2016 year in review and 2017 goals

Here are the 36 goals I set for myself last year. Let’s take a look back to see what I accomplished. (Photo: Louisville, KY)

1. Take the GRE and apply to grad school for the fall 2017 semester– Took the test, sending in applications mid-January.
2. Travel abroad at least once– I wish. We took a lot of road trips though. See below.
3. Visit the Grand Canyon — Done. Sis got married so I cheated a bit on this.
4. Learn Spanish– Nope
5. Cook more– A little bit
6. Spend less money on inexpensive meals (see #5)– See above
7. Get tattooed– Got my first Pauly Lingerfelt (and my first black & white) on the back of my left arm
8. Edit my wardrobe so it’s more cohesive– I did a big purge of my clothes after each season.
9. Take a sewing class– Definitely did not do this.
10. Take more photography classes– Tried to, class got cancelled because of low enrollment.
11. Launch a zine– Done and done! Put out four issues, created a supplementary zine, and went to two zine fests, a bookfair, cobbled together an online shop and picked up some retailers too.
12. Spend more time with my friends– Done
13. Spend more time with my grandparents– Yup
14. Maintain a weekly cleaning schedule– Ha
15. Lose 20 pounds aka fit back into the Billy Reid jeans I bought when I was at my thinnest (and most confident self) six years ago.– I gained weight thanks to transitioning from being a student (walking all over campus) and waiting tables for a desk job. I did join a gym a few months ago though.
16. Start saving money to put towards a new car– Bought a Vespa instead for when one of our circa late ’90s cars crap out. We paid cash for the scooter and the insurance is a lot less than a car. It was a fun, (kind of) practical purchase.
17. Put a serious dent in my student loans– I’ve knocked out over three grand in student loans so far.
18. Read and watch everything on my “to read/to watch” list– The list is ever growing, but it was nice to have more leisure time (after being in school for three years) to catch up on reading.
19. Spend less time on social media– This is a constant struggle. I’ve been taking social media breaks here and there and sporadically delete and reinstall apps on my phone. I feel better when I’m not glued to Twitter, especially after the election.
20. Blog once a week– Not even close, didn’t even try.
21. Audition for the volunteer orchestra– Didn’t happen, but I played piccolo with Gris Gris Strut for a second year, so that kind of counts.
22. Reestablish weekly date nights with my husband– I worked seven days a week for half the year, so this was a tough one. I quit my part-time waitress job in May and now just have a full-time writing position. Getting weekends back felt downright luxurious.
23. Visit four new museums– Maybe. I haven’t been keeping track.
24. Cook for Christmas this year– Lulz wtf was I thinking NO.
25. Paint the bedroom and downstairs bathroom– Downstairs bathroom in progress, bedroom planned for next year. We painted our front porch bright purple, refinished the bedroom floor on our tenant’s side, painted the living room and master bedroom and put a new upstairs bathroom floor on our side. I’d say we did a pretty good job on small home renovations.
26. Take more day trips– Heck yea. Went to Lafayette and Bay Saint Louis a lot.
27. Go to the beach– Yup. We went to Galveston, TX for Thomas’ birthday and I took a fantastic road trip to Sarasota, FL with a friend.
28. See more movies in a movie theater– I saw about as many as I normally do, which isn’t much.
29. Watch more plays– Same.
30. Write everyday– Definitely wrote everyday thanks to my job. Also attended a weekend writer’s retreat in the summer. I’m still working on wiggling in more creative writing in.
31. Go out dancing more– Negative, although I did make it out to Fred’s Lounge. That counts, right?
32. Buy another camera lens– Hello, wide angle.
33. Plan my 100 mile hike for late 2016/early 2017– No, but Scotland is on the list for late 2017.
34. Bike to work (almost) everyday– Quite the opposite. My week is split between working in Metairie and from home, so no biking for me. I did, however, bike to work most days when I worked at the restaurant.
35. Love myself more– Ongoing
36. Remember to floss– Ask my dentist about that one.

Let’s set some 2017 goals, shall we? I’m going with 37 this time since I’ll be 37 next year. Again, if I accomplish even half of these I will feel satisfied. (photo: Beignet at a cabin in St. Francisville)

1. Travel abroad at least once (Scotland hiking trip)
2. Take a sewing class
3. Take more photography classes
4. Put out four more issues of Catahoula (issue five is already at the printer)
5. Participate in two or three zine fests
6. Seek out more retailers for Catahoula
7. Spend more time with my grandparents
8. Go to the gym three times a week
9. Read a book a week
10. Polish up some short stories I wrote and submit them to literary magazines
11. Complete a photography project
12. Eat at restaurant/take out meal only twice a week
13. Cook more and eat less processed crap
14. Use our juicer and food dehydrater more
15. Organize kitchen cabinets and outdoor closet
16. Finish painting downstairs bathroom
17. Visit grandparents once a month
18. Find new day trips from New Orleans
19. Take one long road trip
20. Volunteer somewhere
21. Take the dogs to the dog park once a week
22. Actually brush Izzy’s teeth (vet’s orders)
23. Go on at least two kayak trips
24. Take Cajun dance lessons (last time I did this  I was in grade school)
25. Only check social media twice a day
26. Don’t fall asleep reading stuff on my phone
27. Make at least one piece of clothing (that isn’t a costume)
28. Practice flute once a week
29. Create a weekly cleaning check list and stick to it
30. Make a sleep schedule and stick to it
31. Go camping with the dogs
32. Go to more art gallery openings
33. Reorganize my computer files
34. Reorganize the linen closet (this is a monumental task) and the spaces above the bedroom closets
35. Repaint and redecorate the bedroom
36. Order photography prints for the stairway and actually frame them (we have two already, want two or three more)
37. Go to City Park more often