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Thursday, January 5, 2012

2011: GOALS REVIEW

At the beginning of last year, I wasn't pregnant, I was just coming off a big time marathon PR, D and I were running together again, my then two year old was sleeping somewhat predictably (meaning I knew I'd be up once a night, but only briefly), I had a predictable student schedule, and my gym membership was free. I set out to achieve some mighty goals. Soon after my goals post in January last year, I found out I was pregnant. I had all-day sickness and I was exhausted. There were nights K was tucking me into bed - I was so tired her bedtime was too late for me. My goals had to be altered.

Below is my revised list of goals from last year and an honest assessment of my achievement (or lack thereof) of them.

MOM:

  • Get everything in place  for K to attend preschool in the fall - completed. K started at her new school in early September. She walked through the doors on the first day with such confidence and has not looked back. She's a rock-star preschooler. I'm also extremely grateful to have her in a great school that goes through 6th grade; also grateful that C will one day join her there.
  • Plan one outing with K each week
    • library - done. We're on a first name basis with the children's librarian and her intern.
    • museum - done. We went to the Air & Space Museum, American History, and Botanical Gardens this year.
    • pool - done. We spent considerable time at the pool this past summer.
    • spray park - done and done. We were regulars at the spray park; sometimes hitting it twice in one day.
  • Read to K every day - done. My baby loves to read.
  • Introduce one new food/recipe every two weeks - I did a bad job tracking my progress on this goal, but I feel confident that K tried and liked a lot of new foods this year. The girl loves broccoli, peas, tofu, and seitan.
  • Prepare K for the arrival of the new baby - she was as ready as she could be and had a sparkly pink "big sister" t-shirt to prove it.
  • Get things read for Baby #2
    • buy new crib - we didn't buy one, but arranged to get one on loan from friends
    • rearrange house - done
    • plan maternity leave - done

WIFE:
  • Plan one date night per month - fail. We had some great nights out - D's birthday dinner at a local wine bar, great Thai food at a local hole in the wall restaurant, but I definitely did little planning and we did not get out once a month.
  • Plan five year wedding anniversary celebration - fail. We even had a great bottle of wedding wine to open on our anniversary, but I opted for sleep most of February. Leaving little room for celebration.
  • Encourage, support, and help D plan for his sabbatical - D's sabbatical will take place this year. Support forthcoming.
  • Read book with D and take action accordingly - started, but not completed. Love the book. Just need to find the time to finish and discuss it.
FRIEND:
  • Plan 12 coffee dates (one per month with a friend) - I had several coffee/pizza/cupcake dates with friends and former colleagues, but I do not believe I had 12.
  • Organize an event for K's friends and their moms quarterly
    • cookie decorating - done. Valentine's Day.
    • backyard sprinkler party - done. Although we rarely hosted because our neighbors had a super cool sprinkler and we went over there a lot.
    • picnic in RCP - fail, but we did picnic in the backyard, at the park near K's school and at the swimming pool.
  • Make and start getting out with a running buddy - fail. I didn't even try.
COMMUNITY / FAMILY:
  • Volunteer
    • at a local running / triathlon event - fail
    • in one of the many neighborhood groups - half-fail. I didn't join a group per-se, but I did attend several neighborhood meetings and participated in numerous email discussions.
ATHLETE:
  • Do strength training at least twice per week - fail
  • Cross train at least once per week - partial fail. I walked a lot throughout my pregnancy and took spinning classes until my pregnant belly made me too unsteady on the spinning bike.
    • yoga
    • spinning
    • swimming
HEALTH:
  • Gain a healthy amount of weight while pregnant (do not exceed first pregnancy weight) - I gained more weight during this past pregnancy, but also had a baby who was three pounds heavier. My weight gain was definitely in the normal/healthy range.
  • Introduce K to health behaviors --- get her outside and moving at least three times per week - we did this! Especially during the spring and summer months.
    • yoga
    • swimming
    • bike riding
    • walking
  • Make / try a new healthy snack each week - fail. And, again, I did a bad job of tracking my progress to achieve this goal.
  • East at least 4 fruits / veggies each day - likely achieved, but, again, I did a bad job of tracking my progress.
STUDENT:
  • Defend dissertation by July 2011 - done in September.
  • Complete at least three papers for publication by September 2011 - ongoing :(
CAREER: I got my dream job and could not be more excited. I am currently working on outlining my research program, dreams, and aspirations and how I can fulfill them in my new role. My "career" category is one of the highlights of this past year.
  • Practice patience
  • Apply only for jobs I am excited about
  • Make a list of what I really want to do and necessary steps to get there by June 2011
  • Write out 3-, 5-, and 10- year goals
  • Explore some non-traditional part-time opportunities
FINANCE:
  • Set aside enough money to pay for K's preschool - done. Paid in full in July.
  • Brainstorm ideas to make extra money - not necessary as I got an actual job.
  • Make plans to pay for delivery of Baby #2 and insurance of Baby #2 - done
HOME:
  • Paint, furnish, and decorate K's big girl room - done
  • Make space / room for Baby #2 - done
  • Paint living room - done
  • Choose color and paint our bedroom - work in progress
  • Plant garden with K in the spring - garden is ready for spring 2012 planting
PERSONAL GROWTH:
  • Read books on my to be read list:
    • Born To Run
    • Breaking Dawn - done
    • Celebration of Discipline
    • Anatomy of the Soul
    • Me, Myself, and Bob - started; most likely will not finish
    • Run Like a Mother - done
    • Chi Running
    • Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families - started; will finish
    • The Help
  • Read Bible (all of it before end of year) - fail
  • Learn how to use my camera - room for improvement
ME:
  • Plan a me outing each month - fail
    • spring shopping with ACE
    • afternoon at the library reading
    • walk around The Mall 
  • Pay for and get one massage -fail
  • Complete a year long photo challenge (commence in February) - fail
  • Save money for: - fail except for the stroller. I scored the stroller of my dreams on craigslist!
  • Have a natural childbirth - yeah... this did not happen, but not for a lack of trying.

2 comments:

fancy nancy said...

Babies change everything! You achieved amazing things this year though! God continues to be faithful!

J. said...

You did a great job!