Note to Self

If there has been one thing I have learned this week, it's that setting up IKEA furniture by yourself at 1:00am is never a good idea. ever.

I am officially getting married in three days and I think I'm on the verge of losing my mind. Between not feeling well and having a million things to do wedding related and not... it's made for a very stressful week. I have a ton of blogging to catch up on as well. Wedding stuff, nursing stuff, life stuff. 

I think it will all have to wait though... for now my "to do" list has been drastically shortened to only the bare necessities.

The weekend after I get married, my mom gets married (definitely a blog post on that is needed too).
Then, the following week I leave for Costa Rica with the girls from my work!

So all that to say... I have officially decided to go on a blog break. Not for long but probably until the end of February. I need to take some time to survive the next few weeks and then to settle into being married. Crazy!

Hope you all are doing well and I promise that when I return the posts will be well worth the wait!

<3

Fresh Start

Image Credit

There is something wonderful about the new year. I'm not one to necessarily buy into the whole resolution thing but I do love the idea of a fresh start. It's a chance to take a look around and figure out what things can stay and what must go. I have decided that twinkle lights have made the must stay list. I just love the way they did this room. I even love the paint color and funny enough... I have that exact photo hanging above my bed as well.

I have been craving more nature these days. I want fresh air. I want less clutter. Fewer things to suffocate my surroundings with. I guess that's the great thing about moving. You get to throw away all of the things you don't need or don't use. That's the only redeeming factor of saying goodbye to the holidays too. Less chaos... healthier eating. Life settles back to normal and you get to re-evaluate a bit. Make some decisions about how you want this year to be.

This year is going to be a year of change for me. I get married in less than a month! I am getting back into running again and am even starting to sign up for races in the spring. 5k races to start with and building back up to running half marathons eventually. Back to basics for now. In the spring I start school again. I will be doing a lot of traveling this year. Costa Rica, Boston, New York and hopefully Dallas. 

It will be good. This year will be good. I feel like if I say that enough and believe it... it will happen. 

Here's to positive thinking and a chance to have a fresh start.

What about you friends?

What things are you looking forward to this new year?

2011 Recap

January: Settled into my relationship with Chris and jumped into marathon training. Had the best running month of my life and felt great.

February: Traveled to Ireland and Lebanon!

March: More marathon training, overcoming some really tough long runs. Had a wonderful baby shower at my house!

April: One year blog anniversary! More running... almost at the 26 mile mark for my long runs. Ran an awesome half marathon with my BFF Bethany.

May: Ran my first 26.2 miles and got a PR during my training run! Worked a lot and realized just how hard it can be to balance life, relationships, running and work.

June: Ran TWO marathons! One in San Diego and one in Seattle.

July: Ran my third and final marathon of the year (and possibly of my life) and became a MARATHON MANIAC! Dealt with the craziness of July in the ICU (aka brand new docs... fresh out of med school)

August: Celebrated my 27th birthday! Had a patient die and was more devastated by it than any other time in my nursing career.

September: Went to Texas for the first time ever to visit my girls.

October: Began studying for the CCRN. Had a bridal shower at my house for my BFF Jen :)

November: Got engaged! Celebrated Thanksgiving with Chris and his family in Arizona. Passed the CCRN exam!

December: Moved into my new house. Picked a wedding date! Celebrated Christmas with Chris and his family and my family too. Made the coolest Christmas fort ever.

2011 has been a big year for me. I'm excited to see what 2012 has in store.... 

Happy New Year Friends!