Oh hey, it's 2017!

Another year has come and gone. Seriously, where does the time go? I guess since it's now 2017, it's time for the obligatory "reflection post". I just realized that last year was my first on this blog that I was not going to school. I had though this would lead me to blog more, but as you can see...that didn't happen! 
So a lot of changes came with 2016. Bob graduated from nursing school - probably one of the biggest events last year. Five years of hard work and stress finally paid off and he is now a registered nurse/paramedic. I am so incredibly proud of him. However, once school is over, it's time to face the debt that piled up over 5 years of living on one income. Fortunately, my parents are great budgeters and got us on the straight and narrow...but we'll save that for another blog post. Luckily, we are a little less broke than when this blog was started. 

Bob and I at his nursing pinning ceremony in April 2016

Over the past year, I have lost over 100 pounds. So the big part of this blog is a little less...big. I am very content with my weight, however to meet my goal, I need to lost about 20 more pounds. To say that I only need to lose 20 pounds is ridiculous to me because I used to say "Oh, I need to lose 120 more pounds." This goal actually feels within reach. 

Left: Me November 2016 Right: Me November 2015

I also had a little bit of a career crisis last year. What I thought I wanted in the beginning of 2016 dramatically changed by the end. I sat down one day after work and realized that I have to be a nurse for 35 more years. I can't retire for OVER 30 YEARS! That is a long time. My job was an office job, which is a job that I took when I turned 25 and weighed nearly 300 pounds. My body was tired and needed something less physical. When I realized that 35 more years was ahead of me, I kind of freaked and realized that the stress of an office job was not what I wanted or needed in my life right now. The stress was leading me to have poor eating habits again. Not acceptable after all the work I did to get healthy. My body feels ready to have a more physically demanding job again. And I wanted to be a nurse again. I wanted to care for patients. So...I quit. I quit my job and found another one. I left "home" and went to a new hospital. I just needed to start anew. I needed to get away from the stress and I needed to prove to myself that I could be a good nurse again. I will move into management or education later in life...like I said, I have 30+ years. Right now, I need to be a nurse. 
So now, I'm back on the night shift working in an intensive care unit full-time and an emergency room occasionally. I feel lighter. I needed something different and I am proud that I did what I needed to do for me. 2016 was a year of change for me. So, what will 2017 bring?
I don't like to make resolutions. Here are somethings I'd like to see happen in 2017:

• I want to re-name the blog and revamp it. Big, Beautiful & Broke worked but it's time for more change. Suggestions are welcome!
• I want to run a 5k. I have walked 3. It's time to run...
• I want to lose the last 20 pounds
• I want to travel to 2 new places
• I want to pay off 5 credit cards