I've been keeping up with my progress, just not on the blog. But I've done two more things! And have made some other progress recently
Completed
77. Enter a photograph in a contest- I entered a picture I took in Australia to the Canon Project Imagination Contest. My submission is here. I probably won't even be a finalist, but that's okay. It was just something to say I've done it. The deadline was super close to when I found it, so I had to decide on a picture.
81. Watch every episode of Friends- I can't believe it's over! I was so sad- I became so invested in the characters. I'm 100% Monica, and I'm completely okay with that. I really want to own them on dvd. Maybe later down the road, when I have the money. Good thing I have a friend with the whole set, so whenever I need a Friends fix, I know who to call.
Progress
60. Donate 101 things to charity- I took another bag of clothes that I missed the first time I cleaned out my closet 77/101
65. 15 Books of BBC Big Read- I finally finished Wind in the Willows. It was terrible. I struggled through it, but it's over. It took way longer than it should have. I don't know what my next book will be. Maybe Pride and Prejudice? It's number 2, and I've never read it (1/15)
79. Go to 5 concerts- I went to see my future husband, Ben Rector, at the Georgia Theatre for the UGA Miracle concert. He is always such a great performer! He played everything I wanted him to: The Beat, White Dress, She Is, etc, and a new song he hasn't released yet called Forever Like That. I LOVE this song so much, and I can't wait for his new cd to come out.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
3 Months In
I'm 3 months in, and I've already done so much!
In Progress: 22
Completed: 7
Progress
2. Get involved in some type of organization for Grad Students- I'm not quite sure what this is going to look like or what I am going to count. I've gone to the grad student sunday school class at my church once, but I definitely need to be more regular/intentional about going and actually get to know the people in the group, if this is what I decide to count. Also, we are trying to revive UGASCA (UGA School Counseling Association), and make it a more legitimate organization. I think that would be a great idea and would definitely count in marking this off.
37. Go to a new college football stadium (preferably SEC)- I got a ticket for the GA/Auburn game in November, which is in Auburn. I was supposed to go two different times during undergrad, both of which fell through. I'm so excited for it though. And I've heard Jordan-Hare is a beautiful (but nothing will hold a candle to Sanford)
42. Work my way through an entire cookbook- I decided to do the Prevention Healthy Favorites: Chicken Recipes, a cookbook I got for free on my Kindle. There are 48 different recipes, most of which look good. And some of my friends decided that we are going to have weekly dinners, which I can incorporate this, as well as goal #86 (Make 50 things from Pinterest). The first thing I made was the Chicken Spinach Parmesan, which was actually pretty good. I realized that I suck at cooking, so Stephen helped more than I would like to admit. But it was a success, and more progress is done! 1/48
43. Try 15 new restaurants- Senor Sol- this is a restaurant I have passed countless times, but I had never made it inside. My friend Alisha and I were craving Mexican on Sunday, and the place we wanted to go was closed, so I decided we would try it out. The salsa was a little spicy for me, and the cheese dip was super expensive ($5 for the cheapest one which was as much as my quesedilla) so I decided against it. But the food was really good. I had the chicken and vegetable quesedilla, and was even able to save half of it for lunch the next day.
The second restaurant I went to was the Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub in Atlanta. My mom was there for a conference, and I decided to meet her for dinner. We had no idea where to go, so we just pulled into a shopping center/little community called Brookhaven in Buckhead. It was a casual little place, but the food was great. My mom had a reuben and I had the chicken and vegetable pasta, which I was able to eat for dinner the next day. (I'm starting to see a trend in my food) 8/15
79. Go to 5 concerts- I went to Dierks Bentley on August 20. He came to UGA, and the concert was a lot of fun, despite not being able to see him all the time. I somehow always get stuck behind the tallest people at concerts/games/class etc. It was not the best concert ever- Luke Bryan last year was a lot more entertaining as a performer. But it was still worth it. I'm going to Ben Rector tomorrow at the Georgia Theater, which I know is going to be awesome. I love Ben, and I've been wanting to go to that venue ever since they said they were reopening it. I have a test, paper, and presentation due tomorrow, so it will be a great reward after a crazy week. And it's for charity, so that makes it even better. 1/5
80. Listen to every song on my computer- 2161/5024
81. Watch every episode of Friends- I'm on Season Nine, and I'm so sad to know that it is ending soon! As cheesy as it sounds, I have become so attached to these characters, and I'm really tempted to buy the whole series (the $120+ price tag is definitely a hinderance). 215/238
100. Save $5 for every task I complete- 35/505
In Progress: 22
Completed: 7
Progress
2. Get involved in some type of organization for Grad Students- I'm not quite sure what this is going to look like or what I am going to count. I've gone to the grad student sunday school class at my church once, but I definitely need to be more regular/intentional about going and actually get to know the people in the group, if this is what I decide to count. Also, we are trying to revive UGASCA (UGA School Counseling Association), and make it a more legitimate organization. I think that would be a great idea and would definitely count in marking this off.
37. Go to a new college football stadium (preferably SEC)- I got a ticket for the GA/Auburn game in November, which is in Auburn. I was supposed to go two different times during undergrad, both of which fell through. I'm so excited for it though. And I've heard Jordan-Hare is a beautiful (but nothing will hold a candle to Sanford)
42. Work my way through an entire cookbook- I decided to do the Prevention Healthy Favorites: Chicken Recipes, a cookbook I got for free on my Kindle. There are 48 different recipes, most of which look good. And some of my friends decided that we are going to have weekly dinners, which I can incorporate this, as well as goal #86 (Make 50 things from Pinterest). The first thing I made was the Chicken Spinach Parmesan, which was actually pretty good. I realized that I suck at cooking, so Stephen helped more than I would like to admit. But it was a success, and more progress is done! 1/48
43. Try 15 new restaurants- Senor Sol- this is a restaurant I have passed countless times, but I had never made it inside. My friend Alisha and I were craving Mexican on Sunday, and the place we wanted to go was closed, so I decided we would try it out. The salsa was a little spicy for me, and the cheese dip was super expensive ($5 for the cheapest one which was as much as my quesedilla) so I decided against it. But the food was really good. I had the chicken and vegetable quesedilla, and was even able to save half of it for lunch the next day.
The second restaurant I went to was the Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub in Atlanta. My mom was there for a conference, and I decided to meet her for dinner. We had no idea where to go, so we just pulled into a shopping center/little community called Brookhaven in Buckhead. It was a casual little place, but the food was great. My mom had a reuben and I had the chicken and vegetable pasta, which I was able to eat for dinner the next day. (I'm starting to see a trend in my food) 8/15
79. Go to 5 concerts- I went to Dierks Bentley on August 20. He came to UGA, and the concert was a lot of fun, despite not being able to see him all the time. I somehow always get stuck behind the tallest people at concerts/games/class etc. It was not the best concert ever- Luke Bryan last year was a lot more entertaining as a performer. But it was still worth it. I'm going to Ben Rector tomorrow at the Georgia Theater, which I know is going to be awesome. I love Ben, and I've been wanting to go to that venue ever since they said they were reopening it. I have a test, paper, and presentation due tomorrow, so it will be a great reward after a crazy week. And it's for charity, so that makes it even better. 1/5
80. Listen to every song on my computer- 2161/5024
81. Watch every episode of Friends- I'm on Season Nine, and I'm so sad to know that it is ending soon! As cheesy as it sounds, I have become so attached to these characters, and I'm really tempted to buy the whole series (the $120+ price tag is definitely a hinderance). 215/238
100. Save $5 for every task I complete- 35/505
Friday, August 24, 2012
#7- Take the strengthsfinder 2.0 test
I first heard about this test my Junior year of college when the Wesley interns were required to take it. My discipler at the time told me about it and I thought it was so cool! But you had to buy the book with the access code, and I never got around to it. But as I was creating this list, I decided that it was something that I would benefit from, and I love taking personality tests, as well as finding out my strengths- hence the title of the book. Also it was mentioned a few times during my summer classes, which encouraged me to do it sooner, rather than later.
The book was about $15 on Amazon, and it came with the access code for the website. I took the test, and my top five strengths were Discipline, Empathy, Developer, Includer, Learner. Some of the questions were really difficult to answer because I felt that I was strong in both categories because the categories were so different, and like most tests with a ton of questions, I felt that I contradicted myself from time to time. But after reading the descriptions of each one, I think they are pretty accurate. Here's the brief version of my strengths.
1. Discipline- People who are especially talented in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
2. Empathy- People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others’ lives or others’ situations.
3. Developer- People who are especially talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these
improvements.
4. Includer- People who are especially talented in the Includer theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out, and make an effort to include them.
5. Learner- People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
I think that these five strengths are vital for being a school counselor, which gives me some reassurance that I am in the right field. I think that this is something that is really good for all people to take, and if I was an employer, I would try and use it in my company for hiring purposes to make sure that we had a wide variety of people, or just make the employees take it, to have a better understanding of the people they are working with to create a more efficient environment.
The book was about $15 on Amazon, and it came with the access code for the website. I took the test, and my top five strengths were Discipline, Empathy, Developer, Includer, Learner. Some of the questions were really difficult to answer because I felt that I was strong in both categories because the categories were so different, and like most tests with a ton of questions, I felt that I contradicted myself from time to time. But after reading the descriptions of each one, I think they are pretty accurate. Here's the brief version of my strengths.
1. Discipline- People who are especially talented in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
2. Empathy- People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others’ lives or others’ situations.
3. Developer- People who are especially talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these
improvements.
4. Includer- People who are especially talented in the Includer theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out, and make an effort to include them.
5. Learner- People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
I think that these five strengths are vital for being a school counselor, which gives me some reassurance that I am in the right field. I think that this is something that is really good for all people to take, and if I was an employer, I would try and use it in my company for hiring purposes to make sure that we had a wide variety of people, or just make the employees take it, to have a better understanding of the people they are working with to create a more efficient environment.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
#38- Try Zumba & Other Progress
This week at Ramsey was Free Week, so all the group fitness classes were available to try. I decided to take Zumba to see what it was all about. My friend Danielle from my cohort went with me, and a girl I knew, Nidia, actually taught half of the class. I thought the instructors were really good, but I realized how uncoordinated I was. It was difficult for me to keep up with the movements, especially when they added arms. Also, I think I may have pulled a muscle in my calf, because I'm still sore two days later. I probably won't be buying the pass that is necessary for the classes (at least not now- I need to stop spending money) but it definitely was a good workout. It made me really want to dance again since it is all Latin inspired moves, so I might try and go to some of the Ballroom Dance classes on Sunday night, or Swing Night at Dance FX this Tuesday.
Progress
60. Donate 101 things to charity- I took two other boxes to Goodwill last week with some household items and a few other clothes that I don't wear anymore after finally getting everything (for the most part) organized in my room. 67/101
80. Listen to every song on my computer- 2030/5026
81. Watch every episode of Friends- 190/238
86. Make 50 things from my Pinterest boards (crafts, food, clothes, jewelry, decorations, etc)- I made Skinny Funfetti Cupcakes for my friend's birthday, as well as for a dinner party hosted by one of my professors. They were super easy, delicious, and they only have 110 calories each! All you do is take the Funfetti Box, pour it into a bowl, and add 12 ounces of Sprite Zero. Mix it until it's smooth, and bake for 15ish minutes at 350 degrees. The frosting is just as easy- 1 packet of instant vanilla pudding, and a container of Fat Free Cool Whip mixed together. I don't really understand how the Sprite works instead of eggs, butter, oil, etc, but it does! Diet Coke can also be used with a chocolate cake mix. And the frosting is great- you can use any flavor of instant pudding for variety. I will definitely be making these (or some variation of these) in the future. 6/50
100. Save $5 for every task I complete- 25/505
Progress
60. Donate 101 things to charity- I took two other boxes to Goodwill last week with some household items and a few other clothes that I don't wear anymore after finally getting everything (for the most part) organized in my room. 67/101
80. Listen to every song on my computer- 2030/5026
81. Watch every episode of Friends- 190/238
86. Make 50 things from my Pinterest boards (crafts, food, clothes, jewelry, decorations, etc)- I made Skinny Funfetti Cupcakes for my friend's birthday, as well as for a dinner party hosted by one of my professors. They were super easy, delicious, and they only have 110 calories each! All you do is take the Funfetti Box, pour it into a bowl, and add 12 ounces of Sprite Zero. Mix it until it's smooth, and bake for 15ish minutes at 350 degrees. The frosting is just as easy- 1 packet of instant vanilla pudding, and a container of Fat Free Cool Whip mixed together. I don't really understand how the Sprite works instead of eggs, butter, oil, etc, but it does! Diet Coke can also be used with a chocolate cake mix. And the frosting is great- you can use any flavor of instant pudding for variety. I will definitely be making these (or some variation of these) in the future. 6/50
100. Save $5 for every task I complete- 25/505
Thursday, August 9, 2012
2 More Tasks Down!
August 8, 2012 was a very productive day!
Completed
10. Do trivia at a bar/restaurant- Several years ago, I went to a trivia night for a friend of a friend's birthday. It was fun, but our group was really big, and because I didn't really know the people, they didn't trust my answers. And I've been wanting to go to another one ever since. So my friend Becca and I were talking, and did some research, and discovered that Blind Pig Tavern (a restaurant I had never been- progress on number 43!), had trivia on Wednesdays. A group of five (Baker, Merritt, Murray, Becca, and I) made up our team, which Baker dubbed 'Merica in honor of the fact that we are dominating the Olympics. There were no categories, but most were Pop Culture or Current Events. I knew several, but we only placed fourth, so no prizes. But I think everyone had a lot of fun, and hopefully we will do it another time!
76. Make a Photo Collage- I bought three collage frames two years ago with the intention of actually filing them up, and I finally did. I made one collage of my Australia pictures, and the other has random pictures with my friends. The third one is still in the works. It will be a collage of just football pictures, but I didn't develop enough, so I will have to postpone that one. And I'm going to wait to hang them up until they are all finished. But I get to cross this one off the list.
Progress
81. Watch every episode of Friends- I'm almost finished with Season Seven. 169/238
100. Save $5 for every task I complete- I just transfered $10 more to my account for Europe! 20/505
Completed
10. Do trivia at a bar/restaurant- Several years ago, I went to a trivia night for a friend of a friend's birthday. It was fun, but our group was really big, and because I didn't really know the people, they didn't trust my answers. And I've been wanting to go to another one ever since. So my friend Becca and I were talking, and did some research, and discovered that Blind Pig Tavern (a restaurant I had never been- progress on number 43!), had trivia on Wednesdays. A group of five (Baker, Merritt, Murray, Becca, and I) made up our team, which Baker dubbed 'Merica in honor of the fact that we are dominating the Olympics. There were no categories, but most were Pop Culture or Current Events. I knew several, but we only placed fourth, so no prizes. But I think everyone had a lot of fun, and hopefully we will do it another time!
76. Make a Photo Collage- I bought three collage frames two years ago with the intention of actually filing them up, and I finally did. I made one collage of my Australia pictures, and the other has random pictures with my friends. The third one is still in the works. It will be a collage of just football pictures, but I didn't develop enough, so I will have to postpone that one. And I'm going to wait to hang them up until they are all finished. But I get to cross this one off the list.
Progress
43. Try 15 new restaurants- Blind Pig Tavern. I had the swiss and mushroom burger. The food was pretty good, not amazing, but it was cheap. My whole meal, with a 20% tip, was about $8. 6/15
80. Listen to every song on my computer- I really need to start organizing all my music while I listen to it, but so far that hasn't happened. 1946/5041
80. Listen to every song on my computer- I really need to start organizing all my music while I listen to it, but so far that hasn't happened. 1946/5041
81. Watch every episode of Friends- I'm almost finished with Season Seven. 169/238
100. Save $5 for every task I complete- I just transfered $10 more to my account for Europe! 20/505
Monday, August 6, 2012
I've feel like I've been making so much progress recently! Since I have a break from Grad School for a few weeks, I have decided to be as productive as possible. A few days were taken up with packing and moving, but once I got a little more settled
Completed
1. Join ASCA (American School Counselor Association)- I had to do this for my program, but it was something that I had been putting off. Now I have access to all the information on the ASCA website, as well as liability insurance, which is the most important thing.
88. Get a Massage- After moving for three days, my back was absolutely killing me. I was really wanting to get a massage, and then the next day, the Groupon was for a Swedish Massage at the Basic Wellness Center. $29 for a $79 one-hour massage. It was wonderful! The staff was very friendly and it was such a relaxing time. She used the hot stones on my back, which made me less ticklish. I would love to get another one once I have more money.
Progress
7. Take the strengthsfinder 2.0 test- I ordered the book on Amazon along with some other things that I needed (Textbooks, etc). I'll take the test as soon as it comes!
47. Try every cupcake listed on the menu from Silver Lining- Pink Champagne. I really wanted to Peach Bellini, but they were out when I made it over there this past week. But it was still really good! It was pink champagne cake with champagne butter cream frosting and sugar crystals. It was the perfect amount of sweet without being overwhelming. 4/30
60. Donate 101 things to charity- Before moving out of my apartment, I took 50 items to the Great America's Thrift Store. I was going to go to Goodwill, but the donation center was closed. 50/101
76. Make a photo collage- I actually am going to make three! I just developed all my pictures, and hopefully will finish sometime this week.
80. Listen to every song on my computer- 1831/5044
81. Watch every episode of Friends- I finished Season Six, and am making my way through Season Seven. I've been watching them while cooking and crafting. I'm kind of embarrassed as to how much I have watched recently, especially this past weekend. But I'm on summer vacation, and I only have a week left to enjoy it! 164/238
86. Make 50 things from my Pinterest boards (crafts, food, clothes, jewelry, decorations, etc)- Here's my post for the 5 pinterest project I've done recently- 5/50
100. Save $5 for every task I complete- For joining ASCA and my massage 15/505
Completed
1. Join ASCA (American School Counselor Association)- I had to do this for my program, but it was something that I had been putting off. Now I have access to all the information on the ASCA website, as well as liability insurance, which is the most important thing.
88. Get a Massage- After moving for three days, my back was absolutely killing me. I was really wanting to get a massage, and then the next day, the Groupon was for a Swedish Massage at the Basic Wellness Center. $29 for a $79 one-hour massage. It was wonderful! The staff was very friendly and it was such a relaxing time. She used the hot stones on my back, which made me less ticklish. I would love to get another one once I have more money.
Progress
7. Take the strengthsfinder 2.0 test- I ordered the book on Amazon along with some other things that I needed (Textbooks, etc). I'll take the test as soon as it comes!
47. Try every cupcake listed on the menu from Silver Lining- Pink Champagne. I really wanted to Peach Bellini, but they were out when I made it over there this past week. But it was still really good! It was pink champagne cake with champagne butter cream frosting and sugar crystals. It was the perfect amount of sweet without being overwhelming. 4/30
60. Donate 101 things to charity- Before moving out of my apartment, I took 50 items to the Great America's Thrift Store. I was going to go to Goodwill, but the donation center was closed. 50/101
76. Make a photo collage- I actually am going to make three! I just developed all my pictures, and hopefully will finish sometime this week.
80. Listen to every song on my computer- 1831/5044
81. Watch every episode of Friends- I finished Season Six, and am making my way through Season Seven. I've been watching them while cooking and crafting. I'm kind of embarrassed as to how much I have watched recently, especially this past weekend. But I'm on summer vacation, and I only have a week left to enjoy it! 164/238
86. Make 50 things from my Pinterest boards (crafts, food, clothes, jewelry, decorations, etc)- Here's my post for the 5 pinterest project I've done recently- 5/50
100. Save $5 for every task I complete- For joining ASCA and my massage 15/505
Pinterest 5/50
1. I finished a custom planner. After falling in love with the Erin Condren Life Planner, but not willing to shell out the $60+ price tag, I decided I would create my own. I search for several hours on Pinterest, but couldn't find one that would work, so I used several for inspiration, like here, here, and here. I made my own weekly template with plenty of space for all my events. And I used some of my scrapbook paper and stickers to create cute dividers for each month. I love my cover, and then I've put several inspirational quotes/Bible verse throughout the planner.
2 & 3. I made White Chocolate Filled Snickerdoodles. It did not have an actual recipe for the cookies, just how to fill them, so I used Martha Stewart's Snickerdoodle recipe. The first batch was a little overdone, but the second was a lot better. They weren'te terribly difficult or time consuming, but I'm not quite sure I want to make them again. I can't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but they just didn't taste great.
4 & 5. Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes I had been wanting to make these for months. They looked absolutely delicious. But they were not. First of all, they took over an hour to make the cake, filling, and frosting. Then my oven overcooked them (this is beginning to be a common theme). The recipe said 20-25 minutes, and after 20 they were completely burned. I need to learn my new oven better. But even the batter didn't taste good. The filling and frosting were too good to waste, so I decided that I would try again with a different cake. I found a basic Moist White Cake recipe. This recipe said 22-32 minutes, and I checked at 20 and they were on their way to being overdone. The tops were a little hard, but they were at least edible unlike the last batch. I used some of the filling on half of them, but it is difficult without a cupcake plunger to put stuff in the cupcake. The frosting was great.
So far, I have had more Pinterest fails than successes, at least with my desserts. But hopefully my next round will go better.
2 & 3. I made White Chocolate Filled Snickerdoodles. It did not have an actual recipe for the cookies, just how to fill them, so I used Martha Stewart's Snickerdoodle recipe. The first batch was a little overdone, but the second was a lot better. They weren'te terribly difficult or time consuming, but I'm not quite sure I want to make them again. I can't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but they just didn't taste great.
4 & 5. Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes I had been wanting to make these for months. They looked absolutely delicious. But they were not. First of all, they took over an hour to make the cake, filling, and frosting. Then my oven overcooked them (this is beginning to be a common theme). The recipe said 20-25 minutes, and after 20 they were completely burned. I need to learn my new oven better. But even the batter didn't taste good. The filling and frosting were too good to waste, so I decided that I would try again with a different cake. I found a basic Moist White Cake recipe. This recipe said 22-32 minutes, and I checked at 20 and they were on their way to being overdone. The tops were a little hard, but they were at least edible unlike the last batch. I used some of the filling on half of them, but it is difficult without a cupcake plunger to put stuff in the cupcake. The frosting was great.
So far, I have had more Pinterest fails than successes, at least with my desserts. But hopefully my next round will go better.
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