Eleven Months, One Week, Two Days Update on 30 While 30

Eleven Months, One Week, Two Days Update on 30 While 30

1. Visit the ocean. Big plans for this towards the end of the year.  Scheduled for March, so it’ll be a couple of days past the deadline.
2. Lose 30 pounds. Down 10.
3. Volunteer in my community. I started a program where I tutor recent immigrants in reading. I’ve moved to a new city, and I volunteer at a charter school on Saturdays.
4. Forgive and forget about Ken. Work-in-progress. Great strides here. I've received calls and emails from him and I just ignore.  It.feels.so.good. Done. Finally : )
5. Read 30 books. Hmmm. . . I’ve read about 10 books since my birthday. Passed 30 books.
6. Make a terrarium. Damn, I still need/want to do this.
7. Visit Yellow Springs, Ohio. Sadly, I didn’t have a chance to do this one.
8. Organize my living room. Work-in-progress. Fail. New digs in a new city, and the living room is organized!
9. Organize my bedroom. Work-in-progress. Fail Done!
10. Drink water. Everyday. Lots of it. Working on this! Done!
11. Wear lipstick or lip gloss more often. Winning! Everyday, friends, I wear some! Having Birchbox helps a lot too! Done!
12. Spend (at least) one weekend a month with my mom. So far, I’ve accomplished at least twice-a-month visits. Big changes on the horizon, so I've been spending EVERY weekend in Cincinnati. I was able to do this while I lived within an hour of her, since moving, I’ve visited her October, she visited in December, and she’ll be back in the spring.
13. Take my grandma to visit her sister-in-law in the spring. Fail. My grandmother's SIL passed away a few months ago.  :(
14. Visit my cousin's special education class. Didn’t get this one done.
15. Load lots of music onto my mom's MP3 player. I downloaded lots of music, I just need to put it on her MP3 player. Done and done.
16. See at least one opera. Done! Saw La Traviata in July. 
17. Take Katie to see a play.  I didn’t get this one accomplished. But I took her to ballet lessons and threw her a wonderful 5th birthday party, so we’re going to count that as being accomplished.
18. Go to an art museum.
19. See a 3-D movie. How did I not accomplish this one? But I did see the opera!
20. Go to a play. Done! Saw a play in July (same weekend I went to the Opera).
21. Buy a bottle of the wine I had on vacation.  Fail.
22. Give Charles an amazing birthday present.  Oh, I did that, alright.
23. Wash and vacuum my car at least once month. So far, so good! Done.
24. Visit at least one city park. I’ve visited several city parks, and I take Scooter to the dog park at least once a week. My favorite is a metro park with a boat dock and stone bridges and the children's garden downtown. 
25. Pack my lunch for an entire month. April is the month to do this! So far, so good. Fail Yep, a fail.
26. Use the crockpot 12 times. Fail
27. Celebrate my mom's 60th birthday with something special. I don't know how special it was, but I'm planning a trip to Savannah over Christmas holiday. Does that count?
28. Adopt a rescue dog. Scooter was adopted in March 2012!!Love me some Scoot! Things are going so well with him, he's stopped the accidents in the house and hasn't chewed up a shoe in a months (knock on wood)! Love my Scooter!
29. Host a brunch at my apartment. Fail.  Hmmm. . didn’t get this one done.
30. Go to a comedy club. Yes! Last weekend!

Thirty items, minus # 13, so twenty-nine items, and completed twenty things: 69% completion rate!  That’s a “D” grade, right? Plus, technically, I still have about 2 weeks to knock off one or two more things off of my list, and to start on my 31 list. Yikes, 31?

Today

Today, my father died.

Six Month Update on 30 While 30

1. Visit the ocean. Big plans for this towards the end of the year. 
2. Lose 30 pounds.
3. Volunteer in my community. I started a program where I tutor recent immigrants in reading.
4. Forgive and forget about Ken. Work-in-progress. Great strides here. I've received calls and emails from him and I just ignore.  It.feels.so.good.
5. Read 30 books. Hmmm. . . I’ve read about 10 books since my birthday. Passed 30 books.
6. Make a terrarium.
7. Visit Yellow Springs, Ohio.
8. Organize my living room. Work-in-progress. Fail.
9. Organize my bedroom. Work-in-progress. Fail
10. Drink water. Everyday. Lots of it. Working on this!
11. Wear lipstick or lip gloss more often. Winning! Everyday, friends, I wear some! Having Birchbox helps a lot too!
12. Spend (at least) one weekend a month with my mom. So far, I’ve accomplished at least twice-a-month visits. Big changes on the horizon, so I've been spending EVERY weekend in Cincinnati.
13. Take my grandma to visit her sister-in-law in the spring. Fail. My grandmother's SIL passed away a few months ago.  :(
14. Visit my cousin's special education class.
15. Load lots of music onto my mom's MP3 player. I downloaded lots of music, I just need to put it on her MP3 player. Done and done.
16. See at least one opera. Done! Saw La Traviata in July. 
17. Take Katie to see a play.
18. Go to an art museum.
19. See a 3-D movie.
20. Go to a play. Done! Saw a play in July (same weekend I went to the Opera).
21. Buy a bottle of the wine I had on vacation.
22. Give Charles an amazing birthday present.
23. Wash and vacuum my car at least once month. So far, so good!
24. Visit at least one city park. I’ve visited several city parks, and I take Scooter to the dog park at least once a week. My favorite is a metro park with a boat dock and stone bridges and the children's garden downtown. 
25. Pack my lunch for an entire month. April is the month to do this! So far, so good. Fail
26. Use the crockpot 12 times.
27. Celebrate my mom's 60th birthday with something special. I don't know how special it was, but I'm planning a trip to Savannah over Christmas holiday. Does that count?
28. Adopt a rescue dog. Scooter was adopted in March 2012!!Love me some Scoot! Things are going so well with him, he's stopped the accidents in the house and hasn't chewed up a shoe in a months (knock on wood)!
29. Host a brunch at my apartment. Fail. 
30. Go to a comedy club. 

Okay, so nine out of 30, that makes a completion rate of 30%. Six months left to finish the list!

Grueling Pace

It's Sunday night and I'm working.  I'm writing up a section for a big annual report.  It was due Thursday at 5pm.  At the last minute I had to present on Thursday afternoon and then do another presentation on Friday morning, so this got pushed back to now.  I just want to finish it.  It's the last little bit and then I get a break from the grueling pace for a few days.  Whenever I think about 'grueling pace' I'm reminded of playing Oregon Trail in the 4th grade- when you could set the pace of your settlers.  Grueling pace was an option to get them there faster, but it also meant they were susceptible to illness and accidents.  My grueling pace has been working in the office all day, running home to take Scooter out, eating a quick dinner and then working on data until about 3 or 4 am, sleeping a few hours, shower, take Scooter out, go to work.  Exhausted!  I just have to get this little bit done tonight and then tomorrow finish up on some data. 

I did take a break yesterday to go out with a friend.  We had margaritas, went to see a roller derby game, and had Thai food.  It was just what I needed!  A little break and back to the salt mines.  Okay, and I did take another beak today to take Scooter to the dog park. 

Amidst the busyness, if I'm completely honest, I do still miss K.  It's like a bruise.  I think about him and see how much I hurt.  I'm still sore, but mostly, I'm okay.  The anger and sadness are still there, but not nearly as painful as at the beginning, or even three months ago.  As trite as it sounds, time does make it hurt less. I don't think the hurt will ever go completely away, but thinking about him doesn't cause me so much hurt that I stop breathing. 

Life goes on.

Update on Thirty

Update on the 30 While Thirty

1. Visit the ocean.
2. Lose 30 pounds.
3. Volunteer in my community. I started a program where I tutor recent immigrants in reading.
4. Forgive and forget about Ken. Work-in-progress.
5. Read 30 books. Hmmm. . . I’ve read about 10 books since my birthday.
6. Make a terrarium.
7. Visit Yellow Springs, Ohio.
8. Organize my living room. Work-in-progress.
9. Organize my bedroom. Work-in-progress.
10. Drink water. Everyday. Lots of it.
11. Wear lipstick or lip gloss more often.
12. Spend (at least) one weekend a month with my mom. So far, I’ve accomplished at least twice-a-month visits.
13. Take my grandma to visit her sister-in-law in the spring.
14. Visit my cousin's special education class.
15. Load lots of music onto my mom's MP3 player. I downloaded lots of music, I just need to put it on her MP3 player.
16. See at least one opera.
17. Take Katie to see a play.
18. Go to an art museum.
19. See a 3-D movie.
20. Go to a play.
21. Buy a bottle of the wine I had on vacation.
22. Give Charles an amazing birthday present.
23. Wash and vacuum my car at least once month.
24. Visit at least one city park. I’ve visited several city parks, and I take Scooter to the dog park at least once a week.
25. Pack my lunch for an entire month. April is the month to do this! So far, so good.
26. Use the crockpot 12 times.
27. Celebrate my mom's 60th birthday with something special.
28. Adopt a rescue dog. Scooter was adopted in March 2012!!
29. Host a brunch at my apartment.
30. Go to a comedy club.

Okay, so four out of 30, that makes a completion rate of 13%. I have 10 months left to finish the list.

It is Well

I have been thinking about how I've come to be where I am today. I have a B.A. in Communication Arts, a Master of Social Work from a world renown university. I have a strong professional background. I'm an AmeriCorps alum. I lived in Mexico. My heart has been broken twice. I have a mom who I know loves me so much, and I appreciate that more everyday. I have friends that are always just a phone call away. Parts of my family are truly amazing (the other part, truly dysfunctional). It's become apparent to me how fortunate I am with all that I have. I define what I have not by the material possessions, but by life experiences, education, and the support of people who love me.


Some songs match sentiments exactly.

I think about all I have and wonder why others have little or nothing.

Randomness.

Sometimes, when I can't fall asleep, I bite my fingernails. I wake up to raggedy nails and torn cuticles.

I was just told the deadline to my project was moved up from June 1st to May 1st. That makes a helluva lot of difference. I was told in passing. This has a HUGE impact on my work and I wasn't even told by my boss, just someone who thinks she's my boss (along with thinking she is the boss of the entire universe), happened to tell me. WTF?

I took Scooter to the dog park over the weekend. It was GREAT! He quickly made friends, human and canine alike, and was Mr. Popularity. We both got a lot of exercise and enjoyed being outside.

When I talk to my family, I reference my current city as Cutter Gap. My mom snapped at me on the phone and said "Lay off the Cutter Gap insults, I liked Christy and the people of Cutter Gap."

I read the Hunger Games trilogy last year, and saw the first movie over the weekend. The theme is very allegorical and makes me think of various social justice issues. District 12 seems a lot like Cutter Gap to me.