2014 - This year is brought to you by the word BALANCE

2014:  A new year:  The year I turn 40: The year where I strive for balance in life.  Balance....that is what I need most right now.

Balance with eating - It is SOOOO easy to eat mac and cheese or pizza for dinner.  It is easy, meat free and relatively cheap.  I need to add in healthier meals that are easy to make.  I just bought a Quick Fix Vegetarian Cook Book.  Everyone says how healthy a vegetarian diet is....I need to get it that way.

Balance with fitness - I am in a work out funk and by far this is the longest I have gone without doing ANYTHING active. I am starting to take ice skating lessons and thanks for my friend Kelly am going to start  riding again. While my weight hasn't changed in the last 6 months, my body has and I am not pleased with it. It has been easy to stay in bed, or sit on the couch, or drink beer and eat pizza.  So I need to figure out how to still do those things while getting in some regular exercise.  I want to turn 40 and feel proud of my fitness level and body. That means getting up off the couch!

Balance with my time - it really seems that I go to work, come home, go to bed and do it all again in the morning. I have regularly scheduled days with Miller but besides that, I have basically all the time I need to do whatever I want. I need to figure out how to work, exercise, spend time with friends, and still do laundry and clean my house. There's gotta be a way to get it all in.

Balance - literally. I went ice skating before the holidays and had a really good time. I decided I'd like to be good at it so asked for lessons and skates for Christmas.  My eight weeks start this Saturday and I am equal parts nervous and excited.

So that's it really.  I am going to do 24 Hours of Booty again this year and am even the team captain. I might do a 5K with Miller but that is all.  I am going to celebrate my 40th birthday. I am going to enjoy my life, enjoy exactly where I am right now in this moment.

I wish you a happy 2014.  I hope that you too can balance all the many pressures we have facing us each day.

2013 Year in Review

I know everyone says this, but WOW did 2013 fly by.  Overall it was a good year, though not anything spectacular really.  Here is what I wanted to do in the beginning and how it ended up.

• Run the Rear in Gear 5K in March - Miller and I did this and while we ended up just doing the fun run due to a illness that I couldn't shake, it was so great to be a member of Team Irene's Dream.  
• Ride in 24 Hours of Booty in July -This was SO MUCH FUN!  Mike and MaryBeth came up, I had a tent this time, we celebrated Chris' birthday, my friend Courtney FINALLY joined us after years of begging and even though I ended up with a metric century instead of an actual century, it still reminded me how great this event is. 
• Run the Detroit Chevy Dealers International Half Marathon with Shelia in October- Well, I have run marathons and been really well prepared. I did virtually no training. My longest run pre race was 3 miles.  really.  But I drove up and ran the race, having one of the fastest miles ever in a race (9:30!!!). The actual race was great - gorgeous course and it was run really well. Crossing over into Canada as the sun rose was amazing. But I would not recommend running 13 miles without training. I could hardly walk for 5 days!  I am glad I went, had fun seeing Shelia, managed to see Sarah in Buffalo and my aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. It was a good trip. 
• Read more.  This did not happen.  My TV watching actually went down, but with my nights stayed busy and I just couldn't get into reading. 
• Continue to pay off my debt.  Well I paid off one card, but mostly just tried to stay afloat. Doing from two incomes to one has been a HUGE adjustment, and I am still trying to figure out how to pay the bills and save.   

• Sleep more. Check on this. 
• Eat better. In March I started transitioning to vegetarianism. I went full on no meat in July and I haven't looked back.  It wasn't hard at all to switch and after I made it through Thanksgiving, I knew I could do it forever. I really do like not having to think about what I am eating. Now I just need to work on making healthier vegetarian choices. Pizza, while a great no meat option, is not great to have 5 times a week! 
• Stop worrying.  I am a worrier. At least this year I tried to approach it as just a useless worry.  I do know I can get through anything, so there is comfort in that. 
• Think about dating - I did more than think about dating....I started dating.  It is fun, amazing, wonderful, thrilling and fantastic. It's still scary to say out loud, but I am pretty happy.  :)
• Have a home where my friends feel comfortable coming and hanging out. Check! 

So overall an OK year.  2014 is a big one for me...and I have some lofty goals.  Here's to 2014, to me, to turning 40!