2013 Resolution Update

2013 is more than half way through, so I thought it was time for an update on my 2013 Resolutions.

Original 2013 Resolutions

• WORKING pay off $15,000+ of debt
• UPDATE: I have paid off $4,288 in debt (strictly debt, no interest payment included) to date; that means I've met 29% of this resolution. For being 58% through 2013 I am behind by $4,462. I fully believe this is because I've not had a roommate at all this year. The resolution was pretty ambitions without a roommate... 

• COMPLETE run the Walt Disney World's Donal Duck Half Marathon
• UPDATE: It was a great weekend! I LOVED having Mom & Dad down here to visit! Universal's Islands of adventure was fun, and at the half marathon the three of us crossed together!

• NA run the Chicago Marathon
• UPDATE: I was unable to register due to technical difficulties; aiming for 2014.

• COMPLETE earn a B or better in my final PSU master's course
• UPDATE: I earned an A!

• COMPLETE graduate my PSU master's program
• UPDATE: The diploma is beautiful! So happy to have this under my belt!

• COMPLETE graduate my Leadership Development Program
• UPDATE: My final rotation wrapped up in May! Graduation ceremony is in October!

• NOT STARTED attend church service at least once a month (attending church service can be substituted with an hour of studying/reading the Bible)
• UPDATE: This is not going well at all... I have been struggling with this area of life lately, and have not made any effort to attend church... I'm not really happy about it and am trying to sort through it all.

• COMPLETE level up to Level 3 at Dog-On-It Agility
• UPDATE: Heidi and I are officially in Level 3 agility! Fall sessions start up soon!

• NOT STARTED compete with Heidi in 1+ Dog-On-It Agility trial(s)
• UPDATE: I missed the first and second quarter trials...

• NOT STARTED complete 5+ projects that have been on-going for (ahem) years (this could be anything from finishing my Australia puzzle, to using up the fabric purchased for making laptop sleeves, to using up some yarn that I've accumulated, to making my running t-shirt quilt, to puppy bandanas that are practically ready to be sewn)
• UPDATE: Yeah... this one isn't going too swimmingly either... may not happen with the quilt project (see new 2013 resolutions)

• NOT STARTED compete in 4+ triathlons (can be any distance - will likely compete in the Central Florida Sprint Triathlon Series again)
• UPDATE: I was trying to relocate and so I missed the first 2 sprint triathlons of the Central Florida Sprint Triathlon Series. I'll miss the 3rd one because I've not trained enough on the bike. I'm aiming to renew my USAT membership and do the final event in the series in September, though. Won't hit the 4+ triathlon mark, though; if I do the one in September, that'll likely be it for triathlons this year.

• WORKING read 24+ books (this year my number of books read was considerably low - probably a combined result of reading 3 of the Game of Thrones books (each is approximately 1000 pages) and having a rough year
• UPDATE: I have read 20 books thus far; that means I've met 83% of this resolution. Check out my Good Reads book shelves to see which books I've read (and which I have lined up).

• NOT STARTED do 3+ pages of scrapbooking (doesn't have to be Heidi's scrapbook; it can be my general scrapbook of life)
• UPDATE: I need to get on this...

• WORKING keep one weekend of each month deliberately open so that when that weekend arrives I can do whatever I please with no pressure or obligation; this is to help keep my stress levels in check (I've been consciously not over-busying myself since late October, and I've noticed significant benefits; if the month is truly too busy to do this, 2 free weekends must be set for the following month)
• UPDATE: I'm so glad about this resolution! I've really come a long way in not making plans for every free slot of time in my life! I enjoy a leisure, uneventful weekend from time to time, and I sprinkle in some plans with friends and what not - but not so much that I stress myself out. It's been great!

• COMPLETE experience the Ultra Music Festival (this is lined up for March!)
• UPDATE: It. Was. EPIC.

• NOT STARTED go on a fun hiking trip
• UPDATE: I'm planning to do a trip somewhere in Florida or a surrounding state in the fall when the weather cools off a bit. Will probably knock this out as part of a camping trip.

New 2013 Resolutions

WORKING run an endurance race: 2013 Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day w/Mom!

• UPDATE: Mom and I are each registered! Starting Bart Yasso's The Perfect 10 Half Marathon Training Plan for Seasoned Runners on Wednesday, 21 August 2013! 

WORKING sew at least 60 pinwheels for bedspread quilt

• UPDATE: That's 15 pinwheels/month (15 pinwheels = 1 patterned fabric complete; there are 15 different patterned fabrics). I just need to cut up some of the beige fabric, and I'm ready to start sewing the pinwheels!

NOT STARTED learn how to play poker

• UPDATE: I've recently made a new friend, and said friend wants to teach me how to play poker!

The Quilt

Now that I have completed my Master's degree, I have all of this glorious free time. So. I have decided to make myself a great, big, king-size, quilted bedspread. It's going to be 120" x 120", which translates to fifteen 8" blocks by fifteen 8" blocks. It's a pinwheel pattern called Modern Pinwheels from Quilty magazine.

Since this is such an undertaking, I thought it would be worth logging the activity. Plus I'm sure folks will ask how long it took me, and this way I'll be able to actually answer.

Here is the log so far:

Date	Number of Hours	Running Total of Hours	Description
25 May	1.0	1.0	pick pattern
28 May	1.0	2.0	convert twin-size pattern to king-size
1 June	3.5	5.5	choose fabric, figure yardage, purchase fabric
1-2 June	2.5	8.0	wash and dry fabric
2-3 June	6.5	14.5	trim and iron fabric
4 June	0.75	15.25	cut 15 blocks' worth of one pattern fabric

I'm also keeping track of how much money I've invested in this project:

$31.23 - King-size cotton batting

$133.58 - patterned and cream fabric for the pinwheel blocks

$164.81 - total to date

And, of course, a few photos:

patterned fabric - pre-cut

patterned fabric - cut & purchased 

considering this fabric for the entire back of the quilt

patterned fabric - washed, dried, trimmed, and ironed

cut pieces for one patterned fabric's 15 pinwheel blocks

Wicked & Jenny's Birthday

Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Wicked with some friends from the book club! Everyone really enjoyed the hit musical. In case you're wondering, the tickets were worth the $88 we paid - a must see performance, especially if you are a Wizard of Oz (film and/or novel), Wicked (novel), or The Great and Powerful Oz (film) fan. I didn't have a favorite part of the show, but the lady who played Elphaba was phenomenal - spot on. She had a set of pipes and could really belt out her songs. I also really enjoyed the references to the film.

Book Club after seeing Wicked

Afterwards some of us went downtown to celebrate Jenny's birthday. I brought cheese cake and red velvet cake, and we hopped around to a few bars. Jenny was feeling it the next morning, haha, but that only means she had a blast!

Birthday Girl, Jenny, & I

January Books

Looking for your next book? The three I read in January were all great! We're only a month into 2013 and I have 3 books under my belt! I can already tell that this year will hold a much redeemed "read book count" as compared to that of 2012. = )

January

(1) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - a twisty-turney mystery story of a man, his wife, and solving the mystery of where/why she's "gone"; the story is told well in a unique fashion of every other chapter being told from the man's perspective, then the woman's, but the catch is that he starts with present day and moves forward, and her side is told from her journal, past moving forward - eventually their chapters meet in time and go forward together

(2) The Dog Stars by Peter Heller - January's book club book; takes a while to get used to the writing style (no quotations or quote indentations), but a great post-apocalyptic tale of a man, his dog, and their search for something worth carrying on for in such a world; I really enjoyed this one - more than I expected to

(3) Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - a zombie romance with Romeo and Juliet themes; funny, thoughtful, zombie-licious; can hardly wait to see the movie (it opens this Friday!)

Here's what I have lined up to read in February:

February

(4) James & the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (I figure I can get this one knocked out even with a paper due this Sunday - LOVED the movie!)

(5) A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin (started this back in May of last year, needed a break from Westeros, I suppose, but I find myself giddy with excitement at the idea of jumping back into that awesome world!)

(6) One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (February book club book!)

(7) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (started a while ago, excited to pick back up!)

(8) Peony in Love by Lisa See (book given to me by a dear friend!)

Happy reading!