Twenty Twelve

I didn't put much too much thought into resolutions for the new year. Really I just jotted down a few things that I'd like to work on. Things that were already on my mind, and I had already been starting on. So, here are the things I'd like to accomplish in 2012:

.Drink 40 ounces of water a day: The number sounds a little random, but I have a 40 ounce plastic bottle that I take water to school in. I've been having headaches and breakouts lately, and I think dehydration might be a key part of the problem. One bottle a day is the goal.
.Drive: With the changes in jobs and school I need to work harder on getting my license. I signed up for an online Driver Ed course which I'm almost halfway through; passing the test for it will exempt me from the written test at the DMV. And today I spent about 30 minutes practicing my driving with Josh. Sure, I am so tense during it that my whole body aches now, and I might have had a small cry when I got home, but I guess stuff like that is normal when you're trying to conquer one of your worst fears.
.Be more involved on campus: With the changes in work I'm hoping I'll have some more time available to be more active on my campus. I have enjoyed working for DSS so far, and hope to be able to go to more Historical Society and Phi Theta Kappa events this semester. The vice-president of our campus told my TX Government professor that he thought I was one of the strongest students on the campus, and I'd like to do what I can to earn the high opinion he's bestowed upon me.
.Use what I have: I have so many things that I don't use when I could, and yet I'm always looking for something new. So, one of my goals this year is to use what I have. I mean that in reference to many things- from getting creative with the wardrobe I already have, to cooking through my freezer and pantry instead of constantly stocking it. Last night Josh and I pulled out the Beatles Rock Band instruments to enjoy something we already have. Today I finally cooked a chuck roast I've had in the freezer for quite some time. We had delicious shredded beef tacos and there's another dinner's worth in the freezer for the busy school nights ahead. I want to make use of the resources I have at hand, not constantly look for new resources.
.Read 20 books: This goes hand in hand with the last resolution actually. I have easily 20 books around the house that I've bought or received, but haven't read yet. I honestly don't know how attainable this goal will be on top of school, but there's no reason I can't try.



































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Hi

Things have been quiet here for awhile. I've just been busy with school and stuffs. That last blog post was pretty depressing, and lately things are a little more positive, but still stressful. Uncontrollable blushing, swings in body temperature, and hives are my current companions. I talked to my doctor and I'm going to try the lowest dose of an anti-depressant once school is done for the semester, and see if that won't help me some. I hate the idea of taking medication, but after managing on my own for a long time and 6 months of therapy last year, the idea is starting to grow on me a little bit. Anyway, let's not dwell on the yucky stuff like hives and the two papers I have due in a week (yikes). I'm looking forward to having a break from school- my first summer class doesn't start until 6/13, and even that is just online. My on-campus class doesn't start until July. Here are a few things I'm looking forward to doing with the dribs and drabs of extra time I'll have before I start back to school again.

-Reading! I have so.many.books to read. I got a lot of books at Christmas, and I just ordered three more a few weeks ago, so I am definitely going to spend some of my formerly homework-filled evenings hitting the fun kind of books.
-Photography. I need to get some a couple rolls of film developed from my Holga and Canon AE-1P that I shot ages ago, and see if I actually knew what I was doing with those new flashes. Plus I've just gotten completely out of the habit of photography, and I'd like to fix that.
-Exercise. I know I'm always saying this, and I'll probably always be saying this, but I need to be exercising more. I guess I should only worry if I stop having this as a to-do, cause I've probably given up in that case.
-Driving. I didn't have the time or mental health to tackle this during the school year, but I'm going to get back on the ball, including a 6 hour online adult driving course that'll exempt me from taking the written test at the DMV. Then it's just a matter of lots of practicing with Josh so I can pass the actual driving test.
-Projects. We've got lots of half finished projects around the house that need finishing up. Plus that place just needs a good cleaning. Cat tumbleweeds everywhere!

Just gotta keep my eyes on the horizon and keep chugging along, I guess.

Resolutions Update

I can hardly believe we are already at the halfway point for 2010. It seems like every year passes by faster and faster, doesn't it? Figured that today would be the ideal day to take a look at the progress, if any, I've made on some of my goals for the year. Let's see if I've gotten anything done, shall we?

.Read 20 books- Bahaha. I've read three. I'm reading a couple right now, so maybe I can catch up on this one. Doesn't seem very likely though.
.Exercise at least twice a week- I was doing great on this one until I injured my toe. I'm trying to get back in the ballgame now, especially since I have weight to lose from being off my feet for so long.
.Improve my eating habits- Again, not so awesome. Trying to get back on the ball, and then I could still use some more improvements.
.Be a better listener- probably failing at this one, though I keep trying so that's a partial success, right?
.Learn to drive- I've driven Josh and I twice this year, and now that we've got the automatic Honda Fit I can make much more progress. I look forward to doing some practice driving this weekend.
.Get a full physical/gyno/bloodwork- I may have discovered 4 new health problems to deal with, but this one is a big checkmark. None of these problems are life threatening, so what are some eye drops and daily pills compared to living a long, healthy life?
.Learn some tactics for handling stress- I'm going in for another appointment with my therapist tomorrow to work on my biofeedback, and learn how to adjust my body's response to stressors.
.Start a vegetable garden in back yard and container herb garden in side yard- I planted some cilantro, basil, and a tomato, pepper, strawberry, and cantaloupe plant. The cilantro is dead, I've eaten one tomato I've grown, and have one pepper to show for my efforts so far. We'll see how the plants fare the rest of the summer before I decide to go further with the veggie garden idea.
.Learn how to develop my own black & white film- a whole lotta nada going on here
.Have clothes hemmed- again zip, not sure why this task is so difficult for me
.Finish family photos for the hallway- zero progress made
.Get my Beatles tattoo- I got my Conan tattoo first, but I'm hoping to get this one before the year is out.
.Be more like Diane Keaton, Jane Birkin, Linda McCartney, Katharine Hepburn, and Audrey Hepburn- I should probably think up some more specific ways in which I can be following the example of these fabulous ladies.
.Rent a cabin- I'm thinking the Holiday Inn Express we just stayed in doesn't cross this one off my list.
.Finish organizing my office- More or less done, although I make it messy every week, so it's constantly in need of re-organizing.
.Cross 2 things off my Life List- Hmm, I need to actually take a look at my list again and see what all I can consider done. I think I had visit Niagara Falls on there, in which case we consider this resolution half finished.

So, there we go. That's what I've managed to get done in the past 6 months. Of course I've also met one of my biggest inspirations in person, made a lot of new friends, decided on a path I'd like to follow, and applied to school. We'll see where the next 6 months take me as I move more down that path and actually start school in the fall!

Feeling Better

Okay, after much ruminating over our budget I came to the conclusion that I should just quit my worrying and get on with things. I still want to keep an eye on our spending, but I've decided to just keep up with the savings plan we've been on. Then, depending on how trimming excess spending goes we can move extra money into savings every so often. There, the end.

I'm still feeling a little off kilter though. I've been pretty out of focus lately as far as working on goals. I haven't had my typical strong start to the year on my resolutions. Trying to keep on keeping on, but just feel like there is a lack of strong motivation right now. Deciding to keep my head down and power through, and hope the motivation catches up with me later.

2010 Resolutions: In with the new

Last year, although I don't think I mentioned it, I decided that photography would be my big focus. I didn't spend all of my time on it, but I had so many areas that I wanted to delve into that I decided I would benefit from picking one to focus on for the year. I'm doing the same thing this year, so along with my resolutions there will be the one big interest that I put more attention on.

Big 2010 Project: Learn French- I've wanted to do this for some time now, and I decided that this year will be the year I focus on it. I've been collecting free resources and ideas to try and help me get on with it.

.Read 20 books- I have exceeded my reading goals the past two years, so upping the ante again
.Exercise at least twice a week- Justin and I plan to go back to dance classes on Tuesday nights, so I just have to find time for one more workout during the week. I've had problems with this goal, so setting the bar low with hopes I might finally meet it.
.Improve my eating habits- We've come a long way since our days of living off fast food, but I'm still easily tempted, especially when busy, to grab something out
.Be a better listener- I have a hard time concentrating on people in conversation sometimes, and it really bothers me, so gonna work on it.
.Learn to drive- I have panic attacks about driving, but I want to try and work through that this year.
.Get a full physical/gyno/bloodwork- I'll be turning 30 in 2011, and I'd like to get a full picture of my physical health before then, so I can move into my next decade as healthy as possible.
.Learn some tactics for handling stress- I'm a stress eater, have panic attacks, and let little things get the best of me and it affect not just my quality of life, but Josh's. Going to try to figure out some good ways that work for me to handle these things.
.Start a vegetable garden in back yard and container herb garden in side yard- Going to start small, but have already started researching square foot gardening, and can always tap my father-in-law for some expertise.
.Learn how to develop my own black & white film- Really interested in learning this skill, especially since I've been shooting more with my Holga.
.Have clothes hemmed- I have lots of pants, skirts, and even shirts that need adjustments made.
.Finish family photos for the hallway- I have a big selection of fantastic old family photos that I need to get hung. Need to find frames and decide on an arrangement.
.Get my Beatles tattoo- Really want my Beatles mark on me this year.
.Be more like Diane Keaton, Jane Birkin, Linda McCartney, Katharine Hepburn, and Audrey Hepburn- I find these ladies inspiring, for the lives they lead, the choices the make, the personal integrity they seem to ooze, and of course their style.
.Rent a cabin- Have been desperately yearning for a quiet retreat, so I think this year calls for it.
.Finish organizing my office- I've got the house running pretty smoothly, but my office is still in a shambles. Want to get it whipped into shape this year.
.Cross 2 things of my Life List- Several of my goals above were items on my Life List, so I scaled down the number of things to cross off this year aside from those ones I'll already be working on.

Well, that's it. Anybody got any resolutions for the new year?

6 Months Down

Wow, it's June already. Can you even believe it? I sure can't. This year has gone by so fast so far. I really haven't been very goal-oriented this year, so I thought I would do a little resolution check-up to try and help get myself back on track. So, what did I have on this year's to-do list again and where do I stand on them?

2009:
Read 15 books- have read a mere 3 books that I can recall off the top of my head, but I'll be finishing a fourth this week and am already into three others.
Set up an efficient new household- I'd say this task is half accomplished. I need to get my office completely organized, but we keep up with the housework and are slowly ticking projects and tasks off our list.
Finish my needed dental work- Don't ask.
Try yoga and tai chi- Haven't tried yet, but I've got a couple of instructional DVDs in the Netflix queue.
Watch 5 foreign films- Haven't started yet, but I've got one at the house from Netflix just waiting for me to find time to watch it.
Travel more- One real vacation and one family vacation so far this year.
Cross 5 things of life-goals list- I can now cross "Visit Washington DC" off the list.

2008 Continued:
More physical activities: pilates & walking- Have been super lazy lately, but I've got a ballet conditioning DVD on the way from Netflix.
Study photography and experiment- I've been studying recommended books, taken a class on my camera, and have two photography classes coming up in the next two weeks.
Keep up with Newsweek reading- I'm currently one issue behind, but so far so good.
See our friends more often- We've definitely been socializing more, and this should only increase once we feel ready to really start entertaining.
Improve my wardrobe- Having a new, well organized closet has helped me know what I need and what I have too much of already. I could still use some improvements though.
Be much more money conscious- Failing miserably at this one. We're still living below our means and saving a lot, but I have a very consumerist mentality after needing to buy so much stuff for the new house. Trying to remember that I don't truly "need" everything I think of.
Try 4 new restaurants- Have only tried one new local restaurant, that I can think of, so need to start chowing down!

One Week Check-up

Sorry I've been quiet the past couple of days. We're trying to buy another house and currently dealing the tug of war contract stuff. I'll share more if things go well.

Now, I don't intend to do a weekly post on my resolutions. That would be a little too obsessive, even for me. But, I did want to do a little first week check-up to see how I'm integrating my resolutions into my year so far.

-Last night, after a quick shower, was spent almost entirely in bed reading with a cozy dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese. I might need to make this a weekly thing, which is a great use for the nights Josh has practice.
-Tuesday night I spent an hour reading and taking notes from The Camera and reading the first chapter of Complete Digital Photography.
-I walked 1 mile each day last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I took a break Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I did my old routine. After having done almost nothing but lay in bed the four days prior to New Year I have been quite sore the past few days!
-I still need to call the dentist office, but I did set aside money in the savings fund this week for my next round of dental work.
-I also set aside a little money for travel sometime this year. We've got a lot of expenses coming up depending on how the house prospects go, but travel is important to me and I intend to give it priority.
-I've been poking around corners of the blog and my magazine collection for ideas to incorporate in our new household, whenever the time comes to set it up- taking notes, folding page corners, making bookmarks, etc.

We'll see how well I can keep it up!

Resolutions Version 2009

I've been thinking about what resolutions I would like to make for this new year for several weeks now. Last year was the first time I've really made a strong list and accomplishing just some of them made me feel really great. I had been keeping up with my progress on a monthly basis, which I think helped so I'll try to do that again as well. I've got a list of new resolutions as well as some from last year that I want to continue, renew, or actually get done this time.

New Resolutions:
.Read 15 books this year
.Set up an efficient new household
.Finish my needed dental work
.Try yoga and tai chi
.Watch 5 foreign films
.Travel more
.Cross 5 things of life-goals list

Continued Resolutions:
.More physical activities: pilates & walking
.Study photography and experiment
.Keep up with Newsweek reading
.See our friends more often
.Improve my wardrobe
.Be much more money conscious
.Try 4 new restaurants

Guilty As Charged

As you might have noticed from my Weekend Roundup below, I did a big closet purge yesterday. It really was big. I tried on lots of clothes that had been hanging around in my closet for a long time. I cleaned out my sock, underwear, and lingerie drawers. I packed away some of my more summery clothes and pulled out all my sweaters. I changed out some hangers and rearranged the order in which some of my clothes hang. One of the most important things I did was collect all the items that I haven't worn yet. Items that still had tags on, a few that didn't but that I knew I hadn't worn yet, and I totaled up their cost. I had a $150 dollar pile sitting on my bed. That's a lot of money. Especially for a girl who is squeamish about spending more than $35 dollars on an article of clothing. Actually, that was how much the most expensive item of clothing was, which just goes to show me that my attempts at frugality often backfire. Items bought with the idea that I would have them altered, hemmed, taken in. Things I bought while under the pressure of external influence- time, budget, friends.

So, from here on out unless I have 100% knowledge of my size needs with a particular brand, I will not buy pants online. I will not buy pants without trying them on. I will not assume that I'll get around to going to a tailor soon. I will not tell myself that I'll just wear them with taller heels. I will not settle for things that are only going to end up a total waste of my money and space.

Resolutions Update VI

Well, here we go! What have I been doing to keep up with my New Year's Resolutions and Goals?

-Reading: I finally picked a book up again after a bit of a hiatus. Of course it's the biggest book I've ever read (Have I mentioned how I'm not that great a reader before?), so it's taking me awhile. But I'm really enjoying it, so hopefully I'll persevere to the end.
-Newsweek: I'm supposed to be keeping up with my Newsweek subscription. I'm, uh, not doing so well. But I am catching up this week, so I think I'll be back on target shortly!
-Get physical: After a tiny hiatus after my dental work I started back with my new exercise routine. I really need to figure out some type of cardio I like, as I'm pretty uch only doing strength training stuff right now. But it's better than nothing, and as the heat starts to ease up I look forward to starting back with walking again. I miss it a lot.
-Improve wardrobe: While infirmed last week I looked over outfits that I had collected from Emily's What To Wear posts and ideas from catalogs. I made a list of my favorite items in my closet and a list of all the basics that I'm lacking (hint: it's a lot). I ordered several new layering tanks in basic colors, two styles white button down shirts, and three pairs of flats. This weekend was the great pants expedition, with minimal success. But progress is progress.
-Create a list of life goals: I already did this. Now, I just have to actually accomplish some of the things on it!
-Use Money program to keep track finances weekly: Better than that I've been doing it two or three times a week.

There's plenty of stuff to still check off my resolutions list, and with it being September already, I'd better get to work!