Sunday, February 24, 2013

Some cool blogs

These are some of the cool blogs I've stumbled upon lately:

Art Of Manliness

Nerd Fitness

Nomadic Matt

One thing these blogs have in common- instead of living the typical "American Dream", these guys paved their own way and they're each doing something they really enjoy. I was especially inspired recently by these articles on traveling:

How to go anywhere you desire (Nomadic Matt)

How to accomplish that big mission on your bucket list (Nerd Fitness)

Inspired by this, I decided to write down some specific bucket list items so that I can start working towards them in the next 5 years. I love adventure, but always seem to defer my dreams to "later". These articles have given me hope that anything is possible if you make it a priority! I also love the fact that there's tips for saving money and tips on how to travel cheaply.

Places I want to go:
2-3 month tour of Europe (France, Spain, and Italy mainly)
New Zealand and Australia
Hawaii (again)
African Safari

Making it to a goal isn't always easy. It's a steady process of taking it one step at a time. That goes for a lot of things, not just saving up for a vacation. I loved these articles about persevering towards a goal:

What's your 20 mile march? Art of Manliness

The Race to the South Pole (and what it can teach you about achieving goals)

It might take awhile to save up for these trips (or to accomplish any other number of goals that I have), but all it takes for success is a plan and some determination!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Back to running

I took some time off from running over winter break. I don't regret it, because I think every once in a while I need a break so that I remember why I love it. It also prevents me from becoming bored with running, or feeling like I have to run all the time. And, let's face it, I hate running in the cold.

The one problem with taking an extended break is that I lost a lot of my running fitness. I've been slowly trying to rebuild my mileage this past month. It's been frustrating. I consider 6 miles a base amount for me- I can run 6 in under an hour usually, and it doesn't take too much time or effort. It's not a long run, and it's not short enough that I feel I need to push my pace. However, after a couple months of not running, I was sore after 6 miles the first few times I ran it this year. And to think I ran a marathon in November!

In the future, I want to stay in shape during the winter by trying new fitness classes or workout DVD's, and probably run at least 1-2 times per week on the treadmill. I like taking a little break from running, and I like the idea that I could use the time to try something new (next year!) but hopefully I've learned my lesson and I'll at least run some so I don't have to start from scratch in the Spring!

Anyway, the good news is I finally got past that 6 mile hump and ran my longest run this year - 8 miles. I brought my running clothes to work and hit the pavement immediately after work. I was determined to get this run in! Thankfully the weather was slightly warmer today than it has been. Even though it started getting cold and dark by the time I finished, those 8 miles were glorious.

I still love to run.

It's still hard to motivate myself, but I can make the time. It's still hard to push myself, but I can be strong. I love running and I hate it. I feel frustrated and euphoric. I have miserable runs, mundane runs, amazing runs, and everything in between. Running is one crazy adventure, and that's what I like about it most of all.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

There's gotta be more

Lately I've been feeling kind of bored with life and my routine. It's not that I don't have a lot going on, because I do (sometimes I feel overwhelmed!), but I'm having trouble finding joy in the things I'm doing. I'm feeling a sense of purposelessness and monotony.

Whenever this happens, I know I need to turn to God and get a reality-check on my life. Am I doing things to serve God? Am I doing things to show God's love to other people? Am I striving to know God better and seeking a relationship with him?

Inevitably when I feel disillusioned and discouraged with life, the answer to all of these questions is a resounding no. Unfortunately, when I'm feeling this way I also have little motivation to read my Bible or pray because I feel like it takes more energy than I have right now.

I'm reminded of this song I heard a long time ago:
I've got it all, but I feel so deprived
I go up, I come down and I'm emptier inside
Tell me what is this thing that I feel like I'm missing
And why can't I let it go

***CHORUS***
There's gotta be more to life
Than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me
'Cause the more that I'm
Trippin' up thinking there must be more to life
Well, it's life, but I'm sure... there's gotta be more

I've got the time and I'm wasting it slowly
Here in this moment, I'm halfway out the door
On to the next thing, I'm searching for something that's missing

***CHORUS***

More, I'm wanting Mooooore
I'm always waiting on something other than this
Why am I feeling like there's something I missed?

I don't want to always be searching for something else, getting bored easily, moving from one thing on to the next to keep myself entertained. It's so easy to fill life with pleasant distractions. But... because God has a hold on my heart, I start to feel deeply dissatisfied when I try to do that. I know there's a greater purpose in life, and when I try to ignore that and just live for myself, I'm not happy! I'm still figuring out God's plan for my life, but one thing I know for sure: It's not about being selfish. I need to stop filling my life with meaningless things that ultimately make me discontent. We are made for so much more.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Saving money at Tar-get

On Tuesday, I got a day off to make up for working on Saturday. I decided to do a little shopping with some of my Christmas money. I spent a wonderful afternoon browsing Target racks. They have a ton of stuff on clearance right now, I guess to make room for all the Spring/Summer clothes. I had originally gone to look for a pair of running pants, but my dream pants were $40 (and sold out in my size anyway). So I ended up with all this instead:
I absolutely love the skinny jeans I got. Target has a bunch on clearance right now in all different sizes, fits, styles, and colors! They have style numbers that range from #1 (which is high waisted, relaxed fit) to #6 (which is low waist, straight cut). Both of mine are style #6. I love that they have different fits for different body types, but the same basic design. I also got a pajama set. I love pajama tops from Target because they're seamless, tagless, and super soft and comfortable. I'm picky about no tags rubbing while I'm sleeping! Last of all, I had to hit up the dollar section for some sweet $1 steals.

My clothing finds:
2 pairs of skinny jeans (white and peach)
Pink tank top
Pajama top and shorts
Knee-high black socks

Dollar section stuff:
2 cute boxes
3 patterns of wrapping paper
Dry erasers
Dry erase markers

The best part: I got everything for under $50!

I was thisclose to buying some more stuff, but I'm holding out for some sales. I love the sports bras at Target, but they cost $17, so I usually wait until they're discontinuing one of the colors; then it goes on sale for $11. I loved some of the beach cover-ups, but they were $17-$25 each, and that seems like a lot to pay for a sundress.
Some other good deals: they had bins of cute socks for $2.50 each, and I've just discovered that they have really cheap ($5) nickel-free earrings at Target (which is perfect for me because I'm allergic to nickel!) Needless to say, 1) I'm a cheapskate and 2) I love Target!