Leaving Athens

I can't believe I am leaving Athens. After 5 years, this place has become my home, but my life has drastically changed in the past year. I started graduate school (and am 1 class and an internship away from graduating), moved to a new apartment and lived with people who I hardly knew, started nannying, got real life experience working with students, lost my dad, started dating an amazing guy, and helped my best friend find her wedding dress, to name a few. Also, I started a new Day Zero List (a year and almost two months ago), and haven't given up on it yet. In fact, I have accomplished 21 things and have made progress on 21 things. Here are my updates.

Completed
15. Take a hike- I realized I forgot to put this one in my last post, but on June 9, Jason and I went on a hike at Craggy Meadows in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I think it was only 2 or 3 miles, but we decided to keep on hiking to a different trail after seeing a post for a waterfall. After about 30 minutes of hiking, we ran into a guy who said that he didn't think there was a waterfall on this trail, so we ended up turning around, and then we got caught in a thunderstorm. 

25. Visit Alyssa- I am so glad I was able to go visit Alyssa in Oregon. I hadn't spent more than 6 hours with her since last June, and being able to spend six days with her was awesome! I'm also glad I got to know her fiancé Ryan better since he is living there now too. We went to a lot of cool places while I was there, and she found her wedding dress! There are pictures from my trip below.

47. Try Every Cupcake Listed on the Menu from Silver Lining- I have some sad news. After 3 years, Silver Lining went out of business. I went several times before they closed their doors and tried the Strawberry, Vanilla Twilight, and Pineapple Lemon cupcakes. They were all so moist and delicious. I'm heartbroken knowing that iI would not be able to go there again. I am marking this one complete even though I didn't try all of them, but because I have tried a bigger percentage than days I've been working on the list. Also there were a few that I had prior to my attempt for Day Zero (, that didn't count for this goal. I wish there was something else I could do to support them, but it is out of my control. I did some research and found two cupcake bakeries near my new life (one close to my school, and another to the house), but I'm not going to pick up a new list since I completed a significant portion of this list. I'm sure I will go there many times though. Have to have my cupcake fix! 19/30

72. Mail 20 Letters- I finished this goal by sending a thank you note to my brother for my plane ticket to Oregon and one to Jason's family for letting me come visit. My 21st letter was a birthday card to my mom  21/20

Progress

19. Go to 10 new college campuses- I went to Oregon to visit Alyssa, and I explored Oregon State's campus one day while she was in class. It was really neat to see the buildings, and they had some nice green space. I didn't go inside their stadium, even though I probably could have (I think the gate was open), but I did notice they had this really weird football sculpture outside the stadium. We went to Eugene so Alyssa could go wedding dress shopping, and after that, we drove through the University of Oregon's campus. It was interesting that their football stadium was across a bridge and it seemed very separate from the main campus. I didn't see a whole lot of it because we didn't walk around (not enough time and it was really hot), but I did like the architecture of the buildings. There were parts that seemed a lot like UGA. (5/10)

20. Go to 3 new big cities- Portland, Oregon. I didn't do a whole lot while I was in Oregon. Most of my time was exploring other places, but driving through it was really neat. I loved that you could see Mount Hood as well as Mount St. Helens from the city. Alyssa and I went to Dick's Kitchen, which was in the Portland neighborhood of Sunnyside, east of Downtown. It was a very hipster neighborhood. There were a few things we had planned on doing more in the city, but we just didn't have time. I hope that I can go back and visit her, next time focusing on Portland and possibly going up to Seattle. (1/3)

21. Go to 3 new states- I finally used my plane ticket Kevin gave me over a year and a half ago, and I was able to cross two states off my list. I went to Oregon to visit Alyssa, and it was such a blast. We explored the Colombia River Gorge, about 40 miles of the Oregon Coast, Salem, Eugene, and Corvallis. We also crossed the Bridge of the Gods into Washington and had a picnic in an apple orchard, therefore I got to count Washington (my requirement is that I have to eat a meal, not in an airport, for the state to count). Words can't describe how beautiful these states were, nor can pictures, but here is my best effort.  (2/3) 

Multnomah Falls

Bridge of the Gods- Crossing into Washington

Mount Hood in the clouds

I survived the Oregon Trail!

Devil's Punch Bowl

Lighthouse

Oregon Coast

35. Go to 3 new MLB stadiums-  Jason and I went down to Tampa to spend some time with his family, and they took us to a Rays game! I don't have any pictures, but it was a really neat experience because the stadium is a dome, so it was a completely different experience than any baseball game I've been to before. We root, root, rooted for the home team, and they won, which is always a good thing.  (1/3)

80. Listen to every song on my computer- (3620/5131)

Over One Year In

I cannot believe that it has been over one year since I started this list. So many things have happened, both good and bad, that have greatly shaped the outcome of my future.

Completed: 19
In Progress: 21

Completed
30. Go on a family vacation- This happened over Mother's Day weekend. My mom and I drove down to Orlando and brother and his girlfriend flew from Denver and we spent the weekend at Disney. When I put this goal down, I was not expecting to have a family vacation without Dad, so it was a pretty emotional weekend. Also, never do all four Disney parks in one day. It is a terrible, terrible, idea. It was really good to meet Kevin's girlfriend though.

60. Donate 101 Things to Charity- I reorganized my t-shirt drawers and my closet and got rid of a lot of clothes I didn't like/wear anymore. I think these final two bags had about 50 items in them, which pushed me over my goal of 101 things. 

69. Read at least 5 books I already own (physical copies- not on Kindle)- I finished Cocktails for Three by Madeline Wickham, Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner (which helped with goal #70) and Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs (5/5)

89. Meet someone famous- I realized I forgot to put this one on my last update, but I met Sister Hazel at the concert we went to. My friend who got the tickets also got backstage passes. I know they aren't super famous anymore, but I'm counting it anyway.

93. Get a credit card to start establishing credit- I felt like this was something that needed to happen, especially since I only have one more year before I will be fully on my own and applying for a real job. I got the College Cash Back card through my bank, which is linked through my other accounts and I can do automatic payment so I won't forget. I think it will be a good start to building a credit history for future big purchases (like a car) down the road.

In Progress
3. Finish Graduate School- I am now a second year Master's Student! I have one class this summer, an online class in the fall and Internship from August to May, and then I will be finished. I cannot believe how fast it has gone. The program itself has had a few bumps along the way, but overall I feel like it has given me many wonderful opportunities. I am looking forward to what Internship year has to bring!

8. Learn to Play Chess- Jason really likes chess and I have been watching him play a lot. I know how all the pieces can move, but I still don't know strategy well enough to consider this complete.

21. Go to 3 new states- Even though I haven't been anywhere new, I'm marking this one as "In Progress" because I have planned my trip to Oregon to visit Alyssa for June 29-July 4. IWhich brings me to my next "In Progress" goal

25. Visit Alyssa- I am so so very excited for this trip. I leave in 5 days!! Not only do I get to see her for the first time since Christmas, but I also get to help her with wedding planning! 

47. Try Every Cupcake Listed on the Menu from Silver Lining- Cookies and Cream was really good. Possibly one of my new favorites. I feel like I say that every time. I finally had Mint Condition, which was good, but a little hard at the bottom because of the Peppermint Patty 16/30

53. Try 25 New Cocktails- I think I've missed a couple here and there because I forgot to write them down, and I'm also not counting homemade drinks. They have to be purchased at a bar/restaurant. When I went to trivia night at Highwire, I got The Brindle. It is one of their specialty cocktails with Raspberry Vodka, Fresh Lemonade, and Cranberry. Kind of similar to things that I've had before, but very delicious nonetheless. Also, when Jason and I went to Asheville, I tried a few fancy cocktails. One was at LAB Brewery Caribbean Martini with Vanilla vodka and some other fruit flavors. I tried to find the ingredients online, but they don't have their full menu posted. Another was at the Bier Garden called the Ashevillian Mama, which was their take on a Bahama Mama. It was good, but the Caribbean Martini was much better. 14/25

63. Answer the 50 Questions that will free your mind http://www.marcandangel.com/2009/07/13/50-questions-that-will-free-your-mind/& 66. Write something for all the writing prompts on http://creativewritingprompts.com/#
For these, I have either copy and pasted or typed all the prompts into a word document. I decided not to post them on the blog since some of them are more personal, and because I know how bad I am at updating this. But I will keep up with the numbers I have completed in the general updates, as well as on the list

68. Type up all my journals- I finished several while catching up on my shows on Hulu. Since I got a free month when I tried to cancel, I'll probably do quite a bit more in the near future 10/23

70. Pick an author and read everything he/she has written- I read Goodnight Nobody Good in Bed, and Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner. I think she turned out to be a good author. I am enjoying her books a lot. (5/12)

72. Mail 20 Letters- I sent a thank you note to my friend Abby for getting our family tickets to Disney when we went, and I sent a congratulations card to Alyssa after she got engaged. I sent one to Courtney because she finished her training to be a Delta Flight Attendant, and one to Sara Mack, the girl I babysit for, while she was away at summer camp.  18/20

80. Listen to every song on my computer- (3465/5141)

86. Make 50 things from my Pinterest boards (crafts, food, clothes, jewelry, decorations, etc)- I made Easy Shrimp Scampi which was pretty good, and this amazing Chicken Poppyseed Casserole, twice actually. And I'll probably make it again. It was actually pretty simple, and very, very tasty. I also made Tilapia and Quinoa with Cucumber and Feta. I cooked my piece of fish a little too long on one size, but it was still good. The quinoa was great and I have some leftover for later.
I also made these decadent Reeses Cheesecake Brownies for the cookout we hosted for the first year students (as well as another batch for Jason), and they were amazing! I probably won't make them again just because of how much they cost (you need about $15 worth of stuff), but they were worth it. 
The Spinach, Mushroom and Feta Crustless Quiche was very tasty, relatively healthy, and pretty quick to make. Next time I'll need to dry the spinach a little better, because the quiche was a little moist. But I will definitely be making that again 
13/50

2013 Updates

Completed 
43. Try 15 new restaurants- I've actually been to 16 new restaurants at this point. I met with my clinical supervisor in Winder at a restaurant called Dooley's Southern Stone Pizza Kitchen. Since we met at 10 am, we had their breakfast. I selected a vegetable omelette, which was really good. Then the next day, I went to trivia at El Azteca. I judge Mexican restaurants by their queso, which unfortunately wasn't the best, so I probably won't be returning. I didn't want to end on a negative note, so I went to Ted's Most Best in Athens, which is a pizza/calzone restaurant. I had the chicken and mushroom calzone, and the grasshopper pie, which was really great. It's was definitely a good selection. Even though this goal is technically over, hopefully I will continue to branch out and try new places. 16/15

79. Go to 5 concerts- In February, I had the opportunity to go to 2 concerts in one weekend. The first one was a free Sister Hazel show at the Georgia Theatre, complete with Meet and Greet passes. Then the next night, I went to see Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors at 40 Watt, which was a blast. He and his wife are so adorable, and talented. I enjoyed all of the songs they played. And the opener, Emily Hern, was pretty good too. She's a local Athenian. 5/5


Progress
47. Try every cupcake listed on the menu from Silver Lining-  2013 has proven to be a stressful year, as one filled with cupcake dates, so many new ones have been tasted. I finally got the Peach Belinni, a cupcake I have attempted to purchase on multiple occasions. I've also tried the Cookie Dough, which was really good, the Nutty Chocolate, The Quentin (which is a chocolate/peanut butter combo) and Hello Sunshine, which  is Lemon. 13/30

53. Try 25 new cocktails- I've also had a lot of new cocktails in 2013. I'll group them by bars, all have been in Athens. At Treppenhaus, I've tried a Raspberry Lynchburg Lemonade, which is a mix of Jack Daniels, triple sec, sour, Sprite, raspberry liqueur as well as a Blue Hawaiian. It had some kind of rum mixture and pineapple. Probably won't order it again. At Allgood I tried  a Pearl Necklace (terrible name, I know), but it was so good! It had pearl vodka, creme de cocoa, pinnacle whipped cream vodka, and cream in it. It tasted like a milkshake. Then at Copper Creek, I've been making my way through their martinis, and have tried a Frosted Orange, Blue Raspberry, and a French Martini. I probably won't order the frosted orange again, but the other two were good. I think I have one or two left on the menu to try. (11/25)

68. Type up all my journals (3/20)

72. Mail 20 letters- I sent a thank you note to my mom's cousin who let me stay at her house for an interview for my internship, as well as to my friend Rebecca's dad, who sent me basketball tickets he couldn't use, so Jason and I could go to a game together. (14/20)

80. Listen to every song on my computer- (3000/5190)

86. Make 50 things from my Pinterest boards (crafts, food, clothes, jewelry, decorations, etc)- I made a DIY Scarf Organizer after the one I bought from The Container Store broke. Originally I had placed three sections of rings, with 8 rings on each, but that quickly proved to be too heavy. Also, it took a lot longer than it should have because I didn't snap them all closed, so the ribbons came off. Whoops. But it worked really well once I did it right. And almost all my scarves fit in the rings. I don't have room in my closet right now to make another one, but I think I will in the future, since it only took about 30 minutes. I also made this bracelet holder. It works pretty well... I also put some of my hoop earrings that I don't have another place for. The only major issue I can see for the future is that you have to keep it balanced or else it will tip over, so it might require some rearranging if I wear certain pieces. But It only too about 10 minutes. The hardest part was cutting up the T-shirt. Hopefully now I will actually wear my jewelry since I can see it. Next is to make or get some kind of necklace holder. And something for my dangling earrings. (8/50)

New Year and New Progress

Progress


43. Try 15 new restaurants- I met up with a friend in Buckhead over Christmas and ate at this Tapas restaurant called Eclipse de Luna. Everything I tried was really good, especially the zucchini and shrimp. 13/15

53. Try 25 new cocktails- I had a Blueberry Mojito, at Eclipse de Luna, and it was so good. I have no idea what all was in it, but it was wonderful (5/25)

65. 15 Books of BBC Big Read- I finished Pride and Prejudice over the break, and am now reading Anna Karenina. A friend of mine who doesn't like reading is actually reading it voluntarily, and said it was good, so I decided I would read as well. I'm about 450 pages in, but it has 1140, so I still have quite a bit. I heard the movie was wonderful, and it will be playing at the movie theater at school in mid-February, so I'm hoping to finished by then. (2/15)

70. Pick an author and read everything he/she has written- Also over the break, I read Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. It was so good! I really like the way she writes, and I'm excited to be able to read more of her. I'll use her as a break from the classics for goal 65. 2/12

72. Mail 20 letters- I sent a thank you note to my friend Nick's parents after letting me crash at their house last minute in Atlanta. And I sent one with a package to my best friend who just moved to Orlando to begin her job at Disney  (12/20)

End of the Semester

I survived my second semester of Grad School, and am heading home tomorrow, after stopping in PTC to visit a friend. I was hoping to be more productive during my week of freedom, but I ended up spending a lot more time with people, which is honestly more important. But here is an update, mainly so I don't lose track.

Progress

47. Try every cupcake listed on the menu from Silver Lining-  The Scarlett. I've had this one before, but not since beginning the list. It is a red velvet cake, with buttercream frosting, and it is one that they have every day. My friend Danielle brought me one while we were working on a group project for our Child and Adolescents class. It was much needed during our stressful week. 
I also bought a box of cupcakes for my roommates during finals week and treated myself to a Christmas Special- Chocolate Candy Cane. I also had half of the Sea Salt and Caramel one which was absolutely incredible. It honestly might be my new favorite one 8/30

69. Read at least 5 books I already own (physical copies- not on Kindle)-I read when Dreams Come True. It is written by the same people who did When God Writes Your Love Story, and yes it was as cheesy as I expected. I'm still not 100% sure if I actually liked it. It was somewhat thought provoking, so I guess that is a good thing  (2/5)

72. Mail 20 letters- I sent a "Good luck on finals" note to my best friend in Oregon. I get to see her in two weeks and I can't wait! It will have been over 6 months since she left. I also sent one to the boy in Kentucky who wanted to break the world record of most Christmas cards received. Here is the story.  (10/20)

79. Go to 5 concerts- I went to the cd release concert for Will Reagan and United Pursuit, who I saw for the first time in January of this year. They were awesome then because it was more of a worship service and not a performance. I did like all the music they played, but I only knew one of the songs prior, so it was hard to get into it. And I also realized how awkward he is as a person. He acted like he was trying too hard to be a performer, instead of playing music to glorify God like the last time.

80. Listen to every song on my computer- Amazon's Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals got the best of me, and I ended up downloading several new cds, all of which were awesome, but it made me listen to them, and not the ones I already had. I had to delete several of my old ones though, because I had way too many for my iPod. 2758/5019

90. Buy the book The One Hundred by Nina Garcia and own at least 50 of the items mentioned-On Black Friday I bought a pair of cowboy boots. They retailed at $80, but I ended up paying $20 for them. They aren't the fanciest ones, and I quickly discovered they have very little traction, but they still count in my book! Especially because the one other pair I've found that I like are close to $200 (22/50)

100. Save $5 for every task I complete- 60/505

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

I suck at updating

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.