A year in review

2014 was a pretty amazing year for me. It's going to be a hard one to top. I guess I'll go ahead and make a list since that's what everything is about these days.

My favorite things about 2014...
1. My new job. I started working at Flint Hills Resoures in May as an Environmental Engineer. I love it. They encourage me to use my brain and welcome new ideas. The pay is pretty aweome, too.   ;)

2. My first muscle-up. So awesome.

3. New family members: Bella, Chevy, Mr. Johanssen, Sally, and Sapphire.

4. Can finally do hand stand push-ups.

5. Lack of tragedy. Despite what you may hear from Shane, there were no real tragedies in our family this year. (Teenagers acting like butt-heads is an unfortunate reality, not so much a tragedy).

6. WhiteCap CrossFit. We have made some awesome friends through our box and are so happy to have a place where the whole family can go to workout and socialize. The members are our support group and we love 'em.  Melody and Lulu have a special place in my heart.

7. Diving. The girls took up diving lessons this year, and it has been so fun to watch their progress every week.

8. My first Paleo Challenge. I started out the year signing up for an 8 week challenge at WCCF. I took it very seriously, lost some serious inches, won 1st place, and most importantly, got used to cooking every single meal. Meal prep has really eaten into my "free time," but I now how important it is, and I can feel good about what I put on the dinner table every night for my family.

9. Got my L-1

Looking forward...
I have never been one to set New Year's resolutions. I'm just not that person. But I do have a few goals for 2015.

CrossFit goals:
1.clean and jerk my bodyweight (I thought I got this one last year, but realized my math was wrong. Bummer).
2. Join the 300 club for my deadlift.
3. Get a ring muscle-up

And that's about it. I'd like to blog more often since facebook is turning into a huge joke. But I'm not going to hold my breath on that.

2013

It's the last day of 2013. Actually, the last few hours. I rarely update this anymore, which is sad, because it serves as a really good record. I use Facebook, but I can't go back and look up old stuff like I can on this blog.

Overall, 2013 was a good year. I ended the year 10 pounds lighter than it began. I discovered CrossFit and can now do things I never though possible: pull-ups, pistol squats, handstand holds, 250 lb. deadlift, etc. I gained a lot of new friends as a result of CrossFit. I feel amazing. I have so much confidence. I love my husband, but i don't NEED him. My sewing skills improved. I cooked more healthy meals. I never got sick, which I attribute to daily exercise and grapefruit intake. I started a VERY small sewing business which I hope to turn into my full-time career. 

My family has also had good fortune this year. Shane finally got a good job working with the state (and with me!). Chloe and Leyla have done great in school and swim lessons. Sissy started driving. Dylan finally realized I'm not evil. Mom and chuck came to visit us, and then the girls and I got to visit them. No one in my family passed away this year.

Really, it was a good year. I hope 2014 is just as good! I'm looking forward to more PRs and getting that elusive muscle-up this year!

Here's a pic from Jan 2013 and fall 2013.

Progress

Since Shane I met four years ago I have gained approximately 30 pounds. Which is particularly frustrating because I worked so hard to lose those 30 pounds after giving birth to Leyla.

So four weeks ago I joined a contest to help motivate me to change my ways. I've always been good about exercising but not so great about my eating habits. I thought I was doing pretty well but the fact that I was exercising so much and still carrying around so much fat in me realize I needed to fix my diet. So I started focusing on eating clean. If I can't easily pronounce an ingredient in the food then I will not eat that food.

So I've been paying very close attention to what I'm eating and when I'm eating it and have also stepped up my exercise. And you know what? It's working. Here
is a four week progress photo. The black bra is four weeks ago and the yellow bra is a couple days ago.

This last week I've hit a plateau. But looking at these photos makes me realize how much I've accomplished in four weeks and how much more I can accomplish in the next four weeks as long as I don't give up. I'm going to win $50,000!

2013

I'd like to preface this post by stating that this will not be a very positive post. At all. So if you're looking for feel-good photos and stories, look elsewhere.

Yesterday I tallied up all my credit card debt. It was bad. I have not received child support since mid-November, and there's no light at the end of the tunnel in that regard. Shane's ex-wife "bought" their son a car for this birthday. After Dylan wrecked the vehicle, she could no longer afford the car payment and the insurance, so guess who got stuck with the car payment? That's right, Shane did. I tried to finally be a big girl and pay for my own auto insurance (I've been on mom and Chuck's policy since I was 16), and apparently my timing was bad. I thought I could handle it because I was due for a decent pay raise. Well, the pay raise takes care of the complete lack of child support, but does not take care of the auto insurance and extra car payment we've been stuck with.

Typically, when Miguel stops working, I make up the difference on credit cards, and then when I get my tax return, I pay off all the debt. Since we got married last year, I used a good chunk of the tax return to pay for the wedding, and only paid down part of my debt. So this year, my debt is worse, and since we're married, it appears as though I cannot file my taxes without adding Shane in. I've started my taxes, and tried to file without Shane and I cannot get the deductions/credits I need to get a decent return. Shane hasn't filed taxes in two years (how do I always end up with men who don't do their taxes???) and being single those two years, he owes money. So if I add him into my taxes, any return we may get is going to get eaten up in his back taxes. Effing awesome.

I don't have any raises in the future. I'm terrified that I may have to start paying back my student loans this year. Shane will be off salary at the car lot and on commission this month or next. After nearly three months of working at the Infinity lot, he has yet to sell an Infinity. So this worries me. It's hard to make commission when you're not selling anything. Hopefully tax return season will boost business.

I'm also worried because our 1-year homeowner warranty is up. I wanted to renew it, but I don't have $100 a month to do so. Our dishwasher is starting to make weird noises. The washer won't do a high spin anymore, so the clothes are soaking wet. The dryer won't work on high setting. The oven door doesn't shut all the way. The bottom drawer on the oven keeps falling off. The facing on the cupboards is falling off. Half the buttons on the microwave don't work.

The bottom line is this: I'm very worried about the financial aspect of 2013. But I'm glad that I have a loving, supportive husband and so thankful that my children are alive and well. It's not the end of the world if creditors starting calling, but if I lost one of them, that pretty much would be the end.  

Thanksgiving

Lots of people on Facebook posted a daily "I'm thankful for..." post all through November. Since I'm such a cool hipster and avoid anything "trendy," I did not participate; however, in my mind, I intended on posting a good Thanksgiving post on the holiday. But Thanksgiving was kind of a crappy day. Sometimes your day is just kind of crappy. Thanksgiving was one of those days. Actually, November and October were just kind of crappy months.

But that's all behind me now, and I want to write about that I'm most thankful for, and mostly likely in no particular order.

-My family: All of them. I love everyone in my near and immediate family and I just wish that more of them would move down here! (and that one is number one)

-Education. I'm so thankful that I was raised to value education and for the opportunity I had to attend college and earn my degree. It's already paying off, and I love that I can answer so many of my children's questions right off the top of my head and know that I'm not feeding them a load of BS.

-My talents. I really do have a lot of talents, and I'm thankful for my ability to sew, create, draw, play piano, bake... and other stuff.

-Pets: I love my kitties and dog so much. I love the neighbor's kitties. Life without pets is simply no way to live, in my opinion.

-Music. I may be a bit of a music snob, but I love good music.

And right now I have to go potty. This is better than nothing, I suppose.

She's an artist

I hope I never have to try to explain this child t anyone. If I do, I'm pretty sure if I just tell that person, "she's an artist," it'll all make sense.

I wanted to google tips for raising an artist. But I thought I may end up with tips on how to force your child to be an artist. That's not what I want. I want advice on how to raise a person who is obviously an artist and properly deal with all that goes along with being an artist without stifling creativity.

Everything she sees is a canvas. Every acorn, bead, and flower on the ground is a treasure. She is a piece of work.

Just thinking

There are not a lot positive things I can give Miguel credit for; however, I have been thinking about one recently. When I found out I had somehow managed to get pregnant within 6 months after having Chloe, I panicked. To be honest, the option of abortion or adoption crossed my mind immediately. I told Miguel I was pregnant and asked him "what are we going to do?" He told me that we would have the baby and wonder how we had ever lived without it. And he was right. Everyone loves Leyla so much. I'm so glad Chloe and Leyla have each other. They insist on sleeping together, and I know that won't last, but I love how they depend on each other. I didn't "plan" either one of my children, but they are such a blessing and have made me a better person.