July 1, 2011

Progress Report and Month 1 in Review

Holy July, Batman! Time sure does fly when you're... doing anything at all. I am completely in shock that July is already upon us and we're halfway through 2011. The past 6 months have gone by at warp speed, and I'm really hoping that this trend continues, at least until next June or so. Today also marks the completion of our first month of "deployment"... sort of. I feel like these first two months don't really count because Dan is still in the US and I get to talk to him pretty much every day, but he is away from home at least and we're just going to go with it. So in one super mixed up post, I'm going to take a quick look back at the past 6 months, check in on my 11 goals for 2011 (yikes...), and throw in a little we-made-it-through-the-first-month celebration. Off we go...


First, here's a little snapshot of what I've been up to the past 6 months:
The year started out on a rough note when my grandmother lost a tough battle with cancer in January. I still miss her like crazy every day!
I got back into running and have worked hard to stay with it, even through a few bumps in the road. As of this morning, I've run just over 450 miles in the past 6 months.
(I still do not have a single picture of me ACTUALLY running. A big race in a few months should clear that up though.)
I also started to prepare to say goodbye to my handsome 1st lieutenant for a year.
Despite the fact that he spent most of the past 6 months working or training out of town, we have been able to squeeze in so many wonderful memories, the best of which was a little wedding ceremony...
... and a quick beach getaway.
June 1 still came too quickly, though, and after a few days at home, we had to say goodbye (but luckily only for two months!):
So the first half of this year has been pretty full of happy things, with a few not-so-happy things wedged in there. I suppose it takes a little rain to make you really appreciate the sun, right?


At the very beginning of the year, I sat down to write out 11 little goals for the year. Since I haven't thought much about them since I hit "publish," I think I'm overdue for a check-up:
1. finish unpacking & decorating our apartment: Hmmmm... guess I should get started on this. I have quite a bit of donating/throwing away to do.
2. learn lots of yummy new recipes and cook more often: I've done pretty well with this, especially considering the fact that I'm cooking for myself now. I've made a few new recipes in the past 6 months, and I have a huge list of more to try!
3. save money: This was was a little tough thanks to some big expenses (car repairs and a wedding, for example), but I've been putting away as much as I can. I'm really hoping to do even better in the next 6 months though.
4. continue running: I'd say I'm doing pretty well with this one. Honestly, when I wrote these resolutions I don't think I had any idea that I'd be running (and enjoying it) nearly this much. I sort of recall hoping that I could manage two or three days a week at the most. I'm really glad I stuck with this one, though.
5. keep up with this blog: Again, so far so good. Some weeks are better than others but here I am, still writing! Hard to believe it's been over 6 months.
6. keep it together through Dan leaving and make the deployment as easy as possible for him: This one's a little hard to judge. I did pretty well saying goodbye the last time, but I feel pretty bad for the poor soul who has to sit next to me on the flight home from Indiana later this month. It's not going to be pretty.
7. ace the LSATs and plan for the future: This one is definitely a big fat fail so far. The prep book is somewhere on my desk, buried and collecting dust. I still have 6 months though...
8. watch more movies: I've been renting/Netflixing a lot since Dan left in an attempt to pass the time. I just finished watching No Strings Attached last night (because I fell asleep the first two times I tried) and I'm probably the most excited 23-year-old on the planet about the new Winnie the Pooh movie coming out this month. Opening night anyone?
9. spend lots of time with friends: I've made quite a few new friends in the past few months, and I've been lucky to spend lots of time with older friends as well. Thank goodness for these ladies who will be keeping me sane over the next 11 months!
10. get more sleep: This one definitely comes in waves -- sometimes I'm really good about it and sometimes I stay up much later than I know I should. I'm trying hard to at least a good night's sleep before long runs or stressful days. Some nights it's really hard to get to sleep/stay asleep in a bed that seems to be missing a certain someone, but I kind of expected that...
11. BE HAPPY: I sort of covered this topic here. In a nutshell: it's been a rough few months, but I've done pretty well so far at continuing to smile through it all. I'm learning how to keep my spirits up even when things get hard, taking time to be upset when it's absolutely necessary, and refusing to wallow in loneliness. This is only going to get harder in the next 6 months, but I'm definitely up for the challenge.


It's amazing how a month can go so quickly and yet drag by all at the same time. It seems like forever since I last saw my hubby, but at the same time, I can't believe it's already July. I'm crossing my fingers that the next 11 months go just as fast! I don't feel like I've gotten much done in the past 30 days (as evidenced by the lack of progress above), but I did manage a few good runs, two trips to see my bestie and my brother-in-law, and some quality time with friends and family. I've watched a bunch of movies, finished a really excellent book (review coming soon), gotten a great haircut, and written a whole bunch of letters. All in all it's been a pretty good month, and in the end, at least we're one month closer to the end! In celebration (and because this is what everyone else seems to do), here's one of my favorite old pictures of Dan and I:
taken at Dan's grandparents' house in the summer of 2006 -- we had been dating for about a year 


Happy weekend and happy July! I'm pretty excited to have the next three days off from work. I have nothing exciting planned for the Fourth, but I'm definitely looking forward to relaxing a little. I hope that everyone has a fantastic holiday!




   Love,

    Meg


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