Basking in the glory...a little crazy, but I needed all those miles tocome up with the following...read on.

http://determineddisciplinedanddedicated.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-50k-someone-to-prove-wrong-and-pinky.html?m=1


I posted the above link to another blog I write, to share with new followers of my new blog of the happiness project.

My life has always been a whirlwind. Mostly good, seriously I can't really complain because life is what you make of it and I am determined to be nothin else but happy.


Life throws us curve balls and I swear running is the most perfect metaphor of life. I speak from experience. The run I dread ends up being the best of my life. The runs I decide to just have fun and not focus on a time, I end up with better times. My drive and determination is unparalleled and I will explain why. I have always had to work for anything I have. Work, hard. So when I decide to take on a new challenge I am not scared at all of the work and I throw my whole self into whatever it may be.

When I decided to do this happiness project venture, I made the choice to declutter my life in many aspects. One that has been a main focus presently is focusing on the people who are important in my life. People that impact my life, in a positive way, recognizing the toxic and removing them from being key players in my life. I am far too old for high school dramatics.

As adults, especially women, we need our core group of friends, ones that are there for us at the drop of a hat during a need, and vice versa. Friendship has to be balanced. One-sidedness is not acceptable.

For example, when is the last time a friend asked how are you, and seriously wanted to know? Exactly what I thought...thinking now, huh?

I've had to re-evaluate, regroup, shed some tears, and rethink just what I need in a friend and what my friends need from me. I also had to think if I was able to give them the fair amount of what they also need. I had to think about how each one of them make me feel when I'm around them, happy, sad, drained, whatever emotion they evoke. I know all situations will not be happy involving friends, but when I need one or she needs me, will we help each other or bring each other down? It was tough and a harsh reality.

Here is what I mean,

-I can't expect a friend to drop everything for me if I am not willing to do the same.

-I can't expect a listening ear, if I can't give one myself.

-I can't expect to have a huge amount of friends, there is not enough of me to go around.

We need a net of women, a web, one that supports and holds us up, keeps us, puts us back together when we fall apart and will look us dead square in the eye and tell us when we are being ridiculous.

I'm keeping the strong women, the ones that I can depend on, the ones that support me, the ones that love me unconditionally and have no hidden agendas. Ones that I can actively be a part of their lives to support them as well!

Pick wisely, it has taken me years to finally get the jest of it, but with the events that have happened in my life over the past few years, I have learned through much heartache and tears who I can count on. I learned who talks put of both sides of their mouths, I learned who carries the "knives" to stab you in the back. It's a harsh reality but it is what it is.


Hats off to my girls. I may not see you all often or even talk to you often due to geographic challenges, but when we do, we pick up right where we left off. That's what true friendship is all about. The ones I'm lucky enough to see often or hear from nearly daily, my core friends, I'm so fortunate to have them. I have the best friends a girl could have.

Well hello 2013, and goodbye 2012!

2012 is gone and no looking back, full steam ahead to 2013...the first day of the rest of our lives.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. As I approach this year with great enthusiasm, I am determined to keep it simple. To revel in the small things and to enjoy life simply and uncomplicated, is the top priority for me.

I plan to expand and pursue my deep desire to travel and yes I mean to other places besides Puerto Rico. Ideally, I would love to go and visit my daughter in Holland, not sure it will pan out but I hope so. I also want to visit some local gems.
Looking forward to new adventures and diving into the unfamiliar.

I intend to slow down a bit with some things, look into getting a couple different certifications and a few other things dive head first into them.

My goals are different, as the end of 2012 changed me forever. I saw just how quickly things change, people change and events happen that leave their mark or they did on me any way.

I am going to try to be more verbal, I said try. That is not a strong suit for me as I would rather turtle up and not say anything. That one is tougher to me than any other goal I have.

Wish me luck!

Paleo Challenge Day 1 was a success!

A tad early, but no time like the present....

Simplicity then, is not something to be ashamed off, but rather an achievement.

As 2012 comes to a close, I decided to full steam ahead dive into the happiness project.  I was introduced to this book, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin by a friend.   In her book she outlines her own happiness project.  I was impressed by her blogging and how it turned into a book that as made quite and impact on me, enough so that I decided to start my own.  

How it works?  List making should be done determining what "things" attribute to or take away from your personal happiness.  When doing this list making, I deduced that I needed to simplify my life, my relationships included.  

1)  Being dependent on too many "things" causes me to be stressed. The main one is my phone, it used to be my garmin, but the battery died.

2) Simplistic living, even in the pantry.  Thank Paleo for this one, my pantry is nice and tidy, is devoid of most junk food.  (Teenagers cannot be deprived of their fix as well as my husband.)  In other words decluttering and being able to clearly see what is in the pantry leads to better choices.  Getting rid of "things" throughout the house, including clothes and unneeded items help to simplify even just routine cleaning.  This year Nik and I will be planting a garden and even more herbs.  I'm excited about that project too!

3)Managing Time and Not Wasting It - self explanatory

4)Stop worrying what people think, yes I do this too.  

5)Avoid the people who only know how to bring more clutter to my life. 

6) Finding somewhere to volunteer as much as possible while realizing that I might not have the best of everything but I have a whole lot to be thankful for.


So we shall see how this adventure goes, and don't get my wrong I am happy in my life, of course there are areas to improve, but all in all I am happy. 

What I want to do is simply my life, recognize what truly makes me happy and accentuate those things while eliminating people and things that don't bring joy to my life. 

So here's to 2012 ending and 2013 beginning...personal goals list starting to form and soul searching...reevaulation at its finest.  Stay tuned!


“The more you think and talk about your goals, the more positive and enthusiastic you become.” ~ Billy Cox