If you remember, I set out to accomplish "15 by '15". If you don't remember, that's okay too, I won't hold it against you... this time.
Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit my list and let you know whether or not I succeeded or failed.
1. Spend an entire day phoneless.
YEP GUYS, I ALREADY FAILED.
This didn't happen. But can you really blame me? I only had 365 opportunities to achieve this one.
2. Find a new job.
Hahaha, nope. Better luck this year? Let's hope.
3. Get a passport.
Guys, I'm on a streak!! It might not be a winning streak, but hey at least i'm being consistent.
--This one will be changing within the next couple months though. I have plans to go to Jamaica in July, but I guess they won't let you on the plane unless you have one of these bad boys... so I'll have to dust off that passport application I picked up a year ago and actually turn it in.
4. Reinvent my wardrobe.
Yay, finally a victory! I feel like reinvent is a pretty bold word, but I going to go ahead and credit myself with a success here. I definitely bought a lot of clothes over those 12 months, and I think my closet has definitely become more diverse (aka it consists of more than white, black, and 50 shades of grey).
5. Become a Big Sister.
I'm a Big Sister! I applied and had my interview at Big Brothers Big Sisters back in January and finalllllly got paired with my little mid-October. She is six and she is adorable.
6. Go on a shopping spree.
Out of all my years of living (and having some type of income), 2014 was definitely the year I spent the most money on myself. In 2014 I went on two trips-- Virginia/DC/Maryland & Santa Barbara/LA. I purchased lots of new clothing for those two trips along with some new threads for work. I bought myself Rosetta Stone. I bought myself new tires (woo!). Maybe these don't make up a traditional 'shopping spree'. But the (majority of) new clothes, Rosetta Stone, and two trips were all within 2 months of each other. I used to have such a difficult time spending money, so buying these things made me feel like a risk taker with an IDGAF attitude towards my bank account.
7. Go on a wintertime vacation.
Ewwww, after last winter why was this even on my list?! The only place I want to go during the months of November-March is somewhere warm. Give me sunshine and ocean breezes, not snow mounds and icy streets. No but if i'm being honest, a wintertime vacation would be fun to do at least once, but I think I have a few other places with different scenery to visit first (Turks & Caicos, Barbados, Greece, the Carolinas... anyone in??).
8. Redesign my room.
I did not redesign it in the capacity that I had wanted or planned on. I definitely got rid of a lot, changed out pictures, and took down some things I had hanging on the walls. I'm big on organization so I focused on getting rid of the unneeded things I had laying around. I kept contemplating whether or not I should tackle the project of completely redoing my room though. The thought that frequented my mind most often was 'what if you redo it, and then move out shortly thereafter?' K. Well Kaila, you're still there. -__- Not too sure where I stand on this topic now. I definitely want to get new bedding and decorations. Maybe I'll have my mom weigh in on the new potential colors, so that way if I move a year from now, she won't want/have to repaint it again. But seriously, who am I kidding.. the only moving I'm ever going to be doing is moving out of my room and into the basement. 2broke4dis
9. Make new friends.
But who needs new friends?
10. Read 15 books.
Yes, yes, yes! I went C-R-A-Z-Y the first 6 weeks of the year. I tore through so many books in such a small amount of time. Then I slowed down quite a bit, but by the end of the year I had read 22 books. I love reading. and I read some pretty great books, so i'm very happy that I set this as one of my goals for the year.
11. Pay more of my loans off than the minimum requirement.
Yes ma'am. It feels good to know that I am slightly ahead of the ballgame on this one. Butttt with that being said... loans are also the reason that I will be living at my parents house until I'm 40.
12. Plan a trip to somewhere new.
In May I visited one of my closest friends who had previously moved out to Arlington, VA. Her cousin was already going out there, so me and one of our other friends decided to surprise her. I got to visit and see a lot of new things. I had never been to that region of the country before, so it was neat seeing the monuments, White House, Pentagon, the amazing World War II memorial, Atlantic Ocean, the adorable town of Ocean City, Smithsonian National Zoo, etc. I also got two more states closer (Virginia and Maryland) to completing my life bucket list item of visiting all 50 states (still have lots of traveling to do).
13. Build/Create something.
Ta-Da!
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14. Explore somewhere new-locally.
In late July I decided to take up biking. I wanted to get out and do something outside that was physically active but also enjoyable. I hadn't realized how many trails and paths where at my fingertips, just waiting for me to take advantage of them. I am so glad that I started doing this and that I now know some of great options I have right outside my window. I am sooo looking forward for the nicer weather ahead so I can get back out there!
I also went kayaking for the first time in 2014! I went with my friend in a small pond in our neighborhood that is conveniently located across the street from her house. I fell in love with it so much that a couple weeks later I went kayaking again in a larger lake about 40 minutes away from home. It was gorgeous, and kayaking is one of my favorite outdoor activities now. Ughhh, can it be summer yet??
15. Take a class... or two.
Well.. remember how I got Rosetta Stone? I was really good about using it religiously for the first few weeks. Then I went on vacation and have yet to stay consistent with it again. I want to be able to speak Spanish so bad, so I need to make a habit out of this again. I think that counts as a class, right? I also bought a yoga DVD to try out at home. I was thinking about enrolling in a class, but wanted to try it out in the comfort of my own home before making a complete fool out of myself in front of others. Short story short- i hated it. I think I gave it two chances before passing it on to my sister. I also took a class that trained/prepared me to become an English tutor to an ESL student. I now have a student who I meet with for two hours on Wednesday nights, and it is such a great experience! My student is so incredibly driven and she is doing so well in her ESL classes at the community college. Very proud of her!
In the end, I successfully completed 7 of my 15 by '15 items with another 3 that I am considering successful even though my interpretation of success on these may not meet your criteria. I am glad that I did this mini project last year. Not only did I set out and complete some goals that I wanted to accomplish, but the 15 by '15 list along with blogging allowed me to more easily document and reflect on different experiences, opportunities, and accomplishments that occurred in my life over the year.
Thanks for reading,
xoxo-Kaila
