Project Accomplish 2012

Like I mentioned before, I really enjoy reflecting on the year and then looking forward to the future. I have some goals (although not as many as last year) that I will accomplish come December 2012.

• Graduate with my master's degree in education leadership and complete my certificate in academic advising.

• The career position. This is ultimately going to decide where I end up for the foreseeable future and where I will establish myself as a professional. This is also where I could potentially "set up shop" (ie. family, friends, community).  

Louisville Slugger Museum, Kentucky

• Continue traveling. (Kentucky, Check!)
• Cook one new savory dish each month, possibly working off of this ultimate food bucket list.

• Get my hair done professionally which does not include Great Clips, Super Cuts, or me in the bathroom with scissors and DIY box of dye. 

• Reach a healthy goal weight. For my height, I should be between 120-160 pounds.
• Move into an intermediate level for yoga. I want to be able to do this pose, this post, this pose, and this pose without freakin' out.
• Complete a minimum of two 5Ks. One needs to be jogged or run. (One completed 4/15, Big House Big Heart in Ann Arbor)
• Run on the treadmill. (Done! It was only for a few minutes but felt great and I didn't even fall off. April 7th)
• Minimum of one Zumba class.

•  Start dating? Start dating. 
• Get my teeth cleaned. 
• Visit home at least once; planning for February. (Yes! Went home, great visit. February 24th)
• Buy the perfect pair of black pants.

Free Will Astrology: Bigger Percent of the Profits

Aries Horoscope for week of December 29, 2011

 

In North America, a farmer who grows wheat gets only five percent of the money earned by selling a loaf of bread made from his crop. When my band recorded an album for MCA, our contract called for us to receive just seven percent of the net profits. I encourage you to push for a much bigger share than that for the work you do in 2012. It will be an excellent time to raise the levels of respect you have for your own gifts, skills, and products -- and to ask for that increased respect, as well.

A Slight Disruption

Sorry to be MIA for the past week. My computer got some serious virus and I just received it back today from the computer "doctor" wiped completely clean. Clean as in no pictures, music, documents, anything. It was not an easy decision but it might make things easier in the long run. I am bummed about losing the music as well as a video I made for my mom that was suppose to be her Christmas gift.

This last week of 2011 hasn't been stellar but I know it is just one bad week and considering how lucky I have been this year, I can't let it get me down. I shall spend the remainder of the evening getting my online life back up to par and watching deliciously sappy girlie movies.

Hope you all have enjoyed the last few days of 2011!

Quote of the Day

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa

Free Will Astrology: Muggles?

Aries Horoscope for week of December 22, 2011

 

In the fictional world of the wizard Harry Potter, muggles are people who have no magical powers. Because of their deficiency, certain sights may be literally invisible to them, and certain places inaccessible. I'm going to boldly predict that you Aries people will lose at least some of your muggleness in the coming year. A part of your life where you've been inept or clueless will begin to wake up. In ways that may feel surprisingly easy, you'll be able to fill a gap in your skill set or knowledge base.

Reverb: December 10th

10. 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2011 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2011.

• Snow
• Turning 30 and celebrating with wonderful friends
• My entire internship experience at University of Central Florida
• Solo vacation to Miami Beach
• Reconnecting with Michelle, an Americorps team member from way back
• Helicopter ride in Orlando
• The feeling of realizing I was losing weight and clothes were actually too big
  Dancing around in the dressing rooms because clothes were starting to look good!
• Buying my "big girl" bed
• Starting my second internship and presenting workshops to help young parents
• Russell Brand's show at the EMU Convocation Center
• Great graduate classes and connecting with people in my program and faculty
• Teaching UNIV101L
• The feeling of sadness that I allowed someone else to make me feel and how it will never happen again
• Holiday party at my house--first little get-together at my apartment!

Favorite Things: December

Super soft Mossimo sweaters from Target. I have one in black and one in green.

Prechopped shallot, onion, garlic mix from Trader Joe's. It is so useful!

Christmas/Holiday wrapping paper.

Starbucks holiday cups. Specifically, filled with peppermint hot chocolate!

Reverb: December 7th-9th

7. Best moment of April

I reflect on the time that I finally turned the big "3-0" and it was a great birthday! I was able to have dinner with two of my new favorite people and also explored Ann Arbor quite a bit. The picture to the left was me before I left for the day to get all of my free loot! AA is pretty great for birthday freebies so I made sure to take advantage of everything. So far, 30 has been pretty wonderful!


8. One Word. Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2012 for you?

2011: Opportunity. Clearly, I have taken advantage of every opportunity given to me and am so thankful for the strength and people that got me through the year.
2012: Determination. I have a lot going on in the next year and although it makes me nervous, I know that it is finally my time.

9. Best moment of May

 Going to UCF. After a really, really tough winter semester, being able to gain a new perspective and putting myself out there was amazing. This was one of the first pictures of me at UCF in my uniform, frizzy hair and all!

Free Will Astrology: Pulling Off Feats

Aries Horoscope for week of December 15, 2011

 

Jim Moran (1908-1999) called himself a publicist, but I regard him as a pioneer performance artist. At various times in his colorful career, he led a bull through a china shop in New York City, changed horses in midstream in Nevada's Truckee River, and looked for a needle in a haystack until he found it. You might want to draw inspiration from his work in the coming weeks, Aries. You will not only have a knack for mutating cliches and scrambling conventional wisdom. In doing so, you could also pull off feats that might seem improbable.

Reverb: December 6th

6. Everything's OK. What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?

My mind goes straight to winter semester of this year (Jan-April). I had progressively gotten more and more depressed and overwhelmed during this time period and was having a really hard time staying focused. It wasn't really anything but just me being me but it was a lower "dip" than I normally take. I even talked to one of my close friends about it and she told me to go to a counselor. I did and while it didn't make everything fantastically shiny and new again, it did help just to get things off my chest. 

The internship was the actual sign that everything would be okay. Before I came to Michigan, I decided that I wanted to do an internship out of state and really take advantage of every single thing I could experience here. The interview and placement into my internship was something that I could look forward to. It was scary and exciting to think about, having to move to another state for three months and meeting a new group of people, but I was more than ready for the change. I couldn't to May 5th fast enough. Once I made it there, I knew everything was going to be more than okay. 

For the year ahead, I have to have faith that things will work out even when they are the darkest. If I know I have done my best then I am prepared for anything that may come my way. I just have to be open to every opportunity and every person that I meet. 

Reverb: December 5th

5. Best moment of March
This one is easy! This is the month that I had an interview for and found out about my internship! It was a very quick (as in under an hour) decision on both parts. I interviewed at 3:00pm and they called me back at 3:45pm to ask me if I wanted it. I think I caught my supervisor by surprise when I instantly said "Yes!" He told me I could take the weekend to think about it and I said "No, I want to go for it!" and I have never, ever regretted that decision. I am a huge believer in fate and this match was perfect.

Reverb: December 1-4th

1. Best moment of January
 Nothing particularly stood out but based upon my blog from that month, I was super excited about two things:

Snow. It was my first real experience with solid snow since the Americorps days of 2003 in Maryland. I found it to be glorious and sparkly!
Making cinnamon rolls from scratch for the first time.It was a very intimidating process but I was very impressed with how they turned out. Have I since made anything with yeast? No.


Exciting month, right?


2. Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

I instantly go back to my summer in Florida for moments this year that I felt alive. There are many; things like being in charge of hundreds of people with all of their eyes on me, going in a helicopter ride with three amazing people, and going on the fun boat ride in Winter Park. But of all the experiences I had, going to Miami Beach was one of the most amazing. It was a vacation completely on my own but that did not stop me from seeing everything I wanted to. I went to the Beautiful Vizcaya Gardens, walked along the sandy beaches, and walked all over the place. The time that I remember being the most alive was taking the Thriller boat ride around the bay and out into the ocean. I was feeling good up until we went out into the ocean with the waves crashing and to boat literally flying over the water. I got really freaked out! Once we did a few loops, I finally stopped planning my survival if I was flung overboard and instead just enjoyed the fact that I was in the Atlantic Ocean in a speed boat! 

3. Best moment of February

February feels like so long ago! I really don't know where the time went. I started to be much more social during the winter semester and one of the first things that I organized with the ladies in my program was going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show at EMU. We had dinner at Sidetrack first (one of my favorite places) and then to the show! It was so much fun and so nice to hang out with each other outside of the classroom. 




4. Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?

This next year is all about action. It is intimidating and exciting all at the same time. 

Steps I have taken thus far:
Did two internships in my program plus my graduate assistantship position
Received excellent evaluations from each of my internship supervisors
Created good relationships with my advisor who has become a mentor, my experiential coach who is amazing, my co-teacher who has taught me about patience and laughter, my other GAs who I have been able to help, and and with myself
Updated my resume (2 pages, ahh!) and am really impressed with what I have done
Started to organize job postings that are interesting to me so that I can better plan for the future
Taught a freshman course that was a real lesson in working with students but also gave me a greater sense of confidence and discipline 


My next steps:
Have two to three of my professors/supervisors review my resume
Begin applying for jobs during winter break (end of December)
Plan for the ACPA conference in March (post resume online, order business cards)
Consider cost of living/quality of living in various areas of the country

Reverb 2011: Reflecting on the Year

Last year there was a popular blogger project called Re:verb which gave people a schedule of postings that helped them reflecting on the past year. Unfortunately this year they won't be doing it again BUT they did encourage everyone to create their own! I did just that using some of the ones from last year but also added a few new ones to the mix:

1. Best moment of January
2. Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).
3. Best moment of February
4. Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?
5. Best moment of March
6. Everything's OK. What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?
7. Best moment of April
8. One Word. Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2012 for you?
9. Best moment of May
10. 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2011 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2011.
11. Best moment of June
12. Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?
13. Best moment of July
14. Love. What does this word mean to you?
15. Best moment of August
16. Body integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn't mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
17. Best moment of September
18. Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
19. Best moment of October
20. Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 201`? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
21. Best moment of November
22. Photo. a present to yourself. Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.
23. Best moment of December
24. Lesson learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?
25. What is one picture that best represents 2011 for you?
26. Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
27. What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
28. Inspiration: What are three things that have inspired you this year?
29. What was the theme of your life in 2011? Why?
30. What do you want the theme to be for 2012?
31. Donate blood. Save a life. 

Care to create your own reflective journey? Feel free to use the ideas above. Comment if you decide to join in! 

Hipster Aries Astrology

From this website:

Damn right.