happy birthday, pops!

yes, my father was born 3 days after my mother (although she will be quick to tell you that he is 5 years older).  so, happy birthday, dad! and so goes the embarrassing list of reasons why my pops is so great:

1. he is the most sincere person i have ever met in my life. for reals.  i did not pick up my sarcastic nature from him. 
2. i procured my love of genealogy from him. to his delight, from a very young age, i would always ask stories of his family and his parents family. what it was like for him to grow up. so we have him to thank for my ability to bore people to tears with genealogy.
3. loyalty. it's big with him. if my dad was ever your friend, or if you were ever kind to him, you will be forever spoken highly of. my dad knows way more "real good guys" than i thought was possible. he will also not hesitate to tell you to look these people up and go and visit them if you are in the near vicinity. no, it doesn't matter if you yourself haven't met them.
4. thirsty? not an alcoholic? my dad is your man. he has been brewing his own beer for over 30 years. and he is really good at it. this isn't me just bragging about my dad. it has been taste tested by many beer lovers and all agree.
5. like meat? (who doesn't, right?) my pops has converted an old 1950's refrigerator into a smoker. he has been smoking meats, eggs, cheese, and probably more for quite some time. this combined with his mad gardening skills, and brewing talents would make him set in case there was some sort of disaster that kills walmart.
6. my dad most patiently taught me how to ride a bike, drive a car, and to drive a manual truck. not an easy task (any of them). although my dad is quiet short in patience regarding any sort of line, traffic situation, or venue that has more than 6 people; he never once yelled at me while i grind-ed gears shifting on dirt roads.
7. along with my mother, my dad is one of the hardest working people i know. he was always up at the crack of dawn heading out to work, and would return in the evening covered in grease and dirt (oilfield mechanic). he worked outside no matter the temperature or weather doing physical work. all for his family.

thanks, dad. happy birthday!

happy birthday, mama!

in an attempt to wish my mama a happy birthday, i wanted to share with you some of the reasons my mama is so special:

1. she is not shy about expressing herself. seriously. if my mom is mad at you, you will know about it. she is not passive aggressive. I've seen her throw salads, tell off the cable man, slam doors, not to mention the stories she tells about herself in her "younger days". on the same note, she also tells me how much she loves me, how proud she is of me, and how perfect I am (yes, she really thinks this) oh, about six or seven times before we get off of Skype. and hugs, she is not scared of hugging you to death.

2. growing up, she was always fond of games. my momma and me played many games all the time together. cribbage. scrabble. gin rummy. she was the only one who liked games as much as me.

3. the woman can cook. we might not have been the richest family in bogue, but you would never have guessed it by the quality and flavor of the foods we ate. she is the reason I shrivel my nose when I hear what other people grew up eating.

4. she is a tough lady. monday - friday my mom was always up before dawn. getting ready for work, getting us ready for school. sometimes she worked on the weekends. most of the time she held at least 2 jobs at any given time. she is what my dad would call a "tough broad".

5. clean freak. the house was vacuumed every day. dusted once a week. a load of laundry was ran every day. everyone showered once a day (it didn't matter if you "didn't do anything" that day). to this day, i can't relax after dinner until the dishes are done. she might have given me a complex.

6. one time when a boy broke up with me, she bought me a magazine/book totally devoted to prince william.

7. when i moved in with aaron after 5 years of dating, she asked me how i would keep my virginity. bless her heart.

happy birthday, mom!

project 365

i have always wanted to learn about our camera. it isn't anything super fancy, but i'm the kind of person that reluctantly on vacation will take about 20 shots all in manual mode. about 10 (2 if you ask aaron) will come out. i never knew what any of the settings meant, and i felt really uncomfortable being the person with the camera.

my week 1 favorite

in an attempt to rectify this, i'm taking on "project 365".  i will take at least one photo a day for the next year. i actually started last month, but didn't want to go public with this in case i flaked out within the first month. i plan on posting a few of the photos here, but the remander can be found on my flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbieherbst/

my week 2 favorite

i'm just going to come out and say it. i want you to go and look at my pictures. comment on the ones you like, or offer critiques on the ones you don't. i'm really trying to use this as a learning tool, and would appreciate any feedback (both positive or negative).

my week 3 favorite

i already feel like i have learned a lot. thanks to digital photography school i have learned about composition and try to experiment with it a bit. probably the most important thing for begining photographers to learn about is light. i think i struggle with that a bit.

my week 4 favorite

all of the photos so far have been taken with our canon IXY digital 900 IS. actually all of them until yesterday (26 october). aaron is doing some field research which requires some sharing of the camera. until he comes back (a week or so) the photos will be taken with my iphone. lame, i know, but i'm not going to quit. it's actually nice, because it is a bit of a challenge (and nice not to take the camera with me everywhere).

my week 5 favorite

have you ever thought about trying a "project 365"? anyone want to have a go with me? i would love company on this project. feel free to post any questions or comments.

rimutaka forest

feeling a bit cagey after an entire week of rain, aaron and i decided to explore the rimutaka forest. i'm a bit amazed that we haven't explored the area yet, since it seems like it is practically in our backyard (under and hour's drive).

we didn't do any extreme hiking, but we trotted around a 40 minute hike. and saw the following

fallen limbs

leaves grow everywhere, even trunks of trees

jurassic plant-life everywhere

things here are really green. no joke.

palm tree against an ever darkening sky

conflicted

have you tried out the new timeline feature on facebook?

i haven't. it doesn't matter. it will go live soon. but lately, i've been conflicted about facebook. i've been a member of facebook from way back. i believe i first started using it in 2004. seven years ago. it was great to see what old high school classmates were doing (woa, they have 3 kids!) and spy on old ex-flames, etc. now it seems more and more like a chore.

am i getting to old? does anyone else feel this way? all of the farmville, poking, mafia wars, two newsfeeds (two? why two?), changing my privacy settings every month (to keep things private) seems like too much crap.

in order to try and remedy this i went through a big spring cleaning on my facebook friend list. yes, i de-friended people. i'm not ashamed to admit it. just because i met you at a party or saw you in the hall way at school does not mean we are friends. i went through my entire friend list and kept people based on the following criteria:

1. are they family?
2. were we good friends in the past?
3. have we hung out besides at work or school?

basically, are we or have we ever been actual friends?

this weeded out a lot of white noise.  i'm sure there are many good people that i cut out of my facebook. but to be fair, if any of these people de-friended me i would not be offended either. i'm trying to make it easier to communicate with the people i do care about, in a last ditch effort to not quit facebook. has anyone else struggled with this?

sometimes i'm so tempted to quit facebook, but living half-way across the world really cuts into communication in general, so i'll probably stay aboard at least while we are here.

and then my sweet sister will upload new pictures of caitlin, or my best friend from high school will have a status update so funny that milk shoots out of my nose, or i get tagged in pics from a few years ago that i totally forgot about. and i think i might be on facebook for the rest of my life.

spring time

it's spring time again! and while i don't day dream and fantasize about spring in the same way that i do autumn, it's a beautiful time of year.  each year i'm surprised again by how many joyful things come with spring. the flowers, the fresh smells, asparagus (oh, the asparagus), and now that we have a place with some space, gardening!

raise your hand if you love gardening. me too! a lot. i love getting dirt under my nails and the smell of earth, especially if it's nice and sunny out and you get to work up a good sweat. there is nothing more enjoyable or satisfying.

here is what aaron and i worked on this weekend. we turned this ugly space:

and we planted the following three different varieties of coprosma

lemon & lime

evening glow

inferno

it took us about two hours to transfer a lot of extra soil from the planting area and to dig the holes for all of the bushes. but this is what the end result looks like:

we didn't want to spend too much money on plants so we spaced them out and put rocks in between. we have an abundance of rocks. i don't think it looks too bad either. for whatever reason, the rocks give it an arizona feel (to me, aaron thinks i'm crazy).

you like?

i am an addict.

hello, my name is barbie and i'm an addict.
what is my drug of choice?
chocolate. no.
beer. no.
wine. no (um, maybe...but that is another blog).


pinterest.com. it's a virtual pinboard of your interests and likes. and you can organize it!

you can repin things others have pinned, or create your own via whatever inspires you.


there is something for everyone: food, travel, games, crafts, weddings, photography, fashion, books, technology, science, decorating.

in the last 2 days that i have know about this site, i have created 10 boards, and 41 pins. i am manic.  the only thing that is slowing me down is this having a job thing.

check out my pinboards here: http://pinterest.com/herbstgirl/

let me know if you want an invite (currently it's invite only), i would love to see more of my friends inspirations. oh, and thanks to my homegirl, jenni for the awesome find.

when in rome

rugby is the national sport here. and truth be told, it's pretty entertaining. i'm sure i would enjoy it more if i knew all the rules, but even without knowing them it's pretty easy to follow.

our landlord's mom placed two tickets to the rugby worldcup in our mailslot last week. the game was usa vs. austraila. i know what your thinking, but we do have a rugby team. honest. here they are. i am particularly fond of todd cleaver.

it was especially fun because everyone was rooting for usa. not because everyone here loves usa, but more along the lines of everyone dislikes austraila. we were the lesser of two evils. it doesn't matter, i'll still take it. no, we didn't win. i think i lost count around 5-66 or something. but it was still a fun experience.

core values

i found an interesting blog about discovering your "core values". do you know what yours are? i mean, sure i can list lots of things that are important to me, but before this, i don't think i could have narrowed it down to the five most things that i would want to live my life by.

want to do a little self discovery? here is a printable list of 90 values. read them all and then using your gut instinct go through the list once to narrow it downs to the ones that stand out to you. on my first try i narrowed it from 90 to 30. then, a bit later, go over it again. continue the process until you are left with 5.

the best part is that there is no right or wrong answers. and it is all in how you view it. for some "power" could have a negative connotation invoking power-hungry politicans, for others it could mean being powerful in your day to day life or overcoming adversity.

my five? family, happiness, learning, love, and self-expression

what are your five?

moroccan tangine, anyone?

do you want a dish that you can serve your vegetarian friends, but your meat loving friends won't roll their eyes at? not only that, but it's incredibly healthy and unlike tofu, it has enormous flavor and aroma. try this moroccan tangine:

moroccan tangine

ingredients:

1 head garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock (I used Trader Joe's individual vegetable stock concentrate and added water)
1 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 red pepper, chopped
1 pound butternut squash, cut into roughly 1 inch cubes
1 medium eggplant, chopped into roughly 1 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 box prepared couscous

Heat up olive oil in large stew pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and garlic. Stir for 1 minute, then turn heat down to medium. Let cook about 7 minutes. Add dry spices and let cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add lemon juice.

Add parsley and 1/4 cup cilantro. Add tomatoes and bring to boil. Add in vegetable stock, chickpeas and butternut squash. Cook, simmering, 1 hour.

Salt eggplant pieces, let rest 2 minutes then rinse well with water and add, along with crushed red pepper flakes, and chopped red pepper to stew.  

Cook additional 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add additional seasoning to taste. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. 

i found this recipe at the alchemist chef and adjusted it to my liking (basically removing the raisins and celery and adding an additional carrot).


i didn't have too high of hopes for it, because its basically heaps of vegetables with a few seasonings. but it was an astounding success. both aaron and i agreed it was one of the best meals we have had in awhile.


the only draw back would be the amount of time involved. it probably isn't a weekday meal. i started it after work at 7 and we didn't eat until 9:30. but it would be an awesome weekend meal. if you have a persistent meat eater, i'm sure some diced or shredded chicken would not hurt the recipe either. 


if you make it, let me know what you think!

caitlin rosemary wech

my beautiful new niece is the best update yet. as she is brand new, pictures will be forthcoming.

caitlin rosemary wech
3 September 2011 at 3:00pm
7lbs 8 oz.


it's amazing how this sweet little girl has tamed the wech men (at least while she is in their presence).

i'm very happy for the whole family, and for us to. i never get tired of being an aunt. so far, it's the best job i've ever had.

guess whose back?

i took a break. sorry.

i wanted to write what I was feeling without censoring myself. for that i got a journal. i highly recommend journaling. it has been very therapeutic and i'm sure i will continue for quite some time, but now i'm ready to record my life in a more public manner.

to play a quick game a catch up in the last few months:

1.  i have successfully weened myself off of sertraline. there was a nasty month or so in there (a huge thanks to aaron for being most supportive. but i am officially off of "happy pills" and feeling much more like myself than i have in about a year.

2.  i have combined all of my genealogy blogs (originally there were 4, i'm crazy) into one blog. for the up-to-date-latest on my genealogy efforts check out heborola.blogspot.com

3. i finished knitting my winter cabin blanket

4.  aaron hurt his knee playing frisbee. pretty badly. the jury is still out as to whether or not it is an ACL tear, but it is leaning more towards "tear" rather than "no tear". he has an appointment with a sports doctor today.

the most important update to come soon...

aunt barbie's first month at the library

being a working girl means less time for blogging. at least, that is what i will blame it on.

so far, i've been at my new job for about a month. probably my favorite part is the variety.  on any given day i'll be able to sort, shelve, work the circulation desk, search for lost books, and email patrons. even my hours are slightly different each day, which means i get to enjoy a few lazy mornings, and and a few late afternoons, etc . one thing that is different is the atmosphere. the uwb library was fairly quiet (at least in comparison). i was probably the loudest part of the office that i shared at uwb. of course, this library is much bigger, so one would expect more people and therefore more noise. but also in the office, where i spend the majority of my time, it is much louder. which isn't necessarily bad or good...just different. i really enjoy the people i work with too, and i've already found at least 2 new knitting buddies.

on the family front, i am finally allowed to announce that i'm going to become an aunt (again)! this time i'm proud to say that my brother (aaron's technically, but i love to claim him as mine too), justin and my soul sister, angie, are expecting a sweet little girl in september. i couldn't be more excited about this. being an aunt is the greatest job in the world. they will be terrific parents and i'm thrilled for them.

on the aunt front, i've been lucky lately to see my nephew, kainen, on skype when i talk to my parents. this morning, he made my day when i saw him run up to the computer when he heard my voice and say "bah bie! bah bie!" we talk, make silly faces, he shows me his cars, etc. today i showed him my pumpkin (he likes it as much as i do). the day i finally go home to visit i think he is going to be so confused, and wonder how i got out of the computer.

kainen (age 1), my brother, larry, and me [october 2009]

domesticity, thy name is barbie

this sewing thing is getting easier. i whipped up this apron from the sew everything workshop by diana rupp (click for larger image).

debuting my apron, and making pumpkin pancakes.

the whole thing took about 8 hours, and the hardest part was creating the pattern (the book tells you the dimensions). i have yet to find sewing pattern paper here, so i used freezer paper. it works, but it's a bit of a process. i'm starting to learn that sewing is a lot like knitting in that the finished item usually costs more to make than to just buy (the fabric for the apron was about $30), but creating the garment is fun, and it's nice to have a one-of-a-kind item afterwords.

vuw gets new library assistant

i am quite excited to announce that starting april 11th, i'll be employed at the victoria university library! i was starting to become a bit bitter about going so long without even an interview. and then when i got my first library interview, but  didn't get the job, i was heartbroken. almost a week later, i got a call back regarding this position. after our whirlwind trip to the south island (we returned on sunday), i interviewed on monday. tuesday evening, i heard the good news.

most people seem to think that unemployment is awful. it wasn't. i have tons of hobbies so it was amazing. it was fun to get tons of sleep, lazy mornings with coffee. and then knitting, genealogy, sewing, cooking, or running. but it is nice to not have to worry about blowing my entire life savings. and the fact that its a library job, something i am truly passionate about, is icing on the cake.

with every new job there is a learning period. trying to remember everyone's names, getting your log on info, where things are, etc. there are forms to fill out, and pictures to take, etc. it's a bit of a headache to begin with, but i'm excited to jump in and get started.

family visit!

march 18th, justin & angie, traveled half way around the world to visit us. we camped, we sang, we visited the south island, we talked, we played, we cooked. we drank. for the highlight reel, including pictures, visit wech & barbs go south. i had every intention of reposting the entire, 3 part blog series here. but it was too much work. go visit the site and come back here.

you back?

can you believe i get to be an aunt again? I'm so excited about sprout's september arrival. i can hardly stand it.

in other aunt news, a few weeks ago, i began talking with my nephew via skype. i had gotten into the habit of calling home a bit more frequently than usual (due to unemployment, and skype makes it more fun to see each other). i have been rewarded with getting to see my nephew, kainen, when my mom watches him. he is so hysterical. and cute. not to mention, watching my parents being terrific grandparents is also a highlight.

victory!

i am a lazy blogger. i'm not sure how being unemployed with tons of time on my hands somehow makes me less likely to blog. but it does.

march 8th i ran my first official 5k race. it was the lifestyle sports waterfront 5k. my two goals were to run the entire length, and to finish in 28 minutes or less. success!

lining up

aaron came to support me, and i must admit that it was fun to be the one with a sport activity, seeing my sig-o on the sidelines rooting for me.

aaron, waiting for me to finish

my finishing time was 26:09, which i was truly excited about. the area i usually run in a bit hillier than the waterfront, so i'm guessing that is why my time was better than all my practice runs. i came in 47th. which doesn't sound so great...but since i accomplished both of my goals (and it was my first race ever), i choose to consider it a victory.

finish line

afterwords i was rewarded for my efforts, by a free beverage at the chicago sports cafe.

i look ridiculously happy here

i definitely plan on continuing to run. i'm actually thinking about buying the "bridge to 10k" app for my iphone. this app is for graduates of the "couch to 5k" program and helps you go from running for 30 minutes non-stop (or 5k), to 60 minutes (10k). however, this will not happen for at least a week, due to the upcoming arrival of justin & angie (less than 3 days!). i do not like to set myself up for disappointment, and i know i would not be able to follow a running program while traveling around the south island.

1960's coasters

oh dear readers, are you tired of the blogs about all of my hobbies? how much sewing, knitting, and running can you read about? we will find out.

my second sewing project was a gradual increase of difficulty, but i wouldn't say it was hard. and it was also a very worthwhile project for our house. aaron and i have been cursing non-stop at our coasters (which, i insist we use). once the condensation from the glass goes to the bottom of the coaster, it sticks to the glass and then falls off. causing water to go everywhere and thereby becoming pointless. cloth coasters would not do such a thing. viola!

i can not believe i am blogging about coasters.

the pattern is from sew retro, which if you know anything about me, is right up my ally. and, yes, the colors are to coordinate with the living room, and the office.

5k in the bank

on february 23rd i officially finished the c25k (couch to 5k) program. i started it january 1st as a new years resolution of sorts, and i must admit that i didn't believe i would actually finish it (and certainly not in only the 9 weeks allotted). but i did, and i'm super proud of myself. this might sound strange, but it's the first goal i've had in a long time. really. it felt really good to push myself and work for something that was achievable but challenging.

the best part is that i think i finally understand why people do this sport. it actually is fun. granted not every run is fun, but i would venture to say that 75% are. i am now thinking about purchasing the b210k app (bridge to 10k), but i will probably stay at the 30 minutes of running 3-4 days a week for a few weeks and see how i feel.

i'm still planning on running the lifestyle sports waterfront 5k next tuesday. although it's a bit intimidating to run an actual race with real runners. i have no illusion about winning, but my goal is to run the entire distance (which i have done 4 times now, so it shouldn't be a problem) in 28 minutes or less. we'll see how it goes.

oh, if mrs. boyle could see me now

as i'm sure you know by now, aaron bought be a sewing machine for my birthday (june 2, only 98 shopping days left). it arrived in december, and we made it operational in january (we had to buy a transformer to get it to work here).

here it is in all it's glory:

in my new sewing nook:

i never would i have ever guessed that i would not only own a sewing machine, but be this excited about it. i do not come from a long line of seamstresses. in fact, the only time my family even saw my mom use an iron, we had to take a polaroid of it. it is a cherished memory.

i do not have a good history with sewing. in my high school home ec class, we had to sew a garment using a pattern. i had my doubts about my ability, but i plunged into it. a week or two later, i asked mrs. boyle, if anything could be done to save my jumper. she quickly looked to make sure no one was within earshot, and gently told me that i should just throw it away and she would give me an "a" for effort. fail.

there seems to be so much to learn. it's overwhelming. but i am determined. after all, knitting was intimidating to begin with, and now it easy, relaxing even. my first project went really well. splendidly, really.

it is a much needed pin cushion. much needed, because the only pin cushion i could find here was $45 and magnetic. i like this one much better than a stupid tomato anyway.  a few other mending endeavors have went nicely as well. i have fixed a few shirts and a pair of pants. however, my second main project, a tote bag, didn't go extremely well. in fact i sewed a pin inside it and can't get it out. oops.

mainly i have the most trouble with the exactness of it (which is why i am not too good at baking as well, also and exact science). the measuring, the cutting, sewing straight. 1/4 inch seams, 1/2 inch seams, 3/4 seams. so precise. i need a lot of practice.

right now i'm taking fabric scraps, cutting them into 3 inch blocks and sewing them into strips. if you look closely, or not even closely, you can tell that these two strips to not measure up to create a checkerboard effect.

i need a lot of practice before i can begin making my own clothes. although, i've been reading sew retro, and it's an incredible inspiration. it combines my love history, vintage fashion, and sewing. pluse it includes a few patterns. wish me luck as i practice and learn.

a log cabin with yarn

i have four great friends who each brought 5 balls of yarn with them from seattle to san francisco in december. from there, the balls of yarn traveled with aaron from san francisco to wellington. now they await their fate as as awesome moderne log cabin blanket.

my colors are dove gray, hollyberry, evergreen, and chocolate. i wanted it to be wintery with a hint of christmas coziness, but not overtly christmasy. here is what i have so far:

it is currently 23" x 23 1/2" and getting longer everyday. it's perfect tv knitting, but i must admit the rows and rows of garter stitch (knitting every single row) might be getting to me.

week 5 of the running

i'm managing to keep up with the running. so far i haven't missed a day of the c25k program yet. i am currently on week 5, day 2, which involves a 5 minute warm-up, followed by a 8 minute run, a 5 minute walk, and another 8 minute run. i'm floored at how non-scary it is. i'm also floored that i'm doing it, and looking forward to it. i've found myself really enjoying running, which i never thought possible. it's a distinct possibility that i will continue running even after i completed this program.

i've also found a potential 5k to enter. every tuesday there is a brooks waterfront 5k. since it occurs every tuesday, i don't think it'll be too formal or intimidating. also, it's along the waterfront, which should provide some excellent scenery.

also, isn't it neat when you discover or learn something new, and then all of a sudden you see that thing everywhere. it's the same with running. wellington, it turns out, is covered with runners. i love running past them and sharing a smile. it's incredibly corny, i know.

c25k

merry christmas! happy new year! to celebrate, we had a day long skype date with aaron's family. lots of fun, like always. we also tried to have a nice, vacay, which you can read about here. spoiler alert: it was an epic fail. epic.

in other news, i decided i want to stay fit (or try to get fit, depending on how you look at it). i've been spoiled in the past with being able to go to the gym 2-4 times a week. this is not a luxury i have anymore. i figured an affordable way to exercise would be to take up running. i've tried this numerous times in the past with bad results. i've always wanted to be a runner. i don't know why, but i've always been in awe of those who run long distances for some personal gain. whenever i try to start i usually do too much too soon and end up quitting in a fit of disgust (people do this for fun??? wtf???)

i discovered this program called c25k. basically, it is supposed to help you go from couch to running a 5k in 9 weeks. each week you do intervals of running and walking, gradually adding more running and less walking. for instance, the first week there is a 5 minute warm-up walk, followed by 8 intervals of running for 60 seconds and then walking for 90 seconds, then a 5 minute cool-down walk. the next week includes the 5 minute warm-up/cool-down walk, and intervals of 90 seconds of jogging, followed by 2 minutes of walking. i've heard of this program before, but i thought it was too hard to time yourself while running. however, there is an app for this for the iphone. this app allows you to listen to the music you would normally listen to on you iphone while running, but there is a beep, and a voice telling you when you should run and walk, so you don't have to time yourself. (side note: even if you don't download it, i highly recommend going to the site and watching the extremely funny video the designer made to advertise it. you'll thank me). it makes it super easy to just go and not worry about where you are at. this has made me super excited to stay with it.

so hopefully, i'll continue to intermittedly tell you where i'm at in the program, and you can help me stay motivated. it's also really nice to have a goal to shoot for. anyone want to try it with me? if i can do it, i'm sure you can!

best wishes for an amazing new year!