Last week's wishes were ambitious. Honestly, I didn't make much progress on anything other than just getting through the week. 

I didn't get far with Montana Bloggers, though I did get things going on SPJ, the journalism society. Our kick-off happy hour is tonight in Great Falls and there will be similar events in Missoula, Kalispell and Bozeman throughout the next week. It feels like things are really starting to come together on this front and that warms my heart and gets me motivating to keep building. 

Mudroom work didn't really happen either, though we did pick up more supplies for the project. Hopefully, we'll get started on that some time this week. Rink progress did happen, but not as much as I wanted to. It remains on the to-do list this week.

Running happened a few times, in between snow, high winds and plain ole cold. Having Alicia and Eileen as a cheering squad really is amazing. Running the 8K Shamrock Shuffle with these two lovely ladies is going to be a great day.

So this week, with Melyssa at The Nectar Collective, my wishes are continuations of last week plus a few more: 

+ Get onions and a few other veggies started indoors. They'll take the longest, so we need to get a move on. We bought $47 worth of seeds at the farm and ranch store last night. We still need to order the right varieties for cucumbers and a few other things. I'm determined to attempt some berries, so that requires a trip to the nursery. 

+ Make the supplies list for the baby chickens and get everything we need to prepare for their arrival. 

+ Calm the heck down and just accomplish what I can each day, then go home to cuddle with the puppies and M. Do I want to move mountains? Yes. But I can't do it in a day and being kind to myself while attempting to move those mountains is the only way they're actually going to move. 

I'm excited about all these things, I just need to remember to sleep and keep up with the day to day, like making lunch, doing dishes, taking care of the dogs and hanging up clothes. 

What are your wishes for the week? Do you find setting weekly goals works to move you closer to the big goals? How do you balance taking on everything while also maintaining a healthy level of self care?

Good morning and Happy Monday lovely readers! 

After a productive weekend and lots of love from family and friends, I'm feeling a bit more ready to take on this week. 

As sad as the last week was, it came with many valuable reminders. Cherish the time with loved ones and the memories created. Make time for friends and family. Always say "I love you." Make time for life, it goes so much faster than we think.

We spent the weekend laying the ground work for some projects. We measured parts of the backyard since he's planning to build a raised wooden walkway from the back porch to the shop so we won't have to trudge through snow and muddy messes like we did on Saturday. 

We made our first chicken related purchases too, though we have more to do on that front.

I spent most of Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and our Rocky Mountain veggie gardening book. We've got a long list now of seeds to pick up to get some of the veggies started indoors, like the onions, tomatoes and peppers. We're going to make a planting calendar so that this year we do better with planting things at the right time and hopefully have healthy plants and more veggies to eat. 

We spent Sunday afternoon for drinks and snacks at a friends house. There was plenty of work we could have been doing at the house, but after last week, it was pretty nice to enjoy a snowy day with friends and laughter. 

And with that, I present Five Things. This is how I start the week, thinking of five things from the last week that made me smile, or what I'm looking forward to in the coming week.

1. Grover thought it would be cool to run off and run across the 70 mph road in front of the house. Thankfully, no cars were out around that time while we found him and got him back in the house. Crazy dog. 

2. Came across an old study abroad friend through Twitter. Small world, eh?

3. Made it out for another run while M grocery shopped. Then carried five 40-pound bags of wood pellets downstairs to the basement. My arms still hurt.

4. Getting the garden plan going. I'm stoked to get things started indoors this week and hopefully pick up some fruit plants soon. 

5. My new coffee grinder. The grinder at the grocery store was broken again and my favorite Montana Coffee Traders blend only comes in whole beans so it was a predicament. M, being the problem solver that he is, went home and researched grinders and had one ordered by days end. Now I have even fresher coffee every morning.

What are you looking forward to this week? How do you keep enjoying life as time feels like it's speeding up?

A few weeks ago I tossed a work outfit in a bag, in the dark, before heading to the rink at zero-dark-thirty. When I changed in the office bathroom, I hated the whole thing. The pants felt too tight, the shirt didn't lay right and it drove me nuts all day.

I'd already been feeling overwhelmed by clutter and having things I don't need. My irritation resulted in me going on a bit of a rampage in my closet, making a massive pile of things I never wear, are in bad shape, don't fit quite right, or just make me all kinds of uncomfortable when I wear them. No sense in stressing out over getting dressed in the morning only to get to work and decide you really hate the clothes your wearing and let it distract you from your day.

Here's the thing. I don't need to be a certain size. I just need to wear what makes me feel good. 

So here's what's happening. 

The pile of things to go is growing. Right now it's on the floor in a basement bedroom. The pile will be broken into three smaller groups: trash pile, things to sell/donate pile and then a pile of items that aren't working at the moment. The third pile includes items I might kick myself for tossing so it will stay stashed in the basement. Out of sight and if I don't go for any of those item in six months or so, they're toast. I'm considering this as a two tier strategy.

The to go items will be sold to second hand shops, donated, or contributed to a garage sale fundraiser for the rink. 

My closet and drawers are now a little roomier and I'll make another pass through them both to try everything on and continue the purge. A bunch of skirts need further evaluation, but that will likely happen when I'm not driving to work on what feels like a frozen pond. And there's the unpacked bins in the basement that still need series review.

On that day I went to work in an outfit I ended up hating, I was so agitated that I went on a bit of a shopping spree and raided the after holiday sales at Loft, Gap and Old Navy. 

I filled my cart and then had a heart attack when I saw the price tag, so I culled and then culled some more. 

Here's a look at what I bought. 

The pants, one khaki, one blue and one black, replace three other pairs of khakis, two pairs of blue pants and a mix of black and grey pants I rarely wear. 

The pants are probably a size too big and even though I know that, there's some kind of weird satisfaction that comes every morning when my pants are loose. An irrational kind of thing, but I'll take it. In the past, I'd drop a pant size or so when running regularly, but in the last year, I've noticed that doesn't seem to happen anymore. Now it's more if I don't work out for a week or two, I feel like I've gained five pounds, even if I'm eating right. It infuriates me. Something about turning 30 maybe. Mom says it gets harder to stay in shape as we age and in her 50s, she pounds the pavement more than I do. Here's to hoping my knees hold up that long.

The two white/cream tops replace a few similar tops that are worn beyond what could really be considered acceptable use. But I loved those old tops and they went with so many other outfits that I couldn't bring myself to toss them without a replacement.

The blue and maroon tops are loose fitting and light to match with all three pairs of pants and can be layered with cardigans or jackets. The maroon jacket is my new favorite piece that was something like $100 regular price and I got it on sale for about $40.

These pieces are colors that I tend to wear the most and are versatile. They're replacing a bunch of hardly worn, only go with one thing type pieces. I also picked up a forest green cardigan that I love. I've already mixed it with a few different outfits and I'm moving toward creating a wardrobe of simple, staple items that easily mix and match versus those super cute, unique items that don't go with much, though I think I'll still stay on the lookout for a few of those when on sale. 

I've decided to continue the wardrobe transformation this year, allowing myself to purchase up to one nice, versatile item per month so long as it replaces something, preferably several things. I love Loft, which tends to have awesome sales, so I'll keep an eye on items I like and snatch them up one at a time on sale. That way, I'm not busting my monthly budget and putting more thought into purchasing only what I truly like. For Montana living, I also need to build my outdoor wardrobe. Wind proof pants were life changing. So those items will come in piece by piece, hopefully on sale.

My next phase will involve weeding through my shoes and jewelry/accessories. I've got a ton of great flat shoes and a few heels or wedges that I love. All of them were great for life and work in D.C., less so for Montana. Some of those need to be replaced with snow boots and gardening boots and home renovation shoes.  

While shopping for some work shirts for M, my eye drifted to the clearance shoe racks at the local mall and I scored these beauties for $25, regularly $70 or so. They will replace two pairs of black flats that I don't even like that much, so I consider it a worthy purchase. 

There is much work left to be done in Operation Closet Purge, but I'm calling victory thus far. I'm determined to make my closet into a place full of things that I love, fit well and feel good on. And I refuse to be controlled by overflowing drawers of things I don't really need. This is the year that I take control of the clutter and simply the heck out of my space. Life is hard and there are so many things I cannot control or change. My closet is not one of those things. 

What about you, how do you approach the beast that is the closet purge? Or chose new items to purchase? While you're thinking about clothes that make you fee good, check out Alicia's Love Your Body Resolution series. 

This week was five days up before the sunrise and many of them working well past sunset. 

It started with sadness and has ended with more sadness. A dear friend from a previous job was in a terrible car accident last week and she fought for her life for awhile, but heard the news this morning that she didn't pull through. So early in the year and so much loss. 

Throughout the week, I felt unmotivated, uninspired and had trouble focusing. Major national news is still happening on my military beat and the city kept me busy. As much as I wanted to curl up and cuddle with Grover to hide from the world and cry, I couldn't. 

I won't say I was at my best this week, but despite all the sadness, heartache and frustrations, the job got done. Some things haven't been tackled yet, but I am still moving forward. And I'm glad for #inspiremefriday with Eileen, Alicia, Stacey, Megan and Julie. 

When I saw this quote, I instantly recognized it as truth. 

I won't claim excellence, but I will say that what got me through this week was likely more habit. The mental conditioning of always powering through that I've imposed on myself for so many years. The getting up and doing what needs doing no matter the exhaustion or heartache or distraction. There are times when rest is required and grief must run it's course, but there is comfort in the doing. 

There's no mistaking that when I'm inspired and motivated, I perform at peak levels. I imagine that's true for most people. In those moments, I push well beyond what a normal person would reasonably expect to accomplish in a single day or week. I know that those moments don't last forever, so I work to take advantage of that extra burst of energy so that when it's not there, I've already set in motion a series of events that will require tasks even when I'm not at my best. 

For the times that feel like I'm just going through the motions, I know that it still contributes to the habit of excellent versus the singular moment of getting it right. 

2014 continues to pack a real punch for my life, but I know that life continues on and the spark will return.

While we're talking about habit, have you entered Erika's giveaway for a copy of The Power of Habit? No, you get a few entries just for following me so head on over! 

I feel like I always say this, but the last week was hard. Work was nuts and made me snappy. Then my uncle passed away. And yet, when I look at my wishes from last week, I'm actually doing okay. Last week, my wishes were to get out for a run, work on chicken plans, nail down a date for the SPJ kickoff and get ahead on January.

As of this morning, I ran twice. The SPJ kickoff event is set for next week and M and I made progress on our chicken plans. Mostly, I sent him pictures of chicken coops I like and he started working on building plans. I didn't get that far ahead on the month, but I'm catching up.

This week got off to a more mellow start and this morning I picked up the floor tile for the mudroom. 

So for this week, my wishes are: 

+ Keep running. I'm joining Alicia and Eileen for the Shamrock Shuffle 8K in about two months and I love having them to motivate and encourage me, even from a distance. 

+ Get started on the mudroom renovation. We picked up the mortar in Billings earlier this month and now we have the tile so we can finally get started on actual work. 

+ Get organized with Montana Bloggers. I've got it going, now I need to mold it into something great. A few ideas are kicking around in my head and I just need to write them out and get a move on.

+ Keep the momentum on skating projects. So much progress has been made in the last week and I just want to keep it up and make it happen! 

That's probably enough to keep me busy for the next week and I better get to work. 

What are you working on this week?

For my adult life, my parents only call when there's bad news, or they need directions in D.C. I talk to them a few times a week, but they let me call them since Mom says she doesn't know my schedule or worries that she'll be interrupting.

When my Dad left a message yesterday asking me to call back, I had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. But for some reason, I hadn't expected what my Dad told me a few hours later. 

My sweet uncle lost a long battle with cancer Saturday night.

I hadn't talked to him in too long and the last time I saw him was my sister's wedding almost two years ago. As a kid, I always thought he was so cool and loved spending time with him whenever we visited my grandparents in New York.

So today, I'm still heartbroken as it all sinks in, but my last memory of my uncle was dancing the night away with my uncle and his girlfriend. Laughing and smiling and forgetting that he was sick and celebrating love with the family that means everything to me. 

This year so far is full of so much promise and yet has already been packed with harsh realities and heartache. I'll allow myself to be sad for a bit but then focus on all the good memories and take solace that my uncle won't feel anymore pain.

Part of my wants to skip five things today, but knowing how short and precious life is, the other part of me feels foolish to let a moment pass not appreciating the good things. 

1. Moxie had a strange foot injury over the weekend and the vet had us a bit worried about a possible knee problem. Turns out, she's fine and the vet bill was less than anticipated. 

2. The weather was good for my first training run for the upcoming Shamrock Shuffle 8K in Chi-town with Alicia and Eileen. 

3. My favorite travel magazine contacted me out of the blue offering a freelance assignment. 

4. In working on a skating event idea, I reached out to a former Olympian and he wrote back within the hour to tell me he'd be happy to help. 

5. Found two 1890-1910 era Ball mason jars and a few other treasures during a winter sale at The Barn, my favorite antique/second hand shop in town. Krtistie and I came home with some great finds and also treated ourselves to new earrings and I found a great scarf on sale at another downtown shop. It had been a heavy week even before my Dad called so it was nice to have some girl time to let some of that load go. 

How do you deal with loss? What made you appreciate your life in the last week?

Not going to lie, 2014 has come roaring in like a freight train. The holiday weeks were fairly slow, allowing time to fill my planner with grand ideas and big plans, start on all kinds of projects and set things in motion. 

Then the first full week back happened. And then this week happened. 

Never ending meetings about things like building codes, lots of stories to write and then news coming off my beat at the paper that has been making national headlines for the last two weeks. My desk is a mess and I feel scattered.

That said, it's time for another round of #inspiremefriday with Eileen, Alicia, Stacey, Megan and Julie.

Some of those projects set in motion are big. Given the time available to pull some off, they are darn near impossible. But, guys, things are coming together. 

In college, I read a newspaper story about the governor's press secretary. For a time, I thought I wanted to be a government press secretary and she had a similar background to mine, so I sent her an email asking if I could shadow her for a day. 

She said yes.

Years later, she's still a mentor and a friend. But the most important part of that story is the lesson learned. Reach high, go big and ask for what you want. I've been rejected plenty of times, but more often than not, people say yes and big projects come together.

2014 has already been full of chaos, changing plans, frustrations and wacky weather. But it's also continuing to prove that the good stuff is attainable, with a little bit of work and little bit of asking for what you want. And when you get it, make something amazing of it.

Be sure to check out Erika's giveaway of Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit. You get three entries just for following me!

Now, to catch up on some fun reads from the last two weeks. And a bajillion other things.

Words to banish in 2014. From a talented writer possessing command of the English language. 
 
The holidays may be over, but Mav's Slow It Down list can apply year-round. 

A peek inside cut food. Fascinating project.

Know your food. Never thought I'd be so interested in agriculture, but Montana is making me want to be a farmer. 

Houses for writers in Detroit. A clever idea that helps rebuild the city and promote literary arts.

M and I aren't really football fans, and I'll usually through out a Roll Tide or War Eagle or Go Hokies or Go Cavs just to irritate my co-workers, but Betsy is a journalism role model and her husband is a super sharp reporter. And this is just great. 

You don't have to be a skater to appreciate this guy's performance. He really does connect with his audience. It's sad to me though, that the commentators say that's a rare quality in skaters these days. The new scoring system has dramatically changed the sport in that regard.

Last May, a ski-patrol friend of mine, Tricia Hines, underwent an operation that would change her life forever: Her leg was amputated below the knee to end years of suffering from a serious joint condition. 

As the snow began to fall this winter, Tricia worked with Two Top Adaptive Sports Foundation, a nonprofit based at Whitetail Resort in Mercersburg, Penn., to hit the slopes again with the help of a special prosthesis fitted to her ski boot. Two Top provides adaptive ski and snowboard lessons to disabled athletes, the majority of whom are wounded warriors recovering at nearby Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

On Feb. 10, Tricia will participate in the 100K Vertical Challenge, an endurance event in which 40-some skiers and boarders will descend 100,000 vertical feet in a day. That's 107 runs at Whitetail. She'll be part of a relay team with three other adaptive skiers—one using a prosthesis, two in monoskis—to attempt the feat, which aims to raise funds for and awareness of Two Top. 

Tricia's group is one of many incredible stories to come out of the event. Her team is one of 10 foursomes attempting the relay—other participants include an all-military team, groups from D.C.-area ski shops, and many groups of D.C.-based ski patrollers. Thirty individuals will attempt to ski the entire 100,000 vertical feet this year, the third annual iteration of the event.

The first year I participated in the 100K Vertical Challenge, during the event's inaugural year in 2012, I did so for mostly selfish reasons—it sounded like an incredible challenge, and a great excuse to spend a work day making turns. But on the day of the 100K, my perspective changed when I saw Todd Love, a Marine who lost both his legs in Afghanistan, carving gorgeous turns on his sit-ski with us. Love learned to ski through Two Top, and to see the look of joy and freedom on his face—the same feelings that spurred me to participate in the first place—I found myself drawn to do everything I could to support this amazing, volunteer-run nonprofit. 

Please take a moment to learn about Two Top and the incredible work it does for wounded warriors recovering at Walter Reed, and other amazing disabled athletes, such as my friend Tricia, by visiting its website. Also, take a minute to follow us on Twitter and to "like" us on Facebook. And if you're in a position to give, a tax-deductible donation to Two Top goes a long way—$320 pays for a wounded warrior to receive a full-day lesson, room and board and other services during a weekend with Two Top. 

Amy Reinink is a freelance writer and volunteer ski patroller who splits her time between Washington, D.C., and Upstate New York. You can read more of her work at amyreinink.com, and can donate to her 100K effort by visiting the 100K website and clicking on "Team DYD."

Last week was the first full week back after the holidays and it got busy at work. Not the most hectic work week I've ever had, but after all those days off and the slow holiday weeks, it was a struggle. 

For the last few days we've had hurricane force winds in Montana, causing destruction all over. Mid-day Monday, it was in the 50s with and wind gust were reported in the surrounding counties at 100 mph. The photo is from our drive back from Billings on Sunday with a solid wood door hanging out the back of our car. It had been on the roof. 

Wind was suspected as the cause of a train derailment near the capital city. By the time I left work, the temperature had dropped 20 degrees and it was snowing. No one said anything about snow, but guys, it was still snowing when we went to bed last night.

Wacky weather and busy work week aside, the monthly goals I set last week are all moving forward. 

Pretty sure I only missed breakfast one day last week and that was partly due to a cold coming on and just not feeling like eating. The closet purge continues. An entire post will be dedicated to that soon. Montana bloggers and the state journalism chapter are coming along and we're down a few walls here at the homestead.

So now, Weekly Wishes, inspired by Melyssa at The Nectar Collective.

+ Get out for a run. The last time I ran was Thanksgiving. The weather, work, life has slowed my running routine and I want it back. Insanity is great, but rough on my joints and it's just not the same, flailing around in the basement. And now, thanks to Eileen and Alicia, I have a running goal to work toward. In the form of an 8K on March 30. Here's to hoping the weather gives me a chance to make this one happen. 

+ More chicken planning. We're hoping to pick up our new baby chickens next month or so, meaning I have got to get a move on planning and prepping for the fluff babies.

+ Nail down a date for the kickoff/launch event for SPJ. Excited to get the ball rolling on this and it's a top notch group that's assembled to make this happen for journalism in Montana.

Last week got busy with breaking news and city meetings that went long, very long, and late, other projects, house work and crazy winds. No joke, while we were driving back from Billings with an interior door strapped to the roof (that we later moved into the car), 90+ mph winds were tipping semi trucks, collapsing tanks at the refinery and otherwise causing havoc all over Montana.

So the to-list I created last weekend, didn't get much action and I was feeling stressed out and behind but, today is another day, the start of another week and it's go time.

There's always so much to do. Much of it mundane and not fun, like laundry, cleaning, organizing my mess of a desk. But getting that done makes room for the things I want to do and those things deserve to get done whenever the inspirations strikes, well, hopefully, because eventually, time will run out.

One of those things is Five Things! Each Monday, I list out five things that made me happy in the last week or that I'm looking forward to.

1. Our weekend trip to Billings for an order pick-up at Lowe's. (Yes, we know there's one in Helena.) M ordered insulation and mortar for our mudroom tile. One was in and we thought we'd have to go back for the other, but both were ready to go. And our major score was a solid wood door that is exactly the style I always tell M I love had been returned and had been marked down from $257 to $75. We were going to come back for it Sunday morning but it was gone from the cart we'd seen it on. As we were headed to the checkout line, we found it on another cart...marked down to $5. Yeah, we bought the door.

2. Breaking news all over the place last week, even if the Associated Press did best me on one. Just one.

3. Attending an executive meeting for a local nonprofit aimed at fitness, outdoor activity and healthy eating as a guest promoting the skating club and came away with loads of ideas and definite encouragement and support from the group.

4. While in Billings, we stopped in World Market and M let me buy five bottles of wine. All on sale of course. Back at the hotel, I was doing something and he turned the channel straight to the national figure skating championships and watched it with me. 

5. M came bursting out of the bathroom, frantically telling me to come quick (giving me a near panic attack) all to say, "Is this a gray hair?" Yup, M has his first gray hairs. "I'm going to be a silver fox."

What's on your "Do It Now" list? Mine is currently under construction and coming here soon.