Summer Goals

I've decided that while I'm waiting to hear back from potential employers, I'm going to write down some of my goals for the summer. I've divied them up into categories: Personal, Chores, School- Related, and Fun. This post will be incredibly boring for most of you- sorry. It's more for me than anyone else.

Personal: Feel Good.

1) I'm going to lose 20 lbs on purpose. Now that my knee can tolerate a bike again, I will be biking and swimming every day early in the morning, along with eating healthier. No more biscotti with my morning coffee, and definitely no more big helpings of my special tortellini pasta with butternut squash sauce. :( This also means some serious weight training. I usually lose 15 lbs every summer just from stress reduction, so maybe I can make it an even 35 this time? That would be awesome.

2) I'm going to get more sleep. I'm so tired of looking like a cover model for Zombie Magazine. No more dark circles, no more dependency on coffee to stay awake in the morning! On average I get about 5 hours a night, if I'm lucky, but now I can get a whole lot more! That is guaranteed to make me feel like waking up in the morning, and will probably help with the whole weight loss goal, too.

Chores: Organize My Life.

1) I'm going to go through my closet and get rid of a ton of clothes I don't need anymore. Seriously, it's time to get rid of the stuff from 8th- 12th grade. Yikes.

2) I'm also going to go through my books, and see if I can't come up with some other place for a lot of them. My room is beginning to resemble a small library, and while I've ALWAYS wanted a library like Belle's in Beauty and the Beast, right now it's not very practical.

3) With the space I'll create from re- locating books, I'm going to better organize all of my crafty/ artsy stuff. It's not terrible now, but I'm going to find something that works better for organizing all of my:
knitting needles & crochet hooks
YARN. Oh man, that stuff piles up from leftovers from projects!
paintbrushes
paints
paper- watercolor, sketching, etc.
pencils/ markers/ glittery things/ etc.
scrapbooking supplies (again, a lot of stuff here too)
stamps, ribbons, etc.
school supplies
beads (good for all sorts of media)
sewing stuff
fabric. uggh.

I don't really have knick- knacks, so that's good. Very, very good. But, I do have a lot of school papers to go through. Some of them I need to keep, but a lot I don't. They just clutter up my desk to the point I'm annoyed just looking at the stack of them.

School- Related: This summer, it's going to be about Getting Ahead.

1) Regularly go over Hebrew flashcards, and finish worksheets from last semester. If I can keep up with the vocabulary, which was A LOT this spring, I will be ahead for my third year this fall.

2) Start making flashcards for Greek. I found an awesome new website for those beginning Greek, and I am going to make flashcards for all of the grammatical terms, and learn the alphabet (print and script) for the fall. I have a feeling I will be thanking myself over and over again that I did!

3) Pre- read my books for all of the English classes I'm taking in the fall. I usually try and read what I can of textbooks before the start of school anyway, but I have a ridiculous amount of reading to do this semester... and if I have already read my books (for at least the English courses anyway), then I should be a lot better off than trying to stay up late and finish things during the semester. I'm trying to break that 5- hours- of- sleep-if- I'm- lucky streak!!

Fun: Hey! I can finally have some!

1) Catch up with friends! I don't get to see them nearly enough during the school year, and they are important. This is a priority.

2) Music: I'm going to improve my sweet guitar skills. If I can master just a few more chord progressions, then I can pretty much be my own band! I'm my own drums, keyboard, and bass. And soon guitar. Of course, I can't sing worth anything but that's ok... I'll find someone who can.
Can't forget, either, the good 'ol piano. I am going to be more dedicated to learning more this summer. I am going to record my compositions, and learn a song I've wanted to learn for relally long time.

3) I would love to finish my quilt, but I need a job first to secure the things necessary for its completion. So far, though, it's pretty darned cute! And owl themed. I'm in love with them.
I'm also going to make my own dress form, and figure out how to make my own dresses. Cute, light, summer ones, of course. Here's one of my practice appliqué owls. I have several different kinds, they aren't all shaped like this one. That's because I made my own patterns for them.


4) Painting. Drawing and painting are huge de- stressors for me, and I've begun to copy some of my favorite paintings and sculptures in black and white (it's the Classics major in me). I am going to add to this collection, and paint my very favorites. Check my "Experiments in Shadows" post for some examples if you want.

5) Cooking/ Baking. I love love LOVE to do these things. However, because I'm focusing on being healthier, I'm going to focus more on the cooking part. I already know I can bake well. ;)

I need to pay more attention to my mom, because she's an absolutely skilled woman when it comes to taking ordinary things and making them taste extraordinary.

6) Grandparents. Wait, what? I know, that's what just went through your head. Let me explain. My grandpa has been valiantly fighting that line between life & death for a while now... cancer does that. My goal with him? To get his life story. He has done it all- worked in a lot of different places, had many experiences in different parts of the country, and raised a large family. Every time I'm with him I learn something new about his life. A lot of times, old people (sorry grandpa) will tell the same old stories over and over, but with him it's not like that. He always has some new tales up his sleeve. Like when he was in the hospital recently, I learned that he wore pantyhose in a satirical production of a barn wedding. ??? You can't make this stuff up.

7) Well, can't leave out writing. This ties in with number six I guess, but I want to start writing my book. It's been in the planning stages for some time now, and I think with a few more tweaks of the character development I can finally start it! I'm excited. I also want to write and illustrate two children's books this summer. Contents are a secret though, because I don't want anybody taking them!

I guess that's about it for now. I know I had a few more, but I need to go help with dinner. :)

-Hannah