It’s that time of year again when I revisit my list of goals that I’ve been working on since my last birthday. I’ve been meaning to post this blog for a couple weeks now, so without further ado, those 24 things:
1. Run 10 miles
I did it! I ran it in Austin by Town Lake with Amber and it was miserable. Once I finished, I felt accomplished but also decided I didn’t really want to do long distance running.

2. Memorize the book of Philippians
I failed to do this. Memorizing scripture one book at a time is apparently not my sweet spot. I will say that this year I have become much more intentional with reading scripture regularly, which is something I slipped away from the year before.
3. Go camping
I went in Texas and Colorado. Both great trips with great friends.

4. Cook a meal of at least 3 courses and serve it to a group/another person
I honestly forgot about this for most of the year. Looking back, I don’t think I ever did cook a three course meal (other than cooking I did for group events, which wasn’t the point). I guess I’ll have to put this on my goal list for the upcoming year because I really truly do suck at cooking actual meals and I need to do something about that.
5. Take the GRE
I took it in the spring last year. Turns out, I didn’t need it for the schools I ended up considering for grad school, but I’m proud of myself for going through with this goal.
6. Do a yoga handstand
I managed to learn a yoga headstand but could never master the handstand. I felt like I needed someone to properly teach me and spot me for the handstand. The headstand was fun to learn though.

7. Run in a race – probably a 5k, 10k, or 12k
LOL. I ran a marathon. Year 24 was one of my biggest years in running, considering how much I ran, what I learned about life through running, and who I met because of it.

8. Go to an outdoor concert
Never made it to an outdoor concert but, I went to more concerts in Year 24 than any other year (three total).

Josh Garrels in ATX

Bethel in San Antonio
9. Improve piano playing enough to play in public
I have played piano in public (at church), but I still wouldn’t say I am most confident on piano versus guitar.
10. Apply to grad school – contingent on how things play out, but if I don’t apply this year I at least want to have picked a program and have a timeline for application
After I took the GRE, it seemed like God was changing the timeline for things I was considering about graduate school. I got a couple job opportunities that I decided to pursue and consequently, graduate school got put on the back burner for several months. But in the fall, it started coming back up again in my prayer time. Long story short: after over a year of researching and praying, I decided to apply in December. To one school. I got accepted in January.
11. Run a seven-minute mile
Couldn’t ever get down to a seven-minute, only about a 7:30. But I also didn’t really try to do this as much as I could have. When I was training for the marathon I kept saying that I’d wait until after the race to try a 7-minute mile (I wanted to avoid injury and burnout). But then after the marathon I gave up running for about two months. So, I never quite got to this goal.

Another pic from my marathon; somewhere around mile 23-24
12. Write 2-3 songs – I took a year-long hiatus from song writing after the WR. This happened for a few reasons, but I think it’s time to get after it again.
I wrote two complete songs. One I wrote with the worship team at Hope Arise during the Christmas season. Another, I wrote on my own as a way of singing through some grief.
13. Invest in a new wardrobe
I’ve done this pretty well both through bargain shopping and dominating the Thrift Game.

found that dress at a thrift store #holla
14. Take a one-month social media break – I do use social media for work very regularly, but other than that, I’d like to be completely off the grid.
I could never manage a complete month away from social media. But several times I was able to stay away for a couple weeks at a time (usually when I was traveling).
15. Pull an all-nighter; watch the sunrise
I never had a reason to really pull an all-nighter, but I did see more sunrises this year than I’ve seen in a long while. This was in part because of my schedule, and also because of my intentionality in waking up early enough to appreciate the dawn.
16. Establish a fully-funded Emergency Fund – three to six months of living expenses
I did this! I had about 3.5 months of living expenses saved away when I suddenly needed to purchase a new vehicle. Without that Emergency Fund, I would have had to take out car payments and/or could not have afforded to purchase a decent car. Though I had to start over with my Emergency Fund and that left me a bit vulnerable for a few months, I was so proud and relieved to have this tool in my pocket. Thank you, Jesus! (and Dave Ramsey)
17. Take a really stunning photo – i.e. more photography in general!
I took a few decent pics, both with my iPhone and my DSLR camera.
18. Frame my favorite photos – I have so many awesome pictures from my travels, and I always said I would frame my favorites when I moved into a house/apartment. I just need to do it, even if I don’t move this year.
I did start framing pictures more, though most of them are not from my travels rather just pictures from this current season. I love having them spread out over my room though.
19. Go to a Longhorn football game – never been as an alumna!
Did it, loved it, hook ’em forever


20. Make intentional phone calls to long distance friends – I have so many really, really good friends and unfortunately, a lot of them live far away. I want to make sure I keep them in my life by calling and writing regularly, so I’ll probably set aside one day a week to make sure I do this.
Did it, loved it, still doing it
21. Go to the movies by myself – The last time I did this was three years ago when HP8 came out and I was working in Houston for the summer. I enjoy doing things alone, so I want to do this again.
I was going to do this in January, but I didn’t get around to it. Maybe some time this spring…
22. Reduce soda consumption to 1-2 per week – I know I should cut soda out entirely, but this is a realistic baby step in that direction. Hopefully by 2016 I can finally stop drinking soda altogether!
I kept trying to do this all year, but couldn’t manage to actually be consistent with it. So, I decided to give up soda for Lent. As I write this, Lent has been over for one day and I still haven’t had soda! My hope is that I can wane off of it completely.

Though I’ve given up soda, I’m still very much a coffee drinker. This place is one of my favorites in San Antonio.
23. Get rid of road rage – ya, I have road rage… I think it developed when I lived overseas (driving is so much more aggressive in many countries). I figured it would subside after I lived in the States longer, but oops… it didn’t. Time to re-learn some patience in driving.
I can honestly say that I have worked at becoming a more patient driver.
24. Open a Roth IRA – I have several other financial goals like this, but I probably can’t realistically achieve them unless my finances change (read: unless I get a raise). But if my finances do change somehow, one of my goals is to get started on things like opening an IRA and finishing off my student loan payments.
I haven’t been able to do this, but as I mentioned earlier, I have had other financial breakthroughs this year due to the things I learned in my FPU class. I’m not yet at the point where I can open up an IRA though.
My twenty-fourth year was a good one. It was super full of all the emotions. I grew up significantly. I traveled. I settled into my home a bit more. I made a lot of new friends. I got in the best shape of my life. I accomplished some significant things, and I failed as well. In many ways, I felt my age – a feeling that is super poignant and quite inexplicable, yet also undeniable. In general, I would say that 24 was a very good year for me.