Starting the Year right

I got a text asking me how things were going and I wasn't really sure how to reply. Nothing in my life has changed recently, but my life has come so far in the last two years. This is something I realize when I started reading Thin Within again. For those of you who know me, you know that with this book I found freedom in Christ and was able to lose 100 pounds. It's only been a few days and already I have found that I forgot everything I learned. In trying so hard to find my balance in my life, I learned that I was trying too hard. 

The last couple of years has been intense. I am in the same position in my job, but it's not the same.  I have faced situations that have brought extreme stress to my life. Part of it was due to work, this is what happens when you work emergency services. The other part was being in a relationship, my first real relationship after my divorce. Add to that learning how to live with parents again after being out on my own. Even though I had a great job and I still love what I do I was really uncertain of what I was doing in my life. 

Not knowing really where I was going coupled with the stress in my life brought me to the lowest point in my life. I started going back to school, and now I am 1 credit away from graduation. 

I found healing in Thin Within and I am so glad to be doing it again. God brings things together to work for the best. I joined a group for support, because when we have support we are able to accomplish things. These are the things that I have learned. The most important thing I have learned is this, "When there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18. 

I have a vision, I have hopes and dreams for my future. I may be a grown up but it takes a while to figure out what we are doing in our lives. I think I finally figured it out. 

Happy Birthday to Me.

It's the time of year when I write my birthday blog. I really can't say that I know where to start. This year has been one that I have enjoyed. I have had the opportunity to travel and go places I never thought I would. I went places I never knew existed. This year I have to say that I accomplished what I set out to do last year. I wanted to travel, wanted to show my kids the world and I have been able to do that. I'm not done traveling by any means, I think another trip is right around the corner.
Where am I now? I don't really know. I have goals that I have not met, but I'm working toward them. I'm less than a year away from getting my associates. It's a great feeling, to know that I'm that close to finishing a goal. Being in school hasn't been easy, it takes away time I could be spending with my family, and makes exercise a little harder. Even when I finish my associates it won't be over yet, the Bachelors degree takes a little longer.
A couple of years ago on my birthday I wrote about my goal to publish my novel, one that I never ended up finishing. It's a catch 22, I have self published 2 novels, so really I have met my goal of being a published author before turning 30. Now that I'm over 30, all of the goals I had as a kid have passed their time.  My childhood goals only went to before 30, after that life didn't exist.  Now that I'm here, there are new goals to set and life to accomplish. The goals now don't seem nearly as fun as they did when I was a kid.
My life goals consist of keeping my kids alive, and making sure they turn out somewhat normal. That's a big one, and while it's not as cool or popular as I kids think, it's a real thing in mom world. The other goal in my life is still to get my book published, my current book is amazing, and I can't wait to finish it. The only problem being the rest of my life taking time away from my writing. The irony of going to school to be able to do what I want to do, is that I have no time to do what I want to do.
It seems that even though my goals have changed from when I was younger, I wouldn't trade them. Things like maintaining a healthy life is not a popular goal when you are a kid, but now in order to live a healthy life it has to be. It seems like all of a sudden I've become an adult with adult goals. I've seen the post on Pinterest, "When you look for an adult but you are the adult" I didn't realize how true it was until now. I've stopped looking for the adult, I am the adult.
Whoever says you become an adult at 18 is a big fat liar. I didn't get good at this "adulating" thing until just recently. Even still I have my moments, but 13 years later I know what it's actually like to be an adult.