Accountability & Italy

As a reminder, my accountability goals thus far are:

January

(1) 3 recipes per week

(2) Blog SuMTWTh

(3) Clean 20 min. per day

February

(4) Write 20 min. per day

(5) Don’t procrastinate via internet/tv

(6) Exercise every day

I did really well through most of January but I began to fall off track in a major way during February.  It wasn’t just the goals I’d picked, which were realistic and easily accomplished when I did them, it was a problem with stress and a sudden feeling of being totally overwhelmed in general.  I was going through some major ups and downs due to trying to get financial aid to study abroad in Italy.  Eventually I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t going to happen and cancelled the trip, getting into a more motivated mindset and preparing for the next few months ahead.  I was seriously ready to go, and totally motivated to work out and get in shape when… I got an email from the financial aid office informing me that my loan had been approved.

Wait… what?!  I was not at all prepared for this.  I was completely resigned to staying stateside and had planned out the next few months in my head to great detail.  After agonizing over whether or not to go for an entire miserable day, I eventually came to the conclusion (with the help of my friends), that this would be the trip of a lifetime and I’d be insane not to go.  So I said yes, thereby creating a whirlwind of craziness in my life, involving obtaining a passport with less than three weeks until my travel date, getting plane tickets, getting a physical, budgeting (serious, serious, painful budgeting — no joke, I’m broker than I’ve ever been), etc.

So what do I have in mind for March goals?

March

(7) Create and stick to a budget

(8) Begin learning Italian

(9) Spend more time with pets*

*(both to help keep my sanity and because I’ll be 2 months without them)

I’m going to continue to work on my other goals, although the recipes will get cheaper, there will be days the blog just doesn’t happen (especially after I leave), cleaning is totally necessary — so no slacking on that one, writing is sidelined a bit, it’s not procrastinating if I’m researching Italy — right??, and exercising is actually going to be more important than ever, since I read that jet lag is less intense the healthier you are, and of course I want to look amazing in Italy.

Anyway, I’ll probably be updating less frequently, perhaps three times a week, though I will continue to post amazing recipes.  You’ll just now have the added bonus of reading my travel woes and freak outs, in addition to the usual repertoire. And if anyone has any tips, for Italy, Florence, traveling, Europe, studying abroad, etc., feel free to let me know in the comments.