Travel Plans, US Trip 2011

As I covered in one of my last posts, I have been saving up all year for a big shop in the US. The time is nearly here!  I need to detail how that $3.4K can get spent, so that I have some guidelines for myself. I tend to go nuts without a plan.

And I have SO many plans while in the US. I should write them all down to get organized!

First weekend:

1. spend time with family, 
2. get over jet lag, 
3. attend family party on Sunday
4. attend church on Sunday
5. make hair appointment for Monday
6. arrange car schedule with Dad for month
7. distribute gifts to family
8. activate credit card/spend $2K on it

First week:

1. get haircut
2. wrap and mail gifts to California friends
3. get card for CA friends
4. arrange date/time to leave on Friday to see best friend for weekend
5. shop for/order: 
1. netbook
2. camera
3. external hard drives (2)
4. external dvd writer/reader
6. arrange dental insurance
7. make dentist appointment
8. Visit best friend Friday through Monday
9. arrange shopping date with friend H
10. arrange pool party with friends C and J
11. Back up computer
12. Finish will, etc.
13. Fund revocable trust
14. organize music
15. learn one good recipe.
16. update Mom/Dad's passwords list
17. day trip to DC?
18. Pack for best friend trip
19. call A in NZ to check in
20. check out spotify

Second weekend:

1. Friday through Monday, hang out with best friend at his place

Second week:

1. Tues - Thursday:
1. pack for trip to NYC 
2. arrange to see friends B and S in NYC
3. figure out what we're doing in NYC with J and N
4. arrange to see friends E and D in Jersey
5. dental visit?
6. shopping for clothes

Third weekend: 

1. Friday - Tuesday: see friends in NYC area

Third week (Tuesday - Friday):

1. dental visit?
2. see friend H for shopping trip
3. have pool party with J and C
4. shopping for wish list items
5. organize music
6. buy disability insurance
7. buy contents insurance
8. buy life insurance
9. figure out how much life insurance is necessary for Mom
10. figure out how much long term care insurance is for Mom and Dad
11. Finalize plans for mom and sister's trip to NZ
12. beach trip with cousins--one day trip
13. install everything on netbook
14. Trip to DC to see A?
15. skype date with L

Fourth weekend:

1. City trip for HS reunion party on Saturday
2. Spend time with family

Fourth week (Monday - Wednesday):

1. Finish up goals for trip home
2. spend time with family
3. make up boxes to ship later

SHOPPING LIST:

1. fold up laundry basket
2. lingerie zip up pouch (quality versions of #1 and 2 are surprisingly hard to find here in NZ!)
3. battery powered white noise machine (becoming a must-have for my trips)
4. water bottle
5. water bottle--new top for platypus
6. new backpack
7. netbook
8. netbook accessories (sleeve, etc.)
9. expand RAM
10. external dvd drive
11. mp3 memory card
12. waterproof camera
13. camera accessories (SD card, floatie, etc.)
14. hammer
15. sharp paring knife, same brand
16. ski goggles
17. ski gloves
18. good tennis balls
19. makeup/toiletries: 
1. mascara
2. blush
3. foundation
4. bronzer 
5. concealer
6. nail polish
7. nail polish remover
8. eye liner
9. eye shadow
10. perfume
11. female hygiene products
12. retin-A exfoliating night cream
13. make up remover
14. SPF day cream
15. SPF moisturizer
16. hand cream
17. Tom's deodorant, 
18. Tom's toothpaste
20. Clothes:
1. interview suit (pants, jacket, skirt)
2. interview pumps and accessories
3. have suit tailored
4. 5 work appropriate tops in various colors
5. 5 pair work appropriate pants, tailored for length and fit
6. 2 wrap dresses
7. 5 every day t shirts
8. 3 pair shorts
9. 2 pair gym pants
10. 3 built-in bra tops for working out
11. balaclava, or some other neck/face covering for skiing
21. Shoes and Accessories:
1. closed toe black pumps
2. running sneakers
3. low top hiking sneakers
4. brown leather boots, knee, with buckles, flats or very very comfortable low heel
5. leggings
6. socks--white gym and black knee high
7. decorative scarf
8. hoop and dangly earrings
9. silver leaf necklace
10. brown flats, very comfortable
11. brown belt
12. black belt
13. headbands
14. hair accessories
15. brown satchel purse, long strap to cross over body

For boxes to be shipped later (ridiculously unhealthy American snack items and medicines that I CRAVE DESPERATELY):

1. smartfood (from canada?)
2. cheese puffs
3. twizzlers
4. choc cake
5. sharp cheddar cheese block
6. Honey Nut Cheerios
7. PB layers
8. Nyquil!!!!
9. Advil
10. Advil PM
11. Cold medicine (AM and PM)
12. antihistamines/Benadryl
13. motion sickness pills
14. Ranch dressing
15. Chewy granola bars -- PB choc chip
16. pizza mix
17. mac n cheese mix

Plane Kit Packing

I go on planes all the time, and I always seem to go through the rigmarole of writing what I need down each time, separately. I decided that I need one place to write it down for one final time.

Behold, my plane kit for overnight flights:

1. face wash
2. washcloth
3. floss
4. travel toothpaste
5. travel toothbrush
6. water bottle (platypus, folds up as you drain it, weighs practically nothing), emptied until I've gone through security
7. thick moisturizing cream
8. eczema cream (tiny tub)
9. deodorant
10. facemask
11. earplugs
12. advil PM
13. advil
14. chapstick
15. pen
16. magazine/crossword puzzles, etc.
17. book
18. noise cancelling earbuds
19. mp3 player
20. airplane adapter for earbuds
21. wool socks, thick, tight, up to calves
22. flip flops
23. hoodie
24. travel pillow (blow up with air; folds down to nothing)
25. sweatshirt
26. scarf
27. comfortable pants
28. flight info
29. passport
30. wallet
31. tissues
32. gum for popping ears
33. eyeglasses case
34. keys for destination and origin
35. cell phone and charger--NZ
36. cell phone and charger--US (do not forget your cell phone charger!--they are lifesavers when you are stuck in a remote airport and have hours upon hours of wait time or need to tell someone on the other end that you will be late!)
37. laptop and power cord
38. snacks! I get really hungry on flights and the food is never enough. The food also makes me feel sick sometimes, so I like to pack fruit and a good hefty lunch:
1. cut up apples
2. bananas
3. sandwich or pita stuffed with veggies
4. small cheese block
5. two cookies
6. starburst fruit chews or twizzlers, something juicy
7. small bag of chips
8. Note: on international flights, this food needs to be eaten before landing, or thrown away in the appropriate bins directly after landing. ESPECIALLY the fruit and cheese! You do not want to mess with Biosecurity and their exorbitant fines. Only pack this stuff if you are 100% positive that you will remember to throw it out or eat it before going through customs. A friend of mine forgot an apple that she brought over from Australia and got fined $1000 NZD. I once forgot a banana and they waived it off, but I wouldn't count on that ever happening again. One time I declared a Subway sandwich even though I didn't think I had to, and, after waiting an hour at Biosecurity, THEY TOOK IT AWAY. If I had gotten caught with it, I would have gotten fined. I don't think anything but packaged processed food is allowed to cross borders now.

Before I even get on the plane, I have a routine. I always ask the check in lady or guy if there are any empty seats that I can move to. They are usually happy to oblige. 

Once through security, I find my gate to make sure it is still the one I need to go to. Then I find the bathrooms and water fountain and fill up my water bottle. If I need to, I buy some food or a book. I usually start calling the people I'm going to go see at this point, because I have hours upon hours of wait time...

For international flights, there is a card you have to fill out even before checking in. It is quite annoying, and there is no curbside check in in NZ.

I carry my nighttime/wake up stuff in a small toiletry bag and get ready for bed as I normally would. This really helps with jet lag and winding down my mind at 20,000 feet. Same for waking up (not that I sleep on planes!)--I get up and go through my normal routine to wake my brain up a bit. It is also very very nice to be able to do a quick wash and put on some fresh deodorant after traveling for 24+ hours. 

The wool socks, fleece hoodie, and scarf are necessary because I get so cold on planes! Their blankets are never big or warm enough to help. Their pillows are never enough--I use their provided pillow for lumbar support and my travel pillow for my neck. The hoodie and face mask go over my face to block out the light. The flip flops are for wandering around the plane and to protect my feet from the disgusting bathrooms. 

My backpack goes under the seat in front of me and contains everything I'll need within arm's reach during the flight, namely the lotions, food and water, and entertainment. The pen is good for those stupid forms they give you to fill out. I always put my wallet and passport near me to protect them. 

Once getting to my seat and putting away my toiletry bag in the overhead bin, I immediately take out the pen, magazines, books, water, and mp3 player and earbuds and put them in the pocket in front of me. The scarf and pillow come out as well. The rest of the backpack and its contents go under the seat in front of me and I settle in, turn off my cell phone after calling whoever is waiting for me on the other end to tell them I'm on my way, change the time on my watch to my destination, and try to adhere to a normal nightly schedule according to my watch.

Only a few more days to go!  I hope I can get everything together in time. I had to deal with a friend's break up emergency today and ended up going home from work with lots unfinished and consoling her with a movie and yummy snacks and girl talk.

Travel Budget

I'm going to the US for a month starting this week. The financial aspect of my trip is looking pretty good. I've been planning a major shopping spree in the US for months and months, and have saved up for it.

Usually, I save up for airfare and then use my normal monthly income to cover travel expenses. This year, things are different. For one, I got an airmiles credit card and gained enough points to cover all but $1K NZD of my airfare home (usually airfare is about $3K NZD).  That saved me $2K right there! That $2K immediately went towards the major shopping spree expenses I intend to incur during my trip.

I have saved $3K USD to spend on this trip, not including airfare, which has already been paid for. About $2K of it was from my Wish List ($2.5K NZD) and another $700 USD was from my New Laptop Fund ($900 NZD).

All in all, my US checking account has about $3K USD that is available for use during my trip.

I also received $400 USD from the US government for a tax credit. That brings my spendable total to about $3.4K USD.

I also have my leftover monthly income to cover expenses as necessary. So far in August, I've spent about $2350. I should have another $700 NZD left to spend in August by the time I leave. I'll also have the excess from September if I need it. I don't anticipate using that overage--hopefully I can save it toward my Vanguard Fund Fund, but it's there if I need it.

The big plan for that $3.4K USD is being formulated for the next post.

Happeningings

Apologies for the recent silence, but that usually means a) I am busy and b) all is well because of a). I LOVE being busy. Even if I'm just hanging out with people or running around getting nothing done, I feel productive, and that makes me feel happy and alive. Productivity, how holy I hold thee. There is nothing more I hate than getting to the end of the day and realizing that I sat in the same exact spot for 12 hours, watching Jersey Shore. Not that I've ever done that. Although you can learn a lot from that wise guru, Snooki.

But I jest. Here's what I have accomplished this week:

1) I have a shed-load of work to finish before I leave next week, so this week was all 12 hour days. Next week until I leave is much of the same...and more.

2) A few of those days I managed to fulfill my 'work out every day' goal, which means that I didn't fulfill that goal at all, but instead worked out 3 times this week. I'll take it. I found a fantastic Pilates instructor at the gym I joined (for $15 for 3 weeks on GrabOne). I like this gym. This gym makes me want to join a gym, for real, if only it were affordable. (It's not. I travel too much for work and honestly, who needs a gym in the summer?)

3) I got my permanent permanent residency!! This feat alone makes my entire week the most productive in the 3 years I've lived in NZ. Seriously, this has been my goal since before I moved here. I didn't think I could stay here this long, but I have survived! I can do anything! :) I can now come and go to NZ as I please, without another fee or medical or application to stay in this country. I'm a real Kiwi now. 


4)  It snowed!  (OK, that isn't specifically MY doing, but I am sure I helped contribute a few greenhouse gases that made that ridiculous global warming event possible.)

5) This week was pretty traumatic. And dramatic. My uncle died, my friend broke up with her boyfriend of 2 years here, and my sister temporarily went missing. I was not close to my uncle (my aunt married him 2-3 months ago and I only spent time with him once or twice in my life), and we all knew it was coming because he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, but it was still sad.

I was one of the breakup emergency coordinators for my friend. I was busy with work and working out but I had to make time for my friend, so sleep was on the back burner for a few days. We went shopping, sat around and talked a lot, played games, got drinks, and many other activities to keep her busy.

My sister just recently got a new boyfriend. Three days after meeting him, they were BF and GF. (WTF?) Anyway, she's gotten so wrapped up in him that she didn't call anyone back the past few weeks, and when I called this week, her phone had been disconnected. I asked my mom (who pays her cell phone bill) what had happened, and my mom said everything was fine with the phone, but she hadn't heard from my sister, either. My sister has a history of throwing away her cell phone when she has a bi-polar episode, so this was extremely worrying.

My dad mentioned that my sister's new boyfriend is seriously controlling. After a week of worrying and asking her case manager to visit her at home, it turned out that the new BF had made(?) my sister turn off or disconnect her phone in order to keep her ex-boyfriend from contacting her anymore (they are still pretty close friends). This doesn't bode well for my visit. She has a very bad history with boyfriends, and I have a history of abhorring her boyfriends. I will have to meet him when I go home, and it won't go well if he is starting out being crazy already!

In any case, it was a crazy week and this week proves to be crazier, what with finishing up work, social events, packing, and flying 25 hours across the world.

I'm Not Ready for the Stock Market

Ooooh. I just learned something.

One of my financial goals for 2011 is to invest in a stock through Sharebuilder to learn about the stock market. I have had $100 in Sharebuilder, ready to go, for the last few months ($50 was free!). But I haven't been able to pull the trigger and buy a stock yet. It's the same paralysis that hit me before I opened my Roth IRA, only this time much, much worse. I thought that I was ready for it!  I thought I knew what S/E ratios were and how to buy stocks...can't be that much different than buying funds, can it?

It can. I'm utterly confused and don't want to make a mistake, even though that is what the money is for. I wanted to learn more about the stock market and what better way than to invest a little pocket change, give the challenge some teeth?

Yeah, well, I need to go get Stocks for Dummies and read it again, because I can't figure it out. I think I want to buy Google stocks, but that shiz is over $500 for one share.  There's no buying partial stocks, so Plan B. Every company I think of to buy into is more than $100 a pop.

But anyway, who wants Google stock?  That's the easy way out. I need to find and invest in some little known company with fantastic potential, using research to learn about these stocks. That is the right way to do it.

I'm also concerned about the tax implications. My US-NZ tax return is complicated enough, living overseas like I do...buying and selling stocks will just make my head explode.

I think I need to put this endeavor on the back burner until I have more time (and a tax accountant).

Snow!!

Today it snowed in Auckland for the first time since 1939. Proof:

Isn't it lovely? This is the best winter in Auckland I've ever experienced!!  I especially love that today I had to wear gloves, a hat, and my down jacket, but in two weeks, I will be in a bikini on the beach in 90 F weather!

Corporate Behavior & Your Job

They are related, in case you didn't know!  How your company spends money (wisely & frugally? like it's water?) affects your salary, the very thing you depend on to eat.

A purely hypothetical situation:

Say that I had a job at a company, and noticed that my employer's behavior to money was odd, always throwing money around on things that didn't matter, renovating offices that didn't need renovating, buying million dollar computer systems and fancy gadgets that never were used for their potential, hiring useless high level staff, promising jobs to anyone who asked, staying in posh hotels and eating out at only the finest restaurants while traveling, sending the entire staff to conferences instead of a select few, flying first class instead of coach, hosting week-long interviews for entry level positions (!!), and too many more examples.

As a frugal person, I would look at this and KNOW: this was going to come back and bite someone in the butt--HARD. Say this company has a kind of grant for businesses, but that runs out pretty soon and there's no money to replace that grant yet. The onus is on the employees to make up the remainder of the money through garnering projects when it runs out. They have known it was going to run out but are still spending in the same ways.

It's all like my dad's situation: even with no cash flow, he is still spending the same way as he did when he was making 100K a year. Not. Good.

Futhermore, say that a big job was messed up at this hypothetical company quite recently. A nearly $1M job became a large snafu, and the money that was paid to us already has been demanded back. One guess: that money has already been spent.

Oh, it would be like the current world economic situation: a disaster!

Maybe if the company hadn't been spending so frivolously before, the snafu wouldn't be such a big deal. Companies are like people, though: they have to plan for emergencies. They can and will happen.

Say that I had a permanent contract with this employer and they went bankrupt. How would that affect me? What rights would I have afterward? Have you noticed your employer making good or bad financial decisions? Have you thought about what that means for your financial situation?

Fun in the Sun

This winter in Auckland has been extremely mild. I'm not even complaining about the weather anymore! Day after day, the sun shines into my office window and warms up my apartment. It is a joy to walk to and from work every day without the wind turning my umbrella inside-out, a normal daily winter struggle. The weather has been nice enough to mainly rain in the midnight hours, when I'm safely tucked in my bed, half asleep. Even if the temperatures became much cooler, the appearance of the sun on a regular basis would make the Auckland winter bearable.

Along with that, I'm settling into Auckland life. Finally. Recently some very social evenings and weekends have been occurring and life is very fun again. I have people to do things with, and regularly. I'm usually the one that organizes the outings we do...and lately people have been showing up (very unusual). That makes all the difference!

Life is fun enough that I really don't want to go home in two weeks. I'm looking forward to it and seeing everyone and experiencing American life and tastes again, of course, but a month is a long time to be away. I will have a LOT of fun in the US, I know, but I've hit a groove in NZ and it feels amazing enough that I don't want to risk losing it by taking a vacation from it.

My permanent permanent NZ residency is less than a week away. I have gotten a permanent contract at work. I keep looking for jobs in the US that would even come close to my experiences here, and they fail on every opportunity, as few as they are.

It looks like I'll be here for quite a while. That thought doesn't scare me as much as it did only a year ago.

What Constitutes Overtime?

AGH.

I have been dutifully logging in my overtime hours for the past two months in preparation for my overseas trip.

In my contract it states that I am to work 40 hours a week for a certain salary.

However, I have amassed over 87 hours of overtime in the past two months. I have effectively worked over two weeks extra in a two month time frame, including my holidays and several weekends, thinking that I'd get it back when I am on vacation.  These hours don't count all of the extra hours I worked without tabulating it earlier in the year, nor all of the extra hours that I will work between now and when my vacation starts in two weeks (read: I expect to work every weekend between now and then, as well as put in a few extra hours each day). I just do what I am supposed to do when I am supposed to do it, no matter how many extra hours it takes. I do that willingly, because I want the end product to be good and because I love what I do. I started tabulating it because I knew that I had time coming to me, and I wanted to have proof of it for my vacation.

My boss approved this overtime this time, but sent an email begrudging the number of hours that I worked, saying that we are expected to work overtime each week, and that two extra hours a day is not to be considered overtime.

THEN WHAT IS IT?

I love my job and work, but I am not working for free! If I am expected to work 50 hours a week, why then, put it in my contract. Communicate it to me. I honestly don't mind putting in extra hours for free once in a while. I didn't think it was a big issue because of how hard I work; it has always been said before that the work is being done, so it's up to me to figure out how much time off I can take, and they'll approve it.

If suddenly the amount of overtime we are to work is stipulated and expected without pay, or in other words, if she is going to be a stickler about it, I want to, as well. I really don't think she wants me to start tracking every single hour over the expected two hour overtime that I work--I will have off > 3 months a year in that case. She is getting much more than she is giving. Otherwise, I want to go hourly. Why should hourly people get paid for all of their work and not salaried?  We have the exact same benefits otherwise.

The way she is going about this is all wrong. She and I have talked about this vacation and how much time I expect to take off each year many times. This has always worked fine in previous years. She has never communicated that it is expected that I should do extra overtime each week. She knows that I always put in (WAY MORE THAN) the time that I take off--I'm not trying to get anything for free. I give up weekends and holidays and am at her beck and call--I'm never not there when she needs me. I'm never afraid of putting in the time. Instead of talking to me about this, she just sent a mass email out to the head of the company and my other boss and several other people about it. It is really stupid.

Seriously still love my work, but I think she and I have some communication issues that need to come up in my next review. There are several other employees that have similar problems with her, and it is coming to a head.

Do you work overtime? Do you get paid for it? Is it 'understood' that you are to work overtime for free or was that communicated to you?


[ETA: I guess I don't mean 'overtime' technically...my company calls it 'time off in lieu.']

Life

I've recently had a birthday, and I've come to sort of a crossroads in my life. I have enough life experience to know what I need and want (I think) but I still don't know how to get it really, or how to prevent myself from making the same bad decisions over and over. Breaking bad patterns, then, is the answer to my question about what comes next after the quarter-life crisis.

Part of the problem is that the majority of my friends here are all 23 - 27. It's mostly OK because I feel like I am mid-twenties emotionally most of the time, and hanging out with them allows me to pretend like I am that age, mistakes and all.

For example, how many times have I dated either a co-worker or someone I see nearly every day at school, that is a member of my friend circle? Answer: Every time. This is my pattern.  Every single guy I've liked or dated, I've come across: a) in school, b) in my dorm, c) in my department in grad school, with an office on the same floor, or d) at work. We always have the same friends. When it ends, I make things awkward for our friends and  it ends badly because I have to see that person every day afterward. It doesn't work for me. Plain and simple, I should NOT date someone that is tied to my workplace or place I study or my main group of friends. It interferes with the rest of my life too much. I can't believe I'm still making the same mistakes, 10 years later. I know better now!

Lest this post devolve into my whole sorry boy saga (you don't want that), I'll move on to my point, which is this: I don't know what I'm doing. It's so frustrating to pinpoint a weakness in yourself, try to overcome it, and still succumb. (Not that I have succumbed. Yet.)


Have you identified a destructive pattern (financial or otherwise) in your life?  How have you tried or successfully broken it?

Money Update

I find it very hard to keep track of my money in the many various goals and bank accounts and currencies that I keep. I have an Excel spreadsheet that helps, but I find it good to write it all out once in a while. I go a little crazy if I don't have it sorted in my head.

US Bank Accounts & Balances:
Bank of America: $4,306.64
     Reserve: $50
     New Laptop: $736.50 (to be spent)
     Wish List Fund: 2,040.98 (to be spent)
     Rest goes to paying US credit card bills.

HSBC: $4,868.61
     Move Back to US Fund: $4,041.09
     Family NZ Trip Fund: $827.52

NZ Bank Accounts and Balances:
Raboplus: $26,208.13
     Emergency Fund: $10K
     Europe Trip Fund: $1,760
     House Down Payment Fund: $1,760
     Roth IRA Fund: $5,240
     Travel Slush Fund: $2K
     Family NZ Trip Slush Fund: $2K
     Vanguard Fund Fund: $448.13
     2012 US Travel Fund: $3K

It's good to check in once in a while, even though my sidebar kind of organizes everything for me anyway. I can get really obsessive over it, checking and re-checking balances and everything to make sure it is all squared away.  And this particular check in is important and became necessary because it tells me how much I have to spend on my Wish List Items when I'm in the US.

My plan is to take that $2,777.48 I have saved up and transferred to my US bank account to go shopping for fun stuff.  On top of that, I'll have my normal monthly budget to cover gas, food, and any extras. Normally when I go home, my normal monthly budget has to cover everything except for my plane ticket out of here, and I usually spend a couple thousand NZD on these trips. They usually don't make me spend more than I earn, but I cut it pretty close sometimes. So, I'm assuming I am sitting pretty but that I will max out my August and September budgets and get back on track in October. As usual, I will save $415 each month towards my long-term goals, because that is non-negotiable.

Before my trip starts at the end of this month, I am trying to cut back a little bit on the spending so that I have more for the US. It is still my birthday season, though, and I'm still catching up and celebrating it with people that I haven't been able to catch up with until now. Tonight, for example, is a huge dance party celebration with a huge group of random people I invited out. I'm excluding all straight males because I basically just don't want to deal with them right now (or I will get myself in trouble).  ...but that is another post. :)

Goal Update and Plans

Even though July was a crazy spend month, I accomplished many goals, or set the scene for many goals!

--There may be a date in the works. (goal fulfilled for the year but...maybe I can exceed it?)
--I bought a session with a nutritionist.
--I bought a 30 day gym membership with personal training sessions included.
--I bought an appointment for my thyroid issues.
--I went skiing and snowboarding for the first time ever (this is on my bucket list, somewhere...).
--I have arranged to take a course with my employer that I have been dying to take. I am in the middle of organizing it, but the money and commitment is there.
--I have made many plans for my trip home in August-Sept:  the first weekend to hang out with my family, the next week I have a friend date to go shopping, get massages, and drink margaritas, a weekend trip to see my best friend from college (and another friend may join us), the next weekend, a trip to NYC to see three lovely best friends from grad school, and on that trip I also have tentative plans to hang out with two friends from high school and get drinks with two friends from my life in San Diego, and then the next weekend I have a party to go to, a kind of annual reunion of high school people still living in my parents' area. They have a party every year when I come home, how cute?!  And of course, i plan to Shop Til I Drop. Oh and eat lots of yummy american food.

to fulfill Goals:

11)  Go out on 1 date. (June update: done.)

23)  Take career-enhancing class or workshop.

28) See a nutritionist.

30)  Hire a personal trainer.

31)  Finalize plans for trip home in summer 2011 (US summer).  See friends in Northeast; see friends in Hawaii. (June update: done. No trip to Hawaii, but a trip to NYC is in the books.) 

Hurrah!

August looks to be much of the same--I'm going home for a month late in the month, and hope to get the following goals completed:

1)  Finish my will, etc.  I got this halfway done this year. (June 2011: everything is drafted. Just need a notary's signature and to transfer everything into my revokable trust when I go home this August.)

2)  Update my passwords list; make copy for mom and dad's fireproof safety vault. (June 2011: doing well--need to give the updates to Mom and Dad)

3)  Back up computer when I go home and at Christmas.

4)  Make recipe book (or Word doc, really) of meals.  Include:  turkey meatloaf (yum!), lemon pasta chicken (double yum!), BBQ chicken (sauce recipe), crockpot chili recipe, stir-fry with noodles recipe, etc.

5)  Learn 3 new good recipes for my rotation.

14)  Make and finalize itinerary for Mom and sister's visit to NZ/Oz. (June update: done, just need flights to/from NZ for them, and to book Green Island trip when the time is closer--better discounts that way!)

36)  Make a 'look book' for myself. 

38) Organize music.



I also will get as much as possible on my Wish List: 
nice interview suit

upgrade wardrobe
winter boots, fashion

8 GB Sansa Clip+ with 16 GB mem card
waterproof camera (Sony DSC-TX10?)

netbook with SD card reader and remote, webcam and microphone and external hard drive

2 new large capacity hard drives (filled up my 2008 pair!)

ergonomic mouse for carpal tunnel

silver leaf necklace

new backpack

ski goggles

ski gloves

ski pants?

ski gear, misc.

So, my plan is to get certain goals done while at home, and then come back to NZ and start the nutritionist/thyroid dr/gym thing going again in time for the  NZ summer!