About Julie

I'm a Generation X-er with an unemployed husband, an aging house in the 1950s era suburbs, a long-ass commute, a red-headed step-child, a job in humanities, and a devotion to the Oxford comma.

After first proposing the idea of a Community of Aspirants to my two best friends, I started thinking about my own goals to share with the group at our first meeting. They basically revolve around one thing: Forrest Gumping it. I want to just start running and keep running and running and running. Except probably you should replace the "running" with walking or hiking. I am enamored of thru-hiking anything: Grand Canyon, Appalachian Trail, Katy Trail. Like John Muir (and Bill Bryson), I feel an urge to "throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence."

Unfortunately, my husband and I are unlike Forrest in that we could never just start doing anything and expect that it would work out. (We're not special in that respect--that describes the majority of humans everywhere, amiright?) Leaving it all behind to hike long distances takes some preparation. Thus my goals:

• Finance: It's a three-parter.
• Save up for our rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike;
• while paying off some old credit card debt;
• and boosting our general savings.
• Fitness: A rim-to-rim hike is no joke. Recommended training includes 8 hours of activity one day a week. I'm going to follow a marathon training plan to get in better shape.
• Career: There are certain things about my job that I hate and certain things that energize me. My goal is to have a better attitude--in general--about my job.
• Adultiness: 
• Our house needs a lot of work. I think that's probably my number one adultiness goal. 
• I want to waste my time in a more productive fashion. No more Sudoku while watching Gossip Girl for me. 
• Make every day Rex Manning day. "We mustn't dwell...no, not today. We can't. Not on Rex Manning day." -- Empire Records. I struggle with ruminating on bad feelings. I tend to make myself upset (especially in the morning when I'm doing my mindless get-ready routine: shower, put on makeup) for no reason. As I started thinking about my goals, this quote from Empire Records kept running through my head. It is a good reminder to me to stay more positive and change my internal monologue when I my thoughts start making me upset. 
 

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Twitter: @lengerj
Personal Blog: http://icantaffordit.blogspot.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/wellbigdeal/