2014 Work Summary

This is my favorite thing to blog about...

2014 Breakdown -

179 Days working in the office
104 Days for the weekends
25 CWS days
22 Vacation days
15 Sick days
11 Holidays
5 Days in Training
4 Snow days

Did you see that?!? 4 Snow Days!! and I worked 2 days less in the office than last year!!

I only worked 49.04% of the year. Even better than 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

I don't think it can get better than this, but I hope I'm wrong.

2013 Work Summary

Keeping the tradition going...

2013 Breakdown -

181 days working in the office
104 days for the weekends
26 CWS days
24 Vacation days
18 Sick days
10 Holidays
2 Snow Days

I only worked 49.59% of the year. Much better than 2010, 2011 and 2012.

2012 Recap

I really like being able to look back at all the many blessings that have come my way.  2012 was a great year full of friends, family and fun.  Here is a small sample of what happened last year.

January
- I held my 3rd annual New Year's Day meal at my house.
- I went to PA once.
- I bought a new set of living room furniture.
- I went to Florida with Marlene for my birthday.

February
- I tried yoga again (very unsuccessfully).
- I went to PA once.
- I played a lot of Just Dance & spent a great deal of time with some good friends.

March
- I made pierogies with Deana.
- I went to PA once.
- I was in a car accident (not my fault).
- I went to eastern Europe with Deana, Laura & Rachel.

April
- Lalana came to visit me.
- I went to PA once.
- I went to a "Lost in the Trees" concert with Deana & Lalana.
- I started a step class.

May
- I went to New Jersey to visit my brother & his family.
- I went to PA twice.
- I went to a "Legwarmers" concert with Jami & Marlene.
- I went to the DC Greek food festival with Deana, Erin & Marlene.

June
- I attended a week of work training in West Virginia.
- I went to PA twice.
- I went to Chicago with Deana, Holly & Teresa.
- I went to another "Legwarmers" concert with Marlene & Deana.

July
- I went indoor climbing with Deana & Holly.
- I went to PA three times.
- I went to Utah to visit my sister & her family.  While there, I also got to attend Laura's wedding.

August
- I went to Kirtland, OH with Deana & Marlene.
- I went to PA twice.
- Erin came over and taught me to make scones.

September
- I installed a new faucet in a bathroom of my grandmother's house.
- I went to PA once & to the fair with my dad.
- I went to an "Owl City" concert with Deana

October
- I went to Boston with Deana.
- I went to PA once.
- Lalana came to visit me.
- I celebrated 16 years free from cancer.

November
- I started taking a kickboxing class.
- I went to PA twice.
- I went to the beach with Deana, Mandy & Marlene.
- I went to Utah to visit my sister & her family.

December
- I had to move up my 4th New Year's Day dinner.
- I went to PA three times.
- I bought a really expensive camera.
- I went on vacation to Antarctica. 

Many other "normal" days were enjoyed spending time with such good friends that fill my life. Writing all of this down helps me to know how much I'm loved.

2012 Work Summary

So the movie goal was a lot of fun, but overall unsuccessful.  Life is always moving ahead, and although I did quite a few amazing things since December, I will only go back and blog about a few.  I find that it is better for me to just "try again" and not worry too much about what I have missed.

So, I always find it helpful to breakdown days spent working vs. days not working.  Even though I've done this for 2010 and 2011, I still find that I wish I had even more fun days in my life.  Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful to have such a good job. (I just wish I was independently wealthy.)

2012 Breakdown -

183 days working in the office
103 days for the weekends
25 CWS days
20 Vacation days
12 Sick days
10 days (out of the office) in training
10 Holidays
2 days off for Hurricane Sandy

I only worked 52.88% of the year.  I hope 2013 is even better!

Crime Shows

On February 22nd, I decided that it was time to take a break from watching my new favorite guilty pleasure. Sometimes, especially for someone with a vivid imagination, watching too many crime shows can really get to you. Too many fictional scenarios of kidnappings & murders, get me to start thinking how possible those same things are in my life.

For instance, I decided to go on a walk in my neighborhood and as I was enjoying the fresh air & beautiful sunny day, I also noticed that the creepy man walking toward me could easily be cast as an "evil" man in a crime show. As he came closer I felt my whole body tense...

(I know that if anything ever happened to me that would require a "fight or flight" reaction, I would have to FIGHT. I know better. I can't even consider the flight option because I am out of shape and hopelessly clumsy.)

Of course he walked by me, as most east coasters do, without even making eye contact. I almost started to laugh at how ridiculous I am, but then I felt someone run up behind me and I just knew that I was about to be part of my worst nightmare. I immediately separated my feet shoulder wide, bent my knees in the most secure stance I could and simultaneously brought both my hands up in fists (thumb on the outside) in front of my face. Thinking the whole time that I would get in one good hit before I went down.

Turns out that it was just a runner. Not the creepy man coming back to kill me.

I don't think the runner was worried, he was fast, and way past me before he turned around to stare / shake his head.

But as I took a deep breath and continued my walk I decided two things -

1. I should always walk with a friend (just in case).

2. I need to stop watching crime shows.

So I decided that I will give up watching Medium for 47 days. I'll miss Alison, Joe and the kids but I know that Netflix will save my spot and they will be there waiting when I'm ready to start watching again. Plus this opens up a lot more time to watch some movies :)

A new year...

So, January 2012 has come and gone and although I'm not sure why, I made the goal of "no soda" again for the beginning of the year.

I always get to the point where I realize that I don't drink enough water and I can't seem to wait for my next sip of pop. I know (seriously, I know) that it isn't good for me, but I love the taste and I love the way the carbonation feels, kinda scratches my throat.

So just to report on my first goal of 2012 - I made it 30 days with no soda. The first week was almost unbearable. The second a little easier, and then the last two weeks I spent looking forward to my birthday. I kept thinking this, "just think Kristine, your birthday is only a few days away. You will be sitting at Five Guys, eating an amazing burger and drinking as much Coke as you want."

I love when dreams come true. (I know, I'm pretty simple.) The burger was amazing, as was the company. The soda was great, except maybe not as extraordinary as I built it up to be. Also during the day, I managed to stop at Baskin Robbins twice and I got a pedicure. This year started with a bang. Hope it continues on this good note.

2011 Work Summary

Time holds a great value in my life, and there never seems to be enough of to go around. Last year I needed a reality check, so I broke out my days into categories and did the math. I think it is good to realize my blessings every year, so here I go again.

2011 Breakdown -

190 days working in the office
105 days for the weekends
23 CWS days
21 Vacation days
13 Sick days
9 Holidays
4 days (out of the office) in Training

I only worked in the office 52.05% of the year.

Hope next year is just as great!

2011 Recap

I was thinking it would be good to recap 2011. Maybe this won't be very interesting to anyone else, but it will be good for me to see it in black and white. Sometimes I need reminders of how much I'm blessed.

January
- I held my 2nd annual New Year's Day meal at my house.
- I went to PA one time.
- I started taking banjo lessons.
- I had a great birthday party.

February
- I started a 10 week zumba class.
- I went to CO to visit my friends.
- I went to PA one time.
- I went on a weekend trip to Gettysburg with Bekah.

March
- I started my Boot Camp exercise class.
- I went to Utah for Margaret's baptism.
- I went to Z Burger with Deana. (Best burger joint of my life!)
- I went to FL with Bekah & Heather. (Harry Potter World)

April
- I went to an Indian Dance competition with Jami.
- I went to PA three times.
- I walked/ran a 5K.
- I helped my friend Mauri pack & get ready to move.

May
- I went to the symphony three times.
- I had a date.
- I went to PA one time.
- I went to Chile to visit Ellen.

June
- I visited my brother & his family.
- I went camping with Marlene & Mandy.
- I went to China.

July
- I got an iPhone.
- I went to PA two times.
- I went to a Singles Conference.
- I went to Palmyra with Heather M.

August
- I started my six week running class.
- I took a pottery class with Erin.
- I went to PA one time.
- I survived my first earth quake. (August 23rd)
- I went to see a movie during Hurricane Irene.

September
- Kelli & Todd came to visit me.
- I went to see a Darius Rucker concert with my Dad.
- I had two dates.
- I went to visit Freda in Indiana.
- I went to PA four times.
- I walked/ran the Clarendon Day 5K with Deana.
- I went to the VA State Fair with Marlene & Deana.

October
- Ellen came to visit.
- Lalana came to visit.
- I went to Boston with Deana.
- I went to Colorado to visit Kimmy.
- I had my 15 year "Free of Cancer" birthday :)

November
- I went to the beach with Deana, Mandy & Laura.
- I went to PA two times.
- I went to Utah to visit Amy & her family.
- I bought a new living room set.

December
- I renewed my temple recommend.
- I went shooting with Deana, Jillian & Mandy.
- I dyed my hair red.
- We had roommate Christmas.
- I went to PA one time.

This is such a small sample of all the fun things I did this year. I'm thankful for all the time I got to spend with my friends and family. I'm excited to see what happens next year.

Little surprises

Today is Wednesday - and it is my least favorite day of Boot Camp class. Wednesdays are "long run" days. We meet at 5:15 am and the teacher takes attendance and suggests a route.

I say "my least favorite day" because I have a mental block, a big one, that I just can't get past. I have a hard time running for more than 4 minutes at a time. If I know the distance - I often quit running after a 1/2 mile.

I'm sure I could go further - but when my legs hurt and my lungs burn - I just can't seem to make myself push through the pain.

This morning, I decided to tag along with two ladies (just cause it was so dark & a little creepy out) and I mentioned that I would try and keep up but not to worry if I couldn't. They gave each other a "look" and we started at a quick power walk pace (think "high school shuffle").

Once we were a few blocks away (and out of the teacher's sight) they slowed a little and said "We are just walking today. If YOU want to run, we might fall behind."

What a simple phrase to make me so happy. We walked just under 3 miles and were finished by 6 am. I decided to celebrate and have some chocolate for breakfast. I hope the rest of the day is just as good.

Spell Check

This sign is less than a mile from my house. I am baffled that a company (or the state) would pay $ for a sign and not make sure that it is spelled correctly. Seriously Virgina - what exactly is a "constrution" area?

On another note yesterday at church a 9 month old giggled, squealed and clapped her hands when her Dad started giving his talk. I'm pretty sure that it was the cutest thing I have witnessed this year.

Last for today - I went back to my boot camp class after taking a week off. It is less than 12 hours later and I'm almost positive that my legs are turning into jello.

PS - My roommate made baked Brie with orange marmalade last night and I ate WAY more than my share. TG!!

New Jar

Today I'm finding joy in small and simple things.

Like a fresh jar of Goober Grape. I know I've talked about this product before but I just wanted to say that today it made me smile again.

Another item to note - yesterday when I was talking to my nephew on the phone, he reminded me that I need to come visit him and while I'm there I should probably take him to see a movie. I love the honesty and "straight shooting" of a four year old. Wouldn't the world be a simpler place if we could all just say what we think & how we feel?


Lastly - this past Tuesday I was able to experience my first earthquake. It was a 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered about an hour south of my home. I was working, listening to some loud Daughtry on my iPod, when I noticed that my water bottle was dancing on my desk. By the time I realized what was happening the earthquake was over.

I'm in the mood for a good disaster movie - anytime you want to come over and watch "The Day After Tomorrow" just let me know. That would make me happy too.

One Step at a Time

This is a picture I took from the top of Mount Sinai in Egypt. This hike was one of the most physically challenging feats I've ever tried.
(The trail is about 5 miles long and the mountain is 7,497 feet high.)

We started up the mountain in the middle of the night so we would make it by sunrise. In the beginning I was able to stay with the group. But as we went on I fell further and further behind. After awhile I encouraged my supporters to go forward without me as I didn't want them to miss the sunrise. (I was sure I would.)

The time I had to hike alone gave me time to ponder. The quiet peaceful night and cool fresh air did wonders for my soul. I knew that if I could just keep putting one foot in front of the other I would eventually meet my goal.

My poor out of shape legs and lungs finally made it to the top about 20 minutes before the sun came up. The view was breathtaking. I'm sure my life is that way. Sometimes I'll be able to keep up and sometimes I'll need to struggle on my own but I have faith that it will be worth the effort.

Results

I completed the Crystal City 5K Friday on April 15th.

Check out my time. I'm so SLOW!!!

A Summary

I often feel like I spend all my time at work. Weekends seem to speed by, as do vacations - let alone just an evening, where I need to pack in errands, movies & TV, dinners, baking, visiting teaching, institute, exercising, volunteering at the temple, important chats with friends, etc. If you take in to consideration my strong desire to travel (everywhere!) and spend more frequent quality time with my family, I could probably quit working all together and still be crazy busy.

I know work is important. I understand the need to support myself. Health insurance, a paycheck and a feeling of contributing - these are all good things. But this feeling that I live in a crazy world - working FIVE out of seven days a week seems a bit much. Wouldn't it be better to work three and have off four?

And yet looking back at 2010 - all these feelings aren't even based on reality. I only worked 50.7% of the year. Check it out -

185 days working in the office
104 days for the weekends
30 vacation days
18 CWS days
11 holidays
9 days (out of the office) in Training
4 snow days
4 sick days

So go ahead - tell me I have a good life. I actually already know, and I feel blessed.