361 Days of Being 29 (and 4 Days of Being 30 Because I Started Late)

[I'd like to add captions and frames to these photos but I'm going to have to play around online to figure out how to do it. For now, I'll put their captions up here. Photo #1: Mary Oliver's poetry - way inspiring! Sorry it's kind of hard to read. Photo #2: The irony is that I bought the book. Photo #3: Sadie and the friend she made at a beautiful watery light show at the National Harbor. And yes, that is my mother-in-law's Evo in the corner.]

This year I want to:

• Get published
• Home school my 3rd grader (stay tuned for a When, What, Where and Why blog)
• Learn to skateboard with Sadie
• Find ways to help Jermaine prepare for boot camp and tech school
• Get through my first year of seminary
• Read a bunch
• Lose some weight
• Survive and thrive while living with my in-laws (and hopefully grow closer to them in the process)
• find an outlet for my deep desire to perform
• Go surfing for the first time
• Go snowboarding
• Go to India and learn some Hindi
• Teach my daughter about human trafficking
• Vacation with friends
• Get a handle on our debt and become saving savvy
• Blog about my adventures everyday

I entertained thoughts of combining my blogs and/or creating a whole new one. But it was starting to seem too complicated so I thought I'd just begin with this blog and see what happens. I'm going to attempt to blog 6 days a week - sometimes on here and sometimes on one of my other blogs. And my two main objectives are that it be relatively short and bursting with all the creativity I can muster.

Some interesting tidbits of my day today (and the last few days at the end):

• I woke up and tried to make some coffee and the coffeemaker sort of exploded. I resigned to consisting off instant coffee while I live here. I try to buy fair-trade coffee, but there was no fair-trade instant coffee at Giant. So I did what I do when I'm not sure if the people that made the product I'm purchasing were paid a fair wage - I prayed for them.
• The coffee debacle reminded me yet again that I am addicted to caffeine. I filed it away in the "deal with later" part of my brain.
• I went to Borders to get caffeinated and peruse the shelves. One of my favorite activities. Didn't buy any books. Win!
• Got hit on by a very nice Hispanic man. But got annoyed when he wouldn't leave even after I told him I was married.
• Figured out that the clutter that surrounds me at the moment is depressing me and making me unproductive.
• Found out that Sadie didn't know how to make a sandwich until her Aunt Danielle showed her yesterday. 
• This doesn't pertain to just this day - but I've lost 8 pounds since I had my caloric revelation! Still need to blog about that at some point . . . 
• Sadie and I are going to be doing some volunteer work for Polaris Project by putting together party kits, gathering stuff that survivors need and participating in the DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk. Super stoked!
• Got an email about the India trip 2011. Feels real again!