A Reflection

This year has been an incredible year full of firsts, mending, and great adventures.
I thought I'd write a post to share a bit of a reflection on some of the highlights of this year.

GOING BACK TO SCHOOL
This was a huge thing for me to quit my jobs and put the company I own on hold to go back and finish my goal and finally get my degree.

I am only one semester done, but I worked hard and stuck with it. So much so that I pulled off straight A's and have a 4.0. I know, crazy! I'm still shocked I was able to pull that off! I am really enjoying the experience and I am actually learning quite a bit too, go figure, LOL
I am so much so enjoying my 3-week break right now, but I am also looking forward to a couple of weeks when my next semester begins!

BLOGGING NOT SO MUCH
So years ago (2011), yes I have had this blog for longer than some stick with blogging. I set a goal to always post at least once a week, and try to mostly maintain a 2-3 post a week schedule.
I have for the most part kept to that since 2012, well that was until this year.
Blogging had to take a back burner, and even though it was hard at times (like an addiction) I had to force myself to work on other priorities than the blog itself.

However, I thankfully have not let it go. I still actually live (well eat) off the income my blog and social media accounts provide me with. Yup, that is how I am paying for my meals these days, LOL
I've seen many great blogging friends come and go through the years. Sadly more go than keep it up. It always saddens me when bloggers have to leave entirely especially when I have enjoyed their blogs so much. But I get it, life should always come first.
I am not ready to let this blog go, while you may see less of me, I am going to continue to figure out ways to keep it up!

FINALLY HEALED
Anyone who's read my blog over the (almost) past four years may know a little of what I have been going through. With the tendon injuries I acquired from a work injury back in January 2013. It's been years of mending and recovery, physical therapy, setbacks, flare-ups and other injuries because of the injured tendons. I won't go into more details on that, but I am happy to announce it appears I have nearly 100% recovered from this work injury!
What did it?
Changing my lifestyle entirely, my routines pretty much everything when I quit my jobs, moved away and went back to school that is what healed me.
It may sound funny, but it's true that is actually what did it, what helped me finish healing and the reason I am able to get back to being so active and running and enjoying an adventurous lifestyle again!
For that I will always be thankful for the idea to go back to school and change my lifestyle entirely, it fixed what no amount of doctors or PT could!

READING
I set a Goodreads goal to read 52 novels this year. Earlier this year I was way ahead of schedule and I love to read so I was sure I'd hit it and then some.
Yeah, not so much. I will probably finish a couple books shy of my goal. I'm halfway through book 49 right now.
But I've read over 18,000 pages this year, and that is in part to many of the books being heck of long, LOL So I won't hit the 52 book goal, but pagewise I well outdid even last years pages.

ADVENTURE
Last spring my sister and I set out on a fun adventure to hike so many of the trails that we haven't done that were only 20-30 minutes from our front doors. While we didn't do as many as we would have liked, (she got pregnant, LOL) We did do many and had a lot of fun seeing the different trails along the Wasatch Mountains.
I also summited Butterfield Peak this year, that was something I have wanted to do for a while, heck of a climb and I did it sick too, LOL
I continued with those adventures when I moved south, I have thoroughly enjoyed hiking and getting out and enjoying the desert again.

RUNNING
Well, I only ran 1 race this year and it 5k that I decided to do last minute, so I don't really count it as getting back into racing since distance running is more my thing. But it was fun to be in a race again even if I did only run it for fun not to race.

I had to pull out of the fall marathon I entered because I wasn't trained well enough for it, I volunteered instead. I learned volunteers are awesome and there is a big difference between a participant and a volunteer and rarely they are mixed much. Most volunteers have zero desire to run and think runners are inspiring but insane.  I'm not much of a volunteer, I'm a participant and there is nothing wrong with that!

However, I did build up a great base as I've been getting back into it. I've really enjoyed running new trails and places in the new area I live.

What this year has taught me is this. I don't have to run a race to enjoy running. I don't have to get a medal to feel accomplishment and success. Those things can be great, but when you run purely because you just love it and your goals are subject to whatever mood your in that day when you put on the shoes and head out the door. There is almost even more gratification than any pronounced finish line can give me.
I will eventually get back to marathons, don't get me wrong I absolutely love the thrill of them. But until then I am thankful for this opportunity to learn and get to know myself better, to train just to train for fun, to run any distance I want because I want to, not because I have to. It's been interesting and I'm glad I had to experience this!

Well, I've had a fantastic year, and I've only shared 6 of the subjects with you. I can tell you this, I cannot wait for 2017, it's going to be epic in so many ways both little and big!


What is your favorite memory or reflection of 2016?

Crazy Story, Weightloss Updates and Exciting News to Share

I probably shouldn't even be blogging, but I needed a little study break so I thought I'd write a quick one!

I can't believe it's gone so fast, my Semester is about over and I have made it through all of my classes I just have this week full of finals.

One of my finals is another group project and of course, one member (the one who begged me to let her in my group) has not done her part. She just received a not so nice email from me, and I am pretty sure she won't respond to the rest of us and I will be stuck doing her part myself.
It's annoying! I'd be more annoyed if I haven't already just assumed I'll have to do it and decided at least if I do it, it will be done well, LOL
That's me looking at the glass half full, LOL

FUNNY STORY

Originally I had finals scheduled for Mon & Tue. So I went ahead and booked a big wedding for this weekend that is a 7-hour drive north of me. Then not just one, but TWO of my instructors being their first year teaching didn't know they were supposed to submit their finals schedules. So yeah, my finals for those classes are now Wed & Thur.
Which means, I have a 9:30AM Final Thurs, then a 5-hour drive to my parents. Fingers crossed that the snows not too bad through the mountain passes and that the roads are open. Then exactly one day to prepare all the linens, centerpieces, backdrop and flowers for a wedding.

But oh it gets better. There are big storms due for this weekend, so I may not even have a full day. I may have to get everything packed in the trailer and between storms drive it an hour further north to my sisters, stay there for the night. So I only have a 30-minute commute in a morning snow storm and won't have to worry about making it to the venue pulling a trailer by 7am if the plows haven't done the roads.

I also found out Sunday night that the flowers I ordered came in the WRONG color. They are the centerpieces, main focal point, no biggie right... It's too late to do anything about them, and I can't use them. So there may be some spray painting of flowers involved. (Sadly this won't be the first time.) I will get to feel like in the Alice in Wonderland movie, painting the roses red... Except, in this case, painting the roses berry red, LOL

(It's a really good thing brides don't know I blog, LOL)

Last bit of this little beauty of a story, I only have 3 hours to pull off the entire set up and one of my worker situations fell through.
It's a good thing I thrive on situations that most would consider stressful. I am confident I can pull it all off and the bride will love it. Positive thinking never hurt anyone!!

EXCITING NEWS

A blogger friend of mine (who I would mention her name, but I haven't asked permission if we are going blog public with it or not yet.) Then there is the fact that I am an after the fact blogger.
But in short 2017 I will be hiking the Grand Canyon, Rim to Rim. Not just that, but we will be hiking Rim to Rim with detours (30 miles) day 1, camp out and then back again R2R (24 miles) day 2.
This is one of those bucket list things I have wanted to do for years! I am super excited!!!!
After it happens, I guarantee you'll hear tons about it!  The only bad part now is actually waiting until it's warm again and hiking time!

WEIGHT LOSS

So I forgot to report this last week. In November, I was able to drop another 8 pounds. Combine that with my October 6, and I am now at 14 pounds down.
WOOOT WOOOT
It's been slow going, but hey at least its going, so if slow is the way it's getting done, I'll take it because well that's better than nothing or going up!

Unlike most during the holiday season, I like to actually tell people I am dieting. It gets me out of eating stuff I don't want to, trying people's holiday concoctions and of course gets me out of potlucks. November and December area always easy diet months for me.

(I know I am weird, but I have my reasons.)

I'll share a quick story and then you'll know why. Years back I was at a potluck work party and we were all in a circle talking and eating the food. One of the main dishes made by this lady who while we were all eating it and commenting on how good it tasted, proceeds to tell everyone she quit using soap, doesn't wash her hands with it, doesn't shower with it and doesn't wash her clothes or dishes with soap anymore. (Not kidding, who would make that dumbness up!)

Literally, everyone in the room paying attention had their mouths open with foot coming out and well I spit mine right out onto the plate and didn't even try to hide the fact.
I won't go into her ridiculousness of her reason why because who cares, crazy earth nutty people are not people I will ever understand. The important part is, she ruined me forever for eating potluck or stuff from people that I don't know REALLY well and trust.
(If you are a crazy no soap using earth nutty person and I just offended you, well I'm not even going to apologize and you should be used to people thinking your nuts! LOL)

Alright, that is probably way more than I should have taken the time to write!
Hope everyone has a great week, I'm going to go back to my study notes now.

Have a great week everyone!

Christmas Tree and Dry Skin Miracle Saver

I'm heading into the final two weeks of this semester, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I also can't believe I still have a hard time figuring out how to fit blogging into my schedule.

I did go up north a week ago to visit my family for Thanksgiving, it was fun seeing them and one of my nieces grabbed onto my leg begging me not to go back to college. It was cute, I won't lie I love how much she adores me, as I adore her just the same!

I'm still dealing with the headaches, but I received this awesome new Humidifier free to try thanks to participating in the Influenster program. I was skeptical that it would make a difference, however, I have been feeling slightly better.

More importantly, my skin feels SO MUCH BETTER! Seriously, living in the desert is awesome, but how it dries your skin out is not so much awesomeness. I swear I was putting lotion on numerous times a day and hardly felt it made much a difference.

I've had the humidifier for a week now, and HUGE difference. I only need to apply lotion once a day now, and when I wake up in the morning my face no longer feels like it's dry and tight. I run the humidifier on high pretty much all the time when I am at home.

The one they sent me works fabulously and better than I could have hoped. It was one of those miracles in disguise that I was chosen to review it for Influenster and Honeywell. I highly recommend getting a humidifier to help with even the dryness of turning the heat on in your homes.

If your interested in getting a humidifier definitely check this one out,  AT THIS LINK

I also got my Christmas tree up! I wasn't going to put one up, but my sister said a girl who has 36+ pine tree's in storage (for the event and wedding company) cannot, not put one up for the holiday. So I gave in and grabbed a smaller one from storage and hit up the dollar store for some ribbon and a bow and pulled out my marshmallow smores camping ornaments. Went with red lights because well, it just sounded pretty and put the tree in a small wheel barrel because it looked like a cute stand!

I've been enjoying running, last week my schedule was a bit lighter to get ready for the heavy loads I would be doing this week and finals next week.
I took a new trail, and literally came within 1/2 mile from crossing the Arizona border, I totally would have gone further but it was getting late in the evening and I wanted to get back home before it got dark out. Definitely going to do this one again and run into AZ, and the gorge which is where per the map at one of the parks said it comes out of. If you know the area, then you know how stunningly gorgeous the gorge is!

I also had to head to Zion National Park for a class project. But finished the project as quick as I could and went out sightseeing and of course hiking!
Probably my favorite weekend there so far. The shuttles are shut down for the season and the amount of people in the park was significantly less.
It was awesome to have less people and actual peace and quiet out on the trail, I loved it!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy people too. But the new types of crowds on National Park trails are the annoying playing their music as they hike type, and I don't care if it offends anyone I very much dislike those types!

It was beautiful though, light snow on the higher elevation areas within the park. The trails were a little icy when I got up high and to the top, but it was perfect and cool 50-degree hiking day and I am so glad I was able to take advantage of it.

So that's about it, I am onto a week of major group projects, class presentations, very big paper to write and beginning the study process for some finals. Fun stuff!!

Do you use a humidifier in the winter?