Prima Ballerina here I come!

Now, some of you may not believe this, but I have never been labeled as the most graceful lady in all of the land.  In fact, I use to be told to stop doing things so rough, and I wouldn't understand what that meant because I was doing whatever I was doing, “soft” in my mind.  When I was about 5 my mom enrolled me in ballet class.  I think she had the same mind set as I do now, that ever y little girl should be in ballet because oh my god, they are the cutest things on earth. Who wouldn't (not in a weird way) want to see their little girl running around with a bun in their hair, wearing their little pink slippers, tights and tutus.  It’s adorable! 

I remember ballet class very well actually, mostly because I loved jumping around and being goofy.  However, I do remember getting yelled at a lot!  Mostly because I would not stay on task, and would do whatever I wanted to do (shocker).  Well, long story short, my ballet career did not last very long.   I remember my mom telling me that the teacher felt that I needed to “seek other activities” other than ballet.  So that was that, no more tutus and pink ballet slippers for me!

Flash forward 26 years later, Courtney and I were talking one day and she mentioned that she was thinking about doing Ballet.  After talking to her about it we found a place that offered a class for beginner adults.  After reading the rules and regs of the ballet classes, I purchased black tights, a pink skirt, black leotard and of course, pink ballet slippers.  I was set!  

The first class was small and there were two women in point shoes which was a tad intimidating. I was hoping to see more stalky girls like myself than girls that actually knew what they were doing.  Courtney didn't seem worried because she had taken ballet in college so she was fairly familiar with the routine.  The first part of the class was a lot of stretching and bending, but all with a graceful move.  I couldn't help but think how these stretches could be really good for my running because I’m using different muscles. The girls in point shoes were happy to guide us through the moves, which was very nice of them since I had no idea what I was doing.   The second half of the class was the best part.  We were able to practice our jumping, leaps and twirls which I loved.  I mean, who doesn't love to twirl?!  There were even some parts of the class where I was a little out of breath!  Once class was over, Courtney and I both walked away with a great big smile on our face.  For me, it was one of the best activities I have done in a long time.  I look forward to improving my gracefulness and becoming a prima ballerina.  

Wow oh Wow, 2012 was a great year!

It's the end of the world!  Wait, no it isn't!  So glad that we were still "around" tohave seen the end of 2012.  Although admittedly,  I knew the world wasn't going to end because the Mayan's did NOT say the world was going to end!  But that's a different blog for a different time!

In all seriousness 2012 was a wonderful year and I'm so grateful that I was able to create a lot of wonderful memories this year.  A new house, a honeymoon, a sister-n-law, a niece, new job(s), and some new friends.

There is something that I took away with me in 2012 and it is this, "If not now, then when?"  It's a funny thing to think about, but it's true.  So many times I have found myself saying I want to do something and I don't do it.  And then I saw that quote.  So I started to do things in the "now".  For example, for a few years I have said I wanted to run a half marathon, I finally ran one in July.   (Now I need to do it again).  I have been wanting to volunteer somewhere where I could help kids with their creative abilities  and I started helping out at the Discovery Museum.  It's funny, those two goals of mine were ones that lingered for sometime, and I'm so glad I finally started doing something about it.

So what are my goals for this year?  Well, after thinking about it for about 5 seconds, I have come up with the following:

1) Run a half marathon -YEP!  I'm going to do another one (sooner rather than later).
2) Focus on the now.  -Too many times, I have found myself worrying about the years to come, I need to focus on what I'm doing today, not 10 years from now.
3) Appreciate Sam more.  -I do appreciate him A LOT.  But sometimes I find myself taking him for granted.
4)   Eat less candy. -If you know anything about me, you know that I'm a candy FREAK.  It needs to be in check.
5) Loose 10-15lbs.  -Wow did I just post that?  Yep, sure did....I need to own it and do it.
6) Enjoy what I'm eating and eat well.  -I think I eat pretty good, but I do find myself eating fast and or eating something that I really shouldn't be eating but eat it because I'm in a hurry.
7) Pay off all credit card debit.  -Oh man, wouldn't it be nice to no longer CC debit and all of the possibilities.
8) Drink more water.  -I'm really good about drinking water at work, but when I'm home, it's all downhill.
9) Drink less alcohol. -I mean, this isn't that unrealistic, too many times I find myself saying I'll have one drink and then 3 drinks later, I'm paying my bill.
10) Be happy more and stressed out less.  -Again if you know me, you know I'm a stress-er , not my best attributes.
11) Continue to be awesome!
and finally....
12) Continue to Volunteer.  -Still help out at the Discovery, but I'd like to expand!

What are your goals?  Share them, I'd love to support you!