2010 Goals

It's that time of year again. Time to decide to quit things, time to make resolutions to change or improve. It's January. There's freeze warnings throughout the East Coast. Man, if it weren't for tomorrow being Bailey and Cooper's birthday I think I could honestly say that I hate January.

You see I made not so much a list of Resolutions but a list of 'goals' for 2010. I tried when thinking of my resolutions to be reasonable and make goals that were attainable. For instance I would love to quit biting my nails and I have stopped for months at a time but I always start back up again so I just left it off the list. No reason to let this year get off on the wrong start. I also thought of adding 'grow hair back that I have lost' but I don't really know how to get back all the hair I have been losing since I had Sean. I don't know if I am deficient in something or if it is normal to lose seven hundred pieces of hair each morning in the shower but I know one can not resolve to just grow back their hair because my husband would not be balding if that were the case. So realistic and attainable, that was the aim.

So here they are in no particular order. (You may notice a certain theme.)

1. To take training more seriously. I vow to run 15 miles a week or 60 miles a month throughout 2010, meeting an overall goal of breaking 700 miles for the year. This goal will require running approximately four times a week. So I must also resolve my issues with the monster, I mean treadmill in the basement. It is after all below freezing in these parts and will be all week.

2. To run a 5k in under 25 minutes. Sure I would like to do it in less than 24 or 23 minutes. But I want goals that are attainable for this year. If I reach 25 minutes than I can make more goals but for now I would like to come in under 25 minutes.

3. To work more with Bailey and Cooper on letters, numbers and colors. Their brains are in the sponge state and we must take advantage of this period. In a few short years they won't be listening to anything I tell them and will refuse that an apple is an apple even if it most obviously is, we must make the most of this time.

4. To reboot the Thomas' financial goals and plans and get savings back on the priority list. 'nough said.

5. My most lofty goal. I would like to run a half marathon this year. The half marathon I have in mind is in September so I have nine months to train for it and if I keep with goal number one it shouldn't be any trouble but I am still nervous about this one more than the others. I will save the 26.2 for 2011. I also want to do the Virginia 10 miler but it falls after the half marathon and if I can pull off the half I don't think the 10 miler will be unattainable.

6. To cook more meals at home and eat out less. This one may actual be harder for me than running the half marathon.

7. To train with and compete with the rest of East Coast Madness in two adventure races this year.

I know things like cutting out refined sugars and sweets in general should be on my list but it isn't. Instead I have started a new blog(read: Yes, I am truly crazy) and have been baking up a storm and am enjoying every moment of it. Also, it makes me want to run more.

I have high hopes for this year.

I'm Coming Out

Because I want the world to know, my name is not really June. It is Alexis. Most of you may have gathered that by now probably but it is with frustration that has been building for years that I tell you my name. Alexis. A-L-E-X-I-S, not Alex.

For years and years, from school to work and now as you could possibly tell from the ultrasound the doctors office, people have been shortening my name for absolutely no reason that I can see to Alex. When I was growing up my family called me Lexi or Lex and that is how most people who knew me before high school know me. It's actually pretty interesting to me, you can tell who has known me longer by what they call me. My sister still calls me Lex informally. This is a nickname I was given, it's dear to me, Alex on the other hand just irks me to know end and I can't even really explain it.

It started to really bother me when strangers at the grocery store where I first worked would want to be formal with me and use my name, but then completely ignore the last two letters of my name. I could never understand if they couldn't pronounce it or they just had it in thier minds to give me what they may have thought was a popular nickname for my first name. I didn't appreciate it. And dozens of people did it over the course of my career in retail. I hated wearing a name tag. I thought of changing my name.

Maybe it's because Alex sounds like a boy name. I just know I hate it. It seemed rude. But it continued in college where I was often called at the beginning of the semester as 'Alex' or professors in my smaller classes would ask if I wanted to be called 'Alex'. Is Alexis such a strange name? At my high school and college graduations my name was botched by the person calling out diplomas and degrees. At my high school graduation they said Alex and tried to cover it up with the -is, making a long drawn out mess of my name. I just rolled my eyes. In college it was actually my middle name. Instead of Aileen they called me Eileen. Maybe it's where I live, maybe people have a hard time with pronunciation, but it really drives me up the wall.

I know it shouldn't bother me and I have mostly come to laugh at how my six letter name so easily gets said incorrectly but sometimes if the dog tore up the trash that morning and I burnt my morning toast a small thing like 'Alex' can just ruin my day.

I am so sensitive about it that I can't stand spelling or saying someone elses name wrong. For a few years I was spelling my neices name wrong before someone finally brought it to my attention, I was mortified. It's just not my style. Sorry Haley.

So if you want to call me or email me or send me flowers, that would be great, but for my sake please keep the -is.

36 and counting, at least some of us are.

Last night we went to Target as we'll probably do at least four times a week until January 1st, when we will ground ourselves from going out shopping. We have decided to make gift baskets for the harder to shop for people on our list so we were strolling through the Christmas isles when I saw a sign that said 36 days until Christmas. At first I thought that seems like a lot of time, and then I thought about all of the things to do between now and then and I just know it will fly by.

It always seems like the really good stuff just flies by, you have to be really focused to catch it. I can't count how many days and hours I have put into an event for the party to last a measly 3 or 4 hours, it hardly seems worth it except that the party is usually so good and the memories so warm that I do it all over again the next time. My point is, that those 36 days are probably going to fly by, especially with Bailey and Cooper around.

This morning I turned on a Christmas Music Radion Station on Rhapsody and have been listening all day as I play with the kids, bake Banana Bread and address Cookie Exchange Invitations. Ward came home at lunch and said, "No, not already." He meant the music, not the holiday. I love music anyways, but Christmas music is just a nice background noise to keep me merry and festive for the next 36 days, poor Ward. I am, of course, working on a Christmas Playlist, so if you have any suggestions, send 'em my way.

I feel silly going on and on about Christmas, but it's already in the air, and it's my favorite time of year. So unfortunately for you, dear readers, I fear it will be a lot about Christmas between now and January, when it will be all about First Birthday Parties. Speaking of parties, this year we actually have a couple of parties we're invited to, I am looking forward to parties at somebody elses house!

Happy Columbus Day?

I figure what better way to salute the man who accidentily stumbled across this great land of ours than to give you a few exerpts from his journals and letters back to Europe.

Of his first encounter with "Indians":

"They brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things,

which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded

everything they owned. They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome

features. They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a

sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignoragnce. They have

no iron. Their spears are made of cane. They would make fine servants. With fifty

men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want."

And:

"As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some

of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information

of whatever there is in these parts."

Consider these facts, reported by Spanish missionaries of the time.

In two years, through Murder, Mutilation, or Suicide half of the 250,000 Indians on Haiti were dead.

In the first twelve years of Spanish Colonization the population of the island of Hispaniola was reduced by almost Three Million, due to "war, slavery, and the mines."

"While I was in Cuba, 7,000 children died in three months" from starvation. - Las Casas

Just a little History to think about on this Columbus Day. Have a nice day.

-Ward

The Good and The Not So Good

My finger continues to bleed with every new bandage application and hurts...not so good.

The weekend is over, meaning no help with babies tomorrow, see above...not so good.

Yesterday I went shopping at the Gap and got $207 worth of clothes for $42 for the kids...pretty good.

It's hard to type with a big bandage...not so good.

I got $50 back in Amazon gift cards for using my amazon card, that's several new books...I'd say that's good.

Cooper is standing, without support...GREAT!!!

More banks expected to fail this year...not so good.

Tina Fey...hilarious.

Bailey and Cooper are 9 months old today...good and not so good.

Sorghum Festival...good.

$5 parking...not so good.

Saturdays...good.

Monday mornings...not so good.