FOR GOOD

So its been 6 months since I started this blog ... I made many New Years resolutions in my first post and this is how they are going ....

1. SAVING MONEY

I have consistently saved $200 a month and sometimes more. Its funny ... because I am still doing everything I want to do (ok maybe not buying as many clothing items) but honestly I don't miss it. I also really enjoy watching that number grow. 

2.  WORKING OUT

Although during school I was doing awful about working out, I have made up for it this summer. My mom, sister, Kaitlyn (aka step-sister), and my cousin Lacey have all joined the gym with me, which makes it easier to go sometimes. I hope I can keep it up while I am in school ... because this was the 3rd week and I really see a difference in a lot of things. My jeans are looser, I sleep better, and I have way more energy during the day. I never thought working out (esp. at night) would give me so much energy the next day ... but I like it!! I am also completely obsessed with this gym ... West Jeff Fitness Center. Its like having a personal trainer ... without having someone breathing down your back constantly. Although Kait has pretty much become my personal trainer ... and sometimes I want to kill her because I feel like I am going to die if I go any longer ... but I must say I did 15 mins non-stop cross-country training on the elliptical on wed. and did not feel like I was going to die and that is something I would have never done before because I would have thought ... "No way I can do that." Well now I can do it because of Kait. She also pushed me to do this Kickboxing class which I am now also obsessed with and would have never ventured to do on my own. Our russian teacher Fabienne is amazing and its definitely a great way to get some anger and aggression out after 4 days of work.

3.  GETTING ORGANIZED

Since January my room has been coming along nicely. My dad and I have been kicking ass. Now I have entered a new stage ... the space is there ... but how do I fill it?? I have been shopping and finding tons of things I really like ... but I have a few problems. There are tons of stuff I packed away after Katrina and then even more from my apartment, and still more from putting things away when I left for Michigan so the room could be torn apart. So now its a matter of taking each box down, and deciding if it will continue into the "new room" or be thrown out. Well last weekend, I started. First, were the dolls my Maw Maw had given me. So I got them all out and put them where they belong. I know this is going to be a very slow process of going through everything but I know it will pay off in the end. 

4.  POLITICS

This one I don't really feel like talking about ... its so sensitive. All I will say is I do like the fact that I have been talking with various groups about Politics ... its a very hard subject for people and it shouldn't be taken lightly. I do enjoy seeing the different views. Its almost beautiful to watch someone talk about politics ... whenever someone speaks their mind about politics they are passionate about it and there is always a reason behind their beliefs. Usually something happened in their life that changed them in some way, and we must all see the beauty in that. Or be very very afraid! haha It could go both ways ... luckily I have only witnessed the brighter side. 

5.  TRYING NEW THINGS ... SEEING NOLA

New things that I have tried ... vegetarianism, kickboxing, oysters, blogging, ... I know there are more but I can't think of them right now. Seeing Nola ... I must say I have been non-stop since Kait got her ... but there is still so much I want to do and see! I have visited new places and ones I hadn't seen in awhile ... bridge lounge, baru, the zoo, St. Joseph's on Tulane. Much more to come this summer I hope! 

PS ... I would like to thank all my friends and family for helping me with my goals so far. You have all opened my eyes to things I have never seen or thought of before. And I will be mushy and quote a verse from a song "For Good" in my favorite play WICKED!

I've heard it said 

That people come into our lives for a reason 

Bringing something we must learn 

And we are led 

To those who help us most to grow 

If we let them 

And we help them in return 

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true 

But I know I'm who I am today 

Because I knew you... 

HERE GOES - 2008 ... a year for change!!

Well I have been wanting to start a blog for awhile now! I know I love reading everyone else's blog but I never thought I was interesting enough to start one myself. But here goes ... I figured with the new year and one of my many resolutions being to try new things ... I would finally go for it. And I also thought it would help me track my progress on my many resolutions!

1. There is so much I want to accomplish this year. I know you are legally an adult when you turn 18, but for the past 2 1/2 years in college I feel like I have still been playing the kid card a little (and I probably will until I can not get away with it anymore). But I also feel like I need to straighten up on some things such as money. UGHH the word just makes me cringe! I mean there is only so much I can do, since I am still in school full time. Yet, I think since I am an accounting major this should be something I get ahold of. Since part of my career will be managing other people's money ... scary!! Since I am having trouble with my own. So resolution number 1 is born ... Saving More Money. So I read up on it, and there is a lot of get rich quick things out there. Well I am just starting slow, especially since I do not make big money, I can not save big money. But I was watching the Today show and the lady on there told me that if I saved $200 a month and put it into an account with a 20% interest rate, in 20 years I would be a millionaire!! Crazy huh! As much as that may or may not be true. I have decided to save $200 a month, which is only $50 a week. So that started this month and it is going awesome so far. The second part of this resolution is to go talk to my bank. I have talked to family and friends about money, credit and things of that nature. But I really want to sit down with someone that does this for a living and get them to give me a plan. So maybe when I get settled with school, I will make that appointment and hopefully get on my way to being a millionaire one day.

2. Last year I started working out and eating healthy and I was doing really well. But somewhere along the way I lost my way and went back to do all the wrong things. Especially with all my stomach problems from the past year, it is something I seriously need to do for my health. This time last year I started doing yoga on a regular basis and fell in love!! It was amazing, its just astonishing how much yoga does for your mind and body. In case you are more interested in yoga and what works for me I will blog about it later and give you all the awesome details! Anyways, it really started paying off a lot. Then the summer came and I started working 40 hrs a week, and have been working every minute I am not at school since. So I got away from yoga because I did not have time. Well I have decided that it is not so much that I don't have time, but that I don't make the time. I always come home tired from work, and/or school. But I have slowly started working out again and finding the time for it. It takes 21 days to make a new habit. I started this past monday so its only been 3 days but I am determined. One thing that gives me a lot of hope with this goal is that my friends are all determined to get healthier this year also. We all signed up for the Crescent City Classic that is March 22 in New Orleans. Which I advise anyone in the New Orleans area to sign up for, it is $20 if you sign up before Jan. 31st. It is a 10k race, but you are welcome to come walk with us. But the really awesome thing is that when you sign up you get a training schedule. So it is definitely worth $20, an awesome investment into your health.

3. This one is simple but hard. Getting organized. I am a very organized person, but since I moved back home and my house is still under a long and very annoying remodel .... everything is being changed. Which is so exciting and annoying at the same time. It is just hard because with school and work it is hard to find the time or energy to do it or get excited about it. But we have made some progress since the New Year. While I was away in Michigan, my parents torn down a wall in my room and added on to my room. Now we are working on paint colors, and a ceiling fan.

4. Especially with this year being an election year, I want to get more involved with what is going on in the government. Through the past few years I have learned how much one person can make a difference. As silly as this sounds, recently I got an email from a friend on facebook that started a group to save their dog. The guy needed $5,000 to save his dog and somehow had made a deal that if he got 100,000 people to sign a petition someone would donate the extra money he needed. Well needless to say the dog was saved. Anyways, I want to educate myself on all the presidential candidates and their views. I also want to educate myself on state and local officials. In seventh grade my teacher told me "if you don't vote, then you can't complain." Which make a big impact on me and I hold that statement very dear to me. To go along with that statement I need to educate myself on my officials and my government and what I can do to make a difference. Politics scare me and I am in no way looking to push my beliefs and values on others. I just want to do my part.

5. Trying new things ... this blog is my first! Included in this is to be a tourist in my own town. New Orleans has so much to offer, especially this time of year with all the festivals just around the corner!! I awful people ask me about things in New Orleans and I have no clue what they are taking about. I mean I have lived here all my life!! So that is a big goal for me ... to get to know my own hometown better!