34 by 35

Here is my 34 by 35 list of goals.
Deadline: Jan. 15, 2013 (not even a whole year!)

Wedding:
1. Wedding favors, embroidery design, and labels.
2. Handmade bridesmaid gifts.
3. Creative aspect for the ceremony that is true to me. Perhaps a poem?
4. Be super organized and thus more ability to relax as people start to arrive to town: create a calendar and stay on schedule.
5. Help with handmade invites and create a way to display photos.
6. Enjoy every second of our wedding day.

Garden:
7. Build an herb spiral.
8. Build a pond.
9. Landscape around redbud and apple tree.
10. Strawberry (and borage?) patch
11. Prep garden for spring 2013 planting
12. Try vermicomposting (again).

Chickens/Ducks:
13. Slaughter 1 chicken myself.
14. Get baby chickens.
15. Help build new coop in side yard.
16. Get ducks.

Bees:
17. Go to beekeepers meetings
18. Learn more about TPH management
19. Get a colony for new Langstroth hive

Travel:
20. Get a new passport
21. Save money for Fiji
22. Go backpacking this summer

Physical health:
23. Run a 10k
24. Get bike fixed
25. Bike to yoga 1x per week-2x per month
26. Run/bike/hike 12-25 miles per week

Tend:
27. Renew teaching cert.
28. Clean kitchen top-to-toe
29. Paint trim inside house
30. Make bedroom and closet curtains
31. Sand, stain, paint, and make front porch look pretty.

Learn/create:
32. Learn to knit and finish at least one project
33. Read 10 books, including one on film.
34. Continue to develop identity and readership for blog


There they be. Next, look at the big list and see what you can make room for this week. Keep this list somewhere near you, where it will be visible, rather than letting it disappear like a list of resolutions that never materialize. Hang it on your fridge or place it in the journal where you write your to-do lists. As often as possible, try to connect your to-do list to these goals.

This week is a busy one:
1. Get ready for baby shower that I'm hosting on Saturday: grocery shop, organize activities, clean house, make quiche, finish gift.
2. Fill out reimbursement materials and fax to district
3. Finish taxes
4. Send transcript to TSPC to renew teaching cert. (goal 27)
5. Run 15 miles
6. Create a wedding schedule.

Artemis: the hunt for the perfect caterer

I am so excited! In an hour, I will be sitting down with B. to do our tasting with our wedding caterer!

Oh, how I love to be fed delicious, locally sourced, thoughtfully prepared food. And today, I feel like a bottomless pit. I am insatiable!

Our caterer is Artemis Food, and Grace, the owner and executive chef, has been, from the beginning, extremely excited about our wedding's location and concept. Her enthusiasm and passion for local and sustainable food have really been a turn on for us, and it's great to know that we'll be able to boast an authentic Pacific NW themed dinner that has been shaped by the season. Will be have platters of amazing heirloom tomatoes? Will the peaches be in season for a grilled peach appetizer?

I'm salivating just thinking about it.

never say never when it comes to "i do"

Okay, so I am learning that there are some things that I have to eat my words on, and that number one thing right now is:

I will never spend more than $500 on a wedding dress.

Yeah, well...I am totally in love with a dress that's, ahem, a bit more than that. Two dresses, actually.

And so, I am trimming the fat elsewhere. And one way to do that is to buy flowers and make our own bouquets, which brings me to...

A Beautiful Mess: what a darling blog. Crafty and whimsical and funky and cute. And filled with DIY wedding inspiration. She has a post that I might use on how to make my own bouquet, since I want to cut costs.

As I visualize my wedding, I picture sunflowers and lavender rather than roses and lilies, pulled pork sandwiches and beer rather than caviar and champagne, checkered table cloths on picnic tables rather than silk table cloths and table settings. I picture flying a kite, strolling on the beach, dancing barefoot in the grass, and walking down the aisle to the sound of the waves on the surf.

8 by 2012!

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all. Today, Brian and I are hosting our first Thanksgiving in our new home; some of our favorite friends are joining us and we're having a pot-luck style feast. We're roasting an obscenely large turkey, slow cooking three home-culled chickens (yesterday's big project), making stuffing, and baking some pies. Friends are bringing the rest.

Here's the 12 by 2012 update:

1. Blog: update and rethink blog with steps taken/initiated toward new design for the new year.

In progress now that I've posted about our engagement!

2. Academics: Complete my grad. level PSU class with an A and a possible publication.

Progress continues here. Final draft due in one week, so this week I will focus on this goal.

3. Painting: Finish painting the bedroom sky blue, the guest bedroom hazel green, the hallway a turquoise/teal and the downstairs a creamy latte/chocolate brown.

In progress: finished the second coat of hazel green in the guest bedroom and finished the blue in the bedroom.

4. Donate old clothes and books.

Done!

5. Host a friend's Thanksgiving: Invite people over for a Thanksgiving potluck the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.

Done-ish! Or this will be done all too soon.

6. Host some thank-you dinners for friends who have been super helpful in the past month of stress and madness.

7. Unpack. I still have lots of projects and decorating to do, but I feel safe to say that this is done!

8. Buy a washer and dryer.

Done! 

9. Buy a new phone and get set up on family plan and teacher discount.

10. Take real steps toward the next big project (to be clarified later). 

We have three houses rented, the wedding spot rented, and I've started to look at dresses. That's some progress, but I'd like to find a caterer and photographer by Jan. 1.

11. Start taking photographs and publishing them again.

12. Go to yoga at least 7 times.

In progress: Went four times!

Engaged!

So, I've been hinting at some big changes going on in my life since about late July, and the first one is the fact that we're engaged! Brian asked me on the coast, at sunset, in late July. We were sitting on a bench, surrounded by trees, home to deer and elk, with an amazing view of the waters and the colors of the sunset. I've been meaning to post, but I wanted to use an engagement pictures and other big life changes got in the way (more on that soon!). So here is the big news, at long last!

Thanks to Amy for taking this incredible photo of us under the St. John's bridge. The lighting is so romantic and perfect, and as in life, he is supporting me and making me feel as though I could fly.

I have a graphic design student at my high school designing our save-the-date cards. I can't wait to see what she comes up with, using other amazing photos by Amy.