7 for 13

I’m totally a goal person.  I make goals for everything, each day, week and month and, of course, the year.  It’s important to me that these are goals, not resolutions.  To me, “resolutions” are about a behavior, improving the way you do something, where I’d rather work towards something.  I want to see results.  So in this unluckily numbered year of 2013, here are my lucky seven goals.

1) Wildwood Weekend–  This is actually a goal from last year that I never pulled off, so it’s back on the list.  The plan is to hike the entire Wildwood Trail that runs through Forest Park, in one weekend.  Three days.  30 miles.  It’s kind of like backpacking, except every night we’ll have burgers, beers and sleep in our own bed.

2) Grow a melon–  I seem to be a more successful gardener if I set my mind to one specific task.  I’ve tried a couple times to grow watermelons, but they’ve always been eaten by bugs or shriveled on the vine long before they are ready.  This year I’m going to do my research, give them priority space in the garden and see if I can get a couple melons on the table.

3) Hit the southern trails in 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles–  That book is pretty much our bible between April and October, but we only seem to do the trials on Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helen’s and in the Columbia River Gorge.  This summer I want to head south, hit some of the trails around the Santiam and Clackamas Rivers, specifically Roaring River Wilderness and Opal Creek.

4) Take a painting class- This one is already close to being crossed off.  I just signed up for the Beginning Painting Class at Pacific Northwest College of Art. I just want to learn something new, challenge myself and be creative.  We’ll see how it goes.  It starts at the end of the month.

5)  Backyard Dog Agility Course–  This is kind of silly, but in the winter I set up agility courses in our living room to get Spike some exercise.  Now I want to build my own in the backyard.  A hoop, tunnel, A-Frame and maybe even weave poles would be awesome.  Here’s a link to a video if you’ve never seen dog agility before.  We’ll see what I can come up with.  PVC Pipe here I come!

6) Brew More Beer–  Beer brewing is really Jacob’s thing, but in the last couple months I’ve helped with a couple batches and really enjoyed the process (and the product).  Plus, it’s a fun thing for us to do together.  I’m picking 4 recipes from the Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Beer Making Book as my goal:  (Although this could change) Grapefruit Honey Ale, Peach Cobbler Ale, Rye P.A. and Eggnog Milk Stout.

7) Spend one week “unplugged”–  With all this do do do, I’ll need a break.  We are lucky enough to have a family cabin on a nearby lake.  I plan to spend one week there this summer.  Just hanging out.  No Internet, no TV, just books, boats, sun, dog walks, and a little hiking.

So cheers to 2013.  Let’s get this party started.