I’ve always been a list-y person. I make lists for everything, but I especially like making lists and setting goals for how I can better myself as a person. Things I want to do, habits I want make a higher priority in my daily life, self-improvement, etc. Several years ago, I did a 20 Before Twenty challenge and I really enjoyed the process. Then right after graduating college, I started another challenge, called the Real Life list. That challenge really had no deadline, so I thought it would be easier to access and update as a page like this. So feel free to follow along as I fulfill dreams! (Make your own list too!)

Self-Improvement:

• Try to read at least one book a month (of MY choosing!) and make more time to read the magazines I subscribe to. (I quit subscribing to magazines because I never made the time to read them.) So far I’ve read , , ,    and . I’m currently reading . Also on my list:   and the rest of the . Have any good recommendations for me?
• Read my grandpa’s books. I’ve read most of the stories in both of his books, and went around with him reading them at book signings when his first book first came out, but I’ve never taken the time to sit down and read them cover to cover (his second one just came out!). You can find them and .
• Spend time reading through the cookbooks I have and try more recipes outside my typical taste.
• Make time for more picnics in the park, play frisbee, relax.
• Journal/write/blog more. Start keeping a poetry image notebook again and try writing more poetry. (UPDATE: On a women’s conference in Jan 2014, I started a Gratitude Journal that I’ve been keeping up with since then. Also as of mid 2014, I’ve gotten into a routine of blogging 4-5 times a month which works well for me.)
• Develop a consistent/better exercise routine. I usually take Pilates classes and Drew and I will randomly take long walks around the neighborhood, but I would like to take more walks, take a yoga class, go on evening bike rides, morning jogs, work out at the gym, etc.
• Become a better gardener. (This also requires having a real yard…)
• Get better at gluten-free baking. (See Artisan Gluten-free Bread,  All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Mix, GF crackers, GF shortcrust, GF Blackberry and Sawdust pies.)

Travel:

• Plan a vacation that doesn’t fall on a typical school break.
• Plan more small weekend trips! There are many places in Louisiana and the surrounding areas that I’d like to explore. (Monroe, Shreveport, etc.)
• Plan a trip to Texas! (Other than a quick stopover on a flight to Cali, I’ve never been to Texas and it is super close to Louisiana!) Checkmark! Drew and I went on a quick weekend trip to Houston last January! We even stopped at IKEA to get a few things to build our 12 ft long office desk! Then we went again to go to Quilt Market!
• Plan a trip back to Europe (hopefully sometime in the next few years). I want to visit Kristine in Denmark and Jacky in Germany/Switzerland, would also love to go to Italy, Greece, Ireland/Scotland (where my Wallace ancestors came from forever ago), and a million other places. Drew wants to check out the craft beer selections in Belgium.

Creative/Career Improvement:

• Work on creating repeatable patterns in Illustrator and start a surface-pattern design collection. (Working on it!  was awesome!)
• Take calligraphy and letterpress classes. (I joined the New Orleans Lettering Arts Association this year!)
• Sign up for a ceramics class. (One that Drew and I take together?)
• Get better at working with my Wacom tablet. (Working on it!)
• Spend more time watercolor painting. A series of sketches, plein air paintings, landscapes, etc. (Watercolor was my first love!)
• Design stationary for myself.
• Explore more fabric paintings. (You can see a few fabric paintings that I did for Christmas gifts, here, and I stretched another , turned them into paintings, and displayed them at my .)
• Make a quilt!
• Update P.S. Designs’ Portfolio.
• Create a more consistent brand for myself (across all media). (Started! Check out my updated art portfolio site! Now I just need to re-design this blog!)
• Open an Etsy shop?
• Spend more time crocheting and working on projects that I enjoy. (Check! In 2014 alone, I made two crocheted baby blankets for family, crocheted three scarves, worked on another baby blanket, make crochet snowflakes for our Christmas tree, and started a crocheted afghan for our living room.)

Home Improvement:

• Make time for more DIY/home projects. (fabric roman shades for the kitchen, refinish Drew’s dresser (see it here), paint/stain Drew’s desk, makeover the white cabinet in the foyer, hang more art in the hallway, paint some walls?, etc.) See our office makeover, how we built our 12 ft long double desk, the rooms we painted, our living room gallery wall, and Drew’s dresser makeover, for a few of our recent house projects.
• Make a welcoming entryway area in our foyer. (mirror on wall, bench seat, baskets for shoes, coat hooks, art, etc.)
• Visit more flea markets and estate sales! Can’t beat great vintage finds!
• Frame and hang more of my own artwork. (You can see this in our Foyer/Living Room here and here)
• Make our house feel more cozy and more “us.” Hang more photographs. (We made great strides in 2014 on this! See our office makeover, how we built our 12 ft long double desk, the rooms we painted, and our living room gallery wall.)

Goals for Drew and I:

• Work on keeping our marriage healthy. More date nights (We’ve been going almost every Friday!), time with each other away from the computer, etc.
• Work with gazelle-like intensity on our debt pay off (Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover). Our goal is to have all car/student loan debt paid off as soon as possible, in the next 2-3 years. (UPDATE: As of January 2014 Drew’s Car is paid off! As of October 2014 Student Loans in Drew’s name are paid off!)
• Eventually, buy and start remodeling a house.
• Start a family! (Hopefully we can get our debt paid off first!)

P.S. Here are my specific goals for 2015!