Disecting Manipulation

For the past little while, I've been exposed to a person who really likes to manipulate situations. I don't know if this person does it intentionally or if it happens subconciously, but either way its starting to get really really old. As I was talking to my mom about it last night, she brought up the point that maybe this person was doing the things they were doing to control the situation. Or maybe they were insecure. Its a possibility they would be threatened by me (which I still don't understand, I'm not a very threatening person I don't think) and so they would feel the need to tear me down to make them feel better. Or a combination of everything.

This person is not a horrible person. In fact, I really enjoy being around this person. They are kind, charitable and funny, when they want to be. However, I'm not so much enjoying the fact that I've become a target for the not so nice characteristics and this it where the above comes into play. I'm not sure why I have become the target.

I know that during the last couple years I've become a stronger and more confident person. I've truly grown. I have more confidence with the things I do in every area of my life. And I've learned that always fantastic to have skill of "fake it until you make it".

So I wonder...is this person seeing that I am no longer intimidated by them and they don't like it? Or are they realizing that they don't have control over me like they thought they did? Our relationship has goes through waves. We will do really good and get along great and then BAM something happens and I get torn to shreds. Then we will do really good again and something happens and BAM, torn to shreds again. It's coming to the point where I'm not even affected (in the way this person wants anyway) by whats going on any longer. Instead of being hurt and wondering what I did wrong, I now just get irritated and angry. But maybe thats a good thing for me? I'm not letting myself get torn down anymore.

I know this person thrives on people who suck up and stroke their ego, and I have never been the type to do that. If I say something nice or give a compliment, it is because I actually mean it, not because I'm sucking up. So I guess either I will have to learn  how to deal with this somehow, or just do my best not to interact with this person as infrequently as possible. Wish me luck!

Sometimes we just need a reminder....

...........that we are okay. That life isn't a horrible as it seems. That times will get better. And that we will move on. I can't count the number of times that I have told my kids:

"Appreciate what you have! There are people out there who would KILL to have food in their tummies, clothes on their backs, toys to play with...........!"

And then I remember that not even a week ago I was doing the same thing. I was whining and complaining because my life was not going the way I wanted...why couldn't I get a break....why can't I have an easy way out....la de da de da. Then I was reading a blog I've been following (the same blog that gave me the spend less plan) and saw this:

I've taken my dose of humble pie. Who am I kidding....the whole freaking pie. We have a roof (not to mention a nice roof) over our head in a relatively safe neighborhood. We've never had to skip a meal. I've had to figure out how to live on a minimal income more than once, but at least I HAD an income. Now I have a good income and my biggest worry is managing my money. I have the opportunity to further my education.

I'm lucky.

And.....I need to quit whining. I'll work on that. I'm not guaranteeing anything...since I'm sure life will happen and something will toss my little apple cart around. But then I'll be reminded again of how lucky I am too and things will return to a (relatively) normal state. Its the vicious cycle of this life....be happy > go through hard/life changing/miserable trials > learn from those trials > realize your one lucky girl/guy > start all over.


My point: Be happy. Unless your a malnourished child in a 3rd world country who hasn't had a meal or a drink of clean water in days and your lying in some grubby street somewhere on your deathbed due to starvation/illness/etc....you've got it pretty good my friend.

The Missing Picture

Here is the cute missing picture from yesterday. Soo cute :)

Pioneer Day

Yesterday we had the chance to celebrate Pioneer Day. It was a blast. We woke up at 6 am (YES 6 AM) for Nate's first flag raising, which he needed to get the belt loop for Boy Scouts. It was soooo early but worth going . Nate got to ask everyone to follow him in the pledge, which he had a bit of a mix up with but all in all he did great.

After the flag raising, we particpated in the forever old tradition of the 2nd Ward 24th of July Breakfast. It was delicious. And sooo not on my WW plan but worth every point I ate. Absolutely delish.

The parade came next. We went with Grandma, Valena and the girls, and Valena's mom. It was muggy and the floats were about 10 minutes apart but the boys had fun so there ya go.

The boys found their $5 Walmart gift cards they had recieved for various events (Nate for Boy Scouts and Ty from his birthday) and decided to go cash them in. So 2 hours in Walmart later.....Nate came out with a new Tech Deck and Tyler got a new Ninjago Lego set. Both were content, so we went home and I had a nap while they played.

We then went to Grandpa and Grandmas where we had a yummy meal of hot dogs and hamburgers then had a Wii MarioKart competition. Then a movie of Garfield. On the way out the door, the neighbors invited us over to watch their fireworks and they were AWESOME. The big finale was the neighbor guy Jason (who is fearless) blowing flames. He lit a newspaper on fire then sucked in some cornstarch and literally blew flames. It was crazy.

So that was our fun filled day.....worth every minute and a whole lot of fun.

In other news....Friday is the day I sign my new lease and can start moving. I'm sad to leave where I'm at, but the lower rent is going to be worth it. And the pool that comes with the complex will be worth it. I hope that in my quest of downsizing....this will help and we can get back to even ground again. Crossing fingers. 


*And...I had a really cute pic of Ry but I will have to post it later....since my phone is taking 10 years to email it to me. 

**Have a great day!

Monkeying Around

I'm having an insanely busy and frustrating day. Like I wanna knock a couple peoples teeth out and then go home and watch a movie and maybe punch the wall a couple times then cry kinda day. So...I'm limiting this post to my happy spots..which are my boys. That way...I leave my blog for the weekend on a happy note. They cracked me up last night at dinner. Nate was making monkey faces and the rest just had to join...and of course momma had to take pictures to forever capture their goofy side for future blackmailing purposes. Enjoy...and have a great weekend!

Needing a Gratitude Day

Yesterdays post and made me realize I need a gratitude day. So here goes....

Today I am grateful for...

Having a job, when so many people in the country are jobless. It may not be the most glamourous, and it may cause me stress, but I am very happy that I have a job at all not to mention a good paying job that, for the most part, I enjoy.

The opportunity to be able to go back to school and earn my degree. After all the work I've been through to be able to fix my mess up...I will never take that for granted again.

Being able to find an affordable apartment that is nice, has good emenities, big enough to fit my family comfortably, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. As much as I hate moving...the money I will be saving is totally worth it.

A great family who is willing and happy to support me in what I do, encourage me, talk me through my struggles, and just be a listening ear when needed. Truly, I appreciate every single member of my family. I have said it before and I will never stop saying it...without my family I know I wouldn't be able to accomplish any of what I've done. And I know my boys wouldn't be near as well adjusted as they are with everything I've put them through. so thank you my family...I love you all.

My friends. I have only a small handful, and I'm not the best at keeping up with them with the craziness of my life and theirs, however I count them all as blessings in my life and they are there for me when needed. I hope they all know that if they need me, I'll do my best to be there for them too.

My blog friends. Back in the day, I could probably count the number of readers I had with one hand. But I watch my feedjit and see the different places people view my blog from and I absolutely LOVE it. I'm happy that I can write something that people feel is worth reading and I hope that I can give people laughs, help people see another point of view, or just help someone know that other people have the same struggles and they do.

Glitter in the Air

Anyone who knows me knows that I love music. Love it. Music makes me feel, makes me think. Music can make me happy or make me sad. Music can calm me down or pump me up. So many of my feelings are tied to music. This morning my song is Glitter in the Air by Pink. Its beautiful. The lines that speak to me.....

Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands?
Closed your eyes and trusted, just trusted?

Have you ever looked fear in the face and said "I just don't care"?

Have you ever hated yourself for staring at the phone?
Your whole life waiting on the ring to prove you're not alone

Have you ever been touched so gently you had to cry?
Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself if it will ever get better than tonight?
Its only a half past the point of oblivion

The hourglass on the table

The walk before the run

The breath before the kiss

And the fear before the flames

Have you ever felt this way?

These are only part of the lyrics, but they are the lines that jab me in the heart. And for some reason helped me get out of this......

Last night I had a point of....depression maybe? I'm not sure what it was...but it went something like "I am sooo tired of having to work soo flipping hard for everything I want...and really...everything I need in my life."

Since being on my own, I've had to work to pull myself out of a very deep low point I went through for about a year after I seperated. I've had to work at being a better mom, at working job after job to keep enough money coming in to be able to support my family on my own. I've had to suck my pride in and take a trip to loserville to ask for help (which I hate due to my wierd obsession with having to do everything myself and feeling like a total and complete failure if I have to ask for help) and feel like I was/am a huge pain in the butt to those who have helped me...namely my parents. I've had to work at keeping friendships only to have them lost later on. At relationships that I knew weren't right, but I was soo lonely I was willing to grasp on to them until I knew with every fiber of my being they needed to end. I've had to work hard on this chub deal (which isn't going so well) which sounds minor but it truly brings me down that I'm failing. And by far the hardest thing I am emotionally struggling with is keeping myself clean (not hygiene wise, I have no issues showering...church wise). I can tell a HUGE difference between when I got that all resolved...and how I feel today. And it's not a good thing how I am today. I feel like I have a whole lot of dreams and desires...but they are all sooo unobtainable and I'm backsliding at a high rate of speed. In essence...right now...I feel like a complete failure. Is it really worth it to work so flipping hard with only minimal results? I kept thinking last night "Why can't I just have ONE easy out? Just one. One thing to go right and stay right so I can have a little hope that the rest will fall in to place." 

But...then I realized that no matter how much I beg, plead or pray...no matter how much I hate it...I'm going to have to work hard and I will not get an easy out. I'll get little blessings to help along the way and pick me up when I fall...but not carry my entire load so I can have a free ride. And it sucks. And I hate it because I'm soooo exhausted and ready to just give it all up. But...if I don't do this (meaning all the stuff I'm working on right now) for myself then it won't get done. Not to mention everything that happens to me is directly tied to my kids...and I really don't have the money to pay for the therapy I'm sure they already need so I gots to try not to make it any worse. So I'm pulling myself up by the boot straps. And focusing on the positives that are going on right now, cause there are alot of them. I have just been blinded a little, thats all.

Weekend Festivities

Over the weekend we had quite a fun time. It all started at the Ren Faire. I promised the boys on Friday night we could go to the Reniassence Faire. And that I would let them buy tickets for the inflatables. But not too many. So we got the tickets, They had 3 a piece they could use...la de la. The big bouncy castle was the most desirable one (except to Ty, who wanted to do a Gladiator-esque rock em sock em type of bouncy, but no one would go with him).

It started out with this....(thats the guy tellin Ry its time to get out)

To....

BAM! Before I knew it mothers were going "Oh my gosh!" and I look over to see Ry getting up off the ground with blood dripping everywhere. He had apparently bounced off the step and faceplanted on the ground. What followed was 15 minutes (literally) of absolutely GUSHING blood from Ryders nose and possibly his mouth and a whole crowd of people surrounding us. I of course have nothing to sop up the mess with, but was lucky that some sympathetic moms were around who helped me out with a travel package of wipes and a nurse who told me "I generally mind my own business and don't stop to help...but this is a little kid and you look flustered." She was almost ready to get him to the hospital to catarize something...because blood wouldn't stop gushing. However....after that 15 min of him laying in her nap so that he was even to the ground...if finally stopped.

What mom doesn't get an 'after' shot of their child's bloody nose? Hehe. So needless to say, the inflatables were out of the question for the rest of the evening. My friend was helping with some gaming booths for TURN (a place that assists disabled folks) and the boys got a lot of loot from that. So it was good times. Then it was dinner at Dennys and bedtime for all. An exhausting day for sure. I was worried quite a bit about Ry's nose since it still bled on and off all night.

Saturday, however, he was fine (besides being a bit bored while shopping). 

Its Friday!

I'm excited for the weekend. The household checklist of things to do is going to include:

-Laundry
-Shopping for food
-Getting boxes
-Packing some stuff
-Dejunking some rooms
-I promised boys we could go walk through Renessiance (sp) Fair

Should prove to be an entertaining weekend...or at least a busy one.

In other news....

My financial aid status has been changed to 'financial aid probation' which I think means that I will get aid. However it doesn't show the award about and that makes me nervous. Hopefully the website will update soon!

I was totally gonna say something else and I can't remember what it was. Fantastic. I'll try to remember.....

5 Year Plan

I've been thinking about my life lately (obviously). One of my appointments with my bishop got me thinking too. He asked me where I wanted to be in 5 years. I knew he meant regarding the church and such, but it made me think about the rest of my life as well. I have decided on a 5 year plan. Here is where I want to be in 5 years.

Obviously, if anyone at all follows my post semi-regularly you will know that I am itchin to get hitched. But why some may ask? Not just because I want companionship, but because (even though I know better) marriage means a commitment to me. That the guy will love me and only me. That we will grow old together and have grandkids and such. And be HAPPY! And Ry will have a daddy, something he is lacking right now. And Nate/Tyler will have a good, positive father figure, something they are lacking. But thats only IF we do it the right way. And I want to do it the right way this time. Not because I was pregnant and "had" to. I think that was the reason my marriage failed, he wasn't ready and felt pressured to do it. I'm not making that same mistake twice. Anyway. Wedding bells are part of the 5 year plan.

Graduate! This better be more like a 2 year accomplishment in all reality, but who knows. Anyway...I'm starting at sophmore level so come on, 2 years. Lets kick this degree outta the water and git-r-done! (If I get the financial aid).....((Still waiting to hear on that....grrrr)).

A dream I've had since I was little is to own my own home. It sucks right now because this is the IDEAL time to buy. Rates are at all time lows, Home prices are at all time lows, its harder to get funding BUT the loan products aren't meant to completely kill you a year or two down the road. It truly is the best time to buy. However....my credit is shot. It soo badly irritates me when I teach First Time Homebuyer classes to people who make 1/10th of me (not that I'm super rich but for RD you can qualify for their loans with minimal income) and ask me questions such as "I need money for a lawnmower, fridge, appliances, maintenance issues, etc how am I supposed to pay for all of that? I have to borrow money from friends to buy my cigarettes. I can't afford that stuff." REALLY?! Please don't buy a house if you can't afford routine expenditures. Sigh. Someday I will have my home. Praying it happens within the 5 year plan timeline :)

And more

I think I might start naming these posts the Poop Chronicles. I had to share this little gem. Last night, Ry was REALLY wanting to go pee on the bushes. I'm not sure where he learned this from, but I kiboshed it on the patio and told him he had to go in the actual potty. So that brings us to an hour later. I could totally tell he was stinky (ugh) but we were going to take baths and such within the hour so I just let him be stinky. I know...bad parenting, but pull ups are expensive and I didn't want to use 3 in one night and it drives me CRAZY and I think its gross to put the same pull up on after a tubby, even if it's dry. Don't judge. :)
Anyway.
I'm lounging out, the boys are outside playing, and I hear "Ryder is peeing in the bushes!" I'm thinking "Ah dang please let this not be true, since he was also stinky."
And then Ry comes running in...shorts to his ankles, one side of his pull up completely off his body, the other side twirling around his ankle...and yep. Poop EVERYWHERE. 
No need to say that a shower was in store for that one. Yup, he bypassed the fun tubby and got sprayed off instead.
I really hope that this potty training thing happens soon.

Messes, Gross bodily fluids...and thoughts on the matter

For the last like, year, I've been trying to potty train Ry while not pressuring him and scaring him off from the whole process. However my dear, sweet Nate made sure to let him know that there is a potty monster in the potty just waiting for him to eat him up or attach him or something. I'm still not sure what he all said...but I'm happy daycare caught on. And that explains why Ry has been refusing to go potty. Anyway...so in the mornings and on the weekends I've been letting him be a nudist in hopes that he can potty train. Because no kid would even dream of peeing (or pooping for that matter) on the floor. Right? RIGHT?!

Wrong.

Saturday Ry pulled off his pullup in the morning and was free birding it. Which I was fine with. Until I stepped out of my bed and my foot landed on a damp pair of shorts. Odd I thought. But I still wasn't very coherent so I did my morning whatevers and when I walked back into my room...it smelled like pee. The little bugger had peed on my floor! Then, he dragged me into the potty to show me he had pooped in the potty (Yay! I can forgive the pee incident for that).
So I go downstairs and we are eating breakfast in front of the TV and I smell something funky. Ry had pooped again...however....it was now all over the floor and on the couch. But it was not enough to make me think that was the only place it could've landed. Then I hear "Ry pooped!" from the bathroom and low and behold....the kid had pooped on a pair of my pants in the bathroom. Not in the potty...on the floor. On a pair of my pants. My work pants. (dunno what it is about him finding my clothes to potty on, but do you see the trend?) So I clean that up and while walking through the kitchen step in a little puddle. A little yellow puddle.
And a couple hours later....as I go to sit on the couch....The crack between two of the cushions is wet. And guess what it smells like?
Yup. I tore apart my couch and washed the covers in hopes that I wouldn't destroy my couch or shrink the covers. It didn't. And now my couch looks a BILLION times better and smells like lavender :)

Lesson learned? Yes. No more nudists allowed in my house. Pullups are going to be a requirement from now on. And I PRAY that he will figure this potty thing out soon. I'm tired of dishing out millions of dollars for 10 pull ups.

Making Sacrifices

I've been thinking about sacrifices lately. I remember 2 years ago when I found out I was getting laid off from Convergys/Keybank. I was going to have to figure out some way to live off of roughly $800/mo if I didn't find a new job quick. So...I gave up my cable and internet. I gave up some nice electronics I was paying on. I limited my money down so that if needed, I could manage to actually survive on that $800/mo. Very VERY tightly, but it could've been done. Luckily, I got a good job and I've been a little bit spoiled since then. Granted, I found out that I didn't NEED cable or internet and I never did get those turned back on. However since then, I moved into a much nicer place that increased my rent, I bought a car, etc etc.
Now...I'm back to slimming down. I can't deduct a whole lot, but I'm having to make some sacrifices. I'm moving to a place that will save me $125/mo on rent. That will help substantially. I'm unfortunately going to be giving up Weight Watchers for awhile too, until I can get my budget a little more in line. that $50ish/mo adds up after awhile. And sadly every bit counts. I'm going to truly miss my weekly meetings. I really am. But I won't give up on my weight loss oh no. But I'm just going to have to go at it the cheap route until my money situation evens out.

But all this sacrifice means change is in the air and that is whats most important. Moving will be good for us because it will be like a fresh start in a new ward and new place. Going back to school is exciting for me. I find out next week if financial aid is willing to help me out or not and I'm crossing fingers they will. The meeting with my business advisor went well and my schedule is set for the next couple semesters to get the pre-business classes taken care of. I think it also shows my boys that even in tough circumstances if you really want something, you can achieve it. Always show by example I say.

So...times they are a changing. And I welcome that change. Even if I have to make sacrifices.

Thanks, Updates...and a Great Wedding!

I just want to say thanks for all the great comments I get. I love the suggestions and I do take them all into account! I'm just sorry I can't comment back. I've got to get this thing figured out so I can. Send me some computer knowledge mojo. Someone. Anyone.

I have an appointment with my actual Business Advisor at SUU today to get me on track with school. I also heard back from the financial aid office and I have to submit an appeal form as well as an academic plan that my advisor and I will be creating today at the appointment. We have to figure out the classes I'm going to be taking for the next 2 semesters (the academic plan apparently) and hopefully that will fulfill my requirement to get the pell grant. I'm saying my prayers big time that this all works out. The financial aid dept is apparently not as forgiving as the rest of the school.
And I'm pretty golden with the apartment deal. I qualify income wise, so now all they have to do is run the background check and since I know I'm going to pass that...I think I'm good to go. I have a huge sense of peace about the whole deal, especially where I've been really stressing about my financial situation. I'm excited for this change and I think this is going to be really good for me and my boys.

After being with her boyfriend for a very long time, since way before I met her 3 years ago...my good friend Darlene finally got married last night. And it was beautiful. They had the wedding at the Willow Glen Inn. I had never been there in the daytime before and I'll tell you what, I was missing out. That place is absolutely amazing! So beautiful and peaceful. And of course she was stunning. If I ever get married again, I'm totally incorporating it somehow into things. See this silly post for the details hehe.



My cute boys to end the post.





A Wedding

So do ya'll remember when you were little and would plan your wedding out (obviously talkin to the girls here)? We'll I've been bein' a little bit of a princess and thinking about a future wedding I might have. In fact, attending the wedding yesterday has spurred this post and I figured it would be a fun and silly thing to share. So here goes folks.
My next (and with any luck my last) wedding is gonna go somethin' like this:



Gonna have a super simple dress that doesn't cost and arm and a leg, but makes me feel like a princess :)



Gonna have this place (or one like unto it) be the spot of the wedding





Seriously....this place is amazing. The pictures don't do it justice. I want something to happen here, whether it be a lunch or dinner or just wedding pictures....


And here is my plan. I want things small and simple. Gonna get hitched, and just have a lunch/dinner (depending on the time of day) for family and close friends. No reception, no presents, nothing like that. Just get hitched, spend some quality time with those I love, and be done.
Things I will be splurging on however...

- having hair/makeup/nails done
- a good photographer
- actual wedding/bridal pictures
- a fun honeymoon

So there ya have it folks. The next wedding theme is small and simple, no presents, just good company. Save the date.....when I actually get one. :)

Gotta have faith

So I think everything is finally working out with my... stuff. All my stuff. I had an appointment with the Student Success director yesterday and she gave me some really great information. I'm good to go with school as far as registering and being admitted for classes goes. However, the financial aid is giving me grief. They finally recieved all the paperwork, but when I asked the girl about my academic probation she didn't know quite what to say and just told me to wait for an email from FAFSA with an award amount. So hopefully thats a good sign.... however I'm having a hard time trusting what she said cause I don't think she knew what she was talking about. We shall see. Still crossing fingers. I've also put in my 30 day notice at my current place and its looking promising to move into an apartment complex I used to live in, the Canyon View Apartments. Its not far from my current house so moving should be super easy and it will save me $125/mo on rent. And if I sign a year lease they take off $200 from the deposit. For an 18 mo lease they give you a free months rent. I find out today how it's gonna look. I can only hope things go well but I have a really good feeling about it. The unit is nice, and its roomy and has vaulted ceilings (don't fear family, its not a 3rd story unit like I had before, its in the 2 story building) and it has a pool, exercise place, play yard and billions of kids. And we can have pets should we choose to. I think its going to be a good option. Sucking up my pride and moving out of my nice little townhouse has been hard, but this will be good for me. I'm excited. We shall see how this goes.

The weekend and other things

We had a fantastic weekend. It really was such a great time. Saturday...I weighed in. And gained a pound. But I'm grateful that it was only a pound and not 5 lbs. I honestly...on thinking back...can't remember what we did all Saturday but I know it included shopping and such. Sunday, however...was fantastic. We went to church and my first day at teaching the 7 year olds went fantastic. I am really going to enjoy this calling...even though I have a feeling its going to be for a short time. The boys had a blast as well. After a nice, long nap the boys and I went to Scott and Betsys for a fantastic dinner. Afterwards, some of their neighbors and friends came over and we played lawn bowling (I have no idea how to spell the real name) and had such a good time! I need to purchase that game...its pretty fun. And a good workout! They had a whole lot of fireworks so we ended up lighting them off for about 1 1/2 hrs I think and just had such a fantastic and awesome night. Thanks for inviting us Betsy!
Monday we had a tough go at waking up. But we managed to get up in time to go to the parade. Afterwards we went to the Main Street park and walked around. And let me tell you...they had $1 games that kids could play....and you would think if your paying a dollar to throw a ball or golf, that some sort of small consolation prize would be offered. Oh no. I won't be paying any more money at those things from now on unless there is some sort of consolation prize. Nate's highlight was getting dunked in the dunk tank. We were able to meet up with the family at the park afterwards and had a relaxing lunch. Volleyball ensued and was a whole lot of fun. I got rather sunburnt, but enjoyed myself all the same. The fireworks from the city were fantastic as well...good show firemen!

We had a great weekend but the picture says it all. We are going to have to do a serious sleepfest to recoup but it really was such a fun weekend.

July 1

Ok. Here it goes. I need to get serious about my goals. With my life changing so drastically here in the near future, I REALLY need to get focused. There are specific areas I want to see changed in my life, improved on if you will. So I'm going to be setting up my goals for the rest of the year. And I'm actually going to work at them instead of just fizzling off and letting them go. So keep me accountable folks!
MONEY
Goal 1: Incorporate the Spend Less theory in my daily life. For real. And no excuses or letting it fizzle off.
Goal 2: Save $300 for Christmas.
Goal 3: Not going overdrawn in my account at all.
mini short term goal: have Disneyland money

LIFE
Goal 1: Keep myself worthy for when the right guy comes along (it sounds simple enough...but its not)
Goal 2: Be a better momma to my boys. Play more...turn off the TV and go out and play. And no yelling
Goal 3: Remember birthdays and important dates so that they can be properly recognized
*mini goal: Keep eye open and apply for jobs as the end of this job gets nearer

WEIGHT
Goal 1: Lose 30 lbs by New Years (or more) 
Goal 2: Come to enjoy running. Run at least 4 nights a week. (I do like it, just have to get in the habit again)
Goal 3: Limit eating out and sweet treats to a minimum. Try new fruits and veggies to mix things up

SCHOOL
Goal 1: Get in and assisted financially! (the rest of the goals are dependent on that)
Goal 2: Finish the semester with a C or better in all courses
Goal 3: Never miss a course unless there is a significant/legit emergency

I'm going to do my best to remember these and try to recap on these goals as the months pass. But again... keep me accountable folks!