Document: January (12 in 2012)

Is it the end of January already?  Oh my!

Normally, I don't speed through January.  The last five Januarys I had my birthday quickly followed by (or during) RA mid-year training, followed by a few days of welcoming students who were in for intensives or who had transferred mid-year before classes began.  Week 1 of classes is no big deal; everyone is happy to be back at school and full of stories from Break; February is looming and seems forever away.  But this year, no way!

As far as decelerating goes, January was my first crash-and-burn month.  There were a few things out of my control that led to this (getting stranded at a friend's house in Richmond due to inclement weather, Doug's grandfather passing away), but overall I fell into the one trap I was trying to avoid -- Resolution Overcompensation.  I purposefully spend time trying to figure out everything I wanted to do this year and splitting those things up into the 12 months of the year.  Did that stop me from trying to get too much done?  No!  The 444 Plan was delayed due to the aforementioned circumstances, which pushed them into the first week of classes, leaving me stressed out by my own arbitrary deadlines.  I'm not going to "fail" or "get fired" from housekeeping; everyone has incidents and emergencies that take extra time and energy to handle.

Anyways, I am back on track now! (Especially since my husband sat me down last week to tell me to chill out and stop killing myself over reorganizing closets -- have I mentioned how amazing he is?)  Our living room is redecorated and usable.  We have an extra end table (also functioning as our game cabinet) and an area for me to keep my school work and textbooks organized.  I am still waiting to get my curtains put up, but that is a minor addition.   

Textbooks ready to use, remotes handy, and some extra lighting available.

Perfect space to hold our games and have and end table.

Our bedroom is much cleaner and more organized, including a finance center and mail center.  Our kitchen is clean and organized.  We finally got our Baker's Rack set up and everything placed where we wanted.

The Baker's Rack fit perfectly next to our pantry.

We finally have a usable table now that it is not against a wall.

I have read 14 books so far this year (including 6 new books).  I have tried 5 new recipes, and I have made up 2 of my own recipes -- Alfredo Spinach Lasagna Rolls and Apple, Onion, and Cheddar Grilled Cheese.

Grilled Apple, Onion, and Cheddar Sandwiches -- perfect blend of sweet and savory!

I also have more materials to begin on my February Resolution to get our Scrapbook up to date and our pictures organized.  I am starting to lose weight and inches at the gym (whoo-hoo!) and have started using their electronic personal trainer.  I should be attending my first Zumba class this week.

I think the biggest difference is that I have made a much bigger effort to stay connected with my friends; Doug and I have had so much happen in the last 6 (almost 7) months of our marriage that has kept us too busy or traveling non-stop to spend a lot of quality time with our friends.  In the week, I have been able to set up weekly lunch dates with one friend, catch up over the phone with another, and catch up with 3 other friends.  We are having some of our closest married friends over for dinner tonight.  We made plans for friends to come in and visit with us.  It's just too easy to get stuck in the details of life and drop the things that really matter, but when you focus on what matters, those details just seem to fall into place.