more lists. I really REALLY like lists.

Duh! Whining!

I think I have the beginnings of a sinus infection again.  This would be the second one for the year.  Awesome.  NOT!  My nose burns, I have one tooth that has become overly sensitive to cold in the last three days, a cough that won’t stop, and a pounding headache caused by said cough.  I’m a tad bit miserable and I feel like whining.  So I will.  I really want to be resting, but I can’t.  I have to work and I have to write a paper. I think the stress of the paper is the instigator of all my health problems right now.  boo.

30 Day Push Goal Challenge:

On Sunday, I had to rewrite my 10 goals for the year.  I decided I would share with you.  I didn’t look back at last weeks so this is all fresh from my head:

1. pay off credit card
2. apply for PhD
3. successful VBS for Divine Life
4. $500 in savings/emergency fund
5. send out resume to schools so I can teach
6. buy a bed
7. visit my dad in Phoenix
8. improve my Mary Kay sales
9. lose the weight!
10. Save up $300 for Christmas

I love goals.  They make me happy, especially when I knock them off the list because they are complete!!

Top Ten Lists:

Because I love lists, I have two more to share with you:

Top 10 cities in US that I must visit:

1. NYC – check!  went in Dec 09
2. Boston – check! went in July 09
3. D.C.
4. Miami
5. Vegas – went once as a kid, would like to go as an adult
6. Orlando
7. San Diego
8. Los Angeles
9. Seattle
10. San Francisco

Top 10 Non-US places to visit:

1. Ireland
2. Russia
3. Greece
4. Egypt
5. Italy
6. New Zealand
7. Australia
8. France
9. Germany
10. Spain

I love to travel.  I need to travel!

Today in History:

1633: Galileo is convicted of heresy

Anyone want to guess his heresy?????  Heliocentrism.

Galileo believed the earth revolved around the sun. What a wingnut!  The church, under Pope Urban VIII, believed that it was scriptural fact that the earth was the center of the universe.  Galileo was condemned, his book of Dialogues was prohibited, and he spent the rest of his life under house arrest.  Around 300 years later, the church cleared his name – turns out, he was right!

click here for more details.

Today’s blog is brought to you by the letter J – for baby Jack.  GET HERE ALREADY!!!

On Goals, Goals, Goals, and the Thesis Chronicles

Goals, Goals, Goals!!

I’m kind of becoming a Chalene Johnson junkie.  She’s very motivational.  I hope she’s forgiving because I call her some not-nice things when I’m doing her work out video (she created TurboFire).  She also has a 30 day push-goal challenge.  It’s a free program, so you should all check it out!  Right now, I’m on day 5. 

• Day 1: basic instructions on how the program works and what to expect. 
• Day 2: I identified my “guiding principles” and top 3 priorities for my life right now.  My top 3, right now, are 1) school and all that entails, 2) getting my budget/finances under some sort of control, and 3) my health.  From there, she has you think about why your #1 priority is what it is, identify what needs to be done to keep it priority, identify behaviours and patterns that are inconsistent with it, identify what changes have to be made to live according to this priority, and then write a mission statement of sorts.  Mine reads: “my number one priority is to complete my PhD by being obedient to the call God has placed on my life, focused and attentive to the work at hand, mindful of the wisdom of my mentors, and unrelenting in my pursuit of excellence.”
• Day 3: I created a list of ten goals I’d like to see accomplished in the next year.  This will be done once a week and by the end of the 30 days, I can look back over my goals and see which ones made every list.  At that point I will be able to identify what is really important to me.  Her are my 10 for this week: 1) pay off credit card debt, 2) apply for a PhD program, 3) go on a date :), 4) save up $300 for Christmas, 5) go on a missions trip, 6) Pull off a successful VBS for Divine Life, 7) Start work on a Not-for-profit organization, 8) Lose some more of this weight!!!, 9) write a paper that gets accepted for the 2012 National SBL meeting, and 10) make some improvements on my Russian.
• Day 4: I identified my “push goal.”  This is the one or two goal(s) on the list that make  most or all the others possible.  For me, paying off my credit card and applying for my PhD are my push goals.
• Day 5: Today I make a promise to someone that I will achieve my push goals.  You, my faithful readers, are that someone.  This is my official promise to you that by the time 12 months have passed (hopefully much, MUCH sooner) I will have paid off my credit card and applied for my doctorate. 

Dear friends, I am asking you to believe in me.  Heck, join me!!  Check out the challenge and start lining your goals up with your priorities.  I think it’s going to make a world of difference!

Thesis Chronicles:

You may have noticed that my thesis isn’t on my goals list.  That’s because your goals should be a challenge, not something you know you will complete.  I am a month away from a type of freedom I haven’t had in a long time.  I’m pretty stressed out right now.  I am suddenly riveted by everything on facebook.  I am suddenly exhausted from anything and everything.  I feel a little bit like this:

But, it really is almost over.  And come May 11th, I will have my final grade imput and a degree on its way to my door.  After that you can call me Master Jill.  And I will live in complete state of peace – until Abelard decides to go nuts.  I’m 25 pages in….only about 50 to go.  I can do this.  I think I can. I think I can. I think I can!

Today In History:

1994: Kurt Cobain kills himself; found three days later.

I don’t remember this happening, but I was only 11 and didn’t listen to much besides country and 70s.  Besides, I’m not much of a Nirvana fan.  Yet, his suicide somehow touched music lovers in a way that I don’t think anyone expected.  It was almost like his suicide spoke for an entire generation, defying the universe.  Gotta love that 90’s angst.  I still don’t get it. And I think it’s a shame his life came to such an abrupt end.

Today’s blog is sponsored by the letter “P” for pillow pets:

I’M ON A BOAT!

Abelard:

Abelard is doing much better. When I got home from the library last night, he went berserk! He was not only back to normal, he buzzed right through normal and was making a second lap. EN-ER-GY! I’m glad he’s better. He may drive me nuts, but he definitely adds a little something special to my life.

The Thesis Chronicles:

In other news, my thesis is due in 35 days. I had a pretty significant breakthrough last night. Hopefully the momentum from that will carry me through the week. I’ve got to get through another 40 verses of exegesis by Sunday to stay on target. I know I can do it! It’s just a matter of discipline. There’s that word again!

 

TurboFire:

Finally, I don’t think I’ve told you about my get my life healthy plans. First, for a little over a year now, I’ve been making a conscious effort to be a vegetarian…well, pescatarian. I do alright.  I have had my occasional lapse.  More often, it is the occasional “people think I’m weird and therefore only offer beef items for the three days I visit them.”  Anyway, I’ve done pretty good all-in-all.  It’s not always easy – I crave Chick-fil-a almost hourly, but I resist. 

On top of that, I’m doing TurboFire.  I’ve been consistently working out for about 3 1/2 months now. They say after about 2 weeks, something becomes a habit.  Not true.  I still dread the exercise everyday.  Somehow I make it through.  I’m able to do an hour of cardio at this point (never thought that would be possible) and I’m down roughly 14 pounds.  It’s a whole lot easier to gain weight than lose it.  This is me stretching for my big workout:

Finally, I’ve been doing calorie counting since January. I think that has contributed exponentially to my weight loss.  I have to be much more selective on which snacks and meals I can have.  It’s been beneficial for me to think before I eat.  And I find that I’m enjoying healthier, whole foods more than I ever did before. 

I’ve got a few goals I’m working toward: 

1. To weigh roughly what I did when I first moved to OKC.  It’s possible.  I just know it.

2.  To fit back into my awesome jeans with the hole in the knee.   I’m really close!!

3. To feel more comfortable in my summer gear this year.  I’m planning on getting a white water pass (to cure the paleness) and go on a couple of float trips.  I don’t want to sink the raft!!  Currently, this is me on a boat:

I’M ON A BOAT!!!!!!!!!

I will continue to keep you up-to-date on my journeys – whether it be puppy parenting, thesis-ing, weight loss-ing, or anything else. 

Until next time…