So You’re Wondering Where I’ve Been….

Because, really, who doesn’t miss me?

This week I’ve yet to post a review (yet to pick up a book recreationally) but I don’t even feel that bad about it because:

• I’ve been keeping up with my Google Reader. I haven’t had to check “Mark All As Read” in a week! And I’ve been commenting on at least five blogs a day!
• I just completed my first semester of graduate school! The class doesn’t officially end for two weeks but I got my homework done early and handed in. It’s already been graded and for the semester I earned a A for the course! This is probably the first time I haven’t severely procrastinated.
• I’ve been working on my healthy lifestyle. Not only have I been eating right, but each day I’ve been doing at least one activity. I go between running with Dan and going to the gym with a friend for either Power, Zumba, Groove, or Spin. It feels great to be making such progress. No, I haven’t given anything up. That has never worked for me; too much pressure. I’m just doing everything in moderation. I’ve found that, after a week of living a more healthy lifestyle (I won’t say diet), while I do crave soda and other crap – I find it easier to say “No, I’ll have water.” Because really, I just finished working out. Why ruin it – or make it less effective? Last night for dinner (Wednesdays are our fast day if you will – but really, we just eat more than normal healthy to get rid of all of the crap in our system), Dan and I had lettuce salad, a hard boiled egg, strawberries, broccolli, and cottage cheese. It was awesome and I feel so accomplished. I’ve also been running with Dan more and more (and I’m quite possibly the world’s worst runner). We only run a mile but that first time or two it was absolute torture. Yesterday I was able to make it half of the way without stopping to walk! It seems small but it’s a huge milestone when I think a month ago I wasn’t running at all. I can feel my heart and lungs getting in better shape and it only makes me feel more proactive.
• Finally, and maybe the most exciting, I’m actually writing. I can’t even say “again” because I don’t think I’ve ever been this dedicated or continually written something of this magnitude. As a child (2nd Grade) I came up with manuscripts and in middle school I turned in a short story that was 17 pages (triple spaced) (God help that teacher). But since then I’ve hardly had a moment! Well, since Saturday night I’ve been working on ONE project (not multiple) and I’m loving it. My goal is to write at least 1,000 words a day, but once I start I have a hard time stopping and I’ve been averaging 1,500 words a day. I haven’t hit severe writer’s block yet – but whenever I’m at a small loss of where to go next I walk the dog without earphones and without my phone and just play it out (indirectly adding to my healthy lifestyle). This seems to be working really well for me. I’m so excited to actually have 20 pages (double spaced) and near 7,000 words. I’m not letting myself get overly enthusastic (and day dream about my life as a published author) – I’m just taking it slow and letting the story come out on its own. I know 7,000 words seems like nothing to some people, but (again) for someone who hasn’t sat down to write anything other than tests, class materials, or papers for school in over a decade – it feels amazing! I love the sense of accomplishment.

Friends - that is where I have been. That has been what is taking up my time. I don’t feel absent from the blogging community because I’m visiting others. I don’t feel unproductive or unaccomplished because for about a week I’ve been actively changing my life in a few different ways. Normally, when I try to make a change I revert back to “normal” after a weekend or so. It’s only been a week, but I can see my body and my mentality changing.

This is not an “I’m taking a break from blogging post” at all – because I’m not. But I wanted you to know that I’m not just being lazy and that I’m still here. Hopefully as the week progresses I’ll find a more routine way to fit reading into my blog reading-healthy lifestyle-brand spanking new writing-lifestyle that will allow me to somehow catch up on the review books I have for May!