29 by 29 Recap

On my 28th birthday, I came up with a list of 29 goals to accomplish before I turn 29.  I turn 29 tomorrow and I've finished nearly all of them.  A few just fell by the wayside and some are still on my to-do list.  Here's a recap.

Cooking
1. Master 10 Indian Dishes  DONE!  And now I have a well-stocked Indian pantry.

2. Master 10 Mexican Dishes DONE! It was easy considering you can find just about any Mexican ingredient in San Antonio.

3. Master 10 Asian Dishes DONE! And oh so delicious.

4. Monthly Baking Challenge Very Nearly Done! I'm saving number 12 to make my self a RIDICULOUSLY awesome chocolate cake for my birthday.  Stay Tuned.

5. Pick my own Berries, Apples and Pumpkins - I didn't end up doing this for one very important reason.  It is HOT here in south Texas.  I have these lovely memories of picking apples on crisp Autumn weather in Kansas.  Unfortunately, crisp weather shows up here in late December and I melt in the heat like a jolly rancher.

6. Take a Charcuterie Class - You snooze, you lose.  My local charcuterie closed down!

Creating
7. Sew 1 Item of Clothing/Month - Disappointingly, this one didn't go so well.  I've bought many patterns (on sale) and enough fabric for quite a few pieces.  I have spent quite a bit of time taking in clothes I already own, but next year I'm determined to make more from scratch.

8. Make a Quilt - I made this one for Clara and she LOVES it!!!  I'd like to do a pieced quilt, but they are a lot more exacting.  Good to work on my patience, I guess.


9. Make Seasonal Decorations - I've got Springtime, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's, and Easter covered!


10. Blog 50 times - Knocked that out forever ago!

11. Learn to Knit Continental - I did, but I can't prove it because the recipient hasn't gotten her gift yet.  You'll have to take my word for it.


12. Knit 3 Things for Myself - Yep!  Trudging through my yarn stash.  I did learn the other day that I don't have a SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy), so my yarn hording isn't too bad.

13. Decorate the House - Ugh.  I'm sort of embarrassed that I still haven't finished decorating the house after more than a year living here.  It is still on my to-do list, though.  I did make this really awesome trundle bed with my mom!


14. Take One Photo a Day - All 366 days this year!

Work
15. Create 3, 5, 10 year plans - I did, but once they were finished, I realized how personal they are and felt weird about sharing them.  If you are looking to take inventory of where you are career/budget/life-wise,  I found Jenny Blake's templates really helpful.

16. Improve My Web Presence - I've cleaned up my google hits (luckily they all point to me), updated my CV everywhere it appears, created a Google Scholar citations page, and bought (and parked) ellenquillen.com.


17. Actively Maintain Networks - I've done some of this, but not enough.  I get so busy with the work, I forget about the awesome PEOPLE in my life!


18. Publish 3 papers - Done, with a fourth in press!


19. Take a statistics course - In lovely Seattle!

Friends and Family and Home
20. See a play, opera, ballet, and/or musical - We saw RENT! on Valentine's Day.


21. 2 day trips around San Antonio - We've been to Comfort, San Marcos, Lockhart, and Austin (several times).


22. Visit 3 museums in San Antonio - We're members of the Witte, and live near the McNay. We visited the LBJ library as well, but it was a brief visit and I'd like to get back!


23. Organize Finances, Save More - The saving is going slowly, but at least I know where all the money is going thanks to mint.com.https://www.mint.com/


24. Read a Book a Month - Only 7/12.  I've realized that I only read when I'm traveling.  Why is that?

Physical Challenges
25. Climb a Rock Wall - I can't find a rock wall in San Antonio!  Anyone know of one?


26. Run Entire Fourth of July 4-Miler - I woke up sick on the 4th of July, but ran 5 miles on Halloween and a 5K with Geoff last month.


27. 4 Hikes - Only, one.  But it was one that brought back great memories!


28. Weekly Yoga - I haven't been great on this one.  I was really on a roll for the first couple months but I have gotten off track.  I just downloaded a yoga app so maybe that will help!


29. Begin Swim and Bike Training for Triathlon - Not just started training but completed one!

Wow.  As fast as this year went, I made a lot of my goals.  Back tomorrow with my 30 by 30!