Looking Back & Facing Forward

Last year, the new year felt monumental. I had accomplished and grown so much, and by the end of 2013, I was in a totally different place than I was at the beginning. I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished nearly as much as I did in 2013, but there are a few goals I’m proud to have accomplished.

2014 To-Do List:

• speak at an event I spoke at both the Philly Women in Tech Summit & WordCamp Philly! I also made short remarks at the Girl Develop It 3rd Anniversary Party.
• record an EP with Chad  NOPE. But we’re both taking voice lessons and actively working towards it this year.
• get published (in a periodical, online, in print, self-published, and/or ebook all count) I was so excited to be included in Melanie & Sandra’s We Are the Contributors project. The archives should be back online in the near future, and I’ll be sure to reshare when they’re posted.
• learn JavaScript & feel comfortable and confident using both it and jQuery I’ll (rightfully so) probably never feel done with this one. But! I did start getting familiar with Angular this year and will be setting aside more time this month to dive into it even deeper.
• build another Rails app Also did not do this, but I want to be doing this during 2015. Multiple times.
• find a house or apartment that feels like a more permanent living situation DONE! I’m so psyched to be living in a place where the floors aren’t rotting. Also, dishwasher! Laundry in our apartment! Dedicated office/music/creative space! It’s glorious. Perhaps it even warrants a house tour series this year.
• read at least a book a month This was an epic failure, and I am thoroughly embarrassed about it. I was one of those annoying kids who got in trouble for reading too much in class. My parents took books away from me as punishment. I would bring multiple books to the supper table so that when the first one got taken, I’d have a back up. I’m ashamed of the way that screens have taken the place of books in my life.

In addition to making up for what I didn’t accomplish in 2014, I’m hoping to add a few other things to my 2015 to-do list. If I share them here, I have to make moves, right?

So here we go.

• read a book a month
• work on at least two Rails apps
• learn Angular better by building something on my own
• learn to/make a quilt
• set up an online shop
• speak at another event
• work towards recording an album with Chad

Bonus: I’ve been compiling another playlist, appropriate for year planning (& my birthday! Happy birthday to me!) Reflective, but full of possibilities. Check it out here, & follow along on Spotify if that’s your thang.