Goals Update - Several at Once!

Take a bath - Not much to report here, I guess. It was a bath. In a hotel. With super hot water. In a huge tub. With bath salts. And I loved it. And coveted the bathtub. Good times.

Create a recipe binder - Again, done. It's very helpful. It's nice to be able to page through recipe cards rather than sort through stacks when I'm looking for something particular. It's nice that they're covered in plastic while in the page protectors. I am an extremely messy cook. The plastic helps. My problem? I have a TON of recipes. So I don't have every recipe in my book - even every recipe category right now. I had to cut myself off due to the sheer amount of money I was laying out for page protectors. But it's working well and it's a work in progress and I think it was a good plan.

Garden by the front yard light pole - Done. I did it and thought it was done, and then things didn't grow back. But this year, I didn't plant anything new and everything ended up growing and thriving. Ideally I'd like to do something a little more elaborate and pretty, but this is fine for now. I'm not interested in laying out more money to expand the garden in that particular area of the lawn.

Get pregnant or do ivf - Did the ivf. There's so much more to say about this, but it would take up too much space. I'm taking a pass on elaborating on this one and just saying "Done."

Get off Zoloft - I did this just after Christmas. Granted, I'm considering going back on - lol - but I did get off it and have been off it for about 7 months. Around Christmas, I had been periodically forgetting my pills. I do that sometimes, normally when I'm overwhelmed by the number of supplements I'm taking. Anyway, we went away for a few days and I had both forgotten to take my Zoloft for several days and had forgotten to bring my pills with me. So I just decided to go from there. I called my doctor to let him know my plan, which was fine with him. Then I proceded. Basically, my plan was to stretch out the interval between pills as long as possible. However, if I noticed a withdrawal symptom (for me, usually head rushes, nausea, and stuff like that), I took a pill right away. Like, within ten minutes if at all possible. As the length of time between pills began to increase, I started cutting the pills in half - and eventually in quarters. One day, I just realized I hadn't taken anything for a while and felt fine. It was good. This is the part I like about Zoloft - it didn't work that well for me this time around, but I knew it probably wouldn't be horrid to quit. It's still a chore and feels a bit risky and uncertain, but it's not horrific like it can be with some versions.

200 Blog Posts - I've definitely done this. I haven't kept precise count, but I'm nearly positive I'm closer to 300, not just 200.

That's it for now. I can see I may need to reassess a few other goals. But I'll save that for another day - maybe when I'm 75% done?

Almost Halfway Point - Reassessments

So I'm almost half-way through this project and haven't made very good progress! lol In examining my list, I've realized that some of my originally-established goals are either not possible or are things that aren't that important to me after all. Go figure. So I've decided to adjust my list of goals slightly. These are the goals I'm removing:

• Places to Visit #2 and #10 - These are basically the same goal, so I'm combining them into one
• Places to Visit #3 - After we went downtown for a different festival and there was a shooting outside the bar we were in, I vowed I would never go downtown for such an event again unless I thought my life would end if I didn't go. Summerfest doesn't fall in this category. I'm removing this goal.
• Household Stuff #6 - I looked into moving the peonies, but what I read said that basically peonies are immovable. I've decided to leave them where they are.
• Household Stuff #7 - Given the fact that we turned half our backyard into an actual garden, I have no remaining space in which to try square foot gardening. I'm removing this goal.
• Volunteerism #1 - This is basically the same goal as Finances #5. I'm combining these goals.
• Content to Consume #1, #2, and #5 - I really don't care about these anymore. I'll be replacing these.
• Business Category - I'm removing all three of these. It's not that I don't want to accomplish these goals; it's more that I'm not sure where I want to go professionally, and I certainly know I won't be arriving at my destination in the next 500 days. I'll be replacing these.

So by my count, I'm eliminating 11 goals. So I need to come up with 11 more. I used Amanda's blog for some inspirations (and I almost directly stole a few ideas from her because they sounded perfect)! :)

Yikes!

1. Cut my hair short
2. Do another "no spend" month
3. Don't eat out for one month
4. Get rid of non-sentimental baby clothes
5. Get a tattoo
6. Take the train to Chicago
7. Take Gabe on an "adventure" everyday for a month
8. Decide what I want to do professionally... or when I grow up ;)
9. Have a picnic lunch or dinner at a local park
10. Try 5 new non-chain restaurants
11. Start a journal of some of my favorite childhood memories

Three more goals

I achieved 3 more goals this week. It started in disaster but ended up to be a lot of fun.

Thursday was my birthday, and it didn't go very well. Tahd stayed late at work, I got hurt and offended, and we basically tolerated each other over dinner and went our separate ways afterward. Of course, this spilled into Friday. Tahd thought he did nothing wrong. I felt devastated.

A fairly terse argument ensued via im, and I told him I didn't know if I wanted to go out on our scheduled date that evening. When he came home and started playing wii, I decided I couldn't take it anymore and left.

I planned to go do our date on my own, but the thought of going to the Melting Pot by myself sounded particularly boring, so I went to the movies instead. By myself. For the first time. And it wasn't bad. I watched Bride Wars and thought it was really cute. Tahd did track me down via text message and showed up with about 50 minutes of the movie left, but I'm still counting it as a completed goal because I basically did it and he showed up completely unsolicited.

After that, we went to the Melting Pot where we continued our argument in a less terse fashion. And then when everything was okay between us, I decided I'd go for my "drunk" goal, too. I got a bit tipsy, but I honestly felt like if I had any more alcohol I was going to start throwing up. However, I could still stand up, walk, carry on a full conversation - and because Tahd asked, I found out I could also still stand on one foot and walk a straight line.

All that to say I sort of doubt whether or not I made it all the way to drunk. But I decided it's fine with me and I got close enough because if I have to puke to get drunk I don't want to do it anymore. I puked enough in January. *giggle*

More complete

I really have been working on things even though I haven't been posting about them. Here are my updates of the things I've been accomplishing!

1. Have a bra fitting - my sisters, mother and I all went to a little undergarment shop downtown a few months ago. I didn't actually agree with what they sized me at, but it got me close enough to decide what size made me most comfortable.
2. Grow my hair out so it reaches the middle of my back - I did it! I just recently got it trimmed (and recolored) and I'm glad. It definitely needed the trim. I haven't decided what I'm going to do to it next, but I am glad this most recent trim included an addition of bangs!
3. I made Christmas cookies this year. YUM! We did it for our reindeer party and it was a lot of fun - well, both the cookies and the party were a lot of fun! I see so many beautiful cookie designs and I'd like to try that sometime, but when you have to make 12 dozen cookies, just getting them done is sufficient!
4. Make homemade salsa - Late this summer I made homemade salsa out of veggies from our garden, no less! It was delicious, although not as sweet as store-bought salsa. Something to get used to!
5. Bake a cake for someone who has hurt me - Done. It was an interesting experience. I had to really focus on not doing it sloppily, and to really put myself in it. I can't say I had the best attitude through the whole experience, but I can say I did it and it was a valuable experience for me.
6. Have family photos done - we did this as part of Mom's Christmas present. The results are adorable, and it's nice to have them updated!
7. Take a yoga class - I attended a Kripalu yoga class with a yoga teacher in Racine. It was okay. They really lobbied hard to get me to commit to coming back. But I much prefer some sort of hatha yoga, and I don't want to be locked into anything. It was a lot of fun, but definitely not my thing.
8. Buy a beautiful bra in my correct size - done. Nuff said.
   

The Queen

We watched The Queen tonight. I was quite impressed - I thought it was a great movie! Of course, I am a Diana junkie and really enjoy hearing about the royal family. Tahd wasn't quite as impressed as I was. But since the Olympics ended, I had to think of something else to do with my time, and this movie seemed like a good substitution!

More goals met!

I've done a few more goals! And I've realized that I think I'm going to have to be a lot more purposeful about meeting these goals if I'm going to complete them! Especially the reading ones. I think I picked too many books!

We recently watched Michael Clayton. It was good! I enjoyed it! And I have rented The Queen to take with us on the trip we're taking this week. I've wanted to watch it for a while now and haven't gotten around to it.

We also picked a bed for ds. It was a black metal bed from Crate and Barrel. The price was right, and when I saw it in person, I really liked it! He was none to impressed with the fact that we were changing things around, but he is settling in, even though he still says he doesn't like it when asked. We haven't quite finished his room yet, but we're working on it!

Finally, I'm crossing off the one about investigating why my spotting doesn't stop. I think we may have found the answer!!! When I had my annual exam earlier this summer, I talked about it to my obgyn, and he suggested that we do an exploratory hysteroscopy to see if I had any uterine polyps. We scheduled the surgery for late July, and at that time he found that I did, in fact have some polyps. Those are removed now, and I have already noticed a difference. Hopefully it sticks around!

Quick update - a few more goals!

So I went to Woodman's on Monday and did my grocery shopping. On my other blog, I'm working on a 21 Days of Nothing challenge where we are strictly limited on our spending. The good news is that I ended up getting all my groceries for $36! Shocking! And I feel like we have everything we need and a bit we want. I'm thrilled! I like Woodman's. It's confusing, but I think that's mostly because I've never shopped there before. The layout is a bit different. But with the low prices, I think I need to get used to it!

Also, I had my ob/gyn appointment on Monday, and I talked to my doctor about my ongoing spotting. We have decided to pursue a minor surgery - a hysteroscopy - to see if there are any polyps in my uterus. Hopefully we'll get some information from that! I'm not crossing it off until I've had the hysteroscopy and we get the information from that. I'm a little bit nervous because it will involve a general anesthetic, which I've never had before. Hopefully it'll go well!

More

I thought of more things I want to do after reading Amanda's 1001 blog... I have to list them here to decide if I want to sub out anything.

I want to read all the Harry Potter books. I also want to read the Golden Compass books. I know that's not the name of them, but it'll help me remember which ones I want to read. My problem is I have WAY too many books to read in the next 1001 days!!! Yikes! I'd also like to start shopping at Aldi's and the local farmer's market. I think we'd get a lot more mileage out of our grocery budget, and I think it's better to buy local produce whenever possible. Do I ever do it? No, but I think I should! I know I'll come up with more.

In other good news, I finished a goal and didn't even realize I had finished it! I went to the chiropractor today. It was lovely! I can't wait to go back. I didn't have any treatments today - just talking and x-rays. I can't wait to see my x-rays. I have a huge fascination with the inside of the body. I should have gotten into something medical! I love seeing pictures of what's really going on.

Also, I am very close to settling on a bed for Gabe. Very close. It's hard for me to take the plunge, but I think we've just about settled on a metal bed from Crate and Barrel. It's nice and the price is right! Then we'll just need a mattress and we can finish the room conversions!

Oh - and my hair is getting closer and closer to the middle of my back. But it really needs a trim. It hasn't been trimmed in almost a year! Yikes! So that'll set me back a bit on that one.

My Yoga Meditation Book

One of my favorite dates with Tahd is to go to Barnes & Noble, pick up a collection of books and magazines, and hang out on their couches reading. The last time I was there, I picked up Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates. I love it! There are 365 meditations, all about yoga - not just poses, but about the philosophy about yoga. It resonates with me so much!

One of my goals is to read the whole book, and I think I'm somewhere around the 50th meditation. I wish I could read the whole book overnight and absorb every bit of it. A yogic lifestyle seems like one that fosters a quiet, calm mind. I like that! Hopefully the more I read, the more that will be fostered in me.

Completed?

I have decided I may have to get rid of a goal. Or I may have come close enough to fulfilling it. Not sure yet. I have to think on it. It's the "Places to Go" - Attend Summerfest goal.

This weekend we were celebrating my sister's birthday. Her husband threw her a surprise party, in which we ate at her favorite restaurant and then went downtown to a piano bar we all enjoy.

The complicating factor was Riversplash. Milwaukee seems to have festivals every weekend when it's not snowing, and Riversplash is a festival in which they close off certain streets downtown, set up stages, and bands play into the night. Bars set up kiosks on the street, and it's a big drunken love fest. Or at least a fest.

Anyway, while we were in the bar - sometime after 11:00 but before 12:00, we saw droves of people all running in one direction. Running. Frantically. It looked like a stampede. Then people starting ducking down behind the wooden bars and hiding behind brick work on buildings. Seriously. I was - to put it mildly - a little distressed to know that a mere pane of glass was separating me from whatever was going on outside.

Finally, one of the guys hiding behind the brickwork and in front of the window held up his hand in the shape of a gun. Apparently some moron lunatic had fired shots. Soon, the police arrived on their motorcycles to set up a rolling baricade, and equestrian officers followed. The intersection just in front of the bar was completely taped off with crime scene tape, and we could see them interviewing witnesses.

All of this about 50 feet from where I sat.

So I've decided that Milwaukee sucks, and I'm none too impressed with it. When we lived in Maine, I remember hearing a few stories about how mobs randomly beat unsuspecting citizens. It made national news. What is wrong with the people here??? Anyway, since Milwaukee is apparently unable to maintain reasonable control of itself in large groups, I'm not sure I want to attend Summerfest. I think it might end up being more of the same.

So Riversplash may sub in for Summerfest, and I may cross that one off my list.

Done!

I finally completed my list! It took me more time than expected to put it into categories, and when I got it into categories I realized that I had some slight duplications. So I switched those around and published the list on the sidebar of my blog. Woot!

The good news is I've already completed one item! I bought a custom name for my personal blog. The title of my blog has always been "slightly cosmopolitan but profoundly ordinary." My url, however, was heidis-musings.blogspot.com. Didn't really relate! So I bought www.slightlycosmopolitan.com, and I'm loving it! I suppose it doesn't matter *that* much, but it makes me smile!

More things!

65. Go camping for more than 1 night.
66. Go to bed before 11:00 every night for 2 weeks.
67. Create a "Home Bible."
68. Do a tv fast for 1 week.
69. Go see a recording of Prairie Home Companion.
70. Build a patio in our back yard.
71. Try square foot gardening.
72. Learn to change a tire.
73. Shop at Woodman's.
74. Get a chimney cap.
75. Help dh build/create/paint bedside tables.
76. Finally select a "big boy bed" for ds.
77. Do some sort of more extended cleanse.
78. Go to a chiropractor.
79. Add red accents to our bedroom.
80. Move the peonies.
81. Paint pottery.
82. Give up the MOPS Coordinator position.
83. Bake a cake for someone who has hurt me.
84. Put new flooring in the bathroom.
85. Paint the bathroom vanity.
86. Go on an immensely romantic trip.
87. Explore why my spotting doesn't stop.
88. Grow my hair out so it reaches the middle of my back.
89. Buy a real blog name.
90. Purge my wardrobe of anything I haven't worn in 2 years.
91. Vote for Barack Obama.
92. Create 12 of my own "Extra Soul Support" slips.
93. Read all 365 of my yoga meditations.
94. Finish ds's "First Year" video.
95. Write my life story in less than a week.
96. Eat at the Melting Pot.
97. Attend Summerfest.
98. Get drunk
99. Create and maintain an emergency fund for 6 months.
100. Read my anatomy text book.
101. Make homemade salsa.

Yay! I did it! I'm going to reorganize my goals into categories so they're easier to keep track of, and I need to calculate when my 1001 days will end...

Okay - according to some random online calculator, my 1001 days will begin on Tuesday, 5/27/2008 and will end on Tuesday, 2/22/2011. Woot!

My list so far

This is still a work in progress, but it's what I have at this point. I was surprised at how hard it is to come up with 101 things I want to do. The thing that made it hard was the time constraint. There are tons of things I want to do. But to know I have to do them all in less than 3 years makes it a bit more challenging!

I'm going to put them here, and then I will update the list as I think of more. Eventually I will categorize them, too.

1. Get pregnant or do IVF
2. Go to Disney World
3. Buy a car
4. Eliminate credit card debt
5. Have a BMI of 21 or less
6. Qualify for Sterling Club
7. Decorate my bedroom
8. Refinish our stairs
9. Paint the hall
10. Get a wooden play set
11. Create a recipe binder
12. Achieve star leader
13. Take a yoga class
14. Go to Vegas
15. Go to the Caribbean
16. Get a badminton set
17. Get a chair and a half
18. Run a race
19. Run 10 miles at once
20. Go to Body Worlds
21. Get my scrapbook up to date
22. Qualify for SOAR
23. Read the entire Bible
24. Save $5000
25. Have a yard sale
26. Take a cake decorating class
27. Create a birthday reminder system
28. Watch all the major Oscar films
29. Fast
30. Have family photos done
31. Pay cash for Christmas
32. Garden by the front yard light pole
33. Somehow support the greater infertility cause
34. Get off Zoloft
35. Have a massage
36. Have a facial
37. Make fruit leather
38. Take a bath
39. Sew kitchen curtains
40. Get more politically active
41. Get Gabe's Canadian citizenship papers
42. Make Christmas cookies and butter tarts
43. Buy a beautiful bra in my correct size
44. Throw a legends party
45. Take a photography class
46. Send a Christmas letter
47. Visit California
48. See a Broadway show
49. Take a family camping trip
50. Eat with chopsticks
51. Go to a pro baseball game
52. Buy some sort of designer clothing
53. Try bubble tea
54. Do a complete MAC eye makeover
55. Go on a girls' weekend
56. Go to the movies alone
57. Pay it forward at Starbucks
58. Have a bra fitting
59. Do our own "One Winter Morning on Plum Street"
60. Go on a weekend getaway at a bed and breakfast with dh
61. Ask my parents 100 questions
62. Fix and finish our basement
63. Read "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Grapes of Wrath," "Of Mice and Men," "The Catcher in the Rye," and "A Wrinkle in Time."
64. Watch "The Matrix," "Sicko," "Mulholland Drive," "Brokeback Mountain," "Little Miss Sunshine," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "The Queen," "Good Night and Good Luck," "Life is Beautiful," and "Shine."