Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Work

On one hand, I think New Year's Resolutions are dumb. What is stopping people from starting new things at any point, regardless of the month or time of year? For example, we made some resolutions in November, but you can't really call them New Year's Resolutions....So instead we started calling them initiatives, which just cracks me up because it always reminds me of the Dharma Initiative from LOST.

On the other hand, I always make New Year's Resolutions, even if I don't voice them out loud. So that's the situation. 

Anyway, instead of telling you my New Year's Resolutions, I'm going to tell you My Initiatives, which I made at the start of the beginning of 2017. Trust me, resolutions and initiatives are not the same thing.

My Initiatives

Initiative #1: Read the Bible from cover to cover. Several years ago, my parents gave me a chronological Bible. I've attempted doing this before, but sadly, unsuccessful. I think 2017 is the year to start doing this every year. I'm pretty resolute on achieving this, and continuing it every year.

Initiative #2: Stay on top of the laundry. I hate laundry. Its not that I hate washing, drying, or folding. It's that I hate the actual putting up of the clothes. I don't know what it is about this specific chore, but I will put it off for weeks until there is nowhere for us to sit in the living room. It's terrible.

Initiative #3: Become less attached to my phone. This has bothered me for quite some time, but I didn't have the willpower to make it happen yet. Now, though, I have decided to follow through. Step one is not having the first thing I do in the mornings and the last thing I do at night be looking at social media. Its crazy how dependent people are on their phones and they don't even realize it! 

Initiative #4: Read more. I made a personal goal to read two books per month. Reading is a strange thing for me.... I truly like to read, but honestly, I FORGET that I like to read. So then, I don't read. I guess there are just too many distractions to remember that I like to do this (see Initiative #3).

Initiative #5: Watch less Netflix. I always pride myself that we don't have cable and that the only show that I religiously watch is Survivor. But who am I kidding, I binge watch on Netflix and sometimes it gets way out of hand. In 2016 alone, I watched the complete series of Parks & Recreation, Friends, LOST, and Gilmore Girls. Add in multiple seasons of Survivor, House of Cards, Fuller House (don't judge me), The Walking Dead, Grey's Anatomy, and Veronica Mars. So, my initiative is to only watch one episode at a time, unless Nathan and I are watching it together.

So, the problem with New Year's Resolutions, at least for me, is that a plan isn't made. Don't believe me? Just take a look at the definitions.

Resolution: a firm decision to do or not do something

Initiative: an act of strategy intended to resolve a difficulty or improve a situation, a fresh approach to something.

A resolution is a decision. An initiative is a strategy. So what are my strategies?

My Strategies

Strategy #1: Get an actual alarm clock. I'm terrible (and I mean terrible) at waking up when my alarm goes off. I blame this, in part, because my phone alarm clock is not annoying enough and too easily accessible. So, I moved my phone charger on the other side of the bedroom and found an old alarm clock to put on my bedside table. I still use my phone alarm clock, but I use the more annoying normal alarm clock as sort of a "pre-alarm," as if to say, "ok, your phone alarm is about to go off in 2 minutes so get ready to get out of the bed." 

Not only is this great for actually waking up fast instead of pushing snooze 7 times (sorry Nathan), but it also helps with many of my initiatives. Waking up early (2 hours before I wake up), gives me plenty of time to spend time in the word (initiative #1) and do some chores (initiative #2). It also gives me plenty of time to walk Justice before work, make lunches for us, and eat breakfast. Additionally this helps with getting less reliant on my phone (initiative #3). As a side note, I have a rule with myself to not check my phone until right before I head out the door (and only for the purpose of checking texts or reminders). That gives me 2 hours of phone-free time!

Strategy #2: Read instead of watch Netflix. This is pretty cut and dry. When I have the urge to reach for the remote, instead I have made an effort to reach for a novel instead. This helps me achieve reading 24 books throughout the year (initiative #4) AND watching less Netflix (initiative #5). Additionally, this helps out with being less attached to my phone (initiative #3). When you're watching TV or a movie, its so easy to text or be on social media at the same time. But it is impossible to be looking at your phone and reading a book simultaneously.

Strategy #3: Leave my phone facedown. This is sort of a generic way of me saying forget about my phone and focus on what I am actually DOING. So if i'm at work, there is no reason for me to check my phone every 15 minutes. I'm not that popular to be getting texts all the time. I've also started leaving my phone when I am planning to have social interactions. Whether its having dinner with Nathan, or attending a meeting at work, it is not unacceptable to let myself have my phone out and on the table. For one, it's rude, and for two (again) I'm not that popular.

Note: I would just turn my phone completely off during the day, but if you'll recall, I AM a safety person, so it is hard-wired for me to be prepared both at work and at home, in the case of an emergency, or if my sister is going into labor.

My Progress

So far, the waking up early strategy has been extremely helpful. Waking up and having plenty of time to do exactly what I need to do is great. Normally, I'm against getting places super early (unless its the airport) because, I mean, why? Why get to a college class to just sit there and wait for 15 minutes when you could have had 15 minutes more of sleeping. Why get to a doctor's appointment early just to wait until you're actual appointment time? There's a reason business schedule people for specific times; and its because they are busy during the other times. So my philosophy has been (and still is) "get where you're going a few minutes early, just so that you're not late." BUT, I will say waking up early has helped me be productive, not only in the 2 hours before I leave for work, but also throughout my day. When I'm productive in the morning, I'm more productive at work, and when I get home. It's a cycle of productiveness. 

As of today, I have completed 2 books and am 2/3 finished with a 3rd. The trick for me at this point is to read 3 completely different books simultaneously. So, I've got one fiction, one fantasy, and one inspirational. Additionally, I'm still on track in my Bible.

I have only watched a few things on Netflix. Doing good so far.

The phone issue is a work in progress. I feel that not sleeping with it beside me is a HUGE help. But I'm also trying to teach myself to just be aware of the times when it creeps back in front of my face. It's a struggle, but I'm working on it. 

Hopefully, at the end of 2017, I will have a good report to write about. Hopefully I'll have different resolutions/initiatives for 2018 because I've already conquered my 2017 ones. We'll see. At least I know I have a strategy.

Goal Horn

Some people have strange goals in life. Some people keep their strange goals private, and some people go out and make them happen. I have made one of mine happen (with help from some awesome people named Graham).

...Many moons ago, a young lad purchased season tickets to the Nashville Predators hockey club with a few of his friends. His eye lit up, like every fans did, each time the burned biscuit crossed into the red basket, but he was struck particularly by the train horn that went off and liked to rupture ear drums arena wide. As Doc Emrick would say, WHAT MARVELOUS CHAOS! OH MY!...

In football, people just cheer when the home team scores. In basketball, there is perhaps a few yips of joy when a bucket is made, but in hockey, the entire arena immediately knows that one of the most exciting, heart pounding moments in the Wide World of Sports just happened.

So, all that to say, I love goal horns. I can identify almost every single NHL team by their goal horn, and I have a mental ranking of each one in my head. 

So, naturally, I wanted to actually hit a goal horn myself. I thought that maybe installing one in my car would be a solution since Tennessee drivers rank among some of the worst in the country and I could justify it doubly, but that is quite a task (it's still going to happen; I just need the air compressor!) So, instead, I met up with someone from church who works at the local hockey team, the Mississippi RiverKings and asked him if he could help me get to hit the horn for them sometime. AND LAST SUNDAY NIGHT, IT HAPPENED.

Was it all that I had hoped and dreamed for? You're darn straight, it was. Top Ten events in my life. Enjoy.

Assumptions are Unattractive

Last Thursday, I was given the opportunity to attend a regional conference to provide new information and methods related to my profession. The conference was actually in Memphis, so it was really convenient for me. Several other people came from the Memphis area, as well as several from Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi. 

Of course one of the main things that is always pushed at any sort of conference is networking. So I was putting forth some effort to be less of an introvert and talk to people. 

After having several conversations throughout the day with various people, an older man, whom I had not spoken with yet, came up to me and struck up a conversation.

"I heard you tell someone earlier that you went to Murray State University."

"Yes, sir." I replied "I work at the University of Memphis now, though."

"Murray State.... that's Kentucky, right?"

"Yes!" I beamed thinking of my alma mater, "But I grew up in south-central Kentucky."

His face immediately adopted a disgusted look, and said, "So, you voted for Trump." Let me make it clear at this moment, that this was not a question, but rather a statement. 

"...Kentucky's 8 electoral votes went to Trump, yes." The conversation fizzled out and luckily the next presentation started. 

This conversation (or lack there of) made me furious, and here's why:

1. Maybe its just because I was brought up with (Kentucky) manners, but isn't it rude to ask someone you just met who they voted for? To be clear, politics had not been brought up in my rhetoric the entire day, nor would I even want to talk about politics with people I've just met. 

2. Yes, "Kentucky voted for Trump." After this incident, I couldn't help but to look up the actual election results and statistics. Trump got 63% of Kentucky's popular vote, winning their 8 electoral college votes. 

But listen here, sir, TENNESSEE voted for Trump too. 61% of Tennesseans voted for Trump, winning the state's 11 electoral college votes.... What's the point in throwing shade at me about where you think I voted, when your state did the exact same thing.

3. Here's a question, if I work at the University of MEMPHIS, is it even possible for me to have contributed to Kentucky's voting pool?.... Absolutely not. Obviously, I'm a resident of Tennessee, and my votes counted with the rest of Tennessee's ballots.

4. Even though Kentucky and Tennessee (and many other states) had a majority of Trump voters, they still had Hillary voters! Just like California had majority of Hillary voters, but 33% voted for Trump. Every state will always cast votes for each candidate or issue, but the majority wins. This is called democracy...

5. Lastly, and most importantly, we, as Americans, have got to stop assuming things about one another. All this man knew is that I grew up in Kentucky. He assumed (for some reason) that I still live there. He assumed I voted with my state's majority. He assumed I agree with my state's majority winner on every issue. Although he didn't say a word, I could see in his face that he assumed a lot about me.

This election has widened the gap between the two most prominent opposing sides. I'm getting sick and tired of hearing that all people who voted for Donald Trump are racist, sexist, rednecks. I'm also getting sick and tired of hearing that all people who voted for Hillary Clinton are Christian-hating, baby-killing, tree-huggers. Those people DO exist, I'm not denying that. In the past few weeks, I have seen some posts and heard some stories from both sides that make me furious. Things that make me feel nauseous. Things that make me embarrassed that I live in a country where people are so vile. 

But this behavior is not the majority! People voted for their candidate for their own personal reasons and its not your place to assume that they fall into the 1% of the hate. 

I'm not insinuating that the supporters of Hillary Clinton should just bow down to Donald Trump and accept everything he says as right and true. But I am asking us all to show a little respect to one another. Don't assume lies about anyone but let individuals show you their true colors, instead of assuming that someone is as bad as the worst of us.

2016 Beach Bucket List

Hey there! Later this month, Nathan and I will be going to the beach for the first time in 2 years, so we decided to put together a Bucket List to build anticipation! Enjoy!

Check out our other bucket lists, also!

He Prunes

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does not bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." John 15:1-2

I grew up singing, "He is the vine, and I am the branches. His banner over me is love." These the lyrics to this kid's song is referring to John 15 a few verses after the verses written above. 

Later in life and growing in spiritual maturity, studying verse 8 of John 15 revealed the importance of of 'bearing fruit.' "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." These words also brought my favorite church camp song full circle! "Fruit of the Spirit's not a coconut. But love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-controllllllllllllll!"

Though I've grown up hearing these words from John 15 my entire life, I still didn't fully grasp verses 1 and 2. It took me inheriting a garden. Let me explain.

When we moved in January, I was pleased that the backyard was fenced for privacy and small-ish for minimal yard work! The front of the house appeared to be equally low maintenance.

Around April, I realized that instead of a low maintenance patch of grass, we had inherited a garden in front of our house. If you are friends with me on facebook, you may remember my inquiries to "fellow gardeners" asking about what plants we had growing on our property. After many opinions, I can confidently (or not so confidently) say that we have euonymus, asiatic lillies, ornamental grass, and liriope AKA monkey grass. Additionally we had what you could call 2 bushes, which were supposedly crape myrtles. At first it was fun work pulling the weeds and making our house look nice. 

That didn't last long. 

After, months of having a "garden," I've realized I am definitely not "a gardener," at least not with a garden that I did not initiate. It wasn't long before I determined that: 1) weeds are from the devil, and 2) I'm pretty sure we don't have crape myrtle bushes.

All summer I have been trimming those darn crape myrtles waiting for them to start looking like the google images I've looked up. I can say, as of now, we have not reached that point...... I wish it were true, but it's not. 

Luckily the previous renters were also lazy enough to leave some trimmers which have come in handy for me as I prune the "crape myrtles" every 17 minutes. Yes, it seems like I'm pruning these things all the time!

What baffles me the most is the fact that every time I trim them down, I think, "Wow, this looks great! So perfect looking. And tidy. And not blocking our front door." And then (what seems like) 2 days later, its bigger than ever!

Recently, it was a hot and humid day in August and I was giving the "crape" a haircut. I was frustrated and sweaty because this dang bush keeps taking over the front of our house. I still had my ear plugs in from using the weedeater (safety first, people!), so I was just working, alone in my thoughts. 

And then it clicked.

The reason the bushes keep getting bigger and bigger is because this was God's design. A more significant epiphany for me, was finally understanding John 15:1-2. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does not bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

I literally never fully understood the pruning analogy, because I've never pruned before now. Jesus says that God prunes the branch that does not give fruit, so that it may produce MORE fruit. I always got that He removes areas that are not of Him, it just didn't fully process that He removes it so that even MORE fruit of Him can grow! 

I'm amazed that God can reveal himself in such random things, like taking care of someone else's "crape myrtle."

2016 Middle Earth Fantasy Football

Last year, I posted my predictions in the blog about how I thought a few of our teams would do in Middle Earth, and so by popular demand, I will post my thoughts here again. ESPN no longer offers the draft report cards, so I will also include FantasyPro's rankings on each team, also.

TOP THREE (in no particular order)

Riders of Romohan (Colin Capps)

Is anyone surprised by this? Should I even bother saying much? Commissioner Colin seems to toy with our league every season and why should this year be any different? According to Fantasy Pros, he has the best team in the league, getting the only 100% score. I am a bit miffed at him since he took Keenan Allen in the first round, as that was the player that I WAS TARGETING. But I'm not mad. I believe that Colin could be the Blackhawks of Middle Earth and could go for three rings in six years, while becoming the first team ever to win thrice.

Dol Guldur Tsundere Towers (Braxton Koehler)

Like Colin, Braxton owns this league. I thought Braxton traded his way right out of contention last season but evidently, he didn't even need Cam Newton or Greg Olsen to win his second Championship Ring (side note: we actually bought The One Ring of power as our trophy and Braxton can now turn invisible). Braxton kept Antonio Brown and Jordan Reed, reacquired Mark Ingram and drafted Sammy Watkins. Fantasy Pros rated him at a 98.1% with his TE, Defense, WR and Flex being very strong. Could we see the Colin/Braxton championship matchup?! Time will tell!

Rubber Ducky Rohirrim (Kevin Koehler)

I'm having a hard time deciding who my third team will be as there are a lot of strong teams in our league, but I'm going with my gut and my heart on this pick. Kevin (or Dad, as I affectionately know him) did as I predicted last season and won not only his first playoff game, but his second and went to the Big Dance! His team played well all season and he ended up tied for the best record and met Braxton in the Championship. Now that the playoff monkey is off of his back, I believe another deep run could be in his future. Fantasy Pros rated teams higher than Dad, but his waiver wire expertise and trades should carry him deep unless he meets some tough injuries. Fantasy Pros ranks him with a 85.7% overall.

Wild Card

Andwise Puddifoot (Jake Thompson)

I'm upgrading Jake to a wild card this season. Last season, he went with a ton of RBs in the beginning of the draft and ended up in last place. This year, he decided to do...the same thing. He does have much better backs this time, though, as he made the homer pick of Ezekiel Elliott (Cowgirls NERD!) and kept David Johnson. His weakness, though, is the same as last year...not great receivers. And in a PPR league, receivers win championships (you can ask Braxton). So, the question will be, will Jake's RBs been good enough/catch enough to balance out his riskiness in taking WR very late in the draft? Fantasy Pros put Jake as the number three overall team with a score of 89.2%.

No Playoffs!

Shire County Studs (Klent Starks)

Klent may prove me wrong, and if so, bully for him! However, Mr. Starks seems to have not caught on to the fact that you never take a QB in the early rounds...come on, man! Klent went bold with taking Aaron Rodgers as his second overall pick. That does give him a premier QB, but limited his options in RB and WR considering the wealth that was also available at that time. His receivers are middle of the road, his flex position is weak and he's playing it risky with Thomas Rawls and Doug Martin as his top running backs. Will Klent prove me wrong? Probably...at least when he and I play. Fantasy Pros rated Klent second to last in the league with a 81.9% overall rating. (Sorry, Klent!)

Here are all of the ratings from Fantasy Pros (this does NOT reflect my opinion...just theirs.):

Power Rankings

Rank	Team	Score
1	Riders of Romohan	100.0%
2	Dol Guldur Tsundere Towers	98.1%
3	Andwise Puddifoot	89.2%
4	Saucy's Werewolves	87.8%
5	Russeldell Elves	87.2%
6	Rubber Ducky Rohirrim	85.7%
7	Seami Dolphawks	84.8%
8	Minas Morgul Scream	83.0%
9	Frodo And Boromir	82.7%
10	Prancing Ponies	82.7%
11	Shire County Studs	81.9%
12	Mines of Moria Mountain T...	77.2%

What do you think? Let me know.

Click here to see last year's predictions.

Anniversary Photos: Year 2

As part of our second anniversary festivities, we had some photos taken. These were taken by Elizabeth from Elizabeth Hoard Photography.

Photo Cred for all photos: Elizabeth Hoard Photography






Check out our 1st Anniversary Photos