This is 39: Month 11

Holy shit! I can't believe that there's just one month left in my epic year of This is 39! At times it's felt like the year has been slowly trudging along and at other times (like now), it's truly flown by! My tracker is all updated with progress through today. I've got a clear sense of the things I likely won't accomplish and the things that I will cross of that goal list by October 23rd. While I may be slightly disappointed that I won't be able to say that I accomplished all I set out to do, I am more than okay with it and am incredibly proud of all that I will have done in the 12 months.

Here's where things stand with all 39 goals in Month 11:

• Attend a yoga class at least 1x/month- I got this out of the way early in the month and went to a restorative yoga class with my friend Heather. If not for my crazy travel schedule, I would have gone again this month. 
• Be mindful of communication: try not to say anything about someone I wouldn't want them overhearing.
• Blog at least 2x/month about my goals and progress- Welp. I only got around to doing this one time this month. And that's fine. I know I'll go out with a bang in Month 12!
• Buy and use really good eye cream every day. 
• Call my grandparents 1x/week- While I called my grandmother 7 times this month, I didn't actually speak to her for almost two weeks because of crazy work travel. My grandmother's memory isn't what it used to be. And over the course of the past 11 months, I've noticed a change that may not have been as obvious if I hadn't been talking with her so frequently. It's not surprising at 92 years of age, but it's still upsetting to notice that change in someone who always used to be so sharp.
  
  Next week finds me in Philadelphia for work and my first stop after landing at PHL will be to go and have dinner with my grandmother. I'm so looking forward to it.
  
• Camp at/near the beach- NOPE. And I still don't see this one happening before I turn 40. I'm going to be leaving on October 11th (until October 27th). So unless this happens on some random weekend (highly doubtful), it ain't happening because my weekends are spoken for between now and when I leave. 
• Create a solid emergency savings fund- Due to an unexpected check in the mail (thank you Citibank), I think I may actually have a bit of savings so that I can say that the beginning of an emergency savings fund will be in existence. 
• Date night with Steve at least one night a week (when I'm not traveling)- Due to Steve's birthday, we got a couple of date nights squeezed in when I took him out for a delicious birthday dinner on two separate occasions. I wouldn't say we're the best at date nighting. With my half marathon training, I am basically a baby and in bed really early. Or I'm just tired from all the training. So that doesn't help. But, we could- and should- do better on this front. Regardless, here's a photo from date night the other night:

• Denver trip with my twin to see the twins- Sadly. This is another one that is not gonna happen. Katie and I talked about making this happen this winter where we can combine skiing. 
• Do a Segway tour- Much to Katie's dismay, this is gonna hafta happen while we're in Lisbon. I found a tour company with great reviews on Trip Advisor. So more on this next month! 
• Try Ethiopian food- COMPLETE 
• Eliminate credit card debt- COMPLETE
• Exceed last year's Cycle for Survival fundraising ($18,476)- COMPLETE 
• Finish the remaining stair walks from the Secret Stairs of Los Angeles book- COMPLETE
• Get 4 facials and 4 massages- COMPLETE. And I added another massage to the mix this last month. After my 11 1/2 mile run I was in serious need of some repair. Chris (who has been working his magic for all of my previous massages) was just what my body needed. And before I left, I already booked another massage for the afternoon of my half marathon! 
• Get my photography hanging up somewhere in public- I *think* some of my photos are hanging up in the Thatch, but I won't be able to confirm that until I'm back in October. And I have another idea for some of my photos to be hanging up in a movie theater in New Hampshire. Not exactly what I had in mind but...
• Go on a solo road trip that includes at least 2 nights away- COMPLETE
• Go to Weight Watchers meetings every week- I have been religious about this. I've gone from the airport straight to meetings since my travel schedule has been so bonkers. Which hasn't been great for weighing in. But it's meant I've been completely committed to this goal. I need this kind of accountability, so I'm glad I've stuck with it. 
• Hike 1x/month- Katie, Steve and I hiked (part way to) Skull Rock on August 26th- the anniversary of the day our Dad died. We had hoped to do this sunset hike, but it didn't quite work out that way because of the way the sun fell behind the mountains. It was a nice evening though and I was grateful to get my hike out of the way early in the month. 
• Journal at least 4x/week- Because I'm playing catch-up, I've been writing basically every single day this past month (with the exception of one day). I'm almost done with the journal I've been writing in since August of 2017. Which is, my 21st journal! 
• Learn how to properly apply eye liner- COMPLETE. Guys- I can even apply eye liner while in the car! 
• Milk a cow (in Ireland)- I'm really hoping my friends come through for me when I'm back home next month. I was surprised at how difficult this was to make happen when I was there in June. But I'm remaining hopeful!
• No McDonald's for a year- Still McDonald's free! Last night I came home from the bar (I only had two drinks) and actually sauteed some kale for dinner. Who am I?! The old me definitely would have hit McDonald's on the way home and gotten some greasy grub. 
• Nurture my marriage- Some days are better than others. I try every single day. But sometimes I am just not good at it. Sigh. 
• Organize and back-up photos- I've spent a lot of time on this. But I think I'm going to have to spend more time organizing and backing up my photos before I can comfortably say this one is done. 
• Plan a kick ass 40th birthday trip (to Lisbon and Ireland)- In progress! Katie and I sat down last night and figured out that there are almost 25 of us who will be traveling from all corners of the world (seriously, we have someone coming from Thailand!) to celebrate our 40th. We also finalized where we're staying in Lisbon (thank you Joe). And things are falling into place for Ireland and the big 40th party on Wednesday October 24th! The major thing that we really need to line up is the transportation the night of the party so our guests don't have to worry about how they're getting to/from the Thatch. Once we settle that, I'll feel much better.
• Read 20 books- COMPLETE. I've actually read 25 books so far this year and know that I'll get a few more under my belt before October 23rd. This is by far the most number of books I've read in a year...ever. Here are the books I've finished since last month:
• Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama. This moved along a little slower than I had hoped and focused on Barack Obama's life before he really got into politics. It was a fascinating read though and I learned so much about his unusual upbringing, the humble and simple way he lived his life and his unique and sprawling (extended) family that shapes so much of who he is. 
• All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin. I finished this book in a day and a half. It was a really good story and a very quick read. I'd recommend this if you're looking for a quick book to read.
• The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes. I've read a lot of her books and this was unlike anything else I've read by the author. It starts out in France during WWI and then skips ahead to London nearly a century later. The story focuses around the fate of the art that was stolen during the war (a topic I hadn't read about before). I moved through the book quickly and really enjoyed it. Definitely recommend if you're a Jojo Moyes fan or someone who reads about WWI/II. 
• Resistance training 3x/week- As I mentioned last month, I stopped doing leg resistance training. So I'm only doing this 2x/week. I'm more than okay with it. Especially because I've definitely seen a huge difference since April when I really started focusing on eating better and began half marathon training. I love feeling stronger. 
• Run a Half Marathon- Yesterday was the last long run I'll do (12 1/4 miles) until Race Day on Sunday, October 7th. I can't believe it's only two weeks away! Now it's time to taper!
  
  Below is a photo from me post-run. I am so proud of myself for how much I've stuck with this goal. It has not been easy- especially with all the travel that's complicated my ability to just get up in the morning and get out the door. I've had to do lots of late night runs after really long and tiring days on event and force myself to log miles on a treadmill in a random hotel exercise room. But this has been so rewarding and I'm so looking forward to the Half Marathon.
  
  I know I'm going to be nervous as hell beforehand, but I am ready. I have trained. I will do fine. And I have so many reasons to be grateful and proud. 

• Sisters-only trip- NOPE. Sadly this just wasn't in the cards this year. But what did happen this past month is that the four of us were in the same place at the same time! Below is photographic evidence.
  
  The other thing that happened this past month (really just within the past few days), is we all settled on a location (Italian Riviera) and time frame (fall of 2019) for our sister's only vacation. I. Can't. Wait! 

• Ski in California (w/ Katie)- NOPE. But as mentioned above, I'm hoping this will get done this winter (and possibly in Colorado). 
• Stay on top of BRCA2 gene appointments- COMPLETE
• Track each day's food in the Weight Watchers app- NOPE. Still not happening and I'm still okay with it! 
• Travel some place new- COMPLETE. And that's before our trip to Lisbon which will be another new place! 
• Try meditating for 21 days in a row- COMPLETE
• Try surfing (w/ Steve)- THIS WILL HAPPEN! The window of time to do this is so freaking small. But I will make him take me one evening before I leave for NYC/Maryland/Lisbon/Ireland. 
• Use my real camera at least 1x/month- I didn't do this in month 11. I was thinking today how I should just go and take photos at the park. But then I thought "No. This isn't what I had in mind. And I'm not going to go out and take photos just to say I did it." I know I'll be using my camera plenty next month so I'm fine with skipping a month. 
• Volunteer 1x/month (must include something to help Flip the House)- Today found me and Katie at UCLA helping to sign-up student voters. It wasn't the most glamorous volunteering I've ever done, but I know how important it is. And although I was annoyed at times with the flippant way some of the students walked by without giving us a second of their time (do they truly lack understanding of how important the mid-term elections are? Probably. I know I had no clue when I was their age), I know that the handful of people who did register because we were there, makes a difference. Those who took our postcards and will look it up later is also important.
  
  I'm glad that I did something more than just write postcards- although that is important too. It was good to step out of my comfort zone and to engage with people. If you too are looking for more ways to get involved, you can check out Vote Save America. It's a wonderful resource that allows people to 1) see if they're registered 2) get registered 3) find events near them that they can get involved with. Here's a photo of me and Katie from our short but impactful volunteer shift:

• Write an article/short story about Clancy and try and get it published- I've written one whole paragraph! Wow. Insert eye roll here. I guess the pressure will really be on in this last month to accomplish this goal. 

So that's Month 11.

Thank you, as always, for the support from afar. For being excited about and engaged with this crazy year and all my goals. I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many people who truly care.

Until next month!