Monday, August 23, 2010

Another year younger

Last week I turned 29 years old. It is hard to believe that I am starting the last year of my twenties. I have never been one of those people who gets anxious about getting older. In fact, I still feel as young as I did when I graduated high school...well, maybe college. Either way, I don't feel as though I am old enough to be 29!

I think that part of what keeps me feeling young is my job. I work on a college campus and have daily interaction with students so for the most part I find it pretty easy to not feel "old". I am in on the latest pop culture (writing that makes me sound like I am 82!) and I know odd little phrases like "tots presh" (totally precious). I feel pretty good about my age, with the exception of when I hear that they were born in a different decade than me...that makes me realize that I am older than them, but still not in a bad way. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind my age at all and I would NEVER go back to do it over again. It is nice that my job helps to keep me feeling this way.

There are some downsides to this however. The one area of my life where I wish I felt or seemed older than I do is when it comes to being a mom. I don't feel old enough to be a mom; how can I possibly have a son who is almost 18 months old!?! The two times in my life where I feel like this is rubbed in my face is at the baby sitter's house and at church. I know I need to just quit thinking/worrying about what others think of me. In reality, they probably don't pay too much attention to what I am doing (I really do know that in my head), but I feel like they are looking at me like I am one of those girls on MTVs "Teen Mom". Crazy huh!?

So, all of that being said, I am excited for this next year. Who knows what it will bring! I am still working on that whole thing of what I would like to accomplish and I did set one pretty big goal for my 29th year. I want to research furthering my education and have a plan by the end of this year. I don't know what that might entail, but I am going to figure it out. Happy Birthday to me!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Motivated! Motivated! Let's Get Motivated!!!

Sorority Recruitment is right around the corner at Mizzou! This is one of the busiest times of the year for me at work, but it is also one of my favorites. This week ("work week") and next week, which is actually Recruitment week are unlike any other times during the year. I really like doing all of the logistical work in planning and preparing for an event for over 4000 people, but mostly I love the idea that next weekend, young women who are coming to college for the first time will be finding their forever "home" in a sorority.

I have many memories of the 10+ recruitments that I have been a part of. But there is one that stands out quite vividly in my mind, especially during this time of the year. I was attending the Panhellenic Welcome at Truman State University in September of 2000. I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into. But I will never forget hearing Sal Costa talk about what sorority could bring to a student. He passionately talked about how the women we would be meeting (as potential members) would be the bridesmaids at our weddings and the Godmothers of our unborn children (typing this does not give it the justice his voice deserves and that I have in my mind!). I was more than a little overwhelmed at the time, but looking back now, I know it is true. I wish that I could convey this (in a not scary way) to the women who are starting the same process on Sunday at the University of Missouri. Sorority is not a four year club, it is a lifetime commitment.

On another note...I am finding it hard to continue to be motivated in my work-out goals. Part of this problem is that I am taking a time-out from running. Partially because I just wasn't feeling it and also because I am having some issues with my ankle. So I am on hiatus. I have still been going to the gym to get in some good cardio and I have also been doing the 30 Day Shred (2 days on, 1 day off). I am seeing results, but I am not too interested in continuing. So in honor of recruitment practice and meetings, I am reminding myself to Get Motivated! and Get Dedicated! Hopefully this little mantra will get me through this tough time too!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Election Day

I wasn't planning on posting for a few days, but I was very moved to write after I went to vote this afternoon. I have always tried to make it a priority to vote on any election and when I do vote (which is most of the time) I feel so empowered afterwards. I know it might seem cheesy, but what a wonderful responsibility we have to be able to vote.

Although I believe it is a responsibility for Americans to vote, I believe that it is very much a privelege and I think that we are very lucky to have this responsibility. I think this is also very important to me because I am a woman and women's issues are of regular interest to me both personally and professionally. I am reading a book right now called "Half the Sky". It is about the many areas of the world where women are oppressed and abused, and worse. I came upon the book through a new group that I joined on Facebook called the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation. Reading the book makes me realize even more how much of a responsibility that I have to stand up for what is right and to teach other women that they can do it too. As the book discusses and the Circle of Sisterhood advocates, education can make big changes in the world. I am excited about the good that I know I can do in the near and far future.

Speaking of empowerment...I completed my first day of 30 Day Shred for August. It was the first time I did the workout in a month. It felt so good to sweat...a lot! I love it! I decided that I am going to do 30DS two nights on and one night off. We'll see how it goes. I am excited for my August physical well-being goals. I think the better I feel about myself, the more motivated I am to do good for others. Also, I added the DailyMile widget to my blog to hold myself accountable to my milage goals. Here's to August!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Time keeps on ticking...

In my post two weeks ago I challenged myself to keeping a time log for one week or 168 hours. So, I did it this past week. From 12:00am Sunday, July 25 to 11:59pm Saturday, July 30. This was an interesting project, to say the least; I had to really remind myself to keep track of my goings-on. I was curious as to what this log would show: did I sleep more than I really needed? how much time did I really waste in the evenings? So here is what I found out:

--I only sleep about 7 hours in a night (unless I fall asleep on the couch earlier). I had always guessed incorrectly at my normal sleeping habits, placing myself more in the 8-9 hours of sleep/night. That might happen on the weekend, but during the week I am in the 7 hour range. I can handle that!

--My time at work was pretty simple. I worked 8 hours a day, five days a week. A quick and dirty 40 hours, if you will. That is not the norm for me. So, it would be interesting (I think) to see how different this part of the log would be if I were to do this in say, October.

--My life is such a routine! Everyday during the work week, I woke up at pretty much the same time, had dinner at the same time, gave Ben and bath and put him to bed at the same time and pretty much always went to bed myself at the same time. I guess you could call me a creature of habit. I like it!

All in all, I was glad to have done this little exercise. There were a few little surprises, but nothing earth-shattering, that is for sure. I might take this little challenge again in a few months when work and life is in full swing.

On another note...since I reached my goal of 100 miles, I have been trying to figure out which direction I wanted to go in terms of my physical well-being. So, here is my new challenge:
1--run 50 miles in August
2--do my 30 Day Shred DVD at least 3 times/week
I am going to have to really stay motivated this month. August is one of my favorite, yet busiest times at work. Recruitment takes up most of my time so I will need to hold myself accountable. I think I can do it! Only time will tell...

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Simple gifts

Something that has been on my mind quite a bit lately has been my relationship with God and how I am maintaining that relationship. I am very much a believer in God and try to be a faithful woman and a "good" Catholic (whatever that really means). Attending church lately has been difficult because of Ben's insistence to not sit still and be as loud as possible...I don't blame him! When you are loud at Sacred Heart, there is an echo and it is pretty cool! So I have been trying not to get stressed out about the whole church thing and find other ways that I can be faithful and spiritual.

There are two things that I have heard recently that I have been trying to focus on. They are both simple and I think it is important for me to remember that:
1--Prayer is simple. This was the message from the visiting priest at church this past weekend. I never really remember the details of any homily, but the main point that I felt he was making on Sunday (or at least what I am taking away) is that prayer is not complicated. Prayer is nothing more than a conversation with God.
2--Doing good for others is doing good for God. This was the message that I took away from the priest at my mom and dad's church a few weeks ago. How simple is that!? Giving to others and doing good for others can be done in so many ways, and in doing so, we do good for God.

I know that some people would tell me that there are so many ways to be spiritual that don't involve going to church, and I believe them. However, I know that for me, going to church really adds to the physical part of my spirituality and faithfulness, so I enjoy going. I can definitely tell the times when I am not mindful about this aspect of my life. When I do keep it in the forefront of my mind, it seems like other things are more in line with what I would like them to be.

I know that continuing my faith journey as Ben gets older (and as I get older) will change and I have to be OK with that. Hopefully if I keep these two thoughts in my mind, I won't get bogged down with the larger concept of it all! I guess the thought of simplicity is something that could be applied to every aspect of my life. I don't need things to be complex or difficult to understand. And as one of my favorite church hymns reminds me, "tis a gift to be simple."

Thursday, July 22, 2010

One door closes and another one opens

OK, I can see how that blog post title could seem kind of ominous, but this post is not ominous at all!!! Just two things...I have finished one goal and I am going to try something new.

First: yesterday morning I reached my goal of running 100 miles this summer! I passed 100 miles yesterday morning with a simple three-miler. What an awesome feeling! I never thought I would be able to do something like that (see earlier post about being a wanna-be-runner). So now what? Of course, I am not just going to quit running. I think I am going to sign up for a 10K that will be here in Columbia in October. I am looking forward to running a race that distance. Another part of the RLAM book talks about running races and finding a good distance for yourself, etc...I have done some 5Ks and I enjoy those and I have finished two half-marathons (sounds nuts, huh?) and I think it is time that I try something between both of those distances. October 2 is when the race is and I think it will be a good one! Also, I got new running shoes! I have branched out and away from Asics and am trying out a pair of Nike Free Run+ in purple, lime green, and grey. So far so good and they are super cute!

Second: I have new challenge for myself. This morning at the gym I was catching up on the Manic Mommies podcast**. The topic that they were discussing was how many hours that are in one week (168 to be exact) and they interviewed the woman who wrote a book about this. One of the exercises that the author suggests is to keep a time log or diary. What I gathered is that according to her "research" there is plenty of time in a day/week to work and sleep and still have time to be with your children or whatever you want to do. After hearing all of this this morning, I decided that I am going to check this out. Starting on Sunday I am going to log my time and activities and at the end of the week, or 168 hours I will be able to see what I do with my time. I think this will also help in my search for what I want to do with myself. Maybe not. But I think it will definitely show where my time is spent and what my priorities are.

One more thing...a sorority sister of mine has started a new blog that focuses on positive body image. I have thoroughly enjoyed the posts and I hope you will too. Check it out: Channeling Your Beauty.

**Sometime in the near future there will be a post dedicated to this podcast/website. Keep your eyes peeled.

Monday, July 19, 2010

What is success?

As I wrote in my previous post, I know that I have to define what success is to me. This was a topic during one of the sessions at Convention last week and it has been a constant thought in my mind since then. Success is subjective for each person, but as a society, we put so much time into judging others' success. I think that is why it is so daunting to think about!

When I am online or at work or wherever, I feel like I am constantly seeing other individual's successes. At conferences, people are given awards and their success is shown. On TV and in the news, stories are told about people and what they have accomplished. All of these things make me want to do great things too...but I am getting hung up on what success I want? How do I make my own success? What does success even mean to me?

Being the "good" student affairs professional that I am, I have been trying to look at this from the "SMART" goal perspective. My thought process behind this is that if I can think of two or three goals that I have for myself, I can put them on paper and create a plan. Doing so will help me process a little easier this whole success concept, right? Not so much. I am still stuck! I can't even figure out what I want to do in order to write out some goals!

I don't know that I would call this a quarter-life crisis (although if I am just now only a quarter way through my life, I am OK with that...I have much more to see and do!). But I find myself really struggling with the question "where do you see yourself professionally and/or personally in 5 or 10 years?" I really have no clue.

I guess on one hand, I am happy with where I am now. But on the other hand I am getting fearful that I am being complacent and will wake up horribly unsatisfied one day. Maybe I am over-analyzing (my close friends would say I am good at that). But maybe not?

So for now I am going to focus on the little things: I am going to complete my 100 miles of running for the summer and try to blog two or three times a week. Eventually I will start thinking a little bit more of how I define my success AND how I am going to achieve it. How do I stay loyal to myself and what I want and not get caught up in what society says I should do?

We'll see how this plan goes.

Monday, July 12, 2010

The magic of sisterhood

This past week I had the opportunity to attend Sigma Kappa Sorority's 84th Convention in Orlando Florida. This is the second time I have gone to Convention (it only occurs every 2 years) and I will be honest, I was a little apprehensive about going. I was excited to go to Orlando and be a part of the Grand Chapter celebration, but it would be the longest I had ever been away from Ben and I was still getting used to being involved in my sorority as an alumna member.

However, this past week at Convention was an amazing experience; "magical", if you will. I work with Greek students every day and talk to them about how joining a fraternity or sorority is a life-long commitment not just a club that you participate in for three or four years in college. And although I have been involved with Sigma Kappa since I moved back to Missouri, I didn't really feel the sisterhood aspect. Until this past week! I spent five days with inspiring women from all over the country. The business of the sorority was done over the time that we were all together and we celebrated our ritual together. We ate and danced like fools at the Confirmed Conventionite Celebration. And we spent an evening at the happiest place on earth: Disney World!!! My time with sorority sisters of all ages was an experience that I won't forget. I realized this week in Orlando what being a life-long member of a sorority is all about. I know that the sisters that I connected with over the last five days will be in my life for the duration. I also know that I am more committed to Sigma Kappa now than I have ever been. I know that I am inspired to be the best me that I can be every day. I know that I have to define my own success. And I also know that I have to put all of this into a conversation that I can use with the students I work with at Mizzou. Hopefully my experience will help show them that it is not just about four years.

I am looking forward to Convention in 2012 in Houston, Texas. Until then: personal growth, loyalty, service, and friendship will remain my focus.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

As American as apple pie and baseball

This past weekend, we celebrated the Fourth of July holiday at Chris's parent's house in O'Fallon, Illinois. We had tons of fun swimming and hanging out with family and friends. Ben was a trooper and on Sunday was the life of the annual Fourth of July party! And I am pretty sure he ate his weight in fruit in a matter of twenty minutes or so. He was a riot!

The best part of this weekend was our trip to Busch Stadium (baseball heaven, you know). For Father's Day, Ben got Chris tickets to the game and of course, it was Ben's first Cardinals game. It was a blast!


Two of the things that I really love about baseball games are the food and the people watching. I think that these are Ben's favorite parts as well. We had all of the game-day musts while we were there: hot dog (Ben's first), pretzel, nachos, and ice cream! Ben loved it all (as with most food). I think the best part though was the nachos. The lady across the aisle told us that Ben should be in a nachos commercial! Ha!

The best part about our weekend though, was the family time that we spent together. It was nice to not worry about work or anything else and just enjoy being together. This was a weekend that I know Chris or I will never forget. I am sure that Ben won't remember in the long run, but we will definitely fill him in when he is older. His first Cardinals game was a great one! The Redbirds lost (big time) but the experience we had will definitely be one for the record book!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Ready to run

I decided that since I had a few personal days to use at work that I would take them this week. This morning, I was able to sleep in a little bit and then I went for my morning run with Chris and Ben, instead of by myself like normal. The run was awesome!!! We ran a little more than 4.5 miles and I ran the entire way! This was the longest run that I have done, running the whole thing. It felt good and to top it off the company was great and the weather was amazing (especially for the first of July).

My run this morning really made me think about the progress that I have made on my journey to become a runner, not just a wanna-be runner. Chris started the Eagle Running Club at the beginning of the summer and I set a goal to run 100 miles over 3 months. I thought I would be able to hit 100 if I really stayed committed to running a few times a week. Well, my current total is just over 60 miles!! The running program that Chris has helped me with is working out! I run an average of 4 times a week and I am getting stubborn about not running less than 3 miles in each outing. And I am even starting to enjoy it quite a bit!

There are many reasons that I want to be a runner. I think it is a huge challenge and one that I want to conquer! Running is also something that has become my personal time. Whether I am on the road or at the gym, it is my little slice of the day (typically first thing in the morning) to get my life organized for what is ahead. I am amazed at how different my days are when I don't get my exercise in! Another reason would have to be the physical results. That could never be a negative thing. Finally, one reason that I want to be a runner is something that was pointed out in the new book I am reading: Run Like a Mother. By being an active parent, I am making physical activity the norm in Ben's life and not something that is done at recess or in gym class. And I think that is really cool. That makes me feel like I am earning some good mom points by running.

So the moral of the story is...if I can do it, anyone can do it! If you want to run, pick a route and get going!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Make new friends, but keep the old

Last week I had one of the most fun nights out that I have had in quite a while. I went out. I went out to a bar. And the two best parts...it was a work night AND I was out until after 11:00! I know, crazy, right? Well, it was for me. Me and three other lovely ladies enjoyed a few cocktails and great conversation at Room 38 (a swanky bar in downtown CoMo that I haven't figured out if I think it belongs or not!).

Like I said, this was one of the most fun nights out that I have had in a while. I am not saying that I don't have amazing times with my two main men, but it was really nice going out with the ladies! It was the first time since living here in Columbia that I felt like I had my own friends. I felt like I had some of my old independence back! The four of us talked non-stop for over three hours about topics such as how we met our husbands and what we know of their ex's to budgeting to quick and close vacations. The girl time and the Blue Moon were just what I needed in the middle of this summer that seems to be flying by.

One thing this night out made me really think about though was my long-time friendships and the women who I hold near and dear to my heart. I miss them deeply sometimes (if you haven't guessed, they don't live close by). It is times like this night last week that remind me what I need to do. I have to force myself to do what I am not good at and that is make a real effort at keeping in touch. And it's not just keeping in touch, it is being in Tacoma, WA (and everywhere else they are scattered these days) when I am here in Columbia. And that is hard.

So my crazy night out has led to three main thoughts:
1--I am so glad that I am finally finding my little niche of friends here (it is about time, after all!).
2--I need to do so much more to stay involved in the lives of my oldest and best and sweetest friends.
and finally...
3--Although the night out on the town was great and made me remember the independence that I used to glory in, there is nothing like coming home to my loving husband and my sweet little man. I wouldn't trade that for the world!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Just starting out...

So this is my first post. I have been reading more and more blogs lately and I think that this might be a good thing for me to try. I think I have a few witty things to say here and there and I know that I have a lot going on in my mind that I can benefit from getting onto paper, or at least into the blog-o-sphere!

I chose the title Loyal to Life because my life is what I want to write about. I enjoy my life and I want to write about the different parts of my life that I like and that I try to be loyal to, whether it is my marriage, my role as a mother, my friendships, my job, my well-being, my cooking, or whatever!

That said, I am pledging my loyalty to this blog. Maybe one day there will be people who read it (other than my husband and best friend) and they will be able to read along with me as I make my way through this new and empowering personal journey!