Just Can't Wait To Get On The Road Again....

Well. It's 2014. For ten whole days, it has been a new year. What have I been doing for ten whole days?

-Working
-Dealing with a very minor hairline fracture on my left index finger
   ..... Don't worry, I only need a splint for two weeks, and it's mostly just bruising. I'm fine.
-Watching my husband bust his ass for us.
-Walking, zumba, riding my bike, etc. (Yay!)
-Watching Supernatural and Dr. Who
-Learning more stuff at work.
-Starting the Spring semester at school!

So, at least I haven't been sitting on my ass! Yay!

Well, my BFF Amy and I have a new challenge! We had our fun at Morrow Mountain State Park, toasted marshmallows, watched some stars... it was great! It was also a FANTASTIC challenge!! And so we wanted to do it again. So, we are "leaving" our families once more to venture on a Supernatural-themed adventure!

Where are we going?

Our first stop is Crowley's Ridge State Park in Arkansas!

It was a secondary addition to our route, and I added it in

because my favorite King of Hell is in the name!

Our final destination is also in Arkansas.... Devil's Den State Park!

Look at that pathway! Also makes me wonder what type of monsters

our dear boys would hunt down in these trees!

My distance from my house to Crowley's Ridge is 849 miles.

From Crowley's Ridge to Devil's Den is 215 miles.

My total distance goal is 1064 miles.

From Jan 1st to October 31st is 304 days.

So, I must walk 3.5 miles per day to hit my goal!

Amy and I decided that the holidays were so hectic that trying to finish a walking challenge in November and December was nearly impossible. So, our goal date will be Halloween! Also, I think there might be a mini-challenge for November and December in the books for us..... but I have yet to bring that up to her yet! :-)

So, keeping with our original terms, only half of our daily distance goals will be allowed to come from "normal" "every day" walking. The other half must come from some sort of fitness. Walking, dancing, shoveling snow (obviously that will not be happening in sunny Florida!), you get the idea.

But, what's different is now we are only going to blog once per month. Amy said hers will be at the beginning of each month, and I think I may follow suit. So, we'll have our blogs up by the 5th of each month!

Happy Hunting Amy!! <3

The Final Countdown : RoadTrip Review for December; Looking back on 2013.

It is the end of 2013. What a ride. Glancing back over my blog for this past year, I was really a downer for the first half of the year. And for no good reason. I was just miserable at work and feeling like a bump on a log, and most of that was of my own doing.

Towards the middle of the year, when Amy's and my challenge began, I felt a change; it was a great change. I had a goal. A tangible, in-my-hands goal that I could see daily progress in. Some days I failed. Even some weeks I failed. But, I never forgot my ultimate ending.... a healthier me at the end of these miles.

The tail end of the year really was hard. As much as I gripe about her, almost losing my mother was the scariest event in my life. Because I only have one. And she's it. And I have to love her for all that she is, and now I realize I have been trying to hate her for all that she is not. I have to accept her decisions just as she has to accept mine, and I think a good sit down, heartfelt talk is in order soon.
We also had some true loss in the family as well. My cousin lost one of his twin baby girls shortly before Thanksgiving, and the surviving girl is fighting for her life every day. It was a hard pregnancy and a difficult situation to begin with, but little Elizabeth is the beacon we hope will grow and shine brighter every day; but we also won't forget little Heather.
We also lost my maternal Grandmother on the 22nd of December. It was a long hard road for her, for us all. She survived her husband's passing by more than ten years, and her eldest son's passing by about five, and her younger brother's passing by two. She was 89. And beautiful. And she taught me how to truly stand by a husband and be devoted, but also not to take any shit from him. The way she used my grandfather's name to rope him in was a true art form, and I will miss her playing solitaire or crocheting blankets, and the way the clock on her wall made a funny buzzing noise ever so often because it was a 60's clock... and the way she smiled, her light blue eyes that my father shares with her, and the shaggy carpet that eventually was replaced by a cushy Berber carpet. I'll miss my father bringing her poinsettias for Christmas, and her smile that really lit up a room with the love she had for her family. I will miss her for a long time.

I wish I had a good photograph of her, but all of my pictures are currently out of reach, under a massive pile of crud in the office. Instead, I do have a beautiful portrait of her that was done for the memorial service, along with flowers I ended up taking home.

And now onto the final piece of 2013. I took the month of December off from blogging, so instead of daily breakdowns of the walking challenge, I have a weekly breakdown.

12/1   - 12/07 : 15.28 miles (-9.22 miles)
12/8   - 12/14 : 19.84 miles (-4.66 miles)
12/15 - 12/21 : 32.65 miles (+8.15 miles)
12/22 - 12/28 : 49.37 miles (+24.87miles)
12/29 - 12/31 : 11.43 miles (+0.93 miles) [3 day goal: 10.50 miles]

So, how did I do?

24 Week (+3 Day) Goal: 598.50 miles

My Actual 24 Week (+3 Day) Total: 625.41 miles!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!! I made it to our destination, AND THEN SOME!!

The little finish line is over Morrow Mountain State Park.

The red square is where I walked to... almost 27 miles more!

And now the coup-de-gras..... The final picture!

24 Weeks. 598.5 Miles.

And WE DID IT!

Amy should have her blog up soon enough... so go see where she ended up! No matter if we made our destinations or not, it was NEVER about the end point. I am SO PROUD that both her and I made the commitment and stuck through it! Some weeks were tough. Others seemed too easy. But we did it, and we did it for OURSELVES!!

As a gift to myself.... I am framing the paper I used to keep track of the miles. It's nothing fancy, but it will serve as a good reminder to never give up, and to remember that I am doing this for 

MYSELF 

and no one else!

So now what.......?? 

I say......