ME! Simplify

At the beginning of the year, I had some resolutions.  Each month I broke them down, such as I did here.  Then at the end of the month, I would check in (like I did here).  But, as I mentioned before, I am going to be starting a new job.  With this new job comes a move.  We are currently packing, hoping to make our home easier to sell.  With all the hubbub going on, including the transition with my job, I have decided to take a little break from my goals, as I mentioned here.  I was struggling with my goals as it was....some were fine, others were getting bumped to the next month then the next month, etc.

Giving myself permission to relax on the goals is a small "me time" task that has huge benefits.  And with that, I would like to share that I want to implement 2 things each week that are modifications of my original goals.....2 things that EVEN while I transition, I will shoot to do these every week.

1)  Journal ONCE a week....I wrote about that here....and the dealio was that I was trying for 3 times per week which I was doing well on and since the beginning of the year journaled at least twice per week, oftentimes 3.  I am going to relax on this one but still try to journal at least once a week....ideally, at Starbucks like I mentioned before!

2)  Drink more water....2 bottles per day.  Until I can buy this nifty little guy, I will likely be buying bottled water and destroying the planet with plastic that will never break down.  I'll recycle them, though....

And I guess it goes without saying that I will also try to continue to participate in 52 Weeks of Me Challenge....head on over to dollimama for the link up!

Revisiting My 100

When I did this post, I ran across this post which was done almost 4 years ago.  I decided I needed to update :)

So....here's the updated version updated comments are in blue:

1. I drive a Volkswagen Beetle....now a Honda CRV--check it out here
2. I am a Licensed Master Social Worker (after 3000 hours of counseling and taking an exam on 4/13/10, I received the new title Licensed Clinical Social Worker....and since then, I have become a Board-approved supervisor for those wishing to get THEIR clinical license)
3. I know how to make balloon animals
4. I am a real blonde (although I help enhance Mother Nature)
5. I love to wear toe rings (I have not done this is a while....I need get those back out and dress up my piggies)
6. My ears are double pierced
7. My left ear is triple pierced
8. I quit drinking Diet Coke (and incidentally all soft drinks) this past January (ummmmm....this has definitely snuck back into my repertoire....I am going to stop again, starting right away)
9. I lost over 50 pounds on Weight Watchers (yes, I did gain some back but I'm working on that)....NO COMMENT
10. I nursed both of my babies until they were a year old
11. I collect penguins and ladybugs
12. I was born in the same hospital that John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead in
13. I love to drink unsweet tea (both iced and hot)...and now coffee
14. I am certified in CPR and basic first aid
15. When I was in high school, I worked at a blood center and was in training to be a phlebotomist before I went off to college
16. I have my Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Abilene Christian University
17. I have my Master's in Social Work from Stephen F. Austin State University
18. I was a forensic interviewer (interviewed children for the police and child protective services on video tape, in legally sound way that could be used in court, if needed) for over 6 years and did over 1000 interviews (now how cool is it that I am returning to this venue, just now as a counselor)
19. I did my time as a Child Protective Services investigator....I lasted 13 months
20. I have a tattoo of a Christian fish on my right outer ankle
21. I wear contact lenses (would LOVE to get Lasik surgery)....still haven't had that Lasik surgery :(
22. I wore braces for 3 1/2 years (and both kids have had braces....daughter will be getting a second round of them in the near future....son is about to get his off)
23. I have never broken a bone
24. The only stitches I've ever had (other than those dissolvable kind in my mouth and after babies) was when I was 21 years old (I cut my finger on a can lid)
25. I played the Clarinet (and even a couple other instruments...but mainly the Clarinet)
26. I play a mean game of Scrabble (and now....Words with Friends)
27. I play a decent game of Chess
28. I have like almost NO hand-eye coordination
29. When I am at the eye doctor and he does that test where I am supposed to see double....I NEVER see double....I've baffled a few eye doctors over the years
30. Speaking of eye doctors, when I don't have any corrective lenses on at all, I can't see the E
31. Before I had braces, I had to have minor mouth surgery because I had impacted teeth, and incidentally, two of my teeth switched places as they came in....are still that way to this day...most dentists don't even notice :)
32. I have testified in court about a dozen times, both as a fact witness and an expert witness (see #18 and 19)
33. I am in the bone marrow transplant registry
34. I climbed a mountain and repelled when I was 14 years old
35. One of my feet is ticklish and one is not
36. My two love languages are touch and quality time
37. I pray with a Moms In Touch group  (not anymore...sad face...just got too busy)
38. I've fallen in love with Bible Study, especially since using the Inductive Bible Study Bible (and even more so with Beth Moore)
39. My husband and I own no credit cards and refuse to get any (we do use a debit card)
40. I was a stay at home mom until my youngest was 3 years old
41. I'm learning to love cooking (this needs to revisited)
42. I secretly enjoy the animal shows my family watches (especially Meerkat Manor)....I miss this show
43. I also secretly enjoy Ghost Hunters with my Hubby...kinda lost this and not even sure Hubs watches it very often
44. I've never seen any of the Harry Potter movies, nor read the books....now, I have seen the first one and part of the second....will probably eventually seem them all
45. I also haven't seen the most recent three Star Wars movies (although they are apparently the first three)
46. I used to watch soap operas but gave them up about 10 years ago 14 years ago
47. I love Calvin and Hobbes cartoons
48. I love Junie B. Jones books
49. I graduated 10th in my class from high school (not as impressive when you find out that was out of 53, huh?)
50. I had the highest GPA in my graduating class for my Master's (they were supposed to mail me a plaque and haven't...I probably should check on that since it has been over a year)....never did check on it
51. I am married to a man that I am madly, deeply in love with
52. I have two of the most incredible kids EVER
53. We have a Dachshund who is pretty dumb but sweet (RIP Schnitzel)
54. I have airplane anxiety (it is actually post traumatic stress from a flight that had bad turbulence)
55. I read several books at one time (drives my hubby absolutely nuts that I do that)
56. I am decorating challenged (seriously, I need help in this department)
57. I was a breastfeeding peer counselor for a short while when my youngest was a baby
58. When Hubs and I were both out of work and we had little kids, we applied for food stamps for a few months
59. I have a strange ability to identify voices in cartoons and commercials
60. I have been married for 15 and am more in love today than ever!!!  Now almost 19 years :)
61. Try as I might, I cannot STAY organized
62. I went into some major debt getting my Bachelor's degree from a Christian university, but if I had it to do over again....I would sign every single one of those loan checks again! A Christian Social Work education is absolutely worth it
63. I wish I had a green thumb, but I don't :) I do have one plant that I've kept alive for 3 years and even split her into two plants...but attempts to branch out from that have failed (took one plant to work and it is still alive....the one at home was murdered by our cat)
64. I haven't always collected ladybugs and penguins...I use to collect cows and Coca-Cola memorabilia
65. I'm not confrontational by nature, but when I need to be--Bessy, bar the door :)
66. I believe I would make a darn good prosecutor, but I don't want to go to law school
67. I love to scrapbook and am a loyal Creative Memories customer (although, they need to get some paper or stickers for karate...or my loyalty may just waiver)....am a bit behind on scrapbooks,more interested in the digital stuff...and the kids aren't in karate anymore
68. I truly enjoy planning creative birthdays for my kiddos (kids are now 14 and 16....birthday parties are different for them now)
69. I had my son write and sign a pledge that he would sit next to me and let me love on him, even when he is 16....and he's now 16 :)
70. My current car (see #1) is a standard transmission (see #1....current car is automatic)
71. I have never used any illegal drugs, not even marijuana, not even once
72. I cannot curl my tongue, although the rest of my family can
73. I also cannot trill my R's, although the rest of my family can
74. As a kid my favorite Dr. Seuss book was Green Eggs and Ham
75. Now it is Oh, The Places You'll Go
76. My blood type is O positive
77. I know how to crochet and cross-stitch, but it doesn't relax me in the least, so they are chores when I decide to take up a project
78. My first memory is from age 2 or 3, when I was sitting in my mom's lap coloring and the door bell rang...I remember she didn't come back and I was heart broken
79. When I was 6 days past my due date with my first pregnancy and started having labor pains, I did NOT believe I was in labor, walked a mile and a half to my husband's work, and went back and forth between thinking I was in labor and thinking I wasn't...not until the doc told me I was in labor, did I believe it...how silly was that?
80. When my water broke with the 2nd pregnancy, it trickled instead of gushed. I did not have labor pains yet, but I went to the doctor who told me that he did not think my water had broken....so even when I started having labor pains, I didn't believe it was real labor...after all, the doctor said.....sigh
81. I could eat Mexican food for every meal, if it wouldn't reek havoc with the diet
82. As a kid, I had several guinea pigs as pets
83. I make a really great grilled cheese sandwich
84. My hubby and I like to visit Bed and Breakfasts....would love to go twice a year....boils down to about once a year
85. I think I could be a vegetarian easily...I love veggies and don't really care for red meat
86. When I was younger, I LOVED roller coasters but apparently, you kinda lose some of that when you get older (at least some of us do), now I kinda get sick on them
87. One semester in college, I lived on peanut butter-- I was poor and a spoonful of that stuff at a time sustained me.
88. It seems simple, like #83, but I know how to make great peanut butter toast
89. I generally eat all of one food on my plate before going on to the next....I mess with people and say I eat in alphabetical order, but I don't
90. I would love to be "fluent" in American Sign Language--even took a class once
91. I went to high school with absolutely no African Americans
92. Incidentally, I have a keen interest in civil rights and race relations
93. I am not the most visual person...it takes work to remember to put lipstick on or run a comb through my hair throughout the day...and if you asked me what someone looked like AFTER they left, I will likely not remember anything
94. I am very audio, though....which makes me a pretty good listener
95. In regards to this, it is so important to me to get your name right
96. My husband and I have suffered identity theft twice...not too serious, though...we've recovered thanks to a great bank
97. Since watching Super Size Me, I have an aversion to french fries, especially McDonald's fries
98. I like to drink my margarita on the rocks, with salt
99. I am fairly double jointed --my fingers and wrists especially
100. My dreams are almost always symbolic and weird--when they aren't, they scare me!

Full Circle

Do you know what this is?  This is my 360th blog post!  Four years ago yesterday, I wrote my very first blog post!  I find it so very interesting that 360 degrees make a circle....my four year bloggiversary was yesterday...and I am leaving one adventure for another.  When I started the blog, I had only been with this job about six months.  It seems I've come full circle with my life and have this lovely blog to point out a few things.  Certainly, I wish I had blogged more.  And I am still trying to figure out what direction to go with my blog....and it may have a few turns here and there before it is all said and done.

I wondered what I could do with this moment....I remember doing 100 Things for my 100th post but goodness, could I come up with 360?  I thought about giving away an Xbox 360 but don't have one to give away and need to pinch the pennies with a move pending and the price of gas and all.  So, what could I do?  So....here I am with just a simple ole blog post saying what's what :)

ME! Girl Time!

This week, my daughter and I went to get professional manicures!  As a family, we try to intentionally have family dates each month.  One month is the whole family, one month is me and the boy while Hubs is with the girl, and one month is me with girl while Hubs is with the boy.  This month was my turn to do something with my daughter.  Three months ago, I mentioned the idea of getting a manicure.  So we've been looking forward to this for a bit...

But this counts as "me time," too!  Head on over to dollimama and see the other link ups....better yet, link your own self up.