Half-way

The great news is

I ran a half marathon

on Thanksgiving.

Almost one year to the

day that I started

my journey towards a 5k

I way surpassed it.

I rock.

I don't rock enough

to do a marathon.

I more than likely never will.

13.1 was plenty for me.

Now for the 

2012

goal reconciliation.

I am using the sandwiching

technique here.

You know

good.

bad.

good.

FAMILY

1. Read scrips every day. 

(probably received a D grade here)

2. Do good every day. 

(we are pretty good at doing good but still need work)

3. Be quiet. 

(royally failed)

PERSONAL

1. Run four 5k's. (keep running 3x wk) 

(YES I rocked this one. I did 5 official 5k's and ended off with the half

and ran 3 times per week over 90%, only missing when sick or on vacation)

2. Read 54 books. 

(At this point I have 40 books, 20 of which are children's which I just added to make me not look so pathetic. In my defense, I take Caroline to the library weekly and usually read at least 20 books to her every week. 

My i-phone has ruined my good reading habits. Dang words with friends.)

3. Weigh 180 or under. 

(190 - Lost 40 pounds this year. 

Quit counting calories sometime this summer. 

Big mistake.

Need to get back to it.)

4. Attend temple monthly. 

(I think I only missed one month but I went twice another month)

5. Plan a family camping experience. 

(Oh yeah, we went to Coral Pink Sand Dunes when it was cold enough to snow last Spring. 

Talk about a camping experience no one will forget.

We also experienced Arches this summer 

when it was windy enough to blow us off the Delicate Arch.

Nothing like the elements to teach

your kids about the outdoors.

I rocked in this area.)

7. Dailies. (scripture study, prayer, service) 

(sucked it up -

but I did make progress in the fact

that I have decided that I am not going to do these things out of guilt anymore

but I am praying for a pure desire to want them in my life -

well, when I pray.

In my defense, I have been dealing with some major stuff this year

my nephew's death, a hard miscarriage,

and the trials brought on by some very loved addicts in my life)

8. Be still and quiet. 

(Did really well with this just need to be better about including God in this time)

9. Go back to college. 

(I plan to apply to BYU for Spring, probably won't get in, 

but hopefully I will be going to BYU or UVU starting this summer)

10. Stay under budget. 

(I still am not perfect here but I have really made a ton of progress. 

Although LG would tell you otherwise.

Once again in defense,

when I have gone over budget

it really hasn't been in a 

retail therapy way but

in the everything is too expensive

and we have 4 kids way.)

11. Go to bed & wake up w LG. 

(I did super impressive all the way up to summer which ruined me. 

Starting again in Fall I have gotten up every morning 

to make my kids a good breakfast. T

hat is a huge improvement for me. 

Running has given me more energy, 

combated my depression 

and has somehow magically lessened my need for sleep)

12. Show love and compassion. 

(Still need to work on this every day. 

I am just naturally judgmental. 

I am constantly reprimanding myself.)

13. Bond with the girls. 

(I've spent a lot more quality time with them 

and have made it a point to support their dreams.

I've personally sacrificed for their extra-curriculars.

And a trip to Disneyland doesn't hurt me here.)

Overall,

I would give myself

a C grade

but an A for effort.

I consistently checked in

with myself on my goals all year.

I am enjoying having this

accountability to the blog.

Always

half-way

to

perfection.

And that my friends

is

a

glass

half

full.

Book Review: The Woman He Married

The Woman He Married by Julie N. Ford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this book after reading the sequel "No Holly for Christmas." I had no idea that this book existed when reading the other or I would have done it the other way around.  I prefer to read in sequential order. However, reading in the wrong order actually didn't take anything away from either book, they are that loosely related, especially in the story-line.

"No Holly for Christmas" focuses on Josie's x-boyfriend Brian, and this book focuses on Josie. Even though Julie Ford warned me that her second book seemed to have better reviews, I equally enjoyed both books. There wasn't the mystery in "The Woman He Married" like in "No Holly for Christmas", but both books have something different to offer.

This book was a great read for me. It focused heavily on Josie's conflict between being a good mom and pursuing her legal career, a storyline in which every mother out there can relate. I personally enjoyed Ford's exploration of Josie's troubled marriage. It's no wonder to me that she wrote with the perspective of a former marriage and family therapist. In fact, that is the the second best thing I appreciate about Ford's writing. She writes smart. She knows her stuff, especially interpersonal relations.

The thing I love the most about Ford's writing is her humor. It is subtle, but it's in there. For instance, here is one of my favorite lines from the book describing Josie's solution to throwing a dinner party at the last minute: "Relgious or not, at that very  moment Josie was pretty sure there was a god, and that God wanted her to go to Costco." Any mother with more than one child completely gets that line and finds it to be the best kind of humor: honest.

Once again Julie Ford left me a true fan. I'm glad we are facebook friends now so I can be sure to know of and buy a copy of every one of her future books.

View all my reviews

Happy December

Sophia's drawing was chosen

as the December feature

in her elementary school

calendar.

It makes me smile

every time I catch a glimpse

of it

hanging on my fridge.

It also makes me smile

that we live in a state

famous for its

awesome snow.

How to do Disney

LG and I are not vacation planners.
We like to fly by the seat of our pants,
which means our vacations usually amount to
a weekend camping trip here and there.

But our kids wanted to go to Disneyland,
and we had the money to accommodate their wish.
So we delved into the world of Disney.
We did really well for beginners
thanks to the help of our friends
and my Disney-fanatic sister.

I thought it would be a great thing
to post a tutorial for any families
who want to do Disney in the future.

Here are the photos,
they wouldn't save from my phone
without publishing them.
I don't have time
to write the tut right now
but I will come back and do it later.