So I’m sure some of you have been wondering about my list and how far I was able to get…well…here it is! I didn’t finish it, however, to be fair (to me at least) I did start two months before the end of the year and didn’t anticipate how crazy my life would be in that time. I did my best and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I’ll just have to move what I didn’t finish to my 26 before 26 list.
12. Organize office and make functional: This was a tough one as our office was literally a disaster zone (all that was missing was the yellow tape). When you move you don’t really realize everything you have until you have to pull it out of the boxes and find a place for it. I was shocked at how much we had accumulated, especially because I cleaned our office thoroughly right before we moved. We got rid of at least 6 bags of trash. Ack! However, now I’m very happy to report that the office looks lovely and has plenty of space for some projects I will be cooking up this new year!
13. Publish 25 blog posts: I just barely made the deadline, however it was perfect as my 25th post was on my 25th birthday. I am very proud of my commitment to this new endeavor and I can only hope that it continues to grow!
15. Keep plants alive until at least 25: I do not have a green thumb…at all. I look at a plant and it suddenly begins to wilt. However, for this past year I’ve been able to maintain two cacti and a hanging plant. Unfortunately the week after my 25th birthday, one of my cacti kicked the bucket which was sad (have you ever seen a deflated cactus?) and my hanging plant is turning somewhat yellow. I water, I let them sun. I don’t know what else to do. If only I had my mother’s magic touch. I’m open for suggestions.
19. Work on investment portfolio: So this is a very important one for the future. I’m pretty sure by the time Jesse and I get around to retiring, no one will be handing us any free money, so we have to start building our little honey pot now. Luckily, my dad is an amazing investor and was able to give us some great stocks to consider investing in. We have savings, but he explained that we’re not making much money there and what will really help us is to invest in companies that will double what we can earn from savings. It makes sense when you think about it.
21. Start GRE practice: One of my goals is to attend grad school sometime in the near future. For the programs I’m interested in, I have to take the GRE, this big scary test that can determine whether or not I get past the first round of applicants in the application process. I’m not a very great test taker, so I know I have to study very hard in order to do well. It’s nice that we’re in the age of technology and there are tons of apps out there that can help with practice for different parts of the test. I’ve downloaded several for my GRE practice on-the-go and I have a giant book for practice at home. Maybe my 26 before 26 goal will be to register and take the test…
22. Try a new food: In 2011 I tried many new foods; mushrooms, mussels, oysters, etc. However, the most bizarre was Ackee Fruit. It is yellow, looks like scrambled eggs and has almost the same consistency. Dad Ellis made a codfish dish this Christmas Eve for us and one of the main ingredients was Ackee Fruit. I was a tad skeptical about trying it, but I did it anyway, and while it’s not my favorite, I have at least made my pallet a little wider.
24. Finish name change: This one was tough. I guess I never noticed this before, but my name is everywhere! Credit Cards, Magazines, everywhere! Some people take their time doing this, but I’m the type of person that likes to get it all done in one shot. I did have to space it out over a few days, but now I’m officially an Ellis.
So for future reference, if you need to do this and want to cover all your bases, here are some places/items on which you will need to change your name:
Licenses
Social Security Card
Passport
Debit/Credit Cards
Magazine Subscriptions
Car Title & Registration
Health Insurance
Car Insurance
Homeowner’s/Renter’s Insurance
Email (although for this one, you just have to create a new one---if you want)
Taxes
Airline Miles Accounts
Rewards Accounts
Hotel Accounts
Preferred Customer Cards/Accounts
Membership Cards/Accounts
Facebook (or any other social media)
Prescriptions
Workplace documents
Vet’s office (if you have a pet)
Bills (electric, water, phone, cable, etc.)
Also,
- Get two copies of your marriage license when you apply and order it—-one for nostalgia, one to handle your business…hehe
- Take your marriage license everywhere you need to go to change your name
- Take the old document to each office when going to request your name change
- Contact each office to find out what documents they need you to bring to complete your name change
- Be patient, it takes a little while.
Although I have gone through this whole process, it is still taking time to get used to my new name. I’ll get there eventually.
There you have it! Look out for 26 before 26 coming to a blog near you!
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