17 for 17

I re-read my post from the first of the year and realized that I still hadn't come back to post about what I said my goals for the year would be.  It's hard to make a list but here and there things were coming to me that I want to work on this year sometime.  Some are simple and may be quick and others will take more time and work.  And they aren't in any specific order of importance but just as they came to mind. 

1) Lose Weight........no surprise there.  I know a new year is when most people jump on the bandwagon of going on a diet and losing weight.  I guess I am one of those people.  Although I must say I do declare that I need to lose weight throughout the year so I need to do it not just talk about it. 

2) Exercise Daily.   Currently I play pickleball just about everyday and that is definitely exercise.  Sometimes I play a couple of times a day and it can be about 4 hours or more of playing.  I want this to continue, as far as the fact that I am doing some sort of exercise every day.  

3) Eat Better.  I need to be better about eating more of the right foods and less of the junk I like. I love my desserts and chips and especially chocolate but sometimes it's out of control.  And I know I need more veggies and proteins, smaller portions etc so that's what I mean about eating better 

4) Go to Bed w/Kev.  That kind of sounds funny, it's not like we don't sleep together.  lol But what I mean is going to bed when he does instead of staying up watching tv.  It's hard though cause he goes to bed at like 9:00 and sometimes I'm just not ready yet. So this will be something that will really take some effort.

5) Stop Drinking Diet Coke.  This is gonna be hard.  It can be done, I know it can because I e do e it before and one time was for 3 years!! But I love my Diet Coke. I'm not drinking it as much as I have in the past, but I do know I shouldn't be drinking it for overall health reasons.  

6) Make a Weekly Menu.  This is so helpful to me in so many ways.  I know what I am making each night for dinner instead of trying to figure it out when it's time to eat. I know what I need from the grocery store for each day.  And it makes me feel organized. lol

7) Blog More Often.  I love having my blog but I don't like that I have huge gaps in between posts.  So I want to post more often and keep it up to date.  I enjoy it more that way.  

8) Organize my Bedroom Closet.  I feel like I'm not utilizing some of the space in there. I need to move things around but it takes time. Plus I have my filing cabinet in there and sometimes I just pile stuff on it instead of filing it right away. 

9) Stay on Top of Opening Mail.  Ugh....this drives me crazy.  I let it pile up and the pile just gets bigger and bigger and then takes a lot of time to go thru it and that's how the piles also end up on top of filing cabinet.  I finally open the mail and then do t want yo spend more time putting it all where it goes. 

10) Do Charity Work/Volunteer.  I have nothing specific in mind, but I do feel like I need to make an effort to help others or help organizations in some way.  One thing is even to regularly give blood, or help Alicia in her classroom. But there is so much out there that I could do. 

11) See/Talk More to My Sisters.  Sometimes there is way too much time that goes by that we talk or see each other.  I can understand not seeing Janet and Diane cause they are so far, but I can talk to them or FaceTime them.  Then Mary and Barbara are o lay on the other side of town and we barely see each other or even talk.  This needs some work and effort on my part for sure.  

12) Be Better at Cleaning.  I overall do clean somewhat regularly, but the stuff I don't like to do need to be done more often.  Baseboards, Windows, Fans, you get it.  It's funny I thought it would be different being a new house and all but I still hate doing that stuff, old house or new.  lol

13) 

14)

15)

16)

17)

So I still need to come up with more to complete the 17 for 17, but this is a start.  But I'm sad to say that here it is April and I've barely worked on any of these.  I want yo get better at this stuff for sure.  

Undoing Christmas

I love when the house is all decorated with all kinds of Christmas decorations.  This year we had a live tree for the first time in I don't know how long.  Kev had said he wanted to start a new tradition and cut our tree down every year.  So we got a permit and went up on the rim and found our perfect tree.  It was a fun day, and as hard as it was to use a saw to cut it down and get it set up in the stand and then hang all the lights and get the decorations on, it was worth it.  We are already talking about doing it again next year and even have friends that want to join us!! 

Not only did we have our main tree, but I also put up two other trees.  An ASU tree and a snowman tree.  

So when all the trees are gone it always seems so empty.  I'm sitting here looking at some other things I need to put away.  Our holiday paintings.  Alicia and I have been to several paint nights and we had the chance to do a few different ones.  Here's some that are currently around the house.  

It will look so bare without them, without everything all around the house.  But it sure looked good when it was all out.  Until next year, Christmas is put away....almost.  

It's a New Year

Hard to believe a new year has begun.  As of two days ago we have been in our new house for a year. It's been a year, I can't believe it.  It's funny cause Kev and I continually have the conversation about how much we love our new house.  How we don't miss our old house.  Of course we love all the memories we made in that house but where we live now came at a perfect time in our lives.  We love where we live, we love the community and love that we are making new friends.  It's also been great that we have found an activity that we love doing together too.  Until we moved here we had no idea what Pickleball was and now we are so addicted to playing as much as we can.  We did 5 tournaments in 2016 and have more coming up in this new year.  It's fun and we love playing together. Well.....I know I do, hopefully Kev feels the same lol. 

This new year will also be a great year for Kev.  He has just finished working his last Christmas at the Post Office.  It's really exciting, he's retiring April 1st!!!  No more getting up to go to work is going to be here soon.  He will then be getting up to go play Pickleball every morning like I do.  He's so excited that the end is so close.  I am too, it will be awesome having him here all the time.  Plus I really think he will feel so much better all the way around.  These last few years have been so hard.  Every summer it just seems to get hotter and hotter, plus the post office just gets harder and harder to tolerate.  He's ready.  32 1/2 years is long enough.  

He was giving me that "why are you taking my picture" look lol

So usually on the first of the year I try to decide what my resolutions or goals are going to be for the new year.  I've been giving some thought to some different things I think I should work on but more or less still thinking about it.  As always, working on losing weight is on the top of the list.  But all this will be for another post.  For now, it's a new year and I've finally written a new post for my blog.  It's been way too long.