Today marks the end of the fourth quarter of 2018. Today also marks my 38th post for this year, and I completed #5 (blog at least once per month) on my 18 for 2018 list. I was a blogging fiend this year, and I’m delighted with my progress and consistency which I plan on continuing throughout 2019.
Of the 12 remaining items on my 18 for 2018 list, I completed eight of them this quarter:
#1 Order two birth certificates for myself (contact vital records in California).
#3 Create a Google Photo account.
#5 Blog at least once per month (of course, more would be better).
#10 Try a voice (singing) lesson.
#13 Make an appointment with my eye doctor.
#15 Complete a 5K.
#16 Read Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by Chris Guillebeau.
#18 Plan my 50th birthday celebration.
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Of my 18 items on my 18 for 2018 list, I did not complete four of them, and here are my thoughts on why I think they were not completed.
#4 Lose 18 pounds.
Losing weight this year was clearly not a priority for me. I could blame it on lack of time, but that would be an excuse. At some point, I gained back the three pounds that I lost which puts me weighing in at 158 pounds again. I will revisit this item in 2019.
#6 Plan a trip to New York City with Andrew for 2019.
Since putting this item on my list at the beginning of the year, circumstances arose during the year that put this item temporarily on the back burner. First, Andrew has the opportunity to go on another trip abroad with STA in 2019. He will be traveling to Germany, Prague, and the Swiss Alps during spring break which is when we were supposed to travel to New York. Second, my hubby has shown interest in going with us; however, his vacation time is limited, and he has already allotted two of his weeks of vacation for 2019 for other events. Finally, my Uncle Charles passed away in July, and I want to make a trip to Utah to spend some time with my Aunt Carolyn. Also, I’m not too sure how the summer will play out with Andrew starting college in August. I will revisit this item, but it will not be in 2019 unless our circumstances change again.
#11 Update my LinkedIn account.
I’m not too sure why I could not complete this item. Lack of motivation, maybe? I met with Michelle in April to get a few tips on updating my account, but I did not really do much with it after our meeting. I’m not really active on this social networking site. This may change in the future, but I do not plan on revisiting this item in 2019.
#12 Organize my master bedroom closet.
My master bedroom closet is a thorn in my side. Honestly, my house and all its stuff is a whole tree with several branches full of thorns in my side. In order for me to organize my closet, I really need to organize the rest of my house (maniacal laugh). At the Loyacano homestead, we have too much stuff. I must purge my house of stuff. I will definitely revisit this item in 2019.
2018 was a terrific year for my family and me. We experienced awesome events throughout the year from attending concerts, traveling, interacting with a sloth, to working concessions at LSU football games. I read many terrific books, watched a bunch of super movies and television shows, took an ADR/Looping Workshop, and met one of my favorite authors. I was fortunate to spend quality time with family and friends, cheer Andrew and his swim team on at the State Meet in Sulphur, and celebrate 30 years with my hubby. And, those are just some of the highlights of a year well-spent. I am grateful for our year of blessings of which we had many. Dear reader, I hope before 2018 ends, you will have a moment to reflect on your year of blessings. Happiness!
“As we look to the new year, hold on to what is good. Let go of what is bad. It really is that simple.” ~ Mandy Hale
Today marks the end of the third quarter of 2018. We have completed three fourths of the year. The new year is just around the corner. Today is also the 8th anniversary of Comet, otherwise known as Tooty, becoming a member of the Loyacano family. Eight years ago today, Andrew and I rescued Comet as he was dodging traffic on Happywoods Road. We were on our way to school. Personally, I was not planning on keeping him. However, my hubby and Andrew had other ideas. No chip, no collar, no owner to be found. Needless to say, we kept him, and I am happy we made that decision. He brings us so much joy.
Tomorrow begins a new month. I have 12 items to complete on my 18 for 2018 list. I am confident that I will be successful in the remaining last three months of the year. I hope, dear reader, that you are succeeding with whatever goals you have set for this year. Enjoy the remnants of your weekend. Happiness!
Subsequently, I dragged my booty out of bed the next morning, took a selfie of myself making the commitment, and walked for an hour. After walking, I documented my starting weight at 158 pounds. I dug in a kitchen cabinet and pulled out my “pounds to go” and “pounds lost” containers. Diligently, I counted out 18 marbles, dropped them all in the “pounds to go” container, and sat both containers on my kitchen counter. This means that by 31 December 2018, I will need to weigh at least 140 pounds. There is no more “I don’t have time” because taking care of my health is important, and it is time for me to make my health a priority.
This past Thursday, Andrew and I went shopping for school uniforms for the last time. It was the first of the “lasts” that we will experience in the upcoming school year. Soon, he’ll be taking senior pictures and applying for college. While senior year is an exciting time, it will be bittersweet (for me). Andrew is the baby, so my hubby and I will be empty nesters. Thankfully, Andrew will not be going too far away for college. He has decided to attend Southeastern in Hammond to earn his undergraduate degree in Biology. While he could easily live at home, he wants the “college experience” of living on campus. After talking to parents of college-age children and to college students who live away from home, I can see the benefits for him.
I had rough drafts, lesson plans, and graduation tasks to complete. I admit, I was disappointed because of everything that I wanted to do during the break, this was on the top of my list to accomplish. This would have been possible had I been able to take care of the school stuff the week before break. Unfortunately, the week before my break was pretty hectic. You win some, and you lose some. The silver lining is that I now plan to scrapbook Andrew’s trip to Ireland, Wales, and London. Furthermore, I will start organizing the materials next weekend.
Yesterday morning, my hubby and I brought Andrew to the airport, so he could embark on his journey to Ireland, Wales, and London. I will not see my baby again until April 7th. It will be an unusual week being home alone with just my fur babies. I guess it will give me a taste of what it will be like when Andrew goes off to college.
I realize that I am probably one of the last humans on the planet that waited so long to watch Stranger Things. In my defense, I do not have much time to watch television, and there are few shows that I watch alone in real time or with Andrew. He is just as busy during the school year as I am, so coordinating our schedules to watch a couple of hours of television together can be difficult. However, we manage to squeeze in some time here and there for our favorite shows. Andrew and I had finished watching Parks and Recreation during Mardi Gras break, so we decided to start watching Stranger Things. Many of my friends, family, acquaintances, and even some of my students encouraged me to watch it since they thought it would be a show that I would really enjoy. Boy, were they right. Stranger Things is SUPER awesome! I’m obsessed with it. I absolutely LOVE that it takes place in the 1980s. The show is basically about a group of geeky kids who meet an unusual girl with special abilities around the same time that one of their friends vanishes into a mysterious place that is home to a disturbing creature. It is like the X-Files meets the Goonies. The seasons are not very long, so we blew through both of them within a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the next season does not come out until 2019. Alas, Andrew and I will just have to watch Beyond Stranger Things which delves into the secrets of the Stranger Things universe, specifically Season 2 and re-watch the two seasons prior to Season 3 premiering next year.![MC900432635[1]](https://katloyacano.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/mc9004326351.png?w=500)
Three weeks ago I assigned myself some action steps for improving my health that I wanted to complete by today. Unfortunately, I did not complete them all. I have been working quite a bit at school and helping Andrew get ready for his upcoming trip to Ireland. Instead of admonishing myself, I am praising myself for the steps that I did accomplish (week 1). After all, I do have until the end of the year to complete this goal.
The Kat Files 