We’re here! 2014! Here’s my new list (with a few wishes that didn’t get completed in 2013.)

We hope you’ll join TOMORROW by linking up your own list of wishes.

1. Buy a pair of TOMS.

2. Take a cake decorating or chocolatier class. Or both.

3. Get a pink or purple streak in my hair.

4. Go to Julienne Jewelery.

5. Reread Harry Potter.

6. Donate Blood.

7. Switch my phone to Spanish for a full week.

8. Pay for a stranger’s order in the drive-thru.

9. Try archery.

10. Paint something. Anything!

11. Upgrade my phone.

12. Go to a Karaoke night with the girls.

13. Move. Either to a new apartment or into a house.

14. Read The Complete Sherlock Holmes.

15. Go to Graham’s.

16. Do the Color Run Kaleidoscope Tour.

17. Set up and go on at least one double date. They’re so fun!

18. Start a letter album for Klara.

19. Finish my quilt top.

20. Learn how to play Poker.

There there are! Hopefully this year will be more successful than the last!

xoxo,

So, round two of our Twenty Wishes Project here on Truly Lovely! We want to invite you to join us by writing up your 20 wishes list and coming back here on Wednesday, January 29th to link it up with us! If you followed along with my list from 2013 you’ll notice there are a few carry overs. There are a few moved over from my 30 Before 30 list that I plan to really focus on this year AND there are also some brand new wishes!

Kassi’s Twenty Wishes List for 2014

 
1. Visit Disneyland with my little family.

2. Paint my master bedroom.

3. Plant an upside down Mulberry tree somewhere at my house.

4. Visit Build a Bear and build a bear for Klara.

5. Send a handwritten letter, note or card to someone via snail mail once a month.

6. Save for and buy myself a tablet of some kind. Maybe an iPad or a Surface. I’ve always wanted one… 😉

7. Complete my reading goal of 55 books in 2014.

 

 

8. Host and/or  participate in a Google + Hangout with some bloggie friends.

9. Have the carpet in my house professionally cleaned. I know this sounds like an ought to do versus a want, but I ought to clean the carpets myself… I WANT to have someone else do it!! haha

10. Make over my guest bathroom.

11. Take Klara to The Color Run for her “second” time. Technically last year she was just riding in mommy’s tummy. This year I plan to take her in her stroller!

12. Get a front screen door for my house.

13. Get together monthly with at least one friend. Dinner, shopping trip, lunch, etc.

14. Visit here in Safford. I’ve wanted to go since they opened, but haven’t ever made it since it’s across town!

15. Figure out a system for organizing and saving the baby clothes and items that Klara has outgrown.

16. Get tickets for and attend the 2014 National Finals Rodeo.

17. Build a container garden of some sort for my backyard.

18. Pay off my credit card. I’m SO close!!! I’m sure I can have it all paid off by the end of this year.

19. Take a photography class or workshop.

20. Throw a surprise party for someone.

Well, there you have it! My 20 wishes for 2014! Again, don’t forget to get your list written and come back here on Wednesday to link it up with us!!!

For being the first year of this fun adventure 2013 really wasn’t all that bad. We’re so excited to get things on a much more organized path for 2014 and we’d love for you to join us. More will come on that later. In the meantime- here’s my wrap up!

 

Here’s how things went!

All progress/updates from the first month are in red, February updates are in purple, and April updates are in blue.
June updates are in green.

October updates are in orange

Final updates are in maroon.

Kayli’s Twenty Wishes by December 2013

1. Grow a garden. (Like really grow one. Keeping the weeds out and tending it to it and all!)

Planted! Hopefully it warms up a little and things don’t get squashed by a late freeze! (:

So I kinda sorta did this one. ha! Some stuff grew! I didn’t really tend to it the way I should have, but that was okay. (:

 

2. Start playing the guitar.

Funny story… thanks to one of my favorite people on the planet- I actually DID start playing the guitar this year. It’s a mini guitar and I stink. But that’s not what matters! haha

3. Make and send valentines.

My roommate and I made some this weekend! So the sending part is stalling out a little bit. I WILL be sending them- they might be a few days late but they’ll get there! (:

Sent one or two. I’m just excited I actually made them!

 

4. Buy my first pair of converse.

I didn’t finish this one- but I AM changing it. The fact of the matter is- I just don’t really WANT to spend that much money on shoes I’m not gonna wear very often. What I DO want to spend money on is a new pair of boots that I love! And I’ll be getting on that VERY soon! (:

So in July I bought a new pair of boots! My first pair of square toes. And I adore them. They have cute purple tops with pink stitching and they’re basically adorable. I’ve already walked many a mile and danced many a dance in them. (: Swoon.

 

5. Make meditation a habit. (Not necessarily the kind of meditation you’re thinking, just learning to be.)

This one is sort of a fail. But I want to work on it for 2014!

I’ve started this one- it’s been sort of difficult because adding a new habit is hard- but I have time to improve.

I have to admit I’m not doing a very good job of this, but I’m trying- a little at a time. (:

Guys, why is this one so hard?! haha I always forget! I’m going to try breaking it down by week, we’ll see if things get any better by next month!

 

6. Finish an embroidery project. (Like pillowcases, or a dresser scarf or something.)

Technically…. I did finish some stuff. But it wasn’t both pillowcases so I can’t really cross it off. Improvement is what counts, right?

I actually finished my first pillowcase AND I’ve done another little small project- but I won’t cross this off until I finish my other pillowcase (:

 

7. Learn the alphabet in American Sign Language.

Well this one was accomplished at one point and now forgotten. haha I remember some of them but definitely not all. Something to practice.

I started this one too! I had them all memorized for like a week and now I forget a few, so I still need to rehearse to keep it in my long term memory- but we’re getting there!

 

8. Reread the entire Harry Potter series.

Epic fail. haha I didn’t even start the Sorcerer’s Stone! BUT I did read like crazy this year. And given that I took an entire course in Modern American Poetry and that had a lot of assigned reading, I don’t feel that terrible about it.

Planning to start The Sorcerer’s Stone soon and work on this once school is out!

 

9. Paint again! (And maybe try something super abstract)

 This one hurts a little. I didn’t do any portraits this year much less anything abstract. I HAVE to do that in 2014. HAVE to.

10. Sleep under the stars.

Fail too. Oh well. haha

Probably not gonna happen since it’s so cold- but no biggie. I’ll come up with a replacement and let you know what I decide on.

 

11. Read at least one C.S. Lewis book.

That book is in my never-ending stack of books that need to be finished. Ah college, not good for funzie reading at all.

I bought a collection of four C.S. Lewis works that I cannot wait to start!! (:

 

12. Buy 1 FULL outfit that I really love and maybe wouldn’t buy otherwise.

Guys- I’ve discovered I have style. Ask Kassi- I came home from church one Sunday in a cute outfit and she was as shocked as i had been. haha I even bought mint green cropped pants. And I carry a purse now. What. Yeah. I’ll post pictures at some point. (:

 

13. Get a professional best friend photo shoot done with Sara.

We got super close to getting this one done before Christmas and ran out of light. It’ll be good to get it done when the flowers are in bloom and everything is pretty anyway.

Getting ready to do this over Thanksgiving Break or around then.

 

14. Go fishing in the evening off of the dock.

Plans are in the works for this- prime fishing time! (:

No dock- but I did go fishing! Totally counts! (:

 

15. Do the Color Run!

All signed up and ready to go in January! (:

Went and LOVED it!!! It rained the whole time and it rocked. Seriously, there was color everywhere and music and people were dancing and yelling and it was THE. BEST.

 

16. Spend an entire day riding horses PURELY for fun- wherever I feel like going.

Been spending a little time with my favorite girl (my sweet horse) lately and hopefully will be able to grab a day to take her out and have a long day of riding. (:

My sister in law and I went out one morning and rode all over the place in July. It was a VERY good day.

My sweet horse. Love her. And this view.

17. Throw someone a full on party- birthday or just because.

So I threw a couple of parties this year and it was so fun. We’re in the middle of planning another right now.

(I just changed this one because I like this wish better! You can see what I replaced it with by going to my original list here.)

So I threw a baby shower earlier this month and it was super fun- but I’m going to leave this one up just in case another party opportunity comes my way. I discovered this is something I LOVE to do!

Still leaving this one open because the year isn’t over and more might come my way- but I also did a mini-surprise birthday party for my roommate last week!

 

18. Go to the Catwalk.

This one isn’t going to happen either. But I DID go to South Padre and see the ocean for the first time. 7 million times cooler anyway. (:

 

19. Learn to bake homemade bread!

So for Christmas, I made my first batch of dinner rolls without my Granny physically being there…. and I gotta say, they were pretty darn good. Not a loaf of bread- but there was rising involved and I was pretty proud of them.

20. Donate, even if it’s just a little, to a cause that I really believe in. (I’ll be doing lots of research for this one! (; )

I actually donated a little to the Special Olympics of Arizona this year!

Working on this for sure. Just a matter of getting it done. (:

 

So there it is- my triumphant and motivational list of things done and things postponed. Here’s hoping 2014 is more accomplishment than things left undone. I hope you’ll get in on it with us too!

xoxo,

Well, this is it! Time to wrap up your 2013 20 Wishes list!!! This year has been a successful, fun year for checking off those wishes you really wanted to come true, right!?

We are thrilled to see the progress you’ve made over the last year and invite you to work on your 2014 20 wishes list for the coming year. We’ll be launching the 2014 project the last week of this month!

 

As always we aren’t requiring you to follow anybody, visit anybody, or anything else really. The point is for you to have a place to share and work towards accomplishing those things you really want to do. Although, it would be SUPER awesome if you were to link up your list, then visit the others that have shared and offer a little encouragement. 😉 Just sayin…

 

Well, 2013 has come and gone!!! This week we’ll be wrapping up our 2013 20 Wishes Project and gearing up for our 2014 20 Wishes Project. The wrap up link up for 2013 will be this Wednesday, January 8th. If you’re interested in joining us this coming year, check out this post for the what and why, then write up your 20 wishes and come back here on Wednesday, January 29, to link up your 2014 list! Since 2013 was our first year with this project, we were a little unorganized, but we still had the best time and really enjoyed getting to know those ladies that linked up and shared their lists and progress with us.

With the 2014 year we are excited to be more organized, invite some awesome blogging ladies to co-host with us, and we plan to offer a giveaway with each monthly progress link up!!! We are REAL excited about this and hope you lovelies will be as well! FYI, we’ll be sharing more details as we draw closer to the launch of this year’s project!

{November and December progress are this color and in italics. September and October progress are this color and in italics. July and August Progress is this color and in italics. May and June updates are this color and in italics. April updates are this color and in italics! Progress for March are this color and in italics. Progress updates from February are this color and in italics. Progress updates for progress report one are red and in italics.}

Here’s a button for those of you that have yet to join and those of you that have yet to grab a button! 😉

 

Kassi’s Twenty Wishes List for 2013

1. Read 50 books, just for fun, that I WANT to read.
I made it!!! I literally finished reading my 50th book on the last day of 2013!!! I did a whole lot of reading the last two months thanks to my library card and free books via my cell phone reader!
In early October I actually went and got a library card! I know, I’ve lived here going on three years and I hadn’t done that yet… But our library has a program where you can borrow electronic books to read on your e-reader as long as you have a library card number! Count me in!!! As of today I have read 28 books… I’m 13 books behind on reaching my goal of 50 by the end of December…. Time to get on it!!!!
I’m back on the reading wagon!! I started with Bringing up Bebe, LOVED it!!! I’ve also read Phil Robertson’s book (of Duck Dynasty) and really enjoyed it! And I just started a photography book!!
So this got stalled a little bit. I’ve been reading up on pregnancy in my What to Expect book, and studying my manual thing from our prenatal class… All other reading has gotten pushed to the way side. WILL work on reading more in the next few weeks!!!
So far I’ve read 22 books putting me 8 books ahead of and almost half way finished with my 50 book goal by the end of the year. I read the Beautiful Creatures series this last month and really enjoyed it if you’re looking for something fun to read in the young adult genre.

2. Take a trip up Mount Graham. (I’ve lived here a year now, think it’s time to start checking out the local sites!)
So on a random Saturday afternoon Nate told me to load up our dogs and a few drinks, we stopped and got a picnic lunch and drove up to the very top of Mt. Graham!!! I have several pictures from the drive there and back, but here’s one of my favorites.

3. Make a scrapbook of my trip to Australia. (I’ve had the photos since um… 2003…. oops….)
This was a 2013 fail. Perhaps a goal to try again for 2014?
I ordered some Australia stickers to help nudge this goal… but I still haven’t started. Hopefully a November project!

4. Participate in a Color Run! {You can see the full post on our Color Run experience here.}

5. Host a girlfriends’ dinner party in my home. Invites, menus, the whole she-bang!
Another 2013 fail. This one WILL get done in 2014. Maybe. 😉

6. Build my photography portfolio to include 10 different sessions.
A lot of why I haven’t done much of anything else as far as wishes is concerned is because I have been CRAZY busy with my photography the last two months. It’s Christmas card season, so I’ve taken a lot of family sessions lately, several newborn and a few weddings! The photo below is from one of my most favorites from a recent senior session!
Business is booming and I’m loving it! I’ve done two engagement sessions recently. I’m also booking fall sessions, have a wedding the end of this month and have already started booking sessions for next year!!!
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve photographed my first wedding and did my first maternity shoot to round out my goal of ten sessions!!! I’ve even photographed another family and had my first senior session this month!! That officially makes 12!!!
Just an update for May-June, so far I have photographed 17 sessions! One was a birthday shoot for a sweet 8 year old girl, a wedding and a few family sessions!

7. Make a photography website and FB page with those 10 sessions.
My website includes 13 blogged sessions so far! I have TONS more sessions to blog and will make it a 2014 goal to get them all done in a timely manner… 😉
Hangs head in shame… I still only have eight sessions posted on my website… I WILL do better in November and try to get at least five sessions posted… That will be my goal for the month!!!
So far I’ve had the time to get 8 of my sessions posted on my site. I have made a concentrated effort to get more posts up the last few weeks. Hopefully I’ll get the rest up by the end of October.
I just launched my website!! I purchased the domain (www.kassimortensenphotography.com) and set it up in March! I’m working on getting the 8 sessions 12 sessions I have added to the page. Be a dear and go check it out, yes? And maybe follow…. 😉
Facebook page is done!!! Won’t you be a doll and like ?!? Oh, and check out my sweet new logo c/o while you’re there. 😉

8. Take a trip to see the fall leaves at Hannigan Meadows. (Was attend an AZ Blogger Event)
I hate to say it, but I don’t think I’ll be able to make any AZ blogger events until Klara is a little older and I have a better handle on my schedule… So I replaced that wish with a trip to Hannigan Meadows. It’s a beautiful mountain drive near where my parents live. The weekend I visited to celebrate my birthday the whole family took a drive up there and checked out the pretty fall colors. It was Klara’s first trip to Hannigan Meadows which warranted a few pictures. 😉

9. Makeover my master bedroom.
2014 will include some kind of wish to get this finished!!! It still needs paint and what not…
So this is a work in progress. We purchased a Cal. King mattress via Groupon. AWESOME deal! Then a few weeks later during, Mother’s Day weekend, my amazing husband took my to purchase a bedroom set in town! We got a beautiful set with a bed, dresser and side tables! No more plastic nightstands for us! We feel so grown up. 😉 BUT because they were able to deliver the bed set that day I haven’t had time to paint it like I wanted. So maybe in a few months once things with baby have calmed down. We’ll see… 😉

10. Visit a winery and do a wine tasting.
Again, this is another wish that isn’t going to happen… I won’t be tasting any wine until I’ve stopped nursing my daughter, which hopefully won’t be for awhile… I’ll think on it and see if I can come up with a replacement for this wish as well.

11. Plant (a) rose bush in my backyard.
I have one rose thriving away in the backyard. I still need to replace the one that didn’t make it, but we’ll call this one a success.
This is actually a goal in progress! I’ve picked out the spot to plant them. Just need the hubs to dig the holes (preggo girls aren’t so good at digging 27 weeks in…) and purchase the rose bushes.
So I actually purchased two roses, had Nate dig the holes for them and we planted them. The one rose is thriving now and even has a few blooms, but the other… Sadly it just didn’t make it. SO I’m not marking this one off until I can get it replaced!!!

12. Take our first real family vacation with Klara. {Replaced take a 2 year anniversary trip just me and the hubs.}
After having our little girl in July, the same month as our two year anniversary, it became obvious that a trip for just the two of us was no longer in the cards. But I am totally OK with that!!! Instead we took our first family vacation and visited South Padre Island, TX to be in our dear friends’ wedding. It was Klara’s first time flying, first trip to the beach, and Kayli’s as well for that matter… 😉 So here are a few photos from our trip!

13. Private wish. (This is something I REALLY, really, REALLY wish for, so I don’t want to jinx it… When it does happen I’ll share what it is.) 😉
My private wish that I shared when we started this project was to become a mommy. Even though I considered myself a mommy as soon as I found out we were expecting our little miss, I waited to share it until now after she was born. I love being Klara Beth’s mommy!!! And Nate is an amazing daddy already! It feels like our little girl has always been a part of our family!!!

14. Makeover our guest bathroom.
Another wish for 2014… Sometimes you just can’t squeeze everything in… And that’s ok. The effort is what counts!!!

15. Plant an upside down Mulberry tree somewhere at my house.
2014 here we come! 😉
Well, the time to plant trees in our area is long past… I do plan to go online and see if I can order one soon so that it will arrive in time to plant it next year.

16. See George Strait in concert for his final tour.
On April 6 me, Kayli and our mom saw King George in Las Cruces! He was AMAZING! See the full post on completing this wish here.

17. Take a photography class or work shop.
This month I started the online photography certification course that I purchased a few months ago via Groupon. So far I’ve made it through the first lesson!
True story… That first lesson is still all that I’ve completed. SLACKER! I know, right!?! Will do better this next month!

18. Download a Book of Mormon reading app of some sort and read at least the first half!
I downloaded Book of Mormon Chapter Tap, it’s an app for $0.99 that lets you check of each chapter as you read through. So far I’m well ahead of schedule!
Actually I am WAY behind schedule now… This goes along with my reading for the year… I just haven’t been into reading the last few weeks. Weird, right!?! Will be working on this one too!!!

19. Visit Build a Bear and actually build a bear.

20. Host a holiday for my family including a traditional dinner.

So as you can see I didn’t get all of my wishes accomplished. Like I mentioned a few wishes back, it’s the effort that counts. I did end up editing a few of my wishes along the way, things that just weren’t going to happen because of one thing or another, and again, I think that’s ok. The point is choosing things that you really want to accomplish, or enjoy, then doing your best to make them work. There’s no need to stress if you can’t… Where would the fun be in that!!! Right!?!

I am SO pumped for this coming year and can’t wait to share my 2014 list with you the end of this month!

For Klara’s first Halloween we decided on a Jack O’ Lantern outfit. Her daddy and I both call her Punkin’, so we thought it was fitting. 😉

What are you and/or your kiddos dressing up as this year??

 

While you’re here, is time to link up your 20 wishes progress for September and October!

Here’s a button in case you haven’t grabbed one yet, or in case you’re new! If that’s the case, welcome!!! SO glad to have you!!!

 

You can see my Sept./Oct. progress here and Kayli‘s progress here.

We aren’t requiring you to follow anybody, visit anybody, or anything else really. The point is for you to have a place to share and work towards accomplishing those things you really want to do. Although, it would be SUPER awesome if you were to link up your list, then visit the others that have shared and offer a little encouragement. 😉 Just sayin…

With only four months left in 2013 we hope you’ve got a good handle on those 20 wishes!! But if not, that’s still plenty of time to get as many marked off the list as possible!!! Excited to see the progress you’ve made up through the month of August!!!

Here’s a button in case you haven’t grabbed one yet, or in case you’re new! If that’s the case, welcome!!! SO glad to have you!!!

 

You can see my August progress here and our mom’s progress here.

We aren’t requiring you to follow anybody, visit anybody, or anything else really. The point is for you to have a place to share and work towards accomplishing those things you really want to do. Although, it would be SUPER awesome if you were to link up your list, then visit the others that have shared and offer a little encouragement. 😉 Just sayin…

OH! And if you’d like to invite your friends to join in, please do so! The more the merrier!!!