it's that time of year...

...when the world falls in love...

OK, I think that time of year is just about over. But really, it's that time of year when we all make a list of things we're going to do (or not do) in hopes of becoming a better person, having a better year, and making it a better world.

New Year's Resolutions.

And I feel like the act of making them is kind of a cliche, and something we as a culture don't really take seriously anymore. But I think there are some things in my life I want to improve, and I might as well make goals now, right? And I think writing them down will sort of make me commit to them and hold myself more accountable. Plus, then I can blog about them, which I'm sure will help too!

(I have to mention that as I'm writing this, I'm listening to the playlist I just attached to my blog and it's really fun to write while these songs are playing. I hope that it's not annoying that music starts playing on my blog, and you don't have to listen to it, but if you don't mind turning it up a bit while you read, think of it as a soundtrack for my blog. These aren't just songs I like; they all have a reason for being on that playlist.)

OK. Here we go.

1. I'm going to get into and stay on a regular workout plan. (The ultimate New Year's resolution cliche, right?!) But over the past few days, I feel like I've eaten enough sweet stuff to give myself diabetes. And I keep reading all these news stories about how much the average person should work out, and I'm realizing that more and more, I can't put myself in that group, which is pretty sad. So, I'm going to start out by saying I will work out three times a week. That's really not that hard. And I'd like to do more than that. But I think I'll start with something I know I can do realistically, and then once I've been doing that for a few months, reset the goal for something higher. But I'll start at three days a week.

2. I'm going to save money. That is kind of hard for me to do; my paycheck does not stretch very far. But I got a small raise recently, I'll be getting paid for coaching color guard, and I just worked a holiday, so that should give me a great springboard for saving. I mean saving significant amounts of money, not saving one month just to use it all up the next. I really want a dog, and I'm waiting until I pay off my car so I can use that money every month to save/use on doggie expenses. But I'd like to have a bigger cushion before then. Speaking of which...

3. I'm going to get a dog. The plan has been in place for months and months, but why not add it to my list? I will finish paying off my car in May, so the plan has been to start looking at breeders in June. That way I have the summertime to house-train and everything, not to mention have the financial means to take care of a dog. And here's an added motivation for Item #1 on this list - the kind of dog I want to get (miniature schnauzer, for anyone who has forgotten) has a tendency to get fat and unhealthy if it doesn't get a lot of exercise and good nutrition. Sound like anyone else you know? So I think if I can get a healthier lifestyle in place by the time I adopt a puppy, I can do a better job of taking care of and raising a dog!

4. Speaking of nutrition, that's something I also want to work on. I kind of phase in and out on this, and I eat WAY less fast food than I did a year ago, but I want to keep improving on this. Sometimes it's hard to eat regular, balanced meals because my schedule is so weird, but I've been at it for a little over a year now, and I think I can figure out how to make it work. I'm going to eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm going to eat more meat. I'm going to eat two balanced meals every day. (That has to include some sort of meat and some sort of produce; not just peanut butter and crackers or a bowl of cereal.) I'm going to start rehearsals for a play soon, and I know that's going to make it harder to eat right, but I've already been through this schedule during the summer, and I know I can do it.

5. I'm going to do some housework every day, instead of waiting until the end of the week to do all my cleaning. Whether it's washing dishes, taking out the trash, surface cleaning, laundry, sweeping, or just picking up around the house, I always feel better when I do a little bit here and there every day than when I let it pile up and then spend my whole weekend doing all of it. Plus, when I get a dog, I'll probably have to do some cleaning every day anyway :-P

6. I'm going to consider my career options. I'm going to look around and see what's out there. I'm going to keep staying here as an option for one more year. I'm not going to limit myself by what I think is realistic; if Good Morning America still has a segment producer opening available when my contract is up, I'm going to apply for it. I'm not going to be too afraid to go for something big. I'm not going to be discouraged if the job market is frozen and the best option is to stay here. I'm not going to feel pressured or obligated to stay if that's not the best thing for me to do. I'm going to trust God to help me make a decision and to take care of me whatever I decide.

7. I'm going to use up all of my vacation time and comp days this year. Five days will absolutely be for a trip to the lake with my family. The five-plus-comp days I would like to use to visit my sister in Florida, take a trip to New York with family or friends, possibly use for job interview trips, and maybe even take another trip to the lake with friends now that we have the new cabin. I'm entitled to those days and I'm going to take them. Just because it's hard for them to cover my job while I'm gone doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to use my vacation time up. I have just as much right as anyone to take time off. I'm not going to feel bad about it anymore. I'm just going to schedule it, and not worry about it. I've got it down to a science now how to prepare the person filling in for me, so it shouldn't be that hard.

I feel weird stopping on seven, but I think those are my big things I want to accomplish this year. I'm actually proud that I accomplished a lot of things in the past year -- I'm living on my own, supporting myself, I got involved with a church that I go to regularly, I made big changes and improvements to my show at work, I got involved in civic theatre, I made new friends, I've done a better job keeping in touch with people, and I feel like I've improved and cultivated my relationships with my parents and my sisters. Of course I want to keep working on all of those things, but I think you need to be able to look back on your year and be proud of what you've accomplished, so that you realize you are capable of achieving the goals you've set for the year ahead. Life is good, and it can be better.

Happy new year!

swamped

I feel like I've been neglecting my little blog lately. I just feel like I haven't had a good moment to sit down and write something. I feel like I've been really busy lately. Not that anything has been added to my schedule; it's just more like it's all been building up--the constant stream of band practices, speech meets, home football games, family visits, and work. It's not that I'm getting busier, it's just that it's getting harder to maintain life at this speed.

I'm totally stressing about bills. I hate to admit it, but it's true. I always do this time of year. The good thing is, the light is visible at the end of the tunnel since I'll finally get to see some fiscal rewards for driving to Monticello and back all summer and fall when gas was at a record high. I won't see that money till December, but it'll be just in time to do my Christmas shopping and not totally destroy my bank account.

Really, I just have to make it through the beginning of November and all of my heavy financial lifting will be done. Actually, it's just going to get easier from here on out. My earnings from coaching speech and color guard will finally put a nice cushion in my savings, and gas prices are going down (for now, anyway). Meanwhile, I'm almost three-fourths through my car payments; those will be done in the summer. And, I'm supposed to get a raise now that the first year of my contract is nearing completion. Not that it'll be truly significant, but again, it'll just be some extra padding, which would be nice.

And things are already starting to slow down, as far as my various commitments are concerned. Our band didn't make it to State, but the upside is that I won't be spending so much money on gas every week, and my weeknights will now be completely free to get back to the gym (oh, how I've missed yoga classes!!!) and do a better job of keeping up with my housework. Blech, does that sound domestic or what? I do kind of enjoy cleaning, once I get to it, though! And it's easier when you can do a little of it more often, rather than watch it pile up until you finally have time to put some serious elbow-grease into it.

Speech lasts through the middle of November, but that's just one afternoon a week, and we only have two meets left. And now I don't have to worry anymore about splitting my Saturdays between band contests, speech meets, and football games. I actually have managed to make it to every single game, although I missed the first half of one to go to a band contest. But as busy as it's been, I have to say I enjoy it; I really thrive on having things to do rather than to just go to work and come home. I think I took on a little too much this fall, but I made it work.

November will be a sort of a wholistic detox for me; back to the gym, no more need to eat on the run, put more time and energy into work to get the rest of the changes to the show accomplished, start work on plans for the 11:00 service at church. Revamp, renew, refresh, refocus.

All in time for the holidays.

Last year, the holidays stressed me out because it was the first time I didn't get an actual "Thanksgiving break" or "Christmas vacation." And unlike most places of business, I didn't even actually get all of the holidays off at all. On Thanksgiving, I did the morning show, drove down to my grandmother's, drove back, got minimal sleep, and headed into work again. Christmas Day I actually got to spend at home...until the evening, when I drove back in to get to work that night. New Year's Eve passed and the new year arrived as I sat at my desk next to the police scanners, watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV. Talk about depressing. And then that day I navigated a blizzard to make it to my aunt's house for a couple of hours before having to head back once more.

I can't do that this year.

Thanksgiving, I can handle. And Christmas will be the same deal, which is no problem. But I think I have decided that I will be spending New Year's in town. And the nice thing is, I think a lot of my friends from this summer will be home, so I'm sure I'll be able to find something to do.

Geez, Halloween isn't even here yet...I can't believe I'm already thinking about the holidays. But if you don't consider them now, they sneak up on you two-thirds of the way through November, so it's best to think it out now.

Anyway...

I don't plan to go back to my quiet life for long. I am planning to audition for another musical with Civic at the beginning of December, and that will be my new "extra-cirricular" activity through the winter. The show I'm hoping to be a part of is in March. Then in April, I will re-assess and figure out my next move, whether that's beginning the search for a new job or waiting a while longer until I save up some more or a better opportunity presents itself. I'll start planning my vacation time for the lake and get it approved. Then I'll make my last few car payments and begin the hunt for a puppy, and maybe try another Civic show for the summer if it's in the cards.

That's a loooong way in advance. But that's where I'm headed.

Right now, I just need to kind of get my life back together.

Tonight was nice, not having to go over to Monticello for band practice. Not to mention it's saving me gas money! I've been reading all evening, and I'm going to try to finish this book before it's time to get ready for work.

Until later!
Lis

PS - I can't BELIEVE I almost forgot to say this--I saw High School Musical 3 this weekend and LOVED it. The dances and songs were a major step up from the franchise's first and second installments. And yes, I was a little sad when it was all over. I actually had that "let-down" feeling today that I used to get after the Christmas show or after performing a musical for the last time. I would have changed a few things about the plot to make it a bit more intricate, but then again it's HSM, so there's no real need for depth. I can't wait to get the soundtrack, and I will probably go see it again (one of my friends mentioned he might be persuaded to go!) while it's still in theaters. And the icing on the cake was that this morning I read reviews from Yahoo, Rotten Tomatoes, and other film buff sites, and the reviews were actually pretty good! I think the critics have finally learned to see the franchise for what it is--a fun, kid-friendly, postive message about working as a team and being yourself. Not to mention a great way to get a new generation interested in song-and-dance. While critics were sure to point out how unrealistic East High and its student body may be, they also noted Kenny Ortega's use of choreographical references to Bob Fosse and Fred Astaire. Several critics even compared Zac Efron's dancing to Gene Kelly! Holy crap!!! That's pretty huge. I think in the end, HSM has proved to be something that, fluffly and cheesy as it may be, is so fun and infectious that you can't help but enjoy it.

OK, bye for real.