But life is busy. And here's the reason:
So that's where my time goes. But it's all good. We are home-owners... And I can cross something off my bucket list ;).
9 years ago
Showing posts with label nilla lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nilla lists. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
The Reason
Yeah, yeah... It's been another forever since I last posted. And there's been some really awesome stuff happen that I hope to one day highlight here (like my little up-and-coming celebrity who has been on the news in one form or fashion three times in the last month!).
But life is busy. And here's the reason:
Home has a new address! And with it comes a lot of fun stuff. Like unpacking. And positioning. And picking up the DVDs you put in the DVD rack... for the 50th time (thank you Corbin!). And finding out there are a lot of projects to work on ;).
So that's where my time goes. But it's all good. We are home-owners... And I can cross something off my bucket list ;).
But life is busy. And here's the reason:
So that's where my time goes. But it's all good. We are home-owners... And I can cross something off my bucket list ;).
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Fun Facts from a Fastly Fading Filly
Okay, so it's getting late and I'm tired. I'm getting up earlier these days and being highly productive in the morning hours (like at 6 a.m.). The trade-off is that I get sleepy earlier. So I was feeling silly and made up an alliterative (although mostly ridiculous) title :). Because I'm the "fastly (not even a word...) fading Filly. Yeah, I need a class in creativity, I know.
Here are a couple pictures for funsies. They were taken by my sister-in-law Angie. On our wedding day (yes, you're still getting those pictures). And the first one is hilarious. We were playing and unfortunately (or, I think fortunately ;)) Angie caught me with the look still on my face! Haha... But picture two tells you how I really feel about this handsome husband of mine :).
Awww... Love it.
Anyway, I promised some fun facts. Fun for whom? That's yet-to-be-determined.
1. There are ant carcasses strewn about my kitchen. Ah! Tragic. The weather has warmed and the ants decided to take up residence (or perhaps they were already here, but dormant...). I squish them with disinfectant wipes at 6 in the morning and then get busy shredding vegetables and then have to go to work... You know the drill. Point is, the dead ants (saying those two words together make me think of a joke I believe my Aunt Hila told years ago... "What did the Pink Panther say when he stepped on an ant?" Answer: "Dead-ant, Dead-ant, Dead-ant... (to the tune of the Pink Panther). Anyway. The dead ants are still on the kitchen floor. Along with some mobile ones at this point, I'm sure. No worries. We'll be dealing with that shortly.
2. A slug also came to visit last week. Jeremy discovered his slug slime on some less-than-desirable items. Like a cutting board. Ew!
3. My car is under the weather. It's hanging out at my mom's house, because it developed a massive oil leak on Sunday. So guess who has been driving Jeremy's stick shift car to work this week? And guess who hadn't driven one of those in about 3 years (or more)? And guess who has never driven one in the land of a million mountains and hills (aka Washington)? Yep. Me. I'm a bit nervous about killing it on the hills. I'll admit it. Stupid oil leak...
4. Jeremy and I watched The Great Race and ate garlic popcorn for our date night on Saturday. It was really nice and enjoyable to snuggle on the couch with a movie :). Purely awesome to watch that movie with someone who has never seen it before. Actually, purely awesome to watch it with someone who has! It's just a great movie. "Leslie escaped with a chicken!?!" If you've never seen it... you should.
5. We just got a WinCo here. It's a cheaper grocery store. You bag your own groceries. It's way cool. However, I wanted to miss the crowd on Friday, so I shopped at 7 in the morning. This is practically unheard of for me. I was pretty proud of myself ;). I was equally proud that I came in under budget and I bought extra stuff :). LOVE IT when that happens!
6. I've begun the name change process. That's good times. Turns out the bank is less accommodating than the social security office. Who knew?
7. I'm going to make home-made granola bars this week. I'm way excited about it :). White chocolate cranberry almond will be my first attempt :). Then chocolate with peanuts. Jeremy and I also made this for dinner last Friday. It was delicious, and not really all that hard! Took some time, but not difficult. I'm also getting the granola bar recipe from that site. I love it!
8. Easter was good. Jeremy and I ate dinner with Brad, Angie, Autumn, Christina, Nick, Desiree, Emily, my mom, and my grandma. I took creamed spinach and bread. Angie took roasted potatoes. Christina brought key lime pie. My mom did the ham. It was all really good and we were able to sit around laughing and telling stories. It was good. And my mom got the kids a toy that you push on and it says "Happy Easter!" Only, my mom thought it said "Hop the Rooster." I don't know why she would think that. But she did. In fact, at first, she told Brad that she thought it was weird that it said "Hop the Rooster." Brad set her straight. But how hilarious. Makes me recall a time when she said, "I'm pretty sure those trees are real." Fig trees, Mom. Fig trees. Hahaha... Best. Story. Ever.
There are probably other fun facts I'm forgetting. But this filly is fading fast ;). So I need to go to sleep now. So I can do it all again tomorrow. Yippy skippy! :)
Here are a couple pictures for funsies. They were taken by my sister-in-law Angie. On our wedding day (yes, you're still getting those pictures). And the first one is hilarious. We were playing and unfortunately (or, I think fortunately ;)) Angie caught me with the look still on my face! Haha... But picture two tells you how I really feel about this handsome husband of mine :).
Awww... Love it.
Anyway, I promised some fun facts. Fun for whom? That's yet-to-be-determined.1. There are ant carcasses strewn about my kitchen. Ah! Tragic. The weather has warmed and the ants decided to take up residence (or perhaps they were already here, but dormant...). I squish them with disinfectant wipes at 6 in the morning and then get busy shredding vegetables and then have to go to work... You know the drill. Point is, the dead ants (saying those two words together make me think of a joke I believe my Aunt Hila told years ago... "What did the Pink Panther say when he stepped on an ant?" Answer: "Dead-ant, Dead-ant, Dead-ant... (to the tune of the Pink Panther). Anyway. The dead ants are still on the kitchen floor. Along with some mobile ones at this point, I'm sure. No worries. We'll be dealing with that shortly.
2. A slug also came to visit last week. Jeremy discovered his slug slime on some less-than-desirable items. Like a cutting board. Ew!
3. My car is under the weather. It's hanging out at my mom's house, because it developed a massive oil leak on Sunday. So guess who has been driving Jeremy's stick shift car to work this week? And guess who hadn't driven one of those in about 3 years (or more)? And guess who has never driven one in the land of a million mountains and hills (aka Washington)? Yep. Me. I'm a bit nervous about killing it on the hills. I'll admit it. Stupid oil leak...
4. Jeremy and I watched The Great Race and ate garlic popcorn for our date night on Saturday. It was really nice and enjoyable to snuggle on the couch with a movie :). Purely awesome to watch that movie with someone who has never seen it before. Actually, purely awesome to watch it with someone who has! It's just a great movie. "Leslie escaped with a chicken!?!" If you've never seen it... you should.
5. We just got a WinCo here. It's a cheaper grocery store. You bag your own groceries. It's way cool. However, I wanted to miss the crowd on Friday, so I shopped at 7 in the morning. This is practically unheard of for me. I was pretty proud of myself ;). I was equally proud that I came in under budget and I bought extra stuff :). LOVE IT when that happens!
6. I've begun the name change process. That's good times. Turns out the bank is less accommodating than the social security office. Who knew?
7. I'm going to make home-made granola bars this week. I'm way excited about it :). White chocolate cranberry almond will be my first attempt :). Then chocolate with peanuts. Jeremy and I also made this for dinner last Friday. It was delicious, and not really all that hard! Took some time, but not difficult. I'm also getting the granola bar recipe from that site. I love it!
8. Easter was good. Jeremy and I ate dinner with Brad, Angie, Autumn, Christina, Nick, Desiree, Emily, my mom, and my grandma. I took creamed spinach and bread. Angie took roasted potatoes. Christina brought key lime pie. My mom did the ham. It was all really good and we were able to sit around laughing and telling stories. It was good. And my mom got the kids a toy that you push on and it says "Happy Easter!" Only, my mom thought it said "Hop the Rooster." I don't know why she would think that. But she did. In fact, at first, she told Brad that she thought it was weird that it said "Hop the Rooster." Brad set her straight. But how hilarious. Makes me recall a time when she said, "I'm pretty sure those trees are real." Fig trees, Mom. Fig trees. Hahaha... Best. Story. Ever.
There are probably other fun facts I'm forgetting. But this filly is fading fast ;). So I need to go to sleep now. So I can do it all again tomorrow. Yippy skippy! :)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Isn't [He] Romantic
Today (I actually typed the rest of this up yesterday when I was in a much better mood) is getting on my nerves. That's just FYI. Even blogger is annoying me. So if you wonder about how the text appears on here, it's because I was done with dealing with it.
:). You know it’s going to be good
when I start off a blog post with a smile!
I realize, based solely on the title
of this post (which is a doctored-up song title), that you may already be
gagging. But I can promise you a good laugh if you read on. And that is a
promise!
First I suppose I should tell you
about life in general before I get to life in specific ;). I never really said
much about the Christmas and New Years holidays. So I will briefly cover that
(and bear in mind my idea of brief may not match yours… ;)). Christmas was
busy. On the 23rd of December, I went to lunch with Lea and Morgan at the Olive
Garden and enjoyed some gab and a lot of food (it was, after all, the unlimited
soup, salad, and breadstick lunch… and this time it was pretty good!). Of
course, why I ate so much at 2:00 in the afternoon when I knew full well that
Jeremy and I had a dinner planned (that we was cooking), I do not know… But it
ended up working out fine, because Jeremy and I ate quite a bit later than we
planned, since it takes time to cut up potatoes, clean chicken, and cut
cauliflower into florets… We ate a ton of garlic in that meal ;). Plus, between
home teachers dropping of pies and my dad calling to discuss a few things, I
think it was about 8:00 before we actually ate! Which we did by the light of
the Christmas Tree while watching UP. Such a cute movie. And so fun to watch it
with Jeremy :). Christmas Eve was busy with me trying to do last-minute things
like mail Julie’s package, make pies, and make 2 fruit salads. But Jeremy’s a
big help, and he actually made both fruit salads and the cold pumpkin pie
(something new I tried, and it was a weird conglomeration of ingredients that
made it seem questionable – and super-fatty, but neither of us actually tried a
piece, so who knows how it was…). We headed to his mom’s parents’ house for
Christmas Eve dinner. So I met a lot of his family, and all his brothers were
there, so his whole family almost was there, so that was pretty cool. It was a
late night – we didn’t get back to my house until midnight. And we were tired.
So we said our good-byes and I got my shower and went to bed!
Christmas was also kind of busy. We
attended church together in my ward, and I sung 4 songs with the choir. One of
those included me doing a descant, but apparently I didn’t sing very loud (too
afraid of making a mistake!) and I didn’t use the microphone very close to me
(again, too afraid of hitting a wrong note and broadcasting that loud and
clear!), so I shouldn’t have been so nervous… but I was! It really was nice,
though, to sit with Jeremy during church. I say that every time, but it’s
because it’s true. After church, we changed clothes and headed to his parents’
house and exchanged gifts there and saw one of his brothers and his family. Then
we headed back to do Christmas with my family that evening. That was a lot of
people in a small house! But it was good. The food was plentiful (my mom opted
for prime rib this year instead of turkey and ham). The fruit salad that Jeremy
and I took for Thanksgiving in Alabama has become our staple “potluck” dish,
and it seems to be a hit no matter how we make it or where we take it. So yay!
It’s a keeper! After opening presents, we went back to my house and relaxed for
a while, just the two of us. Oh, and I should mention (for those of you who
didn’t see it on facebook) that I did get a ring for Christmas. Hahaha… A key
ring ;). Both Jeremy and I had had plenty of people suggesting or commenting on
me getting a ring for Christmas. So Jeremy made it so. Hahaha… I do so love his
sense of humor ;).
Jeremy had the whole week between
Christmas and New Year’s off. So we had the lovely opportunity of seeing each
other every day that week (except the one where he was out of town visiting
family) and spending some wonderful time together. He finally watched The
Goonies with me, and commented that he must not have watched it at the right
time in his life for it to grow on him the way it has me and that uber-excited
Goonies fan from Applebee’s. Our New Years Eve was quiet. He fixed my side-view
mirror while I took down Christmas decorations. Then he took the Christmas tree
to be recycled. We heard and saw some fireworks from my back window, but other
than that just enjoyed each other’s company and worked on a few piddly things
around my house (like hanging a few more pictures :)). New Years Day was church
and it was a hectic day indeed! My ward switched to afternoon time while
Jeremy’s now meets at 9:00. Plus several people were out, so it made for a busy
busy Primary! (And actually, this past Sunday was even more hectic, because of
all the new changes: new classes, new teachers, etc… plus I was teaching the
lesson about choice and consequences. Phew! Try to get a bunch of 3 year olds
who are used to playing with toys at about that time to pay attention! Hahaa… I
was pretty sweaty by the end of that lesson!). Emily is a brand new Sunbeam,
and that was an adventure for sure! That was a side-note ;). I spent Sunday
evening with Jeremy, and let me just say that it is a lovely thing to begin
2012 together. Monday was a day off work for both of us, because the holiday
was on Sunday. So nice to have the extra day to spend together. We made another
fruit salad, and then headed out to his brother’s mother-in-law’s for a Rummikub
tournament! So fun! I told Julie I was playing that, and her response was that
I am not allowed to play that game with anyone but her. So I told her Jeremy
and I will have to plan a special game-playing trip to Alabama where she and
Jon and Jeremy and I can play Mexican Train and Rummikub. Personally, I think
we should do that now!
Tuesday brought a return to work for both me and Jeremy. Blah. I need a get-rich-quick scheme so we can just spendour days together ;). Haha… Okay, so I’m kidding. That’s called retirement. And apparently you have to work before you retire. Anyway… Work was work for me and
training for Jeremy. And then by Thursday, Jeremy was winging his way on a work
trip and we had to endure 5 whole days of not seeing each other! The horror, the
horror!!! Hahaha… Seriously, though. It wasn’t horrible, and actually I got a
lot of stuff accomplished (including getting 2 food storage buckets for free!).
I shredded a bazillion papers (and I think I broke my paper shredder, possibly
beyond reasonable repair). I had tax papers from 1999. It was time for those to
go! I organized some files, consolidated some stuff… Little by little
everything is getting put away in an organized fashion. So lots of good stuff
got accomplished. But, you know when you’re in love, 5 days can seem like
forever! Hahaha… But I had the most special things to help get through those 5
days of not only not seeing each other, but not even being able to talk to each
other 4 of those days (due to where he was… no cell phone reception). See,
Jeremy managed to hide a whole bunch of little tiny strips of post-it-notes
with happy loving thoughts written on them all around my house. And I would
randomly find them. And it was way way cool and so sweet and special. And I’m
smiling like the biggest dork right now. And I’m not going to tell you what
they said or where all he hid them. But I will tell you one. Because I promised
you a good hearty laugh. And this will also help you see that the places he put
these sticky notes really were random. And sometimes hilarious! So one night I
was getting ready for bed, and as part of my routine, I make sure to use the
bathroom (#1, just for clarifying…). I mean, I find it lame to get woken up in
the middle of the night in order to go tinkle… (Although I think chocolate milk
might be a diuretic for me). Anyway, so after I was done, I stood up (my
bathroom is teeny tiny, so the sink is literally right in front of me…) and
proceeded to wash my hands and brush my teeth and take out my contacts before
flushing the toilet. So when I did turn around to flush the toilet, I noticed
this bright yellow color and thought, “What is that!?!” And then I realized
what it was… A note! So at some point, Jeremy had shoved a note between the
layers of an unused roll of toilet paper. And I was completely oblivious to
said note until the TP in the potty had soaked through and revealed it (Jeremy
blames my not seeing it on my scrunching of the toilet paper). And yes, for
your information, I did reach in and fish it out. And the most hilarious part
is that it said, “Having fun? Haha… Potty humor.” Well, and it said “I love
you” too… I laughed and smiled so much! (And washed my hands again). And so the
next morning (the last one before we wouldn’t even have cell phone contact), I
told him about finding this note. He laughed so hard! Classic. The funniest
part to him was what that note said… since I had to fish it out of the toilet
and all… Having fun indeed!
Anyway, so yeah, it was really sweet and quite
romantic to find little notes in random places reminding me that he loves me.
And the coolest part was that I found a note every day except Saturday.
And so Jeremy is back now, and we
had a lovely Tuesday evening catching each other up on the days and the events
while we were apart. And life otherwise is mostly just the same old stuff. And
it’s going to be a 4-day weekend for me, so I’m looking forward to that… Even
more so if Jeremy gets a 3-day weekend :).
:). You know it’s going to be good
when I start off a blog post with a smile!
I realize, based solely on the title
of this post (which is a doctored-up song title), that you may already be
gagging. But I can promise you a good laugh if you read on. And that is a
promise!
First I suppose I should tell you
about life in general before I get to life in specific ;). I never really said
much about the Christmas and New Years holidays. So I will briefly cover that
(and bear in mind my idea of brief may not match yours… ;)). Christmas was
busy. On the 23rd of December, I went to lunch with Lea and Morgan at the Olive
Garden and enjoyed some gab and a lot of food (it was, after all, the unlimited
soup, salad, and breadstick lunch… and this time it was pretty good!). Of
course, why I ate so much at 2:00 in the afternoon when I knew full well that
Jeremy and I had a dinner planned (that we was cooking), I do not know… But it
ended up working out fine, because Jeremy and I ate quite a bit later than we
planned, since it takes time to cut up potatoes, clean chicken, and cut
cauliflower into florets… We ate a ton of garlic in that meal ;). Plus, between
home teachers dropping of pies and my dad calling to discuss a few things, I
think it was about 8:00 before we actually ate! Which we did by the light of
the Christmas Tree while watching UP. Such a cute movie. And so fun to watch it
with Jeremy :). Christmas Eve was busy with me trying to do last-minute things
like mail Julie’s package, make pies, and make 2 fruit salads. But Jeremy’s a
big help, and he actually made both fruit salads and the cold pumpkin pie
(something new I tried, and it was a weird conglomeration of ingredients that
made it seem questionable – and super-fatty, but neither of us actually tried a
piece, so who knows how it was…). We headed to his mom’s parents’ house for
Christmas Eve dinner. So I met a lot of his family, and all his brothers were
there, so his whole family almost was there, so that was pretty cool. It was a
late night – we didn’t get back to my house until midnight. And we were tired.
So we said our good-byes and I got my shower and went to bed!
Christmas was also kind of busy. We
attended church together in my ward, and I sung 4 songs with the choir. One of
those included me doing a descant, but apparently I didn’t sing very loud (too
afraid of making a mistake!) and I didn’t use the microphone very close to me
(again, too afraid of hitting a wrong note and broadcasting that loud and
clear!), so I shouldn’t have been so nervous… but I was! It really was nice,
though, to sit with Jeremy during church. I say that every time, but it’s
because it’s true. After church, we changed clothes and headed to his parents’
house and exchanged gifts there and saw one of his brothers and his family. Then
we headed back to do Christmas with my family that evening. That was a lot of
people in a small house! But it was good. The food was plentiful (my mom opted
for prime rib this year instead of turkey and ham). The fruit salad that Jeremy
and I took for Thanksgiving in Alabama has become our staple “potluck” dish,
and it seems to be a hit no matter how we make it or where we take it. So yay!
It’s a keeper! After opening presents, we went back to my house and relaxed for
a while, just the two of us. Oh, and I should mention (for those of you who
didn’t see it on facebook) that I did get a ring for Christmas. Hahaha… A key
ring ;). Both Jeremy and I had had plenty of people suggesting or commenting on
me getting a ring for Christmas. So Jeremy made it so. Hahaha… I do so love his
sense of humor ;).
Jeremy had the whole week between
Christmas and New Year’s off. So we had the lovely opportunity of seeing each
other every day that week (except the one where he was out of town visiting
family) and spending some wonderful time together. He finally watched The
Goonies with me, and commented that he must not have watched it at the right
time in his life for it to grow on him the way it has me and that uber-excited
Goonies fan from Applebee’s. Our New Years Eve was quiet. He fixed my side-view
mirror while I took down Christmas decorations. Then he took the Christmas tree
to be recycled. We heard and saw some fireworks from my back window, but other
than that just enjoyed each other’s company and worked on a few piddly things
around my house (like hanging a few more pictures :)). New Years Day was church
and it was a hectic day indeed! My ward switched to afternoon time while
Jeremy’s now meets at 9:00. Plus several people were out, so it made for a busy
busy Primary! (And actually, this past Sunday was even more hectic, because of
all the new changes: new classes, new teachers, etc… plus I was teaching the
lesson about choice and consequences. Phew! Try to get a bunch of 3 year olds
who are used to playing with toys at about that time to pay attention! Hahaa… I
was pretty sweaty by the end of that lesson!). Emily is a brand new Sunbeam,
and that was an adventure for sure! That was a side-note ;). I spent Sunday
evening with Jeremy, and let me just say that it is a lovely thing to begin
2012 together. Monday was a day off work for both of us, because the holiday
was on Sunday. So nice to have the extra day to spend together. We made another
fruit salad, and then headed out to his brother’s mother-in-law’s for a Rummikub
tournament! So fun! I told Julie I was playing that, and her response was that
I am not allowed to play that game with anyone but her. So I told her Jeremy
and I will have to plan a special game-playing trip to Alabama where she and
Jon and Jeremy and I can play Mexican Train and Rummikub. Personally, I think
we should do that now!
Tuesday brought a return to work for both me and Jeremy. Blah. I need a get-rich-quick scheme so we can just spendour days together ;). Haha… Okay, so I’m kidding. That’s called retirement. And apparently you have to work before you retire. Anyway… Work was work for me and
training for Jeremy. And then by Thursday, Jeremy was winging his way on a work
trip and we had to endure 5 whole days of not seeing each other! The horror, the
horror!!! Hahaha… Seriously, though. It wasn’t horrible, and actually I got a
lot of stuff accomplished (including getting 2 food storage buckets for free!).
I shredded a bazillion papers (and I think I broke my paper shredder, possibly
beyond reasonable repair). I had tax papers from 1999. It was time for those to
go! I organized some files, consolidated some stuff… Little by little
everything is getting put away in an organized fashion. So lots of good stuff
got accomplished. But, you know when you’re in love, 5 days can seem like
forever! Hahaha… But I had the most special things to help get through those 5
days of not only not seeing each other, but not even being able to talk to each
other 4 of those days (due to where he was… no cell phone reception). See,
Jeremy managed to hide a whole bunch of little tiny strips of post-it-notes
with happy loving thoughts written on them all around my house. And I would
randomly find them. And it was way way cool and so sweet and special. And I’m
smiling like the biggest dork right now. And I’m not going to tell you what
they said or where all he hid them. But I will tell you one. Because I promised
you a good hearty laugh. And this will also help you see that the places he put
these sticky notes really were random. And sometimes hilarious! So one night I
was getting ready for bed, and as part of my routine, I make sure to use the
bathroom (#1, just for clarifying…). I mean, I find it lame to get woken up in
the middle of the night in order to go tinkle… (Although I think chocolate milk
might be a diuretic for me). Anyway, so after I was done, I stood up (my
bathroom is teeny tiny, so the sink is literally right in front of me…) and
proceeded to wash my hands and brush my teeth and take out my contacts before
flushing the toilet. So when I did turn around to flush the toilet, I noticed
this bright yellow color and thought, “What is that!?!” And then I realized
what it was… A note! So at some point, Jeremy had shoved a note between the
layers of an unused roll of toilet paper. And I was completely oblivious to
said note until the TP in the potty had soaked through and revealed it (Jeremy
blames my not seeing it on my scrunching of the toilet paper). And yes, for
your information, I did reach in and fish it out. And the most hilarious part
is that it said, “Having fun? Haha… Potty humor.” Well, and it said “I love
you” too… I laughed and smiled so much! (And washed my hands again). And so the
next morning (the last one before we wouldn’t even have cell phone contact), I
told him about finding this note. He laughed so hard! Classic. The funniest
part to him was what that note said… since I had to fish it out of the toilet
and all… Having fun indeed!
Anyway, so yeah, it was really sweet and quite
romantic to find little notes in random places reminding me that he loves me.
And the coolest part was that I found a note every day except Saturday.
And so Jeremy is back now, and we
had a lovely Tuesday evening catching each other up on the days and the events
while we were apart. And life otherwise is mostly just the same old stuff. And
it’s going to be a 4-day weekend for me, so I’m looking forward to that… Even
more so if Jeremy gets a 3-day weekend :).
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Goal Setting Time
Well, it’s that time of year. The beginning of a new one. Time to examine how I did as far as accomplishing last year’s goals and time to set new ones. I have given a little bit of thought to my goals for 2012. But it’s time to actually really give it some thought as I sit here and meander through my thoughts of yore (a.k.a. yesterday ;)) and look to thoughts of tomorrow.
In 2011, I had hoped to:
Attend the Temple Monthly. Though I did not get 100% on this goal, I did get close. I made it 10 out of 12. There were times this was a big sacrifice to make – like the time my mom couldn’t go at the last minute, so I took my car. My car doesn’t run so well (as you may well recall). I mean, it’s running. But it has issues. I don’t usually (read: I don’t ever) take it on treks to Seattle… But Jeremy had just replaced the radiator, so I felt a bit more confident in it. And one nice thing that came from that trip was the opportunity to go with Jeremy’s mom and get to know her better and share that time and experience together. Though I didn’t officially meet this goal 100%, it will not be on my 2012 goals. And the reason is because I have achieved what I needed to achieve, and that was a change of heart. I’ve made Temple attendance a bigger priority in my life, and that’s the purpose of goals… at least for me. Or at least, it’s one purpose. I feel confident that I will continue making it a priority in 2012 whether it’s one of my official self-improvement goals or not.
Read the scriptures 30 minutes a day. This you will also not find on my 2012 goal list. Again, not because I am perfect at it. But because I have seen a change in myself. I didn’t achieve what I would call 100% on this goal either. But again, I have seen the scriptures become a more important part of my life. I have experienced more of those beautiful moments during scripture study where I have an impression about something important or learn something I can apply to my life from what I read. These are beautiful things to me, they were things I wanted to experience. And I have. And because I have, I want to continue it. It’s funny how that works… I think that’s some of what a change of heart is: you recognize the good fruits that come from good things, and in wanting those good fruits, you start to desire to do the good things. And so it is for me. I am not perfect – and sometimes my scripture reading is far less than 30 minutes and may consist of reading through one Conference talk from the most recent Conference. And maybe it’s one I’ve read through twice before (but I return to it because I love it). But the goal is to be spiritually fed through scripture reading – whether ancient or modern-day scripture – and I have felt that happen in my life, and I am thankful.
Continue building my savings account. I have continued to do this, and I will take it off my goal list for 2012. Not because I’m going to stop doing it, but because it’s become almost automatic. I remain amazed that I have been able to save what I’ve wanted to save and yet meet all my obligations. I wish I could explain what I feel about this, but I lack words. Basically, I have learned (or reaffirmed) two things: 1 – Paying tithing really does result in blessings being poured out abundantly. The promise is in Malachi. The promise is true. Money didn’t fall from the sky. But I had what I needed – and then some. 2 – Following the counsel of the Prophet and apostles, after receiving your own witness it is good, also brings forth blessings. We have been counseled to get out of debt and stay out of debt. To not be a prisoner to anyone through financial obligations. Sure, there are certain big-ticket items that require debt. A home mortgage is what most readily comes to mind. But so few material things are really debt-worthy, and I am thankful I have been able to maintain a desire to be debt-free more than I have had a desire for a new car or a big TV or whatever. The other counsel has been to save money away for the rainy days. I have continued to do so. Initially it was hard to put that little bit aside, because I wasn’t making very much. I’m still not. But I have seen the miracle of being able to do it, because I want to do what’s right. I want to be self-reliant as much as I possibly can. And I know Heavenly Father wants that for me also, so He will help me, as long as I do my part. I have seen it. So I know it’s true.
See somewhere new. Okay, so I didn’t do this. But does it count if I took someone else to see some place new ;)? Haha… And actually, while I’m sitting here thinking about it, I did see somewhere new this year. I went to Whidby Island (I think that’s how it’s spelled). I think I don’t always think of things like that because it’s not as exotic as Paris or Egypt or the Oregon Coast (haha ;)). But it was someplace I’d never been, so I think it counts :). Which means I can say I did this after all! And with these thoughts in mind, I think I will remove this from my goals also, because it seems a little too vague. I could go to upper-Shelton and say I’ve seen somewhere new. But that’s not really what I intend, so I think this goal is kinda dorky, now that I think of it :).
Complete one item on my bucket list. I didn’t do this, but that’s okay. I will add it on for next year. And by golly! It’s going to happen one of these years ;). I have a variety of things on there, you know. And there’s a good chance I could make up for the lean years by having a fat year and doing 3 of them in one year! You never can tell with life. It’s always an exciting adventure :).
72-Hour Kit. Um… Still no. Arg. But I think I had to get some other things prioritized ahead of this so that I could get to this point. See the remainder of my commentary in my goals for 2012.
3-month supply food storage. Well, officially I didn’t do so well on this. But it’s still important to me, which is why you will see it listed under the 2012 goals with a few tweaks.
Become organized and stay that way. Well, I am working on this. I’m not there. Not even close. But I’m working on it. I think I shredded an entire trash bag full of personal documents that just needed to go! I did that this past week. As I have gotten more and more settled into my new home (yeah, you’d think I’d be completely settled, but I’m not quite there…), I have improved in how organized I can be. I have been de-cluttering by getting rid of things I really don’t need (like novels I’ll never read again – or may never read in the first place). I’m not saying I don’t want to have stuff, but I am realizing that the more you have the more you have to organize. So I don’t need to have the cross-stitch books that I’ll never use – and I know I’ll never use, because I don’t see myself cross-stitching a bunch of bass or catfish. (I will add a disclaimer: I still am not ready to part with any kitchen stuff :)).
Lose 8 more pounds. I did this and then some. When I went for my very exciting female appointment in November, I discovered I’d lost 25 pounds from the year before. And when I’d weighed in 2010, I was already about 6 pounds down from where I’d started. Which means I lost a total of 31 pounds from 2010 to 2012. I’m not sure where I am today, since I don’t have a scale here. I know I’m under my goal weight, but I also know I’ve eaten a lot of pumpkin pie and cookies, and a few spoonfuls of ruined fudge and probably a handful of other not-so-waistline-friendly foods ;). But I’m not too worried about it.
Expand my garden. I did this. I grew a lot more stuff. I didn’t tend to it as much this year. There were several reasons for this. One large reason was time. My time was focused elsewhere, and that’s okay. I enjoyed my garden; I enjoyed the vegetables from it. I love to garden, but I don’t know if I will this year, simply because I don’t know if it’s realistic. If I do, it will be a few pots outside with maybe a tomato plant and I don’t know what else you can grow well in a pot. I don’t have much of a yard at my house, and I simply don’t see me going to my grandmother’s house every day or even every weekend to tend it. But I do know I will garden again one day, and I know I will enjoy it :).
Write in my journal weekly. I mostly did this. It got a little less frequent around October and November and December. But I still wrote a lot more than last year or the year before that. And I’m thankful. I know that it will be a treasure down the road. I have often spoken of how I appreciate now my high school journals (even though they are full of silly crushes and mundane details like that more than anything of real depth). But after I moved in to my own house, I unpacked my journal from Tuscaloosa. And I was so grateful for it. And wish I’d have written more. I had forgotten some very important things that happened in Tuscaloosa. Some huge blessings; some moments when I really saw the hand of the Lord in my day-to-day. I am – and will forever be – so grateful that I wrote what I wrote, even if it wasn’t more. Going back and reading that journal was so strengthening to me. And a further witness of the importance of writing in a journal. And so I’m grateful for what I’ve written this year. I can definitely say it’s run the gamut of emotions. It is a good representation of my life this year. And there’s even a smattering of impressions and thoughts that I know will be a blessing for me to read about in the future and remember.
Write 30 minutes a day. Yeah, I sort of quit doing this sometime around April. I never got back to it. Maybe one day. For now it’s not that big a deal. Although it would help me with one of those bucket list items ;).
Spend more time reading and less time online. Well, I can say I have been online less in the last few months. Because I didn’t have the option, what with not being willing to have that bill at this point ;). But I haven’t done a whole heap of reading, that’s for sure! I had planned to read 30 books this year, but I only got halfway to my goal. But that’s okay. I was enjoying the company of a certain special someone… and it was worth it ;).
In 2012 I hope to:
Memorize about 52 Scripture Masteries. That’s a rough estimate, and I hesitate to put a numerical value there, because that makes it harder to be accountable to when some of those are entire pages long (and therefore it will not get memorized in only one week). Anyway, scripture masteries are select scriptures from each of the books of scripture we have (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price). The 10 Commandments are a scripture mastery in the Old Testament. And they are multiple verses, so you can see what I mean about the length of some of them. Anyway, Jeremy and I talked about wanting to memorize them, and actually we are setting this as a couple goal for the year also. But I know I want to add it to my personal goals to help me be more accountable to it :).
Simplify. I definitely realized, when shopping at 6:30 in the morning on December 23rd, and feeling quite Grinch-like, that I need to simplify life a bit. Last year I had shopped throughout the year for Christmas, and it wasn’t so hectic. This year I didn’t do so well, and my attitude was a lot more yuck when I was down to the wire. So not the Christmas spirit. And I love to give gifts. It’s a way I show love. But I think, as the number of people I want to give gifts to continues to grow in size, my choice of gifts needs to change as well. Gifts can be expensive, and I need to be a wise steward over my money. I think this year I will be turning to making gifts more than buying them. Does this sound less simple to some? Perhaps. But it gives me an opportunity to work on it through the year and actually put even more love and thought into the gift. I miss making cross-stitch ornaments. And one of the things I have enjoyed doing every year since I moved here is making goodies and giving them away. And another gift I really enjoyed giving this year was the pepper jelly I made. There was just something extra-enjoyable in the home-made gifts, and I think I want to do that in 2012 instead of going to the store at the crack of dawn (or before…) and being sour about it. Blah. And this is only one example of my need to simply my life. It’s the main one I have thought of so far, but I am sure there are other ways. And so the goal is to determine them and do them :).
Visiting Teaching. So at church, ideally, each sister in the Ward is assigned another sister in the Ward as her “companion” and then they get a list of other sisters in the Ward to visit each month. The goal is to fellowship, teach, lift, help, etc. And let me go ahead and admit here that I’m pretty lousy at it. Like. Really. Lousy. I haven’t always been lousy, but that’s because I’ve had really awesome Visiting Teaching companions in the past (read: Jeni) who would make the appointments and all I had to do was tag along. So I guess I was, in fact, sort of lousy. But I didn’t feel quite as lousy, because I was actually doing something. I’m not so great at being the one to initiate things and coordinate schedules and call the sisters and see if we can come by and visit. Lame of me, I know. And so I need to do better. My official goal is to do face-to-face visits 4 times this year, if possible. I say “if possible” because the truth is there are others involved. If someone says, “Yeah, this isn’t a good time for me, could you send a letter instead?” then I can’t really twist their arm, ya know? But I need to put forth my efforts better than I have. And l will admit I am hesitant to put this up here as a goal, because I know it means I will have to be accountable to it. But I also know I have been richly blessed, and this is something I believe Heavenly Father wants me to do. It is His way of helping others feel loved and supported. And I need to be more willing to do those things. And as I do, I think I will gain a testimony of Visiting Teaching the way Jeni has (which is probably why she was undaunted in her scheduling appointments and doing the work… she’d seen it bless the life of at least one person, and she knew). Thank you Jeni, for being an example to me :).
Eat more vegetables. Okay, I’m mostly a terrible vegetable-eater. Which is part of why Monday Meals was so awesome… we tried new recipes with vegetables that are ordinarily thought of as detestable (like Brussels sprouts and asparagus). Granted, those vegetables were doctored up with everything unhealthy under the sun (like cheese, creamy soups, and sour cream…). But I liked my vegetables during Monday Meals ;). But all kidding aside, I do know I need to make vegetables a bigger part of my diet. When I’m cooking an actual meal, for dinner, it’s easy for me to make sure it’s well-rounded and includes veggies. And there are even some vegetarian dishes I love (like the garlic vegetable soup). But on a daily basis, I do not make eating vegetables a priority. I have gotten better about having more fruit in my house (usually bananas because they are easy, and lately I’ve developed a love for those little cutie organs – or mandarins, apparently ;)). I like easy, which is probably why these two fruits are playing a large part in my fruit diet lately. But veggies… I just don’t think to snack on veggies. And I should. Even if I require some ranch dressing to help dress them up a bit and make them more appealing :). I’m really good at eating pickles… does that count? Anyway, I am not sure how I am going to implement this, exactly, but that’s sort of what setting a goal is for me… I decide on something I feel I need to do better, and then I work to find a way to do it. Even if it takes me all year ;). So I’ll let you know what I come up with.
Humility. So I had this as a goal in 2010. I felt I didn’t achieve it. I didn’t put it on the list for 2011. Mostly because I was probably pretty moody about my absolute failure (or seeming failure) and didn’t really want to go there again. But I’ve gained perspective. And, honestly, I am not sure how one measures humility in oneself anyway. But I want to at least work on it, whether or not I can say I achieved it by the end of the year. (Well, I don’t think I will achieve it in this life anyway, so just nix that ridiculous statement…). I have come to realize some interesting things about humility and pride. I remember when I set this goal in 2010, my cousin Elka told me to be careful asking for that. Hahaha… So true Elka, so true. Because the things that happen to allow you to choose humility are generally not the most fun things in the world. But let me go ahead and say that, even though I didn’t set that as a goal in 2011, I still had ample opportunity come my way to exercise humility. Do I think I did a good job? I don’t know. But I hope I did at least some of the time. And I have seen where the opportunities have been (in retrospect, and with a little bit of pondering and probably some encouraging impressions from the Spirit). And I don’t think I’ve been an all-out failure. But I think one way I can improve is by realizing something is an opportunity to be humble during the event rather than afterward. Haha… I’m also learning that, sometimes, humility doesn’t have to be in the big things (like me saying, “Okay so I moved across an entire country and did my best to do my best – so what gives!?!” – when I don’t get a good job or meet my awesome future husband in the first 2.5 years of being in Washington). Yep, I probably was lame at humility in that scenario. Humility is trusting the Lord – and trusting His timing. And not asking “what gives!?!” But it’s also in the small, seemingly unimportant things. Like saying, “Yeah, those books made me laugh, but it’s time for me to stop excusing them as my guilty pleasure because they do have quite a bit of inappropriate stuff in them, and I don’t need them to be happy or be better.” So anyway, I don’t know how I will measure this, but I do want to be willing to at least try to be more humble. In the big things and the small things. I want to say, “Thy will be done” and mean it. Because it’s always what’s best anyway.
Bucket List item. I didn’t achieve this last year, so I would like to this year. The sad thing is that there are plenty of things I can at least work toward without it costing money. Like learning sign language. Okay, maybe that’s not plenty (I don’t have the list handy at the moment, and I don’t have internet here at home, so I’m going on memory for most of this stuff…). So this year I will try again. But like I said when I acknowledged that I didn’t complete this goal for 2011: life is life. And I may very well cross off several things in one year! So I am not too worried about it. I’d just like to have it as a goal :).
Three-month supply food storage and hygiene necessities. Well, 3 months in most things. Some things may be 2 months. Why not more? Well, because my little tiny house isn’t conducive to more. But we will store what we can and I will learn how to circulate it and replace it. It will be good practice for one day when we have the room we need and we can have a year’s supply. I will be able to rotate and get a good feel for how much I will need of things. I’m pretty excited about this, because I actually have a starting point.
72-Hour Kits. I’m feeling like this might actually be the year! Perhaps because I’m feeling warm and fuzzy as I sit here on my couch in my pj’s (church is at 1:00 this year for my Ward), and I’m feeling hopeful and excited for all I can do in 2012. And possibly because I have a pretty darn good support system in things like this (I like to call him Jeremy ;)).
Well, that’s about all I’ve come up with to this point. Not as many as in the past, but then, I am trying to simplify ;). So Happy New Year all! And to let you smile just a little bit more… Here’s a picture of me and Jeremy and my Christmas tree on the last day of 2011, right before we took it down and recycled it :). Awwww…
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Out With the Old, In With the New
Happy 2011! I'm still in my pajamas, and I woke up at 9:30. So, so far 2011 has been perfect ;). Hahaha. With the entire day free to do whatever I want (and that includes staying in my pj's all day), I figure it's a good time to re-visit my 2010 goals, hold myself accountable to them, updating the blog world at large on my overall success for the year, and set new goals. I find that I really enjoyed updating my blog about where I was as far as meeting the goals I set for myself. And so I will be doing that again this year. But first to the update:
Out With the Old
In 2010, I set a goal to:
Liken the scriptures. I did not do well with this at all. I will have to try a different tactic this year. I read scriptures daily. But I so easily content myself with "surface reading" rather than really applying them to my life.
Go to the Temple more often. Well, I can officially say I went to the Temple more often in 2010 than in 2009. But only by 1 time. But I have started going with a great group of ladies each month, so this should improve.
Become more humble. Pretty sure I failed on this one. And pretty sure Elka was right when she told me to be careful to ask for humility. As indicated in the previous post, 2010 was a very hard year full of very hard occurrences. Most of which I can't understand. And I probably should have used them as learning experiences. I probably should have tried to gain humility from them. I don't think I did. I think I became more bitter. I am not including this on my 2011 goals. I don't think I want another year like this one. I may get it anyway, but since I'm not really awesome at dealing with it and becoming humble, I don't want to look back and say "I should have been more humble, since I asked for it, but I failed at that" again this year, since I have to acknowledge that very thing for 2010.
Build My Savings Account. I did this. I met my goal for what I wanted in my savings account. And despite the fact that I had to wipe out several other funds to take care of the essential stuff that popped up this year, I haven't had to touch my savings.
Be Debt-free. I succeeded in this. I remain debt-free. And I have been successful for a year in using my credit card for monthly purchases and paying it off each month. All the benfits of points, none of the bad stuff like interest charges. I'm liking this. It helped me get a lot of stuff this past year for free.
3 Months Food Storage/Necessities. I did not do well with this. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around what I need to get, like how much and what.
Start Gardening. I did this. And I really enjoyed it. And though my original goal had been to only grow tomatoes and cucumbers, I also grew acorn squash, green bell peppers, and strawberries. I got a crop from all of them (though admittedly, the strawberries were not plentiful this year, since it was the first year for them). I got an especially great crop of tomatoes. And I enjoyed fresh tomato salsa (which I am totally craving) and we made home-made Ro-Tel! We still have 3 or 4 equivalents of a store-bought can frozen for use.
Walk. I have continued to do this. At one point, I was walking about 5 times a week between walking with Lea and walking with Sue. However, now I have only been walking with Sue 2 times a week most of the time. It has been good for me. And I have enjoyed it immensely, the walking with friends.
Lose 20 pounds. I'm not completely finished with this goal. But I am very close. I have lost between 14 and 16 pounds. Technically I only have 4 to 6 to go to meet my goal. But to get to where I was most of the time in Tuscaloosa, I'd have to lose about 6 to 8 more. It has not really been hard for me. I think it's just a mindset, really. So I anticipate the remainder of the weight will come off easily enough. And I'm okay with it taking a few months. I'd rather lose it slowly and maintain it. One thing I'm particularly happy about is that I maintained -- and even lost -- through the holidays!
Trim apple trees for production. Well it turns out this task needs someone who is not an amateur. I trimmed off a few branches here and there, but it's a way more massive undertaking than I can do with mere hedge-trimmers. We are hoping to have someone come out to trim them in the next month or so, since they say it needs to be done during the winter. But I will report we did get some good parts of apples from the trees. And we made a few apple crisps (and still have some apples frozen to make future apple crisps).
Get a laptop. Done. And it does everything I want. Woohoo!
Accept that there are some things I cannot control. The fact remains. I still don't do well at accepting it, though. Enough said.
Go someplace new. Did this. Twice. I went to the Oregon Coast with my mom in August. And I went to Savannah, Georgia with Julie. Ironically enough, that means I saw both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans this year within a month. And while this was not such a shocking occurence when I lived in Panama (since only 50 miles of land separate the two oceans), it's a much huger undertaking when living in the U.S.
In With the New
My goals for 2011:
Attend the Temple monthly. I will probably do better with this if I am specific rather than just saying "more often." And also, the ladies I go with and I have set a specific date each month, and this will help us all be available and therefore more apt to be consistent.
Read scriptures for 30 minutes each day. Again, putting an actual time-frame on this will help me, I think.
Write in my journal weekly. As a teenager, I wrote in my journal daily. It was mostly just the details of my every day life. But I have looked back on my journals at times in the past and appreciated knowing what I was doing and such back then. I think that is partly why I have such clear recollections of some details of my life back then. Most especially my crushes ;). These days I write in my journal mostly when I'm having a rough day. And my journal is filled with my emotions and feelings now rather than the daily happenings of my life. And both are good (the happenings and the emotions). I just think if I write more often, that there will be a better mix of the two.
Write 30 minutes a day. As I mentioned before, I noticed my writing ability was better in Tuscaloosa when I wrote more often. And as I also mentioned before, I have heard many writers say that, if you want to write, you need to write daily. I have a lot of ideas for things floating around in my head. But they aren't doing me any good there, so I need to do something that will.
Continue adding to my savings account. I have a goal in mind for where I want to be at the end of the year. I don't feel it would be appropriate to list it here, though. So I will keep this one vague and general.
Become organized and stay that way. Once I get all my files and stuff into order, I need to make sure to keep them that way. I don't need to put aside "to be shredded" papers. I need to just shred them immediately. Otherwise, I never get around to the shredding pile and it becomes clutter.
Achieve at least one of my "bucket list" items. This one may be tricky. Most of those items cost money. And I don't really have extra of that. And some of them require other things to happen first, and I don't necessarily have control over that. But I can always set the goal and try, right?
See a new place. I'm adding this to my goals again. Because I want to eventually see all 50 states, so I need to see a new one every once in a while, right :)?
Lose about 8 more pounds. This will help me complete my goal and reach my "I'm happy with myself" weight.
72 Hour Kits. I have a few odds and ends already collected, but I need to organize it, make a list of the things I don't have, and get it prepared. What is this for? Well, this is in case of an emergency that would require me to evacuate my house for some reason. Earthquake for example. It's good to have what I need for survival for 3 days.
3 to 6 months food storage. I'm adding this again. Because I really do feel it is important. I just need to find a better way of achieving it. And part of what I will do to achieve it is to really sit down and think about what I need to survive. I think if I pick it apart and break it down, I will be successful.
Expand my garden. Not making it bigger so much as just having a bigger variety. I will not plant 60-something tomato plant seeds this year. I will not plant 14 tomato plants. I will plant 4 and I will do cucumbers again, and acorn squash. Also pumpkin, jalapenos, green peppers, and lettuce. Most of these I will try to start from seeds I got from last year's harvest. The tomatoes, however, I will buy new seeds. Because I will not be growing the big tomatoes again, as they don't typically do as well. Not enough ripening time here for them. So I'm going to try roma tomatoes and grape tomatoes. Someone recently said, "Learning to garden when you need to know how to survive is not the right time to learn. You need to already know before you NEED to know." So true. So I am learning. I'm learning what works for my area. Also, I want to try a winter garden next year as well. Why not grow things year-round if possible?
Spend less time online and more reading. My goal is 30 books this year. There was a time in my life when I conquered that goal of 30 books in 3 or 4 months. But that was a long time ago. I read 21 books in 2010, so I think I might succeed in making 30 this year. This means I need to give more time to that (reading) and less time on the computer. I am tempted to limit myself to twice a day checking of my email and facebook and blog stuff. I'm not sure if I can succeed in that, though. But I do need to cut back on computer time and increase my reading for pleasure time. Because I love love love to read. And I have enjoyed delving back into the book world in 2010, as I have almost doubled the number of books I read in 2010 from 2009. Plus if I manage to read all 30 books to meet my goal, I will have finished most of my "to-read" list :).
Some of these are big goals. And so I am hoping to actually implement this year the idea of breaking those goals down by month. And by week if necessary.
It feels good to see the things I accomplished in writing. It doesn't feel so good to know that I didn't conquer all my goals. But that's just part of life. And so I start this new year off fresh. I have new goals (some of them are kind of like the old ones), and I try again. But because I succeeded in several areas, I know I have done good things for myself. I know I have improved in at least some areas. And I hope 2011 will allow me to improve in more areas. Because I am quite imperfect. But I can definitely work toward being perfect, even if I never make it in this life.
Out With the Old
In 2010, I set a goal to:
Liken the scriptures. I did not do well with this at all. I will have to try a different tactic this year. I read scriptures daily. But I so easily content myself with "surface reading" rather than really applying them to my life.
Go to the Temple more often. Well, I can officially say I went to the Temple more often in 2010 than in 2009. But only by 1 time. But I have started going with a great group of ladies each month, so this should improve.
Become more humble. Pretty sure I failed on this one. And pretty sure Elka was right when she told me to be careful to ask for humility. As indicated in the previous post, 2010 was a very hard year full of very hard occurrences. Most of which I can't understand. And I probably should have used them as learning experiences. I probably should have tried to gain humility from them. I don't think I did. I think I became more bitter. I am not including this on my 2011 goals. I don't think I want another year like this one. I may get it anyway, but since I'm not really awesome at dealing with it and becoming humble, I don't want to look back and say "I should have been more humble, since I asked for it, but I failed at that" again this year, since I have to acknowledge that very thing for 2010.
Build My Savings Account. I did this. I met my goal for what I wanted in my savings account. And despite the fact that I had to wipe out several other funds to take care of the essential stuff that popped up this year, I haven't had to touch my savings.
Be Debt-free. I succeeded in this. I remain debt-free. And I have been successful for a year in using my credit card for monthly purchases and paying it off each month. All the benfits of points, none of the bad stuff like interest charges. I'm liking this. It helped me get a lot of stuff this past year for free.
3 Months Food Storage/Necessities. I did not do well with this. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around what I need to get, like how much and what.
Start Gardening. I did this. And I really enjoyed it. And though my original goal had been to only grow tomatoes and cucumbers, I also grew acorn squash, green bell peppers, and strawberries. I got a crop from all of them (though admittedly, the strawberries were not plentiful this year, since it was the first year for them). I got an especially great crop of tomatoes. And I enjoyed fresh tomato salsa (which I am totally craving) and we made home-made Ro-Tel! We still have 3 or 4 equivalents of a store-bought can frozen for use.
Walk. I have continued to do this. At one point, I was walking about 5 times a week between walking with Lea and walking with Sue. However, now I have only been walking with Sue 2 times a week most of the time. It has been good for me. And I have enjoyed it immensely, the walking with friends.
Lose 20 pounds. I'm not completely finished with this goal. But I am very close. I have lost between 14 and 16 pounds. Technically I only have 4 to 6 to go to meet my goal. But to get to where I was most of the time in Tuscaloosa, I'd have to lose about 6 to 8 more. It has not really been hard for me. I think it's just a mindset, really. So I anticipate the remainder of the weight will come off easily enough. And I'm okay with it taking a few months. I'd rather lose it slowly and maintain it. One thing I'm particularly happy about is that I maintained -- and even lost -- through the holidays!
Trim apple trees for production. Well it turns out this task needs someone who is not an amateur. I trimmed off a few branches here and there, but it's a way more massive undertaking than I can do with mere hedge-trimmers. We are hoping to have someone come out to trim them in the next month or so, since they say it needs to be done during the winter. But I will report we did get some good parts of apples from the trees. And we made a few apple crisps (and still have some apples frozen to make future apple crisps).
Get a laptop. Done. And it does everything I want. Woohoo!
Accept that there are some things I cannot control. The fact remains. I still don't do well at accepting it, though. Enough said.
Go someplace new. Did this. Twice. I went to the Oregon Coast with my mom in August. And I went to Savannah, Georgia with Julie. Ironically enough, that means I saw both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans this year within a month. And while this was not such a shocking occurence when I lived in Panama (since only 50 miles of land separate the two oceans), it's a much huger undertaking when living in the U.S.
In With the New
My goals for 2011:
Attend the Temple monthly. I will probably do better with this if I am specific rather than just saying "more often." And also, the ladies I go with and I have set a specific date each month, and this will help us all be available and therefore more apt to be consistent.
Read scriptures for 30 minutes each day. Again, putting an actual time-frame on this will help me, I think.
Write in my journal weekly. As a teenager, I wrote in my journal daily. It was mostly just the details of my every day life. But I have looked back on my journals at times in the past and appreciated knowing what I was doing and such back then. I think that is partly why I have such clear recollections of some details of my life back then. Most especially my crushes ;). These days I write in my journal mostly when I'm having a rough day. And my journal is filled with my emotions and feelings now rather than the daily happenings of my life. And both are good (the happenings and the emotions). I just think if I write more often, that there will be a better mix of the two.
Write 30 minutes a day. As I mentioned before, I noticed my writing ability was better in Tuscaloosa when I wrote more often. And as I also mentioned before, I have heard many writers say that, if you want to write, you need to write daily. I have a lot of ideas for things floating around in my head. But they aren't doing me any good there, so I need to do something that will.
Continue adding to my savings account. I have a goal in mind for where I want to be at the end of the year. I don't feel it would be appropriate to list it here, though. So I will keep this one vague and general.
Become organized and stay that way. Once I get all my files and stuff into order, I need to make sure to keep them that way. I don't need to put aside "to be shredded" papers. I need to just shred them immediately. Otherwise, I never get around to the shredding pile and it becomes clutter.
Achieve at least one of my "bucket list" items. This one may be tricky. Most of those items cost money. And I don't really have extra of that. And some of them require other things to happen first, and I don't necessarily have control over that. But I can always set the goal and try, right?
See a new place. I'm adding this to my goals again. Because I want to eventually see all 50 states, so I need to see a new one every once in a while, right :)?
Lose about 8 more pounds. This will help me complete my goal and reach my "I'm happy with myself" weight.
72 Hour Kits. I have a few odds and ends already collected, but I need to organize it, make a list of the things I don't have, and get it prepared. What is this for? Well, this is in case of an emergency that would require me to evacuate my house for some reason. Earthquake for example. It's good to have what I need for survival for 3 days.
3 to 6 months food storage. I'm adding this again. Because I really do feel it is important. I just need to find a better way of achieving it. And part of what I will do to achieve it is to really sit down and think about what I need to survive. I think if I pick it apart and break it down, I will be successful.
Expand my garden. Not making it bigger so much as just having a bigger variety. I will not plant 60-something tomato plant seeds this year. I will not plant 14 tomato plants. I will plant 4 and I will do cucumbers again, and acorn squash. Also pumpkin, jalapenos, green peppers, and lettuce. Most of these I will try to start from seeds I got from last year's harvest. The tomatoes, however, I will buy new seeds. Because I will not be growing the big tomatoes again, as they don't typically do as well. Not enough ripening time here for them. So I'm going to try roma tomatoes and grape tomatoes. Someone recently said, "Learning to garden when you need to know how to survive is not the right time to learn. You need to already know before you NEED to know." So true. So I am learning. I'm learning what works for my area. Also, I want to try a winter garden next year as well. Why not grow things year-round if possible?
Spend less time online and more reading. My goal is 30 books this year. There was a time in my life when I conquered that goal of 30 books in 3 or 4 months. But that was a long time ago. I read 21 books in 2010, so I think I might succeed in making 30 this year. This means I need to give more time to that (reading) and less time on the computer. I am tempted to limit myself to twice a day checking of my email and facebook and blog stuff. I'm not sure if I can succeed in that, though. But I do need to cut back on computer time and increase my reading for pleasure time. Because I love love love to read. And I have enjoyed delving back into the book world in 2010, as I have almost doubled the number of books I read in 2010 from 2009. Plus if I manage to read all 30 books to meet my goal, I will have finished most of my "to-read" list :).
Some of these are big goals. And so I am hoping to actually implement this year the idea of breaking those goals down by month. And by week if necessary.
It feels good to see the things I accomplished in writing. It doesn't feel so good to know that I didn't conquer all my goals. But that's just part of life. And so I start this new year off fresh. I have new goals (some of them are kind of like the old ones), and I try again. But because I succeeded in several areas, I know I have done good things for myself. I know I have improved in at least some areas. And I hope 2011 will allow me to improve in more areas. Because I am quite imperfect. But I can definitely work toward being perfect, even if I never make it in this life.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Upcoming...
I don't feel like blogging right now, other than to say a few things. I will divulge more information later...
But... This past week I:
1. chopped off 3 inches of my hair -- or rather, I had my mom do it
2. had a work conversation about animals of the serengeti
3. went to an AWESOME Enrichment meeting
4. went to a really great dinner and Relief Society broadcast
5. sung my voice (almost) out along with Mary and a few others at a dueling pianos function
6. drove to the high school where I will start volunteering tomorrow and met the librarian there
7. submitted a job application for a public library job
8. went visiting teaching
9. got and got over a minor cold
10. pondered why sometimes life is so complicated
Details to come on at least a couple of these -- with pictures guaranteed for number 5.
But... This past week I:
1. chopped off 3 inches of my hair -- or rather, I had my mom do it
2. had a work conversation about animals of the serengeti
3. went to an AWESOME Enrichment meeting
4. went to a really great dinner and Relief Society broadcast
5. sung my voice (almost) out along with Mary and a few others at a dueling pianos function
6. drove to the high school where I will start volunteering tomorrow and met the librarian there
7. submitted a job application for a public library job
8. went visiting teaching
9. got and got over a minor cold
10. pondered why sometimes life is so complicated
Details to come on at least a couple of these -- with pictures guaranteed for number 5.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
100 Things About Me - Part 10 of 10
Okay, so I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since my last blog post. I mean, I can, but I can't. I'm not even sure where the time goes. But go it does. So, I am choosing to try to finish that list of things about me that I started over a year ago. Coincidentally, in the two weeks that have passed since my last blog post, my 1-year in Washington anniversary came and went. It's pretty hard to believe I've been here a year. The year feels like it has zoomed past. But anyway, to the list!
91. I need quiet and dark to sleep. There are those people who can drift off in nearly any situation and get a restful sleep. Alas, I am not one of those. I can remember a few times when I spent the night at Julie's, and the radio was on for background noise, and all I could do was lay there and stare at the ceiling, because I couldn't sleep. One specific memory comes to mind from 1999. WOOF FM was playing very quietly, and this song by Heart came on. Funny the things you remember...
92. I also need quiet to read. I am not good at blocking out noise. Even at work when I'm working on my files. I hear all the conversations going on in the background. So for pleasure reading, I have to isolate myself away from noise. Perhaps blocking out the noise is something you learn to do when you are a mother, because you are used to having lots of noise going on. All I know is that, for now, I need silence to read and actually focus on what I'm reading :).
93. The more I've gotten to know myself, I have found out interesting things. I've heard of this book called The Five Languages of Love or something like that. Anyway, it talks about how some people show love by saying nice things while others show it by doing nice things (like washing dishes), etc. I've realized that, for me, I feel appreciated most when others say nice things to me. Having someone do my dishes wouldn't make me feel as appreciated as someone saying my dinner was really good. How interesting it is that everyone's personality is so different and how important it is to know yourself and what makes you feel appreciated or loved so you can convey that to the people in your life. Hahaha.
94. My sister pops nearly every bone in her body. Ick. I can't stand it. Actually, my older brother does the same. Me -- I pop but one knuckle: my index finger on my right hand. And the funny thing about this is that if I ever hear anyone pop any of their bones, I immediately feel a need to bend that one finger to see if it needs to pop! I'm a weirdo. Anyway, so Christina and I always laugh when she pops her fingers and then a minute passes and she hears me pop my one knuckle. Hahahaha.
95. Several months ago, I referred to the way I eat pie (from the crust to the tip). I also eat sandwiches in a specific way. I eat all the way around the crust so that the middle is left at the end. This applies to regular grilled cheese sandwiches or even hamburgers from McDonalds. I'm not sure why I do this. Perhaps because I think the middle has the most "stuff" and is therefore the "best" part. But, this is what I do.
96. When I was a kid in Panama, my parents signed us up to learn archery one summer. We did this in Diablo. I could point out the place where we were and everything. It was behind the building that used to be a school where we would go to get passport pictures and that also had the coolest bathrooms that were always really really cold. Anyway, I sliced up my fingers more than once that summer, because I couldn't get the timing right on lifting my index finger before the little feathers at the end of the arrow came and sliced it open at high speed. That was painful.
97. I love crossword puzzles. I go in cycles, I guess. I will get out of the habit of doing them for a while, and I will forget how much I enjoy them. Then one day, I will start working them again, and I remember how much I like them. Currently, Bob (alligator Bob) from work and I do the puzzle pretty much daily.
98. I love a great deal. As in a bargain, not that I love a lot :). I've started scouring the grocery ads and clipping coupons. I've become accustomed to prices in Washington and to knowing what a good deal is out here. And I love doing this :). Although obviously not a necessary thing, I actually got Seasons 1 & 2 of Everybody Loves Raymond (which I love) for a total of $15.00 the other week at Target. Considering you usually pay $20 per season, I think paying $7.50 per season was a phenomenal deal. And I think I'll be watching a few episodes here shortly.
99. I love to cook. I'm looking forward to a day when I have my own place and can invite people over to entertain and to cook for them. I miss my cookbooks and recipes that are all piled in the dark recesses of the garage.
100. Sometimes I draw a blank. And so this is my number 100 :).
91. I need quiet and dark to sleep. There are those people who can drift off in nearly any situation and get a restful sleep. Alas, I am not one of those. I can remember a few times when I spent the night at Julie's, and the radio was on for background noise, and all I could do was lay there and stare at the ceiling, because I couldn't sleep. One specific memory comes to mind from 1999. WOOF FM was playing very quietly, and this song by Heart came on. Funny the things you remember...
92. I also need quiet to read. I am not good at blocking out noise. Even at work when I'm working on my files. I hear all the conversations going on in the background. So for pleasure reading, I have to isolate myself away from noise. Perhaps blocking out the noise is something you learn to do when you are a mother, because you are used to having lots of noise going on. All I know is that, for now, I need silence to read and actually focus on what I'm reading :).
93. The more I've gotten to know myself, I have found out interesting things. I've heard of this book called The Five Languages of Love or something like that. Anyway, it talks about how some people show love by saying nice things while others show it by doing nice things (like washing dishes), etc. I've realized that, for me, I feel appreciated most when others say nice things to me. Having someone do my dishes wouldn't make me feel as appreciated as someone saying my dinner was really good. How interesting it is that everyone's personality is so different and how important it is to know yourself and what makes you feel appreciated or loved so you can convey that to the people in your life. Hahaha.
94. My sister pops nearly every bone in her body. Ick. I can't stand it. Actually, my older brother does the same. Me -- I pop but one knuckle: my index finger on my right hand. And the funny thing about this is that if I ever hear anyone pop any of their bones, I immediately feel a need to bend that one finger to see if it needs to pop! I'm a weirdo. Anyway, so Christina and I always laugh when she pops her fingers and then a minute passes and she hears me pop my one knuckle. Hahahaha.
95. Several months ago, I referred to the way I eat pie (from the crust to the tip). I also eat sandwiches in a specific way. I eat all the way around the crust so that the middle is left at the end. This applies to regular grilled cheese sandwiches or even hamburgers from McDonalds. I'm not sure why I do this. Perhaps because I think the middle has the most "stuff" and is therefore the "best" part. But, this is what I do.
96. When I was a kid in Panama, my parents signed us up to learn archery one summer. We did this in Diablo. I could point out the place where we were and everything. It was behind the building that used to be a school where we would go to get passport pictures and that also had the coolest bathrooms that were always really really cold. Anyway, I sliced up my fingers more than once that summer, because I couldn't get the timing right on lifting my index finger before the little feathers at the end of the arrow came and sliced it open at high speed. That was painful.
97. I love crossword puzzles. I go in cycles, I guess. I will get out of the habit of doing them for a while, and I will forget how much I enjoy them. Then one day, I will start working them again, and I remember how much I like them. Currently, Bob (alligator Bob) from work and I do the puzzle pretty much daily.
98. I love a great deal. As in a bargain, not that I love a lot :). I've started scouring the grocery ads and clipping coupons. I've become accustomed to prices in Washington and to knowing what a good deal is out here. And I love doing this :). Although obviously not a necessary thing, I actually got Seasons 1 & 2 of Everybody Loves Raymond (which I love) for a total of $15.00 the other week at Target. Considering you usually pay $20 per season, I think paying $7.50 per season was a phenomenal deal. And I think I'll be watching a few episodes here shortly.
99. I love to cook. I'm looking forward to a day when I have my own place and can invite people over to entertain and to cook for them. I miss my cookbooks and recipes that are all piled in the dark recesses of the garage.
100. Sometimes I draw a blank. And so this is my number 100 :).
Thursday, May 7, 2009
My Life in Snippets
It's late. And I'm tired. But, I promised my cousin -- you know: the one, the only, the fabulously great Elka -- that I'd update for her benefit. So, here are a few snippets from my last few days...
Went to another Twilight party. There were 6 of us there, all ladies from church. We watched the movie again and pigged-out on junk food. Seriously. I'm still feeling like a heifer, and it's been 2 days. UGH.
Walked with Sue. Which always feels great, even though I still feel like a heifer. Hahahaha...
Got an awesome calendar from Heidi:
Realized that sometimes I look really bad in pictures.
Worked.
Tried the new Twisted Frosty at Wendy's. I'm assuming they are new. I'd never seen them before. Of course, when was the last time I was at Wendy's? Who knows... Anyway, I got a chocolate frosty with cookie dough. It was okay. Probably not worth the $2 and change I paid for it. But whatever.
Worked on applications for a library job. And then found out about another one that I will be working on applying for. And that is grammatically incorrect.
Went to another Twilight party. There were 6 of us there, all ladies from church. We watched the movie again and pigged-out on junk food. Seriously. I'm still feeling like a heifer, and it's been 2 days. UGH.
Walked with Sue. Which always feels great, even though I still feel like a heifer. Hahahaha...
Got an awesome calendar from Heidi:
Realized that sometimes I look really bad in pictures.
Worked.
Tried the new Twisted Frosty at Wendy's. I'm assuming they are new. I'd never seen them before. Of course, when was the last time I was at Wendy's? Who knows... Anyway, I got a chocolate frosty with cookie dough. It was okay. Probably not worth the $2 and change I paid for it. But whatever.
Worked on applications for a library job. And then found out about another one that I will be working on applying for. And that is grammatically incorrect.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
100 Things About Me -- Part 9 of 10
So, before long, it will be a year since I started this list. I guess that's what happens when I'm not sitting bored in a little cubicle at work. In an effort to maintain a semi-current blog, I will do a post :). Also because I've thought of some more quirky things about me :). Go ahead and laugh. I know I do.
81. I am an extrovert. There was a time in my life when I would have said I was an introvert. I think I didn't know what the two words meant. Because I am definitely an extrovert. I love to socialize. I thrive on socialization. Now, I'm not a party-girl or anything like that. I don't like massive groups of people I don't know. But, I like being with other people. I like finding people with whom I click and hanging out with them. I love to run my mouth and talk.
82. If you know me well enough (or if you are reading this), you know that you can tell I'm annoyed/angry/irritated when I set my jaw. It was pointed out to me once. And since then, I've noticed that it is true. If you're like me and like visuals... This is what I look like when I'm annoyed/irritated/mad. I saw this as I was going through some pictures, and I laughed my butt off. I have no idea why I was mad in this picture. But it cracked me up that I was caught on film this way..JPG)
83. I do not like cole slaw. I do, however, like the cole-slaw-ish mix they have at Japanese steakhouses that they kind of stir-fry up and add soy sauce to. So, my conclusion is that the problem with cole slaw is the mayo. Which shouldn't surprise me, since I don't like mayo. And I actually addressed that issue in a prior entry of my 100 things about me.
84. When I was in 6th grade I won a trophy (a plastic one, but a trophy nonetheless) for Math Olympiad. I was shocked and didn't see it coming. It was the one and only awards ceremony my mom forgot to attend. She felt hideously guilty afterwards -- especially when she found out about the trophy. I still have the trophy.
85. I like white meat chicken. And pretty much only the breast meat. And I love fried chicken breasts. Soooo good.
86. At Popeye's or KFC, I save the biscuit for last. Because it is the best part.
87. I prefer cats to dogs, because cats are cleaner. At least, in my opinion.
88. In my life, I (or my family and I) have had 13 cats: Citter, Sandy, Friskie, Mittens, Tigger, Jungle Cat, Garfield, Shadow, Smokey, Socks, Max, Smudge, Maliante. The most we ever had at one time was 8. And that only lasted a week, because Mittens died about a week after Max showed up.
89. I like clean-cut, clean-shaven men. I've never been particularly attracted to facial hair or long hair.
90. I can't listen to music while I'm reading. I get too distracted and want to sing along.
81. I am an extrovert. There was a time in my life when I would have said I was an introvert. I think I didn't know what the two words meant. Because I am definitely an extrovert. I love to socialize. I thrive on socialization. Now, I'm not a party-girl or anything like that. I don't like massive groups of people I don't know. But, I like being with other people. I like finding people with whom I click and hanging out with them. I love to run my mouth and talk.
82. If you know me well enough (or if you are reading this), you know that you can tell I'm annoyed/angry/irritated when I set my jaw. It was pointed out to me once. And since then, I've noticed that it is true. If you're like me and like visuals... This is what I look like when I'm annoyed/irritated/mad. I saw this as I was going through some pictures, and I laughed my butt off. I have no idea why I was mad in this picture. But it cracked me up that I was caught on film this way.
83. I do not like cole slaw. I do, however, like the cole-slaw-ish mix they have at Japanese steakhouses that they kind of stir-fry up and add soy sauce to. So, my conclusion is that the problem with cole slaw is the mayo. Which shouldn't surprise me, since I don't like mayo. And I actually addressed that issue in a prior entry of my 100 things about me.84. When I was in 6th grade I won a trophy (a plastic one, but a trophy nonetheless) for Math Olympiad. I was shocked and didn't see it coming. It was the one and only awards ceremony my mom forgot to attend. She felt hideously guilty afterwards -- especially when she found out about the trophy. I still have the trophy.
85. I like white meat chicken. And pretty much only the breast meat. And I love fried chicken breasts. Soooo good.
86. At Popeye's or KFC, I save the biscuit for last. Because it is the best part.
87. I prefer cats to dogs, because cats are cleaner. At least, in my opinion.
88. In my life, I (or my family and I) have had 13 cats: Citter, Sandy, Friskie, Mittens, Tigger, Jungle Cat, Garfield, Shadow, Smokey, Socks, Max, Smudge, Maliante. The most we ever had at one time was 8. And that only lasted a week, because Mittens died about a week after Max showed up.
89. I like clean-cut, clean-shaven men. I've never been particularly attracted to facial hair or long hair.
90. I can't listen to music while I'm reading. I get too distracted and want to sing along.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Random Thoughts...
Some related to recent blog comments, others just floating in my crazy head.
1. Maternity pants when not pregnant probably aren't the most stylish thing to wear to a company function, Elka ;). Hahahaha...
2. I have enjoyed walking with people. I'm glad that I have found several people with whom to walk during the week :).
3. Sometimes my life isn't very vanilla, it's true. And so sometimes, saying it is is actually very tongue-in-cheek.
4. Sometimes I type faster than I think. Expect typos that go uncorrected. Dad :). Oops. So I meant that I think faster than I type. My dad has informed me that what I wrote was wrong.
5. Coraline was a creep-tastic movie that would have given me nightmares if I had seen it as a child. I don't recommend it. However, I do recommend Race to Witch Mountain.
6. The "tin can" a.k.a. the file room at work has been dubbed "The Music Box." Currently it's broken, since I'm not out there enough to produce it's music ;). I've told them I will sing karaoke for them one of these days. In the meantime, I think they are trying to catch me out there singing. If I ever get a computer out there and can stay out there working on the files instead of going back and forth, I'm pretty sure more people will catch me singing. And somehow, that doesn't really make me want to stop singing. You must be right, Elka: it's genetic.
7. I'm seriously thinking I need to find a credit card that offers frequent flyer miles...
8. Because I'm considering buying yet another ticket to the Southeast for July. Of course, I would need to do that soon so I don't get charged a lot. But the reason is that I've kind of wanted to go to the Canal Zone reunion for years that takes place in Orlando. And I just never did it. And now a girl I knew from Panama (Emily -- who I saw in Atlanta last year) is thinking about going down for the 10 year high school reunion (ugh... I'm OLD), and asked if I'd ever thought of it... And though I didn't graduate from BHS, I would've, and I went to school with those people for my whole school life up until my Senior year. So, why not? Of course, this is still in consideration phase, since I kind of need to pay off my credit card. And let's not forget I have to go to Birmingham in October for April's wedding. So yeah... frequent flyer miles would be a good thing.
9. I'm thirsty. So, I'm going to get a drink of water. And then I'm finally going to watch last week's episode of Lost.
10. I don't like that Washington State is so many hours behind Florida and Alabama. It really disrupts things :). It didn't feel like such a big difference when I was living in Alabama and calling Washington. Now, though... Things are quite reversed.
1. Maternity pants when not pregnant probably aren't the most stylish thing to wear to a company function, Elka ;). Hahahaha...
2. I have enjoyed walking with people. I'm glad that I have found several people with whom to walk during the week :).
3. Sometimes my life isn't very vanilla, it's true. And so sometimes, saying it is is actually very tongue-in-cheek.
4. Sometimes I type faster than I think. Expect typos that go uncorrected. Dad :). Oops. So I meant that I think faster than I type. My dad has informed me that what I wrote was wrong.
5. Coraline was a creep-tastic movie that would have given me nightmares if I had seen it as a child. I don't recommend it. However, I do recommend Race to Witch Mountain.
6. The "tin can" a.k.a. the file room at work has been dubbed "The Music Box." Currently it's broken, since I'm not out there enough to produce it's music ;). I've told them I will sing karaoke for them one of these days. In the meantime, I think they are trying to catch me out there singing. If I ever get a computer out there and can stay out there working on the files instead of going back and forth, I'm pretty sure more people will catch me singing. And somehow, that doesn't really make me want to stop singing. You must be right, Elka: it's genetic.
7. I'm seriously thinking I need to find a credit card that offers frequent flyer miles...
8. Because I'm considering buying yet another ticket to the Southeast for July. Of course, I would need to do that soon so I don't get charged a lot. But the reason is that I've kind of wanted to go to the Canal Zone reunion for years that takes place in Orlando. And I just never did it. And now a girl I knew from Panama (Emily -- who I saw in Atlanta last year) is thinking about going down for the 10 year high school reunion (ugh... I'm OLD), and asked if I'd ever thought of it... And though I didn't graduate from BHS, I would've, and I went to school with those people for my whole school life up until my Senior year. So, why not? Of course, this is still in consideration phase, since I kind of need to pay off my credit card. And let's not forget I have to go to Birmingham in October for April's wedding. So yeah... frequent flyer miles would be a good thing.
9. I'm thirsty. So, I'm going to get a drink of water. And then I'm finally going to watch last week's episode of Lost.
10. I don't like that Washington State is so many hours behind Florida and Alabama. It really disrupts things :). It didn't feel like such a big difference when I was living in Alabama and calling Washington. Now, though... Things are quite reversed.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Things I've Done
Okay, I found this list on a couple of people's blogs. So I figure this is a good filler for my blog, since I never do much blogging these days. The things in bold are things I've done:
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41 Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45 Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling snorkeling for me
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60 Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason from my nephew Samuel... does that count?
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving.
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Bounced a check. Not a check, exactly, but I did have my account overdrawn due to a mistake at Troy University. Thank goodness for savings!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy I still have several of my stuffed animals from childhood
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial always was something I wanted to do, and it was awesome!
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square On the sidewalk with it in the background...
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone does a fractured pinky count?
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the paper a couple of times, actually. At least once in Panama (for my salt map of Australia when I was in 2nd grade) and at least 3 times in Dothan (once for my wedding announcement, once for a scholarship from Troy, and once for getting the Outstanding English Award from Troy).
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House just the outside, though
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous George Bush Sr. and Barbara Bush
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Wow, I need to get busy! Although, some of the things on this list are things on my Nilla List that I want to do in life. Hopefully one day :).
*Also, Virginia, Mrs. S., Christina, Stacy, and Tarylyn have guessed the movie quote correctly!*
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41 Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45 Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling snorkeling for me
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60 Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason from my nephew Samuel... does that count?
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving.
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Bounced a check. Not a check, exactly, but I did have my account overdrawn due to a mistake at Troy University. Thank goodness for savings!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy I still have several of my stuffed animals from childhood
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial always was something I wanted to do, and it was awesome!
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square On the sidewalk with it in the background...
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone does a fractured pinky count?
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the paper a couple of times, actually. At least once in Panama (for my salt map of Australia when I was in 2nd grade) and at least 3 times in Dothan (once for my wedding announcement, once for a scholarship from Troy, and once for getting the Outstanding English Award from Troy).
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House just the outside, though
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous George Bush Sr. and Barbara Bush
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Wow, I need to get busy! Although, some of the things on this list are things on my Nilla List that I want to do in life. Hopefully one day :).
*Also, Virginia, Mrs. S., Christina, Stacy, and Tarylyn have guessed the movie quote correctly!*
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wish List 2008
So, I've seen a few people putting up their wish list with pictures on their blog. I figured it would be a fun thing to do ;). So, here's my wish list, in no particular order: 
This is a Toyota Yaris. I want a new car. Not that I'm knocking my old one. My current car has been doing wonders for me. I've mistreated it by leaving it out in the elements and letting it become covered in about 8 inches of snow. I'm hoping by the time this deep freeze is over, it will forgive me and continue to work :). But seriously... It's paid for. It has air conditioning and a heater. It has done a lot of travelling for me (like Tuscaloosa to Dothan and back several times; like Dothan to Julie's house and back; like Tuscaloosa to Atlanta and back). I can't complain. But, one of the things I'd love is a new car. I don't kow if I'll go with brand new, simply because of depreciation. But I'd like it to be pretty new, like only 2 or 3 years old when I purchase it. And I also want to go with a Toyota or Honda or something. Mostly because they have good ratings and seem to last. Well, while in Panama, my dad and I rented a little Toyota Yaris. It was a nice car and got phenomenal gas mileage. And I actually like the color of the car in the picture above. So anyway, for now, Im leaning toward a Toyota Yaris. 
An mp3 player. Not this exact brand or model, per se. Just an mp3 player. I haven't done much research on them to find out the best bang for my buck. Mostly because I don't have a lot of bucks to spend on frivolity right now, so I don't need to research it at the moment :). But, I do want one eventually. Just something carry with me and have a whole bunch of music right at my fingertips. Anyway, so I'd welcome anyone's input on mp3 players. I don't even know where to begin looking.
I wouldn't mind owning this movie on DVD. It was really cute. I would like to see it again and will probaly try to make a girlie night out of it, if I ever get my own place. This is definitely a movie geared more towards girls than guys :). And let's face it... the ABBA music just makes you want to get up and dance! (or is that just me???).
The final book in the Twilight saga. I don't actually need to own this book, I just want to read it. But, as I'm making my fantastical wish-list here, I might as well stick it in, since it's something I want right now.
This is a Toyota Yaris. I want a new car. Not that I'm knocking my old one. My current car has been doing wonders for me. I've mistreated it by leaving it out in the elements and letting it become covered in about 8 inches of snow. I'm hoping by the time this deep freeze is over, it will forgive me and continue to work :). But seriously... It's paid for. It has air conditioning and a heater. It has done a lot of travelling for me (like Tuscaloosa to Dothan and back several times; like Dothan to Julie's house and back; like Tuscaloosa to Atlanta and back). I can't complain. But, one of the things I'd love is a new car. I don't kow if I'll go with brand new, simply because of depreciation. But I'd like it to be pretty new, like only 2 or 3 years old when I purchase it. And I also want to go with a Toyota or Honda or something. Mostly because they have good ratings and seem to last. Well, while in Panama, my dad and I rented a little Toyota Yaris. It was a nice car and got phenomenal gas mileage. And I actually like the color of the car in the picture above. So anyway, for now, Im leaning toward a Toyota Yaris. An mp3 player. Not this exact brand or model, per se. Just an mp3 player. I haven't done much research on them to find out the best bang for my buck. Mostly because I don't have a lot of bucks to spend on frivolity right now, so I don't need to research it at the moment :). But, I do want one eventually. Just something carry with me and have a whole bunch of music right at my fingertips. Anyway, so I'd welcome anyone's input on mp3 players. I don't even know where to begin looking.I wouldn't mind owning this movie on DVD. It was really cute. I would like to see it again and will probaly try to make a girlie night out of it, if I ever get my own place. This is definitely a movie geared more towards girls than guys :). And let's face it... the ABBA music just makes you want to get up and dance! (or is that just me???).The final book in the Twilight saga. I don't actually need to own this book, I just want to read it. But, as I'm making my fantastical wish-list here, I might as well stick it in, since it's something I want right now. And there you have it. My wish list for 2008 at this moment. Of course, these are all just wants ;). I have been very blessed and have everything I need. Even without a job right now, I am still living in a warm, safe house with and close to my beloved family. Except my dad. Punk. He went to Panama for Christmas instead of coming here. I'm going to give him 10 lashes. I guess I can't blame him too much, though. It's breezy and balmy dry season in Panama right now. Here we're expecting up to 2 feet of snow in the next couple of days. What would you choose?
Anyway, so in regards to my list... Anyone feeling rich enough to contribute can contact me ;). Hahahahaha.
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