December 2010 Goals

I was trying to come up with a good December photo (y’know, fir trees, ornaments, hot chocolate — the usual), when I downloaded my most recent engagement session and saw the image above.  Uh, beautiful?  Those hands belong to Katherine + Tim, whom you’ll meet in due time, and they came up from Hershey, Pennsylvania, last weekend to be photographed.  (Okay, they were actually here for Thanksgiving and we multitasked, but I like to think of myself as a photographer people travel for.  Don’t ruin my dream.)  This was toward the beginning of our time together, so they could probably still feel all those fingers, but don’t let that beauty and stunning sunshine fool you — it was COLD.  And windy.  And cold.  Did I mention cold?

It was cold.  So cold.

But I’ll talk about that later.  Right now I’ll talk about December.  Last month one of my goals was to finish all of my goals — and I got pretty close!  I also talked about some exciting things brewing around our home, which downright boiled just before Thanksgiving (namely, that we’re moving to San Francisco).  As you can imagine, that news has kind of turned this place upside down (in a really good way, of course!), so I’m okay with the three leftovers — two “accidental,” one on purpose.

I said I wasn’t going to overwhelm myself with too much new stuff to do this month beyond moving, but then I wrote my list, which was about twice as large as its current state.  I cut it down for my own sanity!

December Goals (November holdovers in italics):

• Finish Christmas shopping within the first week
• End o’ the year accounting — dunn dunn duuuunnnnn
• Institute a new email organization system (well, it’s more just an improvement on the current setup)
• Cook Glen Brussels Sprouts (He asked for them!  I think I’ll try this recipe.)
• Speaking of cooking… start to eat down all the food in our cupboards (to avoid trashing or moving it) — Get ready for some weird dinners!
• Sell some stuff and throw some junk away so we don’t have to move it!
• MOVE
• Set up our new banking when we get to California
• Throw our “Bon Voyage Connecticut” party
• Celebrate Hanukkah with lovely friends before we leave
• Celebrate Christmas with my family once we arrive (this is Glen’s first not-with-his-family Christmas, so it must be great!)
• Shoot a little film this month — dunno, just feel like it.
• Update my winter wardrobe — I’m purposefully saving this for after Christmas, because “winter” means something different to a Northern Californian than it does to a New Englander.  Plus, San Francisco shopping.  Need I say more?  Now, would anyone like to come dress and / or style me?  Because I kind of suck at it.
• Take new photos of Glen and myself — Did you know that the sun sets at like 4 p.m. right now?  Makes for scheduling difficulties, what with Glen working into the darkness each day.
• Organize my paperwork (ugh) — Can you tell I’m STILL avoiding this one?

Completed November Goals:

• Finish up all my remaining edits by the end of the week
• Create new DVD packaging — LOVE IT.  I’ll post a peek of this soon.
• Convince my Connecticut relatives (i.e., Glen’s family) that pumpkin pie a) can be delicious and, b) is a Thanksgiving staple — SUCCESS.  And, unbeknownst to me, apparently last year I tried to school my CT family on what constitutes a good batch of mashed potatoes.  So loud was I that they let me make the whole lot this year — and they all loved it.  So, cheers to accidental successes!
• Buy new work hard drives
• Finish the majority of my Christmas shopping — Totally done except for Glen’s gift (he claims his new job is his only Christmas gift), and one other cannot-be-bought-online item!  Huge weight off my shoulders.
• Eat more fruit (how vague is that for a goal?)
• Drink more water (vague is good!)
• Bake at least two loaves of bread (from my Great Uncle’s recipe — TO. DIE. FOR.  Our butter consumption skyrockets when we bake bread.) Pre-baked Proof:

So, what are your plans for the last month of 2010?  Anything good?  I’ll send a surprise to the person with the best answer!  (Hint: it’s candy.  And okay, I’ll randomly select the winner.)