My February Goals/Bucket List

January was a bust in terms of things I wanted to do, as I lacked the motivation to do stuff. And I feel really bad about that. 

Hopefully, February will be better in that regard.

Here is what I would like to work on this coming month:

• Get bedroom at least 1/3 of the way cleaned up
• Put books I don't want anymore in a box to donate
• Put CDs I don't want anymore in a box to donate
• Put DVDs I don't want anymore in a box to donate
• Put accessories I don't want anymore in a box to donate
• Journal at least once a week
• Try making bread from scratch
• Start working on writing on book
• Learn Spanish
• Learn Sign Language
• Make a chicken pot pie
• Dye my hair purple
• Relearn how to play the violin
• Finish the cape I started making in December
• Write grief letters (something I learned about from Grief Share)
• Purchase a laptop for myself
• Work on putting together my 3D Downton Abbey puzzle
• Read at least one book

Here's to hoping that I can actually get at least some of these done!

Cautiously Optimistic and Excited

Registration for this year's Joni and Friends Family Retreats is now open, and I immediately signed up to volunteer.

But, with the way last year went, I am not totally convinced that we will be able to have in-person retreats this year.

I hope and pray that we do, but obviously since I and others don't know what will happen, I am half expecting retreats to be cancelled/postponed/changed to at-home retreats again.

My first, and only, time volunteering at retreat was in June 2019, and I absolutely LOVED it!!!

Plus, it was my first time traveling entirely on my own, so that was a huge step for me. And I am so glad I took that step.

I really miss my retreat friends, and would love to be able to see them again this year. Please be kind, 2021, and let us meet up again!!!

I loved every bit of my experience, and I am so grateful I got to go when I did. Before 2019, it just didn't work out, for me to be able to go to retreat, but 2019 was finally my year.

I made some wonderful friends, and experiences that will last for a lifetime, and I hope to be able to make more this year, and in the years to come.

I am just not sure how this year will turn out, but I am being cautiously optimistic. I would love to be able to go to retreat again!

Dear 2021

Dear 2021,

This year has been a very rough year for people all over the world, so please be kind to us.

We had more than enough of what the pandemic has brought.

It has been so hard for people around the world to deal with everything that went on. Please do not let it last much longer.

We need the connection we get from in-person get togethers, that we can't get any other way. Especially children.

I am fortunate enough that I got to keep my job (and get paid), and that no one I loved has died. But many cannot say the same, and I pray that these hard times come to a close soon.

Please let people come together in person again. 

Please let there be travel, and birthday celebrations, and retreats, and all the good things that people want to do, see, and experience.

Especially hugs, and all the good things that come from actually being with the people we love.

Everyone is tired. Everyone is frustrated, maybe even angry. Many are sick. We all need a better year. Especially those that are struggling (be it with their health, work, or whatever it may be).

Please be kind.

My Goals/Bucket List for January 2021

Like I've said before in other posts, I love making lists, and making goals/bucket lists is no exception. 

I have decided to make goals for each month, and I will see if I can break some of these up in smaller goals/steps, so I can achieve them.

In no particular order, here are my goals/wishes for January:

• Get my bedroom halfway cleaned up (there is a TON of stuff to go through in my room)
• Save at least half of the money I earn from each paycheck
• Finish the crochet cape I started making in December
• Try baking a loaf of bread from scratch
• Go to bed between 11 pm and midnight each night (pretty much every night, I stay up until around 3 am, and that needs to change)
• Wake up between 9 am and 10 am each morning (7 am on work days)
• Have at least one spa/mental health day
• Start writing book (or at least figure out the plot and characters)
• Make a vision/dream board/book
• Make a prayer journal and write in it on a regular basis
• Make a dream journal and write in it on a regular basis
• Pick up journaling again (regular journaling)
• Take better care of my possessions
• Stop procrastinating on things I want/need to do
• Put together the 3D puzzle of Downton Abbey that I got a couple years ago
• Read at least one book

Hopefully, I can get myself to work on at least some of these, and find the motivation to stick with them.

20 Good Things That Happened in 2020

With the way this year turned out, it may have been hard to see the good in every day, but even with the pandemic, there were lots of good things that have happened for me.

I am so grateful for what I have, and all the good that has happened, even in the midst of a difficult time.

Here are 20 good things that happened for me this year:

1. Being able to keep my job through this pandemic
2. Learning new crochet stitches
3. Crocheting a sweater for my dad
4. Celebrating my niece's birthday
5. Celebrating my nephew's birthday
6. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner
7. Baking a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving
8. Celebrating Thanksgiving with my family
9. Celebrating Christmas with my family
10. Getting a birthday card from my dad
11. Seeing several cardinals on my way home from work on multiple days
12. Seeing woodpeckers on my way home from work
13. Participating in the 2020 Joni and Friends Walk 'N' Roll virtual event
14. Joining a Zoom series chat with my Joni and Friends retreat friends
15. Participating in a Joni and Friends virtual Christmas gathering
16. Baking a cake for my birthday
17. A girl saying hi to me, while I was walking to work
18. Finally getting to watch the play Hamilton on Disney+
19. Lots of snuggles with my cats
20. Baking cookies for Christmas

What are some good things that happened to you this year? I hope there were more good things than not so good in your year.

If this year was not a good year for you, I hope better days are ahead.

My Top 10 Goals I Would Like To Accomplish By The End of 2021

I love making goals for myself, even though I don't achieve many of them (and the ones I do accomplish took longer than expected to achieve).

I have a lot of goals I would like to accomplish in life, but these are the ones I would like to work on, and/or complete this year.

1. Save 2/3 of each paycheck
   I am one of those people that spends more than they save, and I want to change that.
   
   
2. Be an STM at a Joni and Friends retreat
   I got to got to my very first Joni and Friends retreat in 2019, and instantly fell in love. I didn't get to go last year, obviously because of Covid, but I am hoping this year goes better, and that they will be able to be held this year.
   
   
3. Get my bedroom redecorated (walls repainted, new bed, etc.)
   My bedroom has been the same since I was a kid, and I am tired of how it looks. 
   
   
4. Travel to New York
   I have always wanted to go to New York, and I have been thinking about actually going for the last few years.
   
   
5. Practice my cake/cookie/baked goods decorating skills more regularly
   I took baking and decorating classes in college, but have hardly used them since graduating. I would love to make more desserts and to decorate them, more often.
   
   
6. Purchase a laptop for myself
   It is kind of frustrating when we have one working computer in the house, to use among four people, so I would love to be able to have my own computer/laptop
   
   
7. Purchase a DSLR camera for myself
   Photography is one of my main passions, and I would like to get a good DSLR camera for myself, so I can learn how to take better pictures.
   
   
8. Create a vision board
   I love vision boards, and I think it's a great idea having a board of things you would like to have/do/experience in your life, in a place where you can see it every day.
   
   
9. Get into a loving, caring, healthy relationship with a significant other
   I am more than ready to be in a relationship, and I hope it happens sooner rather than later.
   
   
10. Get my driver's license
    I am not confident in my driving ability, even though I have taken driver's ed in high school. I want to work on that, and be more independent. I don't want to have to rely on other people taking me places all the time.

The First Sweater I Have Ever Made

For the last few years, my dad had been asking me to make him a sweater, as he knew I was a knitter and crocheter.

I never got around to it, mainly because I wanted to focus on school (I graduated last year). And, I was apprehensive about making a sweater, as I had never made one before.

At the beginning of this month, I finally bit the bullet, and bought the supplies to make one, and got started.

There were two stitches in the pattern I used (this one), that I had never done before, so I looked up how to on YouTube. The stitches are front post double crochet, and back post double crochet.

It took me a few tries, but I was able to figure out the stitches, and I got the hang of it.

These stitches were for the ribbing on the bottom of the body, and on the ends of the sleeves.

I started out with the back piece of the body, and I was having a hard time with that piece at first. I figured out I wasn't reading it right, and got it after a few days.

Then it was on to the front, which was a little different than the back. 

I had to figure out how to do the arm and shoulder shaping, so it confused me at first (I don't know why). But it suddenly clicked one day, and I was good to go after that.

Back

Front

Front on the left, back on the right

Once I finished the front and back pieces, I moved on to the sleeves. 

Once again, I was having a hard time with the pattern for the sleeves, for whatever reason.

I got the ribbing part, but the rest was proving difficult. But, as with the body, I was able to figure out how to work the sleeves, and got them done in a few days.

One of the finished sleeves

After about two weeks, I finished all of the pieces, (to be honest, it took less time than I thought it would), and I am happy with how they turned out.

All of the finished pieces

It took me another week or so to sew all the pieces together, as well as making the neckband, but that was only because I was procrastinating on doing so.

But, I finished it on Christmas eve, which I was so happy about.

I gave the sweater to my dad for Christmas, and he put it on after everyone opened up all of our gifts.

The whole thing turned out a lot better than I expected, but to be honest, I am glad it's finished. There was a lot of learning, frustration, and redoing parts of it, and I am glad I got it done.

The only thing is, the neckband is way too wide, so I will have to fix that somehow.

Otherwise, my dad says it fits perfectly, and he loves it. I am relieved, and happy, that it came out as well as it did and that he loves it.

And that I finally made the darn thing.

Now that I know I can make a sweater, I am more confident in my abilities, and will definitely be making more big projects in the future.

My 2021 Word of the Year: Courage

I have been doing word of the year for a few years now, and it has gone ok, but it definitely needs some work.

I was recently thinking about what I want my word to be for 2021, and saw the word courage somewhere (I don't remember where, exactly).

Courage is the perfect word for me, as I tend to shy away from a lot of things that would put me out of my comfort zone on many occasions.

And I want to change that.

As a very shy and introverted person, most of my time that is not spent at work is spent at home. I will either be playing a video game (I have been playing video games A LOT this year), listening to music, watching a movie, or hanging out in my room.

Which is why I don't do the things I really want to do much of the time. 

Things like:

• Talking to people, and in turn making more friends (I don't have very many friends)
• Traveling to new or favorite places
• Getting my driver's license, and driving
• Working at a bakery, and improving my baking and decorating skills
• Taking better care of myself (and loving myself)
• To be in a relationship with a significant other
• Asking for help when I am struggling
• Living on my own
• Shaving my head at least once in my life (yes, I want to shave my head!)
• Calling people (I hate making phone calls, especially to people I don't know)
• Reaching out to current friends, to talk or do things with
• Going to events in the city that I would really like to go to (concerts, plays, etc.)

I want to have the courage to be who I really am, and to do the things I really want to do. I want to have the courage to stand up for myself, to have my voice heard.

A lot of people have made me feel like I am not worth getting to know, not worth being friends with, not worth being heard, not worth making memories with.

I am one of those people that cares about what others think of me, which is why I hesitate to do things, why I hesitate to be the real me.

And I want to have the courage to change that.

My 2021 Bucket List

I am always thinking about things I want to do, and am always making bucket lists for different aspects of my life.

Here is what I would like to do in 2021:

• Get my driver's license
• Be an STM at a Joni and Friends Retreat
• Go to the Joni and Friends Walk 'N' Roll
• See a movie at a drive-in movie theater
• Visit the zoo
• Be in a loving, caring relationship with a significant other
• Have a more balanced diet
• Exercise on a regular basis
• Have a skincare routine that works for me
• Have a haircare routine that works for me
• Buy as DSLR camera
• Buy a laptop
• Spend the day (or a few) in the city
• Have a girls' night out/in
• Have at least one spa day a month
• Visit New York
• Go to a fall fest
• Cook Thanksgiving dinner
• Host at least one game night
• Host a Friendsgiving
• Go on a road trip with friends
• Have at least one photoshoot done
• Save more money than I spend
• Learn how to French braid
• Learn how to do a fishtail braid
• Learn how to apply my own makeup
• Be more confident in myself
• Learn how to do calligraphy
• Go horseback riding
• Go sledding
• Ride my bike often
• Try at least five new-to-me restaurants
• Make new/more friends
• Take up painting
• Knit/crochet one item a month
• Learn to sew
• Work on writing a book
• Pay for someone's drink/meal
• Learn Spanish
• Learn sign language
• Complete a video game
• Learn how to make macarons
• Bake something at least once a week
• Go on a picnic
• Write in a prayer journal on a regular basis
• Visit at least one friend in another city/state
• Sponsor a child
• Go on a shopping trip with friends
• Become more independent
• Start my photography degree
• Start my own YouTube channel
• Learn how to film, edit, and upload videos
• Keep in contact with my friends on a more regular basis
• Tie dye/bleach dye clothes
• Have at least one beach day
• Keep a prayer journal
• Diffuse essential oils
• Make my own pizza
• Make chalk art on the sidewalk
• Go tubing
• Visit relatives
• Buy and lay (lie?) in a hammock
• Play laser tag
• Go paintballing
• Get my passport
• Get a tattoo in memory of my mom
• Get another piercing in each ear
• Get my nose pierced
• Write at least one song
• Put together a 3D puzzle
• Make friendship bracelets
• Make a cake and decorate it
• Make ice cream
• Play with bubbles
• Run through the sprinklers
• Have a water balloon/water gun fight
• Learn how to play the ukulele
• Go for early morning walks
• Take better care of my mental health
• Learn how to use chopsticks
• Dye my hair a crazy color
• Keep my bedroom clean
• Own a denim jacket, and decorate it with patches
• Have a snowball fight
• Go sledding
• Shave my head
• Make a hot chocolate charcuterie for winter
• 
  

Yes, I know this is a lot, but I want to do a lot in my life, and I think this is a good start for 2021.

What I Got for Christmas 2020

First, I would like to say merry Christmas to those who celebrate! To those who do not, I hope you have a wonderful day, whatever you do.

My dad, brothers and I opened presents on Christmas Eve, and then my sister and her family came over on Christmas day for a little bit, and we opened up more gifts.

This is what I got for Christmas this year:

• Believe by Andrea Bocelli CD
• Once Upon a Time season 3 on DVD
• Downton Abbey season 5 on DVD
• Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far PlayStation 4 game
• Taste of Home Meal Planning: Smart Meal Prep to Carry You Through the Week cookbook
• Cell phone case
• Portable cell phone charger
• USB cables for cell phone
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire DVD
• WREBBIT 3D Harry Potter The Burrow puzzle
• Amazon Echo Dot
• Amazon Smart Plug (works with Alexa)
• Baby Yoda plushie (not on my wishlist, but I love it!)
• Lego The Incredibles PlayStation 4 game (not on my wishlist, but I will play it)
• Lego City Undercover PlayStation 4 game (not on my wishlist, but I will play it)
• Sunrise Wake Up Light alarm clock
• Real Life Dinners cookbook by Rachel Hollis
• Going the Distance by Jonathan Antoine CD

I am happy with what I got, and enjoyed spending time with my family. I just wish the days lasted a little longer. Christmas went by way too fast for me.

I have already started using my Echo dot, and am having way too much fun with it!

Christmas was definitely unusual this year, but I still had a good holiday season. Hopefully next year will be better, and we can spend more time with others, in person rather than through video chatting.

Merry Christmas!!