Tag Archives: goals

goals for the week of 2/16

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Hi everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was busy with lots of fun things … time with family, friends, church, shopping, reading and writing! On Saturday I had an amazing time in San Francisco participating in the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt. Have any of you done an “urban sleuthing adventure” before? This one is an annual scavenger hunt that happens on the day of the Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco. The hunt takes you all around Chinatown and North Beach looking for clues, competing against the other teams to solve mental puzzles and test your observation skills. It was such a unique, fun way to explore the city and see the parade at the same time! And our team did great, solving 12 out of the 16 clues before we ran out of time. Woo hoo! Afterwards we went to a Mediterranean restaurant for dinner, enjoying excellent food and conversation. Definitely one of my favorite experiences since moving up here in August!

chinese dragon

chinese new year

me and allyn

allyson and henry

Today the long weekend fun continues: we are celebrating my beautiful aunt Mary’s birthday. She is such an amazing person, so full of laughter and love. She tells the best stories, always builds people up with encouragement and support, and inspires so many kids every day as a middle school English & History teacher. I’m so proud to be her niece.

seesters

My Mom, Aunt Annie, and Aunt Mary

Happy birthday Mary!! We love you!

Now, on to goals…

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– finish new short story I’m working on {This goal seems to keep being put on the back-burner. Maybe my story needs to percolate more before I put the words down on paper…}
– go to two yoga classes {I did yoga on my own, but only made it to one class because I took a friend to her doctor’s appointment on Thursday, during the time I normally go to back-to-back yoga classes. I’ll have to make it up this week!}
– complete two chapters of copyediting project
– submit to the I Am: Twenty-Seven project
– send in final fellowship application
– finish reading Power Ballads by Will Boast
– connect with three friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– prepare for new tutoring job
– go to two yoga classes
– finish copyediting project
– begin reading The Empty House by Nathan Oates
– connect with three friends

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What have been your highlights of this weekend?

goals for the week of 2/2

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Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I hope you have fun plans for today. I’m off to church soon, but before I go … it’s goals time! 🙂

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– finish new short story I’m working on
– go to two yoga classes {I made it to three!}
– complete two chapters of copyediting project {It was a great copyediting week… I made it through four chapters!}
– finish reading all of the old Narrative Stories of the Week in my email inbox {read five of these stories + got into two excellent short story collections, Orientation by Daniel Orozco and Power Ballads by Will Boast}
– connect with three friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– finish new short story I’m working on
– go to two yoga classes
– mail Valentines
– complete two chapters of copyediting project
– start final fellowship application, due Feb. 28
– finish reading all of the old Narrative Stories of the Week in my email inbox and Orientation by Daniel Orozco
– connect with three friends

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What have been your highlights of this weekend?

goals for the week of 1/26

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First off…

arianna bday

Today is my dear cousin’s “sweet sixteen” birthday and we are all getting together as a family tonight to celebrate. Last night I got to help chaperone/drive a bunch of her friends as part of her birthday party. It was a blast and I felt happy to be a part of it!

This weekend has been filled with lots of great friends & family time and lots of time spent outdoors taking advantage of the gorgeous sunny weather we’re being blessed with {even though we are all praying for rain … California needs rain very badly!} Yesterday I went hiking and out to lunch with new friends Emy & Sam, and today I checked out a food truck fair with some old friends I hadn’t seen in a while. Have any of you been to a food truck gathering before? It was my first time, and I was impressed by the variety and quality of the offerings! I had gourmet spaghetti & meatballs and a decadent s’mores cupcake. Then stopped by Trader Joe’s on my way home to pick up some nom noms for the week … and now here we are, Sunday afternoon already!

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– go to two yoga classes {I made it to three!}
– complete two chapters of copyediting project
– finish reading all of the old Narrative Stories of the Week in my email inbox {I underestimated how many stories I had in my inbox! Got through quite a few, but still have more to go! These are some great reads.}
– connect with two friends {It was a terrific week for feeling connected with friends, by phone and in person! I’m always happier when I make this a priority in my life.}

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– finish new short story I’m working on
– go to two yoga classes
– complete two chapters of copyediting project
– finish reading all of the old Narrative Stories of the Week in my email inbox
– connect with three friends

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What have been your highlights of this weekend?

MPM-Winter
This post is linked up with Menu-Plan Monday!

goals for the week of 1/19

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Happy Sunday! My weekend has been filled with good things: family time, yoga, meditation, fuji apple chicken salad + acai iced tea at Panera, a phone date with Erica, lots of reading, and a moving sermon at church this morning about social justice. Last night I saw the new movie “Her” with two friends, and on Friday I saw “Saving Mr. Banks” with my aunt. I’d highly recommend both movies!

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– go to two yoga classes
– take Charley in to dealership to be serviced
– complete three chapters of copyediting project {only did two!}
– finish reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander in time for book discussion group at church
– connect with two friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– go to two yoga classes
– complete two chapters of copyediting project
– finish reading all of the old Narrative Stories of the Week in my email inbox
– connect with two friends

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What have been your highlights of this weekend?

a year of Wooden: week 2

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Happy Monday, everyone! Hope your weekend was filled with good things.

a year of wooden

As announced in a post last week, this year I am doing “a year of Wooden” following the teachings of Coach John Wooden, and in particular his 7-Point Creed. I’m beginning the year with the Creed’s first item:

  • January: Drink deeply from good books.

This month, I’m going to focus on reading books by Wooden and about him, a new one each week. This past week I reread my dad’s wonderful new book Wooden & Me: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach & Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece.”

Rereading my dad’s book was the perfect way to start off this new year. Not only is the book a testament to John Wooden and a beautiful portrayal of his friendship with my father, it is in many ways a history of my family: from the early days of my parents’ marriage to the births of me and my brother to many milestones and memories we have shared as a family over the years. John Wooden’s teachings of love, kindness, balance, discipline, integrity, perseverance, and faith have been woven into the tapestry of my life since I was a baby. To be sure, I feel very fortunate for the loving and supportive family I have been blessed with!

For this next week, I’ll be reading Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, written by Coach Wooden with Steve Jamison. Here’s a little about the book:

In honest and telling passages about virtually every aspect of life, Coach shares his personal philosophy on family, achievement, success, and excellence. Raised on a small farm in south-central Indiana, he offers lessons and wisdom learned throughout his career at UCLA, and life as a dedicated husband, father, and teacher.

Looking forward to hearing your comments about it next week!

Question of the day:

  • What are some of your favorite family memories?

goals for the week of 1/12

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It’s that time again…

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– donate purged clothes, books and magazines
– complete first five chapters of copyediting project
– finish rereading The Architect of Flowers by William Lychack
– get together with three friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– go to two yoga classes
– take Charley in to dealership to be serviced
– complete three chapters of copyediting project
– finish reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander in time for book discussion group at church
– connect with two friends

Now I’d love to hear from you!

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What are you up to on this lovely Sunday?

a year of Wooden

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I gained so much from doing my year of kindness challenge this past year, that I decided I wanted to take on a new year-long project in 2014. When I was brainstorming ideas I kept coming back to my blog’s title, Day-by-Day Masterpiece. It was inspired by one of my favorite sayings, “Make each day your masterpiece” from the late great basketball coach John Wooden. The saying is part of Coach Wooden’s 7 Point Creed, which was given to him by his father Joshua Wooden upon his graduation from high school.

My dad gave my brother and me copies of the 7 Point Creed, which we both carry around in our wallets. As I was reading over the creed an idea began to form. The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. The past couple days I have been on the edge of my seat to share this with you!

This year {and perfect timing, in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Coach Wooden’s first NCAA basketball championship title} I present to you …

a year of wooden

This year I am going to focus month-by-month on a different item from Coach Wooden’s 7 Point creed, rounding out the other months with his “two sets of three.” The goal will be to add on a new trait each month while continuing to do the items from the previous months … so that by December 2014, I’ll be doing all the items, bringing everything together to “make each day a masterpiece”! I’m going to start off with the first item on Wooden’s 7 Point Creed:

  • January: Drink deeply from good books.

This month, I’m going to focus on reading books by Wooden and about him, a new one each week. I’m kicking things off this week by rereading my dad’s wonderful new book Wooden & Me: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach & Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece.”

If you’d like to follow along with me, you can pick up a copy of Wooden & Me here or on Amazon — both print and ebooks are available!

Have a masterful week!

goals for the week of 1/5

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It’s the first week of goal-setting in the new year! How are your new years goals and resolutions coming along so far? Here’s a post I did this week on my writing blog with some motivation tips {that are applicable for other goals outside of writing} if you’d like to check it out!

My new year has been off to a bit of a slow start because I came down with a pretty yucky head cold. It’s forced me to slow down, savor time with my family, rest a lot, and now that I’m beginning to feel better it’s made me appreciate my good health more than ever.

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– donate purged clothes, books and magazines {doing this tomorrow!}
– mail thank you notes & happy new year cards
– finish reading Edible Stories and MWF seeking BFF
– phone dates with two friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– donate purged clothes, books and magazines
– complete first five chapters of copyediting project
– finish rereading The Architect of Flowers by William Lychack {a superb writer who I feel lucky enough to call my friend!}
– get together with three friends

Question of the day:

  • What are your goals for this week?

highlights of 2013

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Happy New Year’s Eve! Whether you’re painting the town red or cuddling up with those you love and watching the ball drop on TV {I’ll be doing the latter!} I hope you give 2013 a stellar send-off tonight. Have fun and be safe!

Here are some of my highlights from the past year:

  • Attended the Key West Literary Seminar in Key West, Florida, where I spent a week learning from amazing writers, made some fabulous new friends, and met one of my literary idols — Judy Blume!

key west workshop w:judy

  • Submitted my thesis and graduated from Purdue with my M.F.A. in Fiction Writing! What made it even more special was that my parents, grandparents, and Holly traveled to West Lafayette for my thesis reading.

me and hol thesis reading

my birthday wish

cuz bride!

with writing campers at ceremony

  • I bought my first new car, a Prius C that I named Charley!

charley!

me and gma

red tour bus

  • Reconnected with my friend Dana, one of the sweetest people I know {and her adorable dog Heidi, a.k.a. Mr. Mur-dog’s girlfriend!}

dana and heidi

baby photobomb

jess's show

after the game

DSC00016

family with gramps

This year I also:
– celebrated my 10-year anniversary of climbing Mt. Whitney
– tried zumba for the first time
– began attending church regularly
– de-cluttered & simplified my possessions
– completed my Year of Kindness challenge
– celebrated the release of my dad’s new book Wooden & Me
– met up in person with my blogger friend Sarah @ The Pajama Chef and bumped into Julie @ Peanut Butter Fingers in the middle of San Francisco
– went to a hot-air balloon festival
– read 71 books
– joined Foodie Pen-Pals @ The Lean Green Bean
– got on board the smoothie train
– and tried my hand at some new craft projects and recipes!

What an incredible year it has been. Tomorrow I’ll share my goals and dreams for 2014… but for now, it’s your turn!

Questions of the day:

  • What are your highlights from 2013?
  • What new things did you try this past year?

goals for the week of 12/29

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And just like that … we’re into the final days of 2013. Hard to believe!

This morning at church the sermon was all about letting go of your preconceived notions and the stories you tell yourself about what your life “should” look like or what “should” happen, and to open yourself up to all the incredible possibilities around you. We each went up to the front and released a small square of flash paper into a candle flame to symbolize something we want to let go of in this upcoming year. It was a surprisingly moving and empowering exercise. I actually got tears in my eyes when I watched my little square of paper burst into flame. I want to let go of my desire to control every aspect of my life and to be more open to the joy and excitement of the unknown — to embrace life’s adventures instead of being afraid. 

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– take cookies & cards to the nursing home
– finish reading The Tea Rose
– soak up time with my family and friends!
– journal/reflect on this past year
– set my goals for 2014, wooooohoooo! {post on this coming soon!}

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– donate purged clothes, books and magazines
– mail thank you notes & happy new year cards
– finish reading Edible Stories and MWF seeking BFF
– phone dates with two friends

Question of the day:

  • What are your goals for this week?
  • What is something you want to let go of in this new year?