2012 goals and bucket list update – February

Happy leap year!  Any leap year babies out there?

Can you believe February is over?  That means it’s time for an update on my 2012 goals and bucket list (see here for the January update)

2012 goals:

• read through the entire Bible – We’re still doing good!  We have read all the way through Romans (remember, we’re starting with the New Testament first) and just started 1 Corinthians yesterday.  Like January, we missed a few days but got caught right back up the next day.  We’re still taking turns reading aloud, which I love.  I looked ahead at my calendar and by the end of March we will be almost completely done with the New Testament!  I can’t believe how quickly we’re moving, and it really doesn’t take that much time out of our day – maybe 15 minutes (it’s usually 2-4 chapters per day, depending on length).
• get my healthy lifestyle back, specifically to lose the 20-25 pounds I’ve gained since getting married. – I have lost 7.8 pounds as of this morning.  February has been tough.  I haven’t eaten awful but I haven’t been careful enough to really see much movement on the scale.  March will be better – I’m promising myself.  Do you want to know a sad story?  I’m still not back to my pre-Thanksgiving weight!!  Yikes!  Someone remind me this November/December that what I put on in a month has taken over two months to take back off.

2012 bucket list:

• make an apple pie from scratch
• take cake decorating classes – Classes start next Thursday and I’m so excited!  I’ve got all my stuff bought and ready to go.
• learn how to make Mom’s homemade Christmas cookies
• make 72 hour emergency kits for our home and cars
• make my own laundry detergent
• bake a loaf of homemade bread
• make a quilt – I got caught up with the January and February blocks of the month.  I’m excited to see what our blocks will be for March!
• grow something
• can pickles
• take some sort of vacation – We bought plane tickets to go to Chicago for a long weekend in May.  We haven’t chosen a hotel or made any plans of what we are going to do when we get there, but we know we’re going!  I’m so excited because I’ve been wanting to go to Chicago for a while now.
• get at least one scrapbook done for my in-law’s
• ???start an Etsy shop???

Other notable things:

• I turned 25 (and we celebrated a lot)!
• I started my practicum this month (a practicum is where I go to a school and work in the library observing, helping, and teaching; it’s very similar to student teaching but I don’t have to be there full time for a certain number of weeks) at a local elementary school and I am absolutely loving it!  After being a high school teacher I had forgotten (or maybe didn’t even realize) how much fun elementary school is!  I work with awesome people, the kids are fantastic, and I’m learning so much.  I’m already halfway done with my hours and I’m going to be sad when it’s time to leave!
• On a related note, now that my practicum has started I’m back to “working” almost full time (technically I don’t get paid for my practicum so I don’t know if I can call it work, but I’m there full days working alongside the library staff).  On Mondays and Fridays I’m at my practicum for the full school day.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I’m at WKU for my GA job a full day.  And on Wednesdays I go to my Bible study in the morning then work a half day at WKU.  Going in to this I thought the only thing I would have to do this semester was go to my practicum and put in my hours.  Sadly, that was a misconception and I have a ton of work on top of my practicum hours – creating a portfolio, activities for the portfolio, research that backs up why I’m using those work samples, written explanations, etc.  So life has been crazy and I’m a little overwhelmed right now.  I’m so ready for May to be here!
• Still haven’t sold our house…
• I survived being along for a week while Michael was on a work trip.  I shared my struggle with fear here.
• I fell in love with Dashing Dish’s peanut butter butterscotch protein shakes and have been eating one for breakfast 3-4 times per week.  Yum!  I also fell in love with her triple chocolate chunk muffins – an amazing breakfast, snack, or dessert!

And that’s about it.  Let’s have a marvelous March!