Friday, December 30, 2011

2011 Wrap Up

Well, I thought it seemed fitting to do an update before we ring in the New Year tomorrow evening. And what a better way to wrap up the year than to do a run-down of my 12 Before 2012 list. Also, as a way to celebrate change, what a better way to ring in the New Year than with an updated blog layout- you like?


Let's refresh our memories about my list of goals I wanted to accomplish before the year's end, shall we?

  • Re-read the entire Harry Potter series
  • Have an afternoon outing by myself- Go out for lunch and a movie shamelessly solo and enjoy it!
  • Finish the in-class portion to my final year of University 
  • Put $500 away for my “someday” fund
  • Lose my final 20 pounds for a total weight loss of 75 pounds
  • Get professional photos taken 
  • Go to an antique flea market (like Aberfoyle) for an afternoon of inspiration and unique purchases
  • Bake a pie from scratch (pie crust, filling, and all!) without Mom’s help
  • Make some major decisions about where I want to be next year with my career (this obviously will be an ongoing process, but I want to have a semi-concrete idea about my plan by the end of this year)
  • Invest in a few high quality wardrobe staples (i.e., a pair of leather shoes, a structured handbag, and tailored blazer or jacket) for pleasure and profession 
  • Get crafty! Make home bracelets like the ones here, a necklace like this one, a DIY dry erase board, and other goodies that I come across in my travels (cough, cough Pinterest)
  • Attend a cultural event (like a symphony or a theatre production) ... and get dressed up! 


My progress as of the end of September was as follows:



  • Re-read the entire Harry Potter series (progress & progress)




  • Have an afternoon outing by myself- Go out for lunch and a movie shamelessly solo and enjoy it!




  • Finish the in-class portion to my final year of University 




  • Put $500 away for my “someday” fund




  • Lose my final 20 pounds for a total weight loss of 75 pounds (progress & progress)




  • Get professional photos taken 




  • Go to an antique flea market (like Aberfoyle) for an afternoon of inspiration and unique purchases - I went to St. Jacobs with my mom and sister and spent over an hour in an antique mall, wishing I could purchase so much more than I could afford. Read about that trip here. (I also went to Aberfoyle! Read about that in this post.) 




  • Bake a pie from scratch (pie crust, filling, and all!) without Mom’s help (read about that here)




  • Make some major decisions about where I want to be next year with my career (this obviously will be an ongoing process, but I want to have a semi-concrete idea about my plan by the end of this year)




  • Invest in a few high quality wardrobe staples (i.e., a pair of leather shoes, a structured handbag (read about that here), andtailored blazer or jacket (I purchased a wool peacoat for winter, and a jacket, read here) for pleasure and profession 




  • Get crafty! Make homemade bracelets like the ones here (I made some bracelets here), a necklace like this one, a DIY dry erase board, and other goodies that I come across in my travels (cough, cough Pinterest)




  • Attend a cultural event (like a symphony or a theatre production) ... and get dressed up!




  • So, how did I end up faring in these absent past few months with my list? 
      

  • Re-read the entire Harry Potter series I finished the 7th book on December 22nd. I can't believe how after all this time, the books still evoke such strong emotions from me. Harry Potter forever! I'm so glad that I made this a goal. 




  • Have an afternoon outing by myself- Go out for lunch and a movie shamelessly solo and enjoy it! I didn't specifically go to the movies, but I did enjoy quite a bit of time with just myself. Shopping, watching movies at home, and reading all allowed me to be shamelessly solo... and I loved every minute of it! 




  • Finish the in-class portion to my final year of University I had my final exam on December 16th, and moved home the next day. To say that I felt relieved, sad, anxious and accomplished all at once is an understatement. I'm still trying to deal with the fact that I will never have to sit through a University lecture again, but I'm embracing the future with open arms! 




  • Put $500 away for my "someday" fund- Sadly, I did not accomplish this goal. My monetary funds were sadly lacking this year, to the point of poverty on most occasions. I do not feel badly about this one, because money isn't everything, and I know that to have accomplished this goal would have put me in an even more severe financial situation. 




  • Lose my final 20 pounds for a total weight loss of 75 pounds I accomplished this goal, and I could not be prouder of myself. I feel amazing, and I know that I never want to go back to my "before" weight. This is the goal that I am most proud of... not only this year, but EVER. 




  • Get professional photos taken I didn't have a "photoshoot" necessarily, but I did get my grad photos professionally done, and I'm considering them as successfully completing this goal. 






  • Go to an antique flea market (like Aberfoyle) for an afternoon of inspiration and unique purchases As I stated in previous posts, I went to not one, but two flea/antique markets! So inspiring, and so much fun!




  • Bake a pie from scratch (pie crust, filling, and all!) without Mom’s help I made a Dutch Apple Pie and it was amazing




  • Make some major decisions about where I want to be next year with my career (this obviously will be an ongoing process, but I want to have a semi-concrete idea about my plan by the end of this year) I'm not going to cross this one off because as I stated, it's an ongoing process. I have looked into various avenues that I may very well pursue. I am in the process of applying for my Social Security Number so that I can work in the States, but I've also looking into teaching in the UK with a friend. All the possibilities are still open to me, and as I complete my 13 week placement this year, I will look into each further. God knows where I'm supposed to be, so I can't let myself get too worried yet, because He will look out for me. 




  • Invest in a few high quality wardrobe staples (i.e., a pair of leather shoes, a structured handbag, and tailored blazer or jacket  for pleasure and profession  I did indeed have to buy a whole new wardrobe because of my weight loss. In the coming weeks you will get to see my new pieces as I post them! 




  • Get crafty! Make homemade bracelets like the ones here, a necklace like this one, a DIY dry erase board, and other goodies that I come across in my travels (cough, cough Pinterest) I used Pinterest as inspiration for DIY crafts and goodies more times this year than I'd like to count. I'm considering this one successful, even though I may not have created those items that I specifically mentioned in my original goal post. 




  • Attend a cultural event (like a symphony or a theatre production) ... and get dressed up! Sadly, because I was so poor this year I was not able to attend something that cost too much money. I look forward to accomplishing this goal in 2012! 




  • 2011 was a successful year. Bring it on, 2012! 

    Well, I know this post was quite wordy, but I hope you enjoyed following my progress as the year went on, even though I took extended periods of absence on more than one occasion! Needless to say, 2011 was, by far, the best year of my life! I can only imagine what 2012 has in store for me, and in the next few days, I hope you'll stop by to follow me in my new adventures! 

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