corley.

I’m a very goal-oriented person. Clearly. I set goals all the time in 2011, and it seemed like each month ended with a bulleted list of reasons for not achieving my goals.  Lesson learned: I know that in order to achieve the goals I set for myself, I need to have a certain level of accountability…

So, here are the goals I set for 2012 at the beginning of the year.

And here’s how I’m doing so far:

Reach my goal weight by June 1

So far, so good! I realize that it may come off a little vain or brainwashed by magazine culture to have my weight at the top of my list of resolutions for 2012, so I want to clarify. This isn’t about me weighing what the gossip magazine and television industry says I should weigh – I don’t want to be a scary skinny bobblehead who survives on, like, kale and pickles and lemon juice. This is about my health, my willpower, and my need to stop eating so much pizza and drinking so much beer.

All that said, I lost 5 lbs. in January. Success!

12 in 12

Mom and I ran the Greenville News 5k, and my official time clocked in at 41:53 with a pace of 13:31. In February, we’ll be running the Frostbite 5k here in Asheville, and my goal is to finish in under 40:00. Bring it, February!

No More Debt

Josh and I are on this new budget system that I heard about on the Elevation Church Podcast. It seems to be working well so far, and I think we’re off to a good start.  The hardest part about a budget is realizing that you don’t get to go out to eat or to a bar every time the mood strikes. We’re learning to bargain with ourselves to see where our “fun” priority falls for the week, which is good—but tough to get used to.

Read at least a book a month

Haven’t you heard about my book club? This month I finished The Weird Sisters, which I’ll be blogging about for the BlogHer book club soon. I’m currently reading The Zookeeper’s Wife for the What Are You Reading? book club, and you’re not too late to join us! Click here to join the discussion on Goodreads.

Build a business

Well, I’m freelancing steadily! I have one major client keeping me in steady work. I’m getting used to setting my own schedule and being my own boss. I work on freelance assignments in the evening throughout t\he week, and each Friday I make myself a cup of tea and shut myself in the office with the dogs to finish up the week’s assignments and invoices.

I’ve been doing a lot of brainstorming for the actual business itself – the name, the website, the services offered, the business plan…it’s overwhelming, but I keep reminding myself that this isn’t the kind of thing you cross off your list in a day. I’m happy with where I am and I’m excited about where I’m going.

Did you set goals for 2012? How are you doing so far? 

Original Article

Although it took me WAY longer than it should have, I finally did finish 100 Years of Solitude. (You may remember I started reading it five months ago when I started this little online book club.)

By the end of the book, I felt like poor Ursula—and oh, how I loved Ursula—in her old age. All the characters, their lineages, and their stories blurred completely together. It was all I could do to keep things straight until the end, and I definitely relied on help from the family tree printed in the front of the book.

Muddled though it left me, I do feel like I achieved something by sticking it out with this book. I was tempted to overthrow it for something simpler several times, but I knew it was just too big a story to leave unresolved.

In a lot of ways, this book felt a little Biblical. The family tree grew gnarled, crooked, knotted with begats and with roots so long that the ancestors had become more like legends than family members.

I knew as soon as I finished 100 Years of Solitude that I would need to read it again. This first time was really just to understand what I was getting myself into—and I did sometimes feel like my shoes were made of cement or stuck in mud as I slogged through the densely woven web of stories. I’ll read it again, maybe next year, to actually process, understand, and enjoy. For now, I’m just glad I finished it at all.

I’ve got one more book to tell you about before the book club picks up in real time. Until then, what are you reading? Do you have a book to recommend?

If you’re interested in becoming a reader with me, leave me a comment and let me know! I’ll add you to the list.

Original Article

I’ve told you about my goals for 2012—now I want to tell you about my inspirations. I look to these people when I’m drawing a blank or feeling discouraged about where I’m going or what I’m doing in life. I hope these wonderful, talented people are just as inspiring to you as they are to me!

My mom

You guys, my mother is a powerhouse. It’s hard to believe that at this time last year, she hadn’t even considered running a 5k…and now, she’s running circles around me and logging miles daily. My mom has always been the best example of kindness, patience, and Southern hospitality; this year, she has become the picture of willpower and perseverance, too. I am so proud of and inspired by her every day.

The Schultzes

I know. How many times can I write about our amazing wedding photographers (and friends)?

What you have to know about Cheyenne and Geoff is that they are kind, helpful, caring AND wildly talented. Each time I’ve spent time with them, from our engagement shoot to meeting up for pizza, I leave telling myself (and Josh) that “I want what they have.”

What do they have, you ask? They have the drive, passion, and freedom that I was shooting for when I first launched out as a writer. They have their own business, they work hard, they make it look easy, and they rock at what they do.

When I first met Cheyenne and Geoff, I thought I wanted exactly what they have—down to the occupation. While I know now that I want something a little different for myself, it was an easy leap to make, considering how profoundly inspired I was –and still am—by this dynamic duo.

Mary Marantz

I started keeping up with several wedding photographers after I met The Schultzes and decided I wanted to be one. That ambition has (obviously) since evolved, but several of the photographers I found have stayed on my radar because they are such great resources and examples. Mary is one of those people.

She is so candid about her journey to where she and her husband are now—and I so appreciate that honesty. She is often just the reminder I need that these things take time, that I’m going to have to take baby steps, and that I will get there someday. Read her recent post called “There’s Something About the Chase” to see what I mean.

I could go on about each of these people—and I could list about a hundred more who I find inspirational. Maybe I’ll tell you about another batch in a few weeks—for now, I’ll leave you with these wonderful people and their inspirational mojo.

Tell me in the comments: who are you looking to for inspiration this year?

Original Article

2012: The Plan

I’ve got a good feeling about 2012. As I sat in the living room New Year’s Day, watching Homeland (which is SO GOOD) with my husband and our friends, I made out a list of things I want to accomplish this year – and I really believe I’m going to check off each of my resolutions in 2012. And THAT, my friends, is exciting.

Reach my goal weight by June 1
Did you know that I have been a member of Weight Watchers since before my wedding? Which was in 2009? That I had a goal to lose 30 lbs, total, and I somehow wasn’t able to get that done over the course of three whole years?

Well, now you know. I lost 20, gained 10, and now have about 20 more to go before I am truly happy with my body and my health. That’s not a lot. And the only thing stopping me from reaching my goal is me. So I’ve decided – this is the year.

12 in 12
I’m going to run a 5k every month this year. BOOM. And not only am I going to run – I’m going to run progressively faster until I can finish in under 30:00 (by June), and THEN under 27:00 (by December). I’ll post the races here as I register – so feel free to join me for 3.2 miles whenever you see that I’ll be running in your neck of the woods!

No More Debt
We are lucky – we have very little credit card debt, and yet we can’t seem to shake it all the way. So, you guessed it, this is the year. We’re going to be completely free of credit card debt by December 31, 2012. As long as the world hasn’t ended, that is. ‘

Read at least a book a month
Remember my book club? Probably not – since it was around for about a day. Are you disgusted that it took me until December to finish 100 Years of Solitude? I am. I’m mad that I didn’t bother to make time to read – but I had plenty of time to watch Felicity on Netflix and sleep until noon on the weekends and work into the wee small hours of the morning.

I love to read – but if you say you love something and then you don’t make time for it, how true can that love really be? This year, things change. Keep an eye on the blog for at least one new book club book a month. Read along with me if you’d like – I’d love the company! And I’m always open to suggestions.

Build a business
This is the biggie. It has been my dream for years to truly work for myself. And now that I’m halfway there, I’m realizing that I am missing some key elements of a small business. Like…a name. Or business cards. Or a website, or a logo, or did I mention a name? 2012 is the year that I truly become my own boss. This might be the resolution I’m most excited about – but really, I’m excited about all of them.

Original Article

I am still alive!

This week has been crazy in the absolute best way. I preach a lot about writing, following your dreams, doing what you love, making it happen…and now, I can truthfully say that I practice what I preach.

And THAT is something that I’m pretty proud of.

Starting in December, I’m going to spend a lot more of my time like this:

Camped out with a big coffee. Writing.

Yes, writing.

Because starting in December, I’ll be a writer.

I have accepted what is called a “flex” position as an Online Content Specialist (read: writer) for one of my favorite companies. On the side, I will be freelance writing for the company that I currently work full time for. And alongside those things, I will be writing for myself.

The key theme here is (can you guess? I bet you can) writing.

This decision was not easy - taking the leap from a very stable full time job doing something I like to a somewhat shakier part time job doing something I love is a little terrifying. The fact that the company I work for has agreed to keep me on as a freelancer is a huge blessing - a stroke of good fortune that I am not taking for granted. But thanks to this, I am, for the first time in my life, going to be able to say that I support myself with my writing.

And for that, I am so, so thankful.

Original Article

I have a great family. My little life is not perfect - we all have our problems, our worries, our stresses. But look at this crew:

I know that it’s part of my job to think that my husband is the best husband…but he IS. He works so hard and he takes good care of me.

He brings me a glass of water when my fingernail polish isn’t dry yet and I’m thirsty.
He takes the dogs out when it’s dark because he knows I’m afraid of the woods behind our house.
He stops for my favorite food on the way home.
He is so loved by our cautious puppy who is so scared of everyone else.
He plays his guitar in the other room and he is so good (and so humble).
He is really tall and really handsome.
He believes in me even before I do. 

Today, I am thankful for my husband. Last week, I was thankful for the little treats in life.

What are you thankful for?

Original Article