Saturday, September 04, 2010

26 before 26

So, ever since my birthday, I've been trying to come up with my goals for my next birthday. Obviously, I had to do a lot of thinking. :) I was determined this time to actually come up with 26. That was kind of difficult. I don't know that I'll be able to match my number of goals to my age for many more years. I've started on some of the goals already, but I waited to post until I had them all in mind. So, in no particular order, here are my goals for the next 10 or so months:
  1. Finish couch-to-5K. I'm up to running an 8-1/2 minute mile continuously, and then another mile broken up with brief intervals of walking.
  2. Take and pass at least one of my seven comprehensive exams.
  3. Finish my shelf of unread books. I'm down to 12!
  4. Lose 5 lbs. and maintain it. I am not unhappy with my weight, but I do keep gradually putting on a few pounds each year. I'm trying to combat that.
  5. Take at least 100 pictures.
  6. Finish my one-year Bible. This is actually a two-year Bible for me. :)
  7. Make it through my housecleaning checklist. I made a list of things to do around the house when I thought I wasn't going to be working this summer. I ended up working full-time or being gone most of the summer, so I didn't get around to all of them.
  8. Make cheese. I just think this would be cool to say I did.
  9. Come up with at least 2 healthy vegetarian meals that Darby and I actually enjoy. I try to limit our meat intake to save money, but my vegetarian repertoire is limited to unhealthy things like pasta and quesadillas.
  10. Start my personal Happiness Project.
  11. Go to three events at the U of I.
  12. Make crepes. Darby loves them, and I've promised him I'll learn how to make them.
  13. Reduce our monthly gift budget. I don't want to buy fewer gifts or lower-quality gifts, but I want to think ahead so I can make more gifts or find them on sale rather than paying full price at the last minute.
  14. Go to St. Louis (for real this time).
  15. Save an average of 25% on every grocery shopping trip.
  16. Take a Spanish class. I'm starting in a week!
  17. Make homemade tortillas. I tried this once a couple of months ago, and it was a complete disaster. I will not be defeated!
  18. Initiate plans with friends twice per month.
  19. Whittle "to try" recipes saved online to 200 (currently at 272).
  20. Redesign my blog.
  21. Read 3 faith-related books.
  22. Plan an event for our college group.
  23. Stay in better touch with my sister and brother.
  24. Watch at least 4 football games on TV. Darby thinks this is ridiculous, but I'm trying to make myself a football fan. I feel like sports fans always have something to talk about with other people. And there's something so appealing to me about being able to lay on the couch and watch TV every weekend without feeling guilty b/c you're supporting your team.
  25. Become a Conversation Partner. This is a program at the university where you're paired with an international student to get together and talk for an hour a week. I've actually already signed up for this, but I had to include some things I've already done to get to 26!
  26. Spend no more than 1 hour per day on the Internet (unless it's for work, school, or personal finance reasons). This will be necessary if I plan to accomplish all of the above!

3 comments:

Kalyn Gensic said...

My mom has a recipe for making mozzarella in about an hour with a gallon of whole milk. I'll try to get the recipe before Saturday for you.

Sallie said...

I asked Dad if he thought I should do a "52 before 52!" We decided the goals would have to be very small and most of them things I've already accomplished!! Good for you!

Clint and Whitney said...

Good luck!! Such the go getter! :) I have a really yummy vegetarian recipe I think you should try...unless you don't like the ingredients. They are Calabacitas with Potatoes. (Calabacita means small squash).

http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/calabacitas-little-squashes-with-potatoes

Now, this may just add to the mayhem of more recipes but this one is fast, cheap and healthy. What more can you ask for??

Clint and I had conversation partners at A&M. We really enjoyed learning about their culture and helping them learn ours. Hope you enjoy it as well.