My dream home...forever home...

I have it in my mind to have a small, brick ranch home.  Ideally it will have a front porch and a covered back patio.  A must have is a fireplace, preferably wood burning but I will take a gas fireplace too.  A two car garage and a walk out basement.  Flat yard and if not a two car garage, then maybe an out building.  I love my house, I do, but it is too big, too many steps (for future) and I like the idea of being able to keep up with a smaller house (both exterior and interior). It is my 7 year plan.

2013...what did I accomplish? 2014 What will I accomplish?

First, I did not make any resolutions for 2013 other than the same lose weight and save money blah blah blah.  I lost some weight, held steady and then gained it at the end of 2013.  I did not save money because I had stove and fridge issues, then a few major vet bills and my own health bills including renants of an emergency room bill, glasses and wisdom teeth pulled.  I also had the expense of the vacation which lead to about 5,000 dollars being spent

So, let's put all that behind.  What did I do? Not really that they were goals, but they were challenges of new experiences.
Went rappelling for the first time
Went out of the country, on a big boat, to the Carribbean on a trip that I planned on my  own (except for the boat part) and got to see and spend time with family that I haven't seen since 2004.  So it was good.  Very good.

No home improvement things were done, really.  I did plant tomatoes from seeds, a big deal for a girl with a thumb of death.  So, that leads to this year.   My goals for 2014.

1.  Work on sprucing up the front yard and cleaning up the back hill. (will become more specific later)

2.  Save money.

• reduced cable bill: done
• set an auto payment to savings: done
• reduce spending...working on.

3.  Basement:

• clean
• paint and polyurethane floor
• Paint walls
• Long term (not this year) buy furniture, cabinets, new sink, bar area, rugs, lighting.

4. paint bedroom  and closets (master and small guest room...maybe repaint the bigger guestroom and closets).

20 years...

The List
20 years ago 
Movies that were popular:
The Lion King
Santa Clause
Dumb and Dumber
Natural Born Killers
Pulp fiction
Forest Gump
Interview with a Vampire
The Shawshank Redemption
Speed

So hard to believe.

In 1994 mom got married to George and moved out.
Scott, my brother, lived with me.
I was 26.  The year after, I was 27 and in the best shape of my life.

This year should be my 20 year anniversary and lose the weight like I did then.