Sweet Home Santa Barbara

Thursday, February 28, 2013

2013 Bucket List - Progress Check


Another month down! And it was an amazing month, if I do say so myself!

Surprisingly, I'm actually okay with the time moving at the friggen speed of light. I'm loving every minute of it, and I've got some amazing things to look forward to this year. So if I can't slow down time, I might as well start getting even more excited about the things to come!

Let's take a look at how these goals are going, shall we?

1. Run at least 3 races (any distance 5K and over)

I'm happy to report some major progress on this goal!

Not only have I completed my first race, but I'm now officially registered for 3 more! If all goes as planned, I will have run 4 races by the end of May!


-10K Coronado Valentine's Day Race: Feb 17th / DONE! 54 min, 8:30 mile pace




-5K Los Angeles Run or Dye: March 9th / registered!


-15K San Diego Hot Chocolate Race: March 24th / registered!

-Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon: May 11th / registered!

That's right, going for the Half Marathon goal again. And as cute as that boot looked, let's pray for no stress fractures this time? Wonderful.

2. Read 30 books

So far I've read 2 and a half books, so I think it's safe to say that I'm behind on this one. 

Time to pick up the pace! Maybe try and read two and half books this month versus the one-ish per month pace I've been moving at? 

Cross your fingers for me, and follow my progress here.

(Quick read recommendations always welcome!)

3. Get a passport

Same update as last month, but I'll be all moved by Friday!

That means I can start transferring everything to my new address, and submit my passport application next month! Goal will be to have this bad boy submitted by the end of the month:



4. Travel outside of the country (preferably missions related)

No updates here. Still hoping to swing that Honduras trip in June, will be praying about it!

5. Cross off at least 2 states

This is for my 50 State Challenge.

No flights booked, but one will be very soon! I'll be crossing off Indiana when I go to The Influence Conference in September. More on that in a post coming soon :)

6. Meet a blogger friend IRL

I will officially be meeting so many of my closest blog friends at Influence, and I can. not. wait. 

7. One spontaneous trip

Tahoe: Back in January


8. One random act of kindness per month

January: gas station

February: check! 

God totally came through with leading me to perform my February random act. This one I chose not to share on the blog, but I am simply blown away by how God has been making it so clear what He wants me to do each month. 

Really looking forward to seeing what He has in store for March! :)

9. End the year with 0 balance on credit card

Alright, these next two were where I was slacking last month. Let's see how February went:

In January, my credit card balance had increased by 1% from where it was on January 1st.

Whoops.

At the end of February, my balance is 11% less than what it was at the start of the year. 

I'd call that progress! 

10. Double my savings

In January, my savings account had decreased by 5% from where it was on January 1st.

Again, whoops!

At the end of February, my balance is 2.5% less than where it was at the start of the year. 

So better than last month, but still in the opposite direction of where I want it to go. I've decided to prioritize paying off my credit card bill, since that's where the interest hits me. 

But savings, you better believe I'm still coming for ya!

11. Cut and donate my hair

Crossed off in January.


11. Take Milissa on a sister weekend getaway

Still nothing in the books, yet

We decided this summer would be a good time, since Mil won't be in school. My mom had the great idea that we go to San Francisco, since her and I had a memorable mother/daughter trip there when I was around Mil's age. 

I'm all for that idea, considering one of my most favorite people in the whole world lives there!




12. Get a blog makeover!

Amy, from the Charming blog, and I just began this process! I am so excited about it, and can't wait until we have the final result!

If you're ever considering doing a blog makeover, I'd highly recommend Amy! One: she's got an awesome name. And two: she is a fabulous designer! And a breeze to work with!

So there you have it!

My progress. 

Or still, in some cases, lack there of

March, let's do this!

<Bucket List progress tracked here>

16 comments:

Amy said...

Look at you getting it done! That is AWESOME! Great goals, and great progress!
Do you have a goodreads account? It is awesome and keeps tracks of books you've read and want to read!
I might adopt some of these goals for myself!

Leah said...

looks like awesome progress to me! you got great goals girl. i'm sure you'll be able to complete them all in time.

Jordan said...

You have made phenomenal progress considering we are only two months into the year! Keep it up girl, you're doing great!

HK said...

While saving IS important, I'd encourage you to prioritize paying off those credit card bills as fast as possible, as your current situation allows, of course. The amount you pay in interest could be a greater loss than any potential interest you could earn in savings, or even just save, period. But hey-- good progress so far, keep it up :-)

Amy said...

Thanks for all of the encouragement, everyone!!

@HK Yes I TOTALLY agree. I definitely want to increase my savings, but I will absolutely be prioritizing paying off my credit card to get rid of that interest. Fortunately, it's not tooo high :)

Victoria said...

way to go!!!

:)

Anna said...

Love this update! I will think good thoughts for you on the racing, just take it slow and you should be good but you've got some great goals.

I have a lofty book goals as well-52--what was I thinking? Here's my bit on these book goals is to think more about enjoying reading for pleasure vs. trying to rack up a number. And then focusing on that might even help you rack them up!

Melissa Jo said...

Debt vs. Savings - ahh it is always a struggle between the two. I'm trying to make huge adjustments in my spending habits so I can pay down my debts but it always never fails.. something comes up I have to pay for and it goes back on the card because I used up all the $ on the card earlier in the month trying to pay down the balance!

Rach said...

Girl, that's so great that you are paying off the debt! Way to go! Love how you are rocking this list! And I know you'll catch up on your to-read list! :)

Leslie @ Body Won't Break said...

Great job on all of your goals! I'm jealous of your races. They sound like a ton of fun!

Annie said...

HONDURAS HONDURAS HONDURAS. if you go i'm hiding in your suitcase. i can't fathom the idea of you going to one of my favorite places in the whole wide world and me just staying in america.

i like your state challenge! i should put this into a more formal, achievable format than "someday i want to be able to say i went to all 50 states."

you and i should keep ourselves accountable on the book front! i have 11 books out from the library and haven't read a sizeable portion of any of them. i need to get back into reading consistently!

i have done better at keeping up on my email and reading blog posts, though, so there's that.

Linnea said...

Great progress on those goals. I'd love to see you when I'm in CA if we can figure it out!!

courtney {splendid actually} said...

I love that you are holding yourself accountable on your blog. It really motivates me to make some strides towards my goals.

The 50 states goal is a great one. I'm at 14; maybe it's time to step it up!

SH said...

What a great list - you've accomplished so much already!

Sheree
The Hartungs Blog
thehartungs.blogspot.ca

Crystal said...

Great job on the race! And signing up for more!

If you're looking for a quick read, I recently finished Nobody But Us by Kristin Hubbard. It's a YA novel and I got through it in no time. It wasn't my favorite book ever and I did have a couple of issues with it, but I loved the two distinct voices (it's told in alternating POV's) that the author created and I appreciated reading it for that.

Kate Sparkles said...

Amazing progress I'd say. A sisters weekend away sounds so fun! I managed to pay my credit card off in January but it didn't take long to get back in the red :( good luck with yours!