Happy Holidays

Greetings:

I am on my last full day in Waukon and for the most part, it's a lazy morning.   Most people are still laying down or sleeping.    It's been a good trip with movies, games, and the usual Christmas activities.   I think I've eaten more popcorn balls than usual this year...usually one or two does the trick but I've been craving them more than usual. 

I still have time off from work  which is glorious!  The stress from the last weeks is already washing away and I barely remember the long hours of grading and my whining students.   Even though I don't have to physically be at work for awhile, I will mostly likely work on my syllabi for the spring semester.   I need to create a syllabus for an experimental course that will become a permanent course in the near future.   I'm excited to make some changes to my health studies course at ISU as I've had some ideas pop in the last year and it's time to make a change.   

Gavin started the holidays with some sort of stomach bug.   Luckily it was short lived and only delayed us coming to NE Iowa for a day.   (His mother should have pushed the flu shot harder but who knows if that would have helped any.)  

OK onto to topics for the new, approaching year.    I am going to sound like a broken record because like usual, my health status is a major focus for change in 2014.   I didn't only fall off the wagon this past fall, the wagon broke down, and a wheel rolled off.   Eating well got put on a back burner and being active was inconvenient many days.   My report from my sleep study was favorable but the doctor gave me the reminder of weight loss to prevent any future issues.   I believe if I keep up with keeping work and home separate, establishing healthy habits will become easier.   I did a fairly good job keeping work at work in 2013.   I did have to bring home some grading periodically but it was nothing like it had been in previous years.    In addition to weight loss, healthier eating, and more physical activity, I am going to try and carve out more "me time" so I can do things I enjoy like reading or hobbies.   It would be nice if I fell in love with exercise and could term that as a hobby.   As of today I am skeptical of that but it would be really fun to be more outdoorsy and truly camp on a regular basis in the spring, summer, and fall.   Jon got me a Kindle and I want that to promote the amount I'm reading for pleasure.   I used to read at a rate of a book a week.   I'm  lucky now if I read a book every 3-4 months.  

I also need to become more brave with my culinary actions at home.    I make a few things well but even I get sick of eating that stuff on a regular basis.   I need to open up my recipe books, use the buttload of meat in our deep freeze, and make eating out a treat again.    Right now it's the norm and it's also expensive.   

I'm sure I'll be voicing more goals and plans in the next weeks as January officially begins.    I'm still registered at Weight Watchers but I'm going to whine about it for awhile as the enrollment will skyrocket in January and February.   I hate when it's busy and when a million people attend a meeting.  

By Valentine's Day I want to be down 15 pounds.   Being that weight loss comes off early in the beginning, I'm hoping that's not a challenge. 

I hope to do be down 25 pounds by St. Patrick's Day.

I'll leave it at that.