First Half of 32

Today is my half-birthday. (Please, no gifts.) But I do like to recognize this day solely for the fact that my birthday comes 15 days after Christmas, smack-dab in the middle of winter, when no one has the desire to celebrate nor has any money for presents. July 9 just seems like a much happier day.

I decided that it would be a good idea to do a review of the list I wrote six months ago. I have included it for you as a reminder, because to be honest, I had forgotten about this list so I really don't expect you to remember it either.

Without further ado, here it is. You may need to take a nap afterward.

1. Eat more fish. I have never liked seafood but I am learning to like salmon. And perhaps if salmon doesn't taste too bad, then other slimy water-dwelling creatures don't taste half-bad either. Let's hope so. I had some salmon two months ago. Success!

2. Wear shorts. This was a goal last year that fell short when I rediscovered cream cheese frosting. But I am determined to overcome that current obsession.  I have successfully graduated out of my cream cheese phase (minus the cake I devoured on the 4th of July) but my legs are not quite ready for shorts. Almost, but not quite. They're a little shy.


3. Travel to a new country. Tunisia, Egypt, New Zealand, Peru and Cyprus all sound exciting right now.  For those of you who are new to this site, I hopped on a plane in March and explored all that Tunisia had to offer, minus the Star Wars set. It was fantastic. Oh, and I totally think Vegas counts too.

4. Renew my passport so I can travel to a new country. This happened. See above.

5. Have regular quiet time in the mornings. This is so hard for me but it makes such a huge difference in my day. Oh gosh. Here is my brutal reality check. This is still not happening, people. Partly because I have been in a bit of a spiritual drought lately and the other part is because I have been staying up too late watching reruns on Hulu. However, today I woke up with the desire to do this and I consider that half the battle.

6. Highlight my hair. Granted, this can be difficult with hair as dark as mine but I am thinking it is time to spruce it up a little. Besides, I am tired of plucking out gray hairs with my tweezers. I did this. And I love it. And I haven't had to use my tweezers in a very long time.


7. Take a road trip or four. I live for the open highway and a box of Crunch 'n' Munch. I have taken approximately 20 road trips to Alamosa. Does that count?


8. Save more money. There is something so rewarding about not spending money. I am doing fantastically well at this unless there is something new I want to buy, like high heels or a cruise.


9. Do yoga regularly. This has yet to happen.


10. Donate or throw away things that I do not use or do not wear. After moving last week, the last thing I want to do is haul that stuff around again. Oh, this happens regularly. I clean out my closet almost every month. It is so liberating.


11. Fall in love. It's just time, people. I think we all know that this one is still waiting in the wings. But at least he has a letter to help him figure it out.


12. Give myself more grace. God pours it out but I often refuse it. I need to embrace it, forgive myself and move on. Oh man. I am pretty sure I will work at this for the rest of my life.


13. Play more golf. And that means more than just the driving range. So far, I have only gone to the driving range. But I am pretty sure there is a Par 3 with my name on it.


14. Wear heels more often. They do wonders for your butt. You better believe this is happening. I bought a pair of gold sparkly heels that are so fabulous I could just scream.


15. Set better boundaries. I am really working on this but boundaries can quickly become blurred. As my sister says "own your yard," meaning I don't need to take care of your yard and my yard and my neighbor's yard and everyone else's yard. My yard is big enough, thank you. Owning a yard takes a lot of work and boundaries are the only thing that keep it from becoming too big. I love boundaries, don't you?


16. Take better care of my skin. It's a bit parched these days. There has been an improvement in this area! For my birthday, I asked for gift cards to Origins. And after a lot of research and smelling each sample, I have finally found the most amazing night cream for my face. For all the girls out there, you know this is a major victory in the area of self preservation and hydration. I only wish I could bathe in it.


17. Be more spontaneous. This is so darn tricky for me because I love to plan! And planned spontaneity does not count. So, give me a holler and ask me to do something. I'll do my best to not bring my planner along with me. I am planning on doing this more often.


18. Attempt to wear leggings. Oh gosh, this could be disastrous. Yeah, this hasn't happened yet. Granted, it has been 169 degrees here lately but I may aim to accomplish this in the Fall. I will keep you posted.


19. Listen to Noah. Soak up his stories, his theories on life, his imagination and his advice for my love life (oh, believe me, he has them). He is growing up so fast. I love this one. And yes, he does have some pretty amazing stories, like telling me that I am the fifth most beautiful person, right after Mary, Jesus' mother.

20. Be more bold. And this includes my actions, my words, my stance on what I believe, my fashion choices and lipstick color. I am wearing red pants with a turquoise necklace, does that count? And I have found that as I accept more grace and draw better boundaries, my boldness jumps in. I love how that works.


21. Get some muscle definition. Apparently I lost my muscles over the Christmas season. With the inclusion of squats and push-ups, and with the exclusion of cookie dough, this is beginning to happen. I'll let you know if the trade-off is worth it.

22. See more of my extended family. And that means you Becky, Matt, Jenny, Charley, Kellie, Nathan, Sherri, Edwin, Tammy, Duwayne, Rick, Kim, Diane, Terry, Lori, Thad, Spencer, Amy, Alan, Carolyn, Bruce, Chelsea, Katie, Vadim, McKenzie, Kristen, Chad, Marge, Larry, Dedra, Dale, Donna, Don, DeLynn, Linda, Mike, Tim, Kathy, Shane, Erica, John, Jenny, Patricia, Tyler, Ryan, Pamela and the two sets of twins. Plus the other 28,480 that I did not mention. Sadly, this has not happened. I saw a few cousins in May but that is it. And considering I have many, many more to see, I should probably get on this. Of course, they could always come to Colorful Colorado for a visit...


23. Be radical for Jesus. I am not sure what this looks like but I'm game. I really, really want this.

24. Sleep more. Yes, please. I have found that I sleep more on the weekends yet sleep less during the week. I am assuming those two are connected.

25. Laugh more. Yes, please. Peeps, I have some very funny friends! (And yes, I am talking about you, Melissa.) And I also have an older brother who just has to walk by me and I start laughing. The more these people are in my life, the more I am laughing.


26. Exercise more. My treadmill and I have been estranged, it's time to rekindle the relationship. Done and done.


27. Bake more. Yes, please. Actually, I have baked less this year (see #'s 2, 21 and 26), but I have something fun to share with you very soon that may have me baking like a crazy woman! 


28. Be less judgemental. Camp Alamosa is really helping with this. In progress...

29. Stop obsessing over my appearance. Give it a rest, Sarah. Give it a rest. Oy ve. Sometimes I am highly successful at this; other times this threatens to take over my life. I am not sure if that is normal.


30. Bake homemade bread. I am still afraid of yeast but I think this is the year to conquer it. Fingers crossed. I am still totally afraid of yeast. Perhaps October will be a good month to tackle this.


31. Be less fearful of failure, pain, disappointment, embarrassment and vulnerability. Come to terms with the fact that I DO NOT have it all together. Why in the world did I write this? Of course I have it all together.


32. Be a guest host on Saturday Night Live. I am just waiting to hear from Lorne Michaels. He said he would get right back to me.


So, how is the first half of your year shaping up?