hey, remember that old blog?

I was reminded today I never did an "I moved blog post" on my previous blog. And now I honestly can't remember what my log-in information is. oops.

But if you're new here, or just want to read up on my life from the past few years, my old blog is:

mbflint.blogspot.com

I decided to start this new blog with a domain. It gave me a chance to start fresh. Maybe one day I will learn if it's possible/how to sync the two. Or maybe I'll just share some of my favorite posts from before. Or maybe not.

At any rate, if you haven't read the old blog, you should. At least what I posted in 2016. Wish me luck on trying to remember my old information!

2017 ch. 3

Does anyone else feel like this year is just whirling by? How it is that we are already 1/4 of the way done? There is something about goal setting and maintaining that seems to make time go by quicker.

I feel like I've finally turned a corner this month. I've been striving to say yes more and really living in the here and now with a sense of purpose, but ultimately, I haven't felt like there's been a lot of purpose to how I've been spending my time. Don't get me wrong, I still waste quite a bit of time, but I feel like that purpose is growing.

At the end of February, my sister asked me if I wanted to travel with her somewhere later in the year. I said no because I didn't know how I would pay for it and it wasn't a part of my plan, but the more I thought about it, I realized saying no would be missing out on a fun experience, so I said yes. Nothing has been booked, but the pan to book is there, and it's something I am so excited for! When I decided I would go, I realized I would probably have to give up buying a camera, which was one of my goals for the year. When I decided the camera was off the table, I felt a little disappointed, and after a minute, I knew I needed to find a way to do both. So I jumped two feet in and bought myself a canon and now I'm learning on how to use it. My goal is to start selling prints on Etsy, and hopefully one day, I'll sell enough to pay for my camera. I set up a shop on Etsy, (my shop) and know it will take some time, but I was brave enough to take that first step!

So buying the camera is my first official goal that I've accomplished! yayyyyy!!

This month I only read one book: You are a Badass: Jen Sincero and I loved it! I have been into motivational books lately and this one was on point. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

• "Give yourself the gift of a joyous life while you're still among the living"
• "Living a life on purpose is available to everyone"
• "Time spent enjoying yourself is never time wasted"
• "Your life is happening right now. Do not snooze and lose"
• "If you made the decision that you were going to reach your goals, you would do whatever it took. If you merely wanted to, but hadn't made the firm decision to, you'd roll over and begin convincing yourself that your life is fine just the way it is" 

Seriously, this book is a game changer. I don't believe that I was born just to go to work and pay bills, there are so many other things I want to do and experience and this book has given me more motivation to work toward that goal.

Surprisingly, I have continued to write in my journal weekly. Sometimes it's short, but it's always better than nothing.

I have not been great with scrapbooking, but I have been developing my pictures. I'm hoping to get a bunch done during conference this weekend. 

This month, I visited my first new temple. I went to Oquirrh Mountain. It was so busy, even though I went on a weekday. I realized it's going to take an extra effort to visit new temples, but it's something I think will be good for me. So only 5 to go! I plan to visit the Vegas temple next month.

In March, I ran two half-marathons! (Both new). I really enjoyed the Canyonlands Half. It was fun to run with my brother and Mike. (You can see pictures from our run on my Moab post.) Next month is the Salt Lake half. I've been sick and missed two weeks of running this month, so I hope it goes well anyway. My mileage is obviously behind because of this, but I'm at 205 miles.

And last, the best goal of all: travel every month! We are officially 3 for 3 and have our next two trips booked! Traveling is so important to me. I love experiencing new places and it has been so great getting away with Mike for it a bit. We don't have every month planned out, so if you have any suggestions on where we should go, let me know!

All in all, this month has been good. I have been saying yes more, even when it scares me. Going after your goals and dreams can be scary, but I can guarantee when you go for it, it's worth it. It's amazing and possible, you just have to go for it.
If you haven't made any goals this year, make one. Start small. If you have, go after it. Your life stands still if you don't go after things. And if you're standing still, what's the point? You can do it; you've got this.  

MOAB

We just got back from a short, but fun weekend in Moab! Living in Utah, we have so many weekend getaway options! We chose Moab specifically because we were running the Canyonlands Half Marathon, but really, why not choose Moab? If you haven’t been, it’s a must! 

We left our house Thursday evening after work and arrived in Moab about 4 hours later. 

On Friday after a delicious homemade breakfast, we geared up to go hiking in Arches National Park. For my birthday Mike bought me a national park pass, so the goal is to use it as many times as possible! It was my parent’s first time in Arches so it was fun being there with them. We hiked to Delicate Arch (Utah license plate) and to the Windows Arches (North, South, and Turret). Delicate Arch is one of my favorite hikes in Arches so that was our priority. It took us a couple of hours to do. We had two younger children (5, 6) and took multiple breaks for my mom. The Windows is an area you drive to with a few smaller walk/hikes. The area in full took roughly an hour. 

 

We had a quiet evening that night as we were getting ready for the race the following morning. 

Saturday was the half marathon! I ran with Mike, my sister- Lisa and brother- David. It was a beautiful course running along the river! We all had a good time and it was so fun sharing the experience with Mike and David who were running a half for the first time. 

 

Saturday afternoon, we went jeeping and for a ride in the RZR. I had no expectations, but when we arrived, I quickly became terrified. One of my goals this year is to try new things and do things that scare me. Well, jeeping terrified me. I had no idea jeeping meant driving along narrow rocks with nothing on either side! We went up in the RZR, enjoyed a beautiful view, and went back in the jeep. After the initial terror, it became really fun and I realized we were safe. I would recommend jeeping for your next Moab trip! If you’ve never been, or like me, wouldn’t trust yourself to jeep, you can go with a guide. 

 

 

We went to Miguel’s Baja Grill for dinner, as is tradition. They serve a MOAB (mother of all burritos) which is large and tasty! 

 

On Sunday, we took a detour to Dead Horse Point State Park. It’s $15 to enter, but there are many places you can stop and look around. It was beautiful! 

 Moab is a great place to visit if you enjoy being outdoors. There’s something for everyone: hiking, mountain biking, jeeping, river tubing, camping, local shopping, etc. 

 

Next time we are down that way, I would like to go to Canyonlands National Park. 

What are your Moab must-do’s?