Many people knew I was training for a marathon last spring, and while probably more than a handful of people had very little faith that I'd actually get there, well you're right, but not for the reasons you probably think...
I was always one of those people who thought it'd be cool to run. I'm what I like to call athletically challenged, but for some reason running just didn't seem like a bad idea. Of course when it came down to actually doing it there was always an excuse. I need shoes, I need work out clothes, I need, I need, I need. But when I got the awesome running shoes and the flexible clothes that embrace a running lifestyle, it really came down to being utterly embarrassed that I was 25 and had no clue where to start.
I joined running-log.com to keep track of all my efforts and was directed to Hal Higdon's marathon training guide. I got a gym membership for the first time in my life and actually used it. I did a 10K and a 5K with decent results considering I'd only had a few weeks to train for each. Then I moved to Pittsburgh and there was another obsticle in my way. Mountains. I think they call them hills here, but I'm from Oklahoma, so they're definitely mountains.
Nate and I found a gym to join here right after the New Year and I began training for the Pittsburgh Marathon almost immediately. I logged runs, followed my schedule, made up playlists to get me through that boring treadmill workout when the weather was bad. My longest runs were always followed by text messages to my closest friends and posts on Facebook bragging about my latest accomplishment.
I completed my 12 mile run, but when it came to my half marathon distance of 13.1 miles, I was unable to get even half-way through. My ankle and left knee were in a lot of pain. I tried walking it out, tried doing some weights and some shorter runs, but even backing off didn't seem to help. We figured it was just too much too soon. Going from no activity to full on marathon training in less than six months is pretty intense. By the middle of March it was obvious I wasn't going to be able to bounce back from whatever this was and finish training in time for the race, so I transferred my registration into Nathan's name.
The next several months were filled with anything besides physical activity while I tried to give my joints a rest. Once July hit I was pretty stir crazy, so we hit the gym doing weights to strengthen up my leg muscles before getting back into running, figuring that's where we'd gone wrong. However, a month later I still couldn't get through a two mile run without a lot of pain in my left knee.
That's when we decided I actually needed to see a doctor. Chondromalacia patellae is what the othopedist diagnosed. Basically the cartillage under my knee cap was irritated because the muscles on the outer side were stronger than those on the inner side and it was pulling my knee cap out of its correct placement. Cure? A few months of physical therapy, which entailed strenghtening exercises, ice, electronic stimulation, and taping of the knee. Oh, and absolutely no running.
So far I'm about six weeks into my therapy and I'm noticing little differences. Of course the exercises are moving the knee cap back into position, which again irritates that cartillage, so until it's in the correct placement, I'm going to continue having significant pain. I continue to walk up stairs one at a time (having been told that stairs are a definite no-no), I don't go to the movies since prolonged sitting in the same position is also uncomfortable, but I have been cleared to ride a bicycle, and I'm not having pain every day.
So the new game plan? Pittsburgh Marathon 2013 hopefully! My physical thereapist says I'm at least half way through my therapy, measuring the movement with each session. She's been increasing the intensity and difficulty of my exercises rapidly, knowing that stir craziness (and well, money) is a definite factor. We've already got a new marathon training schedule in mind; one that is at a very low intensity so as to ease into it this time.
The future is bright. By this time next year, I'll most likely have completed one marathon and started training for a second. I'd really like to do the OKC Memorial Marathon in 2014, but we'll see...
The journey of a freelance model, new found athlete and hopeless romantic
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
30 by 30: My 27th Birthday Update
Earlier this year I made a post listing 30 things I wanted to do by the time I turned 30. With the recent passing of my 27th birthday, I thought it'd be a good idea to update the list, seeing what I've accomplished in the last few months...
- Participate in 6 craft fairs with my crochet stuff
I've done one craft fair. It wasn't very successful, but I did manage to come out in the green. - Don't let others get me down and remember this every day, "You is kind, You is smart, You is important"
This one is still hard, but I'm working on it every day. - Read 30 new books (yes Sabrina I stole this)
I've read 4 new books so far, and I've got 2 others started. (Damn you Harry Potter for trapping me in and making me want to reread you. You don't count!) - Remember the little things and don't fight over money
Another continuous effort, but significantly easier than #2. - Learn Italian or Spanish
- Get 10,000 fans on my Facebook model page
I haven't worked on this much, seeing as my modeling is at a hiatus, but I am up to a little over 1200 fans. - Run a marathon
I was halfway through training last spring and had to quit. A later blog post will reveal those details. - Remember to send out birthday/anniversary cards to my family/closest friends without them being late
I've actually done a pretty good job of this one. I've sent out more than I ever have, and only one or two have actually been late. - Join a crochet/scrapbook/women's group (or 2) here in PA
- Continue learning how to fix my '71 Camaro by myself
I learned how to fix the secondary fan attached to my radiator and I will soon be learning how to touch up small paint chips and surface rust. - Reach 300 blog followers
So far I have increased my followers from 3 to a whopping 8, but with so little blog activity, that's not surprising. - Have an official date night at least twice a month
We have an official date night once a week! - Fill the 4 journals I have sitting on my bookcase
I'm half way through the first one; my journaling took a vacation around the same time my blogging did. - Crochet 4 afghans
I've finished two afghans, and am over halfway through with my third. I've also done a 3x3 baby blanket. - Be old fashioned "pen pals" with my Grandma and Sabrina
I continue to do this. - Build a clientel for my hair styling work
Still working on this one, but as long as I'm a stylist, there's always room for my book to grow. I'm off to a good start. - Volunteer at a soup kitchen or nursing home
- Take enough pictures to fill my two Christmas/Winter scrapbooks
- Finish Grandma Molly's memorial scrapbook album
- Remember to take photos with Nate, friends and family year round so I can scrapbook our memories
Got my camera charger back from Oklahoma, and have been doing better for vacations, but not smaller events. Of course this means I need to pull my scrapbook stuff out of the closet... - Start my own racing scrapbook
- Reread Writing Down the Bones and follow her suggestions for writing topics in my journals
I've got my own copy, and started... - Remember to share good news, not just the bad news
This I've gotten much, much better at doing. - Get some legitimate, paid modeling work
I've had a several offers for around Christmas! - Sign up for 30 modeling contests
I signed up for three. I didn't win them, but on a different note, I have been published in a magazine! That is definitely better than a contest :) - Attend pilates or yoga classes
- Run the NYC marathon
Maybe in 2014? - Take a cake decorating class
Honestly not sure if I still want to do this one. I might need to come up with something new. - Take up ballroom dance lessons again
- Visit the top 10 places to go in Pennsylvania as listed here: http://midatlantic.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania-hotels/top10attractions
I've only hit one place on this list: Falling Water, but I've also been to Kentuck Knob (Frank Lloyd Wright's second house in the same area). While I didn't get to Kennywood, I was able to make a trip over to Sandcastle, the water couterpart.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Nutshells and Acorns.
Gosh I miss blogging! Well writing in general to tell you the truth. Sometimes it really is the most simple things that make us the most happy. A cool breeze when you open your front door. A good book on a rainy day. Your favorite song on the radio. Or that winding road surrounded by trees that makes you feel like you're on the set of Twilight. Okay, maybe that last one is just me....
A lot has happened over the summer and fall is in full force. The weather has gotten cooler, leaves are starting to change and OU/Texas is just around the corner. This is my favorite time of year. Of course normally fall is a relief from the Oklahoma summers of 100+ degrees, and while it definitely didn't reach that heat in Pennsylvania, I'm glad summer's over.
I've been at the salon here for 8 months already. Man that time certainly did fly by! I've accumulated quite a few clients and I'm slowly gathering more. The owner is about to celebrate the shop's 25th anniversary, which is pretty cool. We'll have a big party, so if you're in the area and want an invite let me know.
In addition to the salon, I've decided to become a PartyLite consultant. It has been so much fun so far. I've met a lot of really great people, made some extra money, and who doesn't love candles?! I've always had a bunch of candles in my room as long as I can remember, so it seems only fitting that I now sell them. Nate and I just got in our Ginger Pumpkin scented tealights tonight and they are definitely one of our favorites.
The other big news is that I was published in a magazine! It's two full pages of Ashley Rachelle, which includes three photos by two different photographers. A huge thanks to Pamela Kay for putting on the photoshoot last December. All the models and photographers involved are awesome, and in my case the gift just kept on giving!
I'll post links, photos, and additional tidbits on everything later, but for now that's an update in a nutshell. It's definitely my bedtime...
A lot has happened over the summer and fall is in full force. The weather has gotten cooler, leaves are starting to change and OU/Texas is just around the corner. This is my favorite time of year. Of course normally fall is a relief from the Oklahoma summers of 100+ degrees, and while it definitely didn't reach that heat in Pennsylvania, I'm glad summer's over.
I've been at the salon here for 8 months already. Man that time certainly did fly by! I've accumulated quite a few clients and I'm slowly gathering more. The owner is about to celebrate the shop's 25th anniversary, which is pretty cool. We'll have a big party, so if you're in the area and want an invite let me know.
In addition to the salon, I've decided to become a PartyLite consultant. It has been so much fun so far. I've met a lot of really great people, made some extra money, and who doesn't love candles?! I've always had a bunch of candles in my room as long as I can remember, so it seems only fitting that I now sell them. Nate and I just got in our Ginger Pumpkin scented tealights tonight and they are definitely one of our favorites.
The other big news is that I was published in a magazine! It's two full pages of Ashley Rachelle, which includes three photos by two different photographers. A huge thanks to Pamela Kay for putting on the photoshoot last December. All the models and photographers involved are awesome, and in my case the gift just kept on giving!
I'll post links, photos, and additional tidbits on everything later, but for now that's an update in a nutshell. It's definitely my bedtime...
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Not even the DMV.
As a hair stylist my weekend starts when I get off work Saturday night and I don't have to go back in until Tuesday. Sometimes it's a bummer not having the same weekend as people with "normal" jobs, but having an entire weekday off does have its advantages. For instance I still need to switch my driver's license, tag, and title from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania. Now that I'm getting more hours at work, I finally have enough moo-lah to pay for all that and I thought yesterday would be a pretty good day to get it all done.
First things first, I call up my pals over at USAA to switch my insurance. It's a little more expensive here, which I expected, but all in all, it was easy as pie and I got it transfered without a hitch, and even before breakfast!
I head back down to our room in the basement to get a shower, make the bed, etc. I even curl my hair so it'll be nice for my driver's license photo. Nate got all of his car stuff re-registered about a month ago, so he told me where I could go to get it all done; I put the name of the place in my GPS and off I go with the windows rolled down and some good tunes on the radio. I'm in a pleasant mood because I plan to roll through all of this and then go home to crochet the rest (or most of the rest) of my afghan.
Well I follow that GPS to a tee, but surprise surprise Pittsburgh's done it again and Google isn't updated so it takes me to the wrong location...one without a building. I pull into a parking lot, re-Google the place I need to go, and head back out. Luckily it's only 6 minutes away from the first incorrect location. I said, FIRST incorrect location. Now I've been led to an abandoned building, which probably used to be the AAA place, but it certainly isn't anymore. So I pull into the parking lot, park, search my GPS, search Google and finally decide it'd be best to call the phone number and ask for directions.
The first phone number I call is a wrong number. A very confused State Farm Agent informed me that the AAA hasn't been at that phone number in at least 10 years....ok, lovely. I sure do love a wild goose chase. I find another number, dial, and praise the heavens a woman from AAA tag agency picks up! So before I ask for directions, I figure I should probably make sure I am calling the right one and they can actually help me before I drive over there. I tell her what I need and she proceeds to tell me that I can't get my driver's license switched without 2 forms of proof of residency. Now I'm all too familiar with what that means from my days working at an insurance company, and I also know that I only have one form (my pay stub) because all the utilities are in Nathan's parents' names. I explain this to the representative and she informs me that in my case I need to bring in someone I live with who already has their PA license. I thank her for the information and hang up, but I'm pretty irritated by this point because I just spent two hours driving around and calling people only to find out that I need to wait until Nate finishes his finals so that he can go with me.
Once Nathan gets home, I explain everthing to him, so we hop in the car and head over that way. He's been there before so it's a straight shot. (Man was my GPS and Google both off.) It's 4:00 PM and the photo license part of the AAA tag agency closes at 4:15, so we're smiling thinking maybe we've gotten there in the nick of time. We get up to the window and a lady politely informs us that we can do everything EXCEPT a driver's license there. I tell her that's not what I was told on the phone, and she apologizes, giving us a phamplet with a list of our choices. Of course those all close at 4:15...
Needless to say, I still need my Pennsylvania driver's license, tag, and title.
First things first, I call up my pals over at USAA to switch my insurance. It's a little more expensive here, which I expected, but all in all, it was easy as pie and I got it transfered without a hitch, and even before breakfast!
I head back down to our room in the basement to get a shower, make the bed, etc. I even curl my hair so it'll be nice for my driver's license photo. Nate got all of his car stuff re-registered about a month ago, so he told me where I could go to get it all done; I put the name of the place in my GPS and off I go with the windows rolled down and some good tunes on the radio. I'm in a pleasant mood because I plan to roll through all of this and then go home to crochet the rest (or most of the rest) of my afghan.
Well I follow that GPS to a tee, but surprise surprise Pittsburgh's done it again and Google isn't updated so it takes me to the wrong location...one without a building. I pull into a parking lot, re-Google the place I need to go, and head back out. Luckily it's only 6 minutes away from the first incorrect location. I said, FIRST incorrect location. Now I've been led to an abandoned building, which probably used to be the AAA place, but it certainly isn't anymore. So I pull into the parking lot, park, search my GPS, search Google and finally decide it'd be best to call the phone number and ask for directions.
The first phone number I call is a wrong number. A very confused State Farm Agent informed me that the AAA hasn't been at that phone number in at least 10 years....ok, lovely. I sure do love a wild goose chase. I find another number, dial, and praise the heavens a woman from AAA tag agency picks up! So before I ask for directions, I figure I should probably make sure I am calling the right one and they can actually help me before I drive over there. I tell her what I need and she proceeds to tell me that I can't get my driver's license switched without 2 forms of proof of residency. Now I'm all too familiar with what that means from my days working at an insurance company, and I also know that I only have one form (my pay stub) because all the utilities are in Nathan's parents' names. I explain this to the representative and she informs me that in my case I need to bring in someone I live with who already has their PA license. I thank her for the information and hang up, but I'm pretty irritated by this point because I just spent two hours driving around and calling people only to find out that I need to wait until Nate finishes his finals so that he can go with me.
Once Nathan gets home, I explain everthing to him, so we hop in the car and head over that way. He's been there before so it's a straight shot. (Man was my GPS and Google both off.) It's 4:00 PM and the photo license part of the AAA tag agency closes at 4:15, so we're smiling thinking maybe we've gotten there in the nick of time. We get up to the window and a lady politely informs us that we can do everything EXCEPT a driver's license there. I tell her that's not what I was told on the phone, and she apologizes, giving us a phamplet with a list of our choices. Of course those all close at 4:15...
Needless to say, I still need my Pennsylvania driver's license, tag, and title.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Lee Baxley Photos.
Well I've finally been going through more of the photos from my shoot over at Bernard's Auto in Norman, OK right before I left to move up to Pennsylvania. I was given so many photos from the shoot that I decided to release them a few at a time, but then with my move across the country, getting settled in, finding a job, etc...I've let a lot of them slip through the cracks. So here we are with the first installment of previously unreleased photos from the shoot...
Those two were outside the shop with an actual Delorean! How neat is that?! As always, these photos can be viewed in various places on the world wide interweb: Facebook, Model Mayhem, fellow model and photographer websites...you just never know where I'll pop up!
So while everyone is hopefully patiently waiting for me to find photographers to work with in the Pittsburgh area, I'll let a few of these trickle out over the next several weeks to try and keep you entertained.
Of course you can tell this last one doesn't have me in it at all, but instead my friends Pamela Harjo and Rachael Callaway. The reason I included the photo, other than they are two gorgeous friends of mine? That's my Camaro they're sitting on!
Monday, April 9, 2012
One Training Day at a Time
I walked 5.25 miles today. I'm not mad, I don't want to scream, I'm not going to cry, but I'm pretty disappointed.
I've always wanted to be a runner. There's no real rhyme or reason. I just thought it would help clear my head, keep me in shape since I've always considered myself athletically challenged, bring more peace into my life. Maybe that's my rhyme and my reason.
Not only did I want to run I wanted to do a marathon. Not a 5K, not a half marathon, a full one. So at 3am one day last September I started running. I really wanted to do the OKC Memorial marathon. I've always wanted to do that run. Then I moved to Pittsburgh, so I decided their marathon would be ok. It'd give me more time to train anyway.
I rejoined a gym at the beginning of the new year and for someone who's entire athletic training could previously be summed up in one semester of Pilates during college, I think I've done a pretty good job so far. I even got up to 12 miles in less than 2.5 hours. That was the middle of February and the height of my training. It was hard, but going great. I had previously set a very achievable goal of doing the marathon in five hours. After that 12 miler I knew I could do it in 4.5 if I really wanted. Except when I tried to run 13.1 miles two weeks later my ankle was really bothering me. Not normal training aches and pains, but an actual 'I've got to take a break from running for a while this hurts so bad' sort of pain.
At first I was really upset, but then realized I could do the eliptical and bike in the meantime; work on muscles that would benefit my running. But when I was still in pain two weeks later while doing short runs I really hit a wall and I've had a terrible time trying to climb over it since.
The last two weeks have been a little bit better. It was too late to continue with the Hal Higdon's plan I was previously using because it would put too much strain on things that are still trying to heal. So instead of 3 medium runs during the week and a long run on the weekend per the previous plan, I decided to do the 1.75 mile loop around the neighborhood once a day six days a week to keep things loose and really focus on just getting through the long run on the weekend. Supposedly you can do a marathon even if you only do one long run a week. Your time won't be stellar, but you can get through it.
I'm not giving up. I don't want to throw in the towel. I'm still going to show up at the race. I'm still going to run or jog or walk when that gun fires off to signal the start. I don't know if I'll be able to finish, but what I do know is that I can't go any farther than my legs, or knees, of ankles will let me. I know that it'll still be an attempt at something most of my friends haven't even tried.
So I'm not mad, and I won't be mad if I don't finish. I will be disappointed, but disappointment after a valiant effort is a lot better than the anger I'd feel from not trying.
I've always wanted to be a runner. There's no real rhyme or reason. I just thought it would help clear my head, keep me in shape since I've always considered myself athletically challenged, bring more peace into my life. Maybe that's my rhyme and my reason.
Not only did I want to run I wanted to do a marathon. Not a 5K, not a half marathon, a full one. So at 3am one day last September I started running. I really wanted to do the OKC Memorial marathon. I've always wanted to do that run. Then I moved to Pittsburgh, so I decided their marathon would be ok. It'd give me more time to train anyway.
I rejoined a gym at the beginning of the new year and for someone who's entire athletic training could previously be summed up in one semester of Pilates during college, I think I've done a pretty good job so far. I even got up to 12 miles in less than 2.5 hours. That was the middle of February and the height of my training. It was hard, but going great. I had previously set a very achievable goal of doing the marathon in five hours. After that 12 miler I knew I could do it in 4.5 if I really wanted. Except when I tried to run 13.1 miles two weeks later my ankle was really bothering me. Not normal training aches and pains, but an actual 'I've got to take a break from running for a while this hurts so bad' sort of pain.
At first I was really upset, but then realized I could do the eliptical and bike in the meantime; work on muscles that would benefit my running. But when I was still in pain two weeks later while doing short runs I really hit a wall and I've had a terrible time trying to climb over it since.
The last two weeks have been a little bit better. It was too late to continue with the Hal Higdon's plan I was previously using because it would put too much strain on things that are still trying to heal. So instead of 3 medium runs during the week and a long run on the weekend per the previous plan, I decided to do the 1.75 mile loop around the neighborhood once a day six days a week to keep things loose and really focus on just getting through the long run on the weekend. Supposedly you can do a marathon even if you only do one long run a week. Your time won't be stellar, but you can get through it.
I'm not giving up. I don't want to throw in the towel. I'm still going to show up at the race. I'm still going to run or jog or walk when that gun fires off to signal the start. I don't know if I'll be able to finish, but what I do know is that I can't go any farther than my legs, or knees, of ankles will let me. I know that it'll still be an attempt at something most of my friends haven't even tried.
So I'm not mad, and I won't be mad if I don't finish. I will be disappointed, but disappointment after a valiant effort is a lot better than the anger I'd feel from not trying.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Blog Titles and Updates
I had previously mentioned having trouble thinking of how to focus my blog. At one point I thought it'd be neat to talk about the struggles and benefits of being a military (Navy) girlfriend, but seeing as how my darling Nate is taking a little break from that to go to school, there's not much to write at the moment. I'd love to have a modeling blog like one of my favorites, Ulorin Vex, but work seems to be few and far between right now. I have been trying to be a successful hairstylist for a while....and I'm training for my first big race, a marathon...so the notion behind my blog title is that you have to do everything one at a time, like the sayings one step at a time or one day at a time. Only for me it's taking everything one photo, one mile, and one haircut at a time when the big picture seems daunting and success seems far away.
I finally got a job in a salon. Apparently getting a job up here is like winning the lottery: it's really hard to do, hardly happens, and a lot of it is luck. The girls are nice and it's just down the street from Nate's parents' house. I'm only an assistent at the moment, which feels like a huge step backwards, but I think it'll be worth it in the end.
My marathon training has been put on hold for the moment. After my 12 mile run the other day my ankle started hurting. I only did about half my scheduled training last week and it hurt worse this week, so nothing there. I'm bummed about it, but I think I'll probably hit the gym tomorrow and try the elliptical or bike so there isn't as much strain or stress on my joints, but I'm still working my muscles. It's a weird feeling training 3 or 4 times a week and then having a week off. Anyone that knows me or has seen my modeling photos knows I'm anything besides overweight, but I feel icky not going to get some physical activity. Besides the PA marathon is May 6th and I'm running out of training time. It's hard to believe I only started seriously running in October and I just did 12 miles two weeks ago...
I finally got a job in a salon. Apparently getting a job up here is like winning the lottery: it's really hard to do, hardly happens, and a lot of it is luck. The girls are nice and it's just down the street from Nate's parents' house. I'm only an assistent at the moment, which feels like a huge step backwards, but I think it'll be worth it in the end.
My marathon training has been put on hold for the moment. After my 12 mile run the other day my ankle started hurting. I only did about half my scheduled training last week and it hurt worse this week, so nothing there. I'm bummed about it, but I think I'll probably hit the gym tomorrow and try the elliptical or bike so there isn't as much strain or stress on my joints, but I'm still working my muscles. It's a weird feeling training 3 or 4 times a week and then having a week off. Anyone that knows me or has seen my modeling photos knows I'm anything besides overweight, but I feel icky not going to get some physical activity. Besides the PA marathon is May 6th and I'm running out of training time. It's hard to believe I only started seriously running in October and I just did 12 miles two weeks ago...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
30 Goals by 30 Years
I've been trying to think of how to pick my blog back up. My main problem is that I want it to be more focused. I follow blogs that are all about cupcakes, writing a book, wedding ideas, etc. and their entries are nice and focused. I've come up with a few ideas and think I have it narrowed down, but for now I thought I'd try this...
I completely stole this idea from my bestie over at Sabrina's Writing Reflections who is turning 30 in the fall, but I thought it was such a great one. Lately I've been so focused on all the things I can't do, when what I need is to focus on all the things I can do. My 30th birthday will be October 12, 2015, so I've definitely got a little bit of time. Maybe I'll finish early and have a whole new set in a year or two...but for now, here's my list and I'll probably repost it with stuff crossed off every 6 months in order to see how I'm doing. In no particular order:
I completely stole this idea from my bestie over at Sabrina's Writing Reflections who is turning 30 in the fall, but I thought it was such a great one. Lately I've been so focused on all the things I can't do, when what I need is to focus on all the things I can do. My 30th birthday will be October 12, 2015, so I've definitely got a little bit of time. Maybe I'll finish early and have a whole new set in a year or two...but for now, here's my list and I'll probably repost it with stuff crossed off every 6 months in order to see how I'm doing. In no particular order:
- Participate in 6 craft fairs with my crochet stuff
- Don't let others get me down and remember this every day, "You is kind, You is smart, You is important"
- Read 30 new books (yes Sabrina I stole this)
- Remember the little things and don't fight over money
- Learn Italian or Spanish
- Get 10,000 fans on my Facebook model page
- Run a marathon
- Remember to send out birthday/anniversary cards to my family/closest friends without them being late
- Join a crochet/scrapbook/women's group (or 2) here in PA
- Continue learning how to fix my '71 Camaro by myself
- Reach 300 blog followers
- Have an official date night at least twice a month
- Fill the 4 journals I have sitting on my bookcase
- Crochet 4 afghans
- Be old fashioned "pen pals" with my Grandma and Sabrina
- Build a clientel for my hair styling work
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen or nursing home
- Take enough pictures to fill my two Christmas/Winter scrapbooks
- Finish Grandma Molly's memorial scrapbook album
- Remember to take photos with Nate, friends and family year round so I can scrapbook our memories
- Start my own racing scrapbook
- Reread Writing Down the Bones and follow her suggestions for writing topics in my journals
- Remember to share good news, not just the bad news
- Get some legitimate, paid modeling work
- Sign up for 30 modeling contests
- Attend pilates or yoga classes
- Run the NYC marathon
- Take a cake decorating class
- Take up ballroom dance lessons again
- Visit the top 10 places to go in Pennsylvania as listed here: http://midatlantic.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania-hotels/top10attractions
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