Tag Archives: The List – 2013

The 2013 List Wrap Up

Posted in Life, The List by

The List 4I am finding it really hard to believe that another year is over… This year seems to have gone quicker than the rest, especially the last couple of months… seriously it felt a little like warp speed.  But despite the fact that I am not quite ready for 2014… it starts tomorrow and so this years list must come to an end.  This year I have done pretty well, well I think so anyway, there are still a few left, but lots that are done and dusted… but it’s been a while since there was a list update so once again I am including it all in the wrap up.

Those that have a blog of their own have a hyperlink so you can just click it and read all about it… and the ones that don’t are all listed below with either an explanation of what happened… or why it didn’t.

Here we go… the 2013 wrap up…

  1. Have a Star Trek Movie Marathon – completed: 11/5/13
  2. Cook all meals at home for a fortnight (no buying take-away, or going out)
    I am almost embarrassed to admit that this didn’t happen… I am not even sure we had two weeks when we were both around… it’s been a busy busy year.
  3. Finish my Dip Ed – completed: 1/11/13
    All done and dusted… and it feels pretty good… now just to get my registration completed.
  4. Go in two fun runs/walks – completed: 13/10/13
    First the Sunset series run, then the half… fun run challenge complete.
  5. Complete a month’s photo a day challenge without missing a day – completed: 31/1/13
  6. Attend a Step Class – completed: 4/12/13
    Thanks to a free pass from a friend to the gym next to work this made it off the list fairly late in the year, but it is done.
  7. Read 12 books – completed: 13/12/13
    1. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkin
    2. Cinder – Marissa Meyer
    3. Scarlet – Marissa Meyer
    4. Does This Church Make Me Look Fat – Rhoda Janzen
    5. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire – Jim Cymbala
    6. Inferno – Dan Brown
    7. The Happiness Project – Gretchen Rubin
    8. The Land Between – Jeff Manion
    9. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
    10. Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
    11. The Color War – Jodi Picoult
    12. The Christmas Grandma Ran Away From Home – Nancy Warren
    and just for good measure 13. Mocking Jay – Suzanne Collins
  8. Stop buying breakfast regularly – completed: 31/12/13
  9. Complete a half marathon – completed: 13/10/13
  10. Use my diary more effectively – completed: 31/12/13
    It may not have been my paper diary like I would have hoped, but my little iCal on all my apple products has certainly had a work out… and I think its been quite effective in keeping Dave and I at the right places at the right times.
  11. Start a list of restaurants Dave and I like to go to – completed: 31/12/13
    Its not a long list… but it has been started… and now we can just continue to add to it.
  12. Watch all of my Disney Movies – completed 29/12/13
    It turns out I have a lot of Disney DVDs and it took forever to get through them… all year in fact…. but it is done… all watched.
  13. Clean out my wardrobe – completed: 20/1/13
  14. Go to the beach at least 5 times – completed: 19/1/13
  15. Get a herb garden – completed: 3/2/13
    Ok so I got a herb garden… but it died… but then I started a veggie patch which is still going… so I guess it still counts.
  16. Be deliberate with my TV time – completed: 31/12/13
  17. Go Camping – completed: 8/6/13
  18. Do something I have never done before – completed: 9/4/13
  19. Be on time to things – completed: 31/12/13
    Well maybe not everything, but I am definitely getting better.
  20. Build something from Ikea – completed: 22/12/13
    It was just a box… but it was from Ikea.
  21. Throw something old out/give something away every week
  22. Go to the library – completed: 20/3/13
  23. Visit Mum in Mornington – completed: 13/3/13
  24. Start a list of all the common dishes Dave and I like to eat – completed: 31/12/13
    Again its not a long list… but it is a list and now we add to it as we go.
  25. Blow Bubbles – completed: 7/1/13
  26. Smash a Piñata – completed: 21/10/13
  27. Play Badminton – completed: 27/12/13
    I was lucky enough to do this twice… the first with an up coming champion of the sport… my cousin Jack and second in the streets of Inverloch.
  28. Try Yoga or Pilates – completed: 25/4/13
  29. Get down to my goal weight… and stay there
    Yet again this goal has been left unachieved… but I will get there… even if it kills me.
  30. Establish a morning routine
    I tried… but it didn’t stick…
  31. Establish an evening routine
    Same as the morning routine… I tried… but it’s still on the list.
  32. Exercise 3 times a week – completed: 31/12/13
    So again this year it wasn’t every week, but on average I am pretty sure I achieved this, so I am crossing it off  as done.
  33. See the Myer windows – completed: 30/11/13
    Lovely as always… and a Christmas must.
  34. Wash my car regularly
    Well I washed it… but it wasn’t very regularly
  35. Eat 5 new foods/dishes I haven’t tried before – completed: 25/12/13
    1. Roasted Beetroot
    2. Bubble Cup
    3. Dahl
    4. Salted Caramel
    5. Egg Nog
  36. Finish a puzzle – completed: 20/12/13
    Ok so it was a tiny puzzle I got in a Christmas Bon Bon, but it was still a puzzle.
  37. Make Home Made Jam – completed: 14/7/13
    It exploded all over the microwave, but it tasted pretty good.
  38. Make a gratitude jar and use it – completed: 14/3/13
  39. Do a clean out of my Kikki.K folders
    They are still sitting there, some have been cleaned out, but not all
  40. Make something out of origami – completed: 25/4/13
  41. Exercise everyday before work for a week – completed: 24/10/13
  42. See Dave’s school production – completed: 16/5/13
  43. Hear a big band live – completed: 30/11/13
    Davo playing in the Salvo Big Band with Idea of North
  44. Finish our Wedding guest book
    Um… it’s still not done… next year… next year.
  45. Sort through my Cooking magazines and take the recipes I like for my folder
    I started… but I haven’t finished so I can’t cross it off… but it is started and that is a good step.
  46. Make something I have seen on Pinterest – completed: 14/3/13
  47. Lie on the ground and look at the stars – completed: 7/6/13
  48. Have high tea somewhere – completed: 13/4/13
    A winner birthday surprise from my besties.
  49. Crack 5 eggs in a row without having any shell accidents – completed: 28/4/13
    I have finally nailed it… no more digging out shell.
  50. Try at least one exercise from each of my Women’s Fitness Magazines
    It started and got pretty close, but I didn’t do them all.
  51. Have a spa – completed: 6/7/13
  52. Actually stop pushing the snooze button
    Another year… still a lot of snoozing.
  53. Go to a Trivia night – completed: 15/6/13
    Well it wasn’t quite what I had imagined, but we did play trivial pursuit so I think it counts.
  54. Paint my nails and toenails regularly
    Not this year…
  55. Take a photo everyday – completed: 31/12/13
  56. Clean out my computer properly – completed: 31/3/13
  57. Hear live music – completed: 6/9/12
  58. Have 5 different groups of people over for a meal – completed: 24/11/13
  59. See some fireworks – completed: 8/12/13
    And they were Christmas fireworks which makes it even better
  60. Pack up after myself more often than I don’t
    Sorry Dave… I didn’t do this.
  61. See a Musical – completed: 7/3/13
    I saw a few this year… Jersey Boys and Les Mis were highlights though.
  62. Try at least 1 recipe from each of my Donna Hay subscription magazines – completed: 30/12/13
    There was a lot of cooking in December just to make this happen
  63. Actually go into the Zoo – completed: 20/2/13
  64. Cook a three course meal – completed: 30/12/13
    It helped me cross no. 62 of the list.
  65. Go through my house/lifestyle magazines and cut out or throw out – completed 26/12/13
    All in my dream house kikki.k folder now… or in the bin.
  66. Follow through with Dave’s Christmas present – completed 12/12/13
  67. Visit a country town I haven’t been to before – completed: 12/1/13
  68. Give Dave back his bedside table – completed: 4/2/13
  69. Actually stop picking
    This one is going back on the list for next year because it has to stop.
  70. Stick to a devotional/reading plan the whole way through without missing a day – completed 21/1/13
  71. Be more deliberate with my fruit and veg intake – completed: 31/12/13
    So this wasn’t a very measurable goal… but I am pretty sure I was.
  72. Participate in another table tennis tournament – completed 21/12/13
  73. Tidy up my iTunes library – completed: 31/3/13
  74. Ride my push bike more than once – completed: 14/4/13
  75. Go away for a full weekend – completed: 1/4/13
  76. Get a library card – completed: 20/3/13
  77. Have fish and chips on the beach – completed: 11/3/13
  78. Hear Keith Urban live… again – completed: 2/2/13
  79. Do my chores before Dave does more often than not
    Sorry again Dave…
  80. Go to two different Christmas carols – completed: 8/12/13
    I actually went to probably 5 Christmas carols.
  81. Take Dex to the park – completed: 2/9/13
  82. Have a picnic – completed: 15/12/13
    At a Christmas carols… it was delicious
  83. Eat breakfast outside at least 5 times – completed: 26/9/13
    Mostly while we were camping, so there was no other choice, but it was still lovely… and I should do it more often.
  84. Get the new Star Trek movie on bluray – completed: 3/5/13
  85. Have a milkshake – completed: 5/1/13
  86. Floss once a week
    Sorry Dentists of the world… I am a really bad flosser.
  87. Cook something on the BBQ, by myself – completed: 16/12/13
  88. Eat red meat at least twice a week
    I am really bad at this… I need to lift my game
  89. Use a sewing machine – completed: 22/11/13
    Thanks to Mum on trip down to Mornington
  90. Fly a kite – completed: 6/1/13
  91. Walk along the Inverloch beach to Eagle’s Nest and back – completed: 1/1/13
  92. Pop a cork – completed: 9/11/13
  93. Play a gum leaf – completed: 31/12/13
    I can’t really do it… but I did have a go
  94. Go to 7 open house inspections – completed: 5/10/13
  95. Mow some lawn – completed: 7/4/13
  96. Do some colouring – completed: 3/5/13
  97. Write to our sponsor children – completed: 31/12/13
  98. Try something other than a McChicken or nuggets from McDonalds – completed: 15/4/13
  99. Go to a live sports event – completed: 29/6/13
  100. Drive a bus
    Not this year… maybe next time.

So there you go another year and another list over… 82 out of 100… that’s a high distinction I believe.

3 Things I learnt while smashing a piñata

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One of the most random things on my list this year was number 26. Smash a piñata… this also turned out to be one of the most fun… and an educational experience… in fact I learnt at least 3 things…

1.  Garden stakes aren’t a good choice of whacking stick… in fact it’s actually quite dangerous, they have a pointy end

2.  Smashing a piñata is loud… And it turns out at night it is loud enough to scare the neighbours dogs… oops.

3. Piñatas are hard work… in fact they are quite a work out.  It turns out the cardboard is reinforced with more cardboard and then more cupboard after that…  but once you’re in… it’s worth it!

Thanks Julia for my piñata… it was super fun.

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Like Father, Like Daughter

Posted in Life by

I can not tell how relieved I feel to have woken up this morning and discover that yesterday was not a dream.

IMG_0317This week I have been on edge… waiting all week for yesterday’s half marathon to arrive… nervous and freaking out.  Panicking about whether or not I could do it, whether or not the training that I had done would be enough, feeling uneasy about the fact that I had slacked off in the last month… right when it counted.  Worrying about what would happen… all compounded by a terrible 10km run the weekend before where nothing went right and it hurt from 3km onwards…  but now it is done and I feel really good… well my legs hurt and I am super tired… but I am feeling good about it!

I am not sure where all the anxiety for yesterday came from, but it was really intense.  I didn’t sleep well, I stressed out and I yelled at Dave about being prepared and having everything ready… none of which helped.  I think part of it may have been the fact that I tapered way to early (not on purpose, it just happened that way) and partly because when I look at my list there are lots of things that I think will be hard to accomplish and perhaps won’t be achieved this year… but they are things that take time, long term projects… but the half marathon is a single event that is hard and hurts… and I had only really given myself the one shot at it.  I think I felt pressure… from myself to do it and do it well. Even now as I sit here and reflect on it I am torn between being elated that it is done  and spewing coz I didn’t push myself 2 minutes harder and get my official time under 3hrs where I wanted it.  I knew it was going to be slow and according to my GPS on my phone I did get through the 21.1kms under 3hrs… but not according to my official time… and that hurts.  But I know that yesterday I did my best… I pushed myself the whole way through and next time… if there is a next time… I will do the same, and if I get under 3 then it will feel just as good as finishing now does.  Yesterday’s run was a mixture, I felt good running, my legs felt good  (for the first 16kms), I wasn’t too puffed or desperately counting down my running minutes or savouring my walking minutes, but when the rain started with about an hour to go… I wan’t happy… it was cold, and really really wet… not quite the sunny Sunday morning I had the first time round.  Despite the stress, the pressure and expectations I am really proud of myself, even though I had done one before, I feel like I did this one better… like I was meant to be there this time and that I earned my medal.

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IMG_0361I also loved running another half with Dad.  I know last time I had my brothers, and this time Dave was by my side running with me the whole time (which was probably way to slow for him, but much appreciated by me), I just loved having dad there.  Dad has been running long distances for as long as I have been alive, and even though the last 10 or so years have slowed him down on the running front and strongly encouraged him to choose other sports like cycling, he still loves it.  I remember trying to keep up with him as he took us for a run around the block when I was little and him jumping straight on board with me when I had a crazy idea to do one 4years ago – even though he probably shouldn’t have.  And yesterday having him there again was just special.  It is nice to be able to share it with him, to be proud with him, and to know that we have accomplished something impressive, independently, but together.  Although… he still runs quicker then me… whether I like it or not…

So I am super relieved that no. 9 is off the list… and so are my legs… now I can go back to other exercise fun, rather than just running.  Although I have the fun run bug again and have already been looking into what I might do next.

Davey G

Posted in Life, Love, The List by

One of the things I love about Dave, is his musical talent – in fact it was because of this that we met.  But through no fault of his, (it’s actually all me, and my need to have a go and hang around generally being annoying) I don’t often get to hear him play. And while this is not the way I had planned to cross of ‘hear live music’ off the list, I am really glad that it turned out this way…

On Friday night I attended Dave’s school’s secondary performance dessert – their equivalent of the school concert… The performing arts teachers are also asked to perform, and Dave, coz he is a man of many musical talents, each year plays a different instrument… This year it was a chance for the soprano saxophone to shine… And with a theme of ‘that’s entertainment’ the ultimate combination of Kenny G and George Michael was born… And coz it is just too good not to share… Here it is…

Enjoy a little bit of Davey G…

Dex and I love Spring

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I really love spring, I love that the days are longer but the weather is not too hot, and not too cold. I love that it is still light when I get home from work, even without daylight saving (although I am super excited that daylight savings will start again soon).

I know it’s boring to talk about the weather on a blog… Unless it’s a weather blog… But it’s true I love it… It’s made it a lot easier to get out and do my exercise and I think Dex is enjoying it too…

Here is some pics of Dex and I loving spring… Including some fetch in the park… Crossing no. 81. off the list.

Spring Time Fun

Practicing Gratitude

Posted in Life, Practicing What I Preach, The List by

Gratitude is a pretty crazy thing… It can change a person’s whole outlook on things… on life even… Recently in a book I was reading I came across the concept of practicing gratitude. In the book it was a simple task of wearing a gratitude bracelet which reminded the wearer to be thankful whenever they noticed the band… it could have been for something big or small, it didn’t matter it was just about taking a moment to stop and be thankful.

Sometimes I think I forget this… I forget to stop and smell the roses so to speak, every now and then it hits me and I am seriously thankful for heaps of things, but then in a moment it can all be gone… back to normal, back to woe is me, or my day sucks… Practicing gratitude is something that I have been trying really hard to do this year, with some success, but not that much… I know it is something that I need to keep working on so that gratitude and seeing the good in a situation is my first response not my last… I want it to be my default position… a heart that is open to seeing the best, not the worst, to appreciating, not taking for granted… and not only noticing the massive life changing things, but being thankful for all the tiny things in between. So to try and help me do this I added it to the list… right at number 38… ‘make a gratitude jar and use it’. I used a jar idea that I found on Pinterest which means it also crosses no. 46 off the list as well, but the jar is there for me to add to… big and small… and I think it has been working to a certain extent… sometimes I forget about it and it’s weeks before I add to it, but other times I am madly scribbling things I am thankful for onto strips of paper ready for the jar. These little strips get folded into little origami stars (no. 40) and popped in the jar so that when I am feeling a little down one quick look at the jar makes me feel happy, thanks to the stars, coloured paper and the pretty fabric lid that I got from Mum’s work, but also quickly reminds me there are so many things I can be thankful for. And if I need more convincing I can always unfold a star and read what I wrote.

Gratitude Jar

I am hoping that by the end of the year I will be so good at practicing gratitude that my jar will be full… and that it will be a daily habit, where I am always looking for the good and positive. That soon I will be able to say I practice gratitude regularly… and I am truly grateful, coz lets face it, gratitude and happiness are much better than bitterness and worry.

‘Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart’
Colossians 4:2 (NLT)