Rediscovering ME – A Challenge for LIFE, Part 3

Hey Dolls!

First, before we get started with our girl talk, I want to give a big shout out to my handsome baby brother, Kevin.  He was my only male ‘follower’ until I coerced PC into subscribing to my blog tonight.

My baby brother has always been in my corner, there to support me, help me, counsel me, quite like a big sister would normally do for her little brother.

I can’t really ever remember being able to give any kind of sound advice to Kevin (don’t do what I do/did) except for once when he was concerned about the sometime aggressive behavior of his pup around strangers.  He was truly worried about Tucker and the way he interacted – or more accurately, didn’t interact – with groomers, people at the kennel where he was sometimes boarded, even our own family members.

I am a huge animal lover and I just advised that Kevin introduce Tucker into more situations where he was around people.  Walks, dog parks, maybe even some kind of obedience class.  And now, several years later, while Tuck is still a bit anti-social he is still an important part of Kevin’s life.

  Tucker shares a place in Kevin’s heart with my niece Shelby and nephew Jacob.  Not only is Kevin a responsible pet owner but he is one of the best dads EVER.

I love ya, Kev!

Thanks for always being there for me.  And you are welcome to guest post any time!!

Now, onto my progress during the Rediscover ME Challenge:

Monday I talked about the goals we were asked to set for different areas of our lives.  You can review those here.  From those various sets of goals we created a master list that consolidated all of our goals into one document.  I won’t go through all of my assorted goals again, (aren’t you glad?), but if you are really interested, here they are on my worksheet!

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for.  The unveiling, the big reveal…the moment of truth, la hora de la verdad, le moment de vérité…

Here’s how I have fared so far:

Why is that check mark so big?

General Goals

• Read 1 book a month – read two adult books, several children’s books in February

• Write everyday – between blogging, journal writing and my creative writing class

• Have daily devotional – Jesus Calling and Bible verses from Biblegateway.com
• Save $20 from each paycheck and save for Christmas fund – done, son

Self-Care/Appearance Goals

• Exercise 4-5X a week for 30-45 minutes – have walked McKelligon Canyon(4 miles) 3X (ran down once), gone to gym 2X a week, walked kitties, done Fitness Blender workouts, treadmill at home

• Mani, pedi, facial, massage –  have had three massages, getting mani on Friday
• Whiten teeth – yup, with Crest White Strips
• Drink water, take vitamins everyday, enjoy detox bath 2x a week – yes, yes, kinda

Healthy Living/Wellness Goals

• Swim 3X a month for 45 minutes – been swimming twice a week, a mile each time, call me mermaid…ok, ok, mer-matron

• Floss every other day – umm, almost
• Lift weights – at least once a week
• Track WW points – well, there’s room for improvement

But that being said, look who is now wearing a size 26/6 in jeans!  Only took two clerks to help me pull them up. (Accepting donation$ for $hoes)

Personal Growth/Relationships

• Make PC my priority and put our relationship first – keeping him in the forefront of my mind through the week, but always first on Saturdays

• Listen, LISTEN to Brennyn and Lauren – trying hard to not always offer advice, just support
• Skype with Coo – have only read a bed time story to Cady once, but hope to do it again soon

• So no when I mean no – trying to be more selective in doing mostly only things I want to do (plus paying bills)
• Be more spontaneously snuggly – yup, but more progress needed
• Volunteer – volunteering in three places:  El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center (creating MARC records for all of their books in a circulation and cataloging database); The Mustard Seed Cafe (working in the garden and donating books to their library); Reflections of Generosity (helping with exhibit to open in May, serving as chairperson for their newsletter)

In the pic on the far right, I am having my face cast for a Reflections of Generosity exhibit in memory of those lost in 9-11.  The exhibit will open in May at the Chamizal National Memorial, here in El Paso, and will become a traveling exhibit afterward.  I will be devoting a post to this project very soon.

Overall, I am very pleased with my progress.  Of course, there is room for growth.  But with that in mind, my Master Goals Worksheet is a living document.

The beginning of next month, I will do a check-in to access my progress throughout March.  Many of the Rediscover ME challengers are starting the challenge over again this month.  Rather than start from the beginning, I have chosen to just keep going and see what I can do on my own.

Hope this has inspired you to think of ways you can enrich and improve your own life.  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

Thank you for being a part of my journey.

P.S. I am honored to have been mentioned on Alison’s blog Get Your Pretty On for my review of this challenge.  What an honor to be linked with such a great blogger and warm, genuine lady.  Thank you, Alison.

Bear hugs and butterfly kisses,