Resolutions

...are not impossible to keep.

On January 1, 2009 I did something I've done every January for as long as I can remember- I made a new years resolution. The resolution was to run at least one 5k in every month in 2009. Considering my long standing history of NOT running, the resolution seemed doomed from the very start. As has been seen in my previous posts about running, it has been a long and educational experience.

On December 27, 2009 I did something I've NEVER done in my life: I completed a resolution. Appropriately, the final race was the Epic Finale 5k in Bangor. It was one of my worst times and I came in dead last for the runners...but it was a joy. I knew from the very first step that I'd be last...and it is oddly appropriate since my motto going into this resolution was "Dead Last Finish is greater than Did Not Finish which greatly trumps Did Not Start." Yup. I was last, but I got up and did it. I had the courage to start and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. The Frozen 5k, The Polar Bear 5k, The Irish Road Rover, The Animal Orphanage 5k, The Maine Day 5k, The Ma'nak'wane 5k, The Epic Rabbit Run 4 Miler, The Resolution Road Race, Walter Hunt Memorial 3k, Race 3 of the Luv 2 Run on Portland's Back Cove, The Run for Hope, The Craig McBean Memorial 5k, The Turkey Trot and finally the Epic Finale 5k.

So, the question begs to be ask: How do I move on? What next? How do I top this?

In this experience, I came to understand WHY I was able to see this resolution to completion. Sure, you could probably read this in any motivational book or 'how-to' guide...but I tend to need to experience something to actually GET it. I was able to complete this resolution because it was a number of small goals spread out over a year. It was definite. It was specific and it had a very clear goal with a very clear timeline. At least one 5k in each month.

And with that in mind, I've attempted to design a list of things I want to accomplish in 2010. Specific. Finite. The big difference is the lack of a specific time frame...which honestly makes me very nervous. The list is as follows:

- (6) 5ks

- (2) 10ks (hoping that one will be the Beach to Beacon)

- (1) Half Marathon (o.m.f.g. this makes my stomach hurt. I have a lot of work to accomplish this)

- 33 minute 5k time.

- Summit Katahdin.

- Summit (3) peaks in one day. (probably in Acadia)

- Wear a size 12, and by that, I don't mean "Hey, I found this one freak pair of pants that are clearly mislabeled and I can somehow stuff my ass into them" wearing, I mean, REALLY wear a size 12.

- Buy a pair of Gap jeans. (this is a VERY odd hangup of mine based in childhood trauma. ;) In middle school, all the prettiest girls wore Gap jeans. They just had this look to them and I loved them SO much...but Gap doesn't make jeans for girls my size. And while I was never "fat" in middle school or high school, I was never on the list of Gap jean wearers. I want to fix that. I want to own Gap jeans just once.)

- Buy a 2 piece bathing suit.

- Create a social fitness and health support system of friends and family. Don't want to spend the money on Weight Watchers...so hoping to create something else.

So, there it is. I've bought a journal that I hope to be dedicated to. It will serve as a food journal and journey journal. I've also started a workout calendar and an events calendar. Items such as races will go on the calendar preemptively, and I hope to mark off the other accomplishments as they occur. I've also started to talk to my friends about a social group for fitness and weightloss. Some folks to help keep me accountable. Some folks I hope to help stay accountable.

Fingers crossed. Welcome to my 2010. ;)

Audrey knows...

...that she's been neglecting this blog.

There have been a number of big things that have happened in the past few months. I've been good about keeping a list...with the intent that I needed to write it all down in my blog and purge. Unfortunately, I've been so wrapped up in it all, that I have nailed down the "list" part, and not the "blog" part.

However, inspiration comes in fun places...and after a lovely tweet from @alevesque on twitter, I've decided to get back on the horse. No time like the present. I hope everyone can tolerate my next number of posts...they're going to be rather up and down. (much like my past three months have been. ;))

Nothing says fun like...

...SCORCHED EARTH!!!

What is "Scorched Earth" you ask?

Scorched Earth is our name for the Fiscal Responsibility dinners Homer and I created a year ago.

The term comes from an episode of the Dave Ramsey Show where a woman (FAR over her head in debt and not sure what to do about it) called in and Dave had a little, humorous melt down. He started with a few of his standard Dave-isms. "Live like no one else so that later on in life, you can live like no one else." and "You shouldn't see the inside of a restaurant unless you're working there." and out of nowhere started yelling, "SCORCHED EARTH!!! SCORCHED EARTH!!!" It made Homer and I laugh like complete fools...and then became the title of our dinners.

The idea is essentially a potluck, but with parameters. The guidelines are as such: -Each couple/individual (whatever you want to do) brings ONE food item that costs less than $10 to make and that can be shared among the group. We've even done Scorched Earths that were under $5. It is a total blast. Everyone comes up with their inexpensive dish to share with the group. All the fun of a potluck and eating out with friends for a fraction of the cost. The rules are simple.

-Recipe and cost breakdown MUST be included.
-Items will be judged by the group Iron Chef style, based on a range of criteria by the group including cost, taste and presentation.
-Items grown or otherwise produced by the cook do not incur a cost in the recipe. (veggies, fruit, herbs...etc)
-Tie goes to the individual with the cheaper dish.

Now, we've had some GREAT meals this way. It is a cheap, fun and healthy way to spend time with friends. I'm so excited to have our new house...because we'll have even more room for Scorched Earth. Perhaps we should have a small one to bid adieu to the trailer?

My favorite was our first "Healthy Scorched Earth". Here is my review of the night(including dishes):


All of our dishes actually came in the $3-$4 range. That's right. $3-$4. How many people ate last night? Eight. Four meals, eight people fed, less than $16 total cost. Are you doing the math, kids? That means a SUPER healthy meal, fun and entertainment for EIGHT GROWN ADULTS for less than $2 a person. New Years Resolutions and failing economy...you won't get us!

On the table last night was: (and I'll try to get recipes from everyone and food totals soon)

Firstly, Kara brought Governor's rolls. ;) And for that, we were ALL very grateful.

Tomato Spanish Soup - A mild, sweet and slightly heated tomato base soup with layers of mild onions and peppers. A LOVELY starter. Brought by Kaitlyn.

Goulash over Noodles - A traditional beef goulash (lean ground beef purchased in bulk to drive down the cost) that was more heavy on the peppers (which was a delight), sweet tomatoes and a brilliant consistency, drizzled over egg noodles. Brought by Jamie and Jerry.

Quinoa with Truffle Oil and Mushrooms - DELICIOUS! If you haven't tried Quinoa yet, get on it. It is like a hearty couscous with some serious staying power. Saturated with mushrooms and having just a TOUCH of truffle oil made the flavor of the Quinoa jump out. Cooked in chicken broth only added depth. Brought by Amy and Brett

Tuscan Garlic Pork with Veggies - Lean pieces of pork cut into about two inch strips, marinaded in light garlic dressing and breaded, baked on top of a bed celery, carrots, onions and sweet potatoes (also marinaded) and topped with the slightest amount of Romano cheese. I was extremely please with how this turned out. The potatoes helped give it more staying power and at $1.89 for a pound of pork (yes, it was on sale. THAT is why I created this dish), there was plenty to go around. The combo of the sweet potatoes with the garlic and onions was terrific. And it was a very no-fuss meal. I chopped the veggies the night before and used a plastic bag to marinade them. Then I marinaded the pork and left the two bags in the fridge. Finally, I created the breadcrumbs and placed THEM in a bag. The next morning, I took my Pampered Chef large bar pan, spread the veggies over the pan and placed it in my oven on a timer. When I came home, the veggies were perfect and the house smelled divine. I walked over to the fridge, took out the pork, threw the pork into the pre-assembled breadcrumb back, shook and then placed the pork over the already gorgeous veggies. Baked for another 15 minutes. Removed from the bar pan, put in serving dish and topped with cheese. Just wonderful. And at a grand total of $3.63 for the ENTIRE MEAL and about 200 calories per serving (including a full serving of veggies!)...it will be a regular at our house and should be at yours, too. (obviously, this was Homer and my contribution. ;))

Opportunity doesn't give a heads up...

...it just shows up.

Last week, a gentleman from the Bangor Daily News called the School of Pharmacy asking for me. I had missed his original call, but his voicemail stated that he was gathering facts for an editorial piece he was doing regarding the creation of two new pharmacy schools in Maine. I first looked for my boss, the Dean. He wasn't around. I then called Julie, the PR person at Husson. She didn't answer. I tried her cellphone. STILL no answer. Nervously, I jotted down some important facts about our school and called back the reporter. He said not to worry, he was just looking for an angle for his piece and wanted more information about the school. My apprehension faded at that point and we just talked. Talking about The School of Pharmacy is easy for me, as I'm very passionate about the subject. We talked for about fifteen minutes and by the end, it felt like I was having a good chat with a person I'd known for a long time. He thanked me for the information and we said goodbye. Upon seeing the Dean, I informed him of the phonecall and showed him my notes I'd taken. He had no problems with it and I went about my day...never giving the phonecall another thought.

I didn't think about the phonecall again until yesterday morning. The phone rang and I saw it was Julie's extension.

"I want to know how much extra I get paid for being Audrey Brissette's publicist."

I paused. "Ummmm...what?"

Then Julie started to read the article. And then she said my name. The reporter had quoted me in the article. I immediately froze. I didn't expect to be in the article. I just thought I was giving information about the program. Any other time I'd been in the paper, I was asked if I gave permission to be in the paper. I started thinking back to what I'd said...trying to think if I'd said anything wrong.

"I just want to commend you. You did a great job. A hell of a job. This is fantastic and I couldn't have done it better myself. We're all thrilled and I imagine your bosses are, too."

Sigh of relief.

"Aside from them calling you Mr. Brissette in the end, it was a fantastic piece. And it was the lead editorial. Not bad."

We chatted for a bit longer and by the end, I'd found the article online. They did, indeed, call me Mr. Brissette at the end...but other than that, I was pleased to see that he took much of what I said to heart and the enthusiasm I have for the program read very well through the piece. Word spread and I continued to get compliments from the Husson community.

This morning I received a phonecall with President Beardsley on the other end of the line. I assumed he wanted to talk to the Dean and had been unable to reach him. "Audrey, I just wanted to tell you how please I am with the article in the paper yesterday. It is very rare for us to get the lead editorial piece - so rare that I think this is only the second time in my presidency that it has happened. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job." He went on to tell me just how much he loved the article and how he was very pleased at my quick thinking and using my intuition to call back the press as opposed to waiting for someone to approve it. (I'm sure if I'd said something wrong, that wouldn't be the case. ;)) But for five minutes, he sang my praises and said he'd be sending out a letter to the Husson community and have the article be the closing news item. He said repeatedly that I must have said something very compelling to the reporter, because it is very rare to be mentioned so often in an opinion piece.

I'm thrilled that I had the opportunity to talk to the press on behalf of Husson. If I hadn't of answered the call in the time that I did, the reporter was going to contact University of New England and we would have lost this great opportunity of free press. I came to work expecting to fill out travel forms, process reimbursements and schedule meetings...not being a temporary mouthpiece for the school. But I'm so glad that it did work out this way. It isn't often that you get the chance to impress the higher ups and promote something for which you have a passion in one fail swoop. ;)
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/114135.html

One year...

...can make all the difference in the world.

Alyssa has been an avid hiker since she was three. Her love of climbing and her ability to do so has been one of her earliest attributes. She has always been incredibly adept at climbing and has never had any fear of doing so. Alyssa's biggest deterrent when it comes to hiking and climbing has always been her size. When Alyssa started hiking at the age of three, she was in the 0th percentile for her height and weight. Alyssa was still in 18 month clothing at the age of three. She's never let it stop her, but there were some obvious obstacles that just couldn't be overcome. Bolders that couldn't be topped. Iron rungs that couldn't be reached.

The first time Alyssa did Borestone Mountain, the people heading up the mountain thought we were crazy for taking her up there. No one believed that she was climbing this mountain. (mind you, they probably thought she was a young toddler...but still.) When we got to the iron rungs and vertical scrambling, our friend Chris propped Alyssa up on his shoulders and carried her up the steep part of the mountain.

The second time showed a marked improvement for Alyssa over the previous year. She still needed to be carried over some of the tough scrambling parts, but that was not because of her strength, but simply her height.

We used to have a term that summed up our hiking trips with the little miss: "Alyssa pace". This was the slightly more relaxed pace that our hiking trips would need to take, simply because for every one step that we took, Alyssa would have to take four. Her legs just weren't long enough to go very fast. She practically would have to run up the mountain just to keep up with a very leisurely pace for us.

Those days, my friends, are gone. "Alyssa pace" will now be a goal for others of us to keep up with. With the addition of about seven pounds and five inches, Alyssa is still petite for her age - but what a difference those inches and a year have made. Alyssa required NO help this time at all, and often needed to be yelled at by us to slow down. At one point, I actually had to tell her to stop so I could catch my breath...something I NEVER have to do while hiking. I'm usually very good at pressing on...but at one point this weekend, I simply had to holler "UNCLE!" and stop. And the scrambling required no assistance what-so-ever. Alyssa honestly could have just left us all at the bottom and gone up to the top alone. And when I had the audacity to ask her if she needed help, she would become very grouchy and inform me that my help was NOT necessary.

It was a lovely trip with my lovely ladies...but the highlight of the trip was absolutely watching Alyssa. And it was bittersweet...because I was so proud of how far she'd come...but once again was faced with how quickly she's growing up. Such a strange feeling...welcoming not being needed.

Saving money...

...means getting back to the basics.

Five years ago, my life was much different. I spent four months as an unemployed, unsupported and unsure single mom to a beautiful infant. I had to do something that was unimaginable thing for me at the time, I had to go on welfare. I feverishly sent out job applications -- desperate for any work I could find. I wracked up all of my credit cards in an effort to live from day to day with my daughter. I didn't have it in me to ask my parents for money and I was stubborn enough to make sure that even if I had to do it all on my own, we'd live a life that was happy and bountiful. It was a horribly, depressing, dark and gut-wrenching time in my life. The toll that my divorce had on me was monumental. It literally changed my outlook on life and my beliefs. It changed me as a person. I wasn't strong until that time. I made an effort to surround myself with distractions. I lost 80 lbs in 6 months. I got a professional job that was a challenge and occupied my mind. I spent countless hours with Alyssa trying to develop her talents and even more hours hugging her and sheltering her from any stress that my heart was feeling.

My introduction to coupon cutting came as a necessity. While unemployed, I got very little in the way of food stamps and even less in TANF benefits. In order to eat healthfully (which can be expensive) I had to get creative. After doing research, I found out that I was able to use coupons with my food stamps and I would get those coupon values as "credits" for other items that weren't normally allowed on foodstamps - such as toilet paper and diapers. I would make sure to cut enough coupons to save as much money as possible AND allow me to buy soap, shampoo, diapers and other necessities that I wouldn't have been able to on my TANF alone. At first, I despised it. I spent many hours crying uncontrollably with a pair of scissors and the weekend paper in my hand. I would go around to grocery stores and corner stores and ask them for any extra coupon inserts they might have had. It was a dark time in my life. I was ashamed.

But somehow, those feelings of depression and sadness gave way to something totally different: Fun. It became fun. It became a game. I'd clip my coupons and get the fliers from all the different grocery stores. I'd match things up. I would drive to three different grocery stores and get my weekly groceries. I was able to keep my out of pocket cost for groceries to $20-$30 a week for Alyssa and I. And we ate well.

When I got my job with Husson, the clipping didn't end there. The day I got my job, I contacted the State of Maine and asked that my welfare be cancelled. They argued at first, but ultimately took me off welfare. With the money coming from my paycheck, it because more important than ever to keep using the coupons. It got to the point that Sherry at the front desk would save the Shaw's flier for me and deliver it to my desk. I'd spend my lunch hour writing down the sales. Every weekend I'd to go Gramma and Papa's house and clip coupons that Gramma would save for me while Alyssa played. Every week Papa would ask me if I was able to actually save money that way and ever week I'd tell him that I actually saved between $40 and $50 a week doing it. He'd make some kind of crack about how that was a good wage for my time. (have I mentioned lately how much I miss Papa in general...but REALLY miss THAT version of Papa?)

And then I started succeeding at my job even more. I saved money. I bought my mobile home. Life started its wonderful upswing. And as I earned more money...it became less necessary for me to clip coupons in order to survive. And slowly, convenience took over and I didn't want to go to more than one grocery store. And before I knew it, I was spending $60-70 a week for groceries. When WHSjr moved in a few years ago, it only got worse. I now was for the first time in a double income situation. Groceries became $80-100 a week. But more often than not, we'd go to the grocery store more than once a week. That is a killer for a budget. And then we started eating out more...all out of laziness and convenience.

But between Dave Ramsey (see previous post) and buying our new house, the money saving bug has hit again. Last week, after clipping coupons and watching the sales, I saved $56 at the register and got two $10 rebates for a grand savings of $76. As Papa would say, "Not a bad wage for my time." I've rediscovered the fun. We're going to start using a menu again. We're going to stop eating out as much. We're going to get on a budget again and kick ass.

Sure, we could survive without it...but it is more fun to make our money work FOR us and not against us. And to do that...we'll go back to the basics.

A lot has changed in the past five years...but saving money should never go out of style. :)

Life has this pesky way...

...of interrupting you. ;)

So, it has been awhile since my last post. Not intentional, mind you. There has been a lot going on. We've had some major work to be done here at Husson, getting our Pre-Candidate status for the School of Pharmacy AND...

...we're finally closing on the house! Tomorrow at 11am, we'll be signing our lives away to purchase our first "real" home in Bangor. (I use "real" in quotation marks because I like to think of our mobile home as a "practice" house. ;)) Alyssa is beyond thrilled at this notion...and so are we!

So, now that we're going to be homeowners, I'll have to really step up the things I know...

...like saving money. ;)