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

#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

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

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

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

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

50 Days in...

And I still have only completed one goal. But I'm still trucking along

Progress
47. Try every cupcake listed on the menu from Silver Lining-  Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana- It was one of their specialty cupcakes and I got it after I finished my first semester of Grad School. It was Banana Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting with Reese's baked in as well as sprinkled on top. It wasn't too banana-y but I think it had a little too much peanut butter. I probably wouldn't get it again, but it was a good one nonetheless. 3/30


70. Pick an author and read everything he/she has written- I was going to pick someone who was dead, so they wouldn't be able to write anymore, but I decided that I wanted to do a Chick Lit author instead, some light and fluffy to counter the classics I'm reading for the BBC Big Read. There were several options (Jodi Picoult, Jane Green, etc) that I hadn't read before, but I wanted to pick someone who had a reasonable number, and most of which I hadn't read. I settled on Jennifer Weiner. She has ten (for now), one of which I realized I had already read after starting it: The Guy Not Taken. It was a collection of short stories, and I think there were a few that I hadn't read prior. But I like the way she writes- she's not as predicable as some writers, but she's also not difficult or hard to follow. I'm excited to read a few more of her's before classes start back. 1/10


72. Mail 20 letters- I wrote a thank you note to my friend's mom whose house I stayed at while in Nashville for the Fourth of July (8/20)


80. Listen to every song on my computer- Slowly but surely. I'm made a bunch of different playlists of artists and genres and deleting songs from them after I listen to them so I can have more of a variety without risking listening to the same few songs over and over (1404/5055)


81. Watch every episode of Friends- Friends kept me sane through my summer classes. But it also made tasks take infinitely longer because I would end up watching an entire disk during my study break instead of just one episode. But I'm on Season Five. My goal is to finish the series before classes start back up in August, but I don't think that is realistic, given all the other things I hope to do. Plus I get to keep them at least until September when my friend comes back to Athens, and I'm sure even longer if I needed.  114/238

1 Month Down

I completed my first goal! And I realized that I completely suck at taking pictures to document my goals. But I am keeping a good record of my progress and completions. And there has been a lot of progress these past few weeks.


Completions
13. Have a picnic in the park. This didn't go exactly how I had planned it, but it was a great one! We had a family reunion of sorts and every one brought different dishes. We had barbecue, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, green beans, tons of other vegetables and delicious desserts. Most of my cousins weren't able to make it because of the distance and jobs/colleges/weddings, but it was good to see a lot of my older relatives. 


Progress


19. Go to 10 new college campuses- While in Nashville, I drove around Vanderbilt and Lipscomb. It was way too hot to walk around, so I wasn't able to see a whole lot of Vandy. The parts I saw were gorgeous though and next time I go back, I definitely want to explore more. It reminded me of a bigger version of North Campus at UGA.


31. Go to 3 museums- Also, while I was in Nashville, I went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It was pretty neat- being able to see how country music has evolved over the years. I wish that they would have had more listening stations instead of mainly just showing what people wore. However, seeing the original manuscripts of songs was awesome, and I loved that they had a Taylor Swift exhibit with the outfits she wore while on her Speak Now tour.


43. Try 15 new restaurants- While at my grandparents' house in Asheville, I went to Cheddar's. It was really good! I had the Lemon Pepper Chicken with rice, green beans, and corn. In Nashville I went to McDougals Chicken and Wings with two friends who go to Vandy. It was very similar to Cane's or Zaxby's- nothing too fancy. I also went to Baja Burrito in Nashville and had the Chicken Burrito. It was similar to Barberitos, but way better in my opinion. (5/15)

47. Try every cupcake listed on the menu from Silver Lining- Salt & Lime. It tastes like a Margarita, but it was a little too salty for me.  2/30

53. Try 25 new cocktails- I tried the Georgia Peach at Allgood- Vodka, Gin, Peach Schnapps, Triple Sec, Cranberry Juice, Sprite, and Grenadine. Absolutely delicious! 1/25


72. Mail 20 letters- I wrote letters to my friends Kati, Sarah, and Stephanie working at camp, as well as my friend Anne who is hiking the AT (7/20)

80. Listen to every song on my computer- I made a lot of progress on this while driving to Asheville and then Nashville (13+ hours in a car) because the play count from my iPod syncs with the play count on my computer (1206/5054)

81. Watch every episode of Friends- (61/238)

90. Buy the book The One Hundred by Nina Garcia and own at least 50 of the items mentioned- I ordered the book on Amazon and I have 21 of the items mentioned. There are some that I really want to purchase (a Signet ring), and others that I know won't happen, at least anytime soon. I feel like this book has a lot of good ideas of things that will help me become more professional and adult.


100. Save $5 for every task I complete- I think this is going to go to my Europe trip I want to go on when I finish grad school. I know it won't make a huge difference, but I think it would still be a good place to put the money. 5/505

2 weeks in

I can't believe it's already been two weeks since I started Graduate School and a new Day Zero Project. Classes are really time consuming, but I can tell I've already learned so much! I'm being challenged to think in new ways and I am learning all sorts of roles that school counselors have, especially in terms of social justice and advocacy. Despite all this school work, I have still managed to work on several of my goals. So far 9 of them are underway. Here are some updates on my progress!

In Progress
43. Try 20 new restaurants- This past Friday I went to Taqueria Del Sol with several members of my cohort. I've passed by it several times, and have even attempted to go there are multiple occasions, but the line was always out the door. I ordered the chicken tender taco per Nick's suggestion, with a side of queso, and it was so good! Especially when you put the queso on the taco. It was also very affordable. One to definitely try again. Then later that night, I hung out with Brandon and Jaques and they wanted to go to a late dinner. We went to The Globe downtown and I ordered the Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Frosting- it was a little dry, but the flavor was amazing. I looked through the menu at their  entrees, and I want to go back and eat a real meal. But I get to count it since I actually ordered a food item. 2/20

47. Try every cupcake from Silver Lining- see post here  1/30

65. Read 15 of BBC's Big Read- I started The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I'm only a few chapters in since I have so much school work to read, but it's something to take with me when I go to the gym since I got it for free on my Kindle.

71. Read through an entire letter in my topical Bible- I choose the letter P, because out of the longer letters, it had the most categories that I wanted to study- Patience, Peace, Perseverance, Power, Praise, Prayer, Predestination, Pride, Prophecy, Purification, among others

72. Mail 20 letters- I wrote two thank you notes to members of my family for graduation cards and sent one to my friend Neal working at camp 3/20

80. Listen to every song on my computer- this has been quite an adventure, listening to songs that I haven't heard in years. I've already deleted many, but I still have so much to go through. My current strategy is just to put it on shuffle (sometimes within an artist or genre) and if I can't listen to the song the entire way through, I have to delete it. The only time I can skip is if I've already listened to it once. Sometimes I will deliberately choose a song though, but it's more entertaining when I leave it up to shuffle.  625/5056

81. Watch every episode of Friends- I borrowed all ten seasons from Stephen and am going through all the episodes in order. I'm on the second disc of Season One but I'm counting the ones I've already seen prior to starting this list. Needless to say, I still have a lot left 42/238