I'm really looking forward to this.

I have finally gotten around to starting the packing process. On Friday, I had the whole place to myself, so I pulled apart all the little places Katie and I had been using to store random junk in the living and dining rooms. My cookware collection was living on the dining room floor because I had nowhere else to put it! So I moved all of that into the kitchen to wash before packing. And then I attacked everything in the living and dining rooms. I even rearranged the furniture to make it easier for me to move everything out. It took me 5 hours to go through everything, but I had 4 bags of trash (junk that had piled up that I couldn't give to goodwill). It looks so much nicer in here now.

I also packed up all my movies and gaming systems (and games) to prevent myself from getting distracted and playing games when I should be packing. And I have 5 boxes of books packed. It's progress. This week after work, my awesome friend Laura and I will be cleaning and packing my room. I intend to live out of a suitcase for about a week so that I can box up everything else this week. I still haven't chosen my clothing to keep available, but almost everything that's clothing is going into plastic bags until I can wash it all (and not pay $3.25 per wash/dry!). So one of my first projects when I move is laundry, and while I'm waiting for that to happen, I'll be unpacking.

At least I'm taking vacation next week to make it easier to deal with the move. I'm really hopeful that I will have a chance to rest most of the time. I haven't had a real vacation when I haven't been sick (or gotten sick over vacation, which was the case for Christmas 2007 since I was hospitalized right at the end of vacation) since February 2007! It's been way way too long. I'm attempting to fix that as of next week. I'm already planning to take off Christmas to New Years this year and take at least 3 full weeks of vacation next year (not in a row).

Meal Plan Monday (er... tuesday)

Things have been so busy I didn't get a chance to post this yet.

Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: crab cakes, rice, and veggies
Wednesday: steak stir-fry
Thursday: rice and beans
Friday-Monday: leftovers

I'm finding that 3 meals is more than enough for each week as long as I get fruit and a couple small snacks. That way, I spend very very little on food and am eating more variety than I did before doing this.

Result from the grocery store

I just wanted to say that somehow I spent $10 less than I thought I would at the grocery store (which made the difference between a couple dollars over budget and a bit under budget - I had reasoned that it was okay anyway since I was getting something on sale that I love and will eat next week anyway). Even after realizing that I would have to buy more cheese (which was not planned at all), I decided to reduce the amount of one thing I got (for Josh) and eliminate the treat for myself since I was on the fence about it anyway. I'm sure that I can spend less in the future, but I got exactly what I wanted, only got those things, and managed to easily be under budget. Oh, and I got free bread from the bakery thanks to a coupon I got the last time I was in the store. I don't remember the last time I had bakery bread (it may have been never). Go me!

Meal Planning

Wow, I have been pretty horrendous about posting. Things have been insanely busy this month and it's not really slowing down. One of (many) saving graces of this month has been learning to make casseroles without a recipe. I made two this month and I much preferred the second, which has ground turkey (browned first and then with taco seasoning added), 1/4 bag frozen spinach, 1 cup rice, black-eyed peas, and some edamame with a layer of colby jack cheese on top. One hour in the oven at 300 degrees. It turned out pretty awesome.

I'm also making another attempt at meal planning. And this time, I did it according to the sales at the grocery store this week and made the grocery list and kept it at budget. I'm pretty happy with it. I got the inspiration from OrgJunkie and her Menu Plan Monday. So here's my menu plan for this week:

Monday: leftovers and party food for dessert (I help with youth group at church and we're having a going away party for two of the kids who are moving to FL at the end of the week)
Tuesday: London Broil with Mushrooms and green beans
Wednesday: Mahi Mahi with rice
Thursday: turkey franks (something to try), baked potatoes (w cheese), and summer squash
Friday: leftovers
Weekend is always up in the air, and I usually have extra leftovers and such. So no planning for that.



I have not tried either of these recipes before, but I have almost all of the ingredients already and I'm trying to use what I have before I move in 3 weeks. So I'm keeping my shopping to a minimum. I am also trying to increase the amount of fruit in my diet, so I'm buying some with the knowledge that if I don't finish it I can bring it to youth group on Monday night next week in a fruit salad. But I'm limiting how much I get so I have a chance at being able to finish it on my own. And if it's not enough, then I can add more next week.

Sick Days

So I got sick on Wednesday on the way home from work. All of a sudden I was dizzy and uncomfortable. And I had a fever and a cough by the time I was home. I continued to feel worse and add symptoms over the next 24 hours. I stayed home until Friday morning when I went to the doctor. And I got a flu test. And now I'm not allowed to leave the apartment or have guests over until the results come back. So hopefully it's negative. Especially since now Josh is sick. He's been so good to me, and now he's sick. So I gave him meds to deal with the cough and the fever and sent him to bed. Hopefully he feels better soon.

Meanwhile, my fever seems to have broken as of today. :)

I don't get sick often. Actually, the last time I had a temperature over 99 was probably more than a decade ago. And I don't remember being sick much as a kid.

Also of interest: my amazing dad turned 60 on Thursday, and my beautiful mom's birthday is tomorrow (she calls it her un-birthday).

Youth Group

Josh and I have begun volunteering at the youth group at our church. We haven't split the group into middle school and high school yet because there haven't been enough older kids yet (there are 3 I think from They only have two leaders right now, and sometimes only one can make it. So we are sorely needed just to have a couple more sets of hands and eyes. So far it's been really interesting.

Josh has already been able to help deal with the rowdy boys: they can't stop talking but they do participate and seem to want to talk about everything. They also ask a lot of questions. They're a handful but they're also a lot of fun. I'm starting to memorize names (I have 5 memorized so far). They are really growing on me and I looked forward to seeing them all day yesterday.

I've been doing recon on the girls. They have a lack of interest and don't want to be involved at all. Last night they all said they didn't want to play the game outside with the boys. The only thing I could think of was "Whoever doesn't play gets to sit and talk to me for the duration of the game." I don't know if that's what got them to play, but they all played. I had work clothes on, so I was a referee/boundary person for the game. Next week I need to make sure that I have sneakers and stuff to run around in. Because I think I've realized that I have to get engaged myself and encourage the girls from that standpoint.

I also think I need to separate the girls from the boys for a little bit. I'm thinking one night we should split them and lead them separately. That way, the girls can't avoid paying attention and answering and such. I'm going to draw them out. I'm also going to help teach them about respect.

I get the feeling that Josh and I may be leading a group on our own before too much longer, since we're going to split the group into two groups soon. I think it'll be interesting.

Over the weekend, my friends and I also went to NYC for lunch and the Forbes Museum. Despite the rain, it was nice to get out of the usual weekend and do something different and fun. I didn't take any pictures, but perhaps next time.

Birthday surprise

I have pulled off one of the best surprises ever with the help of friends. My beautiful friend's birthday was yesterday. She's been feeling really down lately missing her best friend who lives out of state (although she's planning to move here later this summer). So we secretly flew in her friend (who is also friends with us) on Thursday night. We had planned to go over and bring dinner. We picked up presents on the way as well so that we could present them and make it all work perfectly. And it all went off without a hitch. She had no idea and the look on her face was priceless. I'm so proud of my friends - it was a group effort to make this possible and we got to make an amazing person feel exceptionally special. Which she is. :)

That's about all that's going on here. I've been tied up in business trips and working out logistics for my friend's birthday. Tonight we're going to rent Night at the Museum and then head out to the theatre to see Battle for the Smithsonian. I'm pretty excited about it. And church tomorrow. And all of this can be done with our lovely friend who's in town for the weekend, making it sweeter all around.

This last weekend was particularly hard for me. Friday morning my maternal grandmother's sister died. Aunt Millie was an amazing person, and I wish I had gotten more time with her. And more time for Josh to get to know her. God blessed us with the chance to visit her in early March when I had a business trip in her tiny little town. I'm so glad he was able to meet the person who came up with the peanut butter fudge recipe that we both love and Josh has memorized. I'm glad that she was healthy enough that we both remember her as spunky. I'm glad that her death was quick and that she didn't suffer much.

I didn't know her as well as I would have liked. I actually had just begun to talk to her on the phone every few months and let her get to know the adult I grew into instead of the child I was. I am exceptionally disappointed that I was not able to go to the viewing or funeral due to a business trip (we couldn't move it since it was already the weekend when I got the dates and times for the viewing and funeral). I am, however, glad that my mother was able to make the trip out and say her goodbyes. She really needed it.

Yesterday was also the 10-year anniversary of my cousin's sudden and accidental death. He was eight years older than me and lived several states away, so I didn't know him that well. It still grieves me that I will never get to know him better. I still cherish the memories I am fortunate enough to have of him.

Needless to say, this business trip to Ohio has been hard on me. I'm attempting to make up for it by doing all kinds of awesome things. I finished up work a little early and went to an aquarium in Kentucky. And tomorrow afternoon after putting in some hours from the hotel, I plan to visit COSI. And then I return home. I had a good time this afternoon and hope that tomorrow will be at least as fun.

But when it comes down to it, I wish for nothing more than the chance to be with my family. I will likely spend a bit of time with my grandparents this week. I know my grandmother needs me. And I need her.

Memorial Day

I found out today that Josh watches military-esque movies and history shows for Memorial Day every year. To learn more about the people who risked their lives and died for America. I hadn't really thought about doing that before, but I liked the idea when I heard it. Josh decided to go with something easy for me to get into since we started a movie in the evening. We went with The Rocketeer since it deals with patriotism and aviation and such between WWI and WWII. Yes, it's a bit of a stretch, but it's one of my favorite movies. And next year I'll be more likely to vote for a stronger theme since I'll be prepared for it.

I have also finally groomed my plants. I pulled off anything dead and Josh cut the basil plant where it died. So hopefully today's rain will help them grow. I do need to get my other plant to drain better though. I'm thinking of getting another ceramic pot and transplanting it so it will drain properly. It's relaxing to work on my plants, even if it isn't a proper garden and just some potted plants. I really enjoy it. I hope to someday have a full vegetable garden which will partially sustain my family and myself.

Today I started a new client near the beach. However, the weather is awful and therefore I decided not to take a walk on the beach. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same, so I'm thinking of getting warm clothes and going anyway. Today I was definitely not prepared. It's cold enough today that I'm thinking chili is a good idea, and I typically only have it in winter. Man, I wish it would warm up again.

Star Trek!

I finally had the opportunity to see Star Trek in theatres this afternoon. Oh my gosh, so much fun. I really enjoyed this one. I think I actually prefer this Kirk to the original.

My new plants that Josh and I transplanted this weekend are looking better (petunias, basil and mint). We brought them inside for the bad weather but left them next to the window so they'd still get sun. Hopefully they will begin to flourish soon.

I also learned how to throw a Frisbee yesterday afternoon. Josh and I were getting ready to spend the day together running errands and such and we decided to throw the Frisbee a little in the parking lot before it started raining. We will likely play again before much longer, which excites Josh way more than it does me (but I'm still happy I can finally throw a Frisbee well now, even if I have trouble getting it to go the direction I'd like).

We have also finally watched a lot of Sarah Connor Chronicles online. Only three more episodes until we're caught up. Whoo!

I'm so bad at remembering to post. Maybe I should try to schedule a weekly post or something.

This past week was rough on me physically. Work wasn't bad, but I spent two nights shopping with my cousin to help her find a versatile little black dress (and find one we did!). While it was totally worth it and I would do it again if I were to repeat this week, I'm definitely feeling more pain right now. The migraine is fairly manageable, but my back pain (partly due to stress) and general muscle pain has been more intense this week.

This weekend the goal was to keep it all low-key. Friday night Josh and I had a date at the bookstore and we spent three hours together reading (about 5-10 minutes browsing and Josh carried all the books I wanted to peruse to a chair so I could rest a bit). I went through probably seven books Friday night. Date night to the bookstore is one of my favorites.

Saturday, we went to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine again with two of our amazing friends. Then we had lunch out and went back to our friends' house to play Rock Band. I was so exhausted from all that that I fell asleep for about 10 minutes (which is a serious faux pas, by the way). I don't really remember falling asleep and Josh described it more as a "collapsing" kind of falling asleep. Luckily, it was over quickly and I felt a bit better. Then we picked up a friend from the train station (she was returning from vacation) and went out for a casual dinner. And back to the bookstore (but it was a Borders Saturday instead of my beloved Barnes & Noble).

Today I slept through the beginning of church and decided to just stay home. I haven't done much at all today yet, but in about 45 minutes Josh and I are going to pick up dessert and flowers to take to my grandmother's for Mother's Day. I'll get to spend time with Josh, Mom, Dad, my aunt Mary, Grandma, and Granddad. While I'm not going to see Nana (my dad's mom) I do hope to catch her on the phone this evening. I'm so lucky to have my mother and both grandmothers in my life and so close to me (no one is more than one hour's drive from my home).

So I didn't rest too much this weekend. But I shall try again for this upcoming week and weekend. I have a ton of research to do on a number of things and that should provide ample time for me to just sit down and read and learn rather than run around everywhere.

And as a mother's day note and something for me (and anyone else) to remember: Today is not always an easy day for women. Some women are blessed with children but many are struggling with infertility, miscarriages, or the loss of a child. While I've witnessed struggles for my family members and some friends, I've never experienced any of this myself. And I cannot even imagine what these women are going through. I'm keeping women in general in my prayers today, especially those who find Mother's Day painful.

I had a business trip this week out toward Josh's and my families, so we decided to both go and spend the weekend with Josh's cousin and his family. They are so much fun. We played with the girls and helped comfort the younger one since she was feeling sick - at least her fever broke the first night we were there. During their nap times, we played Magic and Yatzee. It's been so much fun.

Monday night we visited my family and then we got sick with nasty head colds. I've been working, but Josh has had a chance to rest in the hotel during the day. He is starting to feel better. Hopefully I will too. If I don't feel better by Saturday, Josh may get a crash course in driving manual so he can drive my car at least part way. We've been taking it easy the past couple nights in hopes that I'll get some rest. My great aunt is hoping that I'll spend the evening with her tomorrow, so I'm going to try to make it out to see her again. I really want to make dinner for her, to treat her to something nice. So I'm praying I'll feel better by then.

For Lent I'm trying to get back into really reading the Bible every day again. I've been slacking lately, and now is the perfect time to dedicate myself to it again. I've slowly been reading through the entire Bible cover to cover and I decided to start where I left off: Job. I'm really proud of myself for deciding on this promise because it's something that will help me grow tremendously as I continue to study the Word.

With all the travel I've done the past few weeks, I've been left fairly exhausted. I decided to take a four-day weekend (today's the last day of my vacation) so I could rest. I really wasn't feeling well, so I slept most of the weekend. I did go to a friend's to watch the Superbowl though. Yesterday, I finally got most of my reading caught up, and today I managed to sleep in until about 9:30. It's supposed to snow today (and then turn to ice and then rain), so I think I'm going to just stay inside and have some cocoa and perhaps try to finish another book that I'm halfway through. Anything that will allow me to rest more before going back to probable business travel in the next week or two.

Today I did something that I thought I had left behind when I graduated from high school and moved into a world free of choir and musical theatre (I do miss it though). I sang in front of people all by myself. I've done this before, and I don't sing badly. And yet, I still carry this fear that I'm going to do horribly and be judged. This is even though logic tells me otherwise - first, I sing well and second, even if I butchered a song my friends wouldn't judge me. So I decided to go ahead and try out the singing part in our Rock Band awesome adventure. I ended up singing about 10-15 songs and got complimented on my singing as well. I'm really proud of myself, but the fear still isn't gone. Fear is a strange thing. I think this is one that I'm really going to have to work at. I'm going to have to get over this fear sooner or later, so why not work on it now.

Dawn

I watched the sun rise this morning while reading The Fellowship of the Ring for my book club. Right as the sun was starting to light the sky, I was at the part in The Prancing Pony when Strider has just opened the curtains to allow the very early morning light come in. I stopped and opened my blinds after I read that. It was a nice moment of connecting with a book I waited far too long to read in full.

Goals

I don't typically make resolutions for the new year. I've learned that if I'm not ready to commit to something and I try to do it anyway, I'll fail. There are times when God has pushed me to do something, and I just have to do it right away. Those times are completely random and those are the times I succeed.

My current projects:

Nutrition: 30 days without any meat. I have been thinking and praying about this for quite some time due to a suspicion that the preservatives in meats are exacerbating my migraines. On Dec 18, I was ready to make a change and see how my body reacts. I have done exceptionally well with this so far, not including yesterday when I had to eat meat in order to eat dinner at all (business trip and the restaurant had nothing meat free). I ended up having a little seafood but I tried to eat more of the pasta and vegetables than the scallops. I have also been dealing with my migraines sufficiently better that I might consider continuing with this beyond 30 days.

Exercise: Walk for 20+ minutes every day. This may turn into jogging or running, but I'm working on something more attainable to my head. Walking is easy. Getting outside to do it every day is the challenge. I don't care if I just walk around the mall or whatever, but I need to spend more time doing stuff. Running the stairs at the hospital (client site) from the basement to the 4th floor proved that. In hotels, I might swap out walking for doing laps in the pool, and when it gets warm I might switch up with other activities. For now, walking it is.

Quiet Time: Reading through the Bible front to back. I've been taking my time with this and I'm trying to create a habit of reading every day. I do skip around every once in a while if God tells me to read something specific at any given time, but I get back to where I left off after that. I'm currently about halfway through Nehemiah. My sub-goal is to get to a point where I'm reading every day. It's something I keep halfheartedly attempting to do, and I need to focus. While I have my mind in the right direction I need to get better with reading His Word and to start memorizing.

These are my focus areas for right now. The only one that I'm starting today is the walking one. The others I've been slowly progressing with over time.