Financial Goals

1. Save $1,000
2. Create a monthly budget and stick to it
3. Reduce my credit card debt by at least 40%

Health Goals

1. Lose 50 pounds

Professional/Educational Goals

1. Pass the TExEs certification test in Social Studies
2. Apply for graduate school

Miscellaneous Goals

1. Complete a scrapbook
2. Actively look for “Mr. Right”
3. Find a new church home with a strong youth program
   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/2012-goals/feed/ 0 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/my-very-own-bucket-list/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/my-very-own-bucket-list/#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:35:11 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=402 ]]> Weekday afternoons at the museum are notoriously slow and yesterday was no exception.  Having forgotten my book at home, I was desperate for something to do that would help pass the time.  Thanks to my iTouch and the museum’s wi-fi, I was able to create my very own bucket list.
   1. Visit all these places
   2. Watch all of Johnny Depp’s movies (50+ according to IMDb)
   3. Fit in a size 12
   4. Visit every continent
   5. Earn a Mater’s Degree
   6. Drive a 1967 Stingray Corvette
   7. Meet a famous person (peferably Johnny Depp or a member of the Red Wings)
   8. Work or volunteer at the Smithsonian
   9. Get married
   10. See a polar bear in the wild
   11. Live in Scotland
   12. Complete a scrapbook
   13. Learn to waltz
   14. See the Northern Lights
   15. Go 6 months without driving a car
   16. Learn American Sign Language
   17. Visit all 50 states
   18. Go white water rafting
   19. See the Red Wings play in Joe Louis Arena
   20. Celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany
   21. Ride in a hot air balloon
   22. Fly first class
   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/my-very-own-bucket-list/feed/ 0 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/places-i-want-to-visit-bucket-list/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/places-i-want-to-visit-bucket-list/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:13:46 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=397 ]]> The idea for this post began to germinate while listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s rendition of “ Battle Hymn of the Republic” and burst into full bloom after reading MerrieB’s latest post.

   North America

   • Grand Canyon
   • Niagra Falls
   • Boston (with a side trip to Salem)
   • San Francisco and Napa Valley
   • Chicago (not as part of a 10-hour layover at O’Hare!)
   • Yellowstone
   • Colorado
   • Utah (so many great national parks)
   • Las Vegas
   • Detroit (just to see a Red Wings game)
   • Montana
   • Alaska
   • Quebec
   • New England in the Fall

   International

   • Italy
   • Greece
   • Germany
   • France (more than just Paris)
   • Austria
   • Estonia
   • The Netherlands
   • Australia
   • Egypt (I think I’ll wait until the craziness dies down!)
   • South Africa

   Places I’ve Been But Want to Revisit

   • Scotland
   • London
   • Hawaii
   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/places-i-want-to-visit-bucket-list/feed/ 1 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/books-i-wish-she-had-read/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/books-i-wish-she-had-read/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:37:40 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=389 ]]> While browsing the web, I found a post about missed reading opportunities and started thinking about my rich reading background.  I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t a voracious reader.  My mom has a tremendous love of reading and literature and shared that love with my brother and me.  Some of my earliest (and happiest) memories are of Momma reading The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins   and Are You My Mother? , and the greatest Christmas present I received as a kid was the Little House on the Prairie box set which I read at least a dozen times.  Books have always been an integral part of my daily routine and I shudder to imagine a life in which I couldn’t indulge in a quick trip to ancient Rome, King Henry’s Hampton Court, or the dark alleys of crime-ridden Los Angeles.   With this in mind, I offer a quick list of the most influential or memorable books from my childhood:

   1.  Little House of the Prairie (Wilder) – I cannot express how much I loved this series.  I still own that box set I got over 25 years ago;  each book is tattered and worn from being read so many times.  I even had my mom make a “Laura Ingalls dress” that I wore until I couldn’t squeeze into it any longer. 

   2. Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery) — Contrary to what my students believe, I was not a troublemaker as a child.   I relied on this book to vicariously experience tight scraps, wild adventures, and fierce independence.

   3.  Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret? (Blume) — This book was so taboo in my 5th grade world!  What I remember most about this book is having to put my name on a waiting list at the school library just to check it out…..and the exercise to grow your boobs.  Surprisingly those of us lucky enough to have a chance to read the book never spilled any of its secrets to those poor souls still waiting their turn.

   4.  Little Women (Alcott) — I had an illustrated version of this classic that was passed down from my mom and aunts.  I loved Jo and was devastated when she cut off her beautiful hair.  This was one of the first books that I can remember pulling various emotions from me as I read.

   5.  Where the Sidewalk Ends (Silverstein) — Every student at my elementary school was required to participate in an annual elocution contest.  Without fail my brother and I always chose to recite a poem from this collection.  This is one of the few books that he and I both loved; we wrote and drew on the pages of our favorite poems

   I’m happy to be able to say that I have passed this love of reading on to my daughter; she would willing spend my entire paycheck at Barnes and Noble.  Sadly I realize that my daughter, for all her reading, has not experienced any of these amazing works

   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/books-i-wish-she-had-read/feed/ 2 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/well-hell/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/well-hell/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:07:51 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=385 ]]> Ok, so the Maintain, Don’t Gain idea did NOT work I came nowhere near losing 40 pounds before my birthday. I think I lost 6….wow!

   I did manage to buy a house

   Weight Watchers starts as soon as I get back from my Spring Break trip to Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.  After all, I have a cruise in June and I want to wear a swimsuit without causing those around me to vomit.

   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/well-hell/feed/ 0 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/this-is-freakin-ridiculous/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/this-is-freakin-ridiculous/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:53:56 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=380 ]]> My school district is sponsoring a program called “Maintain to Don’t Gain.”  Basically employees are encouraged to focus on healthy eating and moderation during the holiday season.  If you maintain or lose weight between November 16 and January 8, you are entered in a drawing to win $100.

   I have decided to use this contest as a motivational jump-start to my desperate need to lose weight.  I hope to LOSE serious weight.  My goal is to drop 40 pounds by February 27 (my 34th birthday).   This morning I visited our nurse and had the starting weigh-in….

   Stupid fucking scale

   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/this-is-freakin-ridiculous/feed/ 0 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/heres-my-list/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/heres-my-list/#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:47:46 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=371 ]]> Last night over dinner and drinks, the topic of conversation turned to “the list.”  Everyone has “the list”.  I commonly refer to mine as ”My List of Future Husbands”.  Some people call it “My List of Freebies” or “My List of Guys I’d Love to be Trapped in a Room With After We’ve Miraculously Lost All Our Clothes and Eaten an Aphrodisiac-Laden Dinner.” Semantics can’t change the fact that said list is basically a collection of hot and sexy (famous) people the list-holder would love to sleep with.

   So, here’s my list:

   

   Johnny Depp

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   

   Pavel Datsyuk

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   

   David Boreanaz

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   

   Michael Weatherly

   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/heres-my-list/feed/ 2 reddlissa johnny-depp datsyuk 5bfoto5d20david-boreanaz ncis-weatherly_300wide http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/good-grief-another-decision/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/good-grief-another-decision/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:40:31 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=369 ]]> Sarah and I spent 3 hours at the Ryland Design Center today. We were both a bit overwhelmed by all the work that new home buyers have to go through. Today we had to choose all the kitchen options (countertops, floors, cabinetry, and appliances), bathroom options (floors, shower doors, cabinets, sinks, and fixtures), carpet, front door, fireplace options and electricity options.  We will return next week to finish by choosing paint colors, lighting fixtures, and a few other odds and ends.  I have to admit that by the time we left, Sarah and I were both a bit frazzled. I just hope that none of our decisions looking crappy when added to our house!

   By the way, if you are interested in seeing the floorplan or taking a virtual tour of our new home click here.

   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/good-grief-another-decision/feed/ 1 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/ive-doubled-my-numbers/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/ive-doubled-my-numbers/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:50:34 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=366 ]]> Thursday Merrie and I were talking about her upcoming trip to Istanbul and the conversation got me excited (again) about the Mediterranean cruise I’m hoping to take this summer.  I browsed through my copy of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die to find out if all our scheduled stops make the list; they do! 

   While I was flipping through the book, I realized I haven’t updated my original list.   Here are my additions thanks to the London/Paris trip:

   9. Windsor Castle [Windsor, England]

   10. The Cotswolds [Gloucestershire, England]

   11. London, England

   12. Oxford University [Oxfordshire, England]

   13. Bath, England

   14. Stratford-upon-Avon [Warwickshire, England]

   15. Warwick Castle [Warwick, England]

   16. Stonehenge [Wiltshire, England]

   17. Paris, France

   18. Chateau de Versailles [Versailles, France]

   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/ive-doubled-my-numbers/feed/ 0 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/lose-to-cruise/ http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/lose-to-cruise/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:24:07 +0000 reddlissa http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/?p=363 ]]> I know I just said good-bye to summer 2009 but my family is already looking forward to summer 2010.  Margie received information this week about a Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruise offered to McNeese State University alumni.  After a bit of discussion and research, we have decided we want to make this our 2010 family vacation.

   The four of us (Margie, Mom, Sarah and myself) know that we have to lose weight and get in better shape before next summer.  The trip to London and Paris this summer was great fun but there were several days that ended in pain and discomfort due to extra weight and out-of-shape muscles. In an effort to jump start our weight loss the four of us signed the following pact:

   I promise to lose 10 pounds and exercise 3 days per week (at least). Final weigh-in is set for October 8th.  All parties MUST fulfill agreement or cruise plans WILL be canceled.

   Sarah and I hit the gym tomorrow afternoon.  Wish us luck!!

   
   ]]> http://reddlissa.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/lose-to-cruise/feed/ 0 reddlissa