Book #7 - The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women

This weekend, I finished book #7 for the year, The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais. This book annoyed me. It was nice to read about running and training from a non-elite runner who struggles for motivation and isn't the fastest person around, but she complains entirely too much.

Dawn Dais hated running. And it didn't like her much, either. Her fitness routine consisted of avoiding the stairs in her own house, because who really has the energy to climb stairs? It was with this exercise philosophy firmly in place that she set off to complete a marathon.

The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women is a fun training manual for women who don't believe that running is their biological destiny but who dream of crossing the finish line nonetheless. It opens with a realistic training schedule and is chock-full of how-to's, quizzes, and funny observations, which Dais felt were lacking in the guides she had consulted.

Dais's book integrates entries from her journal, sharing everything would-be marathoners need to know about the gear, the blisters, the early morning workouts, the late-night carb binges, and—most important of all—the amazing rewards.

Anyone can do a marathon. This book just makes the experience a little more bearable and a lot more fun.

There were parts of the book that were entertaining and made you laugh and plenty to relate to (I mean, who wants to get up super early on a Saturday to go run?), but she complained entirely too much throughout the book. You don't really learn much about marathon training that you can't read somewhere else online, but it is nice to know that not everyone is out there running 7 minute miles and "normal" people can run marathons too. Overall, if you read this book, don't go in expecting much. You'll be entertained some, but probably mostly annoyed if tons of complaining annoys you like it does me.

2012 Goals in Review

2012 was a roller coaster of a year for us with lots of ups and downs. There are many people that will say they are glad 2012 is over, but for me it brought me another year of growth and opportunities to make myself a better person.
 

Here's my original goals that I set back in January:
1. Start a blog and post regularly.
2. Run a marathon.
3. Be a CPA by the end of 2012 – Study for, take, and pass the CPA exam.
4. Read 12 books – one each month.  
5. Clean out the clutter - trash/donate any unwanted/unneeded items.

I did really well with most of my goals this year.
1. I started by blog and posted regularly to it. There were some months that I posted more than others, but I kept with it all year long.
2. I didn't run a marathon, but I did start being active which was my main purpose of this goal. I ran regularly in January and February, then didn't do much until this fall when I started working out with some girls from work. Then in November and December, I took a 6 week kick-boxing class. I really enjoyed this class and will probably take it again some time in 2013.
3. I completed my goal of passing the CPA exam and am very close to being fully certified. A little bit of paperwork and an ethics course are all that stands between me and my license!
4. I came oh-so-close to completing 12 books this year. I am 25% of the way done with book #12 right now.
5. We cleaned out a lot of clutter this year giving lots of things away and trashing more. We still have more we need to clean out, but we are well on our way to de-cluttering our house/lives.

I'm proud of how I achieved or made progress towards my goals in 2012. I am still working on finalizing my goals for 2013 and will share them soon (hopefully no later than the end of the week). Blogging about my goals has helped to keep me accountable to them and has provided lots of encouragement from you. Thank you for your support and I'm looking forward to your continued support and encouragement in 2013.

Goals Update - November

November was a busy month with finishing up football season (including playoffs!), starting a new kickboxing class after work, and the beginning of the holidays.
 

Here's the update for November:

1.   Blog – I've didn't post much other than football reports, but we haven't had much going on except for football. I'll keep posting what's going on over the next month.

2.   Marathon Training – As I said last month, I'm not going to be running a marathon this year. I did however start a kickboxing class every day after work. This is week 3 of the the 6 week class and I'm really enjoying it. It's been a fun new way to exercise!

3.   CPA – At the beginning of November I found out that I passed FAR, so I am done with the CPA exam!! Just a little paperwork and an ethics course stand between me and being completely certified!

4.   Books – I didn't read really at all during November, so I have to read 3 books during December to complete my goal. I better pick up a book soon!

5.   Clean out the clutter – We are pretty much done unpacking our house now and have a box of giveaway/goodwill things. There's a few other things I need to go through then I'll be making a trip to Goodwill.

I can't believe December is here...2012 has gone by fast! Christmas and 2013 will be here soon!

Goals Update - October

October went by extremely fast! It was a crazy month for us...I took my last part of the CPA exam, football continues to keep us very busy, and we're still trying to get all of our boxes unpacked.

Here's the update for October:

1.   Blog – I've done good with blogging this month. The football reports will keep coming as the season continues and as other things happen.

2.   Marathon Training – I'm still working out with the girls at work during our lunch break. There's been days when I really didn't want to go, but it's been nice having them there to encourage me and to make me go. Let's be honest, I'm not going to be running a marathon this year, but the main point of this goal was to be active which I am now completing.

3.   CPA – I took my last section of the CPA exam on October 1st and am still waiting for my results. I should find out my score next week and hopefully then I'll be done for real!

4.   Books – I finished book #8 and book #9 this month. I just have 3 more to go over the next 2 months to finish my goal. I haven't started book #10 yet, but will be soon.

5.   Clean out the clutter – I've been putting things in a giveaway/goodwill pile as I've been going through things and unpacking more boxes.

October was a good month and I can't believe 2012 is almost over. The holidays are on their way, which makes me very happy! I love the holidays and getting to spend time with family!

Goals Update - September

September has been a busy month for us with getting into the routine of football, finishing studying for my last test, and getting settled into our new place. Football season is now in full swing and we are even getting close to the halfway point in the season. The team is currently 1-3, but started district play on a good note with their first win!

Here's the update for September:

1.   Blog – I've done pretty well with blogging this month. The football reports will keep coming as the season continues.

2.   Marathon Training – I finally found a way to workout/run while working, studying, and going to football games! A few weeks ago, I started working out during my lunch break with a few of the girls at work. We go 4 times a week, then take Fridays off. It's been great to have people to push me when I don't really want to go and in turn, push them when they don't want to go. We've been going for 3 weeks now and it's going great!

3.   CPA – Early in September, I found out that I passed REG! That was a big relief because I really wasn't too sure about that one. I take my last test tomorrow (!) and then hopefully I'll be done! It's going to be really weird not having the "I should be studying" feeling all the time. I'm going to have free time that I haven't had in oh...about 6 months. It's going to be awesome!

4.   Books – I finished book #7 this month and I'm about 73% of the way through book #8. I'll be able to finish that one in the next few days then get started on book #9. I'll definitely be able to finish 4+ books in the next 3 months since I won't have any more studying to do after tomorrow!

5.   Clean out the clutter – I'll be hitting this one big in October as I finish unpacking our boxes. There have been some things that were left packed away in boxes at our apartment because we didn't have room for it, but if we don't use something in our house now, we probably won't ever use it so time to give it away!

September has been a great month for us! We've gotten into football season, Josh got his first paycheck, I'm almost done with studying...it's just been a good month! October is bringing lots more football, Rangers post-season baseball, then the holidays will be here before we know it!

Goals Update - August

Where did August go? I can't believe it is already over! I guess time flies when you're having fun! August has been crazy busy...bought a new truck, moved into a duplex, took another part of the CPA exam, unpacked most of our boxes, football started, school started...whew, busy month!

Here's the August update:

1.   Blog – August hasn't been busy on the blog, but it has certainly been busy for us. With football season starting, there should be more regular postings with updates of how the team is doing.

2.   Marathon Training – The only work out I've been getting has been from unpacking boxes. It's been crazy around here, but with getting settled into a routine hopefully I can make working out be part of that routine.

3.   CPA – At the beginning of the month, I found out that I passed BEC, so 2 down, 2 to go! I took REG on August 18th and I'm still waiting to get my score back on that one. I'm really not sure how I did on it. I think I either barely passed or barely failed, but we'll see. I just started studying for (hopefully) my last part, FAR, and will take it at the beginning of October.

4.   Books – I started book #7 and am only about 10% through it. With getting settled I'll be able to read more. Just as I got caught up, I got behind again, but I still think I can finish my goal of 12 books for the year.

5.   Clean out the clutter – We haven't cleaned out much as we've unpacked yet since most of what's been unpacked has been necessary things. There's still plenty of time to go through things and get it out of our house.

Football season has begun! Richardson JV and Freshman played last night and Varsity opens play tonight against Irving MacArthur. Baylor starts their season on Sunday against SMU. I'm so excited for football season to be here even though it means Josh is working 7 days a week. I guess it just means lots of me time (or study time...)!

Goals Update - July

Wow...July is over. It went by slow at first, but then flew by at the end. July was a very busy month for us with lots of changes...our apartment lease ended, we moved in with my grandparents temporarily, we took a weekend trip to San Antonio for a wedding, JOSH GOT A JOB, and now we're looking for a new place to live. Whew...that's a lot!

Here's the July update:

1.   Blog – I definitely kept up with the blog well in July. I caught up on everything from June and posted other things as they happened for July. Good news is that there should be more coming as football season starts up.

2.   Marathon Training – At the beginning of the month, I didn't do so well with running/walking/working out since I was in the final days before taking the second part of the CPA exam and then packing like crazy to move (although I did get a good work out packing and moving boxes...), but for the past 10 days or so, Josh and I have been going on evening walks around the neighborhood. It's been nice and relaxing and we're getting in a little bit of exercise.

3.   CPA – On July 7th, I took the second part of the CPA exam, BEC. I'm still waiting to get my score back on it and should have it back in the next week or so. I've started studying for the next part which I'll be taking on August 18th. After that one, I'll start up studying for the last part which I plan to take at the beginning of October. Hopefully after that I'll be done!

4.   Books – I finished book #6 early in the month, but haven't started book #7 yet. It's been a crazy month packing, moving, and studying, but hopefully we'll get settled somewhere soon and I'll be able to get back to reading.

5.   Clean out the clutter – We cleaned out a lot as we packed to move, but still have lots to go through when we unpack. Unfortunately, we ran out of time packing and just had to throw everything into the boxes without having a chance to really go through everything. We did take a big load to Goodwill and will probably be taking more in the next few months as we move, unpack, and get settled. 

August is starting out on a good note as it brings us the certainty we've been waiting for. It's nice to know where we'll be now, so we can begin the next phase. We'll be looking for a new place to live and getting moved in and settled soon, so that the chaos of football season can begin!

Goals Update - June

Half of 2012 is gone...how did that happen?! June went by incredibly fast. Of course, part of that is because we spent a week of it on vacation celebrating our 1st anniversary! We had a great time on our cruise and I think it is safe to say we will be going on more cruises in the future as Josh really enjoyed himself. (This was my 5th cruise, so obviously I like to cruise!) I can't believe the summer is flying by so quickly and July is already upon us. Then again, when does the summer not fly by?

Here's the June update:

1.   Blog – I've done good with the blog for June. I have a few things I need to catch up on, but that's what happens when you go on vacation for a week.

2.   Marathon Training – Like in May, studying took the place of running, working out, and pretty much everything else except for work and sleeping (and a little vacation) in June. I've put a plan together for July that will allow me to keep up with my studying, but also get some running and working out in. Hopefully it works out like I planned and I can get things balanced a little more.

3.   CPA – I passed Audit!!! 1 down, 3 to go! I'll be taking my next part, BEC - Business Environment and Concepts, in a week on July 7th. I've got a lot of reviewing of what I studied before vacation between now and then, but I should be ready. After taking BEC, I'll jump right into studying for the next part, Regulation (REG), and will probably be taking that one towards the end of August.

4.   Books – I finished book #5 and started on book #6. I'm 41% of the way through book #6 and will hopefully finish soon, so that by the end of July I will be caught up and on track to finishing my 12 books this year.

5.   Clean out the clutter – We did a little bit of cleaning this month. We've got a stack of stuff that needs to go to Goodwill, but that's about it. We'll be cleaning out a lot more in the next few weeks as we pack up our apartment and move. We still don't know where we're moving to, but should know more in the next 2 weeks or so. Hopefully by July 20th we'll know or otherwise we'll be homeless! 

July will be bringing about some changes for us. Hopefully Josh will find a job soon and we'll have a new place to live. The uncertainty about our future has been incredibly hard (especially for a planner like me) and we are just so ready to know where we'll be so we can begin to move on and plan for and experience the next stages of our life.

Goals Update - May

Another month of 2012 has come and gone. May was busy for us, but didn't fly by quite as fast as some other months. I'm excited that summer is here now and into full swing! I just wish I got the summer off from work...

Anyway, here's May's update:

1.   Blog – I blogged a couple of times in May, but like I said we were busy. I'm still keeping up with it and that's what matters.

2.   Marathon Training – In May, studying took the place of running, working out, and pretty much everything else except for work and sleeping. At some point I'll figure out how to balance everything just not sure how long that's going to take.

3.   CPA – I took my first part, Audit, on May 19th. I should have my scores back in the next few weeks and I'm hoping for good news! I just started studying for my second part, BEC - Business Environment and Concepts, and I'm looking to take that one at the beginning of July.

4.   Books – I finished book #3 and book #4 in May! I'm definitely getting back on track with my 12 books this year goal. I haven't started on book #5 yet, but I will soon...maybe even tonight!

5.   Clean out the clutter – Didn't really do much as far as cleaning out clutter this month. We'll get started on cleaning some things out as we start to pack our stuff up in June. Our lease is up in July and we're moving somewhere, but we just don't know where yet! 

June is here and will be bringing our first anniversary!! Can you believe we've been married almost a year?! It some ways it seems longer, but in other ways it seems much shorter. We're going on a cruise to celebrate and we're so excited! I think we've both been counting down to it since we booked it! :) I love traveling and I'm so happy to have a husband that enjoys exploring new places with me!

Goals Update - April

Wow - I can't believe another month of 2012 is over! This year is flying by! April was a good month for us, got some good relaxation in, but got started on some big goals too and had lots of fun!

Here's April's update:

1.   Blog – I did much better blogging in April than I did in March. I hope to continue to blog more as life continues to happen.

2.   Marathon Training – This has gone down hill fast. I haven't been running or working out or anything. I'm not sure what I'm going to do to get back on track with this, but I'll come up with something. Just not sure what to do...

3.   CPA –  I made a lot of progress here in April. I got my passport back, so now I have my matching ids and am ready to go. I also scheduled my first exam and started studying! I'll be taking the Audit portion on May 19th. (Josh will be taking the Social Studies certification test on this day too, so pray for both of us! It'll be a big testing day for both of us.)

4.   Books – I finished book #2 and am 52% through book #3. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it soon and can move on to book #4. I am confident that by the end of June, I'll be on track and finished with 6 books. We'll see, but with the sunny days of summer coming, my days of sitting by the pool reading are increasing!

5.   Clean out the clutter – Didn't really do much as far as cleaning out clutter this month and as I said before, we probably won't do much more until we're getting ready to move.

May is already looking to be a very busy month for us. The next few weekends we'll be headed to College Station for Final Review, headed to Waco for my sister's graduation from Baylor, and then it's test weekend. At least the weekend we have off at the end of the month is a nice long weekend thanks to Memorial Day!

Goals Update - March

I know today is April 1st, but Josh and I went camping this weekend (more on that to come), so I wasn't able to post my goals update for March yesterday. March went by extremely fast. It's like I blinked and it was over. I guess time flies when you're having fun! 

Here's March's update:

1.   Blog – I didn't blog as much in March as I would have liked to, but I feel like I'm still posting on a fairly consistent basis, so it's all good.

2.   Marathon Training – After the 5K at the beginning of March, my running took a big downward turn. I was sore for a few days after the race, so I took a few days to rest, but never really picked it back up. I ran a few days here and there, but haven't been consistent at all with it. I need to find another race to register for, so I can have something to train for again. I'll be doing the gym orientation at work this week too so I can start running there and avoid the ghettoness that is our apartment complex and neighborhood. Hopefully that will help get me back motivated too.

3.   CPA –  Well, I got my name changed with the board and now I'm just waiting get to my passport back so my IDs will match, then I will be good to go. I just need to pick a test, register, and start studying!

4.   Books – I finished book #1 and am now 73% of the way done with book #2. I expect to finish it in the next week or so, then on to book #3. I should be able to get back on track with reading 12 books this year sometime in April or May.

5.   Clean out the clutter – This month we didn't really clean anything out, but we did organize a few things and we've got a few things ready to go to goodwill. No major progress here, but we did a lot in January and February and honestly probably won't do a whole lot more on here until we move this summer (don't know where we're moving to, but we are getting out of this apartment!)

Overall March was full of ups and downs. I backslid in some places, moved up in others, and stayed steady in the rest. April should be a very fun month. Lots of wonderful things to look forward to...opening day, my best friend's wedding, and much more!

Allen Eagle 5K

On Saturday, I ran the Allen Eagle 5K with my cousin, aunt, brother, and Josh. I didn't really have a time goal to finish in, but I was sure I could finish in 45 minutes or less. My main goal was to run the entire race and not stop to walk, which I am proud to say I accomplished! I finished in 40:58, which I'm very happy with and, honestly, is about where I thought I'd be. It's nice to see my running and training paying off. Two months ago, there's no way I would have been able to run 3.1 miles. I'll definitely be keeping up my training and we're already looking to see what our next race is going to be. I'm also very proud of my family for how well all of them did! It was a lot of fun running with everyone and thanks to Emily and Art for being such great cheerleaders (and photographers)! I'm excited for the next race!!

Before the race

Cindy, Jonathan, Josh, me, Joey

Goals Update - February

February has been a crazy month for us filled with many unexpected things. Josh’s mom had an unexpected surgery and was in the hospital for about a week, so his youngest brother stayed with us for about a week and a half. That was an adventure in itself! All he wanted to do was play xbox 24 hours a day and he wasn’t too happy when I commandeered the TV for The Bachelor one night. :)

Anyway, here's the update for February:

1.   Blog – I haven’t done as well blogging in February as I did in January. I'm hoping to do better in March.

2.   Marathon Training – Unfortunately I didn’t do as well with my running in February as I did in January. I got sick and had to sit out for about a week since when it’s hard to breath sitting, you don’t really want to try running. Then, with Zach staying with us and trying to get him where he needed to be, fed, and in bed at a decent hour, running was pushed to the back burner. I've picked it back up now and just in time to run our first 5K on Saturday.

3.   CPA –  I’ve sent in my information to change my name to the board so hopefully that should be done soon. As soon as that gets done, I’ll register for my first exam and start studying!

4.   Books – I’m not doing so well on this one. I still haven’t finished my first book. I’m hoping to finish it in the next few days and get started on book #2. I’ve got to pick up the pace if I’m going to finish 11+ books in 10 months!

5.   Clean out the clutter – This month we cleaned out and organized our den/study. My parents gave us 3 bookcases and it really helped to have a place to put everything. We also rearranged the room so we would have more space in there.

Overall, I slid backwards a little bit in February, but here's to getting back on track in March!

Goals Update - January

I'll be doing a monthly goals update on the last day of every month. It will give me a time to reflect on the month and see my progress toward acheiving my goals.

Here's the January update:

1.   Blog – I’d say I’ve done pretty well at posting on the blog regularly. It’s definitely been all sorts of random things, but hey I told you it would be. Stay tuned for more blog posts.

2.   Marathon Training – I am happy to say I am on track with my training. I've been very consistent in my running, going 3-4 times a week. I am actually enjoying the running (surprising, I know!). I just hope I don’t get tired of it in a few months. I think scheduling races and having short term goals will definitely help me achieve the long term goal of running the marathon in December. I’ve got the first 5K of the year on the calendar for March 3^rd. I’ll be running the Allen Eagle 5K with Josh, my aunt, cousin, and brother…more on that to come.

3.   CPA –  I took step 1 and installed the study software on my computer and made a study plan. I was hoping to be able to take AUD at the end of February, but unfortunately won't be able to. I've got to get my name changed with the Board and on my 2nd id, so that all my paperwork matches. One day I'll finally finish changing my name on everything!

4.   Books – I'm about halfway through my first book. It was slow starting out, but it's picking up now. I'll have to read faster during the other 11 months of the year to make my goal. :)

5.   Clean out the clutter – In January, we focused on cleaning out our closets, getting rid of clothes, shoes, and accessories that don’t fit or that we just don’t wear anymore (read more here). As a bonus, we also cleaned out our den/study some. It could definitely still use some more work, but we got a good start on it. Not sure where we’ll focus in February...I’ll let you know what we decide.

Bonus: We were able to pay off $8,450 of our debt paying off my car and some of Josh's student loans. (No, we're not rolling in the dough around here, we've just made smart financial decisions.) We still have a ways to go (yay student loans!), but we're definitely happy to have this chunk out of the way!

2012 Goals

Happy New Year! I've set five goals (yes, goals, not resolutions) for myself for 2012. Below they are listed out with a short explanation of why I chose to make it a goal for myself and how I plan to accomplish it. Enjoy!

1. Start a blog and post regularly.

As you can see, I did part 1, but I’ve also got to keep up with part 2. I like to read everyone else’s blogs so much, that I thought it would only be fair to start my own, so here it is. My plan is for this blog to feature many things…how I’m doing on my goals, what’s going on in our lives, our travels, crafty projects I do (thanks pinterest!), and any other random things I want…after all, it is my blog. :)
2. Run a marathon.
This will be a hard one for me. I’ve never been a runner and right now, I am VERY out of shape. However, Josh and I thought this would be something we could do together to get into shape and it may even become a new hobby…maybe. Our plan is to run in the White Rock Marathon in December. Josh has made us a training plan and as long as we can stick to it, we’ll make it. We started our training this week with walking a little over 2 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and today. Walking? Yes, walking…baby steps. I’m hoping we’ll be able to run in other races like 5Ks, 10Ks, maybe even a half marathon along the way to keep us motivated. Training for 11 months is a long time!
3. Be a CPA by the end of 2012 – Study for, take, and pass the CPA exam.
I have the required experience, now I just need to pass the exam! I first started taking the CPA exam a little over 6 months after finishing school, but after getting busier at work, barely missing passing a few parts, and running up and down the road to see Josh all the time, it got pushed to the back burner. When we started planning our wedding, it got pushed even farther back. But now that we’ve been married for almost 7 months, Josh has graduated, and things have settled down, it’s time for me to get back to it. Even though I don’t want to work in traditional accounting, it will help my career and allow me more flexibility in choosing what I do want to do.
4. Read 12 books – one each month.
It seems weird that I have to put reading books on my list of goals since I love to read, but I just haven’t been reading as much the last few years. I watch more TV and movies and just don’t read nearly as much as I used to. Now I’ve got my new Kindle and I’m ready to go!
5. Clean out the clutter - trash/donate any unwanted/unneeded items.
This should be on everyone’s lists. We all have stuff that just sits in a closet or box and never gets used. This will definitely be a year-long project. I’ve had some stuff in boxes that I haven’t opened in years. Some of it will get pulled out when we get a bigger place, but some of it will probably just keep getting put back in a box and stuffed in a closet if I don’t do something about it. The first place I need to start is my closet. I have so many clothes, yet I wear the same things all the time and look in my closet and say I have nothing to wear. I need to clean out the clothes that just take up space in my closet and drawers and give them to people who actually have nothing to wear.

There you have it...my goals for 2012! I'll be keeping you updated on how I'm doing with each goal and accomplishments on the way to completing these goals. Here's to a wonderful 2012!