Lunch today was nice and easy thanks to weekend leftovers.
I ate two thin sautéed chicken breasts with a side of mashed (overly liquidy and gross-looking) sweet potatoes and a toasted English muffin topped with strawberry preserves.
Half of the English muffin was inhaled before the picture was snapped.
I ended up whipping out some ketchup to use as dipping sauce for the chicken because it needed a little more oomph. Much better!
My Personal 2012 Goals
Yesterday I realized I was feeling a little “meh” about the new year. Usually when a new year arrives, I am filled with a sense of motivation to achieve new things. I love having goals and working toward something but this year I didn’t really take time to sit down and think about what I’d like to accomplish this year until last night as I was drifting off to sleep.
Then the ideas started flowin’!
I came up with a list of personal goals and figured I’d share some of the items on my list on the blog just in case any of you out there are in the mood for some goal-setting and are looking for some ideas. Feel free to share your 2012 goals in the comments section as well! I’d love to read what you hope to accomplish in the coming year.
- Volunteer. This year I hope to give back and spend time volunteering with a local organization. I already found a bunch of different organizations I’m interested in reaching out to and hope to dedicate time to lending a hand in my new community.
- Bring Back Date Night. Ryan and I were so adamant about taking turns planning a special date night for each other once a month when we lived in Orlando, but when we moved, we seemed to have a lot more travel and commitments on our calendar on the weekends and date night fell to the wayside. We’re bringing back Date Night in 2012, baby!
- Find a New Church. I mentioned this before, but we loved our church in Orlando and are hoping to find one that fits us perfectly in Ocala. It’s a work in progress!
- Take a Special Vacation with Ryan. Another one I briefly mentioned on the blog! Ryan and I went on a few little weekend road-trips last year, but this year we’re hoping to take a week-long vacation somewhere exciting.
- Put Myself Out There Socially. Ever since we moved, I feel like we’ve been out of town on the weekends, back in Orlando or bustling about and haven’t really found a good group of friends here in Ocala. The community is older than Orlando by nature and the social scene isn’t nearly as vibrant, but that’s not an excuse not to try to meet new people and make new friends in our new hometown. Hopefully some of my goals mentioned above will help us meet people our own age.
Question of the Afternoon
- What is one of your goals for 2012?
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putting myself out there socially is something i wanna work on too. we just moved too and its definitely challenging to meet new people. great goals!
i know! ryan and i joke that we feel like we’re hitting on people to be our friends. 🙂
i know! my husbands like, you can prob meet people at the gym right? i feel so creepy being like, hey wanna go get a drink after yoga? haha i swear im married.
i feel your pain! 😀 too bad you don’t live near me!
i totally know how you feel. when i first moved to chicago this was so hard for me..especially since my boyfriend already had his core group of friends. i’m sure there has to be a few bloggers that live nearby that would love to meet up with you. 🙂
i would put money on this: when you find a new home church, with it will come new friends. Coupley ones. whom you can dinner party with. And probably some singles your age who you can convince to meet you for coffee, too. and possibly a few people a handful of years older that will adopt you as favories, as well. it’s a “comes with the territory” kinda thing with southern churches, i think!
This sounds just like what I’m currently going through! We moved last year when I changed jobs, and meeting new friends has definitely been a challenge. My husband and I joke that going out with potential new friends feels like dating, i.e. did they like us, did we talk too much, etc…haha. I just saw a new book today called “MWF Seeking BFF” by Rachel Bertsche that looks like it’s all about girls trying to meet new girlfriends. Maybe a good fit for a future book club choice?
sounds awesome!! so funny, too!
Goal of 2012: 80:20 ratio of eating clean to not-so-clean on a weekly basis!
Just found your blog from Life of Blyss and to say the least I am loving it! I am new to the blogging world (right now just using it as a way to track things in my life and stay connected with a few friends) but I am truly inspired by yours! Loving the “our fake family” post. My roommates and I have the same thing going on. We don’t wish them goodnight each night, but at parties we tell people its one of the roomies grandparents lol. Too funny. I look forward to checking out your blog often. Its great! Don’t stop doing what your doing!
And I am from Illinois! Woot woot. I don’t know if I’ll be able to leave Chicago (i love it too much) but I am sure florida has its perks as well!
Those are great goals–and it seems like you’re going to have a good 2012! I too want to have monthly date nights with my husband –we’ve been slacking! 🙂
My main fitness goal for the year is to do a Half Ironman! Woot. Gotta get my butt in gear asap!
that’s awesome! you will feel AMAZING when you cross the finish line. good luck!
Run a 10K and half marathon :). And less facebooking + meeting friends in person over lunch/drinks.
My main 3 goals for 2012 are to pay off ALL credit card debt, finish my Master’s Degree, and read more/watch less TV!
I hope that the church thing works. That is one of my 2012 goals as well.
Also, we initiated “Date Night” after living together for a few months and we’ve pretty much kept to it ever since. Friday night is our date night. It’s usually just going out to dinner and maybe a movie or shopping, but I cannot make any other commitments. I know that my husband really enjoys it.
One of my goals: to smile more! And to make more of an effort to call/skype/facetime with friends rather than relying on email/text.
Volunteering is one of the best things I started doing in 2011! Plus, it’s a great way to get other socially and meet other awesome people!
I think those are great goals. My husband and I try to do date night weekly. We usually stink at it, and I would like to try to really be better about it. Actually spend time together!
great goals!! i know the feeling of having to meet a new group of friends, find a church, etc. when moving to a new town. it’s challenging to put yourself out there, but it’s so worth it.
i didn’t make a huge goal list for the whole year. i do monthly goals most of the time, but my fitness goal is to run my first half marathon this summer. my husband and i also have some big decisions to make in terms of his career and where we’ll live. it’ll be a big year!
some of my goals for the new year include: finishing my master’s degree (eep!!), finding a job, and running a half marathon! Bring it on 2012!
A comment and a question…
One of my goals this year is to get out there socially as well. I’m reading a new book that is a girl’s quest to find BFFs in her new town… Thought you might like it. It’s called “MWF Seeking BFF” by Rachel Bertsche.
Second, I always admire your Fiesta as a fellow Fiestagirl, but what size plates do you use? Sometimes it looks like a salad plate, sometimes dinner plate. For example, Lunch above. Is that a salad plate? Have wanted to ask for years… 🙂
it totally depends! we have both sizes, so i use whatever plates are clean or the size that best suits the meal! 🙂 most mornings i use the salad size plates b/c my meals are smaller in size (egg sandwiches, for example).
I have a few personal goals, mainly to be less of a control freak, but I agree with putting myself out there more. After going through a break up I’ve been kind of a recluse and my group of friends is now *his* group of friends. Since I will probably be relocating soon, I’ve felt no need to go out and meet new people but for my sanity it needs to happen!
yes!!! i think that’s my main issue… we don’t see ourselves in ocala long-term, so it’s hard to get out there, but i think it’s important to have friends closeby. hopefully we can both find some nice new people near us!
Y’all need to move to Atlanta! It is so fun here. There are also great jobs, and great schools.
Great list of goals! I have 2 major goals for 2012- find a full-time teaching job and FINALLY move out of my parents house! 25 seems old enough, right 😉
BTW I’ve never seen mashed sweet potatoes.. do you have a recipe??
i made it up on the fly and would give it to you if i could remember what i did oooor if it tasted really good (which it didn’t – just kind of meh).
I just moved to a new city as well. Although it’s large (Atlanta), it’s still hard to “put yourself out there”. I totally feel you on that one though, I’m adding it to my list!
I thought that sweet potato was pumpkin pie filling! (Which wouldn’t have been a bad thing!) Date night is a great idea, you definitely bring it back. One of my goals is to run my first half marathon! (and get recipage backdated!)
You will rock these goals!
Ben and I decided to do an “alone night” that can either be a date night or a stay in night <3
My goals are to take more pictures and to be better about friends and family members birthdays, even if it’s just sending a card. I’m also going to add date night on there!
Great goals! (Although, who am I to judge your goals? But they sound really good!) I agree that it’s really hard to make friends at this age. Do you find it harder now that you work from home? I don’t work from home but actually work about 30 miles from home, and that’s enough to make it hard to get together with coworkers on weekends/after work. So I have a few close friends from college who are still around, but that’s it.
And my husband and I also feel like we’re hitting on people when we try to make friends with them! Haha I guess that’s kind of the idea though… 🙂
a little bit – but i never really hung out with my coworkers outside of work that often before since i was still in orlando and had mostly friends from college still living in the area. all of ryan’s coworkers are older & at a different stage of life than we are, so that’s kind of hard, too. having a younger office environment to immerse myself in to meet new people now would definitely make things easier!
I agree. I get so jealous of my friends – or people in movies – whose best friends are their coworkers. I like my coworkers, but they have lives and are usually parents already. Here’s hoping for a few new buddies in 2012!
Don’t you just love when your brain is working overtime & you’re trying to sleep? Happens to me all the time! I’m not big on resolutions, but I like what you just laid out. The Date Night is excellent, my bf & I need to get that started! And it’s so easy to put off finding friends in a new place – but it seems like you’re social, friendly & approachable so hopefully you & Ryan will find a great group soon. 🙂
ha! it seems to be when i do all of my best thinking. 😀
Oddly enough many of my goals for 2012 are the same. My husband and I recently moved to a new city and it’s been really hard to make friends and find a great church. We instituted the date night ritual last month so I hope we stick to it!!
I want to be better about pursuit in relationships. With my husband, with friends, with God. I definitely need to put myself out there more.
I’m definitely looking forward to 2012 since its the year I become a mommy. So fun!
My goals for the year are:
1. Eat healthy and exercise throughout the pregnancy (makes delivery and recovery so much easier)
2. Get back to my pre-pregnancy fitness level after the baby is born.
3. Complete 4 half marathons in the second half of ’12.
4. be the best wife, mommy, stepmom, daughter, sister, and friend I can be.
I think you have wonderful goals for 2012!! My husband and I recently started tithing not only to the church but to those in need and it has been amazing for our relationship with each other and the Lord! I pray you and Ryan find a church where you can continue your walk with the Lord.
My goals are to work on my posturing and call my friends that live further away more! I have sucked at reaching out to them the past year and I really need to change that.
You’ve got some great goals! Mine would have to be– drink more water, switching up my workouts (I’m a cardio freak!), be a better dog mommy (Patience and getting my pup outside more…like Sadie, my dog is so energetic!), be more organized, and just try new things! Wow that’s a lot now that I look at it haha! Happy New Year! 🙂
That’s so funny about being more ‘social’! I have friends but they aren’t the couple-y kind so the bf and I are always trying to look for someone to double date with who’s into the same sorta thing.. our other friends sometimes get sick of our ‘mushiness’ even if we feel like we aren’t being mushy at all!
awesome goals julie!
one of mine is to bring back date night as well.. After the twins were born, dates one on one are few and far between…
Great goals Julie! I posted all of mine for 2012 here: eat-spin-run-repeat.com/2012/01/02/2012-make-every-minute-count/. It’ll be a big year (mainly with my Institute of Integrative Nutrition program) but I’m really looking forward to all of it!
You will do great with your goals! Happy New Year!
I want to beat my first half marathon time, aka finish under 2 hours, and complete a triathlon. I have a huge goal list, but those are two big ones. Does hoping to get proposed to count as a goal? hahaha.
The hubs and I had the same problem when we moved here (Ocala) after college in 2007 – so funny. Fear not, it gets better!
Resolutions:
Attend Church more regularly
Get stronger and better at CrossFit (double unders and pull-ups)
Take more pictures
Take the GMAT (for real this time, not just buy study books)
Be more thankful
My main goal is to ,become ZUMBA certified! I can’t wait! (Did you see The Bachelor last night?!). (:
I have only one real goal this year, and that is to be generally less comfortable in life. I have always set high goals for myself, but I have come to realize that for me, personally, goals function more often than not as limitations. I plan to live 2012 outside my comfort zones–in my marriage and relationships, in my pursuit of physical and emotional well-being, and in my legal career. While there are definitely specific things I plan to accomplish, I know they will take care of themselves if I focus on the big picture.
Love the idea of doing the date night. But I want to
run two more Full Marathons
and become more easy going and laid back when plans do not got as they were planned
Great goals for the next year. I’m also trying to branch out more, socially.
I’ve gone to a couple meet-ups from this website: http://www.meetup.com ….both of them were “foodie” outings, but they have outings for whatever your interests are and whatever your lifestyle. I’ve joined a bunch of groups and hope to make going out and meeting new people a great part of my 2012.
Cheers!
If you are willing to drive to Gainesville, you should check out Anthem Church. My husband and I have been going for about a year now and absolutely LOVE it. It has great worship, a younger crowd, and the messages are awesome! I bet you and Ryan would love it too – it’s just a pretty lengthy drive from Ocala. Here’s the website if you’re interested – anthemchurch.com 🙂
You will follow through with goals Julie. For sure. Reading your posts all these months shows all of us how positive thinking works! Yep. You do very well. I should only do half as good. Ha. (Noway!)
Sorry to report …… those reality (all of em) shows are fake. Just pretend. Suckin up your time. They get paid so everyone (not me!) will watch. Check out the huge sponsorships. It’s called $$$$$. Just telling the truth.
Sadie is always gorgeous. She is very strong.
Wow. Zumba is great! I love it. The infomercials are nice. That would be a real challenge to complete. You can do it Julie!
Ohmygosh. I couldn’t stop laughing at that fake plastic arm. Scary.
Enjoy those date nights ….. have tons of fun being together. All married folks should do this.
It’s been 16 years since I was new to town (a northerner by birth, I married a southerner and move 850 miles away from home for love) and I was in your same position looking for new friends. My only suggestion is don’t pigeon-hole yourself to just friends your own age. I’m 43 and my 3 best girlfriends are 27, 36 and 52. We’re all in different places in our lives but when we get together it’s like there’s no age difference at all. It’s great because we’re all so different but we just fit together for different reasons and are able to provide love and support in whatever form the other needs. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that when you start doing more in your community (finding a church will help too) that people will gravitate toward you – just like my aforementioned friends and I have with you and your blog! We often mention you like your one of our girlfriends – “Did you read about Julie’s workout today…” Too bad you’re in FL and not AR – you’d fit right into our bunch!
awwww i would love to meet you guys!! 🙂 and thank you for the advice – you’re so right about being open to friends of ALL ages.
it’s so hard trying to “date” couples to see if they are a good fit with yourself and your mate.
my 2012 resolution is to STAY RESOLUTE: in my eating habits, in my exercising, in applying the knowledge i’ve gained thus far that helps me life wholly and happily, in everything, really.
Putting yourself out there socially is HARD. My boyfriend is born and raised in Cincinnati, and I’ve been here 2 years. But hang in there! Because all you need is one great girlfriend to make it so much better! What I’ve started doing is 1) volunteering, joining a young professionals group, it has really helped me to meet more people! 2) join some classes at the gym (even if I am not completely interested, you can always grab coffee after yoga) and 3) join a local book club. There’s bound to be one, and if not, start it yourself. Good luck 🙂
I usually never come up with New Years Resolutions but this morning I decided I would. I have them in a note on my iphone so they are always there to look at.
Here are some I came up with:
1. Floss daily
2. Work on paying off my credit card
3. Exercise for health
4. Exercise in the morning at least 3 days a week
5. Wear mascara more often
6. Read and finish one book a month
I like the floss daily one, I’m a hygienist hehe 🙂 You will make your hygienist not only proud but less work for him/her to do!
Yeah, that’s a BIG one for me. I kinda screwed myself in my last visit with not flossing. I learned my lesson when I had to get two very small fillings where cavities were starting in between molars. :/
I definitely want to try to (continue) to reach out socially, especially to making new friends in my area. I hadn’t thought about it as a resolution before, but I do want to be more active in church this year too!
1. Complete a half marathon!
2. Compete and complete the Tough Mudder in Kentucky this October! (http://toughmudder.com/)
Good luck with your goals! I’m looking to focus 2012 on taking my GMAT, planning my wedding and getting toned for my wedding dress. I also need to learn to relax better. I think my fiance really appreciates that last one!
Nice job with your goal!
I want to eat a fruit or vegetable with each meal, exercise 5 days a week, and honestly…I just want to be happy this year! 🙂
Those sound like great goals Julie!
I guess all I really want in 2012 is to sustain a pregnancy. After the heartache of our miscarriage in October I am so terrified of…well…everything. My goal for 2012 is to try to be more accepting of what will be.
My fiance and I struggle with the making new friends deal too! It is so hard once you are out of college and coupled up! You forget how easy having a built in social circle is.
A while ago we had extra tickets to an Eddie Vedder show here in Seattle and sold them on Craigslist. We met up with the guy and his girlfriend who wanted to buy them and they ended up being really cool! We had a drink with them before the show and and joked about making friends on Craigslist. We exchanged numbers to hang out again and everything…and then they never called back 🙁 We felt like we’d been dumped.
The date night idea is a good one! So cute 🙂
one of my goals for 2012 is to keep up my healthy habits when i start college next fall! i absolutely love eating good food and working out and i don’t want to lose that when the craziness of college sets in. i know that it won’t be easy and late-night snacks, etc. will still happen, but i also know that i can really make an effort to stick to my habits.
I wrote down my resolutions on the blog yesterday and the first one is to really focus on my relationship with Bugi (my husband). I like the idea of date nights so I am thinking of adding that in as well:)
Love the goals!
I just spent a year abroad and moved back to the city and have yet to go out and explore! I’m hoping to join some sport teams to meet new people but otherwise at this age, how do you go about meeting people (besides at bars, which doesn’t seem too idle).
My goals among becoming social and meeting new people — Competing in “Tough Mudder”!!! I’m real nervous and need to get back into shape for this but I have about 8 months!
Hope your pinky heals! I’m attempting to make chocolate overnight oats tonight … I hope they are yummy!!!