Goals: Dreams with Deadlines: June 2013

The End of the Goals Challenge!

Today is June 5, 2013. 1001 days since I started this goals challenge. I have accomplished so much, expanded my family, started a business (Jennifer Shea Photography) if you haven't checked it out!) and most importantly, grown closer to the Lord.

This challenge was just that, challenging. Trying to get everything done was crazy. Some of the simplest goals I could not complete. The ones I failed on were:

3. Volunteer 4 times per year (1/11)
6. Read 50 books (27/50)
15. Play golf at least 1 time every 6 months (0/5)
24. Take Ryan Camping
26. Take Ryan to a baseball game
27. Grow garlic (1/2 Done) (Failed - tornado ruined the crop)
32. Attend 2 Wine and Design classes (1/2)
54. Go to bed at 9pm every night for a week
55. Take a bubble bath once a week for a month. (1/4)
83. Make a sculpture
89. Stick with my Day/Night devotional for a year 100. Hang dry all laundry for 2 weeks

Some of these I'm really disappointed that I could not complete. Namely volunteering, making time for myself to take bubble baths, and especially sticking with my devotional - every day.

Some of these goals are going to be fulfilled this summer after the fact. We are going camping and to a baseball game soon.

I want to challenge each person that reads my blog to set up your own goals list, even if it is only 10 or so goals. Try some things you would not do normally or you've been wanting to do but haven't taken that leap of faith to do. I did 101 Goals in 1001 days. That gives you time to actually complete every goal (even though I didn't finish some).

A special thanks to Jimmy for funding a lot of these goals. :)

I might start another blog for just family things and totally not goals related. I might just change this one up. Either way, my followers will be kept in the loop!

I had a blast doing this and even though some people asked "Why are you doing this?" because they thought I was crazy...try it. Accomplishment is a wonderful feeling.

My final goal:

101. Donate $5 to a charity for every goal not met or failed

Going to the Red Cross for the tornado victims in Oklahoma.

Goal #93: Try Indian food

Last night I went to dinner at Taste of Himalayas with a few girlfriends. This was my first time trying Indian food.

We had vegetable samosas as an appetizer (not shown)

These sauces were wonderful! I especially liked whatever the green one was.

reshmi kabab (this was my favorite!)

chicken makhani and paneer makhani (paneer is a homemade cottage cheese but it's nothing like the American cottage cheese we eat)

Garlic and basil naan

Each dish was wonderful but I can't see myself eating this more than a few times a year. The food is very different but tasty!

Goal #7: Create a will

This was probably the most depressing goal to complete. Having to think about my death and where my assets and children will go after I'm gone. There's no question about where they will go but putting it on paper for someone to read in the future was kind of hard. I still need to get it signed but it's made and printed out.

I wanted to make the process easy. I'm sure making things complicated after one is gone with dividing up assets, etc. makes it really hard on the executor of the will. I'm executor on three people's wills. I hope they are simple and straightforward.

I think the most important part was the burial requests portion. Not to be any more morbid than needed but I requested to be cremated following an open casket funeral (if my CHILDREN wanted it open casket.) I don't think Jimmy would care either way but I want my kids to make that decision. They can decide what they are comfortable with. (I'm getting emotional typing this) so....The End.

Goal #56: Go on an alphabet walk. Find something that begins with each letter of the alphabet,take a photo, and put together a book.

I finally completed the photos for the alphabet book. This was harder than I thought it would be. I thought, oh, I'll just take the photos all in one day. Nope! Didn't happen like that. At all!! It's hard finding things that start with each letter of the alphabet. I did things the kids would recognize. And yes, I did take all of these photos! Except X, but I created that in Photoshop..

A-Ant