Status Check

I really don’t get into the whole New Year’s thing, and normally refuse to make resolutions in protest of the implied notion that we all need a day once a year when we recommit ourselves to do all of the things that we should already be doing. If you want to do something, why wait until the start of a new year?

Despite my decidedly anti-resolution feelings, I gave in and made some resolutions this year, and I published them here for other people to see. Now I’m accountable – oops!!

I just remembered my lapse of judgment in making said resolutions this morning, and decided to check my progress so far this year. Apparently it’s the end of March already, and the first quarter of the year is coming to a close (even though it feels like it’s only been 2006 for like, two weeks). The good news is, I think I’m making good progress!! Maybe I should make resolutions more often…

Here they are:

1) Obtain gallery representation for my landscape paintings.

I thought this was the most challenging of my goals, but I’m almost there. I’m meeting with a gallery this weekend and another next weekend to show them my paintings in person. Assuming all goes well and my paintings don’t look awful in person compared to online, I will be able to mark this off my list. This of course is mostly thanks to KT for being the coolest friend ever and putting in a good word about me with her gallery owner friends (thanks!!), and the plein air painting org I joined for getting my name out there. So, please cross your fingers for me at 11 am on Sunday when I will be showing my paintings, in real life, to a gallery owner (and a nice gallery, at that), for the FIRST time ever. Eeeek!! I’m excited and nervous – I feel like I’m going to a job interview or something.

2) Get a painting accepted to the Arts for the Parks competition or an Oil Painters of America show.

Done. Got a painting accepted to the OPA show, which surprised the heck out of me. Now I have to actually paint a picture from a national park if I want to enter AFTP – we’ll see how that goes. I have until May 31st to get that entry together…

3) Find the right piece of property to buy in Steamboat Springs so Nate and I can eventually build the mountain cabin we’ve been dreaming about for years.

Done. We found three pieces of property in the Stagecoach Lake area and closed on them two weeks ago. We decided to forego the waterfront property and be logical and buy some property near the lake that would allow for a better investment opportunity (that sounds so boring and grown up - sigh…). The plan is to build a cabin for us on one lot, then build a couple of spec homes on the others this year and next. Of course, this means that now I have to commit to a serious budget because we spent all our money on land – grr….

4) Think about having kids (yes, think about it – I’m not committing to anything here)

Um, no comment.

On second thought, that makes it sound like I’m pregnant or something, so just to clear things up – I am NOT pregnant.

5) Swim 200,000 yards (swam ~80,000 in 2005, which wasn’t nearly enough considering that I love the water)

I hate to admit that I’ve only swam 15,700 yards so far, and that half of those were from two tough masters practices in early March. Which indicates that I’ve only hit the pool about 5 times this year. Oops. Things have been moving so well with my art that I’ve neglected my triathlon habit bigtime – I think I’ve actually come to terms with the fact that there will be no triathlon season for me this year. Why bother if I can’t commit to a decent training schedule? I might try to do some open water swimming and trail running races, but I’m not stressing about it. It’s just not a priority this year, and that’s okay with me (even if all my triathlon friends think I’m being lazy).