Student Solutions: Shopping

Since becoming a student, I have realized that money is TIGHT. It's hard! It's tough! And I don't get to have the luxuries I used to have. One of these luxuries is shopping.

Oh, how I have missed it.

I won't lie, I still splurge from time to time, in fact, I splurge frequently! But how do I prevent myself from going overboard? Avoiding the dip into money for tuition and books?

The thing that has helped me probably most is Pinterest. When I first discovered Pinterest, I didn't understand why people liked it so much. Then I stopped having money to buy clothes that I wanted or other things I wanted to decorate my room or desk. And I finally understood Pinterest's purpose for me. It honestly stops me from spending my money. If I really like something, I will PUT DOWN THE CREDIT CARD and pin instead. It's amazing. DO IT!

Someone else described Pinterest in this way:

In the meantime, I’ve taken up — what I can only refer to as my new hobby — pinning. What’s pinning? Well, it’s not blogging, and it’s not quite social networking. It’s actually kind of just a way of “liking” things and “collecting” them the way that the Little Mermaid (Ariel) did in her bedroom (that part where she sings ‘I want more’).

Oh. That is real my friends. And I constantly scour through Pinterest looking for the more. I can't stop!

The thing I love most is that I can pin from any website! If I find something that I want to buy outside of Pinterest (for example: Withings Scale, approximately $160) I simply pin it to a board to buy later, when I'm not in school anymore.

The other thing I have done is created a budget, but more on that another time.

Crush that shopping craving with pins. Follow me on Pinterest here, and see what I'm talking about.

How do you hold off on spending all of your money on a pair of shoes?

Faith in all things; Including science

I wrote this for an elective course in college. It is a philosophy course, disguised as a history course. Hahaha. However, the first few weeks of the class we talked about evolution incessantly. Our professor asked us what stuck out about the course, so I let him know.

This was the result of that assignment.

Small disclaimer: This is merely my own speculation and should be reflected upon as such. 

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There was a time that I felt extremely conflicted when presented with the idea of evolution. It seemed from a young age, that I feared facing this internal conflict for my entire life. It was logical to me that evolution could be the explanation of how the earth came to be. However, the conflict came from my own heart and my faith, which told me that God created the earth in His plan for us. Science and history classes taught me that the globe itself formed from some miraculous coincidence. Jared Diamond (1997) is one of the many that propose that we, as humans, emerged from apes and chimps. How could God and those around me expect me to hold true to the feelings of my heart while still listening to the logic in my head? It seemed that the two ideas were incessantly at war with one another.

I once had a discussion with an individual about my confusion on the topic. He suggested that perhaps evolution was simply the explanation of how the earth was created, but that God was why it happened. Perhaps the 7 days that are portrayed in our scriptures were only creative periods, as the measurement of time was not invented by God, but by humans. Perhaps, what was written in many religious texts were tailor made for the people of that time. Could it be that the writers of these creation myths were inspired in this way, for the purpose of the people who would hear it first, so that they could receive it in their hearts and understand it in their minds?

The suggestion was shocking and was an idea that I found to be perplexing. I had never thought that maybe, faith and science could peacefully coexist. I then read in a religious text, “[God] will tell you in your mind and in your heart.” (Doctrine & Covenants 8:2) This passage brought peace to the war that I found myself in on a regular basis.

With this thought of congruity in mind, it would be absolutely illogical to me that God created human beings in the blink of an eye. It would also be illogical to me to think that the world generated itself and all of its inhabitants by opportune happenstance.

Something that I have struggled with since adopting this perspective is how other people of faith do not share this idea of balance between reason and faith. It is confounding to me that individuals can rely solely on faith or solely on reason. While I see the appeal to a strictly science diet, there are still things that have yet to be explained. There are still miracles today, because they are inexplicable to us, even after our vast scientific discoveries that have transpired over the past thousand years.

Nonetheless, I see the appeal in a strictly faith diet, but some of the once inexplicable happenstances have been explained through experimentation and scientific evidence. This evidence does not make your faith or beliefs in a deity any less real. Faith’s purpose is to bridge the gap between these occurrences that we cannot explain and that our limited, human minds cannot comprehend. Faith can be used to help us come to appreciate the sophistication of the evolution theory. The evolution theory can help us appreciate the complexity of the workings of God.

I have realized through my participation in this class, that while I do identify as a devout Christian, I have begun to consider that the theory of evolution may be a possible explanation as to how the earth came to fruition.



What are your thoughts?

Seeing Success

I'm beginning to learn about the crazy schedules of students. I have NO personal time. My personal time includes sleeping and going to the gym. That's about it. Working two jobs, school, field placement, the joke that I refer to as my social life. It's crazy how busy I have become lately. I remember someone saying at an orientation that you need to schedule your meals or you will never eat. That is real, my friends. I never anticipated the hustle and while I complain that I have a mere imitation of a social life... I have to also acknowledge how much I love being busy. I do not love being this busy all the time, but I definitely feel accomplished. I think being busy builds peoples' esteem.

I have some exciting news to announce and I just can't have a simple facebook status about. It would also be a very, very long facebook post. I am very aware of how much people hate those (because I hate them too.)

I have lost a lot of weight since about April 2011. It's hard to say exactly how much since then. I wasn't weighing myself regularly at that point in time. We've all been there; where we know we're overweight and we don't dare step on that scale out of fear of what it may tell us. It may confirm all of our worst fears. I have to say, I look back and think it's absolutely ridiculous that I lived in fear of my bathroom scale. It's important to know your weight to be in good health and to make realistic goals. My BMI also made me feel a lot more comfortable with how I was at that point in time. So be a courageous person today, weigh yourself. Make friends with your scale.

Thank you, pinterest, for this gem!

With that preface, I have somehow found the motivation to eat healthier and work out at the gym that's included in my school fees. Eating healthy has always been a challenge. I like food. It's something I have no problem admitting. I just changed what I was eating at first, and then the quatity. I eat a lot more vegetables, a lot more fish, a lot less carbohydrates and smaller portions.

Some of my favorite new habits include: 
- I love pasta. I think I was Italian in a past life. I love carbs, but unfortunately, carbs drive your insulin. If you want more information, click here. Of course, I'll acknowledge that this has been claimed to be a myth by many other sources. However, it is important to know how your body works and that carbs need to be limited, not necessarily eliminated. Elise introduced me to this squash that when it is cooked becomes stringy like spaghetti. It does not taste like pasta and the first time I tried it, I hated it. I have grown to love it though. I can eat a huge bowl of spaghetti with this squash and feel fine within the hour. Trust me, I indulge. Regularly.
- I also love popcorn. I worked at Cineplex for 3 years. I had to love it. I get the munchies when I sit down to a movie at the theater or even at home. Well, when I worked at Cineplex I read this lovely article and I haven't been able to eat much of it since. What do I have instead? Pomegranates. You get to munch away on them for a decent amount of time. These are a lot of work to get out and usually my kitchen looks like I murdered someone with the juice exploding everywhere. Here's a trick, open the pomegranate and pick out the seeds in a big bowl of water. The seeds sink to the bottom and the white part of the fruit float at the surface. It makes your kitchen a lot less like an episode of Dexter.
- Chicken and beef. Staples of the North American diet... I must say, I have seen a huge difference since I've started eating mainly fish. Seriously. It's so much lighter and better for you. There is so much goodness in fish. The other aspect of this is that I rarely eat meat anymore. Trust me, I'm surprising myself. I have meat only about 3-4 times a week and I don't find myself getting really hungry all the time. A lot of dieticians will tell you to fill up on vegetables because that's exactly what you should be eating. They're so good for you and your body will love you for it. They also taste amazing. There's so much you can do with vegetables.
- Sour cream... My mom always bought light sour cream. Now, we buy plain greek yogurt. Do not knock it until you try it. It tastes more or less the same and it has protein! So good for you! I heart greek yogurt. Vanilla flavour tastes like whipped cream - it's seriously delicious.
- Being a poor student, I can't afford to go out to eat all the time like I did when I was working full-time so, I pack a lunch. I pack a lunch that I can be excited about! Pack your favorites. I like nuts, granola bars, rice, veggies, quinoa. If you have access to a microwave, your options expand so much. Do not give into the accessibility and reasonably priced Tim Hortons. You save so much money too!
- Use smaller plates. Your eyes are bigger than your belly. It really helps to have a full, small plate rather then an empty, big plate.
- I take the stairs and walk everywhere. I refuse to pay 10$ every time I need to drive myself to school so I have a residential area that I will park in and walk a couple blocks to the school on a fairly regular basis. I also don't even know where the elevators are in my school; I plan to keep it that way.

These are just a few, small changes that I've made in the last few months that have really helped get me on track.

I mentioned that I have lost a lot of weight since April of 2011. I think that's when I was my biggest ever... Seeing that I wasn't weighing myself it's hard to say where I was at that point. Last year at around this time, I started going to the gym again for the first time in years... I weighed myself regularly around that time because I wanted to track my progress. The scale did not help me one bit at that point. It was discouraging, very discouraging.

I started losing weight working at the waterpark. When I came home, I started living with Elise and we eat really healthy with the help of the tricks mentioned above. I posted a photo to facebook in October and I got a lot of positive feedback. I wanted to give more information then I was able to share in a couple of comments.

At present, I have lost 22 pounds and 2 BMI points since February of last year (2012) when I was going to the gym 6 days a week. I haven't taken my measurements yet but that is definitely on the to do list. It's been a very, very rewarding experience. Everything in my wardrobe is fitting better. Pants that I used to have to squeeze into are getting loose and practically falling off. I may be in need of a new belt and new pants soon. I encourage everyone who had the new years resolution to be healthier to absolutely DO IT. It is so worth it. Don't give up!

Here are a few before and after pictures...

April 2011 - January 2013
People always say that you see weight loss in your face... Yeah, that is real.  

March 2011 - October 2012

May 2011 - January 2013

What will be my reward for my hard work? My family and I are going on a cruise in 2 weeks! If you have read about our trip back in 2011, you know that it's going to be a fabulous time. I am very excited. I feel like I never get to see my family anymore with my insane schedule.

Have questions, tips or success stories of your own?

I want to hear them! Post them in the comments.

Funny Fridays: Discovering Tumblr & A Cool Shower

Over the last little while, I have been going to the same source for my internet entertainment. It has been tumblr. While I found it very confusing at first, I think I have found the hang of it. I love two blogs in particular.

How Do I Put This Gently
What Should We Call Me

Mine is My Sentiments Exactly (obviously modeled after the two stated above.)

Basically, what happens with tumblr, is that it's like blogspot and twitter and instgram all shoved into one. You can post videos, quotes, pictures, all of that good stuff very very easily. If you like something you can reblog it, it's similar to a retweet. You also have a home screen which is like your news feed on Facebook or your timeline on Twitter. It's filled with all the posts from the people you have subscribed to... This being said, this came up on my home screen on Wednesday... and I had to share it with you guys. I can't even... I don't know what this is. My initial reaction was this.

Have a great weekend!

Being The Most Interesting Interviewee...

Since I have been home from Ottawa, I have been looking for a job. Looking for a job may be a loose interpretation, but nonetheless, I landed myself an interview at Walmart after I got a tip from one of their current employees.

One of the managers called me on Wednesday, asked me a series of questions and informed me that they would like to see me for a group interview. Now, I hate group interviews... But the reason why is another story in and of itself... But to say the least, I was anxious. I was nervous going into it that I wouldn't have the opportunity to show off my skills in the work field. (Something I love to do, I'm about as vain as a peacock.) But really, in an interview, you have to be able to sell yourself or you're not going to get the job. So I went in, knowing that I would have to make an impression on the people conducting the interview.

To skip over the more boring parts of the interview, I'll just get straight to the fun part.

We were placed in pairs and we were given the most ridiculous products they could find in the store and asked us to sell it to a specific individual. My partner and I had the joy of selling a Darth Maul alarm clock to a grandma... I had no idea what to do. I do not do sales. My partner and I examined the packaging and determined that the only way this would have any appeal to a grandma would be if they were buying it for their grandchild. So, we went with that. As the other groups began presenting, they were all acting their sales pitch out. I turned to my partner and asked him if he wanted to act this out. He agreed that it was probably best and I put on my improv face. I haven't done any improv acting since high school... And even then, it wasn't the best. I was far more appreciated in choir.

Our turn came and I explained that we were given this ridiculous alarm clock and that I would be playing a grandma... As I hunched over and began to speak with a Brittish accent. The entire panel of managers roared. They laughed so hard! I asked my partner things like "What is Star Wars?" "Is this appropriate for my grandson? He's 10." We ended the scene when I had accepted the product. I literally got a round of applause and as I shook their hands to leave, one of the members of the panel referred to me as "The Queen". I nearly died.

I obviously focused on being very professional and put together at all other moments of the interview. Hahahaha. Honestly, if they don't want to hire me after that hilarity, I don't know what else I could have done to convince them. My sense of humor is obviously my best quality, in my humble opinion.

The plate is just too small.

I have been in school for two weeks. In those two weeks, I have taken notes, received assignments and realized that I have a lot due on the same dates.

Outside of school, I like to have this thing called a life. (Apparently, my professors have never heard of them. I have assured them that they are normal.) My life usually involves friends, church, hobbies, this blog, family and my kitten Oliver. Since I have started school, I feel that it has become the meat, potatoes and vegetables of my life... But there are so many more things on my plate than just school!

I decided today that my plate is simply far too small.

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as finding a bigger plate. I have to pick and choose what gets to stay and what needs to go. This is not easy for me. I like to be reliable and dependable. I like saying yes. Even when I know I should say no...

For school, I'm having a hard time keeping track of the seemingly million assignments I have to do, when they are due, etc. I have a plan to organize that. But right now, it's extremely overwhelming.

I feel like I'm constantly drowning in to do lists.

So for any of you who have felt completely overwhelmed by the never ending to do lists, please comment. I am open to suggestions. I need to find something that will work for me before I start smashing all the real plates in my house. Haha...

But seriously. Suggestions please!

What I've learned in 2 decades...

I know that I have technically been an adult for 2 years now, but I actually feel like a grown up now. I mean not very many people take 18 or 19 year olds very seriously... Heck, I didn't take myself very seriously. I've never really felt like life was passing me by until today. Did I blink? Is this what all the old people keep talking about?

And this is last year's guide... AH!

I feel that I've learned a lot in the last 10 years. I've done a lot of personal growth and I find it seriously amazing that I have come to the point in my life where people come to me for advice... Yeah. I know. What are these people thinking? Anyways, for my birthday, I thought I would share some of my 20 year old wisdom with you all. 

Let it all go. If there is anything I know for sure, it's that very, very few things are in your control. What offends people, who you remain close with, the opportunities you are denied or given... The only things you can control is your attitude and how you choose to act. The rest you have to let go. The bitterness is self-inflicted and you are the only one stopping you from being the happiest you've ever been. Stop holding grudges, being offended, saying mean things about people... Just live your life! (Thanks Rihanna.)

Be kind. This is something that has been more recently, can we all just stop hating each other? Is that so difficult? Stop talking about people behind their backs. Don't say mean things about people! If you wouldn't want someone saying that about you, then maybe you shouldn't be saying it... 

Not only have I learned the importance of being kind to others, I have learned to be kind to myself. We are our biggest critics and you need to learn to LET GO of all the small things you don't like about yourself. A small thing that I don't like about myself, that I will share, are my eyebrows. They are monstrous when I do not weed whack them. I hate them. A lot. They're a pain in the butt. I've accepted that I have huge eyebrows and have found a miraculous woman to tame them for me. (If you want her contact info, message me. She is amazing.) Sure, a lot of things that we don't like about ourselves are not so easily resolved as finding a great aesthetician but you can learn to deal with them. When it comes to character flaws, you need to learn to forgive yourself for your short comings. No one is perfect. I know women struggle with their appearances, but God makes no mistakes. You are beautiful.

While I could go on for days about all the things I have learned, I will stop here. I hope you're all having a fabulous day! Also, happy birthday America... Your party is always so much cooler than mine...

January: A Summary

My life has become so hectic. I don't even know when it got so busy. Or the last time that I was this busy.

Regardless, this month didn't do so well on my goals. Let's review.

17. Read 15 general conference talks - No... I have been reading my Book of Mormon though!
97. See 2 “cultured” events in Toronto - YES! See posts on this soon!
87. Write myself a letter to open in 10 years - No, although I feel that this would be appropriate to do soon.
80. Replace the photos in my room with new ones - I'm going to start collecting photos for this today.
70. Reverse pick-pocket someone - No...
59. Get my G license - I tried to set my appointment but it won't work on my MacBook for some reason...
29. Stop having fast food for a month - This FAILED. I love fast food.. Dang it! But I did cut down a lot. Maybe next month?
30. Drink only water, real fruit juice and milk for a month - YES!
38. Make a ridiculously good-looking dessert - No.
39. Direct a piece in choir that I love - I have the music, now just to actually do it! I'm so excited!
32. Sign my organ donor card - I really need to do this. I've been watching Grey's anatomy and I really, really want to do it.

The 2 Yes's of this month will have posts done for them... This week? I hope!

My days are just so filled lately. I work at noon everyday and then get off at 7:30pm... It's late, I know. I have the whole morning to blog and what not. But I've been going to the gym (and seeing results!!!) and then getting ready for work. I like to take things easy in the morning, it's just nicer that way. 

Some exciting news/events/etc from this month:

1. My ears are almost healed. Which means that soon enough I will (finally) get to wear the Swarovski earrings my sister got me for Christmas! I am so excited about this.

2. I've been going to the gym almost every day of the week. And I can see that I'm losing weight. Now the scale is not showing it yet. But seeing the inches go is just as fun! Any tips on workouts and fat burn? I need to work on my diet this month... I seriously just eat whatever I want, as much as I want, whenever I want it. Which, in case you didn't know, is usually not good for your body.

3. I got my photos! The ones I came home from Ottawa to take way back in August. They are so freaking beautiful. I can't even pretend that I don't think so. I just want to stare at myself all day long... I'm so vain.

4. I am planning a trip to Arizona for the summer. I have a jar full of cash that is hot glued shut. I am so serious about this trip. I am so excited!

5. I am going to school in the fall! I've been accepted to not one, but two colleges. So the way my educational path is looking right now... 2 years of college. Followed by an advance standing in university. Ideally starting there in a 3rd year of a Social Work program. Then a Master's. Then EMPLOYMENT! I am going to be so poor... Oh my goodness.

6. I got my hair done! After taking photos, I realized how much longer it is now than it used to be... See photos below:

Then. Note: So much shorter!

Now. P.S. Am I the only one who can see that I've lost weight in my face? Is that just me? SO EXCITING!

I just thought I would catch you all up on my life. 

So now, I just have to commit to blogging more often. And let's bring back funny fridays. Oh my goodness, I miss those.

Have a great weekend!

The Updated 101 List

It has been several months since I made a post about upgrading my list. I have put a lot of thought into this. At first, I wasn't sure if upgrading was cheating on the list. Of course, there are no rules but I didn't want to suck at completing my goals. I had been toying with the idea for weeks. There were just so many things on it that I just didn't feel a drive to do anymore. There were a lot of over ambitious goals that, in all honesty, had a lack of funding. Europe, Washington, Nova Scotia AND Alberta? How did I ever think I would be able to afford all of that travelling? 

In the end, I decided to revamp my list.

I must admit that I love this new list and I've also devised a way that I can finish without crossing all of them in the last couple days. 

The first of every month from now until November (the last month of my list, that is so quickly approaching) I'll post my goals that I'm going to try to cross of that month and follow up on the goals from the month before. I must say, I think this is mildly brilliant. It will also help as I've only completed 28 of my 101 goals. 

My dad always taught me to set smart goals. Not just intelligent, it's an acronym. 

Click on the hyperlink for a better explanation of SMART Goals!

Specific - Answer those basic questions. Who, what, where, when, how, etc. You need to know these things so that you can know when you have most certainly crossed off this goal.

Measurable - I love this one. I see so many people making goals like "Pray." WHAT IS THAT?! If you pray one time, do you get to cross that off? If you're not praying 24/7, do you not get to cross it off? Make it measurable. "Pray every day for 22 days." Measurable goal, check! (22 days is how long it takes for humans to form a habit. FACT.)

Attainable - Pick something that you can actually do. If you have not stepped foot off of your couch for the last 15 years, do not make it your goal to run a marathon next week. You will become extremely discouraged! This is just a way of life, you must take baby steps to make a achieve goals that work for you.

Relevant/Realistic - Why would I ever need to learn Setswana? I would never need to. Why set a goal to do something that you have no use for? Set a goal for something that is of great use to you. Becoming more organized, spending more time with your family, etc.

Timely - When will you be done this goal? There has to be a time limit, or it's just a wish. Deadlines are what make this world go round, I swear. You have to be able to sit down on X day and evaluate how you're doing with your goal or you'll just have a dream goal that is recycled every new years. (This is why people don't think new years resolutions don't work.)

I want you all to set a couple of goals for 2012. It's supposed to be a great year!

Here is my new list with crossed off completed goals. Some of them don't have dates and that is because I don't know what the day was. Sometimes I forgot to document it... I'm human!

Start Date: 7 February 2010

Finish Date: 3 November 2012

Financial:

1. Save $5,000

2. Get a scholarship

3. Save $3,000

4. Get a full time job

5. Put 1$ in the travel jar for every task completed

6. Pay all my bills on time until November 2012

7. Donate 1$ for every goal I do not complete

Education: 

8. Get into university

9. Keep a minimum of a 75% average

10. Take a recreational class

11. Attend university

12.  Finish an assignment a week in advance

13.  Upgrade a high school credit

14. Make a list of 10 books I want to read

Spiritual:

15. Read the Book of Mormon

16. Get in the habit of daily prayer

17. Read 15 general conference talks

18. Make a list of those talks in the order of which affected me most

19. Mark my scriptures at least once every day for 3 weeks

20. Learn about another religion

21. A-Z reasons of why I love being Mormon

22. Spend an entire day reading the scriptures

23. Read my PB weekly for 2 months

24. Graduate from seminary

25. Read a book by a General Authority

Health:

26. Get a pool/gym membership

27. Get to my goal weight

28. Run a race

29. Stop having fast food for a month

30. Drink only water, real fruit juice and milk for a month

31. Give blood

32. Sign my organ donor card

33. Do the hundred push up challenge

Performing/Artistic Skills:

34.  Do a DIY project

35. Sing a solo

36. Paint a painting

37. Learn to play a song that I love on the guitar

38.  Make a ridiculously good-looking dessert

39. Direct a piece in choir that I love

Travel/Sight Seeing:

40. Go on a trip with friends

41. Go on a trip with siblings

42. Have a travel fund jar in my room

43. Go to the beach for a day

44. Visit the Grand Canyon

45. Visit a friend outside of Ontario

46. Make a picture book with pictures from my vacation

47. Spend a day in Ottawa’s Parliament

48. Go geocaching with my family

New Skills:

49.  Spend a day picking strawberries and making jam

50. Learn to cook a fancy meal

51. Keep room clean/organized for 2 weeks straight

52. Make cookies and deliver them to someone

53. Learn how to make sushi

54. Take an hour to read a book every day for a week

55. Do a photo shoot of someone

56. Make a nice dinner for some people I love

57. Memorize a Shakespearian passage

58. Take a picture of myself everyday for 50 days and make a video of it

59. Get my G license

60. Get a pair of jeans on sale

61. Learn how to bake a pie

62. Learn how to make apple sauce

Personal Challenges:

63. Get my ears pierced

64. Go out of my way to be nice to someone who dislikes me

65. Get artwork for every song on my computer

66. Write 5 letters to people who have changed my life

67.  Write a missionary once a month for 2 years

68. Make a list of 100 things that make me happy

69. Cast an educated vote in my first election

70. Reverse pick-pocket someone

71. Spend a day with my grandparents

72. Wear my hair straight everyday for 1 week

73. Unplug for a week – no cell phone, laptop, TV or facebook

74. Keep a gratitude journal for a week

75. Keep a dream journal for a month

76. Make a list of my favorite 25 qualities

77. Do my laundry biweekly for 3 months

78. Keep in touch with one of my high school friends

79. Make my bed every day for a week

80.  Replace the photos in my room with new ones

81. Buy a camera to document every task on this list

New Experiences:

82. Buy a lotto ticket

83. Do one of the following: hot air balloon, sky diving, bungee jumping

84. Try 3 foods from different countries

85. Watch the sunset and sunrise in one night

86. Have a slumber party (3+ people, planned)

87. Write myself a letter to open in 10 years

88. Leave a letter in a library book

89. Pull an all-nighter

90. Go ATVing

91. Go horseback riding

92. Send a secret to PostSecret

93. Buy something on Etsy

94. Go to a professional sports game and buy a shirt

95. Go to a concert with a family member

96. Get a mani/pedi

97. See 2 “cultured” events in Toronto

98. Go on a picnic

99. Volunteer in the social work field

Organization Skills:

100. Post on my blog for every task I complete

101. Keep an up to date calendar for 2 months

My Goals for January:

17. Read 15 general conference talks

97. See 2 “cultured” events in Toronto

87. Write myself a letter to open in 10 years

80.  Replace the photos in my room with new ones

70. Reverse pick-pocket someone

59. Get my G license

29. Stop having fast food for a month

30. Drink only water, real fruit juice and milk for a month

38.  Make a ridiculously good-looking dessert

39. Direct a piece in choir that I love

32. Sign my organ donor card

I just have to do 2 or 3 of these a week. How easy is that? This is going to be awesome!

What are some of your new goals for 2012?

Wisdom Teeth & Migraines

I went to the dentist about a month ago for a routine check up. It went great, no cavities! But I had had a wisdom tooth coming in for about a month at that point. I informed my dentist of this and she took some x-rays and confirmed that that was the case. There was good news though! Naive me, thought that it would be great news like not needing surgery... But she informed me that I only had wisdom teeth coming in in my top row of teeth. These wisdom teeth, apparently, are way less painful and cause way less swelling then the bottom two teeth. (Which was somewhat of a relief.) I had had a friend just recently go for an emergency surgery and I was definitely terrified of what my future would hold.

Not my actual teeth, but those big bad boys on the top are basically what I have. YAY!

My dentist set an appointment with the specialist on December 16th and I advised my work that I would have to leave early that day for my consultation. It's been about a month since my appointment has been made and I'm getting splitting headaches ad aches in my jaw. I could wait but apparently if they come in they'll move all my other teeth around. I have nice teeth! They do not need to be moved around in exchange for any wisdom!

Any suggestions?