Well, we are currently seven weeks away from the end of 2012. How did that happen? I can’t believe we’ll have to start writing “2013” on things soon. Back in early October, I sat down and came up with a list of 10 goals I wanted to try to accomplish by the end of the year – some of them fun experiences, some of them more “to-do’s” than anything else. I thought it would be wise to see how I’ve done over the past six weeks and what goals are still left to accomplish!

1. Visit the dentist and schedule a consultation for my wisdom teeth. Oy. This is one of those goals that I have put off because I sincerely hate the dentist and continuously put off my cleanings. But I made an appointment yesterday for a cleaning so one part of this goal will be completed. For my wisdom teeth consultation, well, I’m putting that off until next year. Mainly because of time off issues and the fact that I don’t get many days off so I have to ration and save up. I’m hoping I can get my wisdom teeth removed next summer, as long as they don’t bug me too much in the meantime. (They hurt off and on, but only for about a week and Advil helps to take away the pain. And then there’s no pain at all for months. Just comes and goes as it pleases, I guess!)

2. Lose 15 lbs. Oh, dear. I am 2 lbs toward this goal. Um. So. Prooooobably not going to complete this one as the next 7 weeks include Thanksgiving, an Orlando mini-vacation, my birthday, and Christmas. While it’s entirely possible to lose 15 lbs in the next 7 weeks if I buckled down, eliminated sugar and soda from my diet, and generally had The Worst Holiday Season Ever Ever Ever… I’m not going to do that. I am going to remain on plan, treat myself every once in a while, and try to bump up my exercise intensity to at least get halfway to this goal but I’m also not going to beat myself up if I end up enjoying the holiday season too much.

3. Carve a pumpkin and roast pumpkin seeds. Check! I completed this goal in mid-October and my pumpkin turned out really cute! Unfortunately, he also brought with him gnats and had to be removed before he even celebrate his one-week birthday. Yuck.

4. Finish “Twenty Something, Twenty Everything”. Check! I finally finished this book in mid-October. Once I made it past the tough journaling segment I was stuck on for two months, the rest of the book breezed by. I am thinking this is a book I’d like to read through again, more slowly (yes, even more slowly than my first time!), and blog about what I’m discovering because I seriously got so much out of this book and it’s worth a reread. (And I don’t say that about a lot of books!)

5. Spend a long weekend in Orlando. Soon-to-be check! My mom booked the hotel (her birthday gift to me!) and now I’m trying to decide what I want to do: a few days at Universal/Islands or Adventure or a few days at some Disney parks. I am really, really excited about this as I just love long weekends in Orlando. It’s the best way to mini-vacation here in Florida!

6. Start writing again. Um… BIG HUGE CHECK. As of today, I have written 17,134 words in my novel. I am having a really fun time writing and it’s becoming such a big part of my life that I know it’s something I want to keep doing (adhering to a daily word count) when the NaNoWriMo challenge is over. I am excited about writing again and believing in myself that someday, I will see my name on the spine of a book.

7. Join a book club. Check! I attended my first book club meeting last month and I’m attending my second one next week. This has been a goal of mine – to find a local book club – for a while and I’m so glad I shoved down all my social anxiety and nervousness to go and see what this group was all about. They do a lot of other meet-ups aside from the monthly book clubs so I’m excited about more opportunities to be social and get out of my bubble.

8. Participate in The Color Run. Ehh… this is one goal I’m not sure I’ll accomplish. Basically, registration is $55 which is outrageous for a 5K, even one that will be as fun as this one. It comes in the midst of the holiday season when I’m already strapped for cash. I need to see how my ankle holds up during the Turkey Trot 5K I’m walking on Thanksgiving, too. I completed a 2.5-mile walk on the treadmill last week and my ankle gave me some trouble (nothing major, just could tell it still needs time to heal) so I’m just not sure about this goal anymore.

9. Drink more water than soda. I am doing okay with this goal. I still drink too much soda and I know how bad it is for me, yet quitting has been so hard. I’m thinking a “cold turkey” situation needs to happen. I don’t want to become a diet soda drinker because it’s really not any better for me so I’m trying to formulate a plan for how I’m going to quit soda for good. For now, good but not great.

10. Host an end-of-year holiday giveaway. Oh, you guys! I am so excited about this goal. I have come up with the items I want to give away in my little holiday package and now I’m on a mission to find these things. I haven’t done a giveaway in a long time and this blog is well overdue for one. Yay!

Four goals completed and two are well on their way to being completed – I’d say I am doing very well! Luckily, I gave myself lots of easily achievable goals but there are a few that will challenge me to get them completed. I’ll be back with my final update towards the end of the year (as well as a recap of my 2012 resolutions!).

Have a happy weekend, friends! I’m debating taking Dutch to a “Running of the Wieners” event in Dunedin tomorrow. He would race against other dachshunds and first place gets a $75 PetSmart gift card! I seriously think he could win (plus, since he’s 10, he’d be in the Senior Sausage category and that is just the best thing I’ve ever heard) because he’s a little speedster. Other than that, no big weekend plans. Just relaxing, writing, and watching football! Sounds absolutely perfect.

What is one goal you want to achieve by the end of 2012?

If you’ll remember, back in June, I made a list of Summer Goals. Ten simple goals to strive for during summer. About two weeks after that post, I promptly forgot about that list and then got thrown into the hurricane that was my sad season so I had even less motivation to complete these goals.

But I think I needed the time off from striving towards goals and just live in the moment for once. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about how I want to end 2012. It’s been a year of extreme highs and extreme lows. And I want to end the year on a high note, so I’ve been crafting ten goals to lead me through the end of this year.

1. Visit the dentist and schedule a consultation for my wisdom teeth.

I failed to make my second dentist appointment after my first one back in March so I’m a bit overdue for another cleaning. My wisdom teeth seem to hurt me off and on so I know they need to come out, but I’ve been hesitant about making my consultation appointment because of time off and money issues. But I know it’s something that has to be done and I have to stop dragging my feet about it.

2. Lose 15 lbs.

I usually don’t like to put a weight loss number with my goals, but I think this is a good one to strive for and it gives me a solid number to attain over the next 3 months. It’s a little over a pound per week (and in the midst of the holiday season!) but I need this goal to use as motivation to kick my weight loss into high gear. I’ll still have a lot to lose after these 15 lbs, but I’m hoping this will be the kick-start I need to bring me into 2013.

3. Carve a pumpkin and roast pumpkin seeds.

I didn’t carve a pumpkin last year, but I did attempt it in 2010. It wasn’t very pretty and then, for some reason, I just wasn’t up for carving another one last year. But nothing really brings in the holiday season quite like carving pumpkins so I’m making this a fun little goal to accomplish in October. Even if the pumpkin turns out horrible, at least I’ll have the pumpkin seeds to console myself with. Mmm!

4. Finish “Twenty Something, Twenty Everything”.

I had to put this goal on the list just because I’m still stuck on that darned journaling passage and I need some type of motivation to finish the book. It’s not like the book is terrible or hard to get through, I’ve just been lazy in picking it up and getting through all the journaling portions. Hopefully, if I set aside time every weekend to read through at least a few pages, I can cross this one off my list soon!

5. Spend a long weekend in Orlando.

I haven’t had a true Orlando weekend since July 2011 and that one was a short one, in itself. I want a true long weekend (3-4 days) there to enjoy the hotel, the amusement parks, and being in Orlando. I love that city so much and since my last foray there was for my mom’s marathon (i.e., NOT a vacation!), I need time to enjoy the city again. I’m hoping to go away for my birthday with my mom. We would leave the Friday after Thanksgiving and come back Monday or Tuesday so I am crossing my fingers that I can get my finances in order to make this happen.

6. Start writing again.

Whether it’s for 30 minutes a day or 30 minutes a week, I want to get back into writing fiction. I have so many story ideas flitting around in my brain on a daily basis (it’s one of my favorite ways to escape when I’m bored!) that I need to just start writing. I’m letting lesser important things take precedence over the biggest dream I have for my life: to be a successful published novelist. My goal for the next 3 months is to just write on a regular basis.

7. Join a book club.

I was going to attend my first book club meeting yesterday afternoon but the meeting fell at the same time as my nephew’s birthday party so I’m hoping to attend their next meeting in October.

8. Participate in The Color Run.

Yep – it’s hitting St. Petersburg on December 15th and you better believe I am finding myself at the starting line of this race! I love the entire idea of this race and even though I’m sure I’ll be super slow, it’s one of those races you just run for fun and I honestly cannot wait. (Any locals doing this race, too?)

 9. Drink more water than soda.

I am slowly trying to break myself from my soda addiction. I thought I had it under control earlier this year but it has once again snuck up on me! I really think my weight issues stem from lack of exercise, drinking too many caloric beverages, and too many sweets. The exercise issue I can’t help right now (I have the OK to do light exercise which is mainly walking, but wearing sneakers puts a lot of pressure on my broken bone) but I can work on drinking less soda and sugary Starbucks drinks (as well as the sweets issue). I know I drop weight easily when I cut down on my sugar intake. And since the cold turkey route doesn’t work for me (I’ve tried it – multiple times), I just want to focus on drinking more water than soda for now.

10. Host an end-of-year holiday giveaway.

I hosted my first-ever giveaway on this blog during Christmas Week 2010 and since then, I’ve tried to plan other giveaways but I never follow through. This will be a fun goal to achieve, I’m sure!

And there you have it! My 10 goals for the last 3 months of 2012. I can’t believe we’re at the last quarter of the year, how did that happen? This is my absolute favorite time of year and I’m excited for the holiday season to kick into gear. I tried not to be too ambitious with my goals, but I’m actually very excited to get back into goal setting and I’m starting to feel more like myself lately. Three cheers for that!

Do you have any goals for the end of 2012? Anything special you’d like to see in my holiday giveaway (I need ideas!)?