New Morning Routine

• make bed
• make breakfast
• pray
• write
• errands/to-do list

And for today’s to-do list (since I’m off today and don’t much feel like driving the 50 miles to civilization…hehe):

• wash sheets
• wash dishes/clean kitchen
• clear off dining room table
• tidy living room workspace
• yoga? or at least some stretching
• go for a walk
• tidy room
• maybe hang some postcards on my wall to make it cheery
• read
• stretch and relax
• make some honey tea
• email Mom
• email T
• email B
• email M&A

• make hair appointment
• move boxes to laundry room
• make deviled eggs
• skydive?
• couch to 5k run
• dinner with L

Edit, 11am: I REALLY don’t feel like skydiving today. I would if it was closer, but I don’t want to drive three hours through construction traffic just to do it. Ugh. But if I DON’T do it, I’m out $125. Which sucks, but at this point, I’m kind of okay with taking that loss. The process just seems too stressful at this point. And one thing that none of us need is stress!

On the other hand, what am I going to do today otherwise? Lay in bed all day reading or watching Survivor? No, but really, what else am I going to do today. Bah.

Edit, 11:44am: Forgot to add to the list that I’d volunteered to make something like 30 deviled eggs for a potluck at my mom’s work tomorrow. So I just did that, and am feeling just slightly better. Now I’m thinking that maybe I should just go to the beach. 45 minutes away, told my Grandma I’d go and pick something up for her before I left for the winter, and it’s nice and sunny out. Maybe it’ll make me feel better. Maybe not, but it’s worth a shot. Hmm.

Edit, 12:05: Scratch the beach, I called to make a hair appointment and they have an opening today at 3. Pretty sure I’m going to chop off all my hair. Eek. And yay. :)

Headache, feeling tired and a little blah. Today I’m going to do things that are good for me.

• turned heat up to 68
• made scrambled eggs for breakfast
• put a new kleenex box in my room
• cleaned out my desk drawer
• caught up on my gratitude journal
• vacuumed my room
• cleaned the bathroom
• vacuumed most of the rest of the house
• did a Couch to 5k run
• watched two episodes of Survivor

• grocery shopping
• start writing a letter to T
• start writing a future me letter
• continue getting rid of things
• call Grandma
• look into what hairstyle I want

Got up at 10:30 today, had a nice breakfast, made my bed…and then sat down to figure some things out.

I’ve decided to close my Chase checking account. I don’t have direct deposit anymore, which means I get charged a $6/month fee. Yeah, I’m not paying $72 a year for a “free” checking account. I have a savings and a checking account at a local bank, but I figured Chase would be easiest since I travel a lot and would have access to fee-free ATMs. However…how often do I actually USE an ATM? Not often. Cash back is a better option. So, I’m going to close my Chase account and put that money into my local checking account.

The ONLY issue is that I use my local checking account for tithing. However, I could easily transfer money from savings to checking, so I could keep my tithe money in savings until I need it…that might be a good idea. Excellent!

I’ve signed up for online bill pay with the local bank and have everything set to go there. This will be a great thing.

Plus, Chase has TWICE totally messed up my account and acted like it was MY fault – once was a nationwide glitch that caused payments to go through twice which meant millions of customers were dinged with multiple overdraft fees…I’m sorry, that’s my fault? I personally affected millions of people because I pay my bills online? The other time was when a teller at another local branch made a typo and opened a credit card account in my name for someone else. That was also “my” fault and it took threatening to call the FTC, FBI, and local police to get Chase to fix THEIR mistake. Ugh.

For the last three days I’ve woken up at 11am. No matter what time I go to bed. This morning it was 11:30! Ahh! Ahhhhh!

Still need to make breakfast, and I’ve got a long list of things to do today:

• laundry
• clean room
• change sheets
• put away summer clothes
• find snowpants
• pack for Canada
• pack for visiting Grandpa
• tidy room
• return library books
• charge phones
• vacuum room
• kitchen
• pay bills
• clean bathroom
• clean family room
• put away everything in living room
• put away everything in hallway

Two eggs and toast this morning. Then I got back into bed because I don’t feel well and didn’t fall asleep last night until nearly 4am.

Ho hum.

• grocery shop here
• grocery shop in H-ville
• go to Tj Maxx and look for stationery/journals
• go to Factory Card Outlet for birthday cards

None of these sound particularly great right now, as it’s chilly and raining. Hmm. Though I would REALLY like to get some hot chocolate mix, too…

I’ve managed to have breakfast just about every day since adding this goal. When I’m home it’s been two eggs and sometimes toast, and even when I was camping this weekend I had oatmeal and tea. Excellent.

The writing thing has not been happening. I have a lot to catch up on.

• figure out finances
• move money from one bank to another
• go to post office and mail package to M
• write card to EK
• write card to EH
• laundry

Waking up for work is one thing, and quite easy to do. Waking up on a day I’m NOT working (which will be the next 30ish days) is nearly impossible.

Time to change that.

My plan is to get certain things done – make my bed, get dressed, etc. before leaving my room. I’ve gotten good at getting dressed (which sounds so funny to say, like I’m four…lol); what I mean is that I put on actual clothes and don’t stay in my pajamas for hours. I feel like I used to do this a lot.

Then, MAKE BREAKFAST. There’s a wonderful B&B that I used to stay in out east sometimes and their breakfasts were AMAZING. And, hello, I could do it myself…I just don’t. I figured I would in Utah, but my housemates kept the kitchen rather filthy so I grew accustomed to eating a clifbar on the walk to work. Super healthy.

My housemate for when I go back to Utah in a month is AWESOME, though. I have no doubt I’ll be able to make all kinds of meals in our shared kitchen. Yay!

After breakfast (and tidying the kitchen and whatnot), I would like to sit somewhere to pray and meditate. I just read the book The Help (fantastic book, btw) and one of the characters wrote out her prayers. I like that idea, so I am going to try that out.

Then I’d like to do some writing. In Utah I’d wake up and hear my housemates running around so I’d stay in bed for 20 minutes or so and write in my journal. It always had a calming effect.

Then it would be time for errands and whatnot; get out of the house for a little while and get things done. And if I didn’t have anything to do, then find something to do in the house.

So:

• make bed
• make breakfast
• pray
• write
• errands