Project 49

I found out about this project from Christie Farley's blog & absolutely adore the idea. I think this project will encourage me to be more joyful this year & will allow the introvert in me to be challenged. The idea is that there are 49 more weeks left in the year 2012. In those 49 weeks I hope to complete 49 projects of different sorts. Drinking life to lees right??! So here we go!
*** originally posted on 1/18/12, updated throughout the year & finalized on 12/30/12 ***
1. Go to 4 Musesums (4/4) - American Art Museum, Natural History Museum, Air & Space Museum (Udvar-Hazy Center), Portrait Gallery - All in Washington DC
2. Read 14 books (11/14 Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Inside of Me by Shellie R. Warren (for the 5th time), Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (for the bajillionth time!), Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis, The Lady of the Rivers by Phillipa Gregory, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling, Girl Walks Into A Bar by Rachel Dratch, Autobiography of a Fat Bride by Laurie Notaro, when Beauty pursues you by Elora Ramirez, Mother Food by Hilary Jacobson)
3. Participate in a 30 day photo project (check! I didn't snap photos all 30 days, but I did participate in a December Photo-a-Day project)
4. Complete 5 knitting projects (4/5)
5. Host a dinner party (on 8/29 for my 31st birthday)
6. Plan a Girl's Night Out event... inviting women from all areas of my life.
7. Complete 10 Pinterest DIY projects (3/10 Made Coconut Shampoo 4/3, Honey Lavendar Lotion on 7/22, Lip Balm 7/28)
8. Go camping
9. Enjoy a weekend away all by myself
10. Do something that scares me. (This sounds silly, but since having Guillain-Barre I've been nervous about activities that require balance. On July 4th I took little Courtney on a Kayak ride in the Bay. I was nervous, but all ended well & I'm excited to try those fun summer activities once again!)
11. Blog weekly (39/49)
12. Reconnect with 10 past clients. (8/10)
13. Meet 5 Twitter friends in person (4/5 - Met @LaurenDubinsky for coffee on 1/25, Met @AshleyASmith at POTSC on 1/26, Met @BiancaOlthoff at #getnakedtruth on 2/26, Met @DoulaMegan)
14. Join friends at a Galaxy Game.
15. Go on a Gondola ride with my girls.
16. Go to 4 shows/concerts (1/4)
17. Go to the OC Fair & eat funnel cake! (DONE!)
18. Go to Financial Peace University
19. Try Paddle Boarding for the first time since having Guillain-Barre. (Went with Life Group on 7/26)
20. Write to my Compassion child Rahma, 12 times. (8/12)
21. Send out snail mail to friends 52 times. (41/52)
22. 10 random acts of kindness (7/10)
23. Mentor someone (check and check!)
24. Watch a movie at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
25. Make a point to get to know my friends better. (definitely had more meaningful conversations with a lot of my friends this year... will keep working on it!)
26. Make a pie from scratch.
27. Get a library card... use it!
28. Lengthy chat with a friend on the phone at least once a month. (12/12)
29. Write a letter to my future husband. (completed on 1/20)
30. Be more disciplined... make a schedule & stick to it.
31. Wake up at 5:30am & spend time with God. Do it at least once a week. (3/49)
32. Spend more time with my Grandma
33. Play in the rain.
34. Start riding my bike again... haven't ridden since I had Guillain-Barre. (Briefly rode in on 4th of July & I didn't fall off! Next goal is a longer ride!)
35. Celebrate my flaws. My uniqueness. (YES! I worked really hard on this & am loving the result)
36. Memorize 20 scriptures (7/20) - goodness, I need to make this more of a priority!
37. Make prayer a more intentional part of my life. Every day. (Not EVERY day, but my prayer journals filled up much more quickly this year!)
38. Take a risk. (Joined an online dating site... eek!)
39. Enjoy some time off - Go to Montana, Seattle, DC. (Montana 9/26-10/4, DC 12/22-12/29)
40. Take a yoga class instead of teaching one. (YES! I finally did this...in December. Oh gosh I need to do it more often.)
41. Swim in the canals. (Labor Day Weekend)
42. Go to Catalina. (rats, better luck next year.)
43. Learn to communicate with my family in a more loving way. (definitely working on it! Had a great conversation with my father that began to heal some OLD wounds)
44. Enjoy the summer! Go to the beach, a baseball game, concerts in the park, etc. (Dodger Game on 5/11 w. mi madre, Beach days on 7/3 & 7/4.)
45. Save for a big trip
46. Swim at least once a week. (6/49)
47. Serve others without the expectation of recognition. (I was blessed with many opportunities to serve people this year & truly loved it.)
48. Try out 10 new recipes (5/10 Gluten Free Baked Avocado Tacos, 3/10, Gluten Free Mediterranean Pasta Salad on 4/3, Cheesy Quinoa Bites 4/11, Gluten Free Baked Mozarella Sticks 5/15, Gluten Free Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes 5/16)
49. Live each day with abandon & joy. (You'll see that I gave myself an "F" for this one, but it's all good... there's joy in the journey!)