PMC - I'm In!

Okay, here's some news. Today I signed up to ride the Pan Mass Challenge in August!

I'll be riding the two day course from Wellesley to Provincetown with my friend Sue. I wasn't sure about doing this ride last month, as I mentioned in a previous post. But the pull to do it was too strong to resist.

So now I'm committed. I can't wait to be part of this special event to support such a great cause.

Dry Spell

Okay, I think it's obvious I'm going through a little dry spell here.  

Not much blog material of late since there's been no biking, no running, no concerts and no exciting adventures to write about.  I think I've also got an unintentional winter hibernation thing going during these icy, cold, dark January days.

When I've got something fun or interesting to share, I'll be sure to write about it. Until then, bring on spring!!

Winter Undying

Here it is the day after yet another big snowstorm in New England.  

This peaceful view is from our back porch overlooking our small pet cemetery where Reggie the cat, Rosie the hamster and Bubbles the cockatiel have all been laid to rest.  Quite a serene spot, especially in the winter.

New Year Vision

Because I read too many Oprah magazines during my vacation .... and because I had too much time on my hands.... and because I recently stumbled upon the quote, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there," I decided to take my goal setting very seriously for the new year. 

So seriously, in fact, that over vacation I actually created a poster size visual depiction of my goals with themes and pictures and it's now framed and located above the computer I'm typing from right now.

I know. At some level this is laughable.  But I love this kind of stuff. It appeals to my undeniable need for order and organization in my life.  And it also gives me the illusion of control.  

So here I have my 2009 "vision board", a work of art (to use the phrase loosely) depicting my hopes and dreams for 2009.  

The themes of my goals are relatively generic and simple and shared by most.  The thing that is so powerful, though, is seeing a visual depiction  - rather than a written list - of those goals. It's really quite empowering, actually.

Fitness is one of my main themes, not suprisingly, and I'm planning some big things in 2009 to take my biking to the next level.  

One of which is a 2000 mile goal for the year.  I rode 1430 in 2008, but I started a bit late in mid May and it took a while to build up my weekly mileage.  Maybe since I stated this goal out loud, it will now be as achievable as my first century. 

It remains to be seen whether my vision board will be effective or not. But I'm hoping that by seeing a graphical depiction of my goals on a regular basis, it will help make my vision for my life a reality in 2009.

Speaking of vacations...

I mentioned in my last post that one of the things I did during my "staycation" was to book the next real family vacation for April.  We were excited to head back to the Florida Keys to the beautiful Cheeca Lodge, where we enjoyed several days last April.  I posted a few pictures from the area here last month.

Well how freaky is this? The day after I booked our vacation I found out the Cheeca had a major fire on New Year's Eve - the worst on the Keys in 20 years. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the hotel is closed indefinitely for repairs, which are estimated to be in the millions.  How scary.  And what a huge bummer.  

So on to plan B, which we are still formulating.  One radical idea floating in our family is to forgo the family vacation altogether this year and buy a used bass boat so our son can continue his obsession and passion for fishing.  

This would be a funny turn of events given that for years, my husband and I always said we'd never buy a boat.  Never say never, as I said before. Or at least, not yet.

My Wonderful "Staycation"

I've made several references to the word "vacation" during my recent blog posts.  December has been a stressful month.  Well, more like Q4 has been a stressful quarter.  Thankfully, though, a relaxing vacation is what I finally got.  

For the price of just 4 vacation days, I hit the jackpot with almost two full weeks off from work.  From the time I walked out of the office on December 23 until the time I walk in on January 5, my work life has gone on temporary shutdown. How great is that?

So where did I go on my vacation?  Here's the best part - nowhere. I had a "staycation", which Urban Dictonary defines as "A vacation that is spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer."  And enjoy I did.

After a hectic but fun Christmas holiday, I segued into one of the most productive, relaxing and enjoyable periods of time this year. 

I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but here is some of the fun I had during my staycation:

• Slept almost every day until 10:00
• Had the best dreams just about every night
• Hung with my family and hung with some friends
  
• Ran and walked our dog several times
  
• Cleaned the entire house top to bottom
• Created a full year budget for 2009
• Booked our family's next real vacation in April
• Put away all the Christmas decorations and updated my Christmas binder for next year
• Drank some great vodka - Zyr and Imperia (both Vegas finds)
  
• Watched football, hockey and my new personal finance fave, Dave Ramsey
  
• Watched 5 episodes of Lost (in an effort to catch up before Season 5 starts)
• Finally finished 13 back issues of the Oprah magazine. (I think the weight of these equals the 40 pounds Oprah confessed to gaining in her latest issue)
• Made a personal "vision board" for 2009.  (I know this sounds hokey, but I love this stuff. More on this in a future blog post.)
• Organized all my digital photos for 2008
• Got a new home computer, loaded all my programs and reorganized all my data files
• Sold some furniture on Craigslist we've been meaning to sell all year
• Signed up on Facebook (not really sure why...)
• Made a home cooked meal for my immediate family (I don't like to admit this, but I typically only cook for company).
• Smiled every day

I know this all doesn't sound like it was a fun time but this was one of the best vacations I've had in a while.  And it's not over yet - I still have 3 days left! 

Clearing all the crap off my to do list and decluttering my mind and home goes a very long way in reducing my stress level.  

Just what the doctor ordered. And just how I want to start 2009.