We were the victims of the Polar Vortex. Polar Vortex. Who came up with that?
I got a call from a neighbor saying that water was running down our driveway and she didn't think that was normal.
Neither did I.
By the time my father-in-law got there, he said water was coming out of the front windows onto our front porch. This is where I left work "supa fast".
Thankfully there wasn't that much damage. Since there were so many victims of Polar Vortex, this happened on a Thursday but no one could get out to our house until Saturday. Hubz and I moved out all the furniture and ripped up the carpeting and padding. Now we are waiting on the insurance company to see how nice they want us to fix the room up.
I wanted new flooring but I was good with waiting.
2013 was not the greatest year I've had. I am grateful that we made it through it relatively healthy and happy but I'm still glad to have it behind us and hope that 2014 is better all the way 'round.
There are things about myself that I'd like to change in 2014, or endeavor to change at least.
Here are the things I don't much like:
1. Disorganized
I am disorganized beyond belief. At my age, which is none of your business, I would have thought I'd have a better handle on things like "where's my junk". It's everywhere. I hate having people over to my house because it's so cluttered and disorganized. I don't want the Beanster to grow up thinking that it's okay to be this way.
And it's not just stuff, it's things that we need to do, get done, or already did. I am always surprised when I look at a calendar and realize I don't have the two or three weeks to work on something that I thought I did and now it's due tomorrow. Or if I do actually do something in advance I can't remember later if I actually did it or not and have to bother others with the question "did I...". I completely forgot I had sent in payment for a field trip for Bean last month and resorted to bugging her teacher the day before to find out for me. That's not cool.
One thing I've done to try and help in this area is to start a home calendar. I printed off this 2014 calendar made by Handmade Home and have put it into a binder. This binder will remain (hopefully uncovered) on our kitchen bar for everyone to access. Everyone as in me and Hubz. I have already sat down with the calendar and filled in upcoming events, written checks for the entire month of January for Bean's activities, and placed frequently used forms that we use for her school in the front pocket. I will try to get some stamps and extra envelopes in there soon, too.
2. Unhealthy
Both Hubz and I are unhealthy. We do not exercise unless you call college football trash talking "exercise". He roots for the Georgia Bulldogs and I occasionally root for the Oregon Ducks. Yes, I know it is strange for someone that hates birds so much and yet I root for a team with a bird mascot. To be honest, I don't like them because they are the Ducks, because they are from Oregon, or for any one player. I probably can't even name one Duck player really. I root for them because they change their uniforms every week. Show me a girl out there that can't get behind that idea and I'll show you a girl that needs to have her girl card revoked. Anyhoo...
We be outta shape unless you count round as a good, healthy shape.
I have already signed myself up for 3 virtual races in January, one for February and one for March. What is a virtual race you say? It is a race that you sign up for online and usually there is an entry fee that is donated to a charity. Most races have a specific time you have to complete your run, or in my case walk, and you are required to either post a picture of yourself on the run or submit your times using an app like MapMyWalk.
I have also signed both Hubz and I up for The Color Run in Atlanta in April. I am very excited about this one.
We still need at least two more folks to complete our team so if you're interested, please let me know. I hope we have a blast doing this.
I have just found out that I have a touch of the vertigo. I can't tell you how not fun this has been. So far it has not stopped me from getting out of bed but it has been pretty scary when I'm driving. I also found out that my heart rate is high. After spending a few days checking this, it runs between 105-107. I am told that normal for a female is in the 80 range. Mine is only near that range right after I get up each morning. My family on both sides has histories of heart disease so I want to try to get this lowered. I have an appointment with an ENT and hopefully these races will help with the pulse.
3. General cleanliness
A lot of this has to do with the disorganized chaos of our lives. I am a clean person but there are things in my house that I will let go for weeks on end. Again, this is not the legacy I want to give Bean.
I have decided to try and follow along to the tips found on A Bowl Full of Lemons Getting Started page. This weekend I want to try and put a hurtin' on the kitchen and try to rediscover the surface of the counter space. I got a really great gift from my brother-and-sister-in-law and I have no place to try it out so this is a priority. There are a ton of things in the cabinets that need to find new homes.
4. Sticking to plans
Last year at this time I dedicated myself to reading 75 books within the year and completing a scrapbook challenge. I got 40 books read and 1 layout done. Woohoo me!
This year I have signed onto read 40 books in the Goodreads 2014 Challenge and I have also joined the book club at A Bowl Full of Lemons. I would be well on my way to enjoying this book if my car's cd player would eject the old CDs already but it's not budging.
Gee, that sure looks like a long and complicated list. Maybe I should have stuck with something like "give up lima beans". Oh well, I'm gonna give it a go and see what happens. I am hoping to keep myself accountable this year.
Did you make any resolutions? It was the lima bean one, wasn't it?
