101 Goals... 1001 Days

#92 Get house looking nice enough for a party and not worry the whole time about how small the house is!-- COMPLETE!!!

2010-05-14T00:04:00.000-07:00

This one was huge for me... we did Zac's birthday party over here- and I didn't want to because of the size... but it was great. It was such a success that we're doing Deacon's party here too.

{special thanks to Dawn and Lisa... you know why}

#91 Take Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University Classes -- COMPLETE!!!

2010-05-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! This one has changed our lives. We have a REAL budget... one that we put a LOT of thought into. I'm seriously so undeniably proud of us!!!

New recipes 89/101

2010-04-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Two mustard chicken (ok… not my favorite. Willing to try again)
Italian Burgers (pretty good way to make burgers more exciting)
Pasta E Fagioli (really good… but no Olive Garden)
Slow Cooker Enchiladas (YUM- we loved this one)
Slow Cooker Applesauce (YUM! – too bad Deacon wouldn’t eat it because it was brown)
Banana sour cream bread (YUM! Deacon loved this too)
Chicken Pot Pie (YUM- a definite favorite)
Crockpot Lasagna (Pretty good)
Swedish Pie (YUM)
Homemade Sloppy Joe’s (OMG, why does anyone use Manwich????)
Katie’s mom’s lasagna (YUM)
Crockpot BBQ Beef and Beans (YUM)
Apple/Pear/Grape Crisp (It was ok…)
Shepherds Pie (YUM)
Crockpot BBQ chicken & cornbread (way too sweet and way too much cornbread)
Flatlander Chili (pretty good… standard)
Michigander Turkey (YUM)
Crockpot Dressing (too soggy… unfortunately I doubled the liquid)
New Pasta E Fagioli Soup (YUMMMMMMM)
Cream Cheese Jell-o Parfait (YUM!)
Easy Lemon Pasta Chicken (SO GOOD)
Maple Roasted Turkey (Would have been good… if we cooked it right)
Cornbread stuffing (I used too much liquid and sage… but it wasn’t bad)
Crockpot cake (YUCK)
Snickers cookies (Pretty good… not my favorite)
Buckeyes (YUMMM)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies (YUM… seriously amazing)
Sugar cookie frosting (not my favorite)
Snickerdoodles (YUM)
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (not my favorite)
Cornflake cookies (YUM)
Simply Recipes Pizza Dough (our new favorite)
Irish Beef Stew (I really liked it… but Damien complained)
To Die For Crock Pot Roast (Damien liked it… I thought it was too salty)
Crockpot Brown Sugar chicken (eh…)
Creamy Burrito Casserole (Damien liked it…)
Jay’s signature pizza (not as good as the Simply recipes pizza dough… but really good)
Quick Cornbread (not worth the effort)
Tomato Chicken Pastina (not good)
Paula Deen’s Chicken and Biscuits (yum)
Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies (YUM- but not worth the effort)
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (good and super easy)
White Chili (Yum!!!)
Beef Veggie Soup (really fatty, but good)
Beer Bread (YUM)
Stuffing Chicken Recipe (eh…)
Sauerkraut Balls (YUM)
Panera Potato Soup (YUM)
Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies (YUM)
Oatmeal Banana Muffins (YUM)
Spicy White Chili (way too spicy for me!)
Paula Deen's Mac & Cheese (really good... kids even liked it)
Homemade Red Velvet Cake (yuck)
Homemade Brownies (I still prefer a boxed mix... but these were pretty good)
Gnocchi Nicoise (Damien and my mom loved it... I thought it was good, but a bit heavy on the red wine)
Homemade Veggie Soup concoction (really good!!!)
Cranberry Relish (YUM... I could eat this year round)
Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies (YUM!!!)
Chicken Spaghetti (ok... I would make it again, but it wasn't amazing)
"Exquisite Pizza Sauce" (hmmm, not really "exquisite"- though I might make it again with some slight modifications)
Easy French Dip Sandwiches (AMAZING... a definite keeper)
"Morgan's" Veggie Burger (Wayyy too spicy...)
CousCous w/tomatoes, taragon & black beans (not good)
Homemade Corn bread muffins... different recipe than before (pretty good)
Crockpot Lava Cake (not good)
Chocolate ganache (eh... it was such a simple recipe that I feel bad even counting it)
Zuppa Toscana (good... but I had to do a lot of modifications)
Easy Lemon Pasta (I didn't like it, Damien didn't hate it)
Oven-Roasted Cauliflower (pretty tasty)
Orange Yogurt Recipe... though slightly adjusted into a Mango/Orange/Vanilla (super popular... great recipe)
Tuna salad recipe from Simply Recipes (pretty good!!!)
Paula Deen Chocolate Chip Pancakes (not so great... and it pains me to say that about a Paula recipe)
Crock Pot White Chicken Chili (eh... nothing spectacular, but Zac liked it)
Rice Pudding (I can't say I'm a huge fan... but Damien and my mom LOVED it)
Homemade Coleslaw (don't know yet... needs to be refrigerated overnight)
Tater Tot Bake (I forgot to add milk... that might have helped it. Can't say I'd make it again)
Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches (eh...)
Strawberry Pancakes (YUM... took a while to get them well done, though)
Strawberry Syrup (eh... i like my syrup a bit thicker)
Chicken Gyros (YUMMMM!!! definitely going to be a regular)
Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies (SO good)
Salsa Meatloaf (I'm thinking I didn't prepare it correctly... it was ok... though not great)
Peanut butter and Jelly Muffins (YUCK... too salty?!?! Maybe I would try again and cut down on salt)
French Dip Roast Beef Sandwiches (Damien says it's good... but I'm just no fan of beef like this)
Wilton Buttercream Frosting (SO good)
Crockpot Yogurt (FREAKING AWESOME)
Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake (holy cow, so good)
Strawberry Upside-down cake (eh... Damien liked it, so that's good)
Fruity Pebbles "rice krispy" treats (way too sweet for me... Damien says they're good)

#58 Try Pilates -- COMPLETE!

2010-02-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

Tried Pilates yesterday and it was AMAZING! It was honestly a great workout and I'm super glad I tried it out. I've been in an exercise rut and this helped a lot!

YAY!

Goal not complete...

2010-01-23T22:44:00.000-08:00

One goal I had made for myself was a bit too lofty... and I know this. I had originally planned on breastfeeding Zac as long as he wanted. He chose to no longer breastfeed right around the 4 month mark... but I kept pumping for him so he could have breastmilk in the bottle. I had a goal of doing this until the 6 month mark. 6 months came and went... I felt like I needed to keep going. Right around the 9 month mark I decided I wanted to try for a year... but a part of me felt like this was asking a LOT of my body -- both physically and mentally. Well, that little part of me was correct... and instead of dwelling and getting upset that I didn't obtain the "one-year" goal, I will focus on the fact that I *DID* make it over 10 months.

So I'm giving up on this goal... willingly. I'm proud of myself-- though I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad about the situation. But despite the feelings of sadness, I'm still very confident in my decision.

#45 Take a yoga class -- COMPLETE!

2010-01-12T22:10:00.000-08:00

... and I *loved* it. I did Zumba tonight and then took a yoga class immediately afterwards-- it was perfect. A great way to end a really hard workout-- not that yoga is easy... but it's a great stretch and such a calming exercise.

#17 Teach Deacon our address and phone number -- COMPLETE!

2010-01-10T22:03:00.000-08:00

I feel like this is one of the more important goals that I have on this list-- and I am so proud that Deacon knows his address, phone number, full name and the full names of his mommy & daddy.

#31 Go to Sea World -- COMPLETE!!!

2010-01-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

HEAVEN!!! It was SO much fun :) LOVED it.

#90 Go to 10 Non-Chain Restaurants - COMPLETE!

2010-01-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

- Sudwerks
- Bangkok Cafe
- Mediterranean Cafe
- Thai Bistro
- Chops
- Sophia's Thai Kitchen
- Crepe place in Davis (forget the name of it, LOL)
- London's Fish & Chips
- Thai Recipes
- Kat Mo Ree

#86 COMPLETE! - Try 5 things I think I hate

2010-01-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

I tried:
Sweet Pickles (yuck)
Skyline Chili (NASTY)
Thai Iced Tea (not too bad)
Tofu (kinda squishy)
Sauerkraut (... the texture weirds me out)

A little over a year to go...

2010-01-01T23:27:00.000-08:00

I am very determined to get back into completing my goals in the new year. I have spent a week looking over my goals and revising them to better fit my needs right now. I'm really happy with the outcome and am looking forward to a very productive new year...

Click here to see my updated goals list. I did not highlight or italicize the new goals- so I doubt anyone will really pick up on what I've added and taken out...

Yikes!

2009-12-24T21:46:00.000-08:00

It's almost a new year and I am inspired to get back into the swing of things with my goals. I am going to re-evaluate and begin anew starting tomorrow.

(thanks Lisa B. for inspiring me... I know you said I inspired you to start this... but your starting up a blog forced me to look at this again!)

#67 Grow an herb garden - COMPLETE!

2009-04-16T20:37:00.001-07:00

When my dad was here this past week he helped plant our garden... which included an herb garden!!! My dad is an amazing gardener so we were really lucky he came right in time to plant everything :)

#10 Have a baby (bio or adopted) - COMPLETE!!!

2009-04-16T20:36:00.001-07:00

Zachary Arthur was born March 7, 2009!!! My best completed goal!!!

#28 Don't eat out for one month straight - COMPLETE!!!

2009-02-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

Wow... I'm so impressed with us for completing this goal :)

#18 Plant my anniversary flowers - COMPLETE!

2009-02-27T07:29:00.000-08:00

... only a year and a half after I got them!

#69 Create a list of at least 50 kid-friendly creative projects - COMPLETE!

2009-02-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

I was going to copy and paste the list of projects, but it's a 14 page document so it was going to be a really obnoxiously long blog post. If you're interested in the list, email me - lovedeacon@gmail.com and I'll send you 50 kid friendly creative projects!

#52 Organize master bathroom drawers and cupboards - COMPLETE!

2009-02-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

YAY! This one was so refreshing- Damien helped a ton and we threw out so much crap and organized all the drawers and cupboards. We used to complain that we didn't have enough room in our bathroom, but when we organized it all and got rid of all the junk we realized we've got tons of space :)

#26 Master sewing machine - COMPLETE!

2009-02-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

I think I should change the wording of this to, "Learn how to use sewing machine."

I feel 100% confident crossing this off my list, however, because I can completely work the sewing machine with no help from anyone else. I can thread it, follow a pattern and sew. Mastering it will come with time, I'm sure... but for now, I'm crossing this off my list because I'm super proud of what I've learned and accomplished :)

#19 Make a list of 101 things that make me happy - COMPLETE!

2009-01-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

1. Cooking
2. Baking
3. Doing something I didn’t think I could do
4. Being productive
5. Snuggling with Deacon, Damien & Milo in our bed
6. Taking a bath
7. Blogs
8. Writing and sending cards
9. Getting non-junk mail
10. Coupons
11. Message boards
12. Itchies
13. A massage at home
14. Eating out
15. Finding ways to be frugal
16. Flowers
17. Candles
18. Sleeping
19. Dancing with Deacon
20. Going out to lunch with just Damien during the work week
21. Lifting weights
22. Getting a faster running time
23. Scrapbooking
24. High thread count sheets
25. Hoodies
26. Funny movies that don’t make me think
27. Email
28. Google Chat
29. My camera
30. My parents visiting
31. Talking on the phone with my mom
32. Watching Deacon video conference with his grandparents
33. Hair products
34. Perfume
35. Sewing
36. Facebook
37. Singing when I know no one can hear me
38. A clean house
39. Going to the spa
40. Getting blog comments
41. Smaller clothing sizes
42. Finding new recipes
43. The sound of waves
44. Painted nails
45. Uggs
46. Rainbow sandals
47. A clean car
48. Deacon’s art projects
49. Framing a picture I took
50. Cereal
51. The Prius
52. A completely decorated room
53. Quilts made by my mom
54. Buying new books
55. Sleeping in
56. Taking naps
57. Smell of lavender spray on the sheets
58. Sending people gifts
59. My in-laws spaghetti/ravioli dinner
60. When my dad cooks for me
61. The FGP
62. My Sacramento friends
63. Dan’s story telling
64. So you think you can dance
65. Carmel corn
66. Reduced sugar cake and frosting
67. Finding a protein drink I like
68. Laying in the sun
69. New workout songs
70. Audio books
71. Picking Deacon up from school
72. Champagne
73. Going to Vi Sittui winery
74. Watching baby Deacon videos
75. Funny you tube videos
76. Lemons
77. Trying something I think I don’t like and liking it
78. The smell of cologne
79. Jewelry
80. Celebrity gossip
81. Clean towels
82. Laying in shallow water
83. Midwest corn on the cob
84. My parents house
85. Cedar Point
86. Tubas
87. San Francisco
88. Fondue
89. Benihana
90. Listening to the rain
91. Christmas lights
92. Wrestling with Milo
93. Finishing a book
94. True NY style pizza
95. Zumba
96. Teaching someone something new
97. Talking to students about higher education
98. Getting rid of clutter
99. Hearing “I love you more than anything”
100. My Blackberry
101. Getting my eye brows waxed

#21 Paint Spare Bedroom - COMPLETE!

2009-01-19T21:46:00.000-08:00

With the baby set to arrive in less than 2 months we thought it was high time to cross this goal off our list! Thanks to the day off from work but no day off for our daycare provider, Damien and I were able to get the room done! Granted, Zachary didn't want me to help too much and Damien did most of the work, but I can lay claim to *some* of it :)

101 Goals

2009-01-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

1. Get to goal weight

2. Get to 25% body fat

3. Run a 5K- running the entire time

4. Run a 10 minute mile

5. Sell/donate all clothes that fit pre-surgery

6. Sell/donate all extra things in the garage/house

7. Organize garage such that 2 cars could fit

8. Read 3 non-fiction books NOT related to parenting or money (1/3)

Freakonomics (LOVED it!!! A great book... I might not agree with some of the conclusions they made... but it made me see the world differently. I love a book that helps me think more critically)

9. Read the newspaper every Sunday for 6 months

10. Have a baby (bio or adopted)

11. Get a new job

12. Become a Zumba instructor

13. Finish 2007 family album

14. Finish 2008 family album

15. Finish 2009 family album

16. Put project 365's in an album

17. Teach Deacon our address and phone number

18. Plant my anniversary flowers

19. Make a list of 101 things that make me happy.

20. Pay off Damien's student loan

21. Paint spare bedroom

22. Fix paint in bedroom

23. Fix paint in bathrooms

24. Take a cake decorating class

25. Learn photoshop

26. Master sewing machine

27. Ride a rollercoaster

28. Don't eat out for one month straight

29. Find a family church

30. Take Deacon to Disney

31. Go to Sea World

32. Try 101 new recipes (89/101)

33. Sew Christmas gifts one year

34. Make special dates calendar

35. Take a photography class

36. Get a CA drivers license

37. Go to storytime at the library

38. Sign Deacon up for a dance class

- Pee-Wee Hip Hop

39. Do a new aerobics class

- ZUMBA!

40. Sign Deacon up for t-ball or soccer (signed him up for soccer!)

41. Play Bunko

42. Donate to a Children's hospital

43. Make a recipe book

44. Organize old baby clothes

45. Take a yoga class

46. Learn the alphabet in sign language

47. Organize closets

48. Go hiking

49. Buy something from Victoria's Secret

50. Spend an entire 8 hours working at work

51. Spend an entire Saturday or Sunday w/no internet

52. Organize master bathroom drawers and cupboards

53. Go to a club and sing karaoke

54. Sell diapers that we no longer used... create a more manageable stash

55. Make Christmas ornaments like my mom

56. Volunteer

57. Make it to one year with pumping -- NOT complete. Need to either replace or take a loss.

58. Try pilates

59. Establish cleaning schedule

60. Stick to said schedule for one month straight

61. Make 72 hour emergency kit for whole family

62. Make emergency kit for the car

63. Do something romantic

64. Go on a picnic

65. Go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

66. Create new budget and follow it strictly in 2010

67. Grow an herb garden

68. Organize all photos

69. Create a list of at least 50 kid-friendly creative projects

70. In the span of these 1001 days complete at least 10 of these projects and blog about them on our family blog.

71. Do something creative everyday for 30 days

72. Make list of 25 books I should read

73. Read 10 of those books (8/10)

74. Learn to use external flash

75. Buy weeks worth of produce from Davis Farmers Market

76. Learn how to use specific modes on the camera

77. Create and implement gardening plan for the summer

78. Buy a pair of Apple Bottom jeans (or other designer jeans)

79. Organize toys

80. Get Obama sticker for the Focus

81. Get an Obama Mama t-shirt

82. Do something unexpected w/hair

83. Send birthday cards to all friends and family for one year

84. Dress up for Halloween

85. Go grocery shopping w/canvas bags for one month

86. Try 5 things I think I hate (5/5)

- Sweet Pickles

- Skyline Chili

- Thai Iced Tea

- Tofu
- Sauerkraut

87. Help parents convert pictures into digital format

88. Organize kitchen- keep it that way for at least one month straight

89. Learn how to change a tire

90. Go to 10 new non-chain restaurants (10/10)

91. Take Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University Classes

92. Get house looking nice enough to have a party- and not worry the whole time about how small the house is

93. Eat lunch outside everyday at work for a week

94. Get rid of my A parking permit

95. Get everyone's # in my cell phone

96. Make an attraction box and vision board

97. Create daily/weekly task sheet to help with forgetfulness and keep to keep myself motivated and on track with goals. Use it for a month!

98. Ride Amtrak

99. Establish early bedtime routine and stick to it for 2 weeks

100. Spend 1 month severely limiting carb intake.

101. Complete Love Dare

#42 Donate to a Children's Hospital - COMPLETE

2009-01-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Deacon and I went to the toy store to pick out toys for the sick little boys and girls... it was such a neat learning experience for Deacon and he really got into it. I think we'll definitely do this every year.

#98 Ride Amtrak - COMPLETE!!!

2009-01-01T17:21:00.001-08:00

Check my family blog for pictures!!! We had a great time riding Amtrak with Grandma & Grandpa!!!

Recipes

2009-01-01T17:14:00.001-08:00

Well the Christmas season sure did make it easier for me to get caught up on my recipes! I'm up to 31 new recipes and I think I've forgotten to count a few!!! I *love* this challenge!!!

Book complete - Secret Life of Bees

2008-10-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Loved it... seriously loved it. It was a great book to read after A New Earth- a lot of the time they actually seemed to be made to go together! I usually don't like books that make me cry, but this was an exception... and I will recommend it to anyone who will listen to me :)

Now I want to see the movie!

Book complete - A New Earth

2008-10-25T18:46:00.001-07:00

I've now read 5/25 books! I just completed A New Earth this past Thursday. It was a great book and I recommend you read it if you're into that kind of stuff.

#5 Sell/Donate all clothes that fit pre-surgery - COMPLETE!!!

2008-10-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

YAYYYY!!! I just sent an online friend a box of my clothes and now I'm DONE!

I accidentally sold/donated ALL the clothes and didn't keep a single pair of pants from my heaviest weight- but oh well. I'm just so happy to be free of that extra clutter!!!

#41 Play Bunco - COMPLETE!!!

2008-10-09T13:39:00.001-07:00

I am SO excited about this one! I have seriously wanted to play Bunco for a long time but have never gotten the chance... well a few days ago my good friend Cate asked if I wanted to sub for someone in her group- and I jumped at the chance. I had no clue how to play and I knew only one person in the group- but who cares?! I got to play Bunco! YAY!

Oh- and I didn't win anything :( But that's ok- the dinner and snacks were amazing and the company was great too. THANKS CATE!

#75 Buy weeks worth of produce from Davis Farmers Market - COMPLETE!

2008-10-05T19:30:00.001-07:00

I've never been there and it exceeded my expectations... the fruit and produce we got from the Farmers Market doesn't even compare to what you buy in a grocery store. It makes grocery store fruit and veggies look pitiful.

I bought a weeks worth of fruit but with how wonderful it tastes we'll have it gone by the middle of the week!!!

I will definitely be going back as often as I can go...

#38 Sign Deacon up for a dance class - COMPLETE!

2008-08-30T08:31:00.001-07:00

This past week I signed Deacon up for Pee-Wee Hip Hop! He went to his first class on Thursday and had SO much fun!!! He loved it. He goes once a week and they do a recital in December and one in May!

#81 Get Obama Mama t-shirt - COMPLETE!

2008-08-14T22:21:00.001-07:00

Pictures to come... I *love* my new shirt!!!

#80 Get Obama sticker for the Focus - COMPLETE!

2008-08-14T22:20:00.001-07:00

DONE! Now both cars are decked out!

#36 Get a CA drivers license - COMPLETE!

2008-08-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! After 3 years of living in the state of California I am now legal!!!

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

I *finally* finished Breaking Dawn tonight! While I really liked it, the book did not capture my attention as the others had. Maybe it's due to the fact that we're busier now and life is getting back to normal... which means I have very little time to read. But I found that I wasn't as excited to read it as I was the others... that's not to say I wasn't interested in it- I really was. But the thing is that I knew it had a happy ending based on all the reviews... so I knew I didn't have to worry about certain people/vampires/wolves.

Anyways, I highly recommend the entire series... I really enjoyed myself and I'm glad I got the chance to read all 4 in such a short amount of time!

The Twilight series

2008-08-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

I've been really bad at reading the past few months. I get so caught up with every day life, blogging, being addicted to email, etc... that I just don't even think about getting out my books and reading.

Early on in our vacation I had heard of a few people talking about the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer- I was intrigued and felt like I should at least go get the first book in the series just to see what the hype was about. I decided to subtract a few of the books on my list and add Twilight to it just because it was getting such rave reviews. Well, I'm glad I did that- I'm hooked.

I started Twilight and finished it the next day. I was taken in from the moment I opened the book and immediately went out and bought the second in the series (and promptly added the rest of the series to my goal list).

Twilight was a GREAT book... I'm no good at book reviews, so I'm not even going to try it. I'll just say that I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn't reading.

After Twilight comes "New Moon"- I finished that one in less than 24 hours and was equally as impressed with how my attention was kept. What I like about the book is that it's not entirely predictable but there are no huge surprises... I like that in a book (I know others don't). I don't like being surprised at every corner. Stephanie Meyer leaves a lot of the action for the end of this book and I found myself so into the book for the last half that I could hardly concentrate on anything else.

I started Eclipse a few days later and it's taken me 2 days to read just because we've been overly busy the past couple of days. I really like how the characters have evolved now and it's very interesting to see how it's all playing out. I think the main character was very likable in the first two books and in this book I found myself really recognizing her selfishness a lot more. I do like that the action was throughout this book and again it wasn't entirely predictable but there weren't any huge surprises.

So, that leads me to my final thought- Team Edward or Team Jacob? Honestly, I could go either way... I'm not entirely sold on either right now and can recognize the faults in both of them. I don't want to give too much away just in case someone hasn't read the book- but I'm interested to hear from anyone with their own opinion on this topic.

I'm going to start Breaking Dawn tomorrow and I can't wait to hear how it all turns out.

#43 Make a recipe book - COMPLETE!

2008-07-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been putting off listing this as an accomplished goal because it's something that I'm constantly working on and updating. I created a recipe binder a couple weeks ago and I *love* it... it's one of my new favorites. I took all our recipes and put them neatly in one place. It's honestly wonderful and it's been SO helpful with dinner preparation at night. But I'm finding that I'm a bit obsessed with it- and I keep finding new recipes to add to it. It *was* looking very neat and organized, but at this very moment I have a stack of recipes that I need to add to it sometime.

So I figure this is something that will never been completely finished as I'm always trying to find more recipes! But nonetheless, I am super excited about it- so much so that I'm printing out recipe binders for my friends too!!! Hooray!

I'm working on it!

2008-06-26T22:22:00.001-07:00

So one of my goals is to organize all my pictures... I thought this would be a much simpler task than it's turning out to be. For the past two nights I've devoted my time to our wedding pictures- the showers, bachelorette party, the day of, the reception, the day after and the honeymoon. Oh my goodness there have got to be over a thousand pictures that did not make it into the official wedding scrapbook that I did a long time ago. I'm not kidding- over a thousand. So my job is to go through all these pictures and put them in regular albums or get rid of the ones that are crappy (we put cameras on the tables for our guests to use... there were plenty of horrible pictures that aren't worth much). By the end of the night tonight I was finished with everything but the reception- and I'm probably about half way done with that. After I finish the wedding, I move on to random pictures that I call the "pre-Deacon era." There are too many to organize in any meaningful fashion, but if it's pre-Deacon, it goes into this album. Then I have all the post-Deacon pictures that didn't make it into any of our official family albums- but pictures that I really don't want to get rid of, but also don't want laying in a box somewhere. That's the thing- I hate all these boxes of pictures. It's much more pleasant to have them all in an album.

Ok, I was going to type more, but I just realized how utterly boring it must be for anyone reading this (grantid, I don't think too many read this blog)... I just spent a whole big paragraph on picture organization. That's ridiculous.

#11 Get a new job - COMPLETE!!!

2008-06-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to announce that yesterday I accepted a position with UCLA... and I don't even have to move to LA!!! It's a work from home job that does involve traveling around the Sacramento and Bay areas. I am SO excited- it's a promotion and I get to work from home. It doesn't get much better. Plus, to work for UCLA!!!???!!! A-freaking-mazing.

Thoughts...

2008-06-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest goals is to get out of debt... in fact, the idea of being debt free somewhat consumes me at times. And I'm going through one of those times right now. It's like everything is going fine and I wake up one morning, or go to bed one night and the thought of our debt comes crashing into my head like a ton of bricks. I am always aware of our debt, as it's something we are constantly working on. But these moments that I'm describing come at such unexpected times and they just consume me- it's all I can think about. I spend a good portion of my time thinking about ways we can better save money... ways we can have a better budget... and most importantly- how long will it take us to get out of debt. The debt we have is pretty normal in the world of debt- one credit card, one car loan and one student loan. Compared to a lot of people we're relatively well off. In fact, we are VERY well off. Damien and I both have excellent paying jobs and we are able to maintain a mortgage and continue to pay down debt. But during these moments that I'm currently having I get mad at myself that we have ANY credit card debt... because all that money going towards those stupid cards could be going to something a LOT more beneficial like Deacons education... or a vacation (LOL). But I really can't give into these thoughts too often- what's done is done and no amount of kicking and screaming will take back time.

So today I found a amortization calculator (well, Damien found it for me) to figure out how long we were going to be in this little pickle. 5 years. That may seem like a lot to some of you... but to me, 5 years is doable. And 5 years is what it will be if we continue to make these same payments. Now, I hope that in these 5 years I am able to complete one of my other goals which is to get a new job- which would give me more money a month. So I think we can even shave off more time... and now I'm able to say that in less than 5 years we will be debt free. No car payment, no student loans, no credit card debt. Just paying off our house- which, let's face it, who doesn't have some type of housing payment a month?- I'm not too concerned with paying off our mortgage super fast.

But the problem now lies within the fact that gas prices and grocery prices continue to go way up. We need to account for that and get more creative. Thank goodness for the Grocery Game- I don't remember the last time I spent money on items like toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, etc... It's too bad I can't find as great of deals on gas. But, what I can do with gas prices is be more frugal and picky about my travels on the weekend... and even during the week. It's times like these that I'm SO thankful for the Prius.

I also think I need to re-read Dave Ramsey... he's very inspirational when it comes to money management and when I finish his book I just have this desire to be the most frugal person on the planet :)

So while this post had nothing to do with completing a goal it is about the process of completing one of my goals on the list- I would love to get the Prius paid off in these 2 1/2 years. If we can do that we are definitely on the right track to being completely debt free in less than 5 years.

#94 Get rid of my A parking permit - COMPLETE!

2008-06-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! I got rid of my A permit the other day and I'm so happy!!! I'm going to be saving $30/month by getting rid of the permit... and a ton more money in gas because I'll be riding in the carpool full time!!! Hooray for saving money!!!

#39 Do a new aerobics class - COMPLETE!

2008-06-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago I went to Zumba with a friend of mine. It was SO much fun I think I'm going to make it my official Tuesday night workout. It was honestly the best hour of cardio I've ever done. The best part about it was that I was able to keep up the entire time. At no point did I ever have to tone it down!!! I had to look absolutely ridiculous, but who cares, it was a blast. I recommend to everyone reading this that you try Zumba at your local gym if it's offered. At the class I was in there were people of ALL sizes, ages (I swear this one woman was close to 80 years old) and there were men in the class having a great time too!!! So go!!!

#82 Do something unexpected w/hair - COMPLETE!

2008-06-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Dye hair much darker: CHECK!
Cut hair much shorter: CHECK!
Get bangs (WOAH!): CHECK!

(please excuse the "I'm exhausted and fighting a migraine" look I've got going for myself in the current picture)

#59- Establish cleaning schedule COMPLETE!

2008-06-10T13:57:00.001-07:00

It's detailed and doesn't look like fun at all, but it's done. Now we just have to stick to it for one month- which I'm assuming will be a bit harder than it was to come up with the list!

#51- Spend an entire Saturday or Sunday w/no internet- COMPLETE!

2008-06-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

I took advantage of the fact that we spent the weekend in LA to complete this goal. Let me tell you- I can honestly tell you all that I am addicted to the internet. It was SO hard. There were plenty of times I wanted to just jump online after Angie but I resisted. I even resisted checking my email from my phone!!!

#46 Learn the alphabet in sign language - COMPLETE!

2008-06-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

I learned the alphabet in ASL!!! This one was easy- Damien already knew it, so he taught it to me quickly over a break today (we both work from home on Wednesdays).

HOORAY! Less than 100 to go ;-)

#72 Make list of 25 books I should read- COMPLETE!

2008-06-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

1. Twilight - COMPLETED 08/02/08

2. Smart Couples Finish Rich

3. Life of Pi

4. A New Earth - COMPLETED 10/23/08

5. The Power of Now

6. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

7. The Screwtape Letters

8. Breaking Dawn - COMPLETED 08/14/08

9. The Audacity of Hope

10. The Secret Life of Bees - COMPLETED 10/30/08

11. New Moon - COMPLETED 08/03/08

12. Lamb - COMPLETED 5/12/10

13. A Nation of Wimps

14. Boys Should be Boys

15. Good Omens

16. Three Cups of Tea

17. Kite Runner

18. The Little Prince

19. The Handmaid's Tale

20. Pride and Prejudice

21. Parenting with Love & Logic - COMPLETED Summer/2009

22. The Time Traveler's Wife - COMPLETED 5/18/10

23. The Alchemist

24. Eclipse - COMPLETED 08/07/08

25. Spiritual Economics

... now I just have to get on top of reading them. I figure I have to average one a month! Yikes.