Thursday, April 5, 2012

Yearly Goals Update

1. Pay off half my student loan debt

Right now, honestly, I'm just making the minimum payments. But anytime a holiday/birthday comes around I usually throw the entire extra bit into student loan repayment. We've got a tax return coming our way soon as well as a garage sale (I know, I know, but I can imagine that we'll make at least $300 from it), Easter, and the summer, which is a musician's gig-heaven. I can't wait to get out of debt.

2. Read 100 books

I don't think I'm going to have a problem accomplishing this goal this year. I've finally gotten into some kind of groove in my life where I find time every day to read. Because I've finished 27/100 books, I only need to read a book and a half a week to finish on time (or 1/4 of a book a day). Depending on the books I choose, that could be simple or difficult. I want to start reading some larger works, but I also want to enjoy them. Once I get to the point where I could read about 1 book a week I will probably start concentrating on some Shakespeare or Jane Austin (which is what I really really love to read)>

3. Make the Monte Carlo last through 2012

Jordan tried to take the Chevy to work yesterday and the battery is dead for no apparent reason. This is the first thing that's gone wrong, but my very first instinct was to say, "It's so old! Let's get a new one so we don't have to worry about this!" I think this might be more of a test of my will power than the Monte Carlo's going-power. We're 1/4 of the way through the year! We can do it!

4. Have a full time job in my area of expertise

I'm trying to decide what a full-time job for me, as an artist looks like. I'm going to say that I've really accomplished this goal.

The exciting exciting exciting news is that I am the new director for In Charactre, the traveling drama ministry team at Missouri Baptist University. I am so ecstatic about this, I can't even tell you. It really is a dream come true for me. I have loved drama ministry since I was 5 years old and felt like God was calling me to that either full-time, part-time, or as a volunteer. I volunteered for 5 or 6 years at Orchardville Community Church, was scholarshipped for it at MBU for 4 years, and now, finally, get the chance to direct my own team and be paid for it!
I still have my 5 wonderful, awesome, piano/voice/acting students that I teach weekly. I love teaching private lessons. It really is the life.
I am directing a musical at MBU in the fall.
I am directing the senior adult day event at MBU in the spring.
I think that things are starting to look up. Also, I would say that this constitutes full-time work.

5. Return to pre-baby weight

Wow. This is one of those goals that... I just don't know. I'm thinking about cheating and buying some of Jillian's weight loss pills. I take it off, I put it on, I take it off, I put it on. I never ever ever get below 150. It's a trip. We've been going to the gym for almost 2 weeks now. Jordan is already seeing a difference. Of course, I'm exactly the same. That's the way it goes.

6. Run three 5ks.

I have been putting this off a lot. I don't know why. I'm at the gym and on the treadmill all the time, but for some reason I'm not training like I should. I think this ends today. See? This is why I do these updates. Because if I don't, I forget about them until I have to write about them and get all ashamed.

7. Go on vacation

We're definitely going to Disney with my parents. I have yet to decide if this is the vacation that I intended when I wrote this. It will be relaxing, but I think that Jordan and I and Noah should go somewhere just the three of us. Even if it's just to St. Louis or Branson or something.

8. Read my Bible daily

85/91 days. I missed 3 more days this month. Bad bad bad, Kasey. Oh well. Just a matter of working even harder this month. There's a lot of scripture in most of the books I'm reading, so it's definitely getting easier.

9. Have $10,000 in savings

So.... I found a bunch of saving bonds while cleaning Jordan's office. I am pretty stoked. Once again, I don't think that I'm going to divulge exact amounts of money, but I will let every one know when we reach the halfway point and whether or not we accomplish this.

10. Keep up with my house

I believe I have finally found a rhythm with house work that really really works for me. I pick up the entire house in the morning, do the dishes, start laundry if it needs to be done, and then use this website.
It's incredible. My house looks better than it ever has and it takes me a sum total of about an hour, maybe two if I have a lot of laundry.

11.  Write to Yanci once a month

Totally done. I'm finding that the more I write to her, the easier it gets. I just want to tell her over and over how much I love her and how much Jesus loves her. She's only 3 (will be 4 on April 25), so it's hard to try to explain to her how I was browsing through Compassion's site, thinking that I wouldn't be able to sponsor a child yet, but maybe in a few months, and how I really wanted to find the youngest boy I could so that he would be close to Noah's age, and I saw her picture and I fell in love with her immediately. It was like God put her in my path and said, "Not your plans. My plans. Sponsor her now." I can't wait to visit her one day. I'm thinking about trying to learn Spanish so that when I get to go to El Salvador I can talk to her without a translator.

12. Cook more

I cooked a little less last month than I would have liked, but I'm still doing much much better than last year. I've also cooked for a substantial amount of people (I think we had 12 at our house for Sunday dinner once). I'm getting more confident and I'm learning how to cook without making such a big mess.

I think this is the best yearly update I've had in a while. It's amazing what setting goals can do. Most of these are things to be attained during the year, which is so much easier than a resolution that, once broken, feels hopeless. I'm even counting the Bible reading as successful still, because I've read it all the way through once and only six days missed yet this year is pretty awesome considering I never made it a priority until this year.

This blog is doing exactly what I hoped it would.

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