I made a LIST? Oh reeeeally...

Remember my list?  Yeah, neither did I so I figured it was time for a refresher.  Nearly six months after I first posted it, let's see how it's going...
1. Drink more tea and water, less coffee and soda.
2. Do something active every day.
3. Learn to knit
4. Bake an Apple Pie for DH.
5. Go tent camping (sans tent if necessary)
6. Have a garage sale
7. Practice my Spanish. 
8. Eat healthier
9. Lose weight and then maintain a healthy weight.  As a fellow blogger once wrote, "Le Sigh".  Enough said.
10. Go mountain biking with the hubster
11. Stretch more Ok I'll admit this one I did actually forget about.  Whoops. Good thing I'm revisiting this list.
12. Walk 10,000 steps each day.  Ummm... no. Not yet anyway. Where is that pedometer, anyway?
13. Run (ok, jog) a 5K. I ran (ok, jogged) a 3K so I'm making progress!
14. Go to bed earlier, wake up earlier I was doing really good with this for a while but have gotten off track (as is evidenced in the fact that I am blogging when I should be in bed... oops)
15. Try a new active hobby Badminton! Trail riding!
16. Blog more I'm crossing this one off but keep me honest.  I'm blogging more these days, right?  It feels like it anyway (in a good way).
17. Host a BBQ or party (or both!)
18. Watch less TV  I'm not even close to crossing this one off.  Give me time.
19. Be a tourist at home
20. Volunteer I definitely haven't forgotten about this one. There's a call for volunteers in my neighborhood to help with the Halloween parade.  There's organizations such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters.  There are schools that need helpers.  I've researched quite a few paths I could take but haven't followed up yet. 
21. Keep my car, house, yard clean and organized Who knew?  I have a neat freak within.  And I love it (and I don't see Eric complaining. hah).
22. Have a date with the hubster at least once a month This has been easy and fun.
23. Embrace new friendships, nourish old ones I've been focusing on being good to those people already in my life.  I don't think I've embraced new friendships enough to warrant crossing this one entirely off yet.
24. Listen more, interrupt less Easier said than done, but I've made so much progress I'm crossing this off
25. Forgive.  I've forgiven. Even more importantly, I've let go.  Some people just aren't good for you.
26. Spend money wisely; learn to be cheap and proud of it! I'm much better than I used to be, but I haven't reached the 'cheap and proud' part yet.
27. Learn to drive a stick shift once and for all. Eric keeps promising he'll teach me.  Ahem.  I'm waiting.
28. Stop and smell the roses I was out walking our dog one evening and saw some fabulous roses my neighbor's yard was boasting.  I stopped and while she was sniffing the ground searching for good doggy smells, I was inhaling the roses. 
29. Suprise the hubster with something fun
30. Think about "Be the change you wish to see in the world" and work towards that end. I've been thinking about this a lot.  Operation Beautiful.  What goes around comes around.  Being good to myself and others.  All good things.

Clearly, I've make some progress.  And clearly I have quite a ways to go until I turn 31 in March. 

To be continued...

Now, I'll leave you with a few pictures.  This is where I (like my toes?) was last weekend with my family.   Whiskeytown Lake in Redding, California. We go RV camping & boating there every summer.  Absolutely pristine waters, and since we went so late in the year this time, we virtually had the entire lake to ourselves. Awesome.

And this is our doggy, Midnight.

Happily exhausted after a day of swimming, sniffing, running, and doing all things doggy.

Daddy's Girl.

My First Sticky

Have you checked out Operation Beautiful yet?  I'm a believer!  I left my first sticky on a bathroom door at Target today.  I felt like I was brightening someone else's day, and it certainly brightened my own.  It's important to support others and be kind.  It's also important to treat yourself the same way.  My note said, "SMILE! You're beautiful! Don't let anyone else (including yourself) tell you different!"  If only we would treat ourselves as we would a friend, life would be so much easier.  I vow to start doing this.  Quit the negative talk.  Focus on the positive. And be happy.  Just another penny for your thoughts....  what would YOUR sticky say?

Note to self: get out, get out, GET OUT!

I went on a hike with my Dad last weekend in Muir Woods.  The beauty of the trail literally had my jaw dropping at times. 

It's times like these I realize how much I miss being active in a fun way.  What I mean is, the gym ain't cutting it.  Maybe eventually it will, but for now I need to save the fee and get out in nature.  I love being outside.  It's relaxing, energizing, and FUN.

Little Things...

Caitlin, over at Operation Beautiful, has gotten me thinking about little acts having big effects on people.  Little things can make a difference in others lives.  Good or bad.  Large or small.  Somewhere along the way, I've lost track of being purposefully good.  Of smiling at a stranger.  Practicing random acts of kindness.  I still do those things naturally, but they have become fewer and farther between.  I'm recommiting myself here and now to act... better.  Treat people how I want to be treated.  Give a penny, for crying out loud.