Less than 1 Year Left

I've been neglecting this list... A lot. I think I was too ambitious/thought I would have more money than I actually do when making this list. I know I'm not going to accomplish everything, but I'm going to try and accomplish at least 60 things. I think that is very possible. I've completed 28 tasks, and 17 more are in progress. It will take a conscious effort to choose to do things off the list, but a lot of them are things I actually want to do, like go camping or visit some friends.

Completed
52. Take a cooking class- I went with a group of friends from church to one of Whole Foods cooking classes/demonstrations. It was called Cooking for Two: Easy Meal Anyone Can Do. The instructor was really talented and entertaining, but I wish it would have been a hands-on class. The food was amazing though. Herb Roasted Chicken, Haricots Verts with Pancetta Shallot Vinaigrette, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, and Flourless Chocolate Cake. I think the chicken was my favorite part, but everything was delicious. Now, the real question will be if I can actually prepare it haha

96. Win something- I won the book A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman from a Goodreads contest a while back. It talked about creativity in a new and different way, by saying that everything we do gives us the opportunity to make art, as our unique contribution to the world. What was need about reading this book is that Garrett actually talked about it at the Gathering the week after I finished it. 
These are some of the impactful quotes from the book.
"God is not the technician. God is an artist. This is the God who made you. The same God who lives inside you. He comes into us, then comes out of us, in a million little ways. That's why there' freedom, even in the blah. Hope, even in the dark. Love, even in the fear. Trust, even as we face our critics. (p 18)""Being an artist has something to do with being brave enough to move toward what makes you come alive. (p 20)" 

"You are in a season of waiting. When you finally show up ready to release your art by being the person you believe you are created to be, there may be nothing more disheartening than to be asked to wait. the waiting can drive us mad if we let it. it can be a merciless dictator, shoving us into shapes we aren't made for, shapes of worry and doubt, and short tempers. but the waiting can also grow us, shape us from the inside out for sacred work. this is a kind of work that happens only in the secret place of abiding in the presence of Christ even in the midst of broken dreams and tired circumstance (p 147)"
"Be faithful to plant. Release the growing to God. Open up clenched fists and let the seeds drop in the ground, let them burrow down deep and do their secret work in the dark. Sacred shaping happens in the waiting. (p 157)"

Progress
3. Finish Graduate School- Only 2 months until graduation!! I cannot wait. 

19. Go to 10 new college campuses- While driving back from Sarasota, I drove through the campus of USF in Tampa. It was very spread out and extremely flat. I don't really know what I was expecting, but nothing really stood out to me (7/10)

53. Try 25 New Cocktails- My friend Chelsea and I went to dinner at this restaurant in Marietta called Cheeky. It is a Mexican restaurant of sorts that neither one of us had been to, but it was delicious! We both ordered mojitos. She had Mango and I had Dragonberry. While I liked hers, I LOVED mine. It was made with Dragonberry Bacardi, which is part strawberry part dragonfruit, and was absolutely amazing. I'm not counting Chelsea's because I only had a sip of hers, even though it was a new one for me. Then, the next week at trivia, I had a very stressful day, so I ordered a margarita from Twisted Taco. This one was called the Annie Oakley, which was made with passionfruit tequila, raspberry liqueur, and orange juice. It was also delicious, and strong, even though it didn't taste very strong going down. For New Years, a few of us went to Cafe Intermezzo in Midtown. I ordered a Newberry Martini, which had strawberry vodka, along with some other stuff in it. I can't find the drink menu online, probably because it was like 50 pages long. I also had half of one of the girls' Milky Way Martini, which was vanilla vodka and Baileys, and so yummy. It was the perfect dessert. The girl thought it was too rich, but I loved it.
(21/25)
80. Listen to every song on my computer- This has been a really fun thing to do, because I've heard almost all of these songs before (some were free from Amazon, iTunes or Noisetrade) but most were just songs I hadn't listened to on this computer.  But I'm almost 75% of the way finished, and I'm deleting a lot as I go along. (3960/5150)

It's Been Forever Since My Last Update

I can't believe it's already Winter! I'm finished with my first semester of internship. The school year is halfway over and it has been flying by. The move has been a difficult adjustment, but I'm finally finding a rhythm and beginning to make new friends through The Gathering at Perimeter Church. I realized some of my goals were not updated correctly last time, and my paper records didn't line up with the blog and my word documents, but hopefully this is now correct for all goals. 

Completed: 26
In Progress: 20


Completed
4. Attend a lecture on an interesting subject (one not required for school)- I went to the GSCA conference at Jekyll Island and heard several lectures on different school counseling topics. There were some that were required for my Special Education class, but a few others weren't and they were so informative. I received lots of hands-on worksheets and even an entire group counseling lesson. 

34. Go to a NHL game- I went to Nashville for part of Thanksgiving Break and my friend and I went to a Predators game. This was really one of the only chances to go to a hockey game, since Atlanta lost their team to Canada, for the second time. 

57. Leave a 100% tip (not at a bar)- I went to get my hair cut from a local cosmetology school, where the students cut hair. The students don't get paid for their work, but they are able to receive tips. The girl who cut my hair was really great and she spent almost an hour on it. We talked and I was able to get to know her better. Through that conversation, I could tell that being in school was financially difficult, but she knew it was necessary if she wanted to be a cosmetologist. The hair cut (straightening included) was only $10. That would have cost close to $50 at other places. I handed her a $20 and told her to have a Merry Christmas. 

Progress
3. Finish Graduate School- I finished my first semester of internship, and I passed COMPS! So close to the end!

19. Go to 10 new college campuses- When I went to Nashville, I got to see Belmont. It was such a cute little campus with these gazebos and the Belmont Mansion was so pretty. We didn't go inside it, but just seeing the outside, with it all decorated for Christmas (6/10)

31. Go to 3 new museums- While in Nashville, my friend and I went to the Frist Art Museum.  They had a Norman Rockwell exhibit, as well as a modern art exhibit on Black Culture. It was really interesting and fun. I forgot how much I enjoy art museums. It made me really want to go to the High more often (2/3)

53. Try 25 New Cocktails- I am terrible of keeping up with the different drinks I've tried, but I know I had a Bubblegum Martini at Hop Alley in Alpharetta. It was a martini made with vodka infused with Double Bubble Bubblegum I should have cut it with something, because it was really strong. The last time I was in Athens, I got the Pacific Cooler at Transmet. It was made with Pearl pomegranate vodka, peach schnapps, sprite and soda. Very yummy, even though it took forever for our service. While in Nashville, I went to a bar called The Flying Saucer. They only had beer, which I normally don't like, but they had a bear cocktail that was some kind of Pear Cider, mixed with something with Raspberry and peach I think, and it was really good. It was called Hummingbird Water, and even though it wasn't a typical cocktail, it still counts since it was a mixed alcohol drink. (17/25)

55. Do 100 hours of volunteer work- I volunteered with the Road to College 5K from 7 to 10am back in August.  (5.5/100)

65. 15 Books of BBC Big Read- After almost a year, I finally finished Anna Karenina. That book was so ridiculous and I'm glad it's over. I'm taking a break from the list to read books that I actually want to read, but will try and pick one up in January. I'll be strategic this time though and pick a short one that I can easily breeze through  (3/15)

68. Type up all my journals- I've typed up a few recently, while watching tv. It's going a lot quicker now that I'm not typing every quote or Bible verse out, only my own prayers/journals or responses to readings (12/20)

80. Listen to every song on my computer- (3801/5162)

86. Make 50 things from my Pinterest boards (crafts, food, clothes, jewelry, decorations, etc)- For a UGA game, I made Pepperoni Cheese Roll Ups and Peanut Butter Cup S'moreo Bars. Both were super easy, and delicious.
For a Christmas party, I tried to make these Salted Caramel Cookies. I had never baked with this oven in my new house, and it turns out, gas is way different from electric. The cookies baked in half the time, meaning they were burned when I checked on them. Also, the recipe said to flatten the cookies, but they actually all merged into one cookie. The cookies that were salvageable were very brittle, and when I put the glaze on them, they crumbled. I am determined to make these cookies again though, because the batter was delicious as were the crumbs I tasted with the glaze.  (16/50)

100. Save $5 for every task I complete- I realized I was behind, but now I've caught up. (130/505)

3 More Completions and Lots of Progress!

I'm about 5 months into this journey, and have actually made a decent amount of progress, given the circumstances. This semester has been a lot busier than I was expecting between school, work, and family stuff, so I haven't updated hardly at all, at least not on the blog. I've been keeping up with the list though on my print outs, so I'm going to transfer it over here now.


Completed: 12
Progress: 22


Completed
2. Get involved in some type of organization for Grad Students- One person in my program decided to revive UGASCA, which is the University of Georgia School Counseling Association, and I decided to become more involved with that. I am on the retreat committee, as well as the graduation committee, and will be in charge of advertising for the first annual 5k race that we will be holding in April. 

5. Go to a conference for school counseling- The Georgia School Counseling Association (GSCA) had a school counseling conference last week in Athens. We were required to go to the conference for our Seminar class, but it was actually really interesting. I went to several sessions including No Place for Hate, Girl Talk (led by Haley Kilpatrick), one with several different new techniques for high school counseling, and a session on individual advisement. For the most part, the sessions had helpful information, and I definitely think I will be going again next year. It will be on Jekyll Island, so we can go to the beach :)

37. Go to a new college football stadium (preferably SEC)- This past weekend, I went to Auburn University and went to Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game was a blowout, and we ended up leaving at halftime. It reminded me a little of South Carolina because it had the ramps all the way to the upper deck. The coolest part was when they released the eagle- I was about 5 people away from it, so I got to see it leave the cage. 

Progress

19. Go to 10 new college campuses- I went to Auburn this weekend for the UGA/Auburn game. It was a really pretty campus, and had some cool bars, but it was nothing compared to UGA.  (3/10)

43. Try 15 new restaurants- I've been to a bunch of new restaurants recently: two new Mexican restaurants- La Parilla and Fuzzy's Tacos. La Parilla was really good. I had been wanting to go for a while, but I never got around to it. I judge Mexican restaurants by their cheese dip, and Fuzzy's was not good at all, so I will not be returning. While in Auburn, I went to Moe's Barbecue, which was great, and Momma Goldberg's which is an Auburn staple. 12/15

53. Try 25 new cocktails- I had a Bellini Martini (Orange) one night at Copper Creek, which was pretty good, a Bushwacker in Auburn, which is like an alcoholic frosty, and a Grateful Dead, which is a version of a Long Island at my friend's comedy show (4/25)

55. Do 100 hours of volunteer work- Abby and I went to the Humane Society a few weeks ago and played with puppies and kitties. It was so much fun! I will definitely be going back. It was great therapy to make me happy (1.5/100)

68. Type up all my journals (2/20)

69. Read at least 5 books I already own (physical copies- not on Kindle)-I read When God Winks at You. I found it on my bookshelf the last time I was at home. (1/5)

80. Listen to every song on my computer- A little over halfway! 2557/5054

#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.

#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

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