Thursday, April 30, 2009

update

howdy folks.
i've got an update for you. i'm doing big things!


#4- send flowers for no reason
i actually did not send anyone flowers since the last update. the reason i am writing about this is because i was actually going to send flowers to someone, but then i realized i had a REASON to send flowers to them. think about it. when sending flowers, there is always a reason. even if you only send them because you happen to be thinking about someone, that is still a reason!!! anyway, next time i think i will be a little easier on myself in regards to sending flowers "for no reason."

#6- donate 10 bags of clothing, etc to charity
well, i tried to get some spring cleaning done, so as of right now, i've got three large trash bags filled with clothing to bring to salvation army. i haven't brought them because i am thinking i might have one or two bags, and i figured it would be much easier just bringing them all together.

#9- i'm still working on organizing my bills.
not complete because i can only do a little at a time since i am so busy with school, but it is getting there!

#28- support local restaurants, businesses, etc.
well, i brought my niece to newport creamery to get some ice cream. she was having a sleep over at my house, so i did her makeup, let her play with my jewelry and then took her on a date. she loved it!
also, i went with my friends to a restaurant called paragon and a bar called spats. we've been to them before, but i am including them because they are still indep. restaurants.
i also got my nails done again, so i supported my nail tech. lol. expensive, expensive, expensive!

#35- i do not have any new pictures for the 100 pics project, but i do actually have a few ideas of pics i would like to take, so i will get started on that soon.

#43- i believe it is definitely time for my bimonthly pictures of myself.

this one above was taken at the red sox game on 4/17/09

this one above was taken on 4/25/09 i was in a cleaning fit. def. a spring cleaning moment!

this one was taken today on 4/30/09 at work. thats why i look a mess!

#49- well this item is actually going to be complete next month...I'M GOING ON A CRUISE! how exciting is that? i am beyond stoked. i'm going with my best friend amy. the person she was originally going with wasn't going to be able to make it, so i'm in! i cannot even believe how cool this is. and i'm so excited, i don't think i could even express all my excitement. i will be going to haiti, jamaica, grand cayman and the bahamas. originally i was supposed to go to mexico, but they rerouted us to the bahamas. thank goodness. if i got the swine flu, i would probably blog even less than i do now... and i don't want to do that!

#57- i've actually completed another item.
i applied for my passport. i actually had to pay double to expedite my passport, but whatever. i haven't gotten it in the mail yet, but my check has been cashed and i don't have any type of criminal record, so i think i will be A okay :)

#62- i tried but i failed!
i did do one of my five nablopomos i wanted to do, but i failed because i missed a day. oh well, i tried. 4 more to go. lets see if i can actually pull off a real completed one before this ends!

#63- i am doing an excellent keeping up with my weekly journal writings. totally getting into a groove, and i can really appreciate looking back and seeing how much i have written. i usually write in a journal for a month or two then a whole year will go by and so many major parts of my life have not been written about. so this weekly thing is keeping me on point!
yes, that is my real journal below.

#66- grace in small things is moving along well.
today i actually wrote the 50th gist out of 365 :)

#74- i went to a red sox game! yay! it was my first game of the season and i loved every single second of it. fenway park is like a second home to me. i feel so good when i am there. and i am going again next week! my brother and i are bringing our mother and other brother to a game on may 8th for their birthday presents. (my mom's bday is actually the day of the game)


#83- i have completed my 30 straight days of vitamins challenge. so this goal is actually complete as well! i'm still taking the vitamin D until i go get my blood drawn and see the results in a few weeks. so we will see what comes of that!


#88- pay off my credit cards.
well this one is difficult. i actually didn't get the interest rate i wanted on the loan i applied for, so i decided to just forgo the loan and pay down my cards myself. it was a limited time offer from the bank, and i guess i didn't submit the application in time, so whatever! but since the last post, i have been doing great paying my loans off. i see a bright future ahead when it comes to getting out of debt. i think it will actually be sooner than i thought if i stick to my budget. the only thing that is screwing me is this cruise. because if you add up all the costs including excursions, miami overnight, booze, shopping, etc. i think i might spend between 1,500 and 2,000. my theory is that i'm not going on this cruise and pinching pennies. i want to go on all the excursions i possibly can...even if they are expensive. it isn't everyday i get to climb a 600ft waterfall or helmet dive with sting rays. so if i rack up a bill, then so be it. i'm only young once. i just need to stay dedicated to this budget and i'll have that paid off in no time. plus, i already have about 500 to go towards the trip, so i think i am in good shape ;)


#90- i am doing great keeping up with my spreadsheet for bills and my budget. it is really keeping me on track. so thanks fabulously broke! its working. y'all should check her out.

#91- pay off my car loan
i wanted to introduce this item into my posts, because i am in fact paying my car off every month in this project. i get it payment automatically deducted from y bank account so i'm on track with this item. i was thinking of paying it off quicker by making extra payments, but i won't do that until i eliminate my debt and save a large emergency fund. the interest rate is so low that i'm not worried about it at all.

and thats all folks! aren't you so glad you know all these random facts ;)

Friday, April 10, 2009

an update to today's update

p.s. i just thought of 3 perfect additions to my 100 photographs project!
number eighty six: road


number thirty seven:empty



number thirty four: vein

i am kicking ass...excuse the french ;)

alright folks...
you ready for your update?
first, even though i am probably being too hard on myself, i should say i decided to be "honest" and take some of the things on my list which are currently in italics (which means i am working on them) OUT of italics. i know i am trying to take on a whole bunch at once, but i don't want to make it look like i am working on things which i really am not. i obviously will get back to work on them... maybe even real soon as i start my spring cleaning... but for now, they are coming out of italics.

those things were:
#10 (organizing bookshelves)
#21 (getting fenway trained)
#40 (vision board)
#64 (writing book reviews)

okay, moving on to some super stupendous news! i finished another item!
#5: leaving a $10 tip for a meal less than $10 dollars.
i didn't realize yesterday that the bill was "supposed" to be under $10, so i guess if you want to be technical, i didn't complete this number "correctly." but then today, when i sat to write this entry, i though. when the hell am i going to go out and spend less than $10 on my bill? umm, i wish. that would be one pretty thing, but i doubt that will happen. so yesterday, i had a real small bill ($16.99) and left a $15.00 dollar tip. our bartender was EXCELLENT, which i barely ever see anymore,, so she deserved it.

okay, so here are the items i am currently working on:
#3 i donated 300 grains for rice. i was bored at work, and it was the end of the day, so i figured, what the heck... lets play some trivia! now i only have 99,700 grains to go!

#18 eat at new to me restaurants... well, i try NOT to go to chain restaurants while working on this number, but i did go to smokey bones this week, and it is a new to me restaurant. actually, this is where i left my $15 tip! also, i went to a restaurant called Fours in boston before the celtics game. wow, what a wait! but the food was pretty good, and there were a lot of hot guys there! so this brings me to 5 out of my 20 restaurants... which means i am 1/4 complete. cool :)

#28 support local independent businesses: i went to somerset creamery, a local amazing ice cream shop about a week ago. i wanted to go on the day they opened, but i missed it and went about a week after they opened.... and i STILL had to wait in a HUGE line!

#29: support one local new to me independent business every month. in march, i went to Depolzelli Bakery to pick up some bakery pizza and treats. the emerson's were up from GA and it was dave's birthday, so we went to get him so special treats for his party :)

#35: i started working on my goal to take 100 specific pictures. so far i have completed numbers 19, 60 and 63.

the first one i took is number nineteen: within

the next one i took is number sixty: red (i can't figure out which one of the next two i like best. y'all have any input?)
then here is number sixty three: decrepit
maybe i'll post a few more later. i've got to look at my pictures and see if i have any others.

#39: i am ready to begin my cork frame. well, not really. but i do have my very first cork! i got it while i was drinking with amy and joie at amy's apartment. it was a fun night. amy pretty much played dress up the entire time (with clothes she just bought to go on a cruise) and we all drank! i got some great pictures too!


#43: i've done a good job keeping up with my bimonthly pictures. in the one above, i had just got home from work and had to run in my house from my car because it was downpouring! i think this picture was taken 4/3/09

i'm the above picture, i am all a mess. i'm trying to build a desk and take a pic all at the same time!

#62 and #66: i'm excited about this one, because i find it very challenging!!! i am doing another nablopomo! april 2009- but this one is difficult! see, i am combining my nablopomo and its theme: growing (up) with my daily grace in small things posts!.....and instead of listing five things i am thankful for everyday, i am listing one, and writing about it more in detail. THAT MEANS I AM DOING NUMBERS 62 AND 66 AT ONCE! wow.

#63: i am still doing excellent writing in my journal every week. its actually nice to see how much i have actually recorded in my journal. i am really glad i am doing this goal! oh, and i am on week 15!

#74: i am going to my first red sox game (of the year) in 7 days! yahoo. i'm sure i will post all about this on my other blog, and i can guarantee i will take loads of pictures to post on here!

#80: i am working on finding the perfect red lipstick. i did find one i *like*. i don't LOVE it, but it is okay. i'll have to ask amy for the name, because it is her lipstick. also, i think sarah might have taken a picture of me at some point the night i wore it out, so if so i will ask her to send it to me, so i can post it on this blog! BUT i have also found some AWFUL lipsticks that don't look good on me. i have a family member who sells avon, so she got me this HUGE sample of lipsticks, haha maybe as a joke i will try on every red lipstick and take a picture and post it on here. trust me. with skin as pale as mine, i look like a clown sometimes!

#83: well if you read my other blog, you will know that i have recently got some possibly bad medical news. basically one of my issues is that i am extremely deficient in vitamin D. so since last week i have been taking thousands of mg daily. so, i am on day 8 of taking a vitamin daily for a month! lol. i need to do this to be healthy ;)

#88: pay off credit cards. well, lets just say i am waiting on this one. i applied for a personal loan with an EXTREMELY LOW interest rate. i think i will find out the beginning of nest week if i got it. if i did, then i will be able to completely take the balances off all my cards, and then i SHOULD be able to pay my loan off within a year. how freaking wonderful is that??!??!

#90: i am also still working on trying to download my bills on a spreadsheet and budget. i am doing pretty well, but because it is really detailed i need to just sit down one day and enter everything... that way i will be up to date and pretty much done with this goal. then all i will have to do is stick to the spreadsheet and budget!