27 by 27 update

Tomorrow is my birthday.  At 10:42 am central time I will no longer be 26 but 27.  Looking back at the list of 27 things I wanted to accomplish by then tells me just how differently I saw my life being right now.  That's my way of saying I didn't really do shit on my list.

1. Move back to Minnesota

I remember exactly when I decided I was going to move back to Minnesota.  I had flown home for my friend's wedding in September 2014.  I also flew home for my cousin's wedding that same month & had to miss 2 weddings.  I decided I just couldn't take it anymore, I hated where I was & I missed everyone back home.  Right then & there I decided that no matter what I wasn't going to return to my school district.  I planned on moving to Minnesota at any cost.

As I'm sure you're aware that didn't happen.  I did move north...but only 4 hours north putting me in Fort Worth, TX...not anywhere near Minnesota

FAIL

2. Get a teaching job

Like I mentioned above, I hated my job.  I hated my district & wanted to get a new teaching job so that I could say I at least tried more than one district should I decide I still didn't love teaching.

I did get a new teaching job.  In the middle of May I got hired to teach 9th grade social studies as well as coach basketball & softball in a Fort Worth suburb.

PASS

3. Get into the University of Minnesota

I have toyed with changing my major before I even finished mine.  When I had planned on going to the U of M I was planning on getting my Masters in a program that would allow me to work at the college level in offices such as admissions, greek life, cultural studies, etc.

Seeing as how I didn't go back to Minnesota I assume you know that this one didn't happen either.  I am however applying soon to back to school to get my Masters in Communications through Tarleton & will hopefully be starting summer 2016.

FAIL

4. Get a serving job

In the event that I didn't get a teaching job I was going to need some type of job, especially since school was my back up plan to getting a teaching job.

I got a teaching job so no restaurant/bar job necessary.

FAIL

5. Visit a new state

This is always on my list.  I want to see all 50 & am at 29.

I didn't get to a new one.  Right now it doesn't bother me because I'm still at a higher number of states than my age...they're catching up to each other though so a new state is needed soon.

FAIL

6. Monthly girls' night with Becky (Kickass Cousin)

I had good intentions with this one.  Becky is my best friend, girls' nights are fun.  When I moved back to Minnesota it only seemed obvious that this would have to happen monthly.

I was an idiot for putting this on my list.  Even if I had moved back to Minnesota it wouldn't have happened until June 2015 which means there would've still be 7 months where we lived 1300 miles apart...

7. Read 12 books

Every year I attempt the 50 book challenge.  You know how many times I've ever completed that? 0...since 2010.  At least I'm consistent.  I figured that 12 seemed reasonable.  That's only 1 a month after all.

I passed & really that's all that matters.  I read exactly 12.  I honestly thought for a hot minute I'd surpass that number.  I went for a stretch where I was reading about 1 a month but then there was a week this summer where I read 3.  Then I went back to slowin my roll.   I suppose I could still surpass it if I really wanted to.  I'm almost done with a book I've been reading since this summer... but whether I do or don't I still read 12 & that's what counts.

PASS

8. Go to 6 concerts

Music is life.  6 concerts in a year seemed totally reasonable for me.  One concert every other month?  No problem.

Underachiever is what I was when setting that goal.  I had it 6 in under 4 months.

PASS

9. Run 6 races

I hadn't run a race in almost a full year when I made this goal.  I missed running races & doing a 5k every other month seemed like no big deal.

Wrong.  I ran 0.  Yes, 0.  Priorities I guess??

FAIL

10. Pay off 2 credit cards/loans

I'm so in debt it's not even funny.  Which is why I made this goal.  I had a smaller credit card & a loan that was almost gone so it was totally doable.

I'm going black & white on this list which is why this is a fail.  I paid off one of my 2 credit cards but that little loan is still sitting there with just over $600 left on it.  I mean I've been paying on it but clearly didn't pay it off.

FAIL

11. Create a wreath for each season

I blame Pinterest for this one.  Maybe blogging a little bit too.  Everyone always has such cute seasonal decor & I figured 4 wreaths wouldn't be that big of a deal to make to spruce up my door.

Making shit is expensive...and it takes time.  A lot of time.  I made 0.

FAIL

12. Make 12 new recipes

This one also came from Pinterest.  When I lived in my house down in Houston I did meal prep every single Sunday & since I have hundreds of recipes pinned it only made sense to actually use them.

I was making 1-2 different meals a week on average so it took me just under 3 months to make 12 new things.

PASS

13. Send someone a card/letter each month

I love getting snail mail.  Also, my friend Sonja sends this awesome cards for any holiday you could ever think of & it's fun to get those so I wanted to do something similar by sending a card or a letter to at least one person every month.

PASS

14. Do 52 week $$ challenge

As well as wanting to pay off my loans/credit cards ASAP I figured saving money would be a good idea.

Again I'm going to be black & white here & call it a fail.  I made it through week 23.  At one point this summer, up until not all that long ago actually, I had more in savings than I would have had I just done the 52 week challenge.  However, I didn't finish challenge, & I don't have anywhere near the $1388 in my savings I would have had if I had finished it.

FAIL

15. Get motorcycle license

Another thing that has been on my list for years.  I told my parents in elementary/middle school I wanted my first vehicle to be a motorcycle.  They laughed at me & said no.

I actually thought I'd have this one, or at least be on my way because my roommate has hers & when we met back in June we talked about it.  However, we don't talk...like ever...so I haven't gone to do it on my own.

FAIL

16. Paddleboard

I think paddleboarding looks so sweet & really wanted to try it.

The didn't have to be a fail.  Becky & I went to a lake over the summer & had every opportunity to choose paddleboarding...we chose a pedal boat instead.

FAIL

17. Keep 6 word day journal

I'm not good at writing in a journal every day.  I've made that a goal before.  Writing 6 words a day seemed way easier though because it's just 6 words...

I completed 4 months & some days it was like pulling teeth.  6 words is not easy.  It's almost harder.

FAIL

18. Turn Pinterest quotes into book

I was going on a big clean out of all of my Pinterest stuff.  I only wanted to keep stuff that I could actually use.  Why was I pinning stuff I was never going to buy or look at again?  That meant bye bye quote board but I also love quotes & didn't just want them to disappear forever.

I had a Shutterfly code for a free photo book so I took the quotes & turned them into a coffee table book.  When/if I ever have a daughter I want to write in it randomly & then give it to her has a graduation present.  (Some of the quotes are too gender specific to give it to a son...because well I'm a girl & pin girl shit)

PASS

19. Visit 1 new MLB ballpark

I eventually want to see as many MLB ballparks as possible & one in a year seemed doable.

Wrong.  Could've driven to Milwaukee, Chicago, Kansas City...all within under 8 hours.  I moved to DFW & could've easily gone to a Rangers game.  I went to 0 baseball games.  In fact I haven't even been to a MLB game since 2012.

FAIL

20. Attend a MLB, NHL, & NFL game

My last MLB game was in 2012, my last NFL & NHL games were before that...I wanted to change that.

Again...black & white with this list so fail.  I didn't go to a MLB game as you know because of my #19 fail.  I did manage to go to a NFL game at Cowboy Stadium & a NHL game at American Airlines Center.  So I did get 2 out of 3 but I didn't hit the trifecta.  If only I had made #19 visit a new stadium instead of being so specific...

FAIL

21. Attend MN State Fair

I hadn't been to the MN State Fair since 2011 & it used to be one of my favorite things so because I was planning on moving back to MN that had to be rectified.

Well I didn't move back.  The fair is the two weeks leading up to Labor Day...when I'm already back in Texas so it's impossible for me to go.  I did go to the Texas State Fair but that wasn't my goal & it's definitely not the same.

FAIL

22. Attend a food festival

I had been to a beer festival before & had seen multiple bloggers post fun pictures from different food festivals from all over the country.  It was something that I wanted to do too!

But I didn't.  I still want to someday...

FAIL

23. Photograph Minneapolis-St. Paul

This has been a goal of mine so many times.  Even though I grew up 1.5 hours away MSP will always be my home metro area & therefore my favorite.

The problem is...I don't exactly know what I mean by this or how I want to execute it.  I mean I have an idea of what I want these photos to look like but I don't know exactly what in MSP I want pictures of, if I want to do this alone or when I'm out with others, or how I want it to work logistically...

FAIL

24. Set up online dating if single by 27

When I made this as a goal what I meant was if by tomorrow I was still single I'd start paying for online dating.  So not quite sure how I expected to pass or fail that one but whatever.

I passed anyway.  Back at the end of August when I moved over to Fort Worth from Dallas I started using Tinder again which isn't exactly paying but it is using a dating site.  Then, at the beginning of this month I got a free month on Match.com which is what I had in mind by paid site.  I've been on dates with 7 different guys since moving down here because of this.

PASS

25. Skydive

Heights scare the shit out of me.  It's something I really want to do though!  Everyone always says how happy they are that they did it.

But I still haven't.  I also still need to go ziplining.

FAIL

26. Learn to play guitar

I got my first guitar at the age of 15 when my friend & I thought we were going to start a rock band.  I thought I could teach myself to play it.  I couldn't.  Then I moved down to Texas & at 24 bought myself an acoustic guitar.

I still haven't learned to play that guitar.  Actually I just brought that one to Goodwill because I won a way nicer one this summer...which I also haven't learned how to play.  These are the things I need to sit down & make time for.

FAIL

27. Go fishing 3 times

I used to love fishing & being out on the lake.  I hadn't gone in years & years.

I still haven't gone.

FAIL

7/27 completed...that's a 26% y'all...pitiful!

1 day until my 27th birthday!!