welcome to 2018

2017 was a very successful year when it came to reaching my goals for the year!
i took a lot of classes at meissners with angelina mckenna, jenny lyon, and natalia bonner about different quilting techniques on my janome as well as the long arm machine.
i've been a certified long arm quilter for just over a year now, as well as a member of the sacramento modern quilt guild since last january!  it has been great taking these first few steps in to the local quilting "scene" and i hope to continue that more this year.  with no plans to go to quiltcon this year, i do have a few plans for how i'll be involved in the local quilting community.
smqg-
in order to get more involved this year, i've accepted the position of vp of communications for the sacramento modern quilt guild!  i'm really excited to get to know more of those that have been involved with the board in previous years and really learn more about it all.
maker monday-
every third monday of the month, i've been attending "maker monday" at meissners, which was something i stumbled across after hearing a few talk about it.  generally, it is the same group of ladies, coming together to hang out, snack & sew for a few hours.  last month, we had an extra long holiday sew day, complete with a full meal of grilled meat, veggies, potatoes and cornbread.  even though we work on our own projects with the occasional sew along, its fun to just hang out, chat and sew with others and inspire each other.
fussy cut block of the month-
this year i'll be participating in a block of the month class that will be a new experience for me.  fussy cutting hasn't really been something that i'd thought to do, but once angelina completed her own fussy cut sampler quilt last year and lisa having done her english paper piecing la passacalia quilt parts, i was intrigued.  then, it became part of the calendar of classes and i was on board.  i attended the info session and then january kicked off the first class, and i've currently got 2 of the 4 blocks done!  a gal named ashley, who is in smqg with me, is also in the class, and i felt like we had a good time chatting and helping each other out with our first few blocks.  i'm looking forward to this adventure, and seeing how the end result comes out.  the photo on top is a peek at the blocks so far!
block party-
the current vp of our quilt guild sent out an invite for a monthly "block party" at his home once a month to get together, chat and sew.  i'm not one to gather people i don't really know, so being invited to this was a great ice breaker for me.  each month, one of us gets to pick the block and color scheme for what is being made.  i haven't quite decided what to do for my month yet, but i'm looking forward to trying something new.

other things this year
stash busting-
i mean, for real... i need to make this a thing!
over winter break, i made 25 pillowcases and donated them to uc davis children's hospital for the children's surgery center.  it felt great to do something good for kids in need as well as free up some space in my fabric storage.  i found i had some very random things in there, and while i did have to purchase a few "filler" fabrics, i was able to free up about 15 of the comic book boards i had in my cabinet.  i spent new year's eve putting together a quilt top i had in block form and donated it already to my parent's church, so here's to hoping i can get a one or two done a month!  it will definitely help my spending (and helping my rent payments!)
vlogs-
i've tried a few so far with my month of me projects, and had a good time chatting about what i was doing.  it is weird to watch and hear myself, that's for sure!  either way, i'm hoping to try a few more about what i'm doing, and maybe even talk about some specific topics.  this could just be a phase, but i won't know until i give it a good go!
sew alongs-
i do enjoy the occasional sew along, and hope to participate in a few this year.  i saw that gnome angel is hosting the "elizabeth hartman all the animals" sew along, and it seems like the perfect one to join in on at first.  i still have plans to make one of the kittens quilt, and possibly even another fancy foxes quilt!

a little bit of rambling, but here's to another eventful year of quilts, sewing and all around socializing!

the 2017 kick off

here we are at a week in to 2017, and i feel like so much has already happened!
last year's craftiness came in waves, which i have noticed to generally happen when i go from major project to major project.  last year i had 2 wedding quilts to do, which led me to looking at the same fabric for a LONG time.  this year, i'm hoping to make the waves of on and off with a few different things.  one major one is education.
but emily, i thought you already graduated... again!
yeah, i'm not talking about going back to school again, i'm talking about sewing education!
lisa went to sew pro last year, and while i'm not in a place that going to a big shindig like that is realstic, i am talking more local education.  i've actually already kicked this off a little bit by talking two classes so far at meissner sewing, and currently have one more scheduled.  what have i taken?  well, some pretty exciting ones!
two days ago, on the start of this crazy rainy week ahead of us, i took an intro to free motion quilting class.  our instructor, jenny lyon showed us some of her work, and did a phenomenal job demonstrating each motif as well as checking on each of us and giving us individualized advice and attention.  we did loops, bubbles, stipple, double drip and grid.  i've already signed up for the next class to build on these skills next month as well!  jenny also challenged us to a 21 day free motion challenge, which i am going to spend this next week prepping to do.  i really want my free motion skills to build on my machine so that once i get to the long arm machine, i'll feel more solid.
wait, did i say long arm machine?  you bet i did!
back in july or august, i cruised the meissners website and saw there was a long arm certification class that landed over my winter break.  the classes were generally scheduled on tuesdays (when i teach preschool) and fridays (when i teach dance classes) so i was never lucky enough to take one of these classes.  FINALLY, it happened, and i snatched it up and called it a happy birthday/christmas present to me.  i made sure i wasn't scheduled at winter break camp that day and headed out to meissners for 5 hours of long arm goodness.  now that i've taken the class, i am certified to rent the long arm machines to do my own quilts!  angelina mckenna was a fantastic teacher, and i am hoping more of her long arm classes line up with my schedule.  due to the floor model sale, i can't get in just yet to rent and practice, so in the meantime i'll be working on my stashbusting to make quilt tops to practice on when i get my time.
i attempted to sew my stash in 2015, and did alright, but this year i really want to get it done right.  since there are currently plans to move in to an apartment this year (fingers crossed), the less fabric i have to try and take with me.  the less i have to take with me, the more i can buy later, right??  i started working on my first stashbust on new years eve, by using some scraps that my grandma gave me to make one of elizabeth hartman's fancy fox quilts.  i decided yesterday, after much late night hemming and hawing with lisa, i will be joining the snail paced slow along sew along hosted by gnome angel.  instead of making one twin sized quilt with my 42 snails, i'll be making 2-3 crib sized quilts throughout the next 42 weeks.  at the end of all my practicing, i am hoping to feel confident enough to long arm quilt my disney sweater block quilt i pieced all the blocks to during the end of last year.
my last point is to get involved and build quilty connections.
at the free motion quilting class, a few of the ladies asked if i knew anyone my age that quilts.
i kind of responded with a well, not really.  clearly, there is my cousin.  and a few that i've come to somewhat know through instagram.  but i really don't have any connections locally.  angelina is a member of the sacramento branch of the modern quilt guild, and mentioned it to me when i was last in meissners,  she had a few of her guild friends in the long arm section with her and introduced me.  the next meeting is this upcoming saturday, so if life plays it right, i my be checking that out.  i'm also currently scheduled to be involved in a blog hop next month with jen of faith and fabric design, so stay tuned for that!
recapping things to come
education, and lots of it!
stashbust tops (3-4 currently planned out)
long arm quilting practice
21 day free motion challenge
disney sweater block quilt (recap post, and then final reveal. eventually...)
blog hop(s)
and more, that i don't even know about!

and so, 2016 begins

what?  two blog posts in a row?
a year ending/beginning will do that to you i suppose!
(i also got a swift blogging second wind once midnight hit, and now have photos prepared for 3 more posts to come.  say whaaaat?)
here we are at 2016, and of course i looked back at last year's post to see what i wrote, and everything that changed or was not accomplished this past year.
looking back can be hard, but it can also be refreshing.
sure, i could easily sit and make a list of goals that may or may not happen, but instead, here are some things that i know will be happening next year:
- aileen's wedding
- trip to alaska
- officially get my degree in ECE
- melissa's wedding

my list of travel places each year still grows.  mostly stateside right now, since that's more plausible and affordable.  the top 3 on my list are still:
- new york
- new mexico
- colorado (unless lisa ends up moving elsewhere.  then that will be the destination in this spot)

another list that keeps growing is my sewing/crafting projects for 2016!  as the year goes on, i'm almost positive this list will grow in size.  i can't list these ones out individually as of yet:
- 5 people sized quilts
- 1 disney mini quilt (instagram swap)
- handful of cross stitch projects

as far as the photography business side of life goes, i currently have 3 weddings booked for 2016 and a bridal show at the end of january to hopefully get my name out there a smidgen more.  2015 was a great year with 6 wonderful couples and i hope for many more fantastic ones to come in the future.

of course, it is still fun to throw in a few personal challenges each year.  nothing too intense or heartbreaking if they don't get met.  if you've seen my goodreads challenges the past few years, you know what i mean...or this past year's "sew your stash" attempt.  ha!  but seriously... i'd like to give myself some more serious fitness/work out goals, or even some organization/anti-hoarder looking goals.  i do keep attempting to find a decent blog challenge as well... so if you see something pop up on my pinterest under those categories, now you know!

oh and that always failed goodreads challenge?
i totally set it up again this year.
will i make it to 10 books this year?
stay tuned to find out!

hello, 2015

well here we are in 2015... can you believe it?
i took a look back at last year's "goals" and after not looking at them for an entire year, it is quite impressive to see how many i actually made happen.  or at least close to it.
i DID travel.  while i didn't make it to new york or new mexico, i did make it to colorado and spent a week there escaping reality.
i FEEL like i have done better with money saving.  i've been pretty consistent on my car payment, so that's a plus.  and besides a few expenses here and there (aka more car parts... ugh) my spending has been pretty minimal.  except when it comes to fabric store shopping for projects.  ha.
i THINK i've found a pretty groovy guy to call mine.  he even came with me to update my shot record.  two goals, one stone.
i was SUCCESSFUL in blogging more.  a total of 114 posts in 2014... not too shabby.  and that wasn't even the year that i did that 30 day blog posting goal.  though i can attribute about 50 of the posts to my 365 project...  so that's half of it right there.  oh, and that 365 project is officially complete!  the final post will go up tomorrow, but in the meantime, it is lovely to not have to panic when i miss a day or two or ten.
totally didn't meet the goal of reading more... but i started to read "the fault in our stars" the other night and knocked it out after a few days, so that's at least one to count on the finished list.  and a whole stack of others on my bookshelf that i've been collecting to read for months now.
still working on that "clean sweep" ever since 2013 started...  and again since i got my new bed this past july.  it's rough, let me tell you.  BUT i got my floor pretty much clean, and now it is down to the little things like one of my desks and the middle "entertainment center" which has a cd player i rarely use and a whole bunch of crafty books stuff.
in 2015, i think i want to:
keep doing what i'm doing.
all in all, i have ZERO complaints about 2014
i'm pretty excited to see what 2015 has in store for me, and i plan to make the best of it.
also, i may just make one of these, just to remember all the good times and can look back on it.
welcome to the new year, party people.
and on a hey, here's a super exciting update note...
ALL my catvent blocks are now DONE... as of 2am this morning.  i did exactly what i did not want to do and sewed about 20 cats in one night.  go figure.  i'm sure they'll show up on instagram sometime later today once i get them all stacked.  now it will be on to figuring out a layout and keeping these kitties in order.  seriously... herding cats.

april goals - complete

this post is deserving of not one, not two, but three fitness ryans.
one month.
21 days of working out.
complete.
i wish i had something hardcore and insightful to say, but i really don't.
i'm glad i have gotten back in the groove of regularly working out.
yes, i intend to keep going to the gym.
no, i'm not going to keep blogging about it.
or instagraming about it.
and the other thing on your mind...
no, i haven't ordered my shirt yet.  soon though.  my paychecks come soon.
here is your last installment of april goals photo.

april goals - update 4

almost... there...
this week made me evaluate my plans for next month and working out.
5 days is a bit much.
but i'm really thinking about only cutting it down by 1 day to 4.
wednesdays are too brutal.  childcare for 4 hours, teaching for 2 hours, and now that it is recital time, nearly 2 hours of dance class, and then the gym afterwards.  ugh.  so wednesday would be the first day i would cut.
also considering cutting back on sugar intake next month.
soda.  candy.  nonsense.  all that jazz.
since easter, it's been like an assault on my mouth.
i drink dr. pepper and it literally hurts my tongue.
oh so delicious... but oh so uncomfortable.
so yeah.  we're looking at more pretty minor changes.  but baby steps, right?  i feel like at this point if i stopped going to the gym, i would feel super lazy.
forgot to discuss that yoga class with erika... so we'll see if that happens.  and i've considered a spin class, just to try it out.  a coworker of mine does them... but i'm afraid i'll die.
three more days until the goal is met... but i honestly may skip this wednesday and just roll over in to the first fews days of may to call it even.  and then i'll be done with this goal blogging nonsense.  well, at least this one.  the semester ends in about a month (yikes!) so hopefully it will be back to crafty, fun, adventure posts.  with maybe some fitness & reading mixed in.

april goals - update 3

we've officially hit the teens (14 to be exact) and i'm officially tired of blogging and instagramming, yet i know i need to at least keep up the instagrams to keep the motivation going.  these blog posts are just a recap with a side of hey girl.  eight more days to go, so i must trudge along.  that said, this one will be short and sweet as far as words go, with a dollop of attractive photos.
since i had spring break this week with no dance classes and no school to tend to, i worked every day in child care... every... day...  my first day was a week ago friday, clear through to last friday non-stop.  saturday i had off, and then i worked again yesterday.  hopefully made up for lost hours and then some.  anyways, since i was working anywhere within the range of starting at 8am to getting off at 4pm, i went to work out nightly.  everything was fine and dandy until friday hit.  THAT was the day my legs were finally sore from everything, plus i photographed aileen for her senior portraits that evening.  i was almost going to call it good, but then decided that i should at least go and walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes to call it even.  i had never been to the gym on a friday night and it was DEAD.  i was one of maybe 6 people in there, including the front desk dude.  so i shook things up and went to the cardio machines on the complete opposite side of the floor.  whoa there, call it crazy.  oh wait... speaking of crazy.  let us backtrack a day...
i should mention that on thursday i tried to "run"
it was horrible.  and i thought i was going to die.  well, i felt okay while actually running (sorta) but once i slowed back down, it became brutal...  for reference, i cranked the treadmill up to 6.0 mph from my normal 4-4.5 power walking while reading speed.  but if i ever decide to go through with my crazy potential idea to do a disneyland 13.1 whatever it is, i'll need to work on that running nonsense.
erika and i also talked about taking a yoga class together on monday nights.
we'll see if that happens next week, since i work late subbing today.
tomorrow might be a hard day to make it, unless i go after class... which i get out of class at 9:30... or 1:50...  my day is ALL OVER the place with group presentations and projects to turn in.  almost as crazy as today is with subbing the all ballet classes that i will never be fully prepared for... no clue why i volunteered to do it.  oh wait, i have a clue and it's called spring break make up.  i've done it before... i'll survive.  but i'll wish that i could switch to tap halfway through like i do with all my kidlet classes.  i can do this.... hooplah.

april goals - update 2

nine days in, and we're still standing. though, yet again i've been pulling the bare minimum on most days... but the whole "mid day workout" is a little weird still. i'm more a fan of the start of the day or end of the day. but alas, my school and work schedule says otherwise on most days. last week was tricky, that's for sure. bumps in the road all over the place. but i made it. yes i did.

monday was a night work out.  pretty much my typical time frame of lateness ever since i first got a gym membership years ago.  it just works for me.  it's empty.  no one in my zone, and i can do whatever i feel like.  boo yah.
tuesdays are showing me that morning work outs aren't too shabby.  getting out of bed is the hard part, but that's really it.  no makeup, no fancy clothes, nothing.  just roll out of bed, throw my hair in one way or another, get dressed, nutrigrain bar and out the door.  the gym is almost equally not crowded, and i feel like i can do whatever.
wednesday was a not a fan of day.  i got off work at 1, and then stayed and worked out.  i did this over the last week on friday and had no problem with it, but on wednesday it just felt weird.  perhaps it was the downtime between working out and then heading off to work that did it, compared to fridays when i just go from one to the next.
thursday didn't happen.  i had thought to go in the morning on thursdays, but this morning i did headshots for a law firm in roseville about the time i would be heading off to the gym.  and then i went to school, had no time inbetween, then headed off to work.  instead of my normal two hours, i subbed the third hour and then headed to erika's for a tupperware party which i was at until 10pm or later.  i had a clothing change in my car, but at that point i was tired, and no way i was going to make it to the gym to work out, then still have to shower when i got home.  and thus ends the april goals.
no, i wouldn't let things slide THAT easily.
friday was same ol' same ol'.  i took a sandwich with me to eat on my break so i wouldn't be starving... but i found that even after working out, i imagined myself being hungry midway through my hours of teaching that evening.  and i had a giant headache from listening to this song on repeat trying to choreograph more of a dance to it...  so i ended up driving through chickfila for a soda & some nuggets before heading down the freeway.  it was cheap and delicious, so this may just become my friday "hold me over" meal until i get off work.
saturday workout.  yeah.  it is as awful as it sounds.  i covered a shift from 9-2 and then stayed to work out afterwards.  i barely scraped the 30 minute mark, but it happened just so i could make up for thursday's loss.  the gym is crowded on saturday afternoons.  can't say i will intentionally do THAT again.
next week brings spring break.
no school, no dance classes, just child care.
which means i will physically be at the gym everyday from at least 9-1
i am doubtful that i will do afternoon work outs on all of those days, since i am partial to my evenings, and now that most of them will be free, i have nothing standing in my way of that.  not even portrait sessions, because those will be done before the sun goes down.
but here we go, on to days 10-15 and passing the halfway mark.
guess i gotta hunt up more ryan gosling memes while i'm at it.

april goals - update 1

 

here we are, updating after the first four week days of april. and so far still going strong.  all 4 week days have been checked off the april goal calendar for getting to the gym.
for the most part, everything has been the bare minimum of 30 minutes, but it's a good starting point.
some days were more brutal when convincing myself to get on it and go.  well, more like two days in particular.

tuesday was the first day of the shenanigans, and of course is the day i have a night class.  so my plan was to get up at 8, hit the gym for a bit, and then be good for the day.  well 8 happened.  and then the 8:30 alarm titled "it's april.  earn that shirt!" happened.  and the 9am happened.  yep.  an hour later than planned, i was rolling out of bed.  luckily, i didn't have to get all fancied up.  just threw on some leggings, my "marry me, buzz lightyear" tank top, and i was out the door.  it was nice to not have to spend my day dreading it, but instead knock out my work out and be on with my day.

wednesday was equally brutal, in a late night sort of way.  i worked child care from 9-1, ran across town for a meeting with my may bride, and then hit home to add on to my menu project.  two hours of teaching, followed by two hours of dance class caused me to get to the gym around 9:15.  yep.  i ate dinner at 10pm that night.  as you can see, this month is about the fitness part, not the eating healthy plan.  do i plan to have a wednesday like this again? HECK NO.

thursday was easy.  i didn't get up early to work out because i was expecting a phone call that didn't happen until later, so i just hit the gym after i got off from work at 5:30.  piece of cake.

friday was a tricky schedule, but it worked quite well.  i worked child care again from 9-1, and then changed in the locker room and hit the treadmill for 30 minutes.  showered off, washed my face, and then got ready to head off to natomas for work right on time.  of course, that also included wendy's for lunch... but that's because i didn't plan accordingly.

i feel like next week will follow pretty close to this, with my wednesday work out happening about 3 hours earlier... thank goodness.  not sure how i'll work spring break.  i work every day from 9-2 since i picked up some shifts, and i don't teach all that week, so we'll have to see about that.  it will happen.  i'm sure of it.
here's the official photo proof.  yes, some are taken at a stand still... because that third picture is clear proof of how hard it is to instagram in motion.
and you can count on a whole lot more "hey girl" pictures along side these kinds of posts.
because ryan gosling is the man.

april goals

much like with the start of my 365 project, i've come to learn that it takes awhile for things to become routine.  so here's another attempt to trick myself in to getting in a routine.
wedding season is coming in to swing, and if i'm going to be lugging around a camera or two for 8 hours a day, i need to prepare myself.  granted, my first wedding isn't until may, but it may take that long to prepare myself.  and when it comes to preparing myself, it sometimes takes bribery.  and public declaration  so on that note....

goal: work out at the gym every weekday for a minimum of 30 minutes for the month of april.
reward: one shirt off of lookhuman.com

melissa & jenny showed me the wonders of this website first by wearing their uber comfy looking silly/nerdy shirts saturday evening as we rounded off girls night with pizza & watching frozen with natalie (who also has shirts from this site).  melissa the showed me the website and all the goodness that came with it.  and i was sold.  so many things i wanted to order already, but no free spending funds. (thanks college, phone bills, car payments and being a grown up in general)  so now, i have decided i need to earn the privilege to purchase one of these comfy shirts. so officially starting tomorrow, i have to hit the gym all 21 week days in order to earn the right to spend the money.  not sure which one i'll get, but here are a few of my favorites.
hm.  realistically, i know which one i will probably order first, but it was just so much fun to scroll through and go "ooh.  i like that one."  and "ooh.  that one's funny!"
one of these will be so fantastic in my loungewear variety.  now just to get on to earning it :)

in 2014...

so since i'm currently waiting approval for lightroom 5 download, i had to take a picture in JPEG form from my new camera so that i could post something today. here's the crazy thing.  this is a JPEG, at 6400 ISO (which means i had really poor lighting) held at arms length away.  the quality on this thing (the camera, not my face) is so insane, that there is literally no noise at all, and when i zoom in to full size, i can tell exactly what website is reflecting from my computer screen in my eyeball.  granted, it makes me look conceited because it's my own blog, but still... INSANE.  i digress...  this is my face as of january 1st, 2014.
so i thought this post would be easy.
and i thought it would be epic... since it is blog post #200 for the tp&oc blog.
i thought i would have all this time to reflect and figure out what i want out of 2014 that i didn't get in 2013... or that i wanted to get but slacked off at.  i figured i would have this written DAYS ago, but i didn't  i changed the date to one day later, simply to allow for one more day.  but here i am, writing this after midnight... after i've put it off a thousand different ways (and nearly killing my elbow by seam ripping out basting from the catvent) but there is no escaping it.  i've deleted and rewritted more times than i can count, but one thing is true.  2014 is here to stay.  at least for another 363 days that is, and i'll probably find myself doing this all over again.
at the start of last year, i had six different ideas that i wanted to do.  did i accomplish any of those things?  probably not really.  well, i worked at two gyms throughout 2013, and with that came the gym membership... but i haven't worked out at the gym since i was sick for a few weeks in october.  yep.  i'm literally AT the gym 4 days a week, but don't work out.  don't judge me too much.  on tuesday i looked back at what i did do in 2013, as well as a things i didn't.  i don't feel horrible about the things i didn't do in 2013, because i did do quite a lot.  i didn't plan to go back to school, but i did.  i didn't plan to buy a new car, but i did.  i didn't plan to shell out the money to go to disneyland twice, but i did.  and that leads me to my point for 2014.
in 2014, i am still not sure what i want to plan for.
and i think that's okay.
i know i should try to get going in gym routine again like i was over the summer.
i want to travel.  visit lisa in colorado, cica in new york, even meet up with stephanie, whether on her turf of new mexico, or if she comes here and visits san fran.
i want to be better at saving money, but i also don't want to be afraid to spend it for opportunities i wouldn't have if my life was tied down in other directions.
maybe i'll find "the one" this year, or maybe i'll just find myself meeting new people.  either way, i just need to put myself out there, as un-fun as meeting new strangers sounds, it will be good for me.  or at least make for good stories.  in the meantime, i'll just build my collection of obscure one line e-mails that make me shake my head and say "did that really just happen?"
i should put myself out of my comfort zone.  do things that scare me, make me uncomfortable, make my skin crawl.  like go see a movie by myself... or get my shot record up to date.  blech.
i hope to read more.  i felt like i was accomplishing something when i was reading.  or at least taking a step away from my reality.  but then i got in a relationship and thought i didn't have time for reading, or sewing, or anything of my "alone time" pastimes.  i just set a goal on goodreads for myself to read 10 books throughout the year.  it sounds like such a low number, but i don't even know what school is going to be like for me this spring semester.  if i can beat that 10, that would be great.  providing that i go to the gym, i might actually defeat that goal with my reading & cardio machine combo.
i feel like i'm a pretty positive person, but i know i have room for improvement.  i try to uplift my friends when they're down, but i also need to remember to look at the bright sides of my own situations.
i should find ways to volunteer.  get myself out there and in the community.
i intend to photograph.  a lot.  like a lot more than i can even begin to imagine.  sure, this is a business related intention, but it is the very thing i want to make a name for myself with.  yes, i do have the passion for teaching like i am going to school for, but making ends meet to reach that photography goal is what it brings with it.  i've worked hard to get my business to where it is right now, and i just need to keep pushing it to be the best of what it could be, and then some.
so there you have it folks.
my very noncommittal list of 2014 plans.
well, not really plans, more like ideas, things that sounds like fun, or ways to push myself.
see you all in 362 days to see the recap of what actually happened.  but obviously you won't have to wait until then to know about it.
you'll have seen it happen.

day 13:30 - 30 day challenge

i felt bad for yesterday's blog post not having a picture... so here is a "semi-related to this post" picture of a holga. somewhere, in the great beyond of my bedroom, i have a small little composition book that would fit in my pocket.  inside that booklet, is my bucket list.  a list of things of varying degrees that at some point i want to do in my life.  travel, create, live, love and so much more through each of those things on my list.  unfortunately... my room eats things, and right now, it's currently missing in action.  so for the time being, here are some greater goals for my life as of right now.
day 13: goals
move out on my own, hopefully before my little sister graduates high school in 2014
work out more.  aka put my free gym membership to use
push my photography business to be a stronger priority
travel.  go somewhere new and different.
blog more.  (at least this blog challenge is helping that one.  for now...)
of course the typical girl goal.  get married, have a family, yadda yadda ;)
take more pictures.  create more memories

2013: the year of...

oh 2013. you began just a week ago, but it feels like its been forever. where to begin with what i plan to do with you.  such potential, you could be a lot of things, like...
the year i try new things.
the boy gives me a hard time about my dislike of sushi.  well i'm not a fan of fish... and raw fish creeps me out.  maybe this year, i'll let him help me find something i like... or at least that i'm bare enough to try.
maybe i want to try to learn a new skill.  i still have the "teach yourself to knit" kit i bought way back when.  have i taught myself to knit?  no way, jose.  i guess i will just need to give in and say to someone "teach me your ways" and call it a day.  or maybe erika and i will finally take that second cake decorating class...  five years later.
the year i get back in to shape
i know at least one of you are thinking "oh but emily, you are so skinny!!"
yeah, but just because i'm 5'11" and proportionate doesn't mean that i don't get winded after climbing a flight of stairs.  i've been debating year in and year out (basically since i quit my gym membership in 2011)  about starting at a cheaper place.  well, the cheaper gym has been found, but now i just need to man up and sign up.
the year i save more spend less
yeah, so far so good.  i've been a lot better at my spending habits than i have in years past.  like, WAY better.  on top of that, the boy and i have set a "we want to go to disneyland together" goal of putting $20 a month aside for said disneyland trip in the future.  that has helped already with a mindset of remembering to set that aside, well... because i love disneyland.  'nuff said.  plus, there are bigger (and pricier) things that i know my future holds, which fall under the "more important than a new shirt" category.
the year i make a clean sweep
yep.  clean sweep as in out with the old for plenty of room for the new. (this is where the blog photo makes a little more sense)  this past week i have thrown out 3 dozen old roses, a vase of balloon shards, 7 wrist corsages, countless numbers of test prints from photography classes, a bazillion cd cases, and so much more.  i think this might just be the biggest room cleaning over haul i have done in my entire life.  throwing things away & donating stuff without remaining emotionally attached to them has been rough, but i'm already amazed with how much more space i have in my closet.  if i keep this up, i will have so much less stuff to deal with down the line when moving forward to the next steps in life. besides, random things i find that amuse me but don't get to stay have already been documented forever on instagram.
the year i blog more
no seriously, its a goal.  which in turn, will hopefully help me craft more this year, do more memorable things, and just straight up want to document more.  i was recently going through old writings from a few years back, and really wish i had done a better job at documenting things here and there.  maybe 2013 will bring day trips, adventures around this area, and all that jazz.  and when i say maybe, i really mean please and thank you.
the year i do all that and more
no seriously.  i'm hoping to make a lot of this year.  2012 was pretty excellent, so hopefully 2013 will be super duper.  with ice cream and oreo cookies on top.