The Goals I Completed On My Original 40x40 List

Since I posted a new 40 Goals by 40 years old list on my birthday, I wanted to look over my previous list to check off the items that I completed. I still had one more year, but a lot of them have to do with traveling, and I don't think I'll be doing much of that this year with COVID being an issue. 

I started this list in April of 2018, with just under four years until I turned 40. Plenty of time to get these done! And then COVID threw a wrench in my plans, so I had to revise. (You can read my new 40 Goals by 40 Years Old list here.)

Here is my previous list and the goals I accomplished (as well as the ones I didn't)...

Watch all of Tom Hanks' movies - I got through about half of them (this does NOT include the ones I'd watched prior to starting this list. I've probably seen about 75% of his films. I was keeping track on this page in a bullet journal, but I stopped keeping track on it so I don't have several of them filled in.

  Read 40 books - I definitely did this, thanks to buying a Kindle Paperwhite! If I'd continued for another year, I'm sure I'd have at least 10 more. I did not include audiobooks on this list. Here are the books I've read (you can find more details on my Goodreads page).

1. The Catcher in the Rye
2. The Wife Between Us
3. Coreyography
4. Chasing the Merry Go Round
5. The Gender Game
6. The Gender Secret
7. Working Stiff
8. The Great Alone
9. The Naked Mind
10. The Silent Patient
11. Vox
12. The Woman in the Window
13. Behind Closed Doors
14. An Ember in the Ashes
15. A Torch Against the Night
16. Unwasted
17. Drinking: A Love Story
18. Into Thin Air
19. Call Me Tuesday
20. Keri
21. The Pillars of the Earth
22. World Without End
23. A Column of Fire
24. Born to Run
25. Reborn on the Run
26. Fall on Your Knees
27. I Choose You
28. Underlying
29. Dry.
30. A Curve in the Road
31. The Last Thing She Ever Did
32. Unspeakable Things
33. The Stillwater Girls
34. The Gifts of Imperfection
35. Where the Crawdads Sing
36. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
37. If You Tell
38. Every Last Drop
39. Delay, Don't Deny
40. The Boy in the Photo
41. One Last Second
42. The Selection

  Pay off debt - Done! We paid off $14,000 of credit card debt in 14 months. And now we've built up a savings account of about $14,000. It feels SO NICE not to have to worry about money all the time.

Visit the 48 contiguous United States - No, I didn't complete this. I'd been planning to do most of the traveling in 2020 and 2021. Here are the states I've been to (flying over them doesn't count). I've hit 34 out of 48:

1. Arizona
2. California
3. Connecticut
4. Florida
5. Georgia
6. Illinois
7. Indiana
8. Iowa
9. Kansas
10. Kentucky
11. Maine
12. Maryland
13. Massachusetts
14. Michigan
15. Minnesota
16. Missouri
17. Nebraska
18. Nevada
19. New Hampshire
20. New Jersey
21. New York
22. North Carolina
23. Ohio
24. Oregon
25. Pennsylvania
26. Rhode Island
27. South Carolina
28. Tennessee
29. Utah
30. Vermont
31. Virginia
32. Washington
33. West Virginia
34. Wisconsin

Read the Bible cover to cover - No, I didn't complete this one. I read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. I took a break then, because I thought a lot of it was pretty disturbing. But I may attempt this again. Several people suggest that I read it in chronological order rather than cover-to-cover.

Get back to goal weight (133) - Nope, not even close, unfortunately.

Go to a concert (I've never been to one!) - No. I bought tickets and was SO excited about going with Jerry to a Korn concert (we loved Korn when we first started dating in 1999). It was even the weekend of our anniversary. But my anxiety was SO bad when the day came that we ended up not going :(

 Learn a new skill - I've learned several while working on the house--drywalling, woodworking, etc. But the skill I used for this item was to teach myself to draw. And this was the project I worked on.

 Watch Star Wars with Jerry - I did this, and it was the LONGEST couple of hours of my life. I even wore a Princess Leia costume because it was Jerry's birthday!

Handwrite a letter to each of 10 friends - No, I didn't do this one

Write letters to Noah and Eli - No, but I added this to my new list. 

 Watch a documentary to understand something I don't know much about - Yes! I watched The Many Parts of Jane, which was a docuseries about dissociative identity disorder (previously called multiple personality disorder).

See a movie at a drive-in movie theater - I came so close! My friends Andrea, Bonnie, Caitlin and I went to the theater and parked. Then we realized that the showing was NOT for The Sandlot, like we thought. It was for a young kids movie. So, we left before it even started (thankfully, we got a refund). This is on my new list, and I hope that the one that is being built nearby will be open this year!

 Complete a saved project on Pinterest - Yes! I made a festive skirting for a margarita table when we had friends over for Cinco de Mayo. I love how cute it was!

 Have my dad teach me to change the oil in my car - Done! It was a fun morning. He showed me all sorts of things that I should be checking regularly. But I changed the oil. I don't know that I would remember how to do it though, haha.

 Knit something - I finally finished knitting my hat!

 Crochet something - I crocheted a swiffer cover for my friend Emily.

Leave a very large tip for a server having a bad day - I didn't do this one yet, simply because we rarely go out to eat and I keep waiting for a server that really sticks out to me. Someone that seems like they really need it and is working hard.

 Create a vision board - I did this, and then shortly after, I was feeling really depressed. I stupidly tore it into several pieces and threw it in the garbage. Not at all childish! ;)

Build a bat house - Haven't done it yet, but I am going to this year!

 Write Jerry a love letter - Done! I don't remember much about it, but I wrote it and gave it to him.

 Read a classic novel - I read The Catcher in the Rye. I wish I could say I loved it, but I am just not into the "classics". I had to read several in school, but I don't remember them.

Cook a recipe with ingredients I've never heard of - I'm sure I probably did this, but I don't remember. It definitely wasn't intentional, so I'm not going to count it.

Make a time capsule with the family - Haven't done it, but this seems like the perfect time to do one with all of the changes that have happened in the last year.

 Go fruit picking - I did this with my friend Emily. We picked strawberries and made strawberry jam and strawberry margaritas. So fun!

Attend a murder mystery dinner - I still haven't done this. Hopefully this year!

Take a class of any sort - No, I haven't. This is way out of my introverted comfort zone, but I'd still like to do it.

Take each of the kids on a "date"--just the two of us - I think I did this, but I can't remember. So if I can't remember, I'm going to say no, I didn't. But I included something similar on my new list.

 Do an "Escape the Room" challenge - Yes! This was SO.MUCH.FUN. I did one in Kansas City with my girlfriends Andrea, Bonnie, and Caitlin.

 Try Thai food - Yes! I met up with a blog reader, Jen, who said she would take me to a Thai place so that I could check this off the list. It was delicious! I have a picture somewhere but for the life of me I can't remember when it was from! Found it! Thanks, Jen :)

Read a book out loud with the family - I haven't done this, but it's something I think would be fun. Unfortunately, I really don't think the rest of the family would find it fun, haha. Maybe I'll talk them into it.

Grow a vegetable or herb - I haven't done this yet, so I'll try this year. I included it on my new list.

Learn about (and start) and investment account - I did learn about them, but I did not start one. We had plans of meeting with a financial advisor last year, but again... COVID kind of messed that up.

 Go on a road trip - Yes! Jerry, the kids, Joey, and I all drove up to the upper peninsula (10 hours) to my sister's property. We stopped in Mackinaw on the way. It was fun!

Go camping - Still haven't done this! I write this as a goal every single year and I just never follow through with it. I want to have a camping memory with the kids, but I HATE camping and the outdoors and it just doesn't sound fun to me. However, I have great memories of camping with my family when I was a kid, so I want to take my boys this year. Noah will be 17(!) in July. I can't procrastinate any loner.

Go to a state fair - I haven't done this one, but it's kind of lost its appeal to me. So, I don't think I'll be doing this.

Develop one life-changing habit - I think I can call the walking I've been doing a "life-changing habit". I wrote a couple of posts about how much it has affected me for the better. Even if I don't continue to walk five miles every single day, it really has changed me mentally.

 Commit to a 30-day challenge - I committed to several, but did not finish them! Haha. However, I committed to giving up alcohol for all of 2019, and I completed that. I also committed to blogging every single day for all of 2020, and I completed that. So I'd say that I accomplished this goal!

Travel abroad - No. I had planned on doing this for Jerry's 40th birthday in September, but it was clear early in the year that we weren't going to be able to travel. We saved up quite a bit of money this year, however, so we might set aside some for a "vacation fund" and take the kids to Europe next year. I'd love to do that before they go off on their own!

See an orca in its natural habitat - This was something I wanted to do when we went out to the west coast. The next time I am in Seattle, I'm going to go on a whale watching adventure cruise and hope to see one!

I'm surprised! I've only completed 17 out of 40. Hopefully I'll do better with my new list! I only have 362 days left ;)

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A New 40 Goals by 40 Years Old List

Well, I'll just start this with a funny story. Yesterday, I was feeling bummed about turning 40. It just feels so old! (I'm not saying that those of you older than that are "old"--I'm sure you know how it is to FEEL old, though, at each milestone age.) I went through this when I turned 30, too, and now I would kill to be turning 30!

Last night, as I was cooking dinner, I texted Thomas to say that I was bummed it was my last day in my 30's. He said, "I thought you were turning 39 tomorrow?" 

Well, apparently as you age you forget how old you are. It turns out that I'm actually only 39 today and not 40! Hahaha :)

A few years ago, I wrote a list of 40 goals to accomplish by the time I turn 40 years old. Even though I have another year before I'm 40, there is no possible way to accomplish those goals. Thank you, COVID.

So, I'm writing a revised list. These goals are going to be smaller things that I can do within the next year--and hopefully COVID won't interfere. I'm choosing things that I should be able to do whether we are on lockdown or not. They may seem insignificant, but I like the idea of a 40x40 list.

Here is my new list of things to accomplish before I'm 40. Some of them are carried over from the previous list, but I'm not including all of the goals I already completed.

1. Go for a 10-mile walk.

2. Go for a 30-mile bike ride.

3. Build a bat house. 

4. Cook 52 new recipes.

5. Travel somewhere--anywhere--by plane.

6. Read 20 books.

7. Go camping with the family.

8. Write a "love letter" to Noah and Eli. 

9. Paint or stain our back deck. It's LONG overdue!

10. Go kayaking with Eli.

11. Bake a German chocolate cake (from scratch) for Jerry. 

12. Take Noah out for "real" ramen.

13. Make a time capsule with my family.

14. Take a single class to finish my associate's degree. I only need two credit hours.

15. Grow a vegetable or herb.

16. Complete a 30-day challenge.

17. Go on a picnic with the family.

18. Knit something.

19. Crochet something.

20. Sew something.

21. Complete a woodworking project.

22. Write a handwritten letter to five friends.

23. Teach Joey a new trick.

24. Watch a movie at a drive-in movie theater.

25. Make Amish Friendship Bread and deliver to friends.

26. So something altruistic.

27. Go to a Tigers game with the family.

28. Plant a tree.

29. Go without a phone for 24 hours.

30. Try a food I've never tried before.

31. Update my blog's pages to reflect newer posts.

32. Get a deep tissue massage.

33. Wear a dress.

34. Plant new landscaping.

35. Have a movie marathon with the family--a trilogy.

36. Sell three things on Facebook Marketplace or eBay.

37. Create a vision board.

38. Have a game night with friends (if not in-person, then via Zoom)

39. Play the Kicker in Keno.

40. Make fresh-squeezed lemonade.

And there it is! I tried to choose items that were more "one-off" that cumulative, so I can get them done in a day and not have to keep track all year. One year goes by way too fast!

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Peak! (And a recap of 3-3-3 running for week 7)

So much for writing daily in November!

My daily writing goal is like a lot of goals that I make--I miss one day and then figure I already "ruined" it, so I might as well just forget it. It's a terrible mentality! If I miss a day, I should just get right back to it.

It may not seem like an important goal (writing every day) but I find that on the days that I write a blog post, my anxiety is much lower in general. I still get very nervous about posting something vulnerable, but for even when I write personal posts like that, I feel good about writing in general. I enjoy writing!

So, I'm not going to quit trying to hit this 30 day challenge. I just have to keep starting over, haha. One of my "40 Goals by 40 Years Old" goals is to complete a 30 day challenge. And I decided that I want writing a blog post every day for 30 days to be that challenge.

Lately, I've had more time to myself, but I've been distracted. I had NO free time for about four months; now that the craziness of summer and fall is over, however, I find myself with some time to do things I enjoy. One of those is an app I downloaded on my phone called Peak.

Peak is very similar to Lumosity, which you know I love. I've been playing Lumosity for a long time now, though, and had gotten the top score on most of the games. I was starting to get bored with a lot of them. I really like mind games like the ones on Lumosity, so I looked in the app store for another one that is similar.

And that is how I discovered Peak. I have to say, I think I like it even more than Lumosity! (I liked it so much that I even paid for the subscription.) There are a few games in Lumosity that are still favorites, and unfortunately don't have equivalents in Peak, but Peak has a larger variety of games and it has goals to work toward.

There are badges to earn (it's like they knew exactly how to suck me in!):

So, I've been playing the games on Peak (probably way too much) instead of writing on my blog. It feels good to do something enjoyable and stress free, though!

I have several random things to write about (a bullet-style post would probably be best, because everything is so random) but I think I'll save that for tomorrow. Since tomorrow starts Week 8 of my 3-3-3 running plan, I want to recap Week 7.

I've still been running on the treadmill. We actually got quite a bit of snow here on Monday--enough to warrant a snow day for the kids on Tuesday!--and the roads in the neighborhoods are still icy in patches.

Also, at the suggestion of several of you Friends, I started watching the TV show Jack Ryan while I'm on the treadmill. (My rule is that I can't watch it unless I'm on the treadmill; otherwise, I'd binge watch it on the couch, haha.)

Running on the treadmill means that my Garmin's stats are incorrect (I feel like I've complained about this at least 10,000 times on my blog and I guarantee you at least 10,000 more). The timer is incorrect on my treadmill, but I feel like the speed is accurate.

So, I use the distance on the treadmill and the timer and heart rate monitor on my Garmin to get my stats. To do that, I have to adjust the distance on Garmin Connect. (Which I didn't start doing until only a couple of weeks ago.)

Anyway, this week went... fine. Nothing super notable.

Monday (Week 7, Day 1)

I felt great the first mile. I noticed that when the show I'm watching has an exciting action scene, it's easy to keep my heart rate low. When the show gets boring or people are just talking, my heart rate tends to increase (I think this is because I pay attention to my breathing and running form rather than just letting it happen; I wish I could turn off my brain to stop this, but I just try my best to stay interested in the show).

I kept track of my mile splits for this run: 13:30, 13:33, and 13:25.


Wednesday (Week 7, Day 2)

The first 1.75 miles were great. I barely had to touch the speed on the treadmill and my heart rate stayed steady under my MAF rate.

Mile 1: 13:03 (4.6 mph at 0% incline for the entire mile)

Mile 2: Lowered to 4.5 mph for about 0.75 miles and then 4.4 mph to keep heart rate down.

Mile 3: Varied between 4.2 mph and 4.5 mph, 0% to -0.5% incline. It was hard to keep my heart rate under MAF. It's also hard to "run" at a speed under about 4.4 mph, and feels like a shuffle. At 4.2 mph, I can't lower the speed any more and maintain a "run", so I lower the incline in order to lower my heart rate. I've never had to lower it beyond -1%, though.


Friday (Week 7, Day 3)

For this run, I decided to try out the foot pod again. I had forgotten that I could mess with the calibration factor percentage, so I figured I could work with different numbers until the Garmin's speed read the same as the treadmill in real time.

The factor that it was set at (from when I was running at about 7.0 mph on a regular basis) was 92%. (I have no idea what the percentage means--just that you start with 100% and depending on your stride length and all that, it may vary from the the baseline of 100%).

First, I reset the calibration factor from 92% to 100%. Then I ran the first mile on the treadmill at an even 4.6 mph the entire time, just to see what the result was. That gave me a 13:24 mile (a 4.48 mph speed), so it was slightly off.

For the second mile, I went to work adjusting the calibration factor up and down until the speed on the Garmin read the same as on the treadmill. It ended up being a 115% calibration factor! I have found that the faster I run, the lower the calibration percentage ends up being and vice versa.

I'm going to test out the foot pod on the high school track to see how accurate that calibration factor  is, and then I'll also know if the treadmill is accurate.

For the third mile, the Garmin and the treadmill read the same speed, even as I adjusted the treadmill's speed up and down a little to keep my heart rate at MAF. The average ended up being 4.5 mph (13:20/mile).

Since I'm about halfway done with my 3-3-3 running plan, I was hoping to look for some sort of pattern with my pace--to see if the MAF training is having any effect. (Ideally, my speed will get faster while maintaining my heart rate at the MAF training level. MAF stands for maximum aerobic function. I wrote more about it on this post.)

This data below isn't great for comparison, unfortunately, because of the Garmin being inaccurate with the treadmill and some my earlier runs were outside (with Joey). But here is what it looks like anyway:

Yes, that looks like way too much data, even for me. But I wanted to see some sort of pattern, so I'm looking at all of it. The yellow highlighted lines are the outdoor runs, so I know those are the most accurate as far as distance and pace (but they are also a month old).

From looking at all of this, I can't see that I'm really able to go faster yet at the same heart rate. I will make sure to do at least one outdoor run this week to compare, though.

I did find something that I think is very interesting, though: When I run outside, my stride is a little longer than on the treadmill. Also, my pace is a little faster (for most of them). The pace is likely faster due to the longer strides but near-identical cadence.

I do notice when I'm on the treadmill and my heart rate starts to get too high, I'll shorten my stride a bit to take it a little easier and hopefully bring my heart rate down. If I don't change the speed on the treadmill but I shorten my stride, I'm still going to be going the same speed. And maybe this is why my speed has to be a little slower on the treadmill than it is outside. (If I had to increase steps, then I my heart rate would climb).

Okay, I realize this is all super nerdy and confusing and I'm definitely "thinking out loud" (thinking while typing) so it may not even make sense. I haven't even looked at the data until now, actually.

But the whole thing that I've learned from this so far (7 weeks in) is that I don't have enough consistent data to make any conclusions about anything. Even Dr. Phil Maffetone, who developed the MAF heart rate method, says that you should wait three months before looking at results.

You know what the most amazing thing of all is, though?

I've run three days a week for seven weeks now! This 3-3-3 running plan is really working out well for me--with each run, I feel a little more excited about getting back into it.

I'm starting to get impatient with the slow running, though. I love not feeling like I'm going to die when I run, but sometimes it's hard to run SO SLOW. I'm going to stick it out for the full three months, and then I am going to add a little bit of speed work (80% easy at MAF pace, and 20% hard).

It's so crazy to think that I'm looking forward to doing speed work again, hahaha.

Anyway, I have to go make dinner. I'll do my bullet-style post tomorrow to catch-up!

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Family Vacation Ideas That Will Also Hit My Travel Goals

A couple of years ago, I wrote a list of 40 goals to accomplish by the time I turn 40 years old. At the time, I had about four years to get them done, which I felt was plenty of time. And now, almost two years away from turning 40, I'm starting to get a little worried that I might not do it. I really need to start planning out some of the tougher, long term goals. (Just getting through the book of Numbers in the Bible is nearly killing me! hahaha)

Travel is the most difficult goal. It requires time and money, and with only two years and two months to go, I am not going to have much of either. So, I've been trying to come up with some plans that may help me achieve this goal.

My travel goals are 1) To go to all 48 contiguous United States, not counting the ones I'd already been to (flying over them doesn't count); and 2) To travel abroad. A third isn't directly related, but it will require traveling: To see an orca in its natural habitat.

That's a lot of traveling! My current status on my visits to the United States:

The colored ones are obviously the ones I've been to. It's hard to see, but the ONLY state in the east that I haven't been to is Delaware *groan*. I'm not sure if I'll make a special trip out there just for the sake of this goal. (Coincidentally, my mom just got home from a weeks-long trip there to visit a friend! So random.)

I'm thinking I can tackle the rest of the United States with two long road trips. My kids haven't seen much of the country at all, so we can do a family trip this spring break in April and another in spring break of 2021. I spent a long time yesterday working out logistics for this coming spring break--a very long road trip across the south.

For this, we would fly into Pensacola, Florida. From there, we'd rent a car and drive the three hours to New Orleans and stay two nights.

Then we'd drive to Texarkana, to hit up Arkansas and Texas in one fell swoop. From there, we'd head to Dallas, just because it's a major city in Texas and we've never been there. Then head up to Oklahoma City.

Then we'd drive due west to Albuquerque (I spell that wrong every time!). We watched Breaking Bad as a family, and the kids thought it'd be fun to go there (they even have a Breaking Bad tour). Usually I avoid tourist attractions (I like to do more local things) but the kids would love it.

From there, we'd drive up to Denver and stay a couple of nights before flying home from Denver. (Actually, now that I look at the map, Cheyenne, Wyoming is only an hour and a half from Denver. So, a short trip up there wouldn't be hard to hit up as well.

It would be a long trip with a lot of driving, but when I showed Jerry and the kids, they all loved the idea. The expense would be pretty big, though--it would use up all of our tax refund (going to Punta Cana--all expenses paid--was cheaper!). But I think it'd made for great memories. National Lampoon's Vacation-style.

Probably my favorite quote from any movie, ever. 😂

(One of the biggest expenses is actually the car rental, can you believe it?! It's roughly $25-30 per day to rent a car, but then they tack on $700+ to return it to Denver instead of where we rent it from!)

Another option is just slightly shorter, cutting out a couple of cities in order to hit up the states but also spend a little more time in the places we would really like to visit.

This would cut out Dallas and Oklahoma City. Do any of you live there? Are they places that are a must-see? The main places we wanted to go to are New Orleans, Albuquerque (spelled it right on the first try this time!), and Denver. This would still be a long and expensive trip, but... memories. The kids love road trips (as do I) and it'd be fun to see all these places.

Finally, as a last resort, I came up with a much cheaper and shorter option. This would eliminate the huge fee of the car rental, and we would spend most of our time in New Orleans. We would take a couple of days to do a loop before heading home. This however, would cut out New Mexico and Colorado.

If we are able to do one of the longer trips, then during spring break of 2021, we could do a trip to the northern states--the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. I was thinking we could fly into Seattle and do a whale tour on the coast so I can (hopefully) see an orca and cross that off the list. Then we can head east and fly home from one of the Dakotas.

I have no idea what to expect from those northern states! Maybe some of you who live there can enlighten me ;) I looked for trains, but the routes aren't ideal for what I want to do. I really want my kids to see Portland and Seattle at some point, so it would work out to add it into the road trip. And Eli would LOVE to fish in the Pacific.

Finally, that leaves Delaware. Hahaha! I am sure I would do that as a solo trip. I'm not a beach person, and my mom said it's a big beach area. I do think I'd like a boardwalk though, and she mentioned that as well. If any of you live there and want to meet up, I think that'd be fun, too!

My kids haven't seen NYC, and I'd like them to see that as well. So another idea would be to take them on a short summer trip (I can only handle NYC for 2-3 days max) and then drive down to Delaware for a day or two before going home.

Anyway, these are all just initial thoughts. If I don't hit my goal of all the contiguous states by 40 years old, it's really not that huge of a deal. But if I can make it happen, it'd be pretty fun!

As for traveling abroad, well... I'm thinking maybe Becky and I can do a short trip to Europe (I can use a buddy pass). She's been there a trillion times and I think she'd be fun to go with. Then again, her kids are so little, so I'm not sure if she'd want to do that. When my kids are a little older (late teens) we can all go as a family.

So... any input you all have is welcome! Any must-see places or things to do in the areas I mentioned? Would anyone be interested in a short meet-up someplace?

Well, my friend Emily is coming over and will be here soon, so I've got to do a quick clean of my house!

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Having My Dad Teach Me to Change the Oil in My Car (a 40 Goals by 40 Years Old Goal)

For those of you that read my previous post in its entirety, props to you! Hahaha, I have never written a post that long before without breaking it into different segments, but I hope that it will be helpful to anyone that coaches cross country or is interested in coaching cross country. It explains a lot of what I do during the months of July through October!

Today, I had such a great morning with my dad! I got to cross off one of the goals on my list of things I'd like to do before I turn 40 years old (in January 2022): Have my dad teach me how to change the oil in my car.

It sounds like an odd goal, but my dad has been an auto mechanic for his entire life; even now that he's retired, people still prefer to bring their cars to him. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my car!

Because of his expertise, I've saved literally thousands of dollars over the years by having him do the work (for free, because family discount, haha). My dad is getting older (so is everyone, obviously, but working on cars isn't as easy on his body as it used to be. He's not going to be around forever, so I wanted to learn how to do things for myself. (I also asked him today if, when he dies, I can have his garage full of tools! 😂)

I literally knew NOTHING about changing oil going into this. I may have learned something in Auto Shop class in high school, but mostly what I remember of Auto Shop was leaving class to get fast food with my friend Jake. (Our teacher was a first-year, and sadly, we took full advantage of that).

First, I had to buy the oil and filter. My dad explained that it would either be in the car's manual or I could look it up in a book at the store (they have books for a few different brands at the store so you can conveniently look up by car make, model, and year to get what you need.

Unfortunately, my car (a 2015 Jeep Renegade) called for an expensive oil: 0W-20. They didn't sell it in the big containers, so I had to buy several quart size ones (I bought five but it turned out that I needed 5-1/2, so I still have to add half a quart as soon as I can get one). My dad said next time, I can buy the 5W-20 instead, which will work just fine and and be much cheaper.

Sometimes my dad is very patient and sometimes not so much. I was glad he was very patient with me today, because I learned so much! He taught me how to check the levels of brake fluid, antifreeze, washer fluid, oil, air in my tires, the condition of the brake pads, fan belt, engine filter, and more. The engine filter was filthy! He said I should probably buy a new one, but for now, he used a high pressure air hose to clean it out. That's what I'm unscrewing in this photo:

He told me to wear clothes that I didn't mind getting messy, and once I got started, I discovered why. There is a lot of lying on the ground (he has carpets outside to make it a little more comfortable, but they aren't the cleanest, either).

After checking all the fluid levels and filling what needed to be filled, we got to work on the oil. After checking the oil level, he was shocked at how low it was. He said it wouldn't have lasted a couple more weeks and would have done some serious damage. Yikes!

Anyway, he said the very first thing I should do is open a window in the car so I don't somehow lock myself out. (Smart. He remembers all the times he had to rescue me in high school when I either ran out of gas or locked myself out of my car).

Then, he showed me where to put the jack lift under the car to raise the car up.

When I was a kid, I remember playing with the jack lift--one of us kids would stand on it and the other would jack us up, hahaha. The lift seemed so much bigger back then! I specifically remember one time I was standing on the jack, chewing root beer bubble gum (with a liquid center--ew! and some of the liquid dripped on my thumb. Apparently, a bee was attracted to the syrup I was stung. It's funny, random the things you remember.

Once I got the lift in position, it was time to jack it up. This is basically a good arm workout, pumping up and down until the jack lifts the car off the ground high enough to get a one of those small jacks underneath it.

Once I had two jacks under the car (one on each side) as well as the jack lift, I prayed that the car wouldn't fall on me while I was underneath it. My dad's been doing this for 40 years and has never had a car fall on him, so I was pretty confident.

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the messiest part--removing the old oil. I had to unscrew the old filter and the oil came gushing out (it's not just a drip when you remove the old filter--it gushes!) into an oil pan, but while I was unscrewing the cap, the oil was pouring down my hand. My dad has a dozen (well used) towels lying around, thankfully.

Once the oil had all drained into the pan, I had to screw the new filter in. Thankfully, I'd bought the correct size! If it hadn't fit, I'd have to go buy another (with someone else's car). Screwing in the new filter was messy, too, because there was still a bit of oil dripping down into the pan (and all over my arm). After that, the mess wasn't too bad.

Once the new one was screwed into place, it was time to lower the car. Basically, I did everything backwards. I lifted the car just a touch so that I could remove the jacks, and then I slowly (well, he told me to go slowly, but it was tough to keep it from dropping down quickly!) lowered the jack lift.

With the car back on the ground, he said it was a good time to check the the air in the tires (which I did, and they were all at 30 psi--and they needed to be at 35 psi, so I added some air. Then he said it was a good time to check all the lights (headlights, brake lights, etc.). I checked them all and they all worked except for one fog light, which I'll have to replace (although I rarely use the fog lights).

If you have a Jeep Renegade, here's a short tip. Even after changing the oil, the oil change light will still come on when you start the car. To reset this, you just turn the key halfway (to where it's just the battery on) and then pump the gas three times within 10 seconds. Turn the car off. Then start the engine, and voila! No more change oil light.

Other than the air filter, the only other thing that needs replacing is my tires. I'm dreading it, because it'll cost a fortune, but it must be done. Preferably before winter.

Anyway, I'm glad to have knocked another goal off my list, and this was a fun one! I got to spend some quality time with my dad and learn all about my car. And now I'll be able to change my own oil the next time it needs it :)

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Summer Goals Follow-Up (Should I even bother?! Haha)

Let's see how I did on my summer goals, shall we? ;)

With summer ending in just a couple of days, I thought this might be a funny post to write--because if it isn't obvious, I definitely didn't nail the goals I set for the summer. And I write that in jest. I'm not being (too) self-critical, I promise.

But I actually was curious when I went back to read my summer goals, because I forget what my plans/goals were. I just know that I most likely haven't been doing them. I'll write my thoughts as I go through the list. Here is my list:

Physical Health

To be at peace with my body exactly the way it looks (whether that's at this weight or if I should gain or lose weight).

I wish I could say that I'm at peace with it, but I'm most definitely not. In fact, I think I feel worse about it. Surprisingly, I haven't gained weight(!) but I haven't been eating well (see "Diet" below) and I haven't been exercising (see further below) so I just feel like a blob. Here is a photo from our meet on Tuesday. I cringed when I saw it.

Diet - My plan was to really listen to my body and pay attention to what foods make me feel good and what foods make me feel bad. And then do what feels best as far as food goes. I also wanted to drink more water--aim for 3 quarts a day.

I have been terrible with this. I haven't gotten in much water at all (I drink tea in the mornings, and then I chew ice all day long, and occasionally have an alcohol-free Heineken or a Diet Squirt in the evening. I used to suck down water all day long! This is something that I want to make a priority; even if I change nothing else, I need to drink more water.

Taking vitamins

I haven't been doing this, either. I get SO nauseous when I take a multivitamin (even half a vitamin makes me feel like I'm going to vomit). I may buy some Flintstones vitamins, and see if those are better. If they are made for kids, maybe they won't be as rough on my stomach.

Exercising

My plan was to follow my Summer Challenge List (running or walking, whatever I felt like). I wanted to try to hit all of them this year, because I've never done that before. I did great for a few weeks and got a lot of them checked off, but something happened to throw me off and then I just never got back into it.

Wearing sunscreen, always

I actually have been VERY good about doing this. I bought some SPF 110 for my face and SPF 50 for the other exposed parts of my body. Any time I'm going to be outside, I wear it.

Flossing my teeth daily (I have no problems with brushing, but flossing is something that I have always had a hard time making a daily habit).

Well, I certainly haven't done it daily, but I've been working on it and do it more frequently than before.

Living a more active lifestyle in general the way that I used to

I'm not really sure how to count this. I have been doing lots of "projects" (woodworking, painting, etc). Since I spend a lot of time in the garage moving around, I sweat a LOT. And I am frequently super sore from using muscles I'm not used to using.

Here is an example--I can't tell you how physically demanding it was to scrape all the paint off this door! (This was our front exterior door--somehow, the paint blistered and peeled the vinyl off underneath and it looked horrible. I scraped it all off and then repainted it (with a paint that is meant to withstand high temperatures). And THEN, I did the same thing with the side door! Before and after:

Continuing to stay sober of alcohol

Yes! Going strong--not a single sip in 262 days.

Get a check-up with my doctor and have bloodwork to see my health numbers, including vitamins.

Haven't done this yet. I keep telling myself that I want to drop some weight first (if my numbers aren't good, then my health insurance may add a premium on for high cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, weight, BMI, etc. I haven't gotten everything tested in over a year now, so I'm nervous!).

Mental Health

Taking my meds on a regular schedule (I'm very good about this already).

This is no problem for me. I have a little container that holds my pills for the week, so I take them first thing in the morning.

Cutting out caffeine, with the exception of a modest amount of tea.

I've done good with this. I had coffee a couple of times and my anxiety was sky high, so I've learned that I just can't have it. I've been enjoying the tea in the mornings, though.

Writing in a journal daily, even if it's just one or two sentences.

I've done really great with this one! When I lie down in bed at night, I write in my One Line A Day journal, and then read a chapter in the Bible.

Do a few brain puzzles each week.

I love the Lumosity app, so I'll use that as well as the old-fashioned logic puzzles in a book. I've really gotten into this lately. I tend to go through phases with it, but I've learned that playing the mind games is a great way to control my anxiety.

Read more books

I've definitely done this--I read several books, including the extremely long Pillars of the Earth trilogy.

Do some crafts that make me happy (crochet or knit, wood work, bullet journal, sew)

I have done a few wood work projects, which I love doing (I wish the materials weren't so hard to get to my house--buying plywood and getting it to my house is a huge pain. I can't do bigger projects, because I have to have the plywood cut down small enough to fit in my car. I've used up almost all of my leftover materials, so if I want to do more, I'll have to buy more.

Live my life the way that makes me happy, and screw what anyone else thinks

I think I've done well with this. Mentally, I've been very stable all summer. I haven't had many (if any) conflicts, so I haven't had to worry about what others think.

Read a chapter a day from my Bible

Doing great with this! Like I mentioned before, I really find it disturbing, but I want to continue to read it and hope that it gets better.

Continue to feed the birds and squirrels (I look forward to feeding them every day and it makes me feel happy)

This is probably my biggest joy of the day. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but the squirrels have become like pets to me. I've named several of them and I can tell them apart by subtly different markings and by their personalities.

Tuck, for example, is super bold--he runs right up to me when I go outside, and he's even climbed up my pant leg to get a walnut. I definitely spoil the squirrels, but I adore them. (Sadly, squirrel hunting season started last weekend, and there are hunters in the woods across from my house. I try to keep "my" squirrels in my backyard as much as possible so they don't venture into the woods.)

I did, however, quit feeding the birds. When I got the bird feeder, all the birds around the house attracted hawks. When I saw a hawk nearly take off with a squirrel, I did some reading a discovered that having bird feeders can attract hawks because they prey on the birds. Now that I got rid of the feeder, I haven't seen the hawks around!

Find new ways to relieve anxiety

I have a no-fail relief of a specific game on Lumosity--it's super fast-paced and it's impossible to think about anything other than the game, so I forget my anxiety while playing. My anxiety hasn't been too horrible lately (and maybe it's thanks to Lumosity). It works really well to take my mind off of things because I am so focused on the game.

Relationship Health


Spend more quality time with Jerry and my kids--family game night, family movie night, walks in the evenings, etc.

I wish I could say we've been doing great with this, but we've been so busy! With my cross country and the kids playing baseball, our evenings are kind of crazy. We did go see Toy Story 4, though. The picture isn't good, but there's Eli, Noah, Noah's girlfriend Ashely, Jerry, and me.

Get in touch with a few old friends and make plans to get together and catch up

I think the only people I've gotten in touch with and saw were Lance (my childhood friend) and his brother Spencer. I got together with Lance for lunch one day, and I went to visit Spencer after he went home from the hospital in hospice care. His cancer has made his health decline since then, but he's still hanging on. Just today, I bought the ingredients to make dinner to bring to him and his parents this weekend. I did get to see my younger cousins recently, and that was really fun getting to catch up with them!

Work on being more affectionate with Jerry (hugs, kisses, cuddles, etc). His "love language" is Physical Touch, which was last on my own list of The 5 Love Languages, so it's hard for me. It's not that I'm repulsed by affection, it's just that it never occurs to me to give him random hugs and kisses. We each took the Love Languages test and read the book, and you can read about our results here.

I do try with this, but it's so hard to keep it in mind. Like I said, I'm not repulsed at the thought; it's just not something that I think about.

Write a letter to each of the kids and share how proud I am of them

I haven't done this yet. I don't know what I'm waiting for! I want it to be meaningful, so maybe I'm just putting too much pressure on myself to make sure it's perfect.

Use the phone more and texting a little less Talking on the phone is hard for me for some reason, so I'd like to call up my friend Sarah in Arizona to chat, or some other friends that live around the country.

I've talked to one or two people, but that's it. I always feel like I don't have anything to talk about. Still, it's something I'd like to do.

Make it a point to spend more time with my parents, siblings, in-laws, and especially my niece and nephew

Where did the time go?! I've seen everyone here and there, but not nearly as often as I'd planned. I did have Luke and Riley come stay the night, which was super fun and I'm glad I got to spend time with them. I just need to do it more regularly!

Take Eli fishing in a new place, and take Noah somewhere pretty where he can take photos.

I took Eli fishing a couple of times--I even drove him all the way up to Lake St. Claire and I sat on a boat for eight or so hours while he fished for muskie with Shawn's friend, Andy. I hate fishing and I hate boating, but I wanted to be there if he caught one.

A muskie is considered "the fish of 10,000 casts" because that's about how many it takes to catch one.  Interestingly, Lake St. Claire in Michigan is one of the best places in the U.S. to find them. It was Eli's dream to catch one, and Andy (who didn't even know us--he was just doing it because Shawn told him about Eli) invited us out on his boat to help Eli catch one. Andy ended up hooking two, and Eli reeled them in. He was thrilled to have gotten one, but he won't consider it "catching a muskie" until he hooks it himself and reels it in.

As far as Noah and photography, I haven't done that yet. He's going through a phase (I hope it's just a phase, anyway) where he wants pretty much nothing to do with me unless he needs money or a ride somewhere. 

Financial Health

Continue to live on our budget that got us out of debt

I've done well with this. It's getting REALLY tough now that we have extra expenses, though. Having to cut back again is a challenge. However, we are still debt-free.

Build our savings account (I'm aiming to add another $1,500 to it during the summer)

I haven't built it up--after making a $1,000 down payment for Eli's braces, our savings is down to just $300.

Plan our meals and grocery shop accordingly to stay under our grocery budget

I did so-so with this. I didn't cook as much as I should have, but on the nights I have cross country, it's really challenging to cook dinner. However, I did stay conscious of our budget and we didn't go over it TOO horribly.

Dine out very rarely (maybe once a month)

We didn't do much dining out (ordering pizza is another story). We went out a couple of times as a family, and I felt that was legit. We weren't doing it out of convenience.

Cut out unnecessary costs again (I did this when we first started our budget, but I'd like to take another look)

I haven't cut back on anything yet. I feel guilty! Jerry and Noah love Apple Music, Eli gets a mystery fishing box once a month, we all enjoy Netflix, and I love doing projects around the house. There are definitely places to cut back (like what I mentioned above) and I am going to have to do it soon.

Save up for a new front porch
Like I mentioned above, we didn't even get to save any money this summer after paying for Eli's braces. I also had to pay for some other expensive things--car registration renewal ($250), Noah's driver's ed classes ($300), fixing Noah's Macbook ($250). Ugh. I'll never get a new porch at this rate!

Job Health

Create a regular "chore chart" rather than just winging it. I'd like to make a weekly list of things that need to be done regularly and assign the tasks for particular days.

I created the chart, and follow it here and there, but definitely not like I'd planned. Maybe when cross country is over!

Write more frequently on my blog, and try to start a schedule to post on particular days

I did terrible for most of the summer, but this month, I've gotten in a LOT of posts. More than I have in over a year, probably. I've found that I really enjoy posting frequently again.

Reply to emails more frequently. Right now, my inbox dates back to April (!) and I feel bad about it. Seeing emails that I haven't replied to yet causes me anxiety, and that can be solved very easily by taking time to reply to a few each day. For now, my plan is to reply to 2+ per day.

Well, I did not do the 2+ emails per day schedule. In fact, I ignored my inbox for the most part until last week, when I spent nearly a whole day catching up and replying to old emails. I always feel terrible that it takes so long to reply. Now that the inbox is caught up, though, I can work on keeping it that way. Reply within a day or two.

Write out a schedule for ALL of these plans I've written about above so that I don't get overwhelmed. Take it one day at a time.

I wrote out the schedule. A lot of good it did ;)  (Actually, the schedule was part of the problem. I wanted to make a cutesy little bullet journal just for these summer goals, but it was taking so long just to set it up that I became overwhelmed and quit. Having a simple planner is much easier.)

If I have some free time, I'd like to go back and optimize photos on past posts

I've done this, but only to a few posts that I was linking to and happened upon the photos. This is something I'll need to take several hours at a time to work on.

Find a new place to host photos for my blog where I can edit them without deleting them and re-uploading them

Nope. Haven't even started looking.

Create a plan for the cross country kids this year. Renee is not going to be coaching with me (she took a job as the middle school cross country coach) so I want to be as organized and prepared as possible to do it on my own.

I have done awesome at this! I really do way more than is necessary. It's a volunteer position, so I don't get paid, but I spend probably 10 hours a week (including practices) working on cross country. It's fun, though! And I am still eternally grateful to those of you that sent the items from the Amazon Wish List to my team! It has made coaching this year even more fun.

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So, clearly I wasn't the greatest at hitting my goals this summer. But after typing all this out, it certainly wasn't a total fail! The biggest thing I need to work on is diet and exercise. I think if I can just get that on a good routine, the other things will be easier to focus on.

The summer was rather uneventful, which is actually a good thing. No depression, no hypomania. Stayed very busy! And enjoyed it, for the most part :)

But I am SO looking forward to fall. My favorite time of year!

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An Update on my 40 Goals by 40 Years Old List (Part 1 of 2)

This is Part 1 of 2. This post was WAY too long with all 40 items. It's still really long, even divided in two! haha.

A little over a year ago, at the ripe old age of 36, I decided to write a list of goals that I wanted to accomplish by the time I'm 40. And naturally, choosing 40 goals seemed appropriate.

At the time, I had nearly four whole years to check them off, and it seemed like it would be no problem at all. Some of the goals are things that I have to work on for a long period of time and others are just a "one-off"--something that I do once and it's done.

Lately, I've been working more toward the goals that are going to take a while, because I now only have two and a half years until I'm 40. WHAT.

Now, I did not say that these are very meaningful goals--some of them are silly and some of them I just wrote on a whim. Some are very important to me. (When you have to come up with 40 goals, you lower your standards, let's face it.)

So, here is my original list. I've crossed off the ones that are completed:

1. Watch all of Tom Hanks' movies
2. Read 40 books
3. Pay off debt (including car and house)
4. Visit the 48 contiguous United States
5. Read the Bible cover to cover
6. Get back to goal weight (133)
7. Go to a concert (I've never been to one!)
8. Learn a new skill
9. Watch Star Wars with Jerry
10. Handwrite a letter to each of 10 friends
11. Write letters to Noah and Eli
12. Watch a documentary to understand something I don't know much about
13. See a movie at a drive-in movie theater
14. Complete a saved project on Pinterest
15. Have my dad teach me to change the oil in my car
16. Knit something
17. Crochet something
18. Leave a very large tip for a server having a bad day
19. Create a vision board
20. Build a bat house
21. Write Jerry a love letter
22. Read a classic novel
23. Cook a recipe with ingredients I've never heard of
24. Make a time capsule with the family
25. Go fruit picking
26. Attend a murder mystery dinner
27. Take a class of any sort
28. Take each of the kids on a "date"--just the two of us
29. Do an "Escape the Room" challenge
30. Try Thai food
31. Read a book out loud with the family
32. Grow a vegetable or herb
33. Learn about (and start) and investment account
34. Go on a road trip
35. Go camping
36. Go to a state fair
37. Develop one life-changing habit
38. Commit to a 30-day challenge
39. Travel abroad
40. See an orca in its natural habitat

#1. Watch all of Tom Hanks' movies

As far as the first goal, watching all of Tom Hanks' movies, the rule was that I had to start fresh--rewatching the ones I've already seen. (I adore Tom Hanks, which is why I made this goal.) I've colored in the ones that I've watched since starting this goal in April 2018. (I was going to write the date underneath each one, but I gave up on that because I forgot to do it right away.)

#2. Read 40 books
I've read more books in the past year than I have in over a decade, and that includes three books that were 1,000 pages each! I started this list in January 2018, when I decided to start reading more. I just recently wrote a full post of all these books and my thoughts on them, which you can find here. But here is the list:

1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
2. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
3. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
4. Running: A Love Story by Jen A. Miller
5. Coreyography by Corey Feldman
6. Chasing the Merry Go Round by Kelly Bargabos
7. The Gender Game (book one) by Bella Forrest
8. The Gender Secret (book two) by Bella Forrest
9. Working Stiff by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell
10. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
11. This Naked Mind by Annie Grace
12. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
13. Vox by Christina Dalcher
14. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
15. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
16. An Ember in the Ashes (book one) by Sabaa Tahir
17. A Torch Against the Night (book two) by Sabaa Tahir
18. Contaminated by Em Garner
19. Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety by Sacha Z. Scoblic
20. Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
21. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
22. Call Me Tuesday by Leigh Byrne
23. Keri: The Early Years by Kat Ward
24. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
25. Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
26. The Pillars of the Earth (book one) by Ken Follett
27. World Without End (book two) by Ken Follett
28. A Column of Fire (book three) by Ken Follett
29. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (I just finished this last night, so I haven't written my thoughts on it yet, but I will write a review soon)

#3: Pay off debt

When I wrote this goal, I was including my car and house. It's very unlikely we will get the house paid off in the next two year, but we paid off our credit card debt and we are starting to pay more onto the Jeep to get it paid off faster. I will be happy to get this paid off, and then the house will be all that's left! (Here is a post about how my family paid off our credit card debt using a zero-sum budgeting system)

#4: Visit the 48 contiguous United States

I've currently been to 34 of the Lower 48. I love the idea of taking a train trip to hit up a lot of the ones I've not been to, but Amtrak doesn't have routes that are ideal for the states I need to go to. I might have to do a couple of long road trips in order to get them in. I'm scared of driving through the mountains, though, so I may have to find a train in the west to get some of those states done. Also, there is the problem of Delaware. It's the only state in the east I haven't been to, and it would be such a random trip. I wish I'd gone through there on one of my trips east, but I never had a reason to. (You can read about my traveling on this page.)

1. Alabama
2. Arizona
3. Arkansas
4. California
5. Colorado
6. Connecticut
7. Delaware
8. Florida
9. Georgia
10. Idaho
11. Illinois
12. Indiana
13. Iowa
14. Kansas
15. Kentucky
16. Louisiana
17. Maine
18. Maryland
19. Massachusetts
20. Michigan
21. Minnesota
22. Mississippi
23. Missouri
24. Montana
25. Nebraska
26. Nevada
27. New Hampshire
28. New Jersey
29. New Mexico
30. New York
31. North Carolina
32. North Dakota
33. Ohio
34. Oklahoma
35. Oregon
36. Pennsylvania
37. Rhode Island
38. South Carolina
39. South Dakota
40. Tennessee
41. Texas
42. Utah
43. Vermont
44. Virginia
45. Washington
46. West Virginia
47. Wisconsin
48. Wyoming

#5. Read the Bible cover-to-cover

This one has been... interesting? I had hoped that reading the Bible would give me more faith; but a lot of it is horrifying. Punishment to dozens of generations beyond one sinner, distinguishing what is clean and unclean (having sores, baldness, and a woman on her period are a few "unclean" examples), and the umpteenth sacrifices ("offerings") of animals without imperfections... I just don't understand it. How does slaughtering an animal make someone "clean"?

Anyway, I'm currently about 3/4 of the way through the book of Numbers (I haven't updated it in the bullet journal yet). I read one chapter a day, and I wish I could say I enjoy it, but I'm still waiting to feel... better? More faithful? I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

This is an example of what made me question what the heck...?

#6. Get back to goal weight

I wrote my goal as 133 when I made the list, but I have since changed it to 144 (the top of my BMI range). I haven't made any progress, but I'm not giving up.


#7. Go to a concert

Well, I blew this one big time. I had bought tickets to see Korn with Jerry a couple of days before our anniversary last month. Korn was super popular when we were in high school, and whenever I listen to it, I think of our dating. It would be the perfect first concert for me!

However, I chickened out. On the day of the concert, I just decided I couldn't do it. I don't even know why I included this item on my list, because I don't think I'd enjoy a concert; I just felt like I should go to one to say I did. I just think I'd be extremely awkward at a concert. Maybe I'll try again.

#8. Learn a new skill

While making over my house, I learned several new skills--my favorite is woodworking. I'm super proud of this island that I made from scratch!

#9. Watch Star Wars with Jerry

I watched it with him on his birthday last year (and even dressed in a Princess Leia costume) but I hated the movie. At least I finally gave it a shot, though!

#10. Handwrite a letter to each of 10 friends

Haven't started this one yet. I should make it a point to do one a week.

#11. Write letters to Noah and Eli

I haven't done this yet, either. I want to really put thought and time into it, so I don't want to rush it. But it's not a difficult goal, so I can do this one soon.

#12. Watch a documentary to understand something I don't know much about

I've watched lots of documentaries, but none that seem to fit the purpose here. I'm thinking about watching one about the Holocaust; I obviously know what it was, but I'd like to learn more about it.

#13. See a movie at a drive-in movie theater

Currently, my town is building a drive-in! I'm super excited for it. That will be the one that I attend; I'm not sure when it will be done, but hopefully next summer.

#14. Complete a saved project on Pinterest

I made a table skirt for a Cinco de Mayo party that I had last year. I love how it turned out!

#15. Have my dad teach me to change the oil in my car

A very useful life skill that I still need to do. I currently need an oil change, so perhaps I will do this very soon. Or it may have to wait until next time, depending on my dad's availability.

You can read the rest of the update in Part 2 (of 2). This post was just way too long!

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