Final Stretch
Begin date: July 10, 2006
End date: April 6, 2009

Summary:
49 completed
14 "in progress" or "ongoing" (which at this point is really the same thing)
10 I've declared failed and there are several more headed this way.

...which leaves 24 unaccounted for. Hmm!

I've learned several things over the last 2 years ... one being that momentum really fades after the first year. I completed 30 goals in the first year alone, and my rate of completion/achievement went way down after that. I completed only 16 in the next year. Sure I could chalk it up to working on harder, more long term goals ... but that wasn't the whole reason. Some of the goals I've failed or still have remaining are simple little things like pick strawberries, catch fireflies, or fly a kite!

Another thing I've learned is that that numbers (read X books) are better than time frames (like 1/month) because they're more achievable if you're forgetful like me - more success and less failure. I hope I complete more than I fail for this mission and I seem to be at that crossroads with 49 completed.




Career
1. pay for certification: mailed 7-20-06, received 7-27-06!
2. submit application materials to at least 3 more districts this month, July 2006
3. get science certification: have taken (and PASSED!) the required test. i need to contact the state to get the appropriate paperwork. I think something got lost.
4. read 1 book/month relating to education that I have not read before, for a year: begun 07-06
5. network with more teachers: meet and get to know 3 other teachers (if hired, not including those teachers): 3/3
6. sign contract for a teaching job: put on contract May 2007 as TA in special ed. preschool classroom.

Financial
7. pay off taxes: first step 7-12-06, payment for 2005 mailed 10/24/06
8. open savings account: opened a savings account online 10/07
9. once we have steady income, deposit regular % of paycheck in savings: are currently depositing 5%, 10-07
10. write down a budget and stick to it for at least 4 months
11. move into an apt. that does not eat so much money ($735/month, up in Sept.): back down to $735 in Sept '07, back up again Sept '08 when we moved to a 2 bedroom
12. get a new car: got the title for the Bonneville 01/14/07
13. pay back relative set 1 for loan: will begin repaying in Sept. 07. last check mailed 11/15/07
14. pay back relative set 2 for loan
15. pay back relative set 3 for loan: 01/08, loan canceled (don't want to be reimbursed, though we offered
16. budget food stamp $ more effectively, don’t run out, 3 months in a row: Feb-March-April-(May) 2007
17. pay off my credit card: paying bill regularly, looking for lower interest rate options

Around the house
18. start Flylady’s 31 beginner steps again, and get through them this time. 1/day: begun 08-01-06. finished 9/11/06
19. bake 2 new kinds of cookies (from scratch): made Oatmeal Raisin, 7-28-06, Molasses 9-29-06
20. try 5 new meal recipes: Mac&Cheese 7-25-06, BBQ chicken 7-27-06, Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak 7-31-06, Busy Day Ham Casserole 9-13-06, One-Pan Chicken and Potato Bake 9-30-06
21. make and eat *real* oatmeal: 07-07-07
22. buy and eat mangoes 8-13-06
23. put up shelves to display bottle collection - in the new apartment (Sept 08) we have put up a shelf (with others hopefully soon), but we're displaying the bottle collection around the sink in the back hallway. The spirit of this goal was reached, though not in the manner I had expected.
24. paint my dresser a color other than pink!
25. clean off the desk in the bedroom so it can be used 8-23-06
26. get a daisy plant to grow and keep it alive! (in a pot or in the ground)
27. sort through big pile of old magazines and get rid of at least half 7-29-06
28. get rid of at least one box of things we don’t use (kitchen things, old fountain?) 8-30-06

Health/Wellness

30. do 15 min of yoga at home 4x/week for at least 2 months
31. drink at least 2x water bottle every day
32. go to the dentist: have collected names from coworkers
33. start going to the Chiropractor: initial visit scheduled for 11/14/07, visits on 11/21, 11/28, 11/30....
34. go to bed by 12 (Fri & Sat nights excluded) every night for 3 months: start 8-28-06 (part of FlyLady babysteps, day 17) restart: 02-11-07 05/01/07

Spiritual
35. join a small group with hubby and go regularly for 2 months goal accomplished 9-25-06
36. join a women’s group and go regularly for 2 months: began a knitting group at church (only women so far) 04/24/07. Still meeting regularly! 07/03/07
37. read Bible every night for a month (hopefully will continue beyond this!) 8-13-06
38. go to church at least twice during months I am in nursery
39. read at least 3 books relating to faith, the Bible, Christianity, etc: 3/3 Mere Christianity by CS Lewis, finished 08/02/07; The Book of God by Walter Wangerin finished 04/06/08; A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller finished 07/15/08
40. memorize 3 Bible passages: start 8-27-06: 2Kings 6:16-17,Sept/Oct: Psalm 135:13, Nov/Dec: Daniel 2:20-22 (or 23)

Relationships
41. send out Christmas cards every year 2006 - sent 5; 2007 - sent 14; 2008 - sent 36 (photo cards!)
42. do something with girlfriend(s)
43. write a card or letter to someone 1x a month for 6months (doesn’t need to be the same person each month): begun 08-06; 6/6 completed 01/07
44. make a new friend at church
45. write at least 1 letter/year to my sponsored child
46. call C once a month
47. visit Lia

Reading (besides my general #goals and the book goals in other sections)
48. read 20 non fiction, non education related books; start 08/07/06 and currently at 16/20
49. read the books I have on my shelves that I haven’t read before - 20/?
50. reread Narnia series
51. reread 5 books besides Narnia: 5/5
52. write at least one journal entry about how it felt to be rereading, the experience, did I enjoy it, what I noticed from book, etc 08/31/07, I wrote about rereading Wise Child.
53. read all the Newberry Medal books (there will be 87 total by 2009); 6 read
54. read all the Caldecott Medal books (there will be 71 total by 2009); 44 read
55. read all the Caldecott Honor books; 16 read
(For the Caldecott books I will reread those I’ve already read, since it won’t take long. But for the Newberry books I will give myself the option to not reread those I’ve already read, though of course I always can (I think I’ve read 16, though I may have read more)! And as always, if 50-100 pages in I don’t like it, then I can put it down and say I tried!)
56. read 3 books onto CDs (for gifts or for use in the classroom. ie – Horton Hears a Who, Shall I Knit you a Hat? Bear Snores On, Mem Fox title, non fiction title)
57. start/join a book club (I like this idea)
58. update (in some fashion) Reading Glasses once a month
59. return or renew all library books on-time, accruing no fines for at least 2 months: most recent restart date 11-19-06, (fine gone, 01-18-07!) goal completed 01-19-07!!

Adventures and Fun!
60. knit 3 pairs of socks (at least two different patterns): 3/3, Safari Socks finished!, Flyfishing socks finished!, Cherry Chocolate Brother Socks finished!
61. knit a sweater for myself
62. knit something to donate to hospital: box sent to the MI Preemie Project on 12-04-06. Blogged here.
63. knit 5 Christmas presents: 4 finished for Christmas 2006, 5th for Christmas 2007 (12-09-07)
64. buy a Christmas present at the Ann Arbor Art Fairs
65. take a pottery class
66. learn a new card game
67. play Clue
68. get Scrabble - received for Christmas 2006, 12/29/06
69. play with my Scrabble game 4 times: played the fourth game 04/08/07, Easter 2007.
70. play WoW again on my main account got the expansion for my birthday, '07. paid for account 02-20-07
71. get Ankti Nitesh (ranger) to lvl 20 in GW
72. do all the puzzles my brother-in-law and cousin got me for Christmas 2005: 2/6
73. start a magazine subscription (National Geographic? Knitting? Education?): received two gift subscriptions: Newsweek 12/06, Interweave Knits 01/08
74. look at something through telescope
75. go to a big telescope viewing event
76. learn how to rollerblade 7-19-06
77. get another kitty A friend's cat had kittens in June, we thought about it, prayed about it, and visited. Misu came to us on 08/01/07!
78. practice violin 5x/week for the next month
79. practice violin 2x/week for the 3 months after that
80. go to a Zoo - Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago 07-21-07
81. plant a tree (or help plant a tree)
82. finish the mini ‘how we met and got married’ scrapbook
83. do a ‘day in my life’ collage at least every 6 months for the duration of mission

Hubby Adventures!
84. go out with hubby at least 1/month (somewhere, anywhere!)
85. go to a concert went to the Kirov Orchestra concert 10/21/06
86. pick strawberries!!
87. catch fireflies
88. go ice skating
89. go on road trip with hubby ‘out west’
90. go to the beach 1x each summer: 2006 - Labor Day weekend with my parents and hubby, 2007 - small beach in Marysville with in-laws, 2008 - sailing at Lake Michigan with hubby and various of his extended family
91. go to an amusement park
92. go to a museum neither of us has been to before: Art Institute of Chicago!! 07-20-07
93. go to Baltimore Aquarium
94. fly kites
95. take hubby to 2 places I love and remember in Michigan
96. go somewhere out of the country (besides Canada)

Other
97. buy a new pair of sandals: was gifted with a nearly new pair, 12-15-06
98. get wedding pictures developed: 2/19/08 Hubby developed them and gave them to me for my birthday!!
99. get wedding dress cleaned - I don't think I want to, lol.
100. actually send the hair I cut to donate: 7-13-06 have envelope addressed, sent! 9-22-06
101. clean out the car – vacuum, freshen, wash, etc - we've had three cars since I started this challenge, I'm sure between the three of them we've done all of this ... lol. I wonder what exactly I intended with this goal?"

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