I worked too much this summer. I guess I had it coming — I haven’t spent this few summer days at the beach since…well, I don’t know when. I’ve literally only taken one day off all summer, and that was to head up to Michigan for my brother’s wedding! I took it a little bit easy last week though, and I managed to wear every Lilly Pulitzer dress I own “one last time” this summer (until next week?). The past four days have been jam packed with family, friends, food, fun, and lots and lots of music. And even though I’m sad to see the season end and all my out-of-town guests head home…I’m not as sad as I usually am come September.
Labor Day weekend always makes me feel like summer’s over, but I think I’ve been around here long enough to know better by now. Long enough, as in…it has been exactly 10 years since the day I packed up some stuff, drove down here on a Tuesday, and never left. September in Virginia Beach is always gorgeous. All the crazy people are gone, and even though work is extra busy, I always manage to make it out to the beach on the weekends.
So here’s to another summer, another year in VB, and another September. The year is two-thirds over, and I still have lots to get done.
Work
PMP Certification
ITIL Certification
Salesforce Administrator Certification
Salesforce Advanced Administrator Certification
Force.com Developer Certification
Attend Dreamforce again
Successfully get data governance committee up and running – Launched data governance committee, January 10. Second data governance meeting went really well, February 25.
Develop a new strategy for keeping my email under control – This awesome out-of-office message made it so I didn’t need to worry about drowning in e-mails the entire time I was on vacation: Aloha! I will be on vacation in Hawaii from March 28 through April 5. I will be checking emails intermittently, so if your email is urgent, please write me back and let me know by putting URGENT in the subject line (but keep in mind I’ll be six hours behind EDT). If it can wait until I return, please write me again on or after April 7 because it’s quite possible your original email will be lost in a sea of unread messages in my Inbox by then. 🙂 Pineapples & palm trees, Lisa DeNoia.
Blog
Redesign the blog (again) – Redesigned and renamed the blog, January 26.
Post a series of gluten-free recipes (I’m hoping this will motivate me to cook more?)
Participate in Nicole‘s “Finish This” series – Co-hosting Finish This… series. Wrote four posts in January. I haven’t been doing quite as well with this in February — I’m going to catch up, though. I completely failed at this in March. Sorry, Nicole! And continued to do so in April. I posted one of these in May, but I seriously need to get it together. 🙁
Write something hilarious – My out-of-office message above? 😉
Plan a link-up for next year’s resolutions
Travel
Plan a girls trip – Girls trip to Disney is planned for October 2-6!
Visit Nicole in Texas
Visit Regina in Colorado
Visit Tara in Ohio (or meet her somewhere cool)
Visit my brother in Jacksonville and take a road trip down the coast of Florida to Key West
Eat pineapples in Hawaii – I ate pineapples every day in Hawaii, March 28-April 5.
Play poker in Las Vegas
Taste wine at some vineyards
Take pictures of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse
New Things to Do
Shoot a gun (well)
Learn to play the guitar ukulele (at least one song)
Eat a clam (because I promised J’s sister I would try one of hers) – Ate a clam @ Metropolitan Oyster Exchange, early April. I didn’t love it, but I ate it.
Acquire some kind of bar cart or wine rack (liquor bottles are taking over my counter) – Acquired wine rack/bar, January 12.
Take a dance class
Start a good things jar (or maybe a virtual one) – Started virtual “good things” jar in Evernote, January 4.
Get that damn container of books out of the back of my car – Container of books out of car and put away on a new shelf, January 12.
The Usual
Keep up the horseback riding
Go surfing – Surfed in Waikiki, April 1.
Go ice skating
Do yoga
Host a party @ my house
Read at least 10 good books – Crystal Blue by John H. Cunningham, The Wet and the Dry: A Drinker’s Journey by Lawrence Osborne, Another Roadside Attractions by Tom Robbins, Hawaii by James Michener, Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins, Hoot by Carl Hiassen
Attend a few good concerts – Yarn @ The Jewish Mother, January 27. Taimane @ the Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, April 3. Frankie Valli @ Chrysler Hall, April 8. Bruce Springsteen @ the Amphitheater, April 12. Jimmy Buffett @ Farm Bureau Live, May 24. Avett Brothers @ Ntelos Pavilion, June 8. Party Fins @ Town Center, August 27. Vertical Horizon @ Neptune’s Park, August 29. Rusted Root @ Neptune’s Park and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies @ 17th Street Stage, August 30. Train @ 5th Street Stage, August 31.
See a few good plays – Vagina Monologues @ ODU, February 15.
Publish something I’ve written somewhere other than my own blog
Financial Goals
Put more money in the 529 college savings plans I opened for my BFF’s kids
Increase monthly TD Ameritrade transfer to $325 in January and $350 in June – Increased monthly TD transfer to $325, January 4. I don’t know why I said June here. I meant July. But this is done, July 5.
Start a new business (preferably with another person — I think it would be more fun that way)
Create a 2014 budget and track my progress against it monthly in Mint, Quicken or some other tool
Achieve the savings and net worth goals I wrote down in my budget
For My Well-Being
Get back in the habit of getting regular facials
Have a vegetarian week
Find a new cleaning service – New person has been cleaning my house since early August. 🙂
Watch less TV – I’ve been watching so much less TV. I don’t have time to watch TV.
Get contacts or prescription sunglasses
Join a gym
Run in the R&R Half Marathon (I said I’d never do it again, but I changed my mind) – Fail. I changed by mind back. 🙂
Log 3,650,000 steps on my Fitbit (that’s an average of 10,000 per day) – Walked/ran 246,032 steps and 99.56 miles in January. Walked/ran 214,419 steps and 86.76 miles in February. Walked/ran 183,128 steps and 81.32 miles in March (got a little behind while I was sick for a few days). Walked/ran 258,099 steps and 103.10 miles in April. Walked/ran 237,871 steps and 97.05 miles in May (lost one day because my Fitbit’s battery died). Walked/ran 183,714 steps and 73.57 mils in June. Walked/ran 157,811 steps and 62.77 miles in July (lost three days because my Fitbit’s battery died). Walked/ran 209,014 steps and 83.75 miles in August (lost one day because my Fitbit’s battery died).
And, as usual, make one new resolution every month:
January: Get new running shoes – New running shoes arrived, January 8.
February: Complete Salesforce Administrations Essentials for New Admins (ADM201) training online – I’m almost done, but I have about an hour and half left. However, I’ve accomplished more than eight average human beings this month, so I refuse to insinuate that I failed at this. I’m going to get it done as soon as I can.
March: Complete PMP application – Fail.
April: Stop leaving work after the sun goes down – Accomplished. Thank you, DST.
May: Put a bed in my guest room – Bed in the guest room, May 23. Mattress on the bed, May 25.
June: Have the VHS of my high school history project converted to digital media – Failed. I forgot I even wrote this down.
July: Apply to volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters – Kind of. Apparently Big Brothers Big Sisters only exists on the Peninsula, and they don’t accept volunteers from the Southside. Which makes sense — it would be difficult to commit to driving all the way up there at least once per week. I’ll look for something else.
August: Fail because I didn’t post my update.
September: Sign up for the Salesforce Administrator exam (and take it). Also, beach days. As many beach days as possible.
