September! by Julie

Thanks, ladies, for a good, delicious, inspiring, wine-y meeting of the COA last night. It was a great way to start September (a little early).

Here are my goals:

Fitness: I've finally started running again. This week is my first week back and I aimed for a modest 6 miles with enough scheduled strength sessions not to neglect my sometimes aching back. Goal for September: If I can get in all my planned runs, I should complete 37 miles in September. By the end of September, if all goes well, I'll sign up for one of my favorite fall races, the Wilderness Run, a five-mile trail run that happens the weekend nearest Halloween. Potential stumbling blocks: 1. My back/hip problems. I'm going to try to do enough strength training/therapy/stretching to keep these issues in check. 2. Travel. I'll be gone for about a week in September for a conference. I love running in new cities as a way to explore so I'll just pack my shoes and gear and plan a route to discover something new.

Career: September means conference and workplan. Goals: 1. Learn how to do my job better at conference--especially through a special session on Listening Sessions I signed up for. 2. Have some Very Important Conversations at conference (that's a joke for Liz). 3. Create a realistic, manageable workplan that includes areas for growth for my organizations, myself, my employee(s), and a concrete work product that my boss will be responsible for. Potentially stumbling blocks: My boss is a big stumbling block for me. Good thing I have co-workers who are on the same page as me.

Finance: This summer was pretty killer for our finances. We had to have Tim's transmission rebuilt, we went on vacation, and I had several doctor bills from my back/hip problems. August is particularly stressful with tuition and car insurance due. August is also when the additional costs of gymnastics begin to roll in with mandatory team leotards and optional warm-ups and meet fees starting for the fall season. Goals for September: 1. Help Tim get stuff on eBay. 2. Explore potential consulting work. 3. Stay below my grocery and spending money budgets. 4. Set a date for a garage sale. Potential stumbling blocks: Unexpected expenses. We always have them! This is one reason that I'm looking to expand our money coming in.

Adultiness: I've been working on my 101 in 1001 list this summer. It's helped me to feel like I'm accomplishing something when I start feeling down-in-the-dumps. Here is my list for September. I know I won't get it all done, but it will give me some options to work on when I'm bored or don't know what to do. Goals for September: 1. Knit 125 rows of Tim's Dr. Who scarf. 2. Fix my khaki pants. 3. Declutter magazines and CDs. 3. Make dermatologist appointment for my annual skin cancer check. 4. Read a book of the Bible. 5. Finish 4 more pages of our vacation photo album. 6. Clear off my desk. 7. Make our list of house projects and a plan for their completion. 8. Read The Year of Magical Thinking. Potential stumbling blocks: Being gone for conference will get me a little out of the habit but I can ease back into "getting stuff done" by doing some of the more "fun" stuff on the list.