June 09, 2009

Summertime Goals

At school recently, our principal decided to extend a challenge to the staff. Lose some poundage, read some books, and add up some milage. In other words, do what we ask of the students. We have what we call "Key Reading" where the students are supposed to keep track of how many pages they have read throughout the trimester to reach a pre-set goal. We also ask them to be physically active and not spend all of their time in front of the xbox or other type of game system.

I decided that this was perfect summertime motivation.

My fitness goal is to, of course, lose some poundage that I've been carrying around all these years, but that's not the main goal. I want to get into better shape. This past January, I made a pack with myself and went to the gym every morning (at 6 a.m. by the way) until a week ago. I'm back to this commitment (so every morning before summer school, I'll be hitting the gym again) but am making it a little bit more tough. I'm going to bring a second set of work out clothes and try to hit up the track on some of the afternoons. My displayed fitness milage (posted at school) is 350 miles. Can I do it? Yep, you betcha!

My reading goal (which I'm excited to have for some forgotten about leisure books. This I'll easily surpass, considering I'll be doing extensive research this summer also) is to read 3,000 pages. Already on the docket are New Moon, Certain Girls, and (finishing) Barefoot. Research will include articles on research based reading strategies-whoot!

What are your summertime goals?

 

Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant. --Stephen Covey (from my Daily Good email- click the link to go to their site and sign up for you own emails!!)

the little man, Hunter

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Out to eat with the niece!

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My beautiful Lillers...

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My 7 things...

Recently, I was tagged to write SEVEN things about me... back in January, when the blog wasn't working properly, I wrote 25 things about myself that I posted to facebook:

I figure since most of the people who used to read my blog are also my friends on facebook, I would ADD seven more items to this list. Here goes:

1. I save voice mails for years. I started this when my Granddad called and left a voice mail telling me happy birthday. I have about 26 voice mails saved from over the years...I would have to check, but I think Granddad's voice mail was back in 2007.

2. I love being around people. If I were asked if I would rather spend my time with people or by myself most of the time, I would choose to be with other people.

3. I hate, HATE not being busy. I usually pack my weekends, weekdays, and any available moment with something...if there isn't something happening, most likely a friend will get a call with me asking if they want to go somewhere, hang out, do something...

4. I have high anxiety. some would say that this is very surprising, but when I'm about to go somewhere to meet people or do anything new/unknown, I am beyond nervous. I almost talk myself out of going completely. I try not to show it...really, only my Mom and a few others have heard my rants about the situation.

5. When I was a kid, I ran into a shed and a cement well with two motorized vehicles. I hit the cement well that is in the back of my dad's shed with a mini motorcycle and then my uncle's garage with their go-cart. ha! Both times, because I was too embarrassed to ask where the brakes were and I liked to go fast. bad combo.

6. I own a ton of dresses. I love going to weddings and getting all dressed up. I have my favorites that I'll pull out more than once, but usually, I'm at Herbergers before a wedding picking up a fab dress and dreaming about the fun I'm going to have wearing it. ...may surprise you, because I could wear jeans and a hooded sweatshirt most of life.

7. You don't know me very well, if you don't know this about me: I absolutely love a good party. If it goes well into the early morning hours, with crazy shenanigan happenings, the better. The crazier, wilder, out of control parties are what I love.


My PREVIOUS 25 things:

If you've been tagged then I want to hear back from you. Get to know me a little better and I'll get to know you a little better. Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people, then click publish.)

1. I used to model prom, bridesmaid, and wedding dresses in those bridal shows for my Grandparent's store, Celebration Bridal Shoppe when I was a kid until I was a teenager.

2. I played softball every summer of my youth from elementary school (Denmark Demon's Purple Blurs! ha!) until high school. I played first base. I still play intramural softball occasionally.

3. I absolutely love anything that incorporates water. I love swimming and could do it for hours. The pool, the beach, boating, on the river, etc.

4. I only applied to one college because it was the only college I wanted to go to and it wasn't an option to not get in. I got in.

5. I absolutely love traditions, especially if they are traditions that I have done with my family for years and years - like holidays. ...and I have a hard time changing and/or moving from doing that tradition.

6. My car is cluttered. My room is cluttered. My desk is cluttered. I like them to be clean, but I have 6 million more exciting things to do other than clean.

7. My mom was in a horrible, horrible car to semi accident my sophomore year of college. Although it has changed her and our lives forever, I believe it has helped my family (and me) understand the importance of letting each other know we care about one another and not taking anything for granted. We fight, but we always make sure to come back and understand each other.

8. I've had my dog, Lilly a.k.a. Lillers, my girly, etc for just over a year now. She was a rescue dog from Underdog Rescue and when Jeanna and I saw her last year at the expo, I walked out of the door and knew I was going to get her. I did. It was and has been expensive to own a dog, but it's the smartest purchase I've ever made. She makes me so happy.

9. I LOVE to road trip. I can drive for 7 hours and still want to keep driving cause I enjoy it that much. All I need is a radio, my car, and a sunny day and I'm about the happiest person ever!

10. Summer is my favorite season of the year. See # 3!

11. My birthday is on June 16th and my brother's birthday is on June 17th, two years later. (My cousin, Brady's birthday is also June 16th a year after mine!) We used to always have our birthday parties together. My parents still give us our own cakes (they're mini now) to celebrate!

12. I've always wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn't until Beth told me about the ARC of East Central Iowa and I got a job there, that I realized what I really wanted to do with my life. I haven't looked back since and I'm so glad to have the career I have. I absolutely love every part of it.

13. I always sleep with music on (in college I would blast it loud so I couldn't hear anything out in the dorm hallways) and most likely it's on country cause I love country music.

14. A few years ago, my grandpa had a stroke and I dropped everything and flew down there for a few weeks to be with him. It was absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life for many different reasons.

15. I procrastinate as much as possible (hence, writing this note when I need to do laundry, dishes, paperwork, & get ready for tonight) when I have something to do. If it's writing a paper, IEP, or evaluation, I tend to wait till the absolute last minute to write it.

16. My first time skiing was spring break in college at Copper Mountain in Colorado and Derek took us up on the wrong "hill" and we were stuck up there and decided to go for it. NOT a good idea. I was working on getting down for the longest time, fell about a million times, "pizza-ed" the entire time, and finally sat in the snow and was trying to decide how ridiculous I would look if I walked down the mountain when a very handsome snow patrol man, sent by Derek and Lisa to find me, asked me if I was Tara D and if I needed a lift to the bottom. I seriously needed a beer after that ordeal. I didn’t think I would ever ski again. I did. I have. And I love it.

17. My senior year of college, I went to Japan to study pottery with my art class. I would go back again in a heartbeat. I learned so much and was amazed by their culture. I’m a member of the Northern Clay Center and have taken multiple classes there. It’s one of the best ways to get rid of stress. I’m very proud of the pieces that I do and the skill that I have to be able to make pottery.

18. Many, many times I do and say things before thinking about it. I sound like an idiot often and make a fool of my self on a daily basis...which I find hilarious and will usually laugh at to the point where I'm crying. I'll laugh about it years later and still find it just as funny.

19. I live in the Twin Cities now, but do not see myself living in a city after this. I want to live in the country where there isn’t a house within miles, land to explore on, and have a whole load of animals.

20. My family raced harness horses my entire childhood until I was in my later years of high school. I missed the traveling every summer when we stopped going. My grandparents traveled to (and still do) as many races as possible. This past year, my brother, Trent decided that he wanted to get into the sport and did so. I’m very glad that he did and I hope that his kids get to have all the fun summers that he and I did.

21. In college, I joined Kappa Theta and was die hard all of my years. Mary was the first person I met at Cornell and Beth was soon after (when we went to your dorm room in Olin!). I had the best time of my life during my four years at Cornell and would love to go back and re-live some of the fun memories!

22. In college, I spent every single Thursday night at Miracles in Motionin Swisher, Iowa volunteering at their riding center. It's a program that uses horses as part of therapy for people with disabilities, physical and/or mental. I began as a side walker (person who holds the student on the horse, to help with balance) and eventually became part of the Horse Committee (gets the horse ready, lead the horse during class, etc.). It was a big commitment, but so, so, so worth it. I truly believe that animal therapy for those with disabilities REALLY works.

23. I applied to the Peace Corps in the middle of my senior year of college and went through almost the entire process to leave when I decided that I wanted to go to grad school at UST in the cities and wouldn’t have wanted to be that far away from family.

24. The first time that I saw a picture of Ashlynn, I saw how much she looked like my brother. Both of his kids look just like him. I didn’t know I could love and adore two little people more than those kids. I absolutely adore them.

25. I have close friends from all parts of my life. It's amazing. I love making new friends and keeping and re-living memories from "back when" with old friends. I email back and forth with my close group of friends (Derek, Kendra, Katie, Melissa, Manzo, Jake, Jordan, and Paul) daily. I miss them so much each day. I spend the majority of my time with the Minnesotan gang up here. My bestie and I talk on a regular basis, whether it's email, phone, or texting. I'm going to be her & Aaron's Maid of Honor at their wedding in September.

May 25, 2009

It's been a long time...

Well, the blog is finally fixed. Really, it was nothing major...now, I should be able to tell the world my story again.

November 24, 2008

hello there cutie pie!!

The school year has once again started...and I, once again, do not have any free time. Of course, I had a lot of free time this summer and still didn't take advantage of using this blog. Who knows why I even have it. I go through phases, "I want it" and "I don't want it" --you know how it goes. Hello

October 28, 2008

stresssssssss

My horoscope for today...should be my horoscope for this past month:


Work can be quite demanding now, but the rewards will follow if you are determined enough. The real key is to keep showing up no matter what happens.

 

August 22, 2008

music

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jogging

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