Goals Accomplished in January

Well I feel like I got a lot done in this last month! My mom is coming in a couple of days, so I really worked hard at school as well. I have pretty much the first 3 weeks of February planned as far as lessons go and have started planning for March Reading Month!

Fitness

 Workout 4x a week

       Run 10k outside a week This was greatly helped by having someone to run with two days a week! I hope to get my 5k under 30 minutes by the middle of Feb- if not before!

Professional/Spiritual

 Devos daily

 Read 4 books

     At least 1 non-fiction book  I read If You Want to Walk on Water You've Got to Get Out of the Boat and loved it! 

Study Thai 4 times a week (4 hours)- I don't think I got 4 hours in :( I have been studying but probably closer to 2 hours a week (outside of my Thai class)

Other

Finish Photo-book for 2nd year in Thailand (school year 2012-2013) haha I should probably look to see how far I have to go before making a goal like this! I did work on it- one day for about an hour :)

Newsletter/Prayer letter

Figure out what I am doing with my life :) I have had meetings with people and I have done lots of research about different opportunities. I am getting closer, but still don't have it all figured out. Maybe by the end of February?!

Agape paperwork I caught up on the paperwork- for now anyway!

8 blog posts  I have so many more blog posts that I want to do...just have to get them done! 

Organize photos on computer Still could use some work, but getting better!

Dentist appointment- make and go 

Social

1 fun outing with friend(s) a week  Blog posts with pictures of Ice Skating (in Thailand :)) and 3D Art Museum coming soon :) 

3-4 Skype calls to friends in other places I did a bad job counting but I think got it :) If you let me count my mom or the same friend a few times. 

You know you have lived in Thailand too long when....

you tell your mom who is going to visit from Minnesota that she might be a little cold here at night. 

Um....I am thinking that my night time lows the last few nights have been about 70 degrees warmer than her night time lows. 

When you are used to 70s-100s and you get 50s-80s it does feel cooler...

Ever since August it has been extremely nice weather- the coolest it has been the last 2 1/2 years..

I think my mom is going to enjoy the weather and even get a little hot in the afternoons! 

As for me- I will enjoy the last few "cool" days because it is warming up here and soon the 100 degree days will be back. 

The closest thing to a real snowman for me this year.

Christmas in Thailand- 3rd year in a row...

Can't believe that I have spent 3 Christmases in a row in Thailand. This is the girl who never had a Christmas outside of Minnesota until she was in her twenties. At least all 3 were spent in this same house and with the Templetons. God has truly blessed me with a family away from family. 

Of course cause they consider themselves "family" I get gifts like this one: 

Not sure what I should think about this.....haha

 But friends are great (nope she wasn't even the one to buy the pillow).

 Feeling young and sitting at the "kid's table."

Missing Nate this year....but Hanseon came back to join us.

Decorating Christmas Cookies on Christmas Eve!

Celebrating the King's Birthday

The King of Thailand's birthday is on the 5th of December,

 so on December 3rd we had a celebration as a whole school. 

Fun trip to a cave- way back in October

Way back in October we had a night away in a town about an hour away. Five friends having fun and celebrating the birthday girl! It was a very rainy two days...but we still enjoyed our time.

Eating on the side of the road...something you can only
do in MN for about 2 months of the year!

We got to explore a cave with the help of a tour guide. 

Roommate photo

Happy Birthday!

Following the guide with the light. There were only a few times
that I felt claustrophobic and was afraid I would get stuck :)
This wasn't one of them...I just was nervous when I had to crawl!

maybe offerings? 

Where the girls stayed...

One of the few times it wasn't raining! Beautiful view!

See the post about Signs for pictures of funny signs from inside and outside of the cave! Thanks to my wonderful Wisconsin friend for all the photos from our night away. 

Makes me Smile! Go Vikings :)

A 3rd grader who is going to be gone the rest of the school year came into the library to say good-bye to me. He quickly leaves and comes back without his school uniform shirt on but instead a MN Vikings shirt! He isn't even from MN, but knows that I like the Vikings. I think it has something to do with the Vikings pennant that my Grandma gave me which is hanging up by my desk in the library.
 The kids are amazing at this school :)

Go Vikings!

just an old photo to show my love for the
purple and gold!

Goals for January

I was told by someone that it is better to have goals and not reach them than have no goals. She was talking about how your goals might change, but that should discourage you from making them. I tend to agree that I do better when I have a list or goals. It worked great with my reading goal for 2013. Then my smart sister at theanticsofthethree22nds decided to do a monthly goal instead of a year goal. I loved that idea as well so I am posting a small list of goals for this month. 

Fitness

 Workout 4x a week

       Run 10k outside a week

Professional/Spiritual

 Devos daily

 Read 4 books

     At least 1 non-fiction book

Study Thai 4 times a week (4 hours)

Other

Finish Photo-book for 2nd year in Thailand (school year 2012-2013)

Newsletter/Prayer letter

Figure out what I am doing with my life :)

Agape paperwork

8 blog posts

Organize photos on computer

Dentist appointment- make and go

Social

1 fun outing with friend(s) a week

3-4 Skype calls to friends in other places

There are more things I will/should be doing...but these are the major ones and things that I often struggle with doing. There are also somethings that should have been finished months ago!

Reading List for 2014

Here are most of the books I read in 2014. My goal was 50 and I made it thanks to audio books. I think I will keep the goal at 50 books for 2015 and try to get all the rest of the Newbery award winners read as well. 

1. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 
2. Lord of the Rings-Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Lord of the Rings- Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
5. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
6. Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
7. Redwall by Brian Jacques 
8. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
9. A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos
10. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
11. Crispin by Avi
12. M.C. Higgins, The Great by Virginia Hamilton
13. The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
14. Dreams and Visions: Muslims' Miraculous Journey to JESUS by Rick Kronk
15. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
16. The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
17. Loser by Jerry Spinelli
18. Ida B.  Katherine Hannigan
19. The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
20. A Single Shard by  Linda Sue Park
21. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
22. Jotham's Journey by Arnold Ytreeide
23. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
24. Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
25. If you want to Walk on Water, you've got to get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg
26. The Fault in Our Stars John Green
27. Know Fear by Ed Young Jr
28. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
29. Traveling Light by Max Lucado
30. Anne of Green Gables  by Lucy Maud Montgomery 
31. Anna of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery
32. Frindle by Andrew Clements
33. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
34. Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery
35. Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery
36. Reliving the Passion: Meditations on the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus as recorded in Mark by Alter Wangerin
37. The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Lord
38. Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
39. Radical  by David Platt
40. Follow Me by David Platt
41. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
42. Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
43. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
44. Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper
45. Accommodating and Educating Somali Students in MN Schools by Mohamed Farid and Don McMahan
46. Rules by Cynthia Lord
47. Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
48. Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney
49. Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery
50. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Book List of 2013

Here are the books I finished in 2013- I also read lots of picture books that I didn't count :) I almost finished reading all the Caldecott books- none of which I counted in my total. 

My goal was to read 36 books and I made it to 46 :) 

Top books from different categories would have to be:

Crazy Love by Francis Chan (Christian Living category)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (fiction category)

The Book Whisper by Donalyn Miller (professional category)

Stay Alive, My Son by Pin Yathay (Auto-biography category)

Goal for 2014 will be to read 50 books and hopefully finish reading the Newbery books. I will post the start of my book list soon.... 

1. Wonder  by R.J. Palacio (it was great and I would recommend it for people from 10 to 100)

2. Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 

3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett 

4. The Book Whisper by Donalyn Miller (great book for teachers and librarians :)) 

5. Raising Dragons by Bryan Davis 

6. Joni by Joni Eareckson 

7. Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst
8. Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
9. The Tanglewood's Secret by Patricia St. John
10. Hobbit by R.J. Tolkien (My mom read this to me and my nephews :))
11. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
12. Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk (Many of the teachers at my school use this approach to help with classroom management)
13. The Giver by Lois Lowry
14. The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi
15. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket  

16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
17. The Shack by William P. Young
18. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
19. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
20.William Carey by Janet & Geoff Benge
21. Sarah Plain and Tall
22. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
23. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
24. Crazy Love by Francis Chan
25. Ten Boys Who Changed the World by Irene Howat (a very easy read about 10 famous boys- such as Billy Graham, Eric Liddell, John Newton, etc. It takes you through their whole lives in a quick 10 page overview for each person.) 
26. Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller
27. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
28. Mai Pen Rai: means never mind by Carol Hollinger 
29.  Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter
30. Naked Bunyip Dancing by Steven Herrick
31. Enjoying the Presence of God by Jan Johnson
32. The Gold-Threaded Dress by Carolyn Marsden
33. The Life of Rice: From Seedling to Supper by Richard Sobol
34. Private Peaceful Michael Morpurgo
35. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
36. Stay Alive, My Son by Pin Yathay
37. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
38. A View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
39. Out of the Dust
40. Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up The Way You Thought He Would? By Pete Wilson
41. Reckless Faith: Let Go and Be Led by Beth Guckenberger
42. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes  by Eleanor Coerr
43. kira-kira by Cynthia Kadohata
44. Double Fudge by Judy Blume
45. Franny K. Stein Mad Scientist: Lunch Walks Among Us Jim Benton
46. Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma by Janet & Geoff Benge