The 6 Month Plan

Do you think most women are just "planners?"  I know I am.  I know my friend Grace is (to the extreme! lol).  Grace used to tell me that on her lunch break she would go sit and eat at a restaurant by herself and I would say to her "well what did you do? just sit there and eat alone?" and she would tell me how she would read and list and budget and lay out her "plan."  (Grace I would link your blog but you've been a major blogger slacker!)I don't often sit and reflect on my "plan" anymore.  After having Mimi and falling off track of my 4 year graduation with my PhD, I lost my ability to plan my life.  Life just kept happening.   Now, today I'm sitting at a desk in Austin Texas in my pajamas drinking ice coffee with my almost two year old watching pbs with the most adorable bed hair I've seen in my life.  How did I get here?  Unemployed as a SAHM in Texas?  Franco and I look at each other almost everyday and we have this moment and we say "How the heck did we end up in Texas!?"  I think this kindred spirit might have had something to do with it!

a quick side note....
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One of my BFFs just had the most adorable friggin baby boy I've seen in my life!  When she resurfaces in a month and reads this blog post, I want her to know how much I love her and how proud I am of her!  I'm blessed to know her.  I can't wait to go visit her and see this adorable child.  Congrats 1,000 times to you and your family!
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So I sit here, once again sipping my ice coffee, and thinking of my "plan."  What is in store for me?  I used to have a 5 year plan, then a 1 year plan.  Now I'm shooting for 6 months.  I'm going to call this my 6 month plan.  Now I share this for two reasons, one it's my blog and kind of a journal for me, and two, to hold me accountable, in 6 months I want all of you ladies to gripe at me and ask me how the plan is going!!!

I have 3 major things I want to accomplish in the next 6 months.

1.  Finish writing the workable draft of my dissertation for Spring graduation.  I NEED to get this done.  My doctorate degree hangs on my shoulders like a 100 lb weight.  I need to finish it.  I (and others) spent a lot of time, money and energy on this.  After July is over, our home is settled and organized, it's go time.  I want to have a draft by January.

2.  Speaking of weight on my shoulders....I have 15 more lbs to lose.  I give myself this 6 month deadline to do it.  This would be 0.8 lbs per week.  I can do it.  I've started 5K 101 again, and I've cleaned up my diet a lot.  For once in my life I look at losing weight as the easiest task on my list.  I've already lost 80 lbs, what's 15 more?

3.  Hit our savings goal.  My husband and I have made this savings goal that would allow us to have 4-6 months of expenses paid in full, with all of our consumer debt gone.  Then if one of us is in a job situation like I was working for the devil, we can change jobs and not be financially crushed.  Also, we want to be able to ride those financials waves that hit you without drowning (car repair, new roof on our FL house, etc).  We're 41% there.

Hopefullly, when I check these three things off my list in 6 months, we'll be able to try for another baby. Sounds like a good plan right?

Mimi wants to give a quick shout out to her friend D, she misses her so much! Hope she's well!