Hello and happy Friday friends! It's Friday the 13th! Did you do anything to celebrate today? We don't do much for days like today, but I know some out there celebrate. For today's post, I wanted to share my first quarterly update of my 36 goals for my 36th year of life. I'm pretty excited with the progress I've made so far!
MY GOALS
Update: I ran a 5k last August with my friend Caroline! To be totally honest, it was not quite the best experience but I am happy to share that I finished and it made me want to start training again. I'm debating signing up for another one this fall and doing another one.
Update: My student loans are 100% paid off as of January 2026! Check that off the list of things I no longer have to worry about.
Update: This is probably half way done so I imagine I will be able to get it done in time for my birthday.
Final update: Last month I ordered this barcode scanner from Amazon: https://brandcycle.shop/z1i2j. I have scanned and organized probably 75% off my bookshelves and I am happy with it. The goal is to purge some and move forward with finally organizing them all again.
Update: Honestly... I ended up picking a brand new project for myself, but I am over half way done with it. Once I get that done, I'll post a full update on that one.
Update: I started and finished a cardigan for myself and I did not like it. HA. So I ended up giving it away, but I had every intent of keeping the sweater until I got it done.
Update: Between Christmas and New Years I spent so much time on my closet getting rid of a bunch of things. I think I got rid of 1/2 my pants and 1/2 of my hanging items.
Update: Group is at 367 members so I am slowly getting there! I had a rough few months getting deals posted but I am only 133 members shy of my 500 goals.
Update 2.0: As of today's posting I am at 395 members so I'm getting there! I am planning to run a giveaway in my group in April to see if I can push myself over that goal of 500 members.
Final Update: I, unfortunately, did not hit my goal of 500 members in my Facebook Group. As of this post I have a total of 404 and I did a push to get to 500 and just could not get there. That's okay though!
Update: I have not been posting videos all summer. I had content planned for the whole summer but honestly just did not feel great about recording videos. So I made the executive decision to hold off on recording content until I felt a bit better about it all. My plan is to pick back up in September and see how I feel about it then.
Update: This one will not be accomplished and I am okay with that. As I mentioned in my last update, I just wasn't feeling it over the summer and that carried into Fall 2025. I have been working on some videos but recording/editing just is not my passion.
Update: Have not started the quilt, but still have it on my radar. I think this will be another one of those projects that I have to schedule time for because it can be very time consuming.
July 20, 2025 - Took the paddle board out with my friend Trista and got thoroughly burnt, but it was glorious. We're trying to get out one more time this summer before the weather gets cold.
August 2025 - Went in August last year with some girlfriends and glazed tiles. It was so much fun and I kind of want to go back again. Maybe I'll add that for my 37th year on this planet.
Update: I did 14 days of this challenge in July and a week in August, but haven't completed a full month. I will be picking a month later this year to do the challenge when I don't feel so busy that it hurts.
Update 3/2026: This still is not going well. BUT I still have April where I could do it every day so I will work on that for next month.
Final update: Nope, did not finish this one and I'm okay with that.
Update: I have started brainstorming things that I'd like to do every day (like a load of laundry, empty/load the dishwasher and pick up clutter). I'm thinking it would be good to implement this starting in the new year as a 2026 goal. I'll keep you posted.
Update: I have put something together to help me keep myself on track for cleaning/daily routine. I created the below image so I can check things off daily/weekly. Feel free to use it for yourself too if you want!
Update: So far I have purchased six of the books of the 38. It's proving a bit hard to find the versions I want, but I am sure I'll be able to get them from my local library if needed and wanted to just get them read.
Here's what I have so far:
- Murder on the Orient Express
- Murder in Mesopotamia
- Dumb Witness
- Death on the Nile
- Evil Under the sun
- Hallowe'en Party
My plan is to start reading/listening to them all this fall because they feel very fall-esque. I'll let you know as I start reading through them.
Update: I have not read a single Agatha Christie book, but I have added a few more books to my collection. I definitely won't be finishing 38 books in the next 8 weeks, but I am happy with starting my collection.
Final update: I have purchased several of the books but have not completed my collection. That's okay though!
We also have something scheduled for September, but that's a trip we do annually for a ladies retreat with her church.
July 2025 - Mom and I went on a mini overnight trip to Kalamazoo, MI. It wasn't a huge trip or anything crazy, but it was fun to get away for the evening and spend some time together.
16. Finish the 90% done projects in the house
I have not started on these projects and honestly, the last one may not get done before fall/winter hits. It's been so hot outside I just didn't see the point in investing a lot of time/money in the deck. Maybe once it cools off this fall I'll be able to get more done out there, but for now that project is on hold.
- Patch hole in pantry room ceiling
- Paint arch in mudroom white - this is the only beige thing in our house and it's still driving me insane.
- Hang lights on deck and plant flowers in planters.
Update: I have not done these yet; however, I have them on my list to get done as part of my Spring cleaning so they will likely get completed before my birthday.
17. Do a big hair cut/change to my hair. For the last year and a half, I have been growing out my natural hair because I had no idea what color my hair actually was. Turns out, it's a pretty grey/brown combo and I'm to the point where I am debating cutting off all the rest of the dyed parts of my hair and going super short. Below is some inspiration I have in mind for a hair cut - though I do not want bangs one bit.
Update: Guess what I did? I cut about 6" off my hair and I am so glad I did it! I am so close to having completely dye-free hair and I am so excited.
I have had a sourdough starter for a few years and have not done anything but maintain it. This will be the year that I finally make something with said starter.
Update: My sourdough starter is very dormant so I will need to prioritize revitalizing it then finding some recipes for Justin and I to try for bread since we both want to make bread at home.
Update: My sourdough starter is in the process of being revived right now and will be used to make something before my birthday. I am determined.
May 2025 - saw Lilo & Stitch in theatresJune 2025 - date night at home watching a movieJuly 2025 - saw How to Train Your Dragon in theatres and the new Superman movie
I saw this awesome idea where a fellow BookTuber created a book club where she has people on her channel once a month to do sprints and other fun activities while also focusing on a book. I would really like to start something like this and I am hoping that she would be okay with me creating something similar to her - of course, I would give her the credit if I did.
Update:
I officially started a book club that will start October 2025! The official name of the book club is The Craft and Crime Book Club and the theme will be mystery/thriller and I will try to post optional crafts based on the books that we read. And I am excited because my YouTube friend, Dana Ella, was okay with me doing a book club too. I'm going to try and set it up so that our streams don't overlap at all.
If you want to join in or follow along, check out my newly created Instagram. Just click on the image below and it will take you directly there.
July 2025 -
1. Gifted some anklets to a friend that mentioned she wanted more as hers were getting a little threadbare.2. Got a friend some Frenchie themed straw toppers for her cups.
Final update: I honestly am not sure if I did complete this, but I think I did. Throughout the year as I saw things I liked for someone I grabbed them and gifted them to that person.
We're hitting the point that it's becoming important to have family photos regularly. I would like to schedule two sessions for photos with both my family and Justin's family so that we can have some more up-to-date photos together.
Update: We did family photos with his family in October and my family in November. They turned out so fantastic and I am so glad we did them.
25. Convert our wedding video to digital.
When we got married in 2011, there wasn't a whole lot of options in regards to videography so we had the church record our wedding on a VHS - yes you read that right, VHS. My goal is to have that converted to a digital file so we can actually watch our wedding ceremony.
Update: I have made progress on this one - I found a site that does this and all I need to do is package up the tape and send it over to them to convert for me. I am planning to make a digital copy and thumb drive in case my system ever crashes.
Update: I found a company and started the process but never got them where they needed to go. I will be restarting the process again here shortly to get it done by my birthday.
26. Read 3-5 classic or banned books (some fall under both).
So far I have purchased two banned/classic books to read: The Color Purple and Crime and Punishment. I tried to pick a few different genres to challenge myself a bit. These will be added to my TBR list later this year/early next year.
Update: I read Wuthering Heights so that counts as one of my classics. I still will need to read two more books to meet this requirement which is feasible.
Justin really wants to move his office down to the basement because his office tends to get very warm in the summertime (his office is the furthest from our furnace). We started last week working on reorganizing the basement so that he could start migrating down there but it will take us some time to get there.
Update: We had a few major appliance issues this summer which delayed our plans to update the basement. This is another thing where I am going to have to schedule this into my time to be able to complete it before my next birthday.
Final update: The basement is not complete. That being said, the basement got another purge this spring and we are well on our way to finishing that space to move Justin down there.
28. Send 10 handwritten notes.
I really love sending mail to people, so I would like to make it a point to send 10 handwritten notes to people just because I can - this will not include birthday cards, Christmas cards or thank you cards.
Update: I have sent a total of 2 hand-written notes so far this year. I'm a little bit "behind schedule" but it will be easy to finish by my birthday next year.
I see a lot of creators on YouTube work together on all kinds of fun things and I think it would be so fun to collaborate with another YouTuber on something. I'm thinking a readathon or something like that, but I haven't decided yet. My goal is to finalize that by end of July 2025.
July 2025 - Joined another BookTube friend for their Thrills and Chills Book Club. Attended two streams with them (July 1 & July 23)
After Justin was laid of late last year, we realized that we need to get serious about our finances. While it would not be enough to sustain us long-term, I would like to save up one full month of my salary so at the very least if something happened to my job, I would be able to get myself through the next month. Ideally, I'd like this to be cash so I just have it on me in case of emergency.
Update: I am debating whether this should be pre-tax/deductions or take home. Given everything we've had going on, this has been delayed a bit. I'd much rather pay off a few loans than focus on this so I'm thinking early next year.
Update: This one will be put on hold. We're hitting our debt pretty hard so I am thinking that it would be better for us to not put money into savings when we could be tackling debt.
31. Start planning our next big vacation.
Financially, we are not in the position to take a big vacation this year, but I would really like to get something in the works for us to go somewhere (whether it's a new location or one we've been before).
Update: We don't have anything officially planned; however, Justin mentioned wanting to go somewhere big for his birthday next year so I am aiming to plan something fun around then.
I really do enjoy writing blog posts, so I'd like to dedicate one month to blog posts (including weekends). I have a few ideas I'm playing with for July so maybe I'll be able to finish it then.
Update: So far in August I have posted every day and have a plan to post every day this month. If I am successful, I can cross this one off early in my year.
Update: If you've been hanging out this month then you will have noticed I've posted every day so far this month and have plans for the rest of March. I am so excited with what I've been writing and hope you've been enjoying it!
Final update: Did not do a full month of posts, but I posted more the last 6 months than the years before so I am happy with this goal.
I have been seeing this a lot as I am going through ideas for my goals list and I think this is so cool. To be able to go to a restaurant (or even order food to be delivered) and tip someone exactly the same as what I paid for my food would be so fun.
Update: I don't think I ever did 100% tip during the holidays; however, I am crossing this one off because I've more than doubled the average tip on several occasions will at restaurants or ordering in.
I am participating in the 25 in 25 reading challenge from Four Paws and a Book and would like to complete that goal for 2025. I also am trying to finish all challenges from the Goodreads challenges.
Update: Check out my 25 in 25 update here: https://lifewithmejackabee.blogspot.com/2025/08/25-in-2025-midish-year-check-in-080725.html
Update: I honestly don't know if I completed this challenge, but I read 70 books in 2025, so I imagine that I hit all the categories at some point.
Whether that's a birthday gift or Christmas gift, I'd like to make a gift for everyone. I'm thinking I may even be able to utilize my recent pottery classes to make little gifts for everyone.
Update: I reached out to a few friends to determine if we are exchanging gifts this year and a lot of people declined exchanging so I'm not sure I will be making handmade gifts for everyone this year. I think for the people that I am exchanging with, I will plan to make them something but otherwise this goal may be eliminated/replaced.
36. Wake up one hour earlier every day for one month and use that time for me.
My sleep schedule has been all over the place and I feel like I could really benefit from building a better sleep routine. My goal is to spend one month getting up one hour earlier every day to do something that is just for me - whether that's journaling, reading, exercising or just enjoying a cup of coffee in peace.
Update: I am going to pick a month later this year to do this one. I really want to make a plan for each day I get up early and how I want to use that time. Whether it's reading, exercising, journaling, etc.
Update: Definitely did not do this one yet, but I still have the entire month of April so I will plan to get up earlier that month and either workout or do flexibility work.
Final update: Nope. Didn't do it. But I'm quite alright with that.
Okay so that is my final update on my 36 for 36. I feel very good about how much I accomplished this last year so I will consider it a win!
If you have any goals you're working towards, let me know! I'd love to be an accountability partner or even just have a friend to talk with while we do our goals.
Have a wonderful day,
Jackie
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