a new beginning

Today is my Jan. 1st.

Today is the first day of my new “diet.”

Today is the first day back to school.

I’m determined to do things differently this semester, in all sorts of areas of my life, and the changes are nothing short of ambitious.

Ambitious. That’s a good word for it.

First of all, Andrew and I started a new bedtime routine last night–pack lunches at 9:30 and up to bed at 9:45–and while we may not have had lights out at exactly 10:30 last night, it’s still a vast improvement from last semester’s 12:30 bedtime.

Second, I drew up (literally) a new morning schedule for myself.

Priorities for me were a regular wake-up time and devotions, as well as actually seeing Andrew–awake–each morning. And the gym, of course.

He’s up for going to work earlier, so I think we’ve found something that will allow me to get to and from the gym and him to stay in bed as long as possible, which is, of course, his main priority.

I’ve been really convicted lately to both read my Bible and regain my healthy eating habits, so I’ve also asked Andrew’s sisters to join me in doing Made to Crave and this morning was day 1. I’m also reading my Bible (I’m ashamed to say I don’t remember the last time I opened it), and I’m starting in John.

The girls and I set goals for ourselves and will work in prayer requests and weekly emails about the devotions we’re reading. I’m not a dieter, but my new “diet” is about having more of God and less emotional (or even boredom) eating.

Freezing rain foiled my plans to go to the gym this morning, but I was flexible and after shoveling the driveway, porch and cleaning off both cars, I bundled up for a run. Three shirts, two pairs of socks and my yaktrax later, I ran around the village for 35 minutes.

I don’t start this semester until 11, and I’m carpooling with a friend, so the morning routine shouldn’t be too bad. After last night and this morning, I think things are looking up :). (Of course, after last semester, it couldn’t get any worse.)

I would appreciate your prayers for my faithfulness to my morning devotions and Andrew and my success with the new evening and morning schedules.

run much?

After my post this morning about running outside, I thought I’d throw this one (which has been sitting in my queue) up next.

I started a new pair of running shoes today. (The pink and black ones, below.)

From left: green and gray, dated 4 July (2011), gray and light teal, Jan (2012) and the current pinks ones, Feb (2013.) Above are my trail-runners, outfitted with YakTrax.

I haven’t been running as much (sad), so my pair from last year ended up lasting the whole year. Good for our bank account, bad for me. Resolution #8 (or am I on 9?): run more this semester.

(So far this week, I’ve run a whopping THREE times, so I’m off to a good start!)

binder hell

Seriously people, buying school supplies is highway robbery these days.

$5.99 each?! For some off-brand plastic and metal? That seems a bit high, don’t you think?

Oh, it gets worse.

$7.49 just to be able to flip it over?? (A handy option, I’ll admit, but am I willing to pay more for it? I don’t think so.)

Believe it or not, it gets EVEN worse.

$9.29!!! For ONE? You’ve got to be kidding me.

All I wanted was the Avery brand, white, one-inch binders I’ve been buying for the last three semesters. I needed five. Target was fresh out, which brought me to Office Max, or ‘the most expensive place to buy office supplies you can’t find anywhere else and are thus forced into paying through the nose.’

After much price-comparing in my head, and maybe a little out-loud public math using my fingers, I came to the conclusion that this would be my best bet:

Twelve for $24.99. Just more than $2 each–my kinda price for BINDERS, for pete’s sake. And it’s not like I won’t need five or six more next semester…