FinishYear Week 17

Well, it's been 17 weeks! I apologize for not updating for Week 16 last week. I confess I had not made much progress on some of my goals (OK, all of my goals) because my entire week was consumed with preparing for some photography mini sessions to benefit fundraising for my missions trip to Jamaica this summer. All other goals took a backseat. Saturday I was photographing literally all day, and Sunday was recovering (boy, was I sore!) and and editing. So, for here is my list of goals, and the progress that I made for Week 17:

-Finish Master's Degree: Check.

-Finish Health Psych Cert: I attended my last class in person and gave my presentation. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in my paper writing and need to re-write about half of it. My teacher was very understanding (thank goodness!) and the re-write is already done. I have one more online assignment to do and then this class is DONE.

Learned that the last class I need to finish the cert is not offered this summer like I thought it would be. So, might not be able to finish cert until the fall. Not sure yet, need to further explore some of my options. Feeling a bit discouraged, but it'll all work, because everything always does. 

-Finish a letter to Karabo: Accomplished. Now I need to mail it, which is always a challenge. I can never remember all the rules for sending mail internationally, so I need to find time to get to the post office and this time, I will take notes. I've had the letter in my planner for a week now!

-Finish a storage/classification system for clients' photographs: This one is on hiatus for now.

-Read through the Bible by the end of 2012: I did not read consistently two weeks ago, but did read consistently this week. I am now on Week 9, Day 2 of the Bible, and we are in Week 17 of 2012, so I'm catching up! I feel good about this one and am still enjoying it, though getting through all the rules in Leviticus was a challenge at times!

So, I'm feeling good! How about you?

FinishYear Week 15

Well, it's been 15 weeks! Here’s my list of goals, and the progress that I made:

-Finish Master's Degree: Check.

-Finish Health Psych Cert: This was week 14 of class. One more to go! Stayed home sick from class this week, not much else to report. Can't wait to turn in my paper and get it off my shoulders.

Learned that the last class I need to finish the cert is not offered this summer like I thought it would be. So, might not be able to finish cert until the fall. Not sure yet, need to further explore some of my options. Feeling a bit discouraged, but it'll all work, because everything always does. 

-Finish a letter to Karabo: This goal got pushed back because I was still fighting off bugs this week.

-Finish a storage/classification system for clients' photographs: Still sick, see above.

-Read through the Bible by the end of 2012: I read every day this week. Finished Genesis and Job, now in Exodus. Reading through story of the Exodus very quickly, as it's always been a favorite of mine. I remember sitting in my room and reading through the story for fun as a little girl.

So, all in all, not a great week. Still fighting off a bug, and was focused on a craft show, an engagement session, and some other personal things this week.

How about you guys?

Finish Year Week 14

Well, it's been 14 weeks! Here’s my list of goals, and the progress that I made:

-Finish Master's Degree: Check.

-Finish Health Psych Cert: This was week 13 of class. Two more to go! I wrote 11 pages of the 10 page paper this week. So glad to have that off my shoulders. It's not due for another 2 1/2 weeks or so, but I knew this was the only weekend I'd get uninterrupted time to work on it. I hope to tweak it a little bit once I get some questions clarified in class this week, but it's mostly done.

-Finish a letter to Karabo: This goal got pushed back because I was sick more days than not this week.

-Finish a storage/classification system for clients' photographs: I transferred all photographs that are not mine personally for the past two years to the external hard drive. There is some more organization to be done actually ON the hard drive, but the photos are there, which was the important first step.

-Read through the Bible by the end of 2012: I went back to Lifeway and picked up a second copy of my chronological Bible, because I have no idea how long it will take me to get my first copy back from my brother's house. I read about half of the days this week because I've been sick for about six days now and been sleeping as much as I can.

So, all in all, an alright week here. How about everyone out there?

FinishYear Week 13

Well, it's been 13 weeks! Week 13 of FinishYear is over and I've been excited to post about it because it was a big week for me!

Here’s my list of goals, and the progress that I made:

-Finish Master's Degree: To quote my friend Beth - DONE! FINISHED! THROUGH! COMPLETED! OVER! FULFILLED! REALIZED! SUCCEEDED! This one is done, and I simultaneously feel 1) proud/excited/like I want to shout from the rooftops that I finally DID IT, and 2) completely the same. So yeah, I guess I'll be taking this one of the list!

-Finish Health Psych Cert: This was week 12 of class. Three more to go! We had a guest speaker in class and I completed our second to last online assignment. I plan to write the bulk of the paper this week or next.

-Finish a letter to Karabo: Today starts April! And little Karabo turns 3 this month!  Time to start him another letter.

-Finish a storage/classification system for clients' photographs: I saved enough money for my 1 TB external hard drive last week and placed the order. It shipped SO quickly, and arrived in my mailbox yesterday! I was away photographing a wedding, so I just got it this morning. I hope to spend some time this evening beginning the process of transferring clients's photographs from my personal computer to the drive.

-Read through the Bible by the end of 2012: I read every day this week! I'm really enjoying this Bible so far. However, I completely failed and left it at my brother and sister in law's house when I stayed there last night after an out of town wedding. Realized it about halfway home this morning. So, I'm not sure how much progress I'll make on this goal this coming week because I'm not sure how long it will take me to get it back. BUMMER!

So that's Week 13! YAY! How is it going for everyone else?

FinishYear Week 12

Week 12 of FinishYear is over! I can't believe we're 3 months in! So, it's that time again!

Here’s my list of goals, and the progress (or lack thereof!) that I made:

-Finish Master's Degree: I finished my thesis defense on Friday and it was accepted!!! This means that I passed and I got my Master's degree!! Just a few hours of work on revisions and getting the final paper printed, then I'll be done with this one!

-Finish Health Psych Cert: This week was the eleventh week of class. Four more weeks to go. We talked more about our papers for the class and I plan to use next week to do some preliminary writing.
-Finish a letter to Karabo: Completed this monthly goal last week.
-Finish a storage/classification system for clients' photographs: I put $5 in my "External Hard Drive" envelope this week. I now have a little under $70 saved. I also had a photo shoot this evening and may use part of the money from that to complete my savings for this goal so that the hard drive can be ordered next week or so. I have many photo shoots coming up, so I really need to free up some space on my computer!

I'm also going to be adding a new goal. I picked up a chronological Bible this week because I had always been fascinated with them, and I found one on sale at Lifeway. I didn't realize that it is also a yearly Bible, broken down into readings by day so that you can read the entire Bible in a year. I've tried to do this before on several occasions with mixed success. However, this particular Bible has a little box at the bottom of each entry so you can check off that you completed that day's readings. Is't as if the author KNEW that I am a task completer! Sooooooo, new goal is to finish reading the Bible by the end of 2012. Yes, that means I have some catching up to do, but it's OK, I think I can do it! This goal will go in place of my previous goal of filling up my Scripture cards. I realized that I had not structured that goal well for myself, which was inhibiting my progress. Additionally, the goal of writing them down in that format was not meaningful to me, and if it's not meaningful, then why finish when I can finish something that is? Like reading the whole Bible!

So that's Week 12!

Finish Year Week 8

Finish Year Week 8

Today marks the end of Week 78of FinishYear! FinishYear is a term I'm using from Jon Acuff, a Christian blogger whom I follow regularly because he is both wise and hilarious! He suggested that we all challenge ourselves to make 2012 a year of finishing things, as opposed to starting new resolutions because let's face it, dreams are great and all, but unfinished dreams accomplish nothing. FINISHING changes your life, if not the world!

So, we're eight weeks in, and here's how I'm doing on the goals I designated for FinishYear.

-Finish Master's Degree: Drafts have been finished and a date for my defense has been set! I'll defend my thesis (and potentially finish this thing) on Friday, March 23rd at 10am. Let the panic commence...

-Finish Health Psych Cert: This week was the seventh week of class. Eight more to go. It was difficult to go to class this week because Pop Pop is back in the hospital with a larger brain bleed, so I was tempted to use my one allowed "skip" this week. But, next week is an online discussion forum, so I needed to go to class to get instructions on that. I completed the first part of the discussion forum already for this week, and I hope to use some time this week to select a prevention program to evaluate for my semester paper. Really need to start that this week...

-Finish Scripture Index Cards: I feel OK about this one. I feel great about the fact that I spent more time in Scripture this week than in previous weeks. I did not, however, write down any verses in my book because 1) they didn't pop out at me, or 2) much of the time spent reading was away from home, and I did not have my cards with me. With Pop Pop in the hospital this week, I was there a lot, and much reading was done from my pocket Bible in his hospital room. That's OK, the cards can travel with me if need be!

-Finish a letter to Karabo: I got a birthday card for Karabo! Plan this week is to mail it, and hopefully it'll get to him by early April, but Lesotho is so far away that sometimes it takes months for mail to get to him.

-Finish a storage/classification system for clients' photographs: This week, I put another $10 in my hard drive envelope!

In the end, it was an OK week for FinishYear, despite craziness at work and the unexpected stress of Pop Pop's stroke putting him in the hospital for most of the week.

How's it going for you??

Finish Year Week 7

Today marks the end of Week 7 of FinishYear! FinishYear is a term I'm using from Jon Acuff, a Christian blogger whom I follow regularly because he is both wise and hilarious! He suggested that we all challenge ourselves to make 2012 a year of finishing things, as opposed to starting new resolutions because let's face it, dreams are great and all, but unfinished dreams accomplish nothing. FINISHING changes your life, if not the world!

So, we're seven weeks in, and here's how I'm doing on the goals I designated for FinishYear

-Finish Master's Degree: I submitted three more drafts this week, each with just a few more small edits than the previous draft. I just finished draft #7 and I believe it is ready to go to my committee! I started dialogue with my professors this week and I will likely defend this thing on either March 15  or March 22. Just waiting on one more professors to chime in with her availability before we nail down a date, this sucker gets emailed out, and I start to panic! Feel good and terrified about this one!

-Finish Health Psych Cert: This week was the sixth week of class. Nine more to go. Earned a 30/30 on last week's discussion forum and narrowed down a topic idea for my Prevention Plan Overview paper due April 26. I plan to review and evaluate a currently implemented plan on preventing household injuries in the special needs population. Feel good about this one!

-Finish Scripture Index Cards: I feel OK about this one. I feel great about the fact that I spent more time in Scripture this week than in previous weeks. I did not, however, write down any verses in my book because 1) they didn't pop out at me, or 2) much of the time spent reading was away from home, and I did not have my cards with me. With Pop Pop in the hospital this week, I was there a lot, and much reading was done from my pocket Bible in his hospital room. That's OK, the cards can travel with me if need be!

-Finish a letter to Karabo: I emailed Karabo this week! It's so neat that World Vision offer this option, because all of the customs laws at the post office confuse me, and there are lots of rules about names and ID numbers in specific spots on the envelopes that make me nervous I'm going to mess up and he won't get his letter. I got a birthday card for him in the mail from World Vision yesterday, it seems so early to be thinking about his 3rd birthday, which is in early April, but Lesotho is far away!

-Finish a storage/classification system for clients' photographs: This week, I put $10 in my external hard drive envelope. I now have $25 saved toward this purchase, so I'm about 25% of the way there, if I want to get a 500MB drive. I think that will be enough. 1 TB is just HUGE and since I don't keep client's photos more than 1 year, I don't think I'll need that much space. Feeling on track for this one!

In the end, it was a pretty good week for FinishYear, despite craziness at work and the unexpected stress of Pop Pop's stroke putting him in the hospital for most of the week.

How's it going for you??