Do you remember when I announced my birthday goals for this year? I set some unlikely challenging goals for myself and although I wouldn't exactly say that the ball is rolling on many of them, but with officially just under 6 months left, I am looking forward to tackling each of them one by one. Just so you know that I haven't completely forgotten about all of them though, I thought I'd do a round-up of the goals here and let you see my progress...
1. Make a quilt.
Yes, this is number 1. I bought the supplies for a quilt (and a sewing machine!) here, but I'm still trying to work out the whole issue of actually using my sewing machine. I have a fun (and small) sewing project that I'm excited to work on this weekend and so I'm hoping that it helps me get going in the right direction.
2. Attempt one "out of comfort zone" DIY project each month.
I love this challenge - it helps me to go a little further with each new project I try. You can check out projects 1 through 6 here: October's Canvas Art, November's Yarn Lampshade, December's Two Toned Flats, January's Vinyl Record Art, February's Organic Lip Balm, and March's Corkboard Tray. And I hope you are as excited as I am for the next 6! (And, you can also note, that I don't always share things during the month that I create them.)
3. Go skydiving.
Yes, I am still going to do this. I'm waiting to see if a Groupon pops up so I can go when the weather is warmer and if not, maybe I'll just try to find another excuse as to why I haven't done this yet. But seriously, I'm going to face this fear this summer because you can't go skydiving when it's cold.
4. Become more financially stable.
With guidance from my family and Josh, I've been building up my savings and paying off my credit card. I also finally opened and started contributing to a 401(k) and I am excited to be saving for the future.
5. Run 365 miles.
Because I want to keep it real with you guys, I'm going to be incredibly honest here. So far, I've logged just over 25 miles. 25. As in, if I'm going to complete this goal, there is going to be some serious running happening in my future. In fairness, I do log about 1 to 2 miles each day walking to and from my office to the train, but that doesn't count. Also, getting a puppy kind of made it harder to find time to run and then that whole winter thing happened. (Do you watch Biggest Loser? Bob would be so mad at me for making these excuses right now.) I'm looking to put my feet to work and really start logging these miles though - so get ready for some amazing numbers by the time October comes around.
6. Live passionately and spend more time celebrating life and how lucky I am to be where I am and how blessed I am to have Josh, as well as the most wonderful family and friends, in my life.
Let's just say, this is one of my favorite goals. And I like to think that it's going pretty well. The road trip to Miami that Josh and I took in early March was an amazing time and spending it together was wonderful. I wake up every morning and fall in love with Josh all over again and I am so grateful that we get to share our love with one another.
7. Practice yoga more efficiently.
I BOUGHT A BLOOMSPOT DEAL! Wahoo! Keeping it real moment #2: I bought it about 2 months ago and it hasn't been used yet. But, but, I am going to cash it in on Saturday morning for the first time and get my yoga on. I cannot wait to start practicing again!
8. Learn Spanish.
I have tapes. I have CDs. I have books. Now I actually have to use them. Time to get a move on with this.
9. Create, and stick to, a weekly menu.
I have found that this is incredibly difficult for me for a variety of reasons - not the least of which being that no good grocery stores (read: Trader Joe's or Whole Foods) exist within a 20-30 minute drive from us. And that's just one way. So, generally, I do plan a menu out before I go to the grocery store, but there are nights that sort of falls apart and there's no real method to this madness or any way to really measure how it's doing.
10. Create a cookbook with all of my favorite recipes and ones passed down from family.
We'll call this one: in progress. I am currently going through old recipes and seeing which are worth keeping and trying to collect other recipes from family members. I'm hoping to have something compiled for real creation by the fall.
11. Learn how to cook 26 different soups.
I did turn 26 last October, and so the number 26 had to be thrown in here somewhere, but this goal is certainly a challenging one. So far, I've made 6 soups, which you can see here: 1 - Chicken Enchilada Soup, 2 - Roasted Acorn Squash and Leek Soup, 3 - Black Bean Soup, 4 - Tomato Basil, 5 - Zucchini Soup and 6 - Chicken Corn Chowder. The soups have been delicious but I'm sometimes struggling to decide what soups I want to try and make. I'd love any suggestions that you have!
12. Keep a meal diary with the hope that one day this will turn into a lifelong practice.
I'll be altering this goal a bit in the upcoming months, as I've decided I have something along these lines that I'd rather do instead. I don't want to spill all the details yet, but I will give you hint - the altered goal has something to do with our anniversary, coming up in May.
13. Grow this blog, and allow myself to enjoy the experience and to follow the journey that it takes me on, wherever it may lead.
I am not only growing this blog, but absolutely enjoying every step along the way! From daily writing to my upcoming blog re-design, more exciting things are happening here all of the time. As of today, I have over 16,000 page views and my readership and followers are growing by the day. I am so grateful that so many of you are returning each day to see what's going on.
While it is definitely going to take some discipline and patience to finish these goals, I do think that I can do it and I am very much looking forward to tackling each and every one of them. I am also looking forward to taking advantage of this upcoming 3 day weekend (thank you, Massachusetts, for Patriot's Day) and getting to spend a lot of time working on many of these goals.
Do you have any goals for the upcoming year, or maybe just this Spring? Lists that you're working on? I'd love to see them if you want to link up in the comments!
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