13 in 2013

I'm probably the last person to be writing one of these "New Year" posts, but I feel that it's really important to set goals in order to truly push yourself.  Last year all my goals were project-related, and I probably finished only about half of the entire list.  Notable "finishes" that I'm happy about include the Poseidon Adventure Shawl and  finishing the T-shirt Quilt for my bed.
This year, my list is a lot more diverse.  It still holds some big projects on the knitting front, but it also includes "life" things that are important to me.  My 13 in 2013 are as follows:

1- Making "The Dude" sweater for Scott.  This was supposed to be a Fall or Christmas item, but kept getting pushed back.  Goal finish time- Fall 2013.

2- FINISHING my Dad's Dale of Norway sweater- and this time, I mean it!  Goal finish time- Fall 2013.

3- Sewing a Dance Bag for the head of my dance studio as an end-of-year gift.  Goal finish time- our recital, June 2013.

4- Finishing the Lavender Cardigan that I worked furiously on over last summer.  This would be a great comfy sweater to add to my winter wardrobe.  Goal finish time- Winter 2013.

5- Finishing the two big shawls I was supposed to have done by now- the Snowflake Shawl for Kim (needs grafting, an edging, and blocking) and the Kleio shawl (needs the last Latvian braid and the bottom lace section).  They're such huge projects that finishing them will be a big weight off my back.  Goal finish time- end of January 2013.

6- I brought all my watercolor paints up to Duluth from my parent's house, and I really want to use some of the cool ideas from Pinterest to make some art for my apartment.  One really good art piece that I'm happy with for the apartment would be fantastic.  Goal finish time- Winter 2013.

7- I want to read more, and read some good thick books I haven't had time for.  Therefore, I'm going to aim for 1 book every 2 weeks- a 26 book minimum by the end of 2013.

8- Hats are my go-to gift knit, and I think if I make any presents for others this year, I'll just focus on hats to make it easier for myself.  This goal will be called the "Hat Brigade" goal, and we'll see how many hats I finish by December 31st, 2013.

9- My parents gave me a very large stock of shirts from the travels we've done over the years.  I would love to make them a big T-shirt quilt consisting of all the shirts from our travels over the years.  Goal finish time- Christmas 2013.

10- In order to really push myself physically, one of my goals this year is to put my name in the lottery for the Grandma's Half Marathon in June.  If I don't get in that one, I'll find a different Half-Marathon to compete in.  This will help keep my cardio up.  13.1 miles, here I come!  ::gulp::

11- To go along with that, my climbing goal for the year is to trad lead all of the climbs rated 5.10 and lower at Palisade Head this summer and fall.  I also want to finally climb the 5.11d "Mr. Lean" clean, something that has evaded me for a very long time now.

12- I want to really focus on getting a paper published this year.  I've presented at an academic conference, and I may do that again this spring, but ideally I want to actually publish a paper in an academic journal of some type this year.  I'm hoping this will become a reality as I have a smaller coarse load teaching this spring, leaving me more time to research and write.  Being published would help my resume as I begin looking at PhD programs for down the road.

13- Last but not least, I want to have at least a few knitted goods to wrap up for Christmas next year.  Having that as one of my goals last year really helped me start early and actually finish them.

It's a long list, but I feel that this year's list is attainable.  In addition to the list, I'm going to start really focusing on brushing up my exceedingly rusty French.  Scott and I are planning a month-long climbing trip to Europe in the Summer of 2014 (hopefully!), and having a language would be exceedingly helpful.
Other than that, just staying positive, staying ahead of things, and working hard every day to be the best I can be is something I can practice all the time.
I love feeling like I can start fresh every year, and this year is no exception!