Health Goals: Month 6

I decided this month that I wanted to change my fitness goals to be my health goals. These goals don’t always have to do with fitness, working out, exercising, etc. Sometimes they’re geared towards my mental and emotional health too. And because I want to continue working at making myself the healthiest version of me, it was just fitting that I changed them.

So these pictures were taken (about) a year apart.

Pink sports bra was March 29, 2015 and blue sports bra was March 12, 2016.

Am I exactly where I want to be? Nope.
Are these the most amazing “transformation pictures” I have ever seen? Nope.
Was I hoping to have more muscle tone? Yep.
But have I improved? Yep.

The thing is…I haven’t been as strict on myself as I should be. I’ve binged, I’ve eaten containers of ice-cream, I’ve skipped workouts, etc. But instead of being upset about that, I’m accepting that those are choices I have made and I need to thank my body for what it has done for me in the past year.

While I decided on March 6, 2015 that I wanted to start incorporating fitness and exercise back into my life, I wasn’t serious about it. I didn’t consistently workout and I didn’t start watching my food intake. So it’s taken me extra long to see improvement. And because of that, I have gotten frustrated. But look, this is why it’s a health “journey”!

I started getting serious about it in November when I began my search for a gym.

I’ve lost inches. And some weight actually. And started feeling better. That’s what it’s all been about for me…feeling better, feeling confident, and being happy again. (Although my second pics don’t look like that. Don’t judge it was early in the AM ;))

I’m really working at these fitness goals so that I can hopefully see more progress within the next couple months. I’d love to get stronger and tone up some more. There’s only going up from here, right??

A look back at month 5 Fitness Goals:

For 3.9.16-4.9.16 I planned to…

• Finish up the sugar detox. Read about it here.
• Research IBS. I’ve got along of good pins recently. Follow me on Pinterest to see. I’m still debating whether or not i’m going to alter my diet for it, so we will see.
• Test out essential oils. I have been Pinteresting all kinds of information about essentials oils. I bought some yesterday, and I will be reviewing them soon!!
• ENJOY Spring Break. 🙂 Read about it all right here.

 

Month 6 Fitness Goals:

4.10.16-5.10.16

• 2 rest days a week. It’s funny because I used to have to make goals TO workout and now i’m making a goal NOT TO workout. Y’all, I have this thing where I start feeling really really guilty if I don’t work out. But my body is getting so tired. I can feel it. I spoke with a personal trainer and she said I really need to take 2 rest days a week.
• Be in bed by 11:00PM. I still think this is probably a late time, but being the night owl I am, I am going to start here. I have been exhausted, fatigued, tired, etc. etc. etc. lately. And with getting up at the time I do and doing everything during the day, I need to get more sleep. So this month, i’m really working at accomplishing this.
• Write down a time that I’ve been proud of myself for something health related. I need to start appreciating myself more.
• Set aside 10 minutes each morning for “quiet time”. No electronics, no nothing. I’m going to start small with 10 minutes and try to work up…I have got to be better about this.

WOOOHOOOO! Let’s do this month 6!

Okay. So tell me what you know. Anything health and fitness related? Anything non-related? How was your weekend? It feels like it’s been a while!! Let’s talk!

Oh, and for posts on month’s passed…

Month 1 Fitness Goals
Month 2 Fitness Goals
Month 3 Fitness Goals
Month 4 Fitness Goals
Month 5 Fitness Goals

December Goals

For my December Goals this year, I thought i’d go through this entire year and look at all of the things i’ve accomplished. I mean, that’s the reason we have goals in the first place…to accomplish tasks we want to complete. A lot of the comments I kept the same as when I recapped the months, but some I did change. Check it out 😉

January Goals

1. Get my office finished and decorated before classes start on the 12th.
   1. Well, my office was finished when I was there!! If you missed it, you should check it out here!
2. Get back into the hang of school.
   1. That semester I was in 6 classes with 5 have group projects. However, this new school had been a good thing for me.
3. Finish reading the Language of Flowers.
   1. I didn’t finish it. Gosh, this should be my next book.
4. Get to Yoga and Church EVERY Sunday.
   1. Yes sir, I have!! Every Sunday morning you can either find me at yoga or teaching at Sunday School.

february goals

1. Be IN BED by 10:30 every night.
   1. This is always going to be a work in progress for me. When you work 20 hours a week, go to school 16 hours a week, and try to do homework sleep is often what I lack. The nights I was able to get in bed before 10:30 I felt good the next morning.
2. Go out!
   1. I saw Reeana and Emily one weekend, Jonathan and his family a couple times, and hung out with some other people. Pat on the back, Molly!
3. Read a book (or two).
   1. If I considered textbooks and homework a read, then I would have aced this goal. However, when I wasn’t doing everything else I needed to do I was trying to sleep or relax. I didn’t get to finish a book this month 😦
4. Do something special for someone for Valentine’s day.
   1. I gave my coworker a little gift on Valentines day. She hates touching metal, so I gave her some covers for her keys so that she wouldn’t keep making me take our keys whenever we went to meetings and what not 😉 Also, I gave my parents little gifts. And made myself a cake because #imsothoughtful
5. Make 85+ on all my tests this month.
   1. I really thought I was going to do this until I got my test grade for International Business (that class sucked).

march goals

1. Give up sweets for a consecutive week.
   1. I remember doing the 10 day sugar detox at one point. Even though it’s crossed out, I don’t remember actually doing this consecutive week.
2. Get my classes figured out for summer.
   1. I took classes last summer, just finished my Fall 15 semester, and have 2 left now!
3. Do more home work-outs.
   1. I kept seeing Kayla Itsines all over my Instagram feed, so I decided to click on her and look through her posts. I went to her website and really liked her. I printed out her free week 1 tutorial and have been using that as a guide. I don’t always do the same thing every day, but if I’m not doing those I’m doing something else.
4. Work. Sleep. Read. Repeat.
   1. I am halfway through the book I had planned on reading due to Spring Break and deciding to read before bed instead of watch Netflix. I worked a lot more during my Spring Break and you don’t have to tell me to sleep more 😉
5. Accomplish all of my march goals.
   1. As you can tell, I did just that!!

APRIL GOALS

1. Tithe 10% of my March income.
   1. Check! I even got a letter back from my Church telling me thank you, which is so cool. I love that they do that! April’s check is already written 🙂
2. Go through my closet.
   1. I definitely went through my closet. I took a laundry basket full of clothes down for my mom to go through and then we’ll take them to Plato’s closet to sell or give them away! Make room for more, right? 😉
3. Finish school strong.
   1. This afternoon I take my very last final and then all I do is wait for my grades to post, hope they are decent, and sit back and do nothing. Goodness, I love May. And school being out. I think I did good based on my finals week, but time will tell! This is how I feel RIGHT NOW too. I love when the semester is over!
4. Get spring/summer clothes for work.
   1. I went to Old Navy one Friday after work and shopped ’til I dropped. Seriously, shopping wears me out. I’m not a shopper, which is why I neeevvveerrr try things on in the store. Only if I have to. Usually I buy what I like, try them on at home when i’m comfortable and then decide whether or not I am going to keep them. I did keep a couple things that I bought this trip, but some are having to go back.
5. Intentionally focus on my mental health.
   1. I was recently talking with my therapist the last time I went in to see her and she even admitted that she thought i’ve been doing a good job at realizing my irrational thoughts and what not. As long as i’m taking steps in the right direction that’s all that matters.

MAY GOALS

1. CELEBRATE no school!
   1. I did celebrate, but only celebrated for a little bit because now i’m back taking a summer class. Boo!
2. Make it to Church twice a week.
   1. I made it to Church every Sunday. And I think all but maybe one Tuesday I went to my young adults service at Church. I’m happy to connect with other Christ-followers my age and meet new people that I know have at least one thing in common with me.
3. Read two books.
   1. I’m still reading Goodbye Ed, Hello me….didn’t finish a book this month! Usually by the time my head hits the sheets I can fall asleep.
4. Catch some rays!
   1. Definitely did this! Whether it was laying out with Morgan, watching the Red Sox, or swimming with the cousins. I was outside and enjoying it and I can’t wait to keep it up this month as well!
5. Do something unexpected for someone else.
   1. I tried to surprise mom with a book our pastor recommended, but turns out she surprised me with it. Read about that here.
6. Push myself.
   1. Everyone who knows me knows that i’m not a crazy social person. This probably comes with being an introvert, and also the fact that I just like to be alone sometimes. Or with my family. While I love my friends and hanging out with them, I don’t need to be with them 24/7. Everything in moderation I say. That said, I did a lot of socializing this month. A lot more than usual. I’d say that’s pushing myself, because there were some days that I definitely just wanting to sit at home on my couch and watch some Netflix or something.I celebrated this gorgeous bachelorette, went to her wedding with some friends, made mudslides with Em and spontaneously went on a hike with Reeana, and hung out with Em, Tyler, and Christian for a week!!

June Goals

1. Finish Morgan’s graduation present.
   1. I made her a scrapbook because she always watched me make mine. I think she loved it 🙂
2. Have a quiet time every day.
   1. I’ll be completely honest…I didn’t have my Quiet Time every day. I’m still trying to figure out my daily schedule. I feel like the best time to do my Quiet Time is first thing in the morning, but I have a hard time getting up in the mornings. A couple days this month I got up about 40 minutes before I needed to start getting ready and it worked. But some days, i’m just so tired in the mornings. Pretty much every day I get home from work I nap on the couch because i’m so exhausted. I’m still working on this.
3. SURVIVE going to school and work every day.
   1. Guess what?? I’m here, i’m alive, I survived!! Only this week and next week and i’m finished until the end of August when I GO FOR MY LAST FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!! Oh my gosh…someone pinch me.
4. Cross something off of my bucket list.
   1. I didn’t necessarily do anything this month for my bucket list – a lot of it is “Get married” “Have kids” that kind of thing….but I was able to cross off visiting another MLB stadium. I did that on my Boston trip in early May. I also crossed off go on a mission trip. I did that in high school, but i’m currently praying about going on another one and where it might be to.

July Goals

1. Quiet Time.
   • Every day I spent in Quiet Time. I may not have always been reading through my Bible at that time. Some days I prayed as I was driving. My goal for this month was to really just spend more time in the Word and with God.
2. Memorize 7 Bible verses.
   Yep! Here are common ones that a lot of people know, if i’m memorizing things I wanted to start simple. I’m going to print them all out and hang them around my room. 🙂
   1. Micah 6:8 (MY Favorite)
   2. Psalm 118:24 (My blog’s verse)
   3. Mark 5:36
   4. Joshua 1:9
   5. Jeremiah 29:11 (My Church’s verse)
   6. Philippians 4:13
   7. Luke 6:31
3. Clean out my closet.
   • I have a pile on my floor of clothes/purses that I am going to get rid of. I think I can do better, so i’m sure i’ll be adding more to the pile this month.
4. Make 5 new recipes.
   1. 
   2. 
   3. 
   4. 
   5. 
5. Finish 1 book.
   1. Check, check, double check! I’ve read enough books to catch up for all the other months that I didn’t read. In total, I read 4 books this July. I have vacation to thank for that. My review of the books will be on the blog.

August Goals Recap

• Do Yoga and Pilates twice a week.
  • I did a lot of Pilates this month. I found a video that’s been pretty challenging for me in the best way possible. I have a yoga video but i’m really not a fan of it yet.
• Drink 4 bottles of water a day.
  • This wasn’t difficult at all considering our heat was in the triple digits most days. Now that i’ve been more aware of the amount of water I drink I realize I go through about 6 bottles a day. I’m always thirsty and now my mom thinks I may be diabetic 😉
• Focus on a New Years Resolution.
  • I think there were a couple days this month that I really did live out this quote. And some days I definitely did not. More so this month I stopped thinking/planning on certain things where I would wish time away and just started living. It’s a good thing.
• Get the “Shop My…” Page up and running.
  • She’s up, she’s running. Feel free to check out what’s there right now! All the information on how it works is on the page as well. I’m hoping that next week I can get more added. 🙂

September Goals

• Research essential oils.
  • I researched my essential oils. Now they’re on my Christmas list!
• Focus on another New Year’s Resolution.
  • I focused on this resolution this month:
    
    And I really think I did pretty good. At times, I caught myself wanting to scream mean things at other drivers, but then i’d catch myself. I think this will always be a work in progress 😉
• Meal plan.
  • I still have food left over from a couple weeks ago when I made it. My goal was to have things planned for when I came home starving, and I did. Maybe next time i’ll start halving my recipes though!
• Start calling Grandpa weekly again.
  • I don’t know what’s up with his phone but I called him about 6 times in one week and he never answered. But he answers my moms calls. And then it’ll just ring so we’re still working on that issue. Hopefully getting it resolved 😦

October Goals

1. Do something “Fall”.
   • Getting a pumpkin spice latte was about as fall as I got. I didn’t have anyone that wanted to do this with me. 😦
2. Stay off of social media from 5:00-9:00.
   • I stopped keeping track of this – so I can’t even remember what happened with this one.
3. Continue my morning meditation.
   • I’m sure this sounds crazy to some of you. It sounded crazy to me too, but in the mornings i’ve been using the “Headspace” app for simple meditation practices. It’s actually very interesting and is teaching me a lot. So i’m going to continue that each morning.
4. Focus on another New Year’s resolution quote.
   
   • And here again I say #PREACHITARTHURFORMAN. Does anyone even know who that is first of all? But also, this is brilliant. We all weren’t made from a cookie cutter. We have our differences of opinions, preferences, thoughts, etc. and that’s the beauty of human-kind. So I need to remember that and embrace that this month….which leads me to my next goal:
5. Start listening.
   • This October, I want to listen. And I need to listen. Listen to what God has been placing on my heart. Whether it’s scary, uncomfortable, easy, something simple, nerve-wracking….I need to listen. Because there’s obviously a reason for it. (And listening better in conversations with others is probably never a bad thing ;))

November Goals

1. Finish school on a high note.
   1. Still awaiting all my grades here. As long as I passed I don’t even care anymore! #senioritistothemax
2. Find a job.
   1. I’m working part-time at another location. I’m thankful I am able to make money while i’m looking for something else. God will bring the right job at the right time.

And this December, i’m going to RELAX!!!!

Really, I learned a lot from these goals. I accomplished a lot that I wanted to, but there is also a lot to improve on. But they wouldn’t really have been goals if I completed all of them. Goals should be challenging, and some of mine were (for me).

To keep up with my Fitness Goals, click here.
To see my individual monthly goals, click here.
To see my New Year’s resolutions for 2015, click here.

I have a feeling i’ll be seeing you in 2016, Monthly Goals!

Last Week…

Morning!

It’s Monday and i’m back. To be completely honest, I didn’t really feel like blogging. But then at the same time I wanted to blog. It’s just become part of my routine now and my day’s not complete without it.

Last week felt like it would never end. To be honest, i’m so very glad it’s over. It’s crazy how much can happen in a given time…like say, a week? Let’s fill you in:

1. I got to work on Monday to one of our ceiling tiles shattered all over the floor. Cool.
2. I had 5 school assignments/projects/papers to complete this week and 1 I didn’t even get around to because I didn’t have time.
3. Wednesday was such a busy day at work that I was at the office working for 11 hours straight and wasn’t able to make it to volunteer at Church that night.
4. My laptop crashed and got a virus on Thursday so once I got home late that night I had to run out to the Apple store. The Apple store wouldn’t let me get it looked at without an appointment so I had to take it to Geek Squad. I went without it for 4 days. That is hard when I use my computer for everrryytthiiinnggg.
5. And then I get to work on Friday to find out that the company I work for was going to completely close without any notice. We got the official e-mail on Saturday.

I know there are far worse things in life, but needless to say, I really needed that week off from blogging. And now it’s a new week. And this is reigning true this morning.

With all of that said…i’ve got 2 goals for my November.

November Goals

1. Finish school on a high note.
2. Find a job.

And i’m just praying about those. If you’re having a bad week, I encourage you to just read those two quotes today. Oh yeah, and I tried keeping up with my reading of each of your blogs but I didn’t really have much time. I’m going to try to accomplish that today if I can. 🙂

October Goals

October is my very favorite month of the year.

#PREACHITANNE

When I was little, I always wished I was an October baby. January is so cold, dark, wintery, and anti-climatic because we just had Christmas and all the other holidays. Nobody is ever feeling a birthday celebration two weeks after Christmas. But, God chose my birthday (with the help of my parents) to be in January and not October so I got over it. Can you tell??? Because I rise above and I don’t hold grudges.

Kidding, of course. However, because I can’t do anything about not being an October baby, i’m choosing to celebrate October just because it’s well…October.

• Football season is in full swing!
• The weather fiiinnnaaallllyyy starts to chill.
• Candles are a norm. (PS. I found a candle whom shall never be stocked in stores again because it will be at my house. All of the cases of it.)
• Fall happenings are everywhere and decorations are officially out in stores.
• ‘Tis the season for leggings, scarves, sweaters, and boots.
• The anticipation of Holiday’s starts to arise.
• Halloween movies start to play.
• PUMPKIN EVERYTHING.
• And most importantly: FALL BACK because homegirl loves her sleep. Even if it’s only an extra hour.

But first…let us chat about what I chose to accomplish this September.

September Goals

1. Research essential oils.
   • I researched my essential oils. I found which ones are good for what type of issue, I found different prices and price points, and I found out that most people use them in a diffuser. And that most people speak very highly of essential oils. However, I also found that they are way over my budget, therefore I will have to wait until the Holidays and ask for them as gifts. Boo.
2. Focus on another New Year’s Resolution.
   • I focused on this resolution this month:
     
     And I really think I did pretty good. At times, I caught myself wanting to scream mean things at other drivers, but then i’d catch myself. I think this will always be a work in progress 😉
3. Meal plan.
   • I still have food left over from a couple weeks ago when I made it. My goal was to have things planned for when I came home starving, and I did. Maybe next time i’ll start halving my recipes though!
4. Start calling Grandpa weekly again.
   • I don’t know what’s up with his phone but I called him about 6 times in one week and he never answered. But he answers my moms calls. And then it’ll just ring so we’re still working on that issue. Hopefully getting it resolved 😦
     

October Goals

1. Do something “Fall”.
   • Whether it’s going to an Oktoberfest, the pumpkin patch, apple picking, a haunted house, I don’t really care. I just want to do something Fall-like this month. I mean, this is the best month for it, right?
2. Stay off of social media from 5:00-9:00.
   • This is hard. But it needs to be a goal, just last night I found myself perusing Instagram pictures for resumes and work out routines and then next thing I know i’m on a friend’s boyfriend’s sister’s best friend’s cousin’s page…and I could have been a lot more productive school-wise had I taken that time to study for my test this morning. (Oops – here’s to praying i’ll pass.) So October is going to be social-media less from 5:00-9:00 every night.
3. Continue my morning meditation.
   • I’m sure this sounds crazy to some of you. It sounded crazy to me too, but in the mornings i’ve been using the “Headspace” app for simple meditation practices. It’s actually very interesting and is teaching me a lot. So i’m going to continue that each morning.
4. Focus on another New Year’s resolution quote.
   
   • And here again I say #PREACHITARTHURFORMAN. Does anyone even know who that is first of all? But also, this is brilliant. We all weren’t made from a cookie cutter. We have our differences of opinions, preferences, thoughts, etc. and that’s the beauty of human-kind. So I need to remember that and embrace that this month….which leads me to my next goal:
5. Start listening.
   • Listen (haha get it?), this is not me saying that I don’t listen ever. I have to when i’m in lectures at school. This is about much more. This October, I want to listen. And I need to listen. Listen to what God has been placing on my heart. Whether it’s scary, uncomfortable, easy, something simple, nerve-wracking….I need to listen. Because there’s obviously a reason for it. (And listening better in conversations with others is probably never a bad thing ;))

Alright, let’s do this October!

September Goals

Doesn’t this picture just make you happy? Colorful leaves falling in the crisp air is soooo gorgeous 🙂

Now before I tell you the plans for September, let’s talk about this August.

August Goals Recap

1. Do Yoga and Pilates twice a week.
   • I did a lot of Pilates this month. I found a video that’s been pretty challenging for me in the best way possible. I have a yoga video but i’m really not a fan of it yet. I’m still looking for a youtube channel that may have better Yoga videos.
2. Drink 4 bottles of water a day.
   • This wasn’t difficult at all considering our heat was in the triple digits most days. Now that i’ve been more aware of the amount of water I drink I realize I go through about 6 bottles a day. I’m always thirsty and now my mom thinks I may be diabetic 😉
3. Focus on a New Years Resolution.
   • I think there were a couple days this month that I really did live out this quote. And some days I definitely did not. More so this month I stopped thinking/planning on certain things where I would wish time away and just started living. It’s a good thing.
4. Get the “Shop My…” Page up and running.
   • She’s up, she’s running. However it still needs to be updated with some more items. Feel free to check out what’s there right now! All the information on how it works is on the page as well. I’m hoping that next week I can get more added. 🙂

September Goals

1. Research essential oils.
   • It’s been on my mind now for a while so I figured this month I just need to go ahead and research my essential oils to figure out which brand to buy and how I should use them. Some of you gave me some good ideas a couple weeks ago when I first mentioned them, but if you have any more favorite scents, brands, uses of essential oils…do share!
     
2. Focus on another New Year’s Resolution.
   1. For September, it’s going to be this one below. I’m glad i’m going to focus on this one because i’ve had a short temper lately when it comes to driving to and from work. I may shout things at other people whether they can hear me or not. I think this one will really challenge me to look at my own heart and see what I need to fix. And I think with that I can become a happier person as well. It’s all about attitude.
      
3. Meal plan.
   • This month I need to make Sundays my cooking day. With that, i’m going to cook a couple dinners and split them up into meals. I usually take something to work and school every day and then when I get home and i’m starving I know i’ll appreciate having something in the fridge that I can pull out, heat up, and eat right away. It will also help my unnecessary snacking when i’m super hungry and dinner won’t be ready for another 30 minutes after I get it going.
4. Start calling Grandpa weekly again.
   • The summer before I left for Oklahoma my grandpa and I were sitting on his porch and I asked him what days he had free. He pretty much told me every day and so I asked “what about Sundays” and he said “After I go to Chinese in the morning I read the rest of the day.” As soon as I got back from vacation that summer I called my grandpa every single Sunday. I never missed a week. My mom and her siblings got him an iPad this past Christmas and we started FaceTiming him and my phone calls stopped. Shortly after when I got busy with school and work I wasn’t there to FaceTime with my mom and then weeks started going by without me talking to my grandpa again. This September it’s not happenin’. I am going to call him every week again because he enjoyed it, I like it, and grandpa time is good for the soul 🙂
     

Happy September!

August Goals

Oh boy, it’s the first Monday of August. And this month is going to be bittersweet. While I want to enjoy the last “month” of summer, i’ve got a school project I have to work on, Morgan is moving to college, and little brother grows up and gets his license 😦 Lots of big things happening in this household. So for my goals this August, i’m keeping it pretty simple. Here’s how July went.

July Goals

1. Quiet Time.
   • Every day I spent in Quiet Time. I may not have always been reading through my Bible at that time. Some days I prayed as I was driving. My goal for this month was to really just spend more time in the Word and with God. And while I think there’s always room for improvement, I did fairly good.
2. Memorize 7 Bible verses.
   Yep! Here are common ones that a lot of people know, if i’m memorizing things I wanted to start simple. I’m going to print them all out and hang them around my room. 🙂
   1. Micah 6:8 (MY Favorite)
   2. Psalm 118:24 (My blog’s verse)
   3. Mark 5:36
   4. Joshua 1:9
   5. Jeremiah 29:11 (My Church’s verse)
   6. Philippians 4:13
   7. Luke 6:31
3. Clean out my closet.
   • I have a pile on my floor of clothes/purses that I am going to get rid of. I think I can do better, so i’m sure i’ll be adding more to the pile this month.
4. Make 5 new recipes.
   1. 
   2. 
   3. 
   4. 
   5. 
5. Finish 1 book.
   • Check, check, double check! I’ve read enough books to catch up for all the other months that I didn’t read. In total, I read 4 books this July. I have vacation to thank for that. My review of the books will be on the blog Wednesday.

August Goals

It’s true!! ^^

1. Do Yoga and Pilates twice a week.
   • August is really the hottest month in Texas. The cicadas are out, worms are dried to the sidewalks, and cars barely have time to cool down before you’re at your destination. I have not been hitting the pavement as much this summer with the temps in the 100s, that’s plain crazy. I did purchase new work-out DVDs including a yoga and pilates one, so i’m ready to break them out in the A/C, while the heat is scorching.
2. Drink 4 bottles of water a day.
   • I mean you just heard…it’s hot around here. I always thought I drank so much water because really that’s all I drink besides the occasional cup of coffee. One day I subconsciously counted/watched the amount of water I drank and realized it’s not as much as I thought. This month, I need to drink 4 bottles or more a day.
3. Focus on a New Years Resolution.
   • If you read my New Years Resolutions at this beginning of this year you saw that I had 4 quotes that I really wanted to focus on for 2015. For the next 4 months, I am going to focus on 1 specific quote each month. My goal is to do something in my life this August that will do this quote some justice:
     
4. Get the “Shop My…” Page up and running.
   • I decided to do something i’m pretty excited about. I’ve created a “Shop My” page that you’ll see on the top bar of my homepage.
     
     Click on that and it will take you to a running list of items that i’ll update every few weeks or so. I’m so excited that some of my favorite things will get to be used by someone else!!

Have a good Monday! Come back tomorrow because you never know if there might be a giveaway going on…I don’t know. 😉

July Goals

It is officially July 1. Oh, how I love July 🙂 So much fun and celebration squeezed into 31 days.

But really I cannot believe that we are half of the way into 2015. That means today is my dad’s birthday and today my dad measures all four of us in our garage, where we’ve been measured since 2003…

….on this wall to be exact. You can see some marks on the bottom right side if you squint your eyes and tilt your head to a 45 degree right angle ever so slightly. 😉 Every 1st of January and 1st of July we go out to the garage and dad measures us with an unreliable piece of leftover wood from who knows where and a tape measure. And according to dad’s calculations: i’m shrinking. We don’t really go off of his measuring skills, shh don’t tell him. But let’s get to why we are actually here today. Before we get to July’s goals, check out how I did in June. Even if it was in the middle of June when I posted about them!

June Goals

1. Finish Morgan’s graduation present.
   1. I’ve gotten very far on her gift! I decided that I want her to give me some pictures of her and her friends to put in her scrapbook…i’m still waiting on that 😉
2. Have a quiet time every day.
   1. I’ll be completely honest…I didn’t have my Quiet Time every day. I’m still trying to figure out my daily schedule. I feel like the best time to do my Quiet Time is first thing in the morning, but I have a hard time getting up in the mornings. A couple days this month I got up about 40 minutes before I needed to start getting ready and it worked. But some days, i’m just so tired in the mornings. Pretty much every day I get home from work I nap on the couch because i’m so exhausted. I’m still working on this.
3. SURVIVE going to school and work every day.
   1. Guess what?? I’m here, i’m alive, I survived!! Only this week and next week and i’m finished until the end of August when I GO FOR MY LAST FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!! Oh my gosh…someone pinch me.
4. Cross something off of my bucket list.
   1. I didn’t necessarily do anything this month for my bucket list – a lot of it is “Get married” “Have kids” that kind of thing….Lord knows i’m sure not there yet. However, looking through it again I was able to cross off visiting another MLB stadium. I did that on my Boston trip in early May. I also crossed off go on a mission trip. I did that in high school, but i’m currently praying about going on another one and where it might be to.

July Goals

1. Quiet Time.
   1. I don’t want to just blow off my June goal to have a quiet time every day, so I’ve decided to move that down here to July and make sure that if I can’t get it done in the morning, that I do some other time of the day. This should be my first thought every morning…. “When do I get to have my Quiet Time?” During this time, I want to PRAY. And pray hard, because we really need that right now. And actually, I have even more things to pray for thanks to Shay’s post yesterday.
2. Memorize 7 Bible verses.
   1. Another part about connecting more with God is spending time in my Bible. There are already verses that I do know, like John 3:16. But I want to memorize 7 more (7, July is the 7th month of the year…yeah I don’t know, that’s how my mind works so just roll with me.) This will get me to be more intentional in spending time in my Bible too. Plus memorizing Bible verses is never a bad thing!
3. Clean out my closet.
   1. Every season I like to clean out my closet. You know, the ol’ out with the old, in with the new. I’ve been updating my wardrobe a lot lately – definitely needed seeing as I haven’t done that since I was in high school. This month, my goal is to go through my closet and clear out all of my spring (and maybe some summer) clothes that I never wore.
4. Make 5 new recipes.
   1. Lately, I’ve been concocting new recipes like it’s nobody’s business. And in doing that I’ve realized how much I really do like cooking/baking/creating. Some have been pretty good, some i’ve thrown in the trash right away. This month I want to make 5 new things. And I think because i’m going to my grandpa’s this month it will be easy to do!
5. Finish 1 book.
   1. I’ve had “read a book” on my goals for a couple of months now and I have yet to complete one. I think it’s just the fact that I need a good book that I don’t want to put down. I’m almost done with one i’m reading at the moment, but I want to read another one on top of that.

I think that’s good for my July. Today i’m planning to go back through my New Years Resolutions to see how well I have (or haven’t) done now that we are halfway through 2015.

And a special “happy day” to my #1 guy. Love you, dad!

June Goals

Now…I realize it’s halfway into June already, but I thought we could still do some June goals this month. I’ve still got plenty of time to complete them! But before I get to June’s goals…let’s check out how my goals for May went. Happy Monday!

MAY GOALS

1. CELEBRATE no school!
   1. I did celebrate, but only celebrated for a little bit because now i’m back taking a summer class. Boo!
2. Make it to Church twice a week.
   1. I made it to Church every Sunday. And I think all but maybe one Tuesday I went to my young adults service at Church. I’m happy to connect with other Christ-followers my age and meet new people that I know have at least one thing in common with me. The spring semester is over now, so I am just waiting for the summer semester to begin!
3. Read two books.
   1. I’m still reading Goodbye Ed, Hello me….didn’t finish a book this month! Usually by the time my head hits the sheets I can fall asleep.
4. Catch some rays!
   1. Definitely did this! Whether it was laying out with Morgan, watching the Red Sox, or swimming with the cousins. I was outside and enjoying it and I can’t wait to keep it up this month as well!
      
5. Do something unexpected for someone else.
   1. I tried to surprise mom with a book our pastor recommended, but turns out she surprised me with it. Read about that here.
6. Push myself.
   1. Everyone who knows me knows that i’m not a crazy social person. This probably comes with being an introvert, and also the fact that I just like to be alone sometimes. Or with my family. While I love my friends and hanging out with them, I don’t need to be with them 24/7. Everything in moderation I say. That said, I did a lot of socializing this month. A lot more than usual. I’d say that’s pushing myself, because there were some days that I definitely just wanting to sit at home on my couch and watch some Netflix or something.
      I celebrated this gorgeous bachelorette, went to her wedding with some friends, made mudslides with Em and T
      
      Spontaneously went on a hike with Reeana, and hung out with Em, Tyler, and Christian for a week!!
      

June Goals

1. Finish Morgan’s graduation present.
   1. It’s going to take me a while to finish Morgan’s graduation present. I’m hand-making her a scrapbook. It’s suppose to be a surprise, but I feel like she’s already seen everything spread out across the floor of my room. I guess the surprise will come when she finally looks in it 😉
2. Have a quiet time every day.
   1. I was very good about doing this for a while, but with all of my activities i’ve been slacking. I don’t want to just “go to Church” on Sundays. I want to spend some time with Jesus every day. I haven’t officially decided, but I am either going to start waking up earlier or doing this right before bed. My goal is to make sure it happens every single day.
3. SURVIVE going to school and work every day.
   1. I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with summer school. But the fact that i’m going to school 8-10 and then going to work from 10-4 every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday just makes for a worn out girl! This month, i’m working on surviving!!!
4. Cross something off of my bucket list.
   1. I haven’t looked at my bucket list in a while, so this month i’m planning to look at it, find something to cross off, and accomplish it! I might as well start now…what am I waiting for?!

May Goals

I know i’m suppose to be working on not wishing time away this year, however I have been long awaitin’ May. I’ve been so excited for it to come because a couple months ago I had plans for something fun every weekend. Of course things change, but I still have fun things planned. Not to mention, schooooooools OUT FOR SUMMER! Let’s check in with my April goals first.

APRIL GOALS

1. Tithe 10% of my March income.
   1. Check! I even got a letter back from my Church telling me thank you, which is so cool. I love that they do that! April’s check is already written 🙂
2. Go through my closet.
   1. I definitely went through my closet. I took a laundry basket full of clothes down for my mom to go through and then we’ll take them to Plato’s closet to sell or give them away! Make room for more, right? 😉
3. Finish school strong.
   1. This afternoon I take my very last final and then all I do is wait for my grades to post, hope they are decent, and sit back and do nothing. Goodness, I love May. And school being out. I think I did good based on my finals week, but time will tell!
4. Get spring/summer clothes for work.
   1. So this is funny, but I still say I did it. I went to Old Navy one Friday after work and shopped ’til I dropped. Seriously, shopping wears me out. I’m not a shopper, which is why I neeevvveerrr try things on in the store. Only if I have to. Usually I buy what I like, try them on at home when i’m comfortable and then decide whether or not I am going to keep them. I did keep a couple things that I bought this trip, but some are having to go back. Luckily, i’ve still got some time to finish up my spring/summer shopping.
   2. 
5. Intentionally focus on my mental health.
   1. I was recently talking with my therapist the last time I went in to see her and she even admitted that she thought i’ve been doing a good job at realizing my irrational thoughts and what not. As long as i’m taking steps in the right direction that’s all that matters.

So that was April. Pretty good right? Now we’re already?!?!?! at May goals for 2015….

May Goals

1. CELEBRATE no school!
   1. No tests, no sitting through boring lectures, no homework, no papers. NO. NOTHING. this month. I am planning on celebrating that by sleeping in! My friends will be back from school as well so I can’t wait to hang out and see them! I’ve got a lot of people to celebrate this month, so I am very ready for that!
2. Make it to Church twice a week.
   1. I recently signed up for the Young Adults Bible Study at my Church, but wasn’t able to go because it was always during one of my night classes. I went this week for the first time and loved it! My goal this month is to make it every week along with my normal Sunday and volunteering as well 🙂 If there is one week I can’t do both of those things, I want to make it up in some other way.
3. Read two books.
   1. It has taken me foreeeverr and a day to read any books this semester due to my crazy schedule. Now that I have free time I want to finish reading the book i’m in the middle of and read two more. I can do that in a month. Then, at the end of this month i’ll link up with Narci and share all about them. I guess i’d better hop to it now.
4. Catch some rays!
   1. Hey, the sun is already shining bright this month. Why sit inside all day when that’s what I do the days I work? On Tuesdays and Thursdays when i’m not working I want to make it a goal to be outside the majority of my day. Maybe i’m swimming, laying out, working in the garden/yard, running, walking, I don’t really care. The sun is good for you and I like to be active. I think this one will work out good!
5. Do something unexpected for someone else.
   1. Because why not?
6. Push myself.
   1. I don’t know what this is going to look like, nor do I know what aspect of my life this is going to play out in. However, you’ve got to push yourself or you’ll never go anywhere. This month I want to make this one of my goals and hopefully I can get a little creative with this one.

Alright, that’s it. That’s May. How’s your May shaping up? See you back here tomorrow ’cause it’s FRIDAY!

April Goals

Wowwweeee I can’t even believe it’s already April. I have been waiting for this month. And apparently I have also been really bad about not wishing time by like I said I didn’t want to do in my new years resolutions. Anyhoo, I am finished with classes this month, it’s Easter, baseball season begins (eeeekkk!!!!! go Sox!), and my allergies kick in even worse than they are right now. Mostly good things to come! So with that,

Let’s check back to see how I did this March.

march goals

1. Give up sweets for a consecutive week.
   1. I actually can’t remember if I did this? Is that weird? I know the main reason I made this goal was so that I wasn’t eating sweets and sugar everyday, because for a while there I was. I know there was a couple days that I did go without any kind of sugar, so I’d say that’s success!
2. Get my classes figured out for summer.
   1. I got my enrollment date for next Wednesday to sign up for the fall. I signed up for the one class I’m taking this summer. And I think I’ve decided that I’m going to take less classes over the next two semesters and just finish up in the summer of next year. It’s probably the best decision for me. But who knows, that could change.
3. Do more home work-outs.
   1. I kept seeing Kayla Itsines all over my Instagram feed, so I decided to click on her and look through her posts. I went to her website and really liked her. I printed out her free week 1 tutorial and have been using that as a guide. I don’t always do the same thing every day, but if I’m not doing those I’m doing something else.
4. Work. Sleep. Read. Repeat.
   1. I am halfway through the book I had planned on reading due to Spring Break and deciding to read before bed instead of watch Netflix. I worked a lot more during my Spring Break and you don’t have to tell me to sleep more 😉
5. Accomplish all of my march goals.
   1. As you can tell, I did just that!!

april goals

1. Tithe 10% of my March income.
   1. I’ll give in the offering bucket on Sunday’s when I have cash and think about it, but I’ve never been one to straight up tithe 10% of my income. I’ve heard a couple of sermons about this recently, and now that I’m making a steady income, I think it’s time I do this.
2. Go through my closet.
   1. I decided that every season I wanted to go through my closet and clear it out. First of all, I don’t have that much room, but also I know there are some things I haven’t worn in forever but don’t like getting rid of. I want to go through my closet at the end of April and make sure to get rid of some things I know i’ll never wear again.
3. Finish school strong.
   1. I know this month is going to be packed school-wise. I’ve got 3 group presentations, finals, and tests to finish up within a four week span. I am going to be BEAT come May, but I don’t want to start slacking in my school work. Focus less socially, more academically this month!
4. Get spring/summer clothes for work.
   1. I’m a big fall/winter clothes fan. I really think it has to do with how conservative I dress. I love being comfortable in long sleeves and flowy shirts. I normally don’t dress in things that show a lot of skin. That being said, i’m not going to be able to wear sweaters and scarves (I know, sad day) to work in the 100 degree Texas heat. This month, I know I need to get tops that I can wear with my work pants.
5. Intentionally focus on my mental health.
   1. I’ve caught myself a couple times thinking irrational things and coming to conclusions they aren’t necessary about things that don’t matter that much. My goal is to figure out what I need to do in order to think less about the bad and more about the good, and in turn that will help my anxiety. It’s a brutal thing, that anxiety.

March Goals

I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, I love monthly goals. I really have randomly thought in the middle of the day on Saturday, “hey this is one of my monthly goals.” So i’m keepin’ on this month with March goals.

february goals

1. Be IN BED by 10:30 every night.
   1. This is always going to be a work in progress for me. When you work 20 hours a week, go to school 16 hours a week, and try to do homework sleep is often what I lack. The nights I was able to get in bed before 10:30 I felt good the next morning.
2. Go out!
   1. I saw Reeana and Emily one weekend, Jonathan and his family a couple times, and hung out with some other people. I would say this goal was well done. Pat on the back, Molly!
3. Read a book (or two).
   1. If I considered textbooks and homework a read, then I would have aced this goal. However, when I wasn’t doing everything else I needed to do I was trying to sleep or relax. I didn’t get to finish a book this month 😦
4. Do something special for someone for Valentine’s day.
   1. I gave my coworker a little gift on Valentines day. She hates touching metal, so I gave her some covers for her keys so that she wouldn’t keep making me take our keys whenever we went to meetings and what not 😉 Also, I gave my parents little gifts. And made myself a cake because #imsothoughtful
5. Make 85+ on all my tests this month.
   1. I really thought I was going to do this until I got my test grade for International Business (I seriously don’t like that class.) I may or may not have failed that class. I’m still in the process of taking tests. LAWD, is it spring break yet?!

march goals

1. Give up sweets for a consecutive week.
   1. I actually made it a goal starting last Saturday night, but I had some chocolate last night (who can resist kit-kats?!?!) SO, i’m going to start over and try again. I know it’s better for me especially since I can pretty much eat my weight in chocolate in a sitting. Resist the temptation!
2. Get my classes figured out for summer.
   1. I just started looking at classes for this summer and I have to figure out how i’m going to sit in 6 hours worth of classes and work in a single day. Ain’t gon’ happen, so my goal this month is to get all my school classes straight.
3. Do more home work-outs.
   1. Most of the time I don’t have the time or energy to work out after I get home during the week, but it’s healthy. So, I figured this month I want to do my work-outs on video at home. Even if it’s for a little while, at least i’m doing something right?
4. Work. Sleep. Read. Repeat.
   1. Spring break is this month, HALLELUJAH! My plan for that week is to work, sleep, and catch up on my reading. And enjoy no classes and school!
5. Accomplish all of my march goals.
   1. I feel so pathetic that I only accomplished 2 of my 5 february goals haha so yes, I did make it a goal to accomplish all my goals. Are you thinking i’m crazy yet??

February Goals

January Goals

1. Get my office finished and decorated before classes start on the 12th.
   1. Well, my office was not decorated on before classes started, but it is finished now!! If you missed it, you should check it out here and let me know what you think of my amateur decorating skills!
2. Get back into the hang of school.
   1. UGHHH DON’T REMIND ME ABOUT SCHOOL! Okay that was a little dramatic, but i’m like maybe a month in and i’m tired of projects, and homework, and lectures. And i’m getting senioritis a semester early. I’m in 6 classes and 5 have group projects….so that’s a little much. However, this new school had been a good thing for me.
3. Finish reading the Language of Flowers.
   1. I didn’t finish it!!! I was reading some other books that I definitely forgot about this one. But I will finish it!!!
4. Get to Yoga and Church EVERY Sunday.
   1. Yes sir, I have!! Every Sunday morning you can either find me at yoga or teaching at Sunday School before the sermon I usually attend. Gimme some credit here for only taking 1 day to sleep in versus 2 days??? Are you patting me on the back yet or am I alone on this one?

Let’s get to the fabulous

february goals

shall we?!

1. Be IN BED by 10:30 every night.
   1. I’m such a night owl it’s kind of ridiculous. I do end up regretting that when the alarm sounds at 6:30 haha. So my goal this month is to be IN BED by 10:30, not walking there. Not getting things ready. Nope, in bed! I’m getting strict! I need to reduce these bags under my eyes!
2. Go out!
   1. I’m making it a goal this month to spend time with each of my friend’s that are in town. I don’t want to get overwhelmed with work and school. I want to enjoy my friends while they are within miles of me 🙂
3. Read a book (or two).
   1. I’ve been reading a lot lately and I think it’s good. My mind is in school mode or work mode about 80% of the week. So, I think it’s a good refreshment for me to unwind with some reading. Plus, i’ve got some great reads happening right now (i’ll tell you about them sometime this month i’m sure!)
4. Do something special for someone for Valentine’s day.
   1. I love holidays. And I really don’t love Valentine’s day. I’m hoping this year I can do something special for someone whether it be a sibling, a friend, a coworker, etc.
5. Make 85+ on all my tests this month.
   1. February means midterms. There’s a week this month that i’ve got 4 tests? I think that’s what it is. I don’t know. But I know that i’ve got to do good in these classes because it’s my first semester that my GPA starts to count.

Can I do it?

YES I CAN.

Pep-talk Thursday just happened. Hey, have a good day. Make it a priority today to sit down, look around, and say “man, life is good.”

Oh, tomorrow i’m announcing my giveaway winner. Be sure to enter while there is still time!!!

I have decided to give this bracelet below from Taralynn’s to one of you lucky readers.

There’s the bracelet on! Doesn’t it look good with the pink crystal bracelet and the floral shirt??

To enter, follow me on Instagram @mollymiddleton01 and comment on this post! Winner will be announced Friday during Friday Favorites 🙂

Good luck everyone!!!!

January Goals

Like I said last month, I love having these goals because it keeps me accountable and it has me thinking randomly in the middle of the month….”Do I have these goals finished for my blog post?”

So, before we chat about my goals for January, let’s see how I did this December.

December Goals

1. Find a hot coffee that I like.
   1. I’m surprised to be saying that I think I have found hot coffee that I like. For the Keurig i’ve been using the Starbucks vanilla k-cup and putting french vanilla cappuccino powder in as a creamer. At Starbucks i’ve ordered the mocha latte and vanilla latte. And I have nothing to complain about for either one. However, I do know that I prefer my iced coffee so i’m ready for it to start getting warm again. I have a feeling that won’t be anytime soon (today is suppose to be in the teens, what the!)
   2. 
2. Plan out my 21st birthday.
   1. Check, check. Can’t wait for you to see my recap next week 🙂
3. Make sure I have everything ready for my NEW JOB!
   1. So far I love this new job and the people I work with. I think i’m fitting in well and this week i’m planning to decorate the new office! Exciting stuff!
   2. 
4. Relax and enjoy my month off from school!
   1. This is my last week of Christmas break so i’m definitely going to soak in the fact that I don’t have to study and sit in classes all day. So far I have loved having a month off from classes and being surrounded by my family. But starting next Tuesday it’s back to school I go *insert sobbing Molly here*
   2. 

January Goals

1. Get my office finished and decorated before classes start on the 12th.
   1. I’m actually glad that I started this new job before my classes began so I am familiar with how I need to prepare myself each day this coming semester. This way it’s not a whole week of new things! I want to get my office finished and decorated so that by the time I start classes that’s one less thing i’ll need to think about.
2. Get back into the hang of school.
   1. After having a month off of not studying, doing homework, writing papers, etc it’s going to be a huge wake up call having to get back into the routine of doing that. Especially now that I am starting at a new school that I am unfamiliar with. Coming back from Christmas break is never an easy transition, so that’s why i’m making it a goal to go as smooth as possible.
3. Finish reading the Language of Flowers.
   1. Emily #2 mom gave me this book back at the beginning of December and I haven’t finished it yet, but I want to this month!
4. Get to Yoga and Church EVERY Sunday.
   1. Sometimes I don’t wake up early enough for Yoga on Sundays (even though it’s at 10), but I want to force myself to wake up. Plus, this is the only day that I have to be active because i’ll be in classes and in my office so I need to be active at least one day! When i’m awake for Yoga I usually go to Church, because I drive straight there. It’s really not gross I promise. Don’t judge.

I think that’s probably enough goals for this month. We should place bets on if I can accomplish 3 and 4 this month??? Ha!

Happy hump day!

Show and Tell: New Year’s Resolutions Edition

I don’t really think i’m the resolutions kind of person. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with my monthly goals, what the heck would I do with a year’s worth of goals??

But Andrea is maaaaaking me this morning for her show and tell Tuesdays. 😉
Join me!

So, I am a sucker for quotes. I don’t know why, I love them. I love looking at them, hanging them around as decoration, reading them, and thinking about them in a different context.

One

This first one hit home for me. Often times I think these same things written on this quote below.

I know when you’re in school you think “Is it summer yet?!” All the time on social media people are putting “ready for a new year” “ready for spring break” “ready for graduation”; what if we stopped wishing our lives away and started living in the moment? So for this year, I want to live in the moment and enjoy whatever this year has in store for me.

Two

And then I saw this one below on Pinterest and it kept sticking in my head.

Wow. That’s powerful. I really liked this one because more and more i’m seeing how the way a person looks really does play in to things….opinions, decisions, how people treat others, etc. I think this is also one of the reasons I love the tv show, The Voice, because you really don’t know who you’re getting. You’re just listening for that special voice. It’s really important to understand this. So think about…how many people WOULD you impress if everyone was blind?

Three

As someone who can get frustrated easily, I thought this would be a good one for me to try and live by this year. I’ve got to understand that God made us all different for a reason. So instead of getting angry about someone having a difference of opinion, I want to think about that point of view. I think the part about not all people will believe the things you believe can be taken into consideration in more than one way. Believing in God. Believing that reality tv really is a thing. Believing that one thing is more important than another thing. Should you try to more understanding and open to this? I know I need to.

Four

I am a worrywart to a T. I’ll just go ahead and admit it. Seriously, I asked my dad one time what annoyed him most about me and without having to think about it he said “That you worry all the time”. Guilty as charged. I can’t help it. I guess not being able to control all situations and circumstances drives me crazy. I’m slowly starting to learn that i’m not suppose to be able to control all situations. I’m suppose to LET GO. and LET GOD. Have you heard that before? If not, remember it!

And that’s it. Just those four quotes. I might make them a little more pretty for myself and hang them up to read in my office when i’m needing some inspiration for this year.

Can’t wait to see everyone else’s resolutions this year. 2015 already?!

December Goals

I’m having a bad case of the “I’m laying down but can’t fall asleep after watching Netflix tossing to each side counting sheep I’ll go find the elf this is miserable” so I decided I’d get on and post my blog a little early today!

Another month down means another month’s worth of monthly goals. I love having these goals because it keeps me accountable and it has me thinking randomly in the middle of the month….”Do I have these goals finished for my blog post?”

November Goals:

1. Fall back an hour.
   1. Check, check! This is me with too much sleep and my hair obviously needs some work!
      
2. Get all Christmas decor up.
   1. We sure did, and I shared it all with you HERE, so check it out!
3. Organize my laptop.
   1. For the most part i’ve got my laptop organized, there are a few more things I have to do but organizing pictures is a lot of work, especially for someone who takes a lot of pictures!!!
4. Do something for the troops for Veterans day.
   1. I wasn’t able to accomplish this for November, but i’m working on something else for my community service, i’ll show you when i’ve done it! You’re sure to love it.
5. Enjoy an Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte in a scarf and boots.
   1. Okay so it wasn’t a a scarf it was a fuzzy sweater, but it still was a fabulous IPSL!! And I enjoyed every bite sip 🙂
      

Now let’s hit off my….

December Goals

1. Find a hot coffee that I like.
   1. Oh this will be a big one. I’m a super fan of iced coffee, that’s all I drink. However, it’s getting down into the 30s and i’m not going to be able to do that much longer. My hands have gotten red from the cold when carrying my iced coffee to class.
2. Plan out my 21st birthday.
   1. My 21st is in January, but my friends will all be home for winter break and then going back on my birthday. I want to have something planned because you only have a 21st birthday once, and I want it to be sooo fun!
3. Make sure I have everything ready for my NEW JOB!
   1. That’s right, y’all you heard it right! I just got hired to be the Human Resources Assistant at a hospital close to our area. I’m so excited! I want to make sure I have everything set up, i’ve got enough clothes and outfits, and that i’m prepared.
4. Relax and enjoy my month off from school!
   1. I want to enjoy this holiday season, especially not having to be in school. I want to enjoy my family in town, Christmas, etc. I know the only way i’ll do that is if I just relax so i’m making it a point to RELAX!

It’s not too much this month, because we know this is probably the busiest month of the year! But it will be an exciting one! What are your goals for December?

November Goals

I feel like I actually just posted this month’s goals last week or something. What in the world! So let’s go back and see how I did this month…

OCTOBER GOALS:

1. Internship.
   1. I talked with my neighbor (the recruiter) and she said nobody that she knew of needed an intern for the Spring, but she said she might need someone in the summer. I also got in touch with another person that may be needing an intern. So i’m on the right track! I’m glad i’ve got it figured out though so I know what my Spring is going to look like.
2. Christmas gifts.
   1. I’m getting presents, creating ideas, and love knowing that i’m becoming less stressed for the holidays. I wish I could show you, but some of those people read this blog.
3.  Organize my closet.
   1. I finally organized my closet after months of being in the new room! I posted about Closet Organization HERE, so check it out!! Many of you liked it.
4. Make Angel Food Cake on Angel Food Cake day.
   1. I did not make Angel Food Cake on this day because we had tons of cookies just made, no-bakes were being prepared, and other treats and sweets for fall. So we enjoyed those instead of AGF! I’m sure that will be dessert along with Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving.
5. Finish Revenge and start a book.
   1. I finally finished revenge, and i’m going to start my book as soon as it comes to me. I keep seeing things about Lisa Terkeurst and decided I needed to start reading her books. But in the meantime i’m going to start on my momma’s favorite artist, Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
6. School stuff.
   1. I finished my government class with an A. Prasie Jesus from whom all blessings flow! Now, I just want to see that GPA boost. I contacted the financial aid office at school and learned more about scholarships, so I know what I need to do. SOS, please send money. And lots of it.

November Goals:

1. Fall back an hour.
   1. One of the many reasons that I love fall is because we get to fall back and get an extra hour of sleep one night. I like my sleep and I intend on enjoying that extra hour.
2. Get all Christmas decor up.
   1. Most of the time we have our Christmas decor up, but we haven’t yet this year. My mom and I have the goal of getting all of our decor up after Halloween. All the lights on outside, but obviously don’t light them, and all the fall and Christmas decoration inside the house.
3. Organize my laptop.
   1. My laptop is a hot mess. Everything is everywhere and I can never find my pictures and documents. I want it to be more organized and easier for me to access everything.
4. Do something for the troops for Veterans day.
   1. My little community service project for this month is doing something for the troops. I wanted to see if there was a way to “adopt” a troop or something of that nature, even if it’s something simple. I just want to make someone’s day. Also…let me know if you have any ideas of things to do for troops!!
5. Enjoy an Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte in a scarf and boots.
   1. I am sure that it will be getting super cold this month and I want to be wrapped up in a scarf and some boots sippin’ on a Starbucks, because that’s just what fall calls for. And to answer your question…yes I am the weirdo drinking iced coffee in fall/winter.

That’s it for this month. It’s pretty simple, but i’m ready for it!

Oh, and ONE more thing before we go. I got an e-mail yesterday telling me that there are Stella and Dot items for as much as 60% off. That’s HUGE! So check it out because it ends today at 9 PM!!!!

October Goals

I know October started a week ago, but I had so much other fun stuff planned last week, that this was the first available day I had to post my monthly goals. This is my recap of September followed by what’s coming for October!!

SEPTEMBER’S GOALS:

1. Get to Church EVERY Sunday and spend the Lord’s Sabbath day resting. 
   1. While I have not physically been at Church every Sunday, I sit in my room usually before bed now and follow along with the sermon series online and take my notes then. While I would have liked to physically have been there, sometimes it just isn’t able to happen. I also changed my availability on Sundays to where they can’t schedule me, and honestly…this.is.the.best.thing.ever. If you work anywhere and can change your availability to no Sunday shifts, do it for yourself! Give yourself a day of rest. You deserve it!
2. Make 5 new recipes.
   1. Andrea’s Enchiladas
   2. Andrea’s Pulled Pork
   3. Shay’s Chicken Fajita Soup
   4. Morgan’s Olaf Birthday cake
   5. Costco’s Sun-dried Tomato Tilapia
3. Work out 3-4 times/week.
   1. Check, yes! If i’m not running, i’m walking, going to Yoga, following along with my pilates video, etc. As long as i’m doing some kind of work out, I feel good. And I have made it 3-4 times/week.
4. Establish a routine, whether it be a weekly/daily/monthly routine.
   1. I posted about my morning routine a couple weeks ago, so check it out! My Sunday mornings have become routine. My dad and I wake up at 7:00am and drive over to the golf course to practice about 2 hours. We get Starbucks on the way there and we get home before everyone else wakes up. Then, i’ll usually head over to yoga and Church afterwards. I looove Sunday mornings!
5. Buy myself 2 new things because I didn’t do it last month.
   1. I bought myself a new gold bracelet, some fall clothes, and scarves, and entry into the Susan G. Komen race for the cure. And i’m currently waiting on some other goodies to show you 🙂
6. Grow my blog!
   1. In September, I had 861 views. This makes me way way waaaay excited! I appreciate y’all for making this such a fun thing for me to do, and to look forward to. I also gained 9 followers. And had 12 comment, which are my FAVORITE thing to see.. Along with many non-blogging friends text me and tell me they love my blog. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me! Please keep on and share with people you know!
7. Get 3/9 of my Christmas presents. And a birthday present for mom!
   1. I decided to underline this, because I didn’t necessarily GET all my gifts, however I did come up with ideas. I just have to turn them into gifts. But i’m just happy I started somewhere.

OCTOBER GOALS:

1. Internship.
   1. I’m lucky enough to have an HR recruiter as my neighbor. I previously have talked with her and she said she might know someone in need of an intern. So, I want to get in contact with her and find an internship for the spring. Or possibly the summer.
2. Christmas gifts.
   1. Turn my ideas into tangible presents that I need to wrap. AKA get my presents. I want to have at least half my shopping done by the end of this month. Because after Halloween Thanksgiving, finals, mom’s birthday and Christmas come SUPER FAST.
3.  Organize my closet.
   1. My closet is all over the place! Since my brother and I switched rooms, I haven’t organized my clothes yet and i’ve got t-shirts with dresses and all that. It drives the OCD in me crazy, so i’m deeming this month the perfect time!
4. Make Angel Food Cake on Angel Food Cake day.
   1. My calendar tells me that Friday (October 10) is A.F.C day, so of course i’m going to celebrate it!
5. Finish Revenge and start a book.
   1. This is more about giving myself some down time, but I want to finish season 3 of Revenge on Netflix and get started with another book. I finished Sweet Salt Airand I LOVED IT!!! So did my mom! If you like the beach, blogging, love stories, heart break, you will like it to. For $10!
6. School stuff.
   1. I finish my government class next week…it’s an express class and then i’ll start History the week after, but I want an A in that class so my transfer GPA will be boosted. Along with that, I need to apply for scholarships to pay for classes next semester.

This is all i’ve got for this month. I think it’s a pretty big/time consuming list, but I think that writing it down will help me accomplish these goals.

What are your goals for this month?
Do we have any of the same ones?

Monthly Goals: Aug Update/Sept List

Okay, back at the end of July I posted about my August goals. So today while I thought I would post my September goals, i’ll update you on those goals from August. Are you ready???

1.  Read 2 new books
   1. I read The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks and The One & Only by Emily Giffin. Out of these two The Longest Ride was definitely my favorite, I finished the last 3/4 of the book in a day. It also got 4.5/5 stars. The One & Only is perfect for small town football fans. It received 3/5 stars, and Giffin fans say they weren’t disappointed.
2. Do something nice for someone else
   1. Okay, working at a restaurant the last thing you want to do is work all day, both shifts. That normally means waiting on people for about 11 hours. I haven’t worked all day in probably 2 years. One of my friends begged me to pick up her Friday night shift after I worked Friday morning. Seeing as it was not something I wanted to do I definitely thought it was a nice thing for someone else.
3. Work out 3-4 times a week
   1. Oops this was a total failure. I probably should not have made this my goal when I was out of town the first half of August. I only met this goal this past week.
4. Host a get together at my house
   1. While it wasn’t at my house, a couple of us girlfriends went to a friend’s apartment to hang out.
5. Make 8 new recipes
   1. Blueberry Waffles
   2. Blueberry Jelly
   3. Fried Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower
   4. Grilled Lemon-Garlic Zucchini
   5. Pastry Crust
   6. French Vanilla Coffee Creamer
   7. Sea Bass alla Fiorentina
   8. Proscuitto-Wrapped Scallops
6. Figure out what i’m doing about school
   1. I will be transferring to the University of Texas at Dallas. I applied the other day and will receive confirmation sometime soon. I’ve officially gotten it figured out and couldn’t be more excited.
7. Spend more time in God’s word
   1. Wow, I didn’t even make it to Church this month and I am not very happy about it. Rather embarrassed actually. But this will change.
8. Buy something for myself
   1. Nope, I didn’t do this either. I think I put it off because I bought my sisters birthday present this month, which was rather expensive.

 SEPTEMBER’S GOALS:

I’m going to be completely honest and just say that I will have to do a few less goals this month with all of my activities. Here’s to beginnings of new months!!

1. Get to Church EVERY Sunday and spend the Lord’s Sabbath day resting. I am not going to work and I changed my availability, but I will use Sunday as my family day, spend time on school work day, and rest day for the upcoming week.
2. Make 5 new recipes.
3. Work out 3-4 times/week. This will be especially challenging due to all of things I will have planned during the week, but my doctor said it is necessary for someone of my age to get their heart rate up at least 30 minutes 3-4 times/week, and it’s very healthy too.
4. Establish a routine, whether it be a weekly/daily/monthly routine.
5. Buy myself 2 new things because I didn’t do it last month. This is especially difficult for me because I just hate spending my hard-earned money on myself, isn’t that weird? It may be a bargain, but I will do it!
6. Grow my blog! I’m hoping to gain more followers. So help me and share with your friends and family. And tell me what you like or dislike 🙂
7. Get 3/9 of my Christmas presents. And a birthday present for mom!

Goals for August

Tomorrow starts August…what?! Where has the time gone this year?

Because August is the 8th month of the year, I’ve decided I want to create 8 goals for myself during the month of August. I’ll share them with you, and hopefully it will help me be accountable.

1. Read 2 new books
2. Do something nice for someone else
3. Work out 3-4 times a week
4. Host a get together at my house
5. Make 8 new recipes
6. Figure out what i’m doing about school
7. Spend more time in God’s word
8. Buy something for myself

 

Pretty simple today. Friday favorites tomorrow! 🙂