~March Goals Recap~

Hmm, how did those March goals go, you ask? Not so well, truthfully. This month I was really busy - two jobs and two trips to Portland, OR. Portland is one of my favorite towns to visit. It's so much smaller than Seattle and has a hipper (albeit less international) vibe than Vancouver. My favorite places there include (like everyone else) Powells Book Store, Voodoo Donut, and the Saturday Market. The last time I went down I went with my friend Molly, who lives in Vancouver. We stayed with her friend and had a great time exploring Portland. Now I have a few more locales to recommend to people: Bridges Cafe, Academy Theater (where we saw the 2 hr. Mad Men premiere with other fans... usually I'm a sucker for Living Room Theaters, but you can't beat the charm of Academy!) and Anne Amie winery out in the Willamette Valley, where I tasted the best port I've ever had! 

                                      

That being said, I didn't get a lot of work done on my happiness project, although it was on my mind. I'm going to have to reprise some of my goals for next month, including finishing my online classes, writing to my favorite authors and running three miles. My online classes are going slowly, as I can't seem to dredge up motivation for them, and although I'm excited to write to those two authors that knock my socks off, I am finding it hard to just sit down and put my thoughts on paper. Running three miles will come soon, I think. I have to cross my fingers that my knees hold up until I can get health insurance. :o) 2 miles and the right one turned black and blue! Yikes. That being said, I'm still pursuing running (and I've done well with my "goal" of exercising at least every other day). 

Maybe I should make keeping up with my happiness goals a happiness goal for next month? 

                                       

March Greenery!

One of my goals last month was to plan and prep my garden for this summer. I had gotten lots of seeds (and some great beet and bean seeds from my Grandpa!) and was really eager to plant them! I made small cups out of newspaper (just plant the whole thing in the soil - the newspaper will decompose!) and planted my seeds. Now they're doing great living on my windowsill waiting till the weather gets warmer. My outdoor garden is all prepped as well - let's hope I can get some seeds planted next month!

March Goal #4: Flossin' all week long!

New month, new goals! I've flossed and taken my vitamins every night this week... 

feels like a good start!

Goals for MARCH

MARCH GOALS:

1) Do something that scares me: Take a note from Ole Eleanor, although I don't think I'll be able to do one thing a day... but I'll try! Something that challenges me and that pushes me out of my comfort zone. I'm not sure what that thing is yet, but I'll know when I see it.

"Do one thing everyday that scares you" - Eleanor Roosevelt

2) Run three miles straight: I haven't actually tried to do this yet, even though I did a 5k in December (Jingle Bell.... Leah and I walked a little) and I have one scheduled for May (the color run!). I have kept up with my January goal of not going two days without working out and regularly run a mile, but haven't yet worked up to three! This month's the month!

"Run like hell and get the agony over with" - Clarence DeMar

3) FINALLY write those author-compliment letters to:
                                - Elizabeth Hickey (The Painted Kiss)
                                - Barbara Sjoholm (Incognito Street)
I've been meaning to write these letters for quite some time. 5 years since I first thought of telling Barbara what I thought of her memoir and 2 years since Ms. Hickey's The Painted Kiss rocked my socks. I've done some good things with a complaint letter this year - now to try a compliment.

To whom the hand writes...

4) Floss everyday: Everyday. I'm already pretty good at flossing. Let's face it, once or twice a week is pretty good for me. But this month? Every. Day.

An Apple a Day.... or something like that.

5) Finish my two online classes at Western: Advanced Grammar and Young Adult Lit. Not the most exciting goals, but I'll sure feel a whole lot happier once those two chips are brushed off my shoulder.

Adios, Muchachos!


Gretchen's March Goals: Aim higher – Work
1) Launch a blog. 
2) Enjoy the fun of failure. 
3) Ask for help. 
4) Work smart. 
5) Enjoy now. 

#4.... mein deutsch üben!

One of my biggest goals this month was to PRACTICE MY GERMAN. This was not only because I had a major german test (through the ACTFL for my German teaching endorsement) but because... let's face it, I was getting rusty! 

Luckily Netflix is full of fantabulous "deutsche Filme"... for example: 

Die Welle! (The Wave!)

A really interesting and engaging movie - I highly recommend it. 

I also *finally* met some other German speakers at the PLU Stammtisch. It was a tad awkward, as I've never been to PLU, and the usual "which classes are you taking" questions didn't apply to me and I'd have to explain "I don't go here but will in June yada yada." I did meet some great people though. Next up is the UW Stammtisch. I heard it's held in a greek restaurant. This should be good. 

Ja Wohl! 

#3: Clean out Gmail.... CHECK!

It feels good to have a cleaned-out inbox. Like a spring chicken. 

Notice when you are HAPPY...

What's made me happy this week:

I've had a fantastic week! Highlights included: 

1) a train trip down to Portland to visit my good friend Matt! It was great - saw The Artist, celebrated his dad's birthday and helped him put a roof on his new chicken coop ;o)

{Matt and me in Cabo in 2007}

2) Dinner with my best friends at Joeys... and got checked out by some guys. Heehee. Followed by underwear shopping at Gilly Hicks. Couldn't get any better! 

{Joey's delicious Mushroom Soup}

3) Book Club meeting in Belltown, followed by an amazing Hot Pot party at Katie and Phils. Amazing! Phil Kang is an amazing cook... you heard it here first. (or, rather, last, since we all knew that already) Did I mention it was amazing? ;o) 

{February's Book... I had the illustrated version!}

4) A day with my old/new friend Jessica: coffee, sewing, cats, more coffee, and sushi! <3 We were friends in college and recently re-connected. Hooray! 

{I'll admit it... I was scared of the oyster shooters}

5) Found an old book in my room: 

Well, turns out I've done it all without realizing it! With two years to spare! What a great feeling :o) Here's a few things from the list: 

         

         - Grow something                      - Speak a foreign language

         - Travel solo                               - Know your friend's family tree

         - Build a campfire                       - Make the first move

         - Quit something                         - Master a signature family recipe

         - Hold your booze                       - Write a complaint letter

         - Make brownies from scratch    

         - Perfect your a.m. stretch            - Accept compliments 

         - Unplug your TV for awhile      - Talk to strangers

         - Be a gracious guest                   - Walk in heels

         - Kick one habit                           - Be a dork 

         - Sleep in a hammock                  - Own a toolbox with all the basics  

         - Get a massage                           - Bounce back

         - Fly first class                            

         - Give yourself flowers              
         - Write thank you notes for everything
         - Research your family's medical history
         - Care about where your food comes from
         - Carry something to read, a notebook and a pen with you at all times

Happy: A Documentary

"From Academy Award nominated director Roko Belic comes his latest film, HAPPY. HAPPY takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real life stories of people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading scientists in happiness research, HAPPY explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion."

In theaters February 11th. 

"Happy" movie trailer –>

Easy A

Need a pick-me-up? This is one of my favorite movie sequences of all time :o) Emma Stone is amazing.

February Goals!

FEBRUARY GOALS

1) Do American and Canadian Taxes: Hmm, no easy feat, but I think I can do it. Gotta download forms from the Canadians, fill 'er in, and send 'em up to the great white north. The American ones can be done online... I think. Foreign W2s be dammed! 

The only thing that's certain are death and taxes. 

2) Clean out my itunes of old/unwanted music: I have SO much music in my itunes... and only listen to probably 30% of it. Time to clean some house. Haha. Get it? House? House music. Hilarious. 

Out with the old and in with the new!

3) Clean out my Gmail of old emails: Woah. This one is going to take some doing. According to my Gmail, I have 2,025 emails clogging up my inbox! Granted, that's only 13% full. The oldest one is from November 10, 2008. Yikes. 

Out damned spots!

4) Read Fischeflughafen, write letters and watch movies "auf Deutsch": This month I'm taking my exit exams for my teaching certificate (yea, I know, haven't even started the program yet... but that's just the way it goes). So, I've got an oral and a written exam for German proficiency. Time to practice!

Es wird Zeit! 

5) Plan and prep my garden: My parents have a pretty nice sized garden and I've got some good sized containers to fill. It's getting time to start some seedlings and start planning which veggies need to go where and when. I'm so excited! 

Alysha and the Beanstalk!

This month I'm going to continue with my previous goals of working out, keeping my journal and taking my vitamins. I wasn't so good about cooking often, but as I did last month, I'm going to give it my best shot. I'm excited to keep up with my happiness project. :o)

Gretchen's February Goals: Remember Love

1) Quit nagging. 

2) Don't expect praise or appreciation. 

3) Fight right. 

4) No dumping. 

5) Give proofs of love. 

End of January....

JOB WELL DONE! 

So, that was January. Lots of snow, ice, wind and rain. 

I'd thought I'd report with how the goals for this month went:

1) Keep a 1-line journal: Check! (for confirmation, see below)

{Journal fantastique}

2) Don't go 2 days w/o exercising: Check! (although I did go 3 days during the snow storm... power was out all over the area! (the gym included)

3) Meet w/a personal trainer: Check! (and ouch!)

4) Take Vitamins: Pretty much, although forgot some days.

5) Make dinner 2x a week: Living with the parents it's become more like 1x a week (last week was tomato basil parmesan soup... yum!) I'm so excited for those farmer's markets to start up again!

January was a success!!

I *heart* Yoga

Practice makes perfect!! 

Five Things

What made me happy this last week:

1) Spending so much time (and yoga) with Mrs. Susan Bloom. I <3 you.
2) Hemming all of my jeans and dress pants. Every time I put on a pair, I'm like, "ahhh."
3) Snow.
4) Getting mail (and a book auf deutsch!) from my dear friend Susanne in Switzerland.
5) Reading Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns."

"Alternate Title: The Girl With No Tattoo" 

ps. While I imagined meeting with a personal trainer would make me happy, it in fact did not. No, it actually made me very, very sore and gave me low self-esteem for a few days (do we really need to know our body fat percentages?!) but despite all that, I'm proud I went. If I were "financially secure" I'd definitely meet with him more often, but for now I'm happy lifting weights all on my lonesome.

Goal Attained!

This month I wanted to meet with a personal trainer... and today I've got the sore muscles to prove that I did!!! I met with Kevin at my gym, got weighed/body fatted, and gave my legs one hell of a workout. Hot damn. :o) 

January Goal Update (#1)

Keep on, Keepin' on!

January = so far so good!

Vitamins? Check. 

Working out? Yup. Also: trainer appointment made – SNAP!

Journal? You betcha. 

Cooking? Not so much, but mama's keeping me well fed ;o)

Here's a song that ALWAYS puts a smile on my face:

Florence and the Machine: The Dog Days Are Over

Blog share: 20 Resolutions for 20-somethings

I found this list of 20 resolutions for 20-somethings on the Thought Catalog page. Some of them are really priceless! I thought I'd share.... I highlighted the resolutions I thought were really worthwhile :o)  

But don't listen to the advice on #13: brussels sprouts are delicious. 

1. Before you status update, Tweet, Tumble or Instagram, pause and say to yourself, “is it entirely necessary that I share this morsel of thought with my entire social network?”and if the answer is not, “yes, I absolutely must,” then step away from the Internet.
2. Know which candidate you’re going to vote for in the upcoming presidential election, and know why.
3. Enough with the 14-day juice cleanses. If you want to lose a little weight quickly, eat less and exercise like crazy. If you want to lose a lot of weight slowly, do whatever Jennifer Hudson did.
4. If you really like the person you’re hooking up with and would like them to be your boyfriend/ girlfriend, find a way to tell them, and hope for the best. If you don’t and wouldn’t, stop.
5. Find a way to save approximately 300 dollars and spend it on a flight to see a friend or family member who lives far away.
6. Please stop liking the Kardashians, all of them. It’s not helping anyone, least of all the Kardashians.
7. Spend less than or equal to the money you earn each month.
8. Wear clothes that fit you, especially to work.
9. Call someone on the phone at least once a week, and speak to him or her for at least ten minutes.
10. Start preparing now to get over the fact that Facebook is probably going to change again in six months. You’re not going to deactivate your account. You don’t know how.
11. Wait 30 seconds before you look up a fact you can’t remember on your phone, and try to remember it using your brain. This is what the olden days were like.
12. Replace one terrible reality show you’re currently watching with one wonderful scripted show currently available on television.  Swap suggestion: Real Housewives of Anywhere for HBO’s Enlightened.
13. Try that food you think you don’t like but have never actually tried, unless it’s brussels sprouts. They really don’t need any more attention.
14. Cut one person out of your life who you truly do not like and add one person who you truly do. Note: not on Facebook, on Earth.
15. If you’re still blacking out regularly, you should stop.
16. Volunteer once over the next 90 days.  You’ll feel really good about it, and probably end up volunteering again over the next 275.
17.  Tell someone who you love that you love them on a more regular basis. To their face, not in a text.
18. Back up your entire online life onto an external hard drive, especially your photos.
19. Crap or get off the pot. This applies to whatever thing you’re not doing that you should just sack up and do already.
20.  And in the eternal words of Tom Haverford, “TREAT YO SELF!”

NEW YEARS DAY!

So thus begins my year-long project on happiness. While shopping in Seattle after the 5K Jingle Bell Run this year, I happened upon Gretchen Rubin's book "The Happiness Project". In her book, she details how although she was married, employed, a mother and not unhappy with her life, she wasn't exactly happy either. So she set small goals for herself to achieve each month (with a specific theme) with the end goal being to do them all and become an overall more happy person. Fantastico!

"Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness... that outer order contributes to inner order and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference" - The Happiness Project 

As I'm operating with a clean slate* and it's New Years, I thought to myself, what a perfect time to do the same! So, each month brings me new goals and new ways to challenge myself. I'm going to write out Gretchen's monthly goals as well as my own.

I plan to check in once a week to update on the progress of my project and my dedication (or lack thereof!) to the goals I set. (Also one of my best friends, Miss Suzie, is doing the Happiness Project as well and will keep me accountable!)

JANUARY GOALS:

HEALTH AND FITNESS

1) Keep a one-line journal for a year. 

             This is an idea I got from Ms. Rubin - the one-line-a-day journal. I had to keep a detailed journal for my english class for 5 weeks this Fall. We were required to write for at least 10 minutes a day and although I enjoyed it, it was difficult to fit in. One line a day should be easier! (and maybe I can later work up to longer entries). 

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train" 

- Oscar Wilde

2) Never go two days without exercising. 

            In October, when I had to move back home, I also joined a gym. I had belonged to a gym in Vancouver, but with working two jobs and 6 days a week and all the other things I had going on, I could only make it once a week to yoga class and the occasional swim and a bike ride to work. At my new gym (now that I'm equipped with more time and motivation!) I've been going 5-6 days a week: running and the elliptical machine, but my favorites are the classes: zumba, yoga and spin. :o) Never fails to put a smile on my face. 

"You're only one workout away from a good mood!" 

3) Make an appointment with a personal trainer. 

            Another gym goal. I've been doing so well with my cardio that it's about time to work up some strength training. I'm intimidated by the weights at the gym and as there's the option of meeting with a trainer once for free, so I'm going to act on that this month and learn how to master those meaty machines. 

"Adios arm flab!"

4) Take my vitamins daily.  

            I've always had vitamins on hand... but didn't always taken them. I know, lame sauce. Just couldn't remember. My mom said I should take Vitamin D and Calcium, so I've been doing my best to keep on track. Yum, open up! 

"Sunshine in a bottle."

5) Make dinner from scratch 2x a week. 

            There was a time when I did this 4-5 times a week, but living with your parents (picky parents, at that) makes it tougher. Either my mom cooks or they want to go out, or I eat leftovers. Now I'd like to make sure to cook AT LEAST 2x a week and from new recipes, if possible!

“Try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” 

- Julia Child

Well, let's give that a go, shall we? Five new goals for the lovely little month of January. How exciting! Next week we'll check in and see how it's going. :o) Ringing in the new year with fresh beginnings! 

Gretchen's January Goals: Boost Energy 

1) Go to sleep earlier. 

2) Exercise better. 

3) Toss, restore, organize.

4) Tackle a nagging task. 

5) Act more energetic. 

* Thus some long-term goals are: 

            1) Get a job. 

            2) Start school in June. 

            3) Get an apartment in Seattle.

            4) Start dating – online?  

Changes

Fall is a time for change... and times, they are a-changing. I've had to say adieu to Canada and have moved (after over FOUR years) back to the United States. Expect more posts from me as I'm working on my writing. I'm taking four classes at the moment and am INSPIRED! :o)