Goals and Year in Review
I never do 'resolutions' for a new year, and I've never done that year in review meme, but it seemed like a good time to do it toady for some reason.
My list of goals began when I signed up at 43Things, a website that recommends a person try to accomplish up to 43 long-term (or short term goals) at a given time. Some goals are big and some are little, anything from reading a particular book to changing the world. I later consolidated the list over here on LJ. It's not a New Year's resolution list, but an ongoing list of what I'm working on at any given point in my life. And always subject to change.
My Goals, updated, with accomplished goals and changes noted, priorities re-arranged, and new goals marked with a dash.
- 1. Have a healthy pregnancy (have to *get* pregnant of course, but it's important to have goals that you enjoy working toward)
2. Learn Italian Spanish (getting better!)
- 3. Return to Guasmo Sur
4. Potty train my daughter (getting close!)
5. Read 50 books in 2008
6. Lose 20 6 pounds
7. Build a mission-focused church for Albany's an urban GLBT community
- 8. Get ordained as a United Methodist elder
9. Become debt-free
10. Reduce my environmental footprint
11. Find time to paint
12. Write poetry again
13. Have better posture
14. Love my body
15. Eliminate discrimination based on sexuality from the UMC
16. Delegate more at work
17. Attend General Conference
18. Read Atlas Shrugged
19. Work for peace
20. Make poverty history
22. Write a book and have it published
23. Get a Doctorate
24. Live abroad for a year
25. Visit Jerusalem
26. Realize my secret ambition
27. Win the Nobel Peace Prize
Completed/dropped goals:
1. Read 50 books in 2007 (did not succeed; read 42, see 50 book tag for details)
2. Write a will (filed it in July)
3. Go on a mission trip (Adopta Una Familia 2007, Guasmo Sur, Guayaquil, Ecuador; see Ecuador tag for details)
4. Make a difference in the world (too general, and covered by other specific differences I want to make)
And, just for kicks and giggles, how about that year in review meme?
2007 in Review
What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Gave up a dream (LARK ministry), traveled to a developing country, went on a mission trip, built much of a house out of concrete, learned Spanish, cleaned toddler poo, met an online friend in person.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
no.
Did anyone close to you die?
My Nonna, Frances York, May 17.
What countries did you visit?
Ecuador.
What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A second child.
What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 8, I left the barrio in Guayaquil.
September 9, I had the hardest day of my ministry, following a murder-suicide.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
My daughter's progress and my congregation's progress
What was your biggest failure?
I didn't see my Nonna before she died, I didn't get LARK off the ground.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Some bouts of flu and a fear of thyroid disease that turned out ok.
What was the best thing you bought?
I guess it would have to be the iPhone. No, the Wii. No, the iPhone. But I'm not a shallow gadget-lover, honest.
Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My husband's, because he often surprises me, a woman in my congregation being generous beyond belief, Former Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto (because it's still fresh in my mind)
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
W.
Where did most of your money go?
Groceries, gas, baby supplies, childcare.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Ecuador, putting LittleOne in daycare, giving Praeceptor a surprise party.
What song will always remind you of 2007?
"SexyBack," because my husband likes to get it stuck in my head, anything with a Latin beat.
Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder?
Much happier-- for the first time in over a decade I have no excess hormones from either birth control pills, pregnancy, or nursing. I feel great.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
thinner
iii. richer or poorer?
more income coming in, but far more debt.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Visiting family
What do you wish you'd done less of?
worrying about church
How did you spend the holidays?
Thanksgiving with Dad, husband's birthday with a great party, Christmas Eve with sarahfim and her husband and an awful church service, Christmas Day with sister/b-i-l, in-laws, and neighboring friends, and later Mama, New Years with friends in Saratoga.
Did you fall in love in 2007?
A little more each day, with my two house mates.
What was your favourite TV programme?
LOST, until they killed a favorite character.
What was the best book you read?
The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne, Lamb by Christopher Moore, Traveling Mercies and Plan B by Anne Lamott, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling, which is the most-anticipated, built-up book experience I've ever had, and I was only marginally disappointed in the slaughtering of a couple of characters' well, character. In 2008, I am similarly excited about a book coming out in June, and far less anxious about being disappointed.
What was your favourite film of this year?
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 28. I had a nice dinner and saw my sister. Other than that, not much.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I was very satisfied.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
A little more feminine than previously, using jewelry and makeup more.
What kept you sane?
Husband, daughter. Of course, they were often the ones driving me insane, too.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
My darling Ewan.
What political issue stirred you the most?
War, environment, health care, gay rights, women's rights
Who did you miss?
I didn't see enough of my mom.
Who was the best new person you met?
My Ecuadorian buddy C, my host family, and my fellow traveler, A.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
I can love someone a world away, not out of pity but out of connection, trust, and tenderness.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I'll have to think on that (no, that's not a lyric, it's a statement)
My list of goals began when I signed up at 43Things, a website that recommends a person try to accomplish up to 43 long-term (or short term goals) at a given time. Some goals are big and some are little, anything from reading a particular book to changing the world. I later consolidated the list over here on LJ. It's not a New Year's resolution list, but an ongoing list of what I'm working on at any given point in my life. And always subject to change.
My Goals, updated, with accomplished goals and changes noted, priorities re-arranged, and new goals marked with a dash.
- 1. Have a healthy pregnancy (have to *get* pregnant of course, but it's important to have goals that you enjoy working toward)
2. Learn Italian Spanish (getting better!)
- 3. Return to Guasmo Sur
4. Potty train my daughter (getting close!)
5. Read 50 books in 2008
6. Lose 20 6 pounds
7. Build a mission-focused church for Albany's an urban GLBT community
- 8. Get ordained as a United Methodist elder
9. Become debt-free
10. Reduce my environmental footprint
11. Find time to paint
12. Write poetry again
13. Have better posture
14. Love my body
15. Eliminate discrimination based on sexuality from the UMC
16. Delegate more at work
17. Attend General Conference
18. Read Atlas Shrugged
19. Work for peace
20. Make poverty history
22. Write a book and have it published
23. Get a Doctorate
24. Live abroad for a year
25. Visit Jerusalem
26. Realize my secret ambition
27. Win the Nobel Peace Prize
Completed/dropped goals:
1. Read 50 books in 2007 (did not succeed; read 42, see 50 book tag for details)
2. Write a will (filed it in July)
3. Go on a mission trip (Adopta Una Familia 2007, Guasmo Sur, Guayaquil, Ecuador; see Ecuador tag for details)
4. Make a difference in the world (too general, and covered by other specific differences I want to make)
And, just for kicks and giggles, how about that year in review meme?
2007 in Review
What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Gave up a dream (LARK ministry), traveled to a developing country, went on a mission trip, built much of a house out of concrete, learned Spanish, cleaned toddler poo, met an online friend in person.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
no.
Did anyone close to you die?
My Nonna, Frances York, May 17.
What countries did you visit?
Ecuador.
What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A second child.
What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 8, I left the barrio in Guayaquil.
September 9, I had the hardest day of my ministry, following a murder-suicide.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
My daughter's progress and my congregation's progress
What was your biggest failure?
I didn't see my Nonna before she died, I didn't get LARK off the ground.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Some bouts of flu and a fear of thyroid disease that turned out ok.
What was the best thing you bought?
I guess it would have to be the iPhone. No, the Wii. No, the iPhone. But I'm not a shallow gadget-lover, honest.
Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My husband's, because he often surprises me, a woman in my congregation being generous beyond belief, Former Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto (because it's still fresh in my mind)
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
W.
Where did most of your money go?
Groceries, gas, baby supplies, childcare.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Ecuador, putting LittleOne in daycare, giving Praeceptor a surprise party.
What song will always remind you of 2007?
"SexyBack," because my husband likes to get it stuck in my head, anything with a Latin beat.
Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder?
Much happier-- for the first time in over a decade I have no excess hormones from either birth control pills, pregnancy, or nursing. I feel great.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
thinner
iii. richer or poorer?
more income coming in, but far more debt.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Visiting family
What do you wish you'd done less of?
worrying about church
How did you spend the holidays?
Thanksgiving with Dad, husband's birthday with a great party, Christmas Eve with sarahfim and her husband and an awful church service, Christmas Day with sister/b-i-l, in-laws, and neighboring friends, and later Mama, New Years with friends in Saratoga.
Did you fall in love in 2007?
A little more each day, with my two house mates.
What was your favourite TV programme?
LOST, until they killed a favorite character.
What was the best book you read?
The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne, Lamb by Christopher Moore, Traveling Mercies and Plan B by Anne Lamott, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling, which is the most-anticipated, built-up book experience I've ever had, and I was only marginally disappointed in the slaughtering of a couple of characters' well, character. In 2008, I am similarly excited about a book coming out in June, and far less anxious about being disappointed.
What was your favourite film of this year?
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 28. I had a nice dinner and saw my sister. Other than that, not much.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I was very satisfied.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
A little more feminine than previously, using jewelry and makeup more.
What kept you sane?
Husband, daughter. Of course, they were often the ones driving me insane, too.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
My darling Ewan.
What political issue stirred you the most?
War, environment, health care, gay rights, women's rights
Who did you miss?
I didn't see enough of my mom.
Who was the best new person you met?
My Ecuadorian buddy C, my host family, and my fellow traveler, A.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
I can love someone a world away, not out of pity but out of connection, trust, and tenderness.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I'll have to think on that (no, that's not a lyric, it's a statement)