Job that Won't Accept My Resignation, Snow, Wedding & Weight Loss, Car Issues and The Best Parents Ever - How's that for a Mouth Full of a Post Title!

I thought I'd give a little re-cap of what I have been up to in the past 3 weeks.

Right after my last final in December, literally left from the parking lot of it to take a 5-hour drive north so I could get ready for that holiday wedding I booked.

Lucky me, got to drive a trailer in a blizzard and pack it up for a wedding in one heck of a storm...  That lucky part is sarcastic, LOL

Did all my wedding prep work in 8 hours, probably the fastest rush job ever!  Then took a drive to beat out a storm so I could arrive to set up for the wedding early

The storm that was supposed to hit didn't, just a nice 5 degree's out that morning. It froze the locks on my trailer, thankfully I am full of hot air, LOL and was able to blow into them enough to get them to unfreeze and unlock.
The rest of the day went perfectly, we were rushed but it was some of our better work and we did it in record time, I was thrilled!  My team that helps is incredible!!!!

The bride and her family all loved it and were more than happy without work, so it was a great day!

Spent the night for a slumber party with my niece and nephew. We attempted to make cupcakes with her new baking tools.
Apparently, it did not go so well, I guess you can't bake the frosting mixed into the cake batter, LOL LOL



EARNING SOME $
Since I was coming up north and my old library job, well they apparently never accepted my resignation so I decided why not make more money while I am here and pick up a few shifts. A few turned into many and before I knew it they asked me to pick up 44 hours.

So yeah, that first two weeks was a little more work than play, but that was okay. I got to get together with past co-workers and catch up. Great times!

Christmas Eve my dad and I took a drive up the mountains to pick something up at my sisters, and then hit up a new gun store and target range, because well that's what we red-blooded Americans do on Christmas Eve, LOL.

SNOW SNOW AND MORE SNOW
Christmas was wonderful. We woke up to 14 inches of fresh snow, so we definitely got our white Christmas! Had so much fun chilling with the family and playing!


My sister won in the gift department, she saw these awesome boxes. HILARIOUS 
Makes the receiver think that is actually what is in it, and she gave it to my pregnant sister. Inside was a gift card, but it was fun and laughs.



FUN
Took a night and went and slept over and played for a day with one of my sisters kids who live up in the mountains. Truthfully, we in the valley were in a yucky inversion. So I enjoyed getting up to the mountains for a day where the skies were blue and the temps were a little warmer than the valley!

The kids loved tearing it up with the snowmobile in the back yard for sure!



Between working, I had a great time hanging out with friends and family and catching up! I also got my fill of snow, all together it snowed over two feet in the series of storms we had. So fun!

DECEMBER WEIGHT LOSS
Last time I wrote I mentioned I was planning on sticking to my weight loss goals for December. Well I forgot that I would be up with people who haven't seen me in many months and I couldn't even tell you how many restaurants I visited for lunches and dinners those first two weeks.

I know I could have turned the offers down, but I may not get so see them again for a while so that would just be rude. So I am avoiding the scale and enjoying all the food and fun chats!

However, although I wasn't even trying and the loss was due in no part to actually trying, I still managed to drop 2 pounds during the month. Nothing to give a shout out to, but that brings my total to date now to 16 pounds lost.

NOT SO FUN NEWS
My final week home up north, I had no plans to work and millions of plans to do fun things with family and friends.
But as luck would have it on New Years Eve I came down with a terrible horrible cold/flu, I pretty much didn't even get out of bed for a week.
It's been horrible and I am more bummed because of all the people I wasn't able to see, and all the plans I had to cancel, when I don't know when I'll be back up to see them all again.

CAR PROBLEMS SAME OL' AGAIN
During my week of sickness, I did make it out once to drop my car off at the dealership (same problem as all 6 times before that the other dealerships haven't been able to fix.) Turns out my Warranty was to expire 12 days after I dropped it off.

They diagnosed the problem and finally had a mechanic who was a specialist and had seen it before and knows exactly how to fix it. Problem, the part they need is on National backorder and will be taking two weeks to get.
I had no choice because if I took the vehicle from the dealership while I waited for my warranty would expire. But keeping it there meant it was an open case and even though it will be fixed after the expiration, because it is still in shop it still counts as the day I brought it in.
So yes, my car is staying there for a few weeks.

(I am finally hopeful that maybe these mechanics have more experience and might actually fix it!)

MY AWESOME PARENTS
Problem was, I needed to drive back to my home down south and I didn't have a car. So my parents who are amazing gave me their car to take back.

Top it off, my mom knew I was sick and wouldn't be up for grocery shopping when I got home. So she went to the store and filled the trunk with groceries for me. No worries on keeping them cold, it was -11 to highs of 5 degree's, LOL
By the time I arrived back in the 40's in the desert where it's a little warmer they were fine.

In addition, since I have been so sick and they were worried about me driving, they even drove me half way so I could sleep more and have less of a drive alone.  So sweet of them!

I am still sick, but I'm finally starting to feel like I may be on the turnaround!  Which is great because I started classes today, I had my first two this morning, and I will start my next three tomorrow.

This is going to be an insanely busy semester, not only am I taking 15 credits, but I am beginning my Senior Thesis (early yes) the research phase.
What is a senior thesis? Well, I'll probably tell you more about it another time, but basically it's about half the work of a Masters Degree. So as you can see I have my work cut out for me!


On a side note, now that I am back, I am hoping it will snow down south. Ever since I moved back here I have been looking forward to seeing snow on palm tree's, don't ask me why I just am!


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?