The Elaboration

So ideally I would like to be watching the season finale of Bachelor Pad right now (yes I am one those girls) but Meagan is playing phone catch up at the moment and I can't start it without her so I thought I would take the time to elaborate a little more on each of my 25 goals for the next year and begin crossing off ones I've accomplished.


1. Start a new career. I consider myself 33.33% of the way there. The first third, the third that I've accomplished is graduating nursing school. Big check in the box. In fact, I just got my diploma in the mail today, all fancy in script that says KayCee received her BS in Nursing. BS may be particularly correct because I honestly feel like I BSed my way through a good portion of those tests. So the next third is passing boards. However because those bastards at Pearson Vue have decided I'm the only person out of my graduating class who does not deserve to receive her Authorization to Test, I have not even scheduled my test yet. Harassment starts tomorrow, so they better be prepared. And the final third is finding employment. Which, I've actually found...I'm just still looking for a position closer to home (i.e. not 70 minutes away). So maybe I'm more like 40% accomplished. Regardless, I am yet to be able to strike this goal off the list.


2. Move to a new city. I officially accomplished this task on August 10th. Yay me!


3. Donate blood. This is something I've never done. Originally because it just never crossed my mind. After that it was because I seemed to get a new piercing, tattoo, or travel out of the country annually, which is a big no-no in the blood donation world. But since I officially do not qualify for any of those restrictions currently (Australia doesn't count as a high risk country, right?) I would like to accomplish this goal before I make a decision about #16.


4. Blog. I think its safe to cross this one off, right?


5. Begin learning Spanish. I'm never planning to be fluent, but those 3 years in high school and 2 semesters in college of French really don't come in too handy in central Florida. Plus, I figure even the basics will help me out a lot in the hospital. Guess Rosetta Stone is going to be on my Christmas list...


6. Take dance classes again. I just miss it. That's all there is to it. Jazz especially, but also hip hop, contemporary, ballet, lyrical, pom, all of it. Watching So You Think You Can Dance is sometimes painful for me and I've found it impossible to make it through a whole episode without catching myself subconsciously pointing my toes. 


7. Get more stamps in my passport. I've officially caught the travel bug. I've signed up for a cruise in December that will only get me as far as exotic Nassau (for the 4th time...) but its a stamp, so I can't be picky. I'm contemplating a return to Australia in the spring and have a trip to Europe planned in the fall. Technically I will be 26 in the fall, but if I solidify the plans while I'm 25, I'm going to count it dadgumit!


8. Read more of the classics. Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, The Great Gatsby were all amazing and while I might find a few duds in the bunch (I never did find much value in Lord of the Flies, As I Lay Dying, or Heart of Darkness) I know I'll find some diamonds as well. I'm thinking of starting with something by one of the Bronte sisters...


9. Learn to cook new dishes. Meagan and I have actually accomplished this rather quickly since moving to our new apartment. We haven't done anything too exotic yet, but we're slowly making our way through my new cookbook.


10. Complete the full 3 consecutive months of p90x. I just started week 3. I'm working on it.


11. Buy art. I just bought a really cool painting of an elephant holding a flower that was...you ready?...actually painted by an elephant. It's beautiful and I'm really excited about it. And all proceeds went to benefit the protection of elephants in Asia, so I can feel even better about the purchase. I'll take some time to figure out what my next purchase will be though...


12. Do something completely out of character. I'm drawing a blank on how to check this one off, but I'm determined to do this. Suggestions??


13. Make new friends. I've begun to accomplish this. At least become closer with acquaintances. And I'm sure once I start working, it'll be that much easier to check off.


14. Keep in touch with old friends. My best friends live all over the place from Tampa to Orlando to Tallahassee to Tennessee. And I've made friends with an amazing group of girls in my nursing program. I'm the kind of person who can not talk to someone for a long time and when I see them, pick up exactly where we left off. This is how most of my best friends and I function, which I believe has been a great factor in allowing us to remain close and live in different cities over the years. But I know this is not how everyone functions so I'm determined to make an extra effort to maintain the relationships which have meant a lot to me.


15. Get SCUBA certified. My dad is SCUBA certified and has always promised to take me some place really cool if I took the time to get certified as well. So now is definitely the time to do it.


16. Finally get the last tattoo I want...or decide I'm too old to get a new tattoo. I've always toyed with get a paw print somewhere. And I think I want a small one on my left foot in that henna-brown color. But after my experience with getting the tattoo on my hip removed, I really want to consider this one hard before I actually commit.


17. Date more. This one I can say I've accomplished. I didn't go on a single proper date all summer but I've been on at least 3 dates since I've moved to Tampa. None of them has been successful, mind you, but I'm trying to be open to new things and new people, so why not allow myself to be treated now and then? I'm definitely looking for that elusive right guy, but until he enters my life, I'm going to have fun and make the most of every new experience.


18. Actually train my dog to do something. This might be a task. He's 9 and used to be a stray, and therefore used to not having any rules. I'm going to do my best, but I may have satisfy myself with the fact that he's housetrained. We'll see though...my roommate is determined to teach him to use the litter box, ha.


19. Kiss in the rain. Lets be honest...if you know me, you probably know during that whole experience I'm just going to be lamenting what the rain and humidity are doing to my hair, but who knows? Maybe I'll even surprise myself. It's just one of those romantic gestures every girl needs to experience.


20. Be an extra in another film. I had a blast being an extra in Amanda Bynes' movie Sydney White and its just something I would love to experience again. Even if it means I spend hours walking from Point A to Point B in a tiny dress and painful heels in 40 degree weather for maybe 2 seconds of screen time. I'd still do it again.


21. Change someone's life for the better. I'll have to take some time to figure out how to mark this one off but I figure it's something everyone should always strive to accomplish.


22. Go horseback riding on the beach. I've tried to accomplish this in the past and its never come to pass so I'm hoping to be able to check this off on my December cruise.


23. Come to peace with last March, and all things from the past. This may take some time and some work. But I've healed a lot in the last 6 months and I know time and new experiences will take care of the rest.


24. Save a life. I'm waiting until I actually work in the hospital to check this one off. Unless someone drops and needs CPR in front of me on the street one of these days.


25. Kick a USF fan in the shins. My dear friend Terri suggested this one to me because The Ex is a USF fan. So it just seemed fitting and will certainly provide me with some closure.




So that is my list, explained. Five down, 20 to go.