Changes are happening

The beginning of the year, I stated I wanted to make changes in my personal life.  I was working toward becoming a more positive person, I want to drop the negative influences in my life, focus on my family, and spend more time studying the Bible.

I have been making good progress with most of the above.  There were a few weeks during February that was a struggle for me at work to stay positive, but I recognized it and worked harder. Little did I know when I said I wanted to change, that a huge change would happen the end of February.

After 11 and a half years at FNC, I accepted a new position with a new company!  It all just sort of landed in my lap and was an offer I could not refuse.  I never thought I would leave FNC, granted it has been on my mind more lately due to the potential sale of the company, and it was a hard decision.  I was given an opportunity to help start business intelligence for a company, right next door to FNC too!  Leaving all my friends and coworkers was very bittersweet, but exciting at the same time.

Surprisingly it was rather easy to make the decision to leave once I got over the initial shock of being offered it.  Yes, it was hard to do, but I knew it was the right decision.  I am starting my fourth week at Next Gear Solutions this week.  It has been different getting to know the products, the people, and culture.  Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful!

I hope things continue to go well and I can quickly learn the ropes and systems!

Changes

It's been ages since I have stopped to even put any type of thoughts down on the blog.  I love to provide updates to my non-existent readers, but sitting down to post at night is the last thing I want to do. To help change that, I have decided 2016 is the year of change for me!  I want to change (in a good way) so many things about my personal life, work life, and just little things.  While I did not sit down in January and do an update, I did start on changing things.

I have always been a firm believer anyone can change if they set their minds to it and really want to change in their heart.  Changing yourself is always the hardest goal to achieve.  I realized at the end of the year, I no longer wanted to have some of the negative traits I saw in myself.  I was seeing that I no longer first saw the good or positive about a situation, but the negative.  I realized this was not the example I wanted to set for Zoey. I wanted her to see me as a strong, positive woman, not a negative woman.  While I am doing this for her, I am doing it more for myself.

There is so much that come to play that makes us fall into this type of pit.  I recongize a lot of them in my life.  A handful I cannot readily change due to it is out of my control.  Another thing I fall short of, letting go of things I cannot control.  Yikes!

To start the year off, I told myself I wanted to be more positive first off. Stop seeing the bad and complaining about every little thing. Surprisingly, to myself, I am accomplishing that.  While it might take a while for others to see it, I can tell a difference. I feel "lighter".  While I know negative thoughts and feelings can weigh you down, I had no idea how much!  It will continue to be a work in progress and there will be bad days, but I am determined not to let that get me down!  I can do this!

If you are reading this and see me fall back into my old negative self, please call me out on it.  I am still learning how to let go of things and get them off my chest without sounding like I am complaining or being negative.  One of my favoite signs I had as a child, which is hanging in Zoey's room today as a reminder to myself when bringing her up, says "Please be patient with me.  God isn't finished with me yet...".  Oh how this applies even to us as adults today!

                          

Reading Challenge 2016

I love to read.  Anyone and everyone knows that about me.  Granted I don't feel like I read near as much as I used to, I still try to get my reading in.  This year I came across a great little reading challenge I decided to accomplish.  One thing I like about this is I can choose what month I read which book.  I am doing this one book a month.  I decided to go ahead and plan out which month I will read which catagory.  I should have posted this beginning of January, but I am trying to get back into the blog.  I would love to see others join in for this month!

Above is the list of catogries and here is the "order" I set for myself.

January: A book published before you were born.

February: A book you can finish in a day. (This is going to be a hard one unless it's a childrens' book.)

March: A book you have been meaning to read.

April: A book you should have read in school.

May: A book you have previously abandoned.

June: A book choosen for you by your spouse, parenter, sibling,child, or BFF.

July: A book I have already read at least once.

August: A book that intimidates you.

September: A book tha twas banned at some point.

October: A book you own but have never read. 

November: A book recommended by your local librarian or bookseller.

December: A book published this year.

The book I choose for January was The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  I was looking for one I already owned that was published before I was born.  Plus it is one I have been meaning to read for ages.  I BARELY made the cut off of reading it in January.  I stayed up later than normal last night to finish it, but I did!  

First Dance Class

This fall Zoey started ballet and tap lessons.  All summer she mentioned how she wanted to take dance.  The studio we went with, had a 3 day summer dance camp.  This was perfect to see if Zoey really wanted to do dance plus she got to try out three of the top classes for kids her age.



We were able to get her in the ballet/tap class on Mondays which allowed her to still take gymnastics this fall too on Tuesdays.  Our weekly schedule is busy this year!  By Thursday I’m ready to sit at home and do nothing.  Zoey loves her teachers, Ms. Mary Frances and Miss Rachel.  She says she loves tap more than ballet. Personally I'm hoping that will change later.  I do hope she sticks with dance as she gets older and continues to practice.  I would love for her to see it through until she is out of high school.

Ready for her first dance class.

Amazes me how she knows how to do this without any classes yet! 

Getting a twirl in before class.

Snow Day 2015

All Winter Zoey talked about snow and how she wanted a snow day, to make snow angel, build a snowman, etc.  We would always explain to her that we would have to wait and see if it snowed and how it might not snow. 

The end of February we were forecasted to get 5-6 inches of snow.  I had major doubts.  Good thing I was wrong!  Zoey was so excited about the snow!  She couldn’t wait to get out in it and play.  I was able to hold her off until it had accumulated several inches.

Watching it snow!

SUPER excited it is SNOWING!!

Zoey and Daddy walking in the snow.  She played in out in the snow for hours.  We had to beg her to come in.

Zoey and her snowman.  She got her Daddy to help build one.

Running in the snow.