Summer goals

I've never been one for New Year's resolutions.

Why do I need to wait until a new year comes along to resolve to do something?

This summer, even though I have a job, I still have a lot of free time on my hands. I've decided that I need to start doing something productive in my free time.

The result of this decision?
A list of summer goals.

These are all things I've been meaning to do.
A lot of it is making up for lost time.
(I love time. It's better to have loved and lost than... never mind.)

Hopefully, I'll have come closer to learning most (if not all) of these things before summer comes to an end. I'll keep updating you on my progress!

The List:

- Learn to speak Spanish fluently
While I have taken 6 semesters of Spanish (1 at a high school level and 5 at my university), I'm still not fluent in Spanish. My goal is to get closer to that mark.

- Learn to play a guitar
I've never been musically inclined other than the fact that I can sing a little. I have the instrument. I just need to get over how much it hurts my fingers to play (no callouses yet, obviously) and start making music.

- Learn to be a better actress
I love theatre. I watch plays as often as I can, and I really want to act. I've tried out for numerous plays at my university, but I've never gotten a callback. Either I'm a terrible actress, or I simply lack the experience they wanted. Either way, I'm going to see what I can do to improve.

- Learn to be a better writer
Writing is something I really love doing. That being said, there's always room for improvement. I want to try new styles of writing. I've even considered looking into doing some freelance work (just a thought, not so much a goal).

- Learn to be a better cook
I've been cracking open the recipe books lately... Again, always room for improvement!

My goal with this list of goals is to improve myself.
After I finish this list, there will probably be more like it.
In fact, it's likely that I'll have even more to add to this list tomorrow.
Life's a journey, and my journey will include learning all I can. ;-)

Sailing away on the Box Sea

Sadly, inevitably, gratefully...
My first year of college has come to an end.

Right now, sitting in my dorm room with a sea of cardboard boxes waiting impatiently to be filled so I can move out of the dorm, I'm thinking over my year.

It was amazing.
I learned a lot (oh, surprise, surprise), had some great (and many not-so-great) experiences, made some good friends and started on my way to becoming who it is I want to become (more on that later).

It was a year filled with so many possibilities; most everything was new to me.
Despite the fact that I came to college last fall with nearly enough credits to be a sophomore, I was still having my first year.
It was challenging, but it was wonderful and worth it.

I feel like I could go into detail after detail about my first year of college, but I'll save those posts for another day.

In a way, I'm grateful that the year is over. No more classes until fall!
On the other hand, I'm sad and wishing that good things didn't always have to come to ends.
I know I'll never have another year like this again.
My next year of college won't be defined by all the firsts I've had; it will be building on these first foundations I've made.

I have my memories, and all I can do is reflect.
Don't worry... It's a joyful sort of reflection.
Excuse me now.
I need to get back to sailing the Box Sea.