Blog Swap: MCM Mama Runs (Beer Expert)

As part of the Elf for Health challenge, I am participating in a Blog Swap. I am excited to welcome Erika and her expertise at enjoying beer while living a fit and healthy lifestyle. Make sure you check out the link up and Erika's blog.

Hi! I'm Erika and I blog over at MCM Mama Runs. Thanks to Becki for letting me take over her blog for a day. I'm not sure I'm an expert at anything, but I'm really good at a lot of things. Need to run a lot of miles without getting injured? I can tell you what not to do. (Mostly because I've done it.) Need to survive for years on very little sleep? BTDT. Want to convince your non-running spouse that traveling the US to go to races is a good idea? OK, maybe I am an expert at that one. But the one thing I'm REALLY good at is meshing my need to run with my love of a good beer. I know when you think "healthy eating", you immediately think beer can't be a part. And if you are strict Paleo, you are right. But I'm a big believer in everything in moderation. (Pounding yellow beer at a party is NOT moderation.) So how do I make beer a part of my healthy lifestyle?

• I'm picky. If I don't like it, I don't drink it. If there's no beer available that I like, I'm perfectly happy choosing water.
• I make it the end of exercise. I run races that offer beer at the end. I do runs that end at a bar with friends.

• I sample. Most brewpubs offer "samplers". You can split the whole thing amongst two or more or you can ask for fewer numbers of samples. (A lot of places will sell you a single sample, even if it isn't listed on the menu.)

• I make it social. We go to a lot of events that focus on beer, but for me, it's also about the people. You think the running community is awesome? The craft beer community is amazing. And the cross section of the two is actually quite large.

• I make it a treat. I don't drink every night and I very seldom have more than a beer when I do drink. If I want a beer, I don't have dessert and vice versa. (I'll be the first to admit that sometimes a chocolate dessert and a dark beer are just.the.thing.)

Life is too short to live by strict eating and exercising rules. I firmly believe in allowing room in your diet for "fun". Beer makes me happy. Running makes me happy. Getting to have both in my life? Perfection. I'm a mom of two boys, living, running, and drinking in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. I'm currently on a quest to run a race in every state. I just completed my goal of running 13 half marathons in 2013 and will shortly be moving on to 14 half marathons in 2014. Come join me on social media where I talk about beer, running too much, and the antics of my crazy children. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mcmmama Twitter: http://twitter.com/mcmmama Instagram: http://instagram.com/mcmmama Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mcmmamaruns G+: http://plus.google.com/+MCMMama

Elf4Health Overdue Recap

     For anyone who follows me on Twitter and Instagram you know that I've been participating in an Elf for Health Challenge. There is a daily challenge and you are paired with another random elf for encouragement and kind messages throughout the month. Tomorrow I am participating in a blog hop and will be featuring a blog from another elf. For those who are curious what all the challenges have been I thought I would give a quick run down. You should definitely go check out Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean and Elle at Nutrionella who are hosting the challenge. They have great work outs and recipes. (And I'm hoping for challenges even after the holidays!)

I've really enjoyed getting to chat with fellow elves about running and blogging, and I'm learning a whole lot!

   

Week 1

•    Go Meatless- This might have been the hardest challenge! In our house we eat bacon by the pound, and by dinner I was craving red meat. I was able to stay strong, but this was a tough day! It was a great way to kick off the challenge though, because I knew I could do anything if I could do this.

•     Unsubscribe- This was probably one of the greatest challenges as I kept doing it throughout the month!

•    Try a new work out-  I picked this one from The Lean Green Bean!

•    Call someone and tell them your gratefu
•    Track your water intake- This was WAY harder than you would think. We were aalso traveling home from Thanksgiving, which made for MANY stops. I ended up ddrinking 80liter. My goal was 100 but I think I might have burst.
•     Treat yourself to something you've been wanting- We got our very first Christmas tree!!
•    100 burpees!- This was rough, especially because Sundays are typicalyl my day off. But in keeping with the challenge, I did it. I did 10 on the minute every minute and used a rack of dumbells to keep track of my count. 

                                                                                                                       Week 2

•    Send a hand written note- My students and I wrote a bunch of notes for people as we were working towards finals!
•    Eat the rainbow
•    Go make up free- I didn't realize how much of a crutch my foundation was, but I made sure to wear a nice dress so all was well.
  
•    Workout with a buddy- My good elf friend Katie has been also doing the challenges, so I corralled her to come over at 6am and we did another Lean Green workout. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/68961438018153031/
  
•    Leave an operation beautiful note- This was a great time and I left notes all around the Union. 

• Clean out pantry and fridge- Our fridge is typically pretty empty by Saturdays, but I was able to clean out the baking cabinets which was a great time.
  
•    Make a list of 20 things you're grateful for

Week 3

•   Do a circuit workout- http://www.pinterest.com/pin/68961438018152975/
•   Pay it forward
•   Pack a healthy snack-  I brought some bags of my favorite popcorn from Trader Joes, for the office
•   Take some time for yourself- I slept in til 6:30am! I haven't done that on a work day since before I started training for my half.
•   Run a mile as fast as you can- I'm not convinced I couldn't run faster, but me and the dread mill met at 545am and I ran a mile in, 7:42. 
•  Clean out closet- I live in a perpetual state of going through my closet because I dislike so many of my clothes, but the hubby and I were still able to come up with some things to donate.
•   Meal Plan for the week

                                                                                                            Week 4

•     Get up early to meditate 
•     Hold a wall sit as long as possible
•     Share your expertise-  Stay tuned for a guest post later this week! Eliza over at MCM Mama (http://mcmmamaruns.com/)  will be bringing us a fabulous post about drinking beer and living a fit lifestyle.
  
•     Eat at least 3 food groups at every meal today
•     Share 6 things you love about yourself
•     Set a new fitness goal
•     Make a donation 

(This photo has nothing to do with the challenge but yesterday was a GREAT day. I got this amazing shirt that says "Run Long and Eat more Cupcakes".)

I run for the _______

I run for the accessories (if you don't believe me, see the above photo). But seriously, I do. It all started with my Nathan’s running water bottle. I now own two of these. I then purchased one of the kneebraces that goes under you knee cap, I’m blanking on the name currently but it definitely helps with knee pain. There’s tall socks, thermal tops, gloves, hats, and of course shoes. In the last year I’ve also acquired shoe inserts, pink laces, and an awesome reflective headlamp. 

(That's me after my first run with the head lamp. It really changed me light, I never realized how dark it was until I had something lighting the path.) 



















When I started training for my very first half in July of 2013, I also really got into the food part of this running thing. Gu, protein shakes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Between the headbands, skirts, and spandex I realized that all those mottos I see about sweating pink, and being sparkly are right. I have more fun when I look cute and feel good.




                                                                         (If I can wear a tutu, sign me up! Post Turkey Trot 2013) 

As my husband likes to remind me, "Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good!" I’m sure that needing my accessory fix is all in my mind, but really whatever gets me out of the bed at 5am and pushes me to sign up for the next race works for me. My bank account may not always agree, but it’s what works for me. What do you run for? 

Sunday Social

Linking up with A Complete Waste of Makeup for a mellow blog post. I've been wicked into social media since I've found a few different running communities so feel free to check me out there. I swear I'm more active on Twitter and Instagram! Stay tuned for a post re-capping the 8k Turkey Trot that we did on Thanksgiving.

1. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

• Mint Chocolate chip for sure, but honestly I could rather have any flavor of froyo! 

2. What is your favorite smell?

• The smell right before it starts raining, particualry in a parking lot. Something about the asphalt and water  

3. What is your favorite TV commercial?

• I really like the commercial for Chevy Silverado "Strong" I know totally sappy! 

4. What is your favorite day of the week? Thursdays. I'm not sure why, but when I was in school it was always my favorite day of the week and good things tend to happen for me on Thursdays. 

5. What is your favorite way to waste time? Lately it's been searching for my next run, tweeting about running, finding new blogs to read about running, I think you see the pattern here. 

6. What is your favorite article of clothing? Probably one of my few non-hooded hoodies, or as my husband wants me to call them, sweatshirts. I often call them sweaters, jackets, or hoodies. But as I pointed out they don't have hoods. 

Gobbler for Cobbler

Before I do a race recap I wanted to share that I just found out yesterday that my application to be a Sweat Ambassador was accepted! WooHoo. I'm not entirely sure what that exactly means but I am working to figure it out, and I have learned that there isn't really anything established here in Chapel Hill or at UNC so that could bode some opportunity (in all my free time) to get something started. Stay tuned for updates, I know that Fit Approach recommends I friend people, haven't quite figured that one out but if you see me, friend me.

Yesterday, while attending a conference in Boone, NC I had the opportunity to participate in a 5k. The motto, "Run the Gobbler, Eat the Cobbler"

In terms of weather, I was pleasantly surprised that my two layers kept me warm and I didn't even end up running with my gloves on. This was quite a shock to me as App State and Boone are one of the highest elevations in North Carolina (aka cold weather/snow is frequent). 

I had to take a shuttle from the hotel for the conference to the race start so I was there far earlier than would be my preference. There was probably about 200 people by the time the race actually started so I definitely didn't need to be there about an hour before the race. Since I had pre-registered the coveted shirt in a small was waiting for me and they had a "bag" check happening where they let you write your name on a plastic bag with sharpie and lay it on a tarp. This is Boone we are talking about so I really wasn't too worried. 

Once 8am rolled around they rounded up everyone with no sense of urgency, and we were off by 8:10. I think my "gun time" says 8:09. The race rolls through campus and was definitely rolling hills with a fairly decent size hill to the finish line. I found a few girls who were moving about the pace that felt comfortable and I tried to stick with them. I wish more people had been wearing neons, as this is what I look for to motivate me to keep going. Cue, my outfit:

Terrible selfie I know, but hopefully you can tell that I'm wearing a neon top with crazy neon pink and black pants from Target. At one point a student told me I looked "fierce". I took it as a compliment.

I was very surprised by my time at the end. I made the rookie mistake of forgetting to turn on my .25 updates on my Nike app, so I didn't get any updates throughout the race. While that is enjoyable on some of the longer runs, I was kicking myself the first mile because it felt eternal and I had no idea what pace I was at. If I would have heard it, I would have possibly been able to beat a PR which I missed by about 5 seconds. Oh well, this was suppose to be a fun run and the fact that I finished in 28:20 had me thrilled! With an average 9:09, I was tickled particularly because the elevation and hills. 

Hopefully this means all good things for the upcoming Turkey Trot in Charlotte on Thanksgiving. My tutu is already created and now I just have to figure out what bottoms I will be wearing under said tutu. The brown shirt I just got for running the cobbler may be a nice accent for the top (although it's not nearly as bright as I prefer to be when running). 

And now I'm recovering back at home from the strange 3.5 days I just spend with some people who I barley knew. And my husband is out of town to see the Patriots play beat the Panthers.  The next post is likely to be about how scared I am in this townhouse alone. 

Running, Reflect, and a rare 20 minutes

This post brought to you from Boone, North Carolina in the rare 20 minutes that I have in this crazy two week period. by Sunday I will have accumulated 45 hours of comp. time. Needless to say I haven't had time to blog, or think, or really do much beside work and try and stick to my Nike 10k plan.

I am in Boone this week for a conference for work, and today was the day of my presentation. The conference is for student and professional staff who work in College Unions. It's an eclectic group of people. My opinions are still being formed, stay tuned to see if I do a piece. Although it has the potential to not be the most appropriate post so I may choose to keep my opinions to myself. Needless to say I gave my presentation on an intiative I work closely with at work around student employment and engagement and the hard parts over.

Running...ahh yes. This week has a been a bit of a challenge. Here was what was slated for my week, I did it all but these past two weeks I've felt a bit like a slug. It doesn't help that I've had to add quite a few layers to the wardrobe to keep warm. See the photo below highlighting all the pieces I have to don before going outside. Yes I acknowledge that I'm a wuss.


Monday- 4 miles
Tuesday- Nike 45 minute work out
Wednesday- 5 mile tempo run
Thursday- Nike 45 minute work out
Friday- Yoga

Tomorrow I'm running a 5k that is being co-sponsored by the conference I'm at. It's the Gobbler Cobbler, I'm at a really high elevation and it's very hilly so my only goal for this one is try to stay warm and eat some pie at the end. I forgot my waterbottle so this is already looking like a great race...

I'm hoping I will be more motivated for the 8k on Thanksgiving. Who am I kidding? I am just hoping I'll be motivated to run tomorrow. It's been a rough few weeks folks.

                            (I made this Disney collage for my awesome Aunt...but now I want one)

In other news, I'm having a mini career crisis as I sit at this conference and recognize that I have no idea what I want to do next. I'm now acting as an Interim Assistant Director in my office. Amazing that at 23 I'm now supervising 2 full time staff and a whole bunch of students. And process 21,000 events annual. But what am I doing with my life? More to come on this later, I'm probably just delerious from the air quality up here, there's a fire in a gorge so it's smoke central currently.


Sorry this has been such a mixture of things. Tomorrow or Sunday I promise to report back on the race and one of these days I'm going to find myself a web designer who can make my page have the cool tabs across the top that highlight races I want to run and 101 in 1001... I promise I'll do better ya'll.

This blog about running is not for you if...

• You want to read about someone who is really fast
• You want to see photos of someone who's pretty while running
• You want to hear about the latest fad diets, paleo options, cleanse, tox screens ect. 

Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, this blog may be for you if :

• You enjoy reading witty remarks about running and sometimes eating
• You live in North Carolina and want to hear about different races in this state
• Are looking for a plain jane runner who isn't going to breaking any records or placing in any races in the near (or far) future

I have been searching blogs high and low over the past few weeks and everything I come across is amazing. But that's just it, sometimes I just want to read about someone who runs races around my own pace. Someone who has a real job and can't spend all day training and blogging about their training. This is by no means of bash of those amazing running blogs that have made a huge name for themselves, this is just a place where I hope someone will find and say hmm that race sounds fun I'd like to do that too.  I don't  have the funds to travel all over the country and run in the really well known (read expensive) races! I just want someone to talk about the races in North Carolina. The closest I've found is Old Runner and let me tell you is SOOO fast! And that often makes me feel bad about myself. That's not what I'm looking for when I do find myself with five minutes to read blogs.

  Bloggin' advice simply says to be yourself, so here I am: A newlywed, new to racing, new professional, eating what feels right and tastes good, and hoping that I remember to document it somewhere along the way. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

In the year I've been gone...

Taking a note from my good friend Alex, over at Pool of My Drool I'm going to do a quick re-cap of what' happened since I was last into this whole bloggin' thing.

*A side note being that what has brought my back to the blog world is that I can't find any good running blogs that aren't amazing women who run really really fast and look very very good while doing it. So I decided to create my own. Stay tuned for a transformation. Or realistically just  more babbling from me with the exact same design because I don't want to pay someone to design something.

I graduated from the University of Tennessee and happily moved (ran as fast as possible) back to North Carolina and to Chapel Hill.

I started my first big kid job at UNC Chapel Hill. I basically work with students, organizations, and departments on campus to ensure that they are prepared for the events they are planning. They usually aren't prepared which typically ends in them being in crisis mode and myself having to put out alot of proverbial fires. I like my job, I do. I also just got a whole bunch more additional duties. I am saying it aloud so that I really believe it, I like my job.


I got married. I am now the proud owner of what some have deemed the longest facebook name. I hypened my maiden name with my middle name and added my husband's last name to top it off. I also have an awesome custom puzzle piece ring. To sum it all up in a few words:

• There was a giant tropical storm, but the weather broke right before the wedding and the ocean looked amazing
• I am so lucky to have a mom, dad, and two brothers who made my day truly the happily ever after that not even Disney Princesses could dream of 
• I have amazing friends who I'll never be able thank enough
• The photographer was creepy, but my photos are not!

   

I am a runner. Nah, I'm just now someone who isn't scared to sign up for races. I still eat bread and chocolate. And most days I think I run for all the swag. You should see my Christmas list. It's all about the swag. I completed my very first half marathon in October along with my Dad, and I'm hooked. I discovered sparkleatletics.com which is only furthering my obsession. I am not fast. I am not pretty while running. And did I mention that I eat carbs and don't have some healthy clean diet I'm trying to stick to. 

  

Honestly I think those are the biggest three things I can think of, but just in case you want somore' here is a quick bullet point list of a few additional things

• The baby brothers turned 18. Woah, where has the time gone?!
• The Denver Bronco's are gloriously great, I am living it up as a fan these days.
• I am the proud owner of two cats, Hoody Rat and Milky. They are best friends. Well, they are acquaintances that like to rough and tumble and Milky is probably going to be the reason Hoody is bald in a few years.  
  
  
      
•  My aunt and her 2 year old relocated to Pittsburgh. He's adorable, and far. I hate that combination.

That's all I've got for today. Thanks for listening. 

2013 Christmas Wish List

"Christmas is coming, the Goose is getting fat!" We are lucky enough to have a family that likes lists as much as we do. We are not in need of ANYTHING, but if we had the world at our fingertips here is a list of what we came up with that we would adore to have. 

In case you aren't sure, I had some help from the Mr. for this post. We tried to link as many things as possible. The theme this year is fairly obviously: we both really enjoy working out (running for me, Crossfit for him)!

• Underarmor long sleeve workout shirts, Size: Small, (I already have white and neon pink) 
• Entry to the Run Tobacco Half Marathon (March 16th, 2014 ) 
• Entry to the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon (February 15th, 2014)
• Entry to the Hot Chocolate 10k (January 25th, 2014) 
• Shirts from "Run Pretty Far" esp. "Miles for Breakfast" or "Cupcakes
• Sports Bras (Target has great ones! Small/Medium) 
• Fleece lined tights (for really cold runs!) like these
• Any high running socks ( see the Denver Bronco's high running socks) 
• New York and Company gift cards
• Toms- lacey and black, size 7.5
• Small pig whisk
• Under Armour woven head bands
• Monogram car sticker (white, RSK)
• Denver Bronco's hoody/sweatshirt 
• Women's Bonehead Columbia Shirt

• Workout shirts that don't smell,  like this one, or this one, or this one, or maybe shorts like these....
• Some new wrist wraps couldn't hurt either!
• The weightlifting shoes from last year have been worn almost 300 days by now. Maybe its time for new ones. Some options are  these and these and these...
• GNC Gift Cards
• Dick's Sporting Goods Gift Cards
• 2013 World Series hat, 7 & 1/4
• Hair Buzzers
• Moccasins with fur               

 (a.k.a Mrs. 2.0)

• George Forman 
• Ikea Giftcards (we are in the market for a coffee table for the living room) 
• Fancy bed topper (Marshals and TJ Max have them- Queen Size) 
• Down pillows, the type that stay down when you push on them (Brandon wrote that) 
• Queen white bed skirt 
• Grey queen shirts
• Tea Pitcher (I've been making iced tea in a pan) 
• Engraved Cat Collars (Milky, Becki's phone number, Bran's number; Hoody, Becki's #, Bran's #) 
• A two seater kitty condo (shhh, Bran doesn't know I added this when he walked away) 
  

101 in 1001: July 2013-March 2016

Okay, so I'm back. Although I'm sure you could have guessed this would happen. Bran and I have created our new 101 to complete in 1001 days. This time I hope to be better about documenting it, and also about completing a higher percentage of it. We tried to keep this list really realistic, and I think making it together was a bit easier as well.


Bran Specific

1. Bran to Graduate from UNC CHapel Hill with PhD. (or be set up to Graduate in the next 6 months)
2. Go to the Crossfit Regionals 
3. Help CiCI get into college 
4. Tutor an average of once a month 
5. Get a brown belt
6. Own at least 10 ties 
7. Finish the Prey Series 
8. Snatch 275
9. Clean 350
10. Squat 450
11. Deadlift 500
12. Treadwater for 60 seconds\
13. Make coffee table book (requires owning coffee table) 
14. Watch the movie "Bull Durham" 
15. Find Wingate Diploma 
16. Own 5 power tools
17. Visit the Dentist 3 times\
18. Don't break/shatter wedding band between 2013 and 2016 
19. Cheer Beck on in RunRaleigh half marathon
20. Make the move to a lunch box
21. Bacon Lasagna
22. Get boxers that fit legs

Beck Specific 

1. Help the twins get into college
2. Have a job above or different than events and info manager 
3. Own at least 10 blouses for work with sleeves 
4. Read at least 50 books a year 
5. Try group running
6. Take a baking or decorating course 
7. Complete 5 pull ups in a row 
8. Learn to identify all 50 states on a map 
9. Visit New Hampshire (FairyTale Land) 
10. Finish Game of Thrones series 
11. Go to a wine and design class 
12. Successfully change my name (Rebecca Kimchun-Jalernpan Santiago) 
13. Complete 10 crafts or gifts from my Pintrest 
14. Make Wedding scrapbook
15. Go to at least one Kamakazi Dance Show
16. Own monogram tumblers 
17. Fix up fridge (frames with magnents, glittery clothespins)  
18. Make an Ikea trip with Katie  
19. Complete the RunRaleigh half marathon
20. Try Lemons on apples 

Traveling Shoes

1. Go to Boston with Ben and Stephanie
2. Go to a Red Sox Game
3. Go to a Patriots Game
4. Go to a Pirates Game
5. Get outta town for our 1st year anniversary 
6. Watch 5 movies in theaters 
7. See the lighthouse at Cape Hatterass
8. Duke Gardens
9. NC Museum of Art
10. Playmeakers Play
11. Raleigh Flea Market
12. 1870 Christmas- Duke Homestead 
13. Pork, Pickles, and Peanuts- Duke Homestead 
14. See the belted cows! 
15. Visit the world's largest chest of drawers- High Point

Home Goods

1. Rent a townhouse, condo, or home
2.  Own matching furniture in our bedroom and living room
3. Buy a lamp for the living room 
4. Make Dino move out and turn room into guest room with storage
5. Get a grill
6. Make a quote board
7. Try 100 new recipes
8. Try 7 new restaurants in the Chapel Hill/Durham/ Raleigh Area
9. Entice birds to live in the bird house
10. Own a palm tree
11. Grow our own spices 
12. Get a new vacuum
13. Get free cat litter- coupons on current cat litter 
14. Build spice rack in cabinet 
15. Keep Little Red Running 
16. Teach Milky to use the litter box 100% of the time
17. Plant a pineapple

Finances

1. Have at least $5,000 in savings 
2. Fill the Nesquick container for a vacation 
3. Get loans down to less than $5,000

Couples Smouples

1. Take the hand stand pictures
2. Try mountain bikinig
3. Go paddle boarding
4. Make homemade ice cream 
5. Complete the crossword puzzles book
6. Play racquetball
7. Attend some sort of food festival (preferable Cheese or Bacon related) 
8. Celebrate 10 random holidays 
9. Have a water fight 
10. Go berry or apple picking
11. Get to level 100 on Candy Crush
12. Send Gus, TiTi, and ToTo snail mail once a month 
13. Fly kites!  
14. See if our boat shoes float
15. Race go carts
16. Paintball (optional for Becki)
17. Build Lego sets together
18. Make coke icees with the snow cone maker 
19. Tape measure jousting 

Holidays

1. Have a short, and fat, and round Christmas Tree  
2. Grill out at the pool with our friends
3. Pick my own Christmas Tree (Tree Farm) 
4. Decorate the inside and outside of our home with Christmas Lights
5. Host at least one Holiday meal for our friends (Thanksgiving, Christmas)

First 101 completed!

Whew. It's been a long time since I was on this thing! I've been a bit busy graduating from UTK with my Master's, moving to Chapel Hill, starting a new job in the Carolina Union, and getting married. We got married a little less than a month ago and honestly I wouldn't change a thing about it. It was the perfect beginning to our happily ever after. We honeymooned in the Domincan Republic, and pending that I jump back on the blog band wagon, there may be pictures and all that hoopla soon. I'm here because my very first 101 is officially up. And I have composed a brand new 101 with my husband, and I'm super excited to get it published and make it official. But before I post the new one, I wanted to do an official re-cap ending out the 101 I began in October of 2010. Wow that feels like a really long time ago!

101 in 1001

Physical/ Health

1. Run 3 miles on a regular basis instead of 2; For the past month, I've ran at least a 5k when I run =)
2. Continue going to yoga/pilates (LOVE IT!) 
3. Get into hiking or trail running Greenways in Knoxville, and trails in Chapel Hill
4. Run the Cooper River Bridge 10 K!
5. Swim a mile as my rule not the exception
6. Try one cleansing / detox diet just to see what it’s like
7. Find one other type of class I enjoy, Zumba, Jazzercize, etc. When I moved to Chapel Hill I got into spin class!
8. Use my drive to exercise to benefit others- participate in run/walks for non-profit organizations
9. Go to at least one Crossfit session with Bran!
10. Take and pass the Beach lifeguard physical portion exam
11. Continue taking a multi-vitamin and bump it up with adding Vitamin C and possibly a few others- We take a gummy multi vitamin every day

Education

1. Educate the new members we just brought through their new member period in order to leave behind a good legacy: Members have been educated, and my term has officially finished.
2. Successfully host the Greek 101 program for all Greeks: I think this was sucessfully  hosted and completed, October 23rd.

3.Confidently finish my Officer Term with a bit more assertiveness than before: I officially handed over my position December 7th, 2010. I think I'm more assertive...

4..Finish out with a 3.9 overall GPA Graduated with a 3.85 overall, close but no cigar

5. Get my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology WOO! Graduated on May 14th, 2011

6. Get into the majority of the programs I applied to for Grad School- Got into USC, Tennessee, Western, and App. Canclled my review on FLorida application because I had decided on UT already =D

7.Obtain my Master’s Degree in College Student Development (this will happen in t-minus 30 days!)

8.Get a certificate in Leadership and Organization to better set myself up at as an asset to get hired

9. Learn to speak Thai

Career

1. Get hired as a Head Guard at an outdoor pool

2. Teach private swim lesson full time one summer

3. Hold an assistantship the entire time I’m in Grad School

4. Get hired as a Greek Advisor (does this have to count, since I don't want to do that job anymore?)

5. Find a job near where Bran is finishing his Doctorate January 2013 UNC Chapel Hill

6. Be on an exec. Board at a college to get my foot in the door

7. Begin working my way up through a University that has opportunities for me to advise and organize student affairs programs  I started working for UNC Chapel Hill in January of 2013

8. Write a small piece or column for a local magazine or newspaper

9. Give back in some way whether time or money to Tri-Sigma possibly as a chapter advisor somewhere but not at my own chapter I've paid up through my alumni dues and been able to give a little bit to the Zeta Lambda chapter

10. Make the big girl change to a BlackBerry to be able to manage everything on the go- Got an Iphone!  End of January 2011

Finances

1. Start paying off my college loans (don’t incur too many during Grad School)- Made my first payment of 50 WHOLE dollars yesterday, 6/18/11
2. Stash money to help with my brother’s college
3. Get someone to give me a freaken credit card, Summer of 2012 I got a AAA one, I also got a NY and Co one ;)
4. Save up enough to do DisneyWorld right: This is an almost, I will be going to Disney in May but it has been financed through someone else so I'm not sure how this one will be dealt with...
5. Have at least $5,000.00 in savings
6. Be able to send money when asked thru Alum Relations for Zeta Lambda Check!
   
7. Start a small savings account for a house down payment

Domestication

1. Stop being such a chicken and take a baking class; to make cupcakes and cakes like I want to.

2. Make at least 2 meals at home a week

3. Make carrot cake from scratch Completed!

4. Make funny bone cake from scratch I made Brandon's cake this year, March 2013

5. Plant a garden and grow some of my own vegetables

6. Own my very own palm tree, even if it’s in a little pot

7. Get a kitten when I have a big girl apartment for Grad School Hood Rat arrived the first weekend in November!

8. Learn to cook Chicken Melanesas, made them for Thanksgiving 

9. Become a bit more fashionable- add accessories!; I just went out with Christmas money and got sweaters and some fashionable accessories.

10. Turn Sigma t-shirts into a quilt- March of 2011 Mim (brandon's grandmother) and I created this masterpeice

11. Learn to sew well enough to make curtains and fix buttons

12. Buy a pink vacuum- got one here in Laurel 

13. Bump up my sheet thread count- ie price range when buying sheets 700!!

14. Have decent fingernails that I can actual paint- I've been doing a great job with this, they aren't daggers or anything but they are long enough to paint! 

15. Frame a picture I took from Hawaii to use as a center piece for a room

Personal Growth 

    These are all a little sappy... and not measurable..

1. Find more time for writing, blogging and composing

2. Stand up more often for the little things instead of waiting for a big issue to fight for

3. Discover more about Buddhism (possibly through visiting Thailand)

4. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or a clothing drive

5. Become a Big Sister through Big Brothers/Big Sisters

6. Finish my listography books

7. Stay in touch with my sisters via snail mail

8. Coach a little league soccer team

9. Teach the twins how to drive a stick shift

10. Learn to exhibit more on the outside what’s going on inside instead of assuming others know what I’m feeling without actually saying it

11. Hold others to the standards I hold myself

12. Strive to teach others through action and not lecture

Traveling Shoes

      1.Make a trip to visit all the schools we’ve applied to NC State, Chapel Hill, Tennessee, USC etc.- Have visited and decided that I will be at Univeristy of Tennesse in a month, and the fiance =D will be at UNC Chapel Hill. 

2. Go back to The Big Island of Hawaii

3.Bring Bran to meet the family in Charleston, WV, we went last year for Christmas (2011)

4. Head to Denver, Colorado (maybe see a Bronco’s game)

5.Go to Fenway Park

6. Visit my Little in Saint Louis Missouri

7. Hike a small part of the Blue Ridge parkway

8. Take a cruise to some exotic tropical spot

9, Drive to Florida for a Vacation- May 24th, Bran and I drove from NC to FL for our Disney and Engagement 

10.Visit mile marker 1

12. Go back to Kentucky and see another Wildcats Game

13. Visit a Spanish speaking country June 2013 Dominican Republic

Pixie Dust Stuff

1. Become Engaged to my Prince Charming- On May 27th, Brandon proposed to me in front of Cinderlla's castle the moment we walked into the Magic Kingdom. 
2. Take professional pictures “fairy tale style”  
3. Go to a Denver Broncos Game, November 11th, 2012 against the Panthers; we stomped Carolina! 
4. Be kissed in Cinderella’s castle at Disney- See above!
5. Eat more exotic fruits like mangos, kiwis and pomegranates I'd say this was a success
6. Decorate a room all by myself, I'd say my Laurel apartment counts
7. Own a blender for smoothies, Had a miniature pink one 
8. Make a CD for family of guitar playing and singing
9. Own a yellow pair of rain boots; For our 3 year anniversary Bran got me a pair of these!
10. Get monogrammed towels!; Same here =)
11. Spend a whole evening in a book store getting a bunch of books I’ve always wanted to read but never had the time
12. Get certified in Scuba Diving
13. Bring Bella back from Mim and Pops
14. Ride on the back of a motorcycle just to see what it’s like
15. Get a specific perfume Romance
16. Have a fish tank with some exotic fish, Got one for Bran for our anniversary in October 
17. Buy a pair of skinny jeans to wear with boots; Over fall break in October 2010 I bought a black pair, LOVE THEM!
18. Go to a wedding! I’ve only ever been to my parents renewal of vows, Last fall I got to go to Sam Davis's my SBIG's wedding
19. Go out in a rain jacket and rain boots and stomp in a really really huge puddle
20. Find the love notes from Bran from my summer away at camp
21. Start a DVD collection I inherited one, that should count right?
22. Own and play the piano again. Possible compose again as well.
23. Spend one entire day really and truly playing hooky
24. Learn to water ski/ go tubing
25. See a white Christmas; Christmas 2010 was DEFINITELY a White Christmas. We were in West Virginia and there was 3-6 inches on the ground and more falling =)
26. Get a set of those tumbler cups with my initials in them

I did 53 of these! Looking back at it, I will say that if you decide to do this, make your goals more measurably. As you will see from the list I'm about to post, the things we want to get done in the next few years are alot more do-able than traveling to a million different places and buying a zillion different things. I'm determine to do at least 75% of the next list! March of 2016 here we come!