Goals Check no.2

Half way through the year. Probably a good time to remember I have some goals for the year and review them. I'm think this may get ugly though.

1. Get more sleep: Go to bed early, get up early.

Failing miserably. If I get enough sleep its usually when Johann gets up with Henry and I sleep-in. I don't think 10:30pm is a realistic goal for us now that its summer but I think maybe 11 or 11:30pm. We'll see. I would like to be an 8 hour a night person but I think if I can get a full 7 that will suffice.

2. Keep reading: Yup, purposefully very broad.

I go through little spurts but I definitely have kept reading. Since the last post I finished Emma which was enjoyable. I am coming to learn though that I'm not a huge Austen fan. Maybe the mini-series versions I have seen spoiled the novels for me? I don't know. Please Austen fans don't hurt me. Enjoyable-yes. A favorite-no.
After Emma I read-

Little Women-While there isn't anything particularly outstanding about it, it really knows how to endear itself to the reader and I enjoyed reading it.

Crime and Punishment-I think I was Russian in another life. Russian lit, how I love thee. The ending is one of the most beautiful I have ever read. The writing, the story, the characters, the implications-all incredible. This was my first encounter with Dostoevsky but certainly won't be my last.

Empire Falls-Alright, so here is where we come back to my issues with contemporary lit. I think in addition to being russian in another life, I was a puritan before that. I really have a difficult time with the way almost every contemporary book I have read deals with human sexuality and the description thereof. It's rare that any perspective is gained of the story or characters that couldn't have been otherwise reached sans raunchy description. Maybe I'm just a prude, but so much of that ruined bits of this book for me. I liked a lot of his writing, the prologue was great, unfortunately the rest of the novel didn't live up to it for me.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey-Interesting characters and idea. It was good but I haven't thought about it since which probably isn't a good sign.

The Color of Water-Definitely a unique story to tell as the son of jewish mother from the south and a black man from the north during the 1960s and 70s.

My Antonia-Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.

Cutting for Stone-Alright, again, contemporary book, I'm a prude. I enjoyed the story, most of the writing-sometimes his medical description hindered rather than helped, some of the characters-how can you not like Hema and Ghosh but I felt like Verghesse wasn't even sure what to do with Marion, the main narrator, who he was and what he thought. The bits that were told in flash back or not from Marion's perspective were by far my favorite portions of the writing and book. There are a lot of interesting themes and unlike Bridge to San Luis Rey, I can say I have thought about it since reading it which, I think, is a good sign.

Currently I'm working on The Age of Innocence and enjoying the writing thus far.

3. Write more: Blog once a week. Go to the museum once a month and write about a particular painting or two.

Blogging. Check. Yeah, lets just scrap the museum idea. A notebook, pen and Henry at the museum...it's not gonna work.

4. Read a chapter from the Book of Mormon and a conference talk daily. Read the gospel doctrine and Relief Society lessons before class.

Check. I still enjoy reading the talks and scriptures together. It's wonderful also to see how we really are warned and forewarned. It helps me have a greater desire to really listen to what is being said in conferences.

5. Have a date with Johann weekly: even if that means just watching a movie together at home.

Kind of check. The last month and a half or so we haven't kept track, or at least I haven't. Probably need to get back on the date wagon.

6. Attend the temple monthly and have family home evening weekly.

Check for FHE and we have been to the temple monthly but we've had to go separately a couple times. I went this month for the first time by myself to an endowment session and it felt so strange. I'm not sure what our chances are of getting there together this month but we'll definitely try.

7.Keep a monthly budget.

Going well until May when there was a birthday, anniversary, mothers day and it was the busiest month for Johann school/practicum-wise. I am glad May is over. Other than May I haven't struggled too much to keep track and we're doing really good recording daily this month because of how May went. I think I will plan to keep this goal FOR-EV-ER.

8.Get rid of the weight I gained during (and after lovingly nurtured) while pregnant with Henry. I've been working on it but I need to make a very concerted effort to just kick the rest of it. Three years is long enough, though that first year I didn't sleep at all and I have a sneaking suspicion that didn't help me out much. Anyway, I have tons of excuses, now its just time to do it.

Was doing pretty good, got pregnant, miscarried, felt like crap, depressed, stopped going to the gym. Yeah. Not going great. Fortunately only a pound or two (depending on the day) has come back, but I can definitely tell I'm not as in shape as I use to be. We've started hiking in the mornings and I was carrying Henry up an incline and while I wasn't super winded, my legs definitely felt it more than they would have 3 months ago. So I'm back to recording what I'm eating, working out in the morning and trying to watch out for the sugar monster.

9. FINALLY take a family picture. It WILL happen this year. The end.

Good news on this score-one of my friends offered to do a free photo shoot for us this month. I think I want to kiss her. Lucky for her she moved out of Provo, or I just might have stopped by her house with a big one! Honestly, I'd given up on this one because of how expensive it can be and that plus planning when to do it and making sure we don't look like the ragamuffins we are all that just made it not worth it to me. But now that it's FREE, I can deal with the other two. Or maybe we will still be ragamuffins but at least we'll have a decent family photo form this year-hooray!

Well, that's how the goals go. 6 months almost down, 6 to go. How time flies.