January 2, 2023
Welcome back to Dr. Brainerd’s B.R.E.A.T.H.S. blog! This month I am blogging a bit differently, instead of posting on my B.R.E.A.T.H.S. categories, I am going to be journaling the steps I am taking to start my second nonprofit, and building the platform for my first nonprofit. This first week, I am discussing my planning strategies, but this first post I am reflecting on the previous year.
Following My Heart
Last year was very different from any year in my adult life in the fact that I didn’t plan anything, I just let life lead me and learned to follow my feelings. My entire adulthood, up to this point, was strategically planned, usually at least three years in advance! With my excellent track record of planning and achieving, I wanted to let go of the reins so to speak, and see where life would take me through faith and spontaneity. So, let’s see what all happened…
January
- Drove from Portland, OR to Los Angeles, CA to watch Rams in their new Sofi Stadium (not for the Super Bowl, but I did get VIP seats to watch them get beat by the 49ers)
- Drove from LA to San Diego with my financial team for our Wealth Bowl conference
- Drove from San Diego to Austin, TX
February
- Watched in excitement as the LA Rams won the Super Bowl from a small Austin pub
- Hired help for websites
- Completed a KWIK Reading speed reading course to help with research and now read about a book a week, not including the book a week I listen to
- Helped my friend in Austin at weekend bazaars to sell her handmade jewelry for Beach Tiff
March
- Met up with more friends around downtown Austin
- Continued doing weekend bazaars
- Helped my friend pack apartment and care for pups
- My check engine light comes on keeping me a bit stranded
April
- Celebrated my friends birthday at a nice restaurant in Austin
- Got a finger tattoo, “I AM LOVE”
- Attended a couple outdoor Austin concerts
- Helped my friend move from apartment to duplex with a nice yard for pups
- Gave my car a tune up, light went off
- Hired a friend to help upgrade this website
May
- Did a spontaneous trip to Houston and toured the underground city
- Stayed the night on the Beach at Galveston
- Drove to Mexico for the first time, got stuck at the border because my registration was expired and they had to do a through search on my car
- Stayed the night in Mexico, went to the closest beach where I found they really know how to have a great time with pony rides, boat rides, and lots of great food
- Crossing the border back to US, my car died literally on the border line and my check engine light came back on
- Spent the rest of the month at three different car repair shops trying to fix a misfire on the first cylinder, replaced everything that could possibly be wrong
June
- Car is still not 100%, but the mechanics insist I can make it back to Oregon
- Left Austin and headed to New Mexico for a weekend visiting friends and National Parks in the area
- Visited my friends in Utah for a few days
- Drove through a couple more National Parks
- Made it safely back to Oregon
- Attended my second Mcmenamins Cosmic Tripster Party at Grand Lodge
- Joined Denise Duffield Thomas Money Boot Camp
July
- Spent 4th of July with friends dancing with Heartbeat Silent Disco on the Tilikum Bridge watching the fireworks
- Attended the final Big Float on the Willamette River
- Completed Jenna Kutcher’s course on how to build an email list
- Flew to Las Vegas, NV for our annual financial conference for a week
August
- Took my niece from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA for her 10th birthday
- Upgraded my parents to new phones and tablets
- Attended my very first bazar for my nonprofit at a Scappoose Back to Our Roots show
- Had the most successful garage sale, ever, getting rid of my first wedding ring
- Attended a couple outdoor concerts in Portland
September
- Took the four youngest Brainerd kids to Astoria and flew wooden airplanes off the Astoria Column tower
- Treated them to Mo’s seafood for the first time
- Drove them to the beach where we stayed the night at Gearhart hotel, swam at Seaside, and chased crabs at Cannon Beach
- Toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory and waited a ridiculously long time for some ice cream
- Drove to Bend to stay the night at McMenamins Old Saint Francis School, my check engine light came back on
- Attended Scappoose Adventure Festival, toured the City Hall, and listened to good music
- Sat with good friends at a Songwriters Soiree and Heartbeat Silent Disco
October
- Attended my third Mcmenamins Cosmic Tripster Party at Edgefield and met a handful of new friends
- Spent time with family at the Spirit of Halloween in St. Helens, OR
- Went to my first indoor concert since the pandemic started, Everclear 30th anniversary tour
- Took my 10 year old niece, nephew, and one of their classmates to see “Dogman The Musical” and spend a day enjoying downtown Portland with sushi from a food truck, lunch in the park blocks, a play on Broadway, and topped off with dessert from VooDoo Doughnuts
- Danced the night away at McMenamins Crystal ballroom for Halloween and met my crew of dancing peeps
November
- Went to a indoor concert every weekend
- Attended friends birthday parties and one for myself at McMenamins Al’s Den and Crystal Hotel
- Completed my 4th McMenamins Passport
- Went to a Friendsgiving in Tacoma with my niece
- Thanksgiving with my family
December
- More birthdays, concerts, and dancing every weekend
- Helped build Christmas floats
- Went to two Spirit of Christmas parades
- Had my second nonprofit booth at a bazaar
- Got an awesome Christmas Tree hoodie that helped me win a costume contest
- Completed my 5th McMenamins Passport
- Completed Denise DT’s Money Bootcamp course
- Celebrated NYE with my dancing friends at McMenamins Edgefield
Summary of My 2022 Year in Review
In hindsight, my year was packed with lots of travel, music, friends, family, and McMenamizing. I completed three courses that will help me move forward with my businesses as well as writing a book and creating my own courses in 2023. While I do appreciate the opportunity I gave myself to be flexible and free, I will say that I prefer routines and planning. The rest of this week I will be posting my planning strategies, new good habits, and daily routines.
To be continued…
