Category Archives: four simple goals

It's been awhile since my last 4 Simple Goals update, so here's a little quick one. Mostly just so I can keep myself on track.

Remember my simple goal of taking more photos? And learning how to use my camera for reals? Well, I've been trying.  (And I think the instax will certainly help!) But I haven't yet gone out with my pops and used his knowledge like I had originally planned.

So, until I actually DO do that, I thought I'd do a little tribute to him and his photography ways.

I recently unearthed this sweet portrait of my dad circa 1970-something from the garage. I about died when I saw it.

Look at him so fancy with his old skool camera. Lovin' it. Anyway, I decided to hang it up in my house to remind me about my goal and stay inspired to keep shooting those photos.

I love how passionate my dad gets about photography. I recall asking him about f-stops once and got all the information anyone ever wrote about f-stops and then some. His passion for the trade is always so apparent, and he literally glows when he talks about it. As a kindred passionate spirit, I love it, and I love to see where my passion for life comes from.

Anyway, his love for it is contagious. I hope someday he gets to retire from his government job and spend all his time out and about with his Nikon like he was born to do.

So, here I go with a renewed determination to make the photography goal happen.

Did you do the 4 Simple Goals experiment? If so, how's it going? Or what are some recent goals you've set? Hooray for goals and makin' it rain in life.

remember this? my little goals experiment? well it's working. and i'm just chugging right along. at least with two of the 4 simple goals.  sewing is coming along swimmingly, but there's a new development in the classical strings realm.

i joined an orchestra. a symphony to be exact. before you get too excited, though, it's just the west valley symphony. but still. it's really fun, and I'm really, REALLY excited about it. We had our first rehearsal last night, and while it was definitely a brain meltdown on my part, it felt outlandishly wonderful to play in a group again. As nerdy as it sounds, there's just something about playing with a group that makes playing an instrument totally and completely worth it. rehearsal last night brought back so many good memories of my orchestra days of yore, and it made me so excited that I'm rediscovering my old talent.

the bad news is that I completely forgot how to count. completely utterly terribly. 12/8 time? sick. looks like I need to go back to the basics.

anyway, our first concert is going to be incredible. and you wanna know why? let me tell you what our theme is:

yes!!!! YES! Star Wars! we're doing an all Star Wars Halloween concert that's going to blow your minds. 10ish songs from all 6 movies. it's basically going to be the best show of my/your life. we went through all of the songs last night, and oh man. it's going to be intense and very likely magical. it's october 9, so mark your calendars because you're all invited for a night of nerdy movie tunes magic.

i've been feeling rather down and out as of late due to three of my very best friends in the entire universe going their separate ways. each of them have bigger and better things ahead of them, and i'm so very  proud of them for their ventures. it does suck, however, to find yourself alone and rather sad after an epic summer.

that's why when i came across this post on my very favorite blog of all time, i decided to do it and take it very seriously.

my good friends, i give you...

source

a little challenge miss elsie suggested to me and that i am taking. her idea is simple: choose 4 simple goals to accomplish before 2011 that will make you a happier person. the best part is that you choose a reward when you accomplish one of your goals. oh, the possibilities!

so, in an attempt to enrich my newly friendless life, i propose the following 4 goals to you, my lovely, loyal readers:

sew, sew, sew
Yes! I'm going to continue my newfound love for sewing. And since my sewing teacher left to Portland, I've joined the most incredible online indie sewing class! I absolutely can't wait to do this class and make the cute projects they've got planned. (leather purses! and padded laptop cases! so much fun.)

So yes, I suppose my goal is to actively participate in this class with an adventurous and open attitude and blog every step of the way.

shoot!
i've got this gorgeous diana f+ that is absolutely dying to be loved and adored. i've taken a ton of photos with it, but i haven't done much with them. she's getting dusty, and i want to learn to use her. i think i'll recruit mr. michael sullivan for this one and maybe go on as many daddy daughter photo shoots as we can find time for.  he's a wealth of knowledge, so before 2011, i'm going to use some of that photo prowess he's got and make it my own.

music!
my violin chops are slowly but surely returning, and i'm loving every minute of it. but i've got to get into playing with a group again. i'm going to find a community group, audition, and hopefully join the ranks to perform for a real live audience. it'll be scary, but i'm going to do it!

love
this one is a little less concrete than the others and infinitely more cheesey, but a goal nonetheless. i've got to learn to fill my life with things that make me infinitely happy and get rid of the things that just suck. i want to treat myself a little nicer and learn to live in the moment instead of fretting about things i can't change in the past or future. how do i plan to do this? get out more! i want to travel in the westy, drink diet coke whenever i want, and read more books. basically just get back to my roots and spend a little time with myself.

and there you have it. my four simple goals. i hope i make you proud, elsie! and should you want to join me, do it! what a fun little way to kick off the upcoming autumn season. of course, i expect all of you to hold me to these! we all know what a commitment-phobe i am. let's make them happen!

(ps. you should definitely check out elsie's blog. it's seriously so full of amazingly retro delish ideas and inspiration. check it out!)