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2025 Goals Journal

Professional Goals Achieved! (w22)

I don’t blog much about my professional life, but I have a few fun things to share.

First, I just got home from a reception for the PLA (President’s Leadership Academy), which I graduated from yesterday.

This was a year-long experience where we did deep dives into the inner workings of the college and explored leadership challenges and experiences.

I have no desire to move into a traditional Academic Leadership position, like Chair or Dean, but I am a natural leader. I see the big picture and keep tabs on all the moving parts of the institution, especially related to technology and processes. That said, however, I am also a natural teacher and belong in the classroom. I enjoy it and I’m good at it, too.

In addition (although I haven’t received it yet), I earned a “Spark Award” last week for my work with the Department of Online.

Shocker, I have a passion for teaching online. It’s an environment I feel really comfortable in, of course. And I’m pretty good at it. I really enjoy creating a sense of community in my online courses, and just like in the traditional classroom, I’m always trying new things.

My summer course has started this week, and I have a great bunch. It’s the best class I’ve had since the pandemic, hands down. They are actually talking with me and to each other. It’s so refreshing!

Okay! Enough work stuff! I will share a few other things I have going on and then update my goals. I can’t belive it’s friggin’ June already!

High School Here We Come!

I love this picture of Ev at his High School Info night last week. He had to take a placement test, and I peeked in the window. He had no idea I was spying.

Anyway, just wanted to share it.

Dinner Party Prep

This coming weekend I’m hosting a dinner party and the theme is Cuban. Well, Cuban-inspired.

So this week I tried to make Cuban Bread and OMG. It’s amazing!!

This is a traditional yeast bread, and I followed ATK’s recipe using bacon fat for the lard, because it’s what I had on hand and I highly recommend you try it! So good and really easy!

Today, I started to brine my bone-in Pork Shoulder.

Have you guessed what I’m making?

Cubanos!

I will share photos from the party next week. I’m really excited about this one.

Fermentation Fun

Finally, an update on Doughbra. Who has inspired me to make Fizzgerald, my ginger bug.

I am currently attempting to ferment my first sodas. I will keep you posted. I still have a lot to learn and my first experiment didn’t go so well. Thankfully, I think I know why. I will share more soon.

Okay, that’s all I got today. I’ve got to go. Here’s my goal check-in real quick…

HOLD THE PHONE!

I literally paused before hitting publish to take today’s walk with The Husband, and THIS WAS IN MY MAILBOX!

(Sorry for the grainy pic, I just used the camera app on my laptop and it’s horrendous)

Carla reached out to me a few months back to re-release our book, and we did it! The cover has been redesigned by a student at the college, and I love it SO MUCH! We got the rights back, updated the text, and republished it on Amazon.

It’s the 10-year anniversary of the book, too, so this is special. Much more on this later. I promise. I have to go before The Husband kills me. He’s starting to call himself a blogging widow again. lol

2025 Goal Check In

  1. Blog Weekly.
    • so far… ✔️
  2. Paint More. Don’t overthink it.
    • so far…✔️ (meh… haven’t been fitting it in)
  3. Make a new handmade pasta monthly.
    • Jan ✔️ ✔️
    • Feb ✔️ ✔️
    • March ❌
    • April ✔️✔️
    • May ✔️
    • June (Not yet)
  4. Hike at least twice a month.
    • Jan ✔️✔️
    • Feb ✔️✔️
    • March ✔️ ✔️
    • April ✔️✔️
    • May ✔️✔️✔️
    • June ✔️ (Went on Sunday!)
  5. Perform one unassisted dip.
    • Training!
  6. Perform five strict pull-ups.
    • Training
  7. Handstand walk.
    • Training!
  8. Take at least three yoga classes a month.
    • Jan ✔️✔️✔️
    • Feb ✔️✔️✔️
    • March ✔️✔️✔️
    • April ✔️✔️ ❌
    • May ✔️✔️✔️
  9. Make homemade sourdough bread.
  10. Take the kids to Iceland.
    • Training underway
  11. Fix the holes in my house (long story, lots of plumbing issues this year).
    • Two holes down, two to go!
  12. Continue my Spanish Streak on Duolingo (I’m on day 1,231!!).
    • so far…✔️ day 1384
  13. Take a Spanish class in person.
    • No update. 🙁
  14. Plan something special for The Husband’s 50th birthday!
    • Research is underway.
  15. Snatch 125lbs.
    • Training! (I hired a new trainer – will post more soon!)
  16. Compete in at least one weightlifting meet.
  17. Walk a minimum of half a mile daily with Marsh and, preferably, with the Husband, but I can’t base my goal on him.
    • 137/145 days so far this year.
  18. Track my movie-watching on Letterboxd.
  19. Keep my citrus trees alive! (I have a lemon and a lime tree I named Laverne and Shirley. Laverne is not doing too well after a disastrous root rot issue this fall, but we are doing our best.)
    • so far…✔️ They are outside! Thriving!!
  20. Host an extended family dinner monthly.
    • Jan ✔️
    • Feb ✔️
    • March ✔️
    • April ✔️
    • May ✔️
    • June
  21. Clean out and organize my closet and drawers.
  22. Thrift more and purchase no brand-new clothes.
    • so far…✔️
  23. Take daily supplements more consistently.
    • so far…✔️ (Killing it!)
  24. Reduce alcohol consumption to once or twice a month.
    • Jan ❌ 1/18, 1/23, 1/31 (close!)
    • Feb 2/1, 2/15 ✔️
    • March 3/22 ✔️
    • April 4/25, 4/26 ✔️
    • May 5/3, 5/10
    • June
  25. Cook one new recipe/dish a month.

5 replies on “Professional Goals Achieved! (w22)”

Congratulations on all your recent accomplishments! Hope you have a great summer and summer class

Amazing Roni thanks for the update – congrats on your well-deserved award 🥇

You ARE a natural leader. I first met you when you were doing some project management work at Hopkins. I remember being so impressed with your ability to rein in all the details and the participants in the project.

I STILL love WYCWYC so very much. Mu hubs even still references it. Just this week i FINALLY finished a stair / spindle stripping / painting project and I @WYCWYC’ed the HELL out of that project, it took nearly two full YEARS but I LOVELOVELOVELOVE the results. Thank you for the book and all the years of bloggin! Yer old pal CpAGrrrl.

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