Recap of 2013~A Long Post!

~A Year in Reflection~

 

Wow it's amazing how fast a year can fly by! 2013 had some ups and downs but overall it was a good year. It was tough but towards the end it started to get better. On June 26th I started the Day Zero Project. It is a really neat website that allows you to create a list of 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. Instead of making a New Years Resolution, I'm working on completing this list of goals. I want to see how far I've come!

 

 

1. Write 100 poems- 6/100

2. Watch the IMDb top 250 films- 97/250

3. Learn 50 new things by clicking the random articles button on Wikipedia- 5/50

4. Read 100 books- 12/100 I read the book "And Thereby Hangs a Tale" one of my favourite from this year. It was full of short mystery/suspense/horror stories. Really good book!

 

5. Save $100 on groceries with coupons- $54.17/$100

6. Get rid of 100 things- 50/100

7. Make 25 new recipes- 7/25 I made these Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting Mmm so good!

 

8. Read 300 books to the girls- 40/300

9. Leave an inspirational note in a book for someone to find

10. Go to a concert

11. Write a book- I am writing a book called "Desert Gold". It will be a mystery with a touch of romance.

12. Go horseback riding

13. Have dinner by candlelight

14. Go to Las Vegas

15. Learn Spanish

16. Buy something from Etsy

17. Go rockclimbing

18.Perform 5 acts of random kindness

19. Send something to a friend- I sent my really good friends Shantel and Kelly some yummy Lara Bars!

20. Make a list of 100 things I'm grateful for- I completed this and you can find my list Here

21. Write down every dream I have for a week

22. Write a love letter to my husband

23. Write my name in the sand

24. Don't watch TV for a week- Completed! We don't have cable so this was pretty easy

25. Don't eat sweets for a month

26. Go to the firing range

27. Get a new tattoo

28. Buy new lens for my camera

29. Get a pedicure

30. Go on a spiritual retreat

31. Document a day in my life with photos

32. Donate unwanted books to the library

33. Volunteer in my community

34. Refinish a piece of furniture

35. Make soap

36. Make donuts

37. Buy new shoes- Completed! I got a blinged out pair of black heels and a pair of grey peep-toe heels for $5 each at a yardsale. Deal of the year!

38. Achieve Abs

39. Complete Insanity Program

40. Take a train somewhere

41. Paint the kitchen- Completed!

42. Host a My Favorite Things Party- Completed! I'm definitely going to do it again, it was a blast.

43. Go on a romantic getaway with my hubby

44. Find 50 geocaches

45. Go to dentist

46. Change hairstyle- Completed! I got my hair trimmed, side swept bangs, and some black lowlights

 

 

 

47. Clear out my broken external hardrive and put on cd's- In Progress

48. Make a coffee bar in my house

49. Organize my craft supplies

50. Fill change jar and cash it out

51. Handout 5 blessing bags to the homeless

52. Contact 5 companies for giveaways or reviews- Completed! I reviewed decal stickers, a scale, a kid's DVD, a brand of green tea and a brand of kid's shoes. Click on my Product Review tab to see them

53. Fill out a long survey for my blog

54. Get my pole set up- Completed! I now have a space in my garage to practice!

55. Model in a fun photoshoot- Completed! I did a bridal shoot, lots of fun!

 

 

56. Get a new outfit- Completed!

57. Do 5 projects from my Craft board

58. Successfully sew something

59. Get husband a nice smoker grill- Completed!

60. Answer the 30 things with Hubby

61. Watch the sunrise over the ocean

62. Make a 72-hour emergency kit for family

63. Join a sports team

64. Go snowboarding

65. Buy keyboard and relearn to play it

66. Plan preschool for Haley

67. Hike 5 trails in Joshua Tree- We have done the Skull Rock Trail so far

68. Hire a housekeeper- Completed! Well not technically a housekeeper but I hired someone to shampoo and deep clean our carpets. They are so much nicer and cleaner!

69. Take a practice LSAT

70. Read the entire Bible- In progress

71. Watch the sunrise on New Years

72. Journal for 6 months- I have been journaling for the past 2 weeks

73. Drink shakes for 2 weeks- I invented this yummy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie but haven't yet started my 2 week shake diet

74. Get a bigger vehicle or trade in

75. Get an article published in a magazine or newspaper

76. Win contest or sweepstakes- Completed! I didn't win but my little Haley won a photo contest. She got $50 for looking pretty! That would be a fun job haha!

77. Run another Fun Run- Completed! We did the Color Me Rad 5K last year and this year we did the Electric Run. It was amaaaaazing! I can't wait to do it again next year!

78. Help someone complete one of their goals

79. Finish 5 paintings- 2/5

 "The Serenity Prayer"- done for my Mother-in-law. Made with melted crayons, paint and stickers.

"Starry Night"- done this Christmas. Made with paint, stickers, broken mirror and cotton.

 

80. Take the kids to pick a fruit

81. Take the kids camping

82. Be able to do the splits

83. Get 250 blog followers- 96/250

84. Attend a blogging conference

85. Make bread from scratch

86. Make a "My Secrets" video- Completed!

87. Visit the Winchester Mystery House

88. Complete a 1000 piece puzzle

89. Carve a pumpkin for Halloween

90. Take the girls to Build-a-Bear

91. Write the story behind "Yours, Mine and Ours" for the blog

92. Make homemade jam

93. Stay off Facebook for a week- Completed!

94. Write a letter to a friend thanking them for their friendship- Completed!

95. Join a book club, non-profit organization or something similar- Completed! I joined the Father's Rights Movement. It is a growing movement that is focused on making sure Father's are able to have a relationship with their kids. I also got involved with I am THAT Girl. It's a movement of girls meeting together to talk about changing the world, empower each other and serve the community.

96. Make a wall of accomplishments- In progress

97. Practice meditation

98. Build up my Etsy shop

99. Start a financial campaign for a legal defense fund for getting our boys

100. Get our spare room set up for guests

101. Honestly I just don't know what to put here. I will think of something by New Years though!

 

I have until March 2016 to complete all my goals. I think I have a good start! What kind of goal setting or resolutions are you doing for the new year?







100 Things I'm Thankful For-4th 20

Almost to the end! Here is the 4th set of 20 things I'm thankful for. I know November is over, but that's no reason to stop being thankful!

61. I'm thankful for the one-on-one dates I have with Haley when Serenity is in school. Sometimes we go get ice cream or go to the library or have a playdate.

62. I'm thankful that Serenity has taken to school so well. She loves it and I love seeing her learning and her social skills are growing.

63. I'm thankful our neighbourhood decorates, I love seeing all the Christmas lights.

64. I'm thankful our house has 24hr maintenance and we don't have to pay for lawn or trash service.

65. I'm thankful that Carrie has been my friend for the past almost 6 years even though she has to hide it from her family. It's too bad her mom is such a hateful person she has to tell her daughter who she can and can't be friends with.

66. I'm thankful we have 2 working vehicles. They may not be the prettiest but at least they work...for now.

67. I'm thankful for my relationship with my husband. I have truly found a passionate yet undying love in him.

68. I'm thankful I can trust that God sees all. Even when people lie and try to hide things.

69. I'm thankful for Christmas traditions. I love sharing them with my kids and stepkids.

70. My dad taught me to budget at an early age and I've managed to keep a pretty good budget. When we are completely broke (like one time when the ex had our bank account levied and we had $5 to our name) I always manage to pull money out of thin air somehow.

71. I'm thankful for activists. They are the people that help change the world. I choose to be one of them.

72. I'm thankful for humor. I love love to laugh!

73. While they annoy me sometimes, I really am thankful for dirty little handprints and running feet through my house. Some people don't have that and I blessed to.

74. Thankful for Adoption. I myself am adopted. My husband adopted his ex sister-in-law's son and raised him. He is also in the process of adopting my daughter. Adoption is a beautiful thing.

75. Thankful for my camera. No explanation needed there.

76. I'm thankful there are some sweet little girls around that play with my girls. It's nice to know your kids have friends.

77. This is totally superficial but Baskin and Robbins has this Dark peppermint bark ice cream. I have them make it into a shake for me and I am in loooove!

78. Pandora. Like I said before, I would be so lost without music. And I definitely can't afford to buy all my fav music on ITunes.

79. I'm thankful for my friend Kelly. She is one of the very, very few people who knows what it feels like to deal with problems like mine. I love that girl!

80. I'm thankful for my friend Shantel. She is such an encouragement and so giving to everyone around her. I love her too.

In case you missed my last 3 20's. here they are...

3rd set of 20
2nd set of 20
1st set of 20

Day Zero Project

In light of turning 25 I've decided to make a bucket/goal list for things I want to accomplish in the near future and before I die. I found this really neat website Day Zero Project where you can add things to a goal list and check them off as you do them. I like having all my goals online in one place, it keeps me organized. There are 3 lists: the 101 goals in 1001 days project, a list for things you want to accomplish with no deadline to them and a list of goals you have completed.

Here is the link to my goals in case you are interested or need some inspiration. My Goal Lists

My 2013 Goals

While I'm not really big on New Year's resolutions, its always a good time to sit down and refocus on your goals. I kind of have a lot of goals for this year...I'm going to be a busy girl! We'll see how well I keep to them. Writing this list will bring some focus and sort of make each goal official. Of course posting them for the world to see really holds you to a new level of accountability. So here we go...

Physical Goals

-Complete the Insanity program the hubs and I started but never finished
-Get back into Pole fitness
-Try out Crossfit
-Eat more veggies and less sugar

Mental Goals

-Finish up my B.A.
-Start studying for the LSAT
-Write more poetry
-Get back into piano and buy a keyboard

Financial Goals

-Get our debt paid off
-Start saving for a house
-Increase profits from my blog
-Increase profits from my photography business

Spiritual Goals

-Join a bible study or small group
-Pray more
-Start evening devotions with my hubby
-Make a meal for someone in need at least once a month


I would love to hear some of my readers goals, feel free to share them!