YEAR IN REVIEW

2013.

where the hell did you go? it was a crazy year for us. what did we do during 2013? let's look at the low-lights, highlights, and review those resolutions of 2013 [how did i do?].

low-lights [let's just get these out of the way...]:

• i had two seizures this year [february and november].
• keith and i both have struggled with family issues that we work really hard at resolving, but find it challenging some days.
• layla is getting older and this makes us sad. we see it in her movements as she struggles with daily activities. 
• and that is it. whew, we are so lucky and thankful for a wonderful year!

 highlights:

• keith got a job at ECU at a clinical instructor for the physical therapy department. he works in one of their out patient clinics and also is active in teaching, mentoring, and research. so therefore, we moved back to greenville [which has always felt like home to us].
• i started writing very semi-professionally. [this means yahoo! sometimes gives me money for the occasional articles i write. but hey, i am published!] 
• i now work at a montessori school as a teacher assistant in a primary classroom and i have fallen in love. 
• MY BROTHER GOT MARRIED!

 

• it was wonderful to return to dowdy-ficklen stadium for almost all of ECU's home games this fall. and we didn't mind the travel to a nearby foe [UNC] to watch a very decisive pirate victory. arrrghhhh!

• we traveled [as usual] to some of our favorite places:  

southport

OBX

asheville

• i started and manage a small online community [blog, facebook, twitter] in order to share my life and story, as well as, to create awareness and educate others about epilepsy. i hope to expand on this greatly in 2014.

• we finished the year with a 5k. probably the most fun 5k in the world. seriously. this has motivated me to run more races!
• and there is no shortage of hockey in our lives [as if!].
• 2013 ended with us already planning out and dreaming up our next big adventures for 2014 [trips, road races, business ventures, community involvement]. we are motivated for 2014!

2013 resolution review:

• stay right. smashed. the foundation of everything i do is centered around "staying right". i almost drive keith crazy with this i am sure. i obsess over our food, our exercise, our sleep - basically anything that is good for us, i want to do it!
• financial responsibility. this was a tough year because of our move and my not working for 5 months. but now that we are more stable, i think we can try this resolution again in 2014!!
• start our own business. you would think when i wasn't working, it would have been the perfect time for this. however, starting a business costs money, which is something we just didn't really have to spare. so again, this resolution wasn't forgotten, it was just put on the back-burner....until now!
• build on resolutions from 2012 [traveling, dreaming, and keep up with correspondence]. DONE. DONE. and kind of done. 2 out of 3 ain't bad? right? ;)

 2013 was a busy, crazy, and unique year for us. we loved it. it's made us stronger, healthier and happier individuals and a much stronger couple.

i am happy and thankful for 2014! it's a new year, time for new beginnings and clean slates. let's do this!

xoxo,
ks

resolutions 2013

it only took me halfway through january to do it, but i'm here. here to share my resolutions for the year. i really wanted to think about what i want to accomplish this year before committing to and sharing with you all. my resolutions are important to me. it's not like i get to february and say, "oh fuck it, not eating mcdonalds was just TOO HARD." nope. i really try to stay committed to my goals. so, without further ado, i present to you...resolutions 2013, in no particular order.

1. stay right. last year we wanted to "get right". and as i shared, we are much "righter" at the start of 2013 than we were at the start of 2012. so, my goal is to continue to stay right. in order to do that i must continue to exercise and eat well. both of which i enjoy. i am in the process of revamping my exercise routine. whereas i love insanity, i think we have loved it so much that we just can't see each other on a daily basis. i need to introduce some other workout friends back into my life. like running, biking and crossfit endurance. i really enjoyed crossfit endurance! so, i think if i can create an exercise plan that is challenging and fun, i will definitely stick with it. plus, we are looking at various races to sign up for in the spring. our goal is to do at least one race a month.
and eating well is really easy for me. i prefer it over processed foods any day. just ask my family. i complain about the "junk" and "garbage" that is in all the food they eat. just this morning i made my own jam from scratch. it was so easy! i told keith that as i learn to make more of my own foods from scratch, it makes me want to buy stuff from the grocery store less. eating well is easy-peasy.

2. financial responsibility. we already are financially responsible in the sense that we pay our bills on time and save money when we can. basically, we live within our means. however, we want to start saving and planning for our future. we want to get out of student loan debt, buy a house and plan our retirement. basically we want to be financially comfortable for whatever life may throw at us. we know in order to do this, we are probably going to have to change the way we live, and initially that may sting a bit. but eventually we won't even notice, except where it counts...in our portfolio. gosh, i sound like such a grownup.

3. start our own business. even if it's just the smallest littlest business that creates extra income for us. we talk all the time about SO many different business ideas. and many do not require a great deal of front-end costs. so it's like...let's give it a try. what do we have to lose? if we do it right, we only have the potential for growth.

4. keep building on my resolutions of 2012.
traveling is in our blood. we don't go many days without day dreaming about our next adventure. so, we'll keep traveling, even if it's only in the great state of NC.
dreaming is something else we love to do. we constantly shoot for the stars in this house. and by doing that it opens doors and opportunities and we've never imagined. we'll never stop dreaming big. and you shouldn't either. it's what keeps us going.
and last, but never least, staying in touch with my family and friends. some days are better than others. but i make a conscious effort to call/text/write as much as i can. because family and friends are what makes this life so sweet! :)

so...there you have it. again, i've made some big resolutions for this year. but they excite me and i look forward to making these resolutions a reality. i'll try to keep you posted. and if nothing else, you'll find out how my year went in december!
what are your resolutions for this year?!

xoxo,
ks

resolution review

last year i gave you guys a short, yet detailed, list of resolutions i wanted to make and keep throughout 2012. before even thinking about what to do with 2013, let's see how 2012 faired...shall we?

1. "get right".  basically we wanted to eat better, sleep better and move better. we wanted to be healthy. i believe my goal was to go the gym 5 days a week. and eating better was a MUST. the long short of it...we are much "righter" now than we were at the start of 2012. however, i am not as right as i'd like to be. what helped us get right was insanity and papa spuds. both which are still a part of our lives. insanity got us moving, really whether we wanted to or not; and papa spuds has us eating better.
i blogged about the start of insanity for us. well it's an insane workout....yet worth every minute. i am actually going to start the damn series over again starting on monday. i must be insane.
papa spuds is community supported agriculture (CSA) or as they call it, an online farmer's market. we have it delivered once a week and up until last month we had the largest box they offered delivered to us. we figured we order as much as we could from them that we need for the week. and they have far more than just fruits and veggies. they have meats, pastas, breads, coffee....we love it! we only downsized due to winter and the produce selection being much smaller. i am certain that once the summer fruits are in full swing again, our box will be too!
so, at the end of the day, i am very happy with the success of this resolution. it was a huge resolution. it was either going to succeed big or fail big. i am glad we succeeded big. and are only looking for more ways to keep getting "righter".

2. learn to roller blade and skateboard. ummmm.....i must have totally forgot that i wanted to do either of these things. i have not once touched my roller blades or my skateboard. well, that's not true. i picked them up to move them when we moved to our new place in june. so, that's something......right? ok, ok. resolution FAIL.

3. continue traveling. we traveled the HELL out of 2012. resolution totally SMASHED. let's see, just where did we go?
to start, our hockeymoon, which included: toronto, montreal, NYC and philadelphia.
asheville, nc for our first anniversary!
litchfield beach, sc for our annual family vacay
charlotte, for many occasions, like checkers games, coldplay concert and to watch the cowboys beat up on the panthers. and it was odd to be in charlotte that much because before this year i couldn't tell you the last time i'd been to charlotte.
greensboro a few times (big shocker). why? why not is a better question.
PA for my cousin Sean's wedding!
and last, but certainly not least...OBX - would there be any doubt?

4. keep in touch with my friends and family better. i would like to say that i have made progress on this. man, life is busy. not that that should be an excuse. but it sure as hell does get in the way of things i want to do. however, i do try my very hardest to keep in better touch with ALL the amazing and wonderful people in my life. i am lucky to have them!

5. never lose sight of my dreams. this may seem like a lofty resolution. i mean, lots of people just give up chocolate bars as a resolution and call it a day. however, if you aren't challenging yourself, then how are you growing as a person? i have big dreams. i always have. i never want to lose sight of them. no matter how busy and crazy life becomes.
i didn't edit any of the last resolution. it's exactly what i wrote down a year ago. it's still just as important to me as it was then. however, it is amazing how dreams change. even in just one year. that is why you always have to keep your dreams on your mind and your eyes on your goals. and then GO AFTER THEM. i know i am. oh, and i am so ok with my dreams changing. and you should too. after all, wouldn't it be weird to have the same dream every night?

so. how'd i do? well, with the exception of that silly roller blade resolution, i'd say i did really well. i am proud of me! i am glad i reviewed this because it motivates me for this year. whether i keep on track with this 5 resolutions, add to them or start fresh; i know i have the motivation, will power and strength to follow through on my goals!

cheers! happy new year!

xoxo,
ks