Full Jar.

Early last year, I decided to do something to help me out of a slump, and it helped as the rest of the year, got worse.  I started a "grateful jar", where I would jot down things that made me happy, or brighten me up some. Through out the year I did this, and then on the last day of 2013, I dumped them out and read them. There was a lot of good in my jar, I forgot about some of the things I wrote in there! It's similar to keeping a grateful journal, but I liked being able to "lock" it in the jar and not see it til I dumped it out at the end of the year.

 For my own benefit, because I cannot keep these small slips of paper, I am posting them here. Things that made me happy this year, especially in times of dark, nothing too deep, just random things I would jot down.  I didn't date most of  them, so some may be out of order, I am posting as I read them!

• January; training for a marathon (cleveland, may) if I feel I can do it, 18 weeks away.
• Joined conversations on facebook by joining pacebook run club (outside my box)
• Feeling the runners high!
• Shopping with my mom!
• Day trips to Ikea!
• Out to lunch with Mom (and Kim and Addy who arrived at the same place, unexpectedly!)
• Joined twitter to try and connect with other rundisney fanatics like me (another outside the box)
• Planning Disney trips and Kyle's spreadsheet!  (with Kyle of course, BFF!!)
• Completing a photobook (digital) that has been in delay (always the procrastinator, that's me!)
• Tried sauer kraut (sp??) and cabbage...and liked it!
• Joining another running group on FB to connect with others
• Went the whole month of January wearing "real" clothes to work, no sweats! (nanny) Made me feel less lazy, especially in the cold!
• Kept up with training (marathon) all January, even when I didn't feel up to it, pushed on.
• Grove City shopping with Kyle
• Ran 14 miles on the treadmill, with a potty break at mile 9!
• January mileage total, 94 miles! 1 mile longer than January 2012!
• Annie dog snuggles
• Shopping with my mom and aunt
• Running a PDR (personal distance record) of 15 miles....but at the same time deciding to stick to half marathons for now
• Vera Bradley Outlet Sale fun with mom
• Being ok and not down on myself for deciding not to continue on with marathon training 
• Proud to have kept up with a marathon training plan for 2 months 
• Watching GH again with my mom
• "Disney PR (personal record) at the Princess Half by 11 minutes!
• Disney Princess vacation with my aunt, one of my favorite trips, being in the moment and savoring it
• Running my first ever relay with my brother, Mike.  I had a 5 mile PR on my leg! 
• Running the relay, placing 2nd overall amongst the coed teams with my brother!
• Running the kids race with Addy during Cleveland Marathon weekend
• Getting through the Cleveland Half Marathon in the heat!  (and being thankful I chose to opt out of the full marathon!)
• Kiddie Park with Addy and Mom
• Afternoon of board games with Kim B.
• Zoo and Subway picnic lunch with Addy
• Cupcakes from my favorite cupcake place with my aunt
• Exploring downtown with my aunt
• Movie with Katherine
• Bike rides, alone and with my mom (these rides really helped me when I was feeling lots of nerves and depression)
• Zoo with Victoria
• Surprise cupcakes and a running shirt from my aunt
• Beach with Mom and Addy
• Getting back into training (somewhat) after a summer of lows and no training.
• Running Wine and Dine with my brother; the 1st time I ever ran alongside someone AND had no music for 13.1 miles.  I loved it, it was a blast!
• Finishing the Wine and Dine hand in hand with my brother, which was his first half
• Having accomplished my first 2 a day races, Jingle Jungle 5k and Wine and Dine Half, having never done 2 runs a day AT ALL!  16.2 miles total in a day!
• Fun Disney trip with my mom, aunt, and brother, and Eric and Kyle too!
• Osborne Lights at Hollywood Studios
• All things Disney World vacation
• Runnning the Christmas Story 10k in bitter cold (I do not run outside in cold!), and missing a PR by less than 20 seconds (not bad for having just gotten back into training not long before the Wine and Dine)
• Country Lights at the Farm Park
• Christmas with family and friends

There were many things to be thankful and grateful for in 2013.  It was fun to look back and see what fun I had, and what helped me get through the down times!  I may do this again in 2014!

2013.

so i have totally slacked on the blogging hobby.  i am such a procrastinator, and it has shown in the world of blogging, especially this past year.  it's new years eve, the last day of 2013, a year in which started out ok for me, but slowly fell apart.  it's been an emotional year, with many lows and bouts of depression.  one thing i set out to do early in the year was to try to do my best to keep myself in a happier place.  i found an idea that had you fill a jar full of things throughout the year that helped keep me in a good place, or just things that i was grateful for.  i first posted about this idea here.  so even though it was a rough year, there were many good moments.  i want to remember those, not the bad moments.  

here is the jar now!

so now the year is up and it's time to read all those slips of paper!  i tried my best to document what i could, but i know a few things may have slipped through and not made it in the jar.  it's a tall jar and the paper is pretty flat, but it got about 3/4 full!  not bad, not bad.  i plan to list what i wrote in another post.

so as we say goodbye to 2013, a year i am ready to say goodbye to, i will read through these slips of paper, and remember the good times.  

i have many goals for 2014, mostly just personal stay organized, save money, be healthy (you know, the usual), but my other main goal is to do a better job at blogging.  i have 3 very delayed posts to write; the wine and dine half marathon, the jingle jungle 5k, and the christmas story 10k.  yes, they were all over a month ago, but i am determined to post them, they were so fun! i am still organizing my pictures from them all, especially the disney races, but i plan to post them all here.  they will just be really delayed posts, but i am determined to get them up!  

so thank you for sticking with me, the few readers i have, and i hope to do more frequent postings in the new year, maybe do a revamp of this blog (we'll see), and hopefully gain a few more readers! i read so many blogs that i truly enjoy and they inspire me to try to do better!  time for a fresh start!