March 2013 Check-In

Hello friends.  So, you remember that blogging more thing?  Oops.  I had a surprisingly busy February, despite work being slow.  So, yup, slightly failing.  Moving on.

1.  Travel to at least four new states.  I did make it to Vegas last month, more on that later.  Steph and I also have tickets to see Luke Bryan at Cheyenne Frontier Days in July.

2.  Get my first apartment.  I should be moving in sometime in the next week.  Just waiting to hear from them on the official date.

3.  Get my first car.  Boom.  Done.

8.  Go gambling and win.  I went gambling and lost.  But only twenty dollars.  Pretty good accomplishment, I’d say.

16.  Pick up something active.  I’ve signed up for one relay (in April) and one 5K (in July).  Still working on the Couch to 5K app, though not as well as I had been.

17.  Track monthly/weekly spending.  I’m tracking said spending.  Keeping on top of it, again, not going so well.  Making rent this month has been slightly terrifying.

18.  Create and maintain a budget.  I’ve tweaked a bit of the budget.  I guess part of maintaining a budget is adjusting it as necessary.

19.  Create and maintain an exercise plan.  I’ve created my cardio routine, now I just have to settle into the rest of the things.

21.  Try a new Pinterest recipe every two weeks.  I have a couple of recipes I’ve tried that I would like to share soon.

22.  Try a new Pinterest craft every two weeks.  I have a t-shirt project I’d like to share.  It’s not from Pinterest, but it is pretty exciting.

23.  Get extra organized.  February was little things month.  March is packing month and once I get into the new place, I can start organizing from scratch the way I like.

26.  Create and maintain traditions.  The Arizona game attendance tradition was continued.  Also Dustin Lynch.

How about everyone else’s February?

February 2013 Check-In

Hi friends!  I know one of my goals this year was to blog more and then I left you all hanging for a month, I apologize.  Now that the football season is over, work should be much calmer.  In the meantime, though, let’s look at what has been happening in the past month.

1.  Travel to at least four new states.  Vegas in twelve days!  So excited!

2.  Get my first apartment.  I just have to go back and pick up my paperwork, should be moving in March.

16.  Pick up something active.  I started the Couch to 5K program.  Barely started, but started.

17.  Track monthly/weekly spending.  I’ve been pretty good about keeping track of my spending, keeping on top of it is another matter, unfortunately.

18.  Create and maintain a budget.  I’ve created a budget.  Let’s see how the maintaining goes.

19.  Create and maintain an exercise plan.  I started running.  That’s what I’ve got so far.

21.  Try a new Pinterest recipe every two weeks.  More on this later.

26.  Create and maintain traditions.  The Stock Show was our January tradition.

How did everyone else’s January go?

Happy New Year and the 26 Before 26!

Happy New Year, folks!  I know it’s been a while, but it seems every year there wouldn’t be some thing that comes up at the end of the year… every year.

Last year, I wrote this list on my phone while riding the Pacific Coastliner after Allie’s wedding.  This year I took a day to rest up after my extremely long and sticky New Year’s Eve at work.  But now here we are on the second and a new start to the new year.  Last year saw many things happen, change, and not change all at once.  But it’s a new year, and subsequently, time for a newish list.

 

1.  Travel to at least four new states.  This is a continual hold-over, but even though I have yet to get to four new states in a year, I have been able to travel more than before.  Last year I went to Pennsylvania and New York again.  I also made it to Texas for the first time ever.  This year, a flight is already booked for Vegas in February as well as a few other potential trips planned.  We’ll see what happens this year.

2.  Get my first apartment.  This is still a hold-over, but last year I managed to get on the waiting list for a good apartment and now it’s just a matter of playing the waiting game.

3.  Get my first car.  Still a hold-over, but should be coming come March.  Just waiting.

4.  Take up tennis seriously.  I had plans this summer at camp, but this year my plans may have to be a bit different.  I think I may take lessons.

5.  Finish engineering bingo.  Every year I put this back on the list and still fall one short.  I’m not sure if I want to keep it on the list, but it’s here for now.

6.  Ride a horse.  This year it will happen.  It gets harder with Larissa moving, but I imagine we’ll get this  done.

7.  Get back into dance.  I still want to do this.  Bree and I have talked about starting Zumba together.  So there’s a start.

8.  Go gambling and win.  February.  It’s happening.  Gotta allocate a tiny bit of money for that.

9.  Be a model.  The other Deidree and I talked about doing a pin-up shoot.  Sounds fun.

10.  Host a dinner party.  I still want to host a dinner party, or any sort of party.  It will come.  I have ideas for that.

11.  Complete NaNoWriMo.  Last year I had no inspiration.  This year I will put more effort into starting the planning in October instead of getting to November and throwing my hands up.

12.  Try skiing again.  I really need to work on this to get it off my list.  It will be good.

13.  Career applicable volunteering.  I bought a gift for a Polish orphan last year and it made me smile so much.  I want to get back to working with kids, especially with the void of camp.

14.  Get more involved in Greek life.  I think I want to start volunteering with the fraternity in a bigger capacity.

15.  Go to a road game the alma mater wins.  It will happen this year!  I believe in the alma mater’s prospects.

16.  Pick up something active.  Maybe run more than one 5K every three months.  If I continue with that plan, February is coming up, though.

17.  Track monthly/weekly spending.  This year I want to get on top of my budget, so I’m planning on staying on top of my spending.

18.  Create and maintain a budget.  I’m planning on getting on top of where my money goes, so it’s only logical to get a budget started and stay within that.

19.  Create and maintain an exercise plan.  I want fit arms.  This is pretty much what this boils down to.  But obviously it’s bad to only focus on one aspect and not your overall health.

20.  Create and maintain a cleaning plan.  I don’t vacuum or dust as much as I should.  Routines help keep things together, so I want to be better about maintaining them.

21.  Try a new Pinterest recipe every two weeks.  I pin so many recipes to my boards, yet they sit there and look pretty.  I want to maintain a Pinterest for a reason, not just to hoard a bunch of things I like.

22.  Try a new Pinterest craft every two weeks.  I miss crafting, and I find so many things I like and pin them to my boards.  So I should stop pinning and start doing.

23.  Get extra organized.  I have the main aspects I want to focus on, but 2013 in general is the year of organization for me.

24.  Become a Budget Beauty.  Last year was all about being a proper Belle.  This year is going to be all about continuing that for me, but also learning to live better within my means.

25.  Be better about blogging.  I missed you all this past year.  I want to try to be better about getting back into posting this year.

26.  Create and maintain traditions.  Last year I focused on sending out cards, I want to keep doing that.  Last year I also missed out on several of my traditions, so this year I want to make sure that I don’t forget about them.

And one to grow on:  Work on trying new things.  Sometimes, I get so stuck in my ways.  This year, I want to grow and change more.  There are always new things on the horizon and now’s as good a time as any to start.

 

What goals do you all have this year?  Tell me about them!

June Resolution Check-In 2012

So I know May’s resolution check-in got lost in cyberspace.  You will see it.  I promise.  In  the meantime, let’s take a look at May, since it’s still in the process of being updated…

1.  Travel to at least four new states.  I didn’t get to see Melissa, but I have now officially been to Texas!  I know this only completes a quarter of this goal, but it also completes a quarter of this goal!  So excited.

5.  Go on a road trip.  Road trip 2012 is completed!  I have a post in the queue detailing the cities we drove through…  On the whole, not very exciting.

13.  “Once a month.”  May was busy for me.  I got to see Larissa and Jake quite a bit in Texas.  I saw Lilac, Stacey, the other Deidree, Tony, Dylan, Amy, Amanda, Addy, her husband Keith, Kelly, Megan, and Rachel just came back from Africa at the end of the month!  Lots of people.

14.  The Great Letter Writing Campaign.  Had a few birthdays and wrote to Seth.  Sent a postcard from Texas to Steph.  All in all, a good month.

15.  Personal pampering twice a month.  I sat out in the sun and got a tan.  Does that count?  I’m saying it counts.

18.  Keep a household.  I organized my closet and started a donation bag.  Yay!

19.  Craft once a week.  I have a picture frame for the GGG-Baby.  That’s about all I did…

25.  Work on writing.  I haven’t kept up with this as much as I would like.  I feel like it’s mostly catch-up these days.

May’s teaching career step:  Started work on the application.

How’s everyone else’s list going?  Have you chunked out a few things that you’re pretty proud of?  We’ll get May up soon, but otherwise, we’ll check back in July!

Belle Binder Section One: Making Goals Part Three

Example time!

Here are some ways to make goals:

The Bucket list:  Thinking about things you’ve always wanted to try or accomplishments you want to make.  Make a point to go after them.

Say you want to travel.

In “X before X”, you could make your goal to visit four new states in a year or to get out of the country

In “one big goal a month”, you could create a budget in January to save for a trip, research places you want to go in February, create a possible itinerary in March, allocate your budget in April, and so forth.

The to-do list: Thinking about things you need that may be hard to start without some motivation or something that is fundamental to a life-change you may experience soon.

Say you want to get more active.

In “X before X”, you could take up tennis seriously or participate in an organized activity.

In “one big goal a month”, you could focus on finding a perfect gym in January and join one, make it a point to maintain healthy eating in February, create a specific workout regiment in March, and so forth.

Start big and break down: Taking pieces of larger goals and working toward them.

Say you want to get organized.

In “X before X”, you could make a budget or work toward keeping a household.

In “one big goal a month”, you could organize a budget to follow throughout the year in January, organize your schedule in February, clean and organize your living room in March, move to the bathroom in April, and so on.

Start small and build up:  taking a little bit at a time to get from point a to point b.

Say you want to create and maintain a budget to save money.

In “X before X”, you could put $1000 into savings or pack lunch for work every day.

In “one big goal a month”, you could track your spending in January and note places where spending can be cut down, start planning your meals before you go to the grocery store in February, if you found out you go to movies a lot you could make it a point to go less in March and allocate the money you save toward your savings, and you get the drill…

Steps toward larger goals:  Focus on a little bit at a time.

Say you want to be more philanthropic.

In “X before X”, you could volunteer once a month or donate monthly to a charity.

In “one big goal a month”, you could research organizations you like in January, make a commitment to go to an organization every Tuesday, pick a new organization in March or increase your involvement with the first one, and so forth.

You can also complete larger goals.  Sometimes a goal only seems daunting until you actually look at it.  You can accomplish more than you think.  All of the previous examples could be a longer-term goal and do have methods listed for completing them.  There is no reason a goal in its entirety can’t end up on your list.  (A long-term goal will probably take more time, so this method often works best with short-term goals.)

The last important aspect of a goal list is a having an extra goal to “grow on.”  This is similar to putting an extra candle on your cake to symbolize your next year.

In “X before X”, make it a point to focus on this goal once a month, taking small steps toward it along the way.

In “one big goal a month”, this is like your main goal for the year.  You can also pick a longer aspect of your main goal and spread its completion out.

Now, write down your goals on the lovely blank sheet of paper provided.  Decorate it however you like.

Belle Binder Section One: Making Goals Part Two

So last time we talked about types of goal lists, now lets talk about how to make goals.

So how do we make goals?

All of your goals do not need to be big things.  Think of how hard this list would seem if all of the goals were things like “quit smoking,” “have $5000 in savings,” or “purchase first house.”  You would probably want to throw your binder across the room at the thought of goals like that, right?  (I know these aren’t necessarily applicable to you in particular, of course.)

Now, go pick your binder back up.  It is perfectly acceptable for some of your goals to be things like “Watch Titanic sixteen times” (which I had on my list, and completed, in 2011).  This is your list, so even if other people may think something little is silly, you put it on your list.

A perfect example of this is “ride a horse” on my list.  Other people would either scoff at such a simple thing being on a year list, or they would like the idea of it and they would write something similar on their list, but it would likely end up in the binder hurling form of “conquer my fears.”  Sometimes these things take baby steps.

But, at the same time, you don’t want everything on your list to be goals like “watch Titanic sixteen times” or “learn the words to Wagon Wheel” (setting aside the fact that knowing the words to Wagon Wheel is a life necessity anyway), because then you will plow through all of your “goals” in a week or two, look at your binder in dismay before you set it in a box to collect dust and wonder what the point of this was in the first place.

It is important to have a balance.  If everything is too hard, time consuming, expensive, etcetera you will find some reason to not want to do it, or not be able to do it.  If everything is too easy, then it’s less making goals and more writing a to-do list.  You could easily learn the words to Wagon Wheel all in one day if you just listened to it on repeat as you did other things (but again, the words to Wagon Wheel should be ingrained in everyone’s brain already).  At the same time, you don’t want everything to be a middle-ground thing.

So how do you make that balance?

Well, it’s okay to start broad.  It’s okay to say “this year, I really want to conquer my fears.”  But if you’re pretty much afraid of everything under the sun that it’s a wonder you make it out of your house on any given day, then you may not conceivably be able to conquer all of your fears in one year.  In that case, it’s okay to just pick one fear and start there.  After all, you have a lifetime to conquer your fears, why do it all at once, right?  These are still big things.

It’s also okay to start small.  You might know that you really want to see the world some day, so it’s okay to decide that you’ll start seeing the world in your own back yard by visiting a famous place in Colorado every month.  There’s probably plenty of places right around you that you hadn’t even ever thought to visit before and even a nearby experience can be a great one.

And you can have some daunting things on there.  Like “getting your first car” or “getting your first apartment.”  Sometimes, it’s okay to think about the things you really need and make it an active process to work toward them.  Think about how good it will feel to accomplish a big thing on your list.

This is also the reason you can put some little things on your list too.  Maybe it’s been a really tough month and you’re running out of steam and you wanted to “do the Sunday crossword puzzle every week,” it would be something you started looking forward to and could cheer you up.  And, if you’ve attempted fifty-two crossword puzzles by the end of the year, it suddenly seems like a bigger thing than when you first wrote it down, right?

And when you can mix together broad, small, big, and little things, it becomes a pretty good list.  Think about the things everyone says they want to do in life.  They’re not all big, important, or time-consuming things.  Some of them are small, menial things that other people might do every day.

Think about what you want to do.  Think about what you need.  Start big and break down.  Start small and build up.  Think about ways you can start to work toward your long-term goals.  Think about ways you can complete your short-term goals.  This is your list.  Focus on you.

 

Next time: Some examples.

Belle Binder Section One: Making Goals

So on Wednesday, we put together our beautiful binders.  Now, we  have to start filling them.  One of my favorite sections on this blog is my yearly list of goals and I think that setting goals for oneself is the best way to better oneself.  So, let’s get started!

Setting goals is an important part of getting organized because setting goals gives you something to aim toward rather than just thinking about everything you want to do and having it all jumbled up.  Why not a resolution?  A goal list and a resolution are not mutually exclusive.  They are the exact same thing with a different approach.

Resolutions can work if they have a clear direction, but often fail because people only focus on the main idea and not all the parts that go into a resolution.  Making a goal list is a process to focus on those little parts and work backwards, in a sense.

So, let’s write down your goals!

There are two ways to do this.

First:  The X before X method.  Set a number of goals equivalent to your age next year.  They don’t have a specific over-arching goal to work toward, but many small ones.  This is helpful if there are many different things, big or small, that you want to accomplish.

Second:  The one big goal a month method.  Set a single goal for each month of the year.  This is the proper way to work toward accomplishing one big, often hard to manage, goal.  It generally has an over-arching theme that is taken care of in smaller increments.

Both methods lead to similar results, but both have their different advantages (just think of trying to do fifty big things before turning fifty, daunting, right?).

Differences between the lists are as follows:

• X before X

–     Can be eclectic

–     Helps to organize goals from variety of areas

–     Can ease time or monetary constraints of larger goals

–     Can be big, small, mundane, or important

–     Perfect for chipping away at several long-term or short-term goals

• One big goal a month

–     Has a yearly theme

–     Only one thing to focus on at a time

–     Can be expensive or time consuming

–     Comprised of smaller parts of a larger picture

–     Perfect for really cracking down on a singular long-term or short-term goal
Next time: How to make goals.

The Belle Binder

Okay, so I have one of these for myself and gave one to Larissa for her birthday last month.  I thought that as she and I endeavored to keep her organized, you all might like to join in.  This is the Belle Binder!

Supplies:

The supplies for the Belle Binder are very minimal and as follows,

Given that this is in a binder, you will need one to keep yourself organized.  I have a cut polka dot one for myself, whereas Larrissa’s is just a solid color with clear openings to insert your own artwork or patters you like or whatever.

The binder is split up into eight sections.

A major part of getting organized is scheduling.  You can either print calendar pages out or buy any sort of planner you like.  They come in a variety of sizes and patterns so you’re bound to find something you like!

Especially for the planner, but just in general, it’s nice to have some different colored pens to work with.

A no brainer.

So, now that you’ve gathered all your supplies, put together the binder with the planner in front and a blank sheet of paper in the front binder pocket.  Put the tabs dividers in order.

Now, it’s time to label!

You will need the following tabs:

1. Goals–To organize the goals you will make this year

2.  Routines-To organize your day-to-day routines, exercise routines, cleaning routines, etcetera.

3.  Budget-To organize your finances.

4.  Inventories-To organize your stuff.

5.  Menu Planning-To organize your diet.

6.  Addresses-To organize your people.

7.  (blank for your personal needs)-Think about what you need organized, add it here.

8.  (blank for your personal needs)-Think about what you need organized, add it here.

We’ll continue to discuss this binder later, but getting started is the first step!

April Resolution Check-In 2012

So I kept my promise and wrote a lot more in March.  But, since it was March, it was mostly basketball related.  April will be a return to life as we know it, I think.  So let’s take a look at the past month.

1.  Travel to at least four new states.  There was a missed opportunity in New Mexico, but work has been requested off and travel has been booked for Jake’s graduation in Texas.

4.  Take up tennis seriously.  One game of tennis was played.  This is an improvement from no games of tennis.

5.  Go on a road trip.  The aforementioned Texas trip is in the planner.  It is happening.

13.  “Once a month.”  March was a busy month for me.  I saw Larissa, Jake, Steph, Kelsey, Amy, Cam, Amanda, Seth, Bree, Vinny, Keith, Jenn and company, Hailey, Addy, her husband Keith, Stacey, Layla, and made some new friends/rekindled with some old ones at Seth’s going away party, including another Deidree!

14.  The great letter-writing campaign.  Only one birthday in March again.  I am lacking Colin’s new address, so that is holding me back a bit, but I started writing to Jake.  I also sent out cards for Pats.

15.  Personal pampering twice a month.  Larissa signed us up for a massage this month.  It was heaven after my fall down the stairs.  I also painted my nails green again.

16.  Get better at cooking.  I’ve memorized my first recipe.  I’m so proud of myself, even if it’s mac and cheese.

18.  Keep a household.  I made a cleaning schedule.  It is pretty darn fantastic.

19.  Craft once a week.  I am still stuck on my old crafts, but I did make a belle binder for Larissa’s birthday.  I will talk about it later this month, I think.

21.  Become a proper Coloradoan belle.  I have a mantra for this that I also plan on discussing soon.

23.  Go to an away game the alma mater wins.  I almost did this.  It would have been perfect.

25.  Work on writing.  You saw me here a lot more, right?  Excellent.

March’s teaching career step:  About the same as February, really.  But a step is a step, right?

How’s everyone else’s list going?  Had any missed opportunities you wished you had been able to take advantage of?  We’ll check back in May!

We Do Not Mope, No, We Go Forward

So yesterday, I had my job interview, a legitimate meeting with one of the managers, but it was cut short.  I didn’t meet with the manager I was supposed to and the one I did meet with merely asked me “If you get a job here, would you keep the job you currently have?”  And I said “For now, I will say, yes, I would try to.  But, if I was afforded better opportunities here, then I would likely only have the one job.”  And then he sent me on my way.

I took the bus over originally, and as I was leaving, the return bus was waiting across the street, but was gone by the time I got there.  So I started walking…  in my little black heels.

And as I started walking, I lamented not having an ipod because no one was answering their phones.  But then that reminded me of that scene in Bride Wars, at the beginning, where Emma and Liv are running and Liv asks why they can’t use ipods on their run and Emma tells her “Ipods are only for people who can’t be left alone with their thoughts.”

And I thought about that and said, okay, so let’s think about what’s going on lately.

I walked almost three miles in my heels, so I had a lot of time to think.

Rich, if you’ve decided not to talk to me anymore, fine.  I will accept that.  I will not mope, I will just go forward.

New restaurant, if you do not want me, fine.  I will accept that.  I will not mope, I will just go forward.

Life, if you are not quite the way imagined, I cannot accept that.  I cannot mope.  I must just keep going forward.

Every journey begins with a step.  I’ve been taking lots of steps all along, but I think this goes back to what I think it means to be a Coloradoan Belle.  A belle has three important things:

1. Strength of character.

2.  Strength of mind.

3.  Strength of person.

And I am a strong person.  People gain strength from the trials they face.  And if a journey to move forward starts with wearing high heels for three miles and ending up with only one stumble on a rock and seven blisters, then it’s not a bad outcome.  It could have been eight blisters, right?

Today’s to-do list item: Do not mope.  Work hard.