July Goals

Hello, July! Here we are, halfway through 2018 already! Feels really strange when you put it like that. 2018 has been an interesting year so far, but I am hoping that the rest of the year won't be quite as hectic!

February Goals

Happy February, friends! Wow, here we are, already one month down for 2018. As I've said before, I actually love January, but man did that feel like the longest month to you too?! A new month has begun and I am looking forward to what it will bring. The past few days, things have just felt a little different. Winter already seems to be slipping away here in California and we have been having nice, sunny days. I've been working from home with the windows open and have been taking nice walks outside with my pup, Marly.

New Month // November Goals

November is here! I wanted to have my goals post up on the 1st, but I was a little too sugared up from Halloween candy that I got from a party to think straight! Here I am now, though, fully detoxing from that sugar high (I will miss you, candy). I realized that I sort of accidentally skipped October goals!

Before November gets going, lets review September's goals...
+ Book a photo session with a client
I did book an event to shoot for October, which was a nice bit of extra income, so that's good! I would still like to book a portrait session or something like that though so I am going to keep at it with this goal.

+ Read two books
I finished one and started a second at the end of the month, but I didn't finish the second one in September so I didn't quite make this goal! Making reading part of my evening routine has been a really nice way of unwinding before bed though and I have since moved on to another new book!

+ Work on my hand lettering skills
Though I am not nearly where I would like to be with this, I did work on my lettering! I also made a friend in one of my classes who is into lettering too and she has been giving me some tips to practice, so that's nice! Hoping I can continue to work on this in October.

+ Make a video of our trip to Hawaii!
Done! You can watch it here :)

+ Frame photos and hang things on the walls
I didn't get to this unfortunately, mostly because I just am not sure what I want to hang up. I think I am going to scour Etsy for some inexpensive prints and maybe make a few pieces myself. Also need to decide how I want to display photos. All of this just takes time, which is not something I have a lot of!

+ Find eating balance/follow Whole30 principles
Hmmm.. Still working on this one. I have a lot of different ideas and interests when it comes to eating, but I just need to find something that works for me and get into a new groove.

Goals for November...
+ Decide what to give people for Christmas!
This year, I will not rush around right before Christmas! Or, at least I will really try not to haha. I am planning to hand make most of the gifts this year because #brokecollegelife, so I need to get started early!

+ Practice yoga 2-3 times per week
I've been going to a yoga class one a week and it has been really nice, so I would like to do my best to do yoga another one or two times at home on my own. I recently checked out Yoga With Adriene on YouTube and I really enjoy her videos!

+ Create and order Christmas cards
In the past, I have been very awful about this! Every year I want to send some out, but I only got around to it one year and didn't even finish sending them to everyone I wanted to. This year, I promised myself to keep them simple and not try to make it into a huge DIY project because let's face it: I just don't have time for that.

+ Register for classes for the spring semester
Registering for classes is one of the biggest pains! It can be difficult to make sure every class fits in your schedule when you need it to and then actually getting a spot in that class is a whole other story depending on your registration date! I am working on figuring out all the classes I need and when I can take them, and it is draining... Wish me luck!

+ Spend time with family
I don't really have family living around me, so whenever I can go down to San Diego to see them it is extra special. I am super excited to be going down there for Thanksgiving and can't wait to see my sister especially!

+ Host a Friendsgiving
Hosting a Friendsgiving is something I have wanted to do for a few years now, but I have never had my own space to do it... Until now! The invites are out and now I am just waiting to hear back from people and need to plan the menu! Everyone is going to bring something and we will just have a nice time hanging out together :)

It should be a great month! I am really looking forward to the start of the holiday season and want to do my best to enjoy every moment of it!

What are your goals for November?

New Month // September Goals

And just like that, here we are yet again, with a new month ahead of us... August was a pretty wonderful month over here and I am actually kind of sad to see it go. It was the first full month spent in my new home, my very first internship wrapped up, we went on a spectacular vacation, and school started back up. So many things!

September, though, will be a good one too I think! I have always loved September and the beginning of fall. It is kind of nice to get back into the routine of school and spend the weekends relaxing or doing fun things. It really is quite a lovely time of year!

Before we totally jump into September, lets review August's goals...
+ Get unpacked and settled in at my new apartment
Check! There are still some things I need to organize, but I am feeling pretty settled at this point! We have just about all the furniture we need (we would maybe like to just find a coffee table eventually) and the whole place is feeling pretty home-y. It makes me so happy! Next, I'd just like to hang some things and add finishing touches.

+ Celebrate Dai's birthday and our 5 year anniversary
We definitely did this! August was a lovely, celebration filled month. On Dai's birthday, I made him dinner and a cake and we had a quiet evening at my house, watching MasterChef and going to the jacuzzi.  We also spent the next day in Santa Cruz at the boardwalk, which was lots of fun. Our anniversary was on a Monday, so we both had to work, but Dai sent me flowers at work (so sweet!) and we went to dinner at a nice restaurant that evening. To top it all off, to celebrate our anniversary, Dai planned a surprise trip to Hawaii!! So, our anniversary clearly was amazing :)

+ Start school
Done! School started a week ago, but thankfully things haven't gotten too busy yet and I actually really like the classes I'm taking, so I am hoping it will be a great semester! The only thing that was kind of strange was having my last first day of school ever (unless I go to grad school, but currently no plans...) and to realize that next fall, for the first time in 18 years, I won't be starting a new school year. Life is weird, guys!

+ Spend time with Dai
I'm pretty sure you can already tell I spent lots of time with Dai considering we went on vacation! This was an easy goal, but since it felt like we hadn't spent much quality time together in July, I wanted to be more intentional about this. It was a great month for us!

+ Try out the gym at my new place
Ok, so I'm sorry to say that I didn't do this... I know, I know, so bad! This goal (conveniently) slipped my mind... Definitely going to keep this goal in mind for September!

+ Have a get together/party with friends
Success! This past weekend we had a house warming party, which was really fun! A couple weeks ago I also had some friends over to swim and have a little BBQ by the pool, so I would say this goal went well :)

+ Spend some time alone doing things I want to do
Yes! I had two full weekdays completely off from work before we went on vacation, so I spent those doing things I wanted, like building a jewelry hanger, going to the pool, and simply relaxing. I didn't do everything I had wanted to, but I feel alright about it.

+ Give oil pulling a try
I will admit, I did try oil pulling, but only twice! I didn't hate it, though it takes a little time to get used to the feeling of the oil in your mouth. I did it for a couple days, but then I went on vacation and kind of forgot about it! I'd definitely like to give it another shot!

Goals for September...
+ Book a photo session with a client
For quite a while I have been itching to shoot some more photo sessions, so lately I have been working hard to seek out those opportunities. I have been looking a ton on Craigslist for people who need portraits and events shot (even a couple weddings!) or photographers seeking a second shooter/assistant, and have been sending out many emails. I'm hoping I can at least get something solid on my calendar this month!

+ Read two books
Last month I was successful at finishing two books and got into a really nice routine of reading in bed before I went to sleep, so I'd like to continue that and read two more in September. I have quite a few books on my shelf that I haven't read and it would be nice to get through them all!

+ Work on my hand lettering skills
I have admired hand lettering for such a long time and from the little that I have dabbled in it, I have really loved it! I just need to spend some more time practicing and learning different techniques. I even purchased an e-course a while ago, but have yet to make my way through it! With the holidays just around the corner, I would especially like to work on these skills because I think it would be great to make hand lettered gifts for people.

+ Make a video of our trip to Hawaii!
We took our GoPro on this trip and we did so many fun things! I'd love to make a video of our time in Hawaii and then hopefully get into the habit of making ones for our future trips too. I have only made a couple videos in the past, but I have already started this project and am so excited to share it when it is done!

+ Frame photos and hang things on the walls
While mostly everything is unpacked, I would still like to hang up photos and other special pieces. I have a lot of photos that need to be printed and framed, so I'd like to get going on these things in September! I didn't hang anything on the walls of the place I last lived at, but I plan on being here longer and it already feels way more like home :)

+ Find eating balance/follow Whole30 principles
I have a lot of thoughts about food that should probably written in a post all on its own, but here are my basic recent realizations: I need to find balance when it comes to food. I have found through experimentation with Whole30 over the past year and a half that I am a sort of "all or nothing" kind of person when it comes to healthy habits. I am either super focused about it or I don't care at all and just eat or do whatever I feel like. I am realizing that's a very unhealthy pattern to be in and I am going to make conscious efforts to make changes to that! I will have to keep you posted on this as I go!

So far, in the 2.5 days of September, things have been going well! The weather got gloomy so I am actually wearing long sleeves and pumpkin spice is back at Starbucks, so I am currently having a coffee date with Dai and typing away while I sip on my pumpkin spice iced coffee :) We don't really have much planned for this long weekend, which is pretty nice!

What are your goals for September? What are you up to for the long weekend?

March Goals!

I think March is going to be a good month! It will definitely be busy with school with projects, papers, and exams, but we will be approaching a little more than half way through mark in the semester, so that will be nice! Plus, there is spring break to look forward to at the end of the month, which will be a whole glorious week off of school and work that I will be spending in San Diego on a girls trip with my friend to see my family. Dai and I will also be going to a baby shower and a BBQ with family friends, and his parents will be visiting from Japan. I actually didn't really realize how busy this month will be until I typed all of this out!

It has been a while since I have posted any monthly goals and this month I was inspired to write some! So here they are..

+ Blog more
This is a pretty obvious goal, since you all know I haven't bee the best blogger for a while! It is hard to balance everything, but I find myself feeling better when I have this creative outlet for myself. So, I think I will just have to make scheduling in a bit of time for blogging every week so that I can keep up with it! Hang in there with me :)

+ Be better about leaving comments on blogs and connecting with others on social media
I can't tell you how many times I have read a blog post or saw an Instagram photo and thought "I should leave a comment... I'll just come back later and do it" and never did! It's bad... But I don't want to just be a "ghost" reader and I'd like to connect with fellow bloggers more!

+ Finish my second round of Whole30!
I am already on day 12 and am trucking along! It has been good and I am looking forward to accomplishing this goal. I also am starting to think about what I want my lifestyle to look like afterwards, which is a daunting task, but something to definitely keep in mind.

+ Shoot or book at least one photo session
I finally launched my site back in January, but since then I haven't actually done much with it. I would really like to get behind the camera this month and shoot a portrait session! If you live in the Bay Area (or even San Diego since I'll be there this month) and would like to meet for some photos, e-mail me! Plus, there may be a really good reader discount :)

+ Get Blog Buddies Network going again!
Morgan has signed on to be my fellow admin, which I am excited for! We haven't gotten it up and fully running again yet though, so we will

+ Read one book for fun
Just one! This isn't a very difficult goal, but reading is something I haven't been doing for a while, which makes me sad. I got several new books around the holidays, so I need to finally read them! I am thinking I will read Brooklyn first because I'd really like to see the movie!

+ Edit my resume and apply for a summer internship!
Resumes are one of the most annoying things to do, yet they are a necessary evil unfortunately. I would really like to do an internship this summer (after all, it is a possibility that by next summer I could be a college graduate! ahhh!) and have an opportunity to do one at a great company, but I still need to submit my resume! And it needs some work, so I have to get on that!

+ Start doing some sort of exercise
Whether that is doing yoga in my living room, running, going for power walks with Marly, or joining a gym near my house, I would like to make a conscious effort to do something for exercise at least 3 times per week, just like I am making the conscious effort to eat well.

Alright, well I think that is enough for this month! I am really looking forward to hopefully accomplishing all of these things and I am really excited about this month! It's gonna be a good one :)

What are your goals for this month? Do we have any similar ones?

New Month // March Goals + Life Happenings

Hello, hello! Happy March and happy Monday! It is almost embarrassing how little I have blogged in the past several weeks. A lot has been happening in my offline life, and I guess I just haven't had the drive to contribute to this space. It seems that I either blog at full force or not at all. I'm hoping to find a happy medium that I can consistently keep up with so that this space is never deserted!

I'm excited to see what the rest of this month brings, though, as I already have a few adventures to share! Something important that happened to me recently: I decided what school I will be transferring to in the fall! I have been working my booty off the past 3 years, going to community college and working as a nanny, and now it is finally time to reap the rewards of those efforts. In August, I will be starting at San Jose State University and working towards getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design (and hopefully minoring or double majoring in photography!)! I originally wasn't into the idea of staying local, but I think it will be good and I'm starting to really look forward to it. Plus, I will be moving closer to where the school is located, so I will get to be somewhere new!

I think that is probably the biggest life update I have to share! Though we are already 9 days into the new month, I'm going to go ahead and share some goals I have for the rest of March :)

+ Make good use of my extra time.
I think I did pretty well at this! I started getting up earlier and also did my best to take Marly on nice walks each day. I would try to get ready soon after waking up so that I was all set to take on the day and not get stuck in my pajamas until it was time to go to work in the afternoon!

+ Read two books.

I read one and a half, but didn't quite reach that two book mark! I'm counting it as mostly a success though because it has been a while since I have spent any time reading for fun!

+ Finish Whole30!

Nailed it! Whole30 was such a great experience and I am really pleased with my results. I am already planning on starting a Whole60 in April! Anyone want to join me for 30 days? Or even the entire 60?

+ Find an extra job.

I did find an extra nanny position for the mornings that I have free and worked with the family for one week. Unfortunately, it ultimately didn't work out. The family and I didn't mesh that well and had different views about behavior. I was disappointed that it didn't work out because it was a great financial opportunity for me, but I think it was for the best and that I wouldn't have been very happy working with them. For now, I have decided to not pursue another nanny position (mostly because there isn't really anything out there for the availability I have) and am going to instead use that time to grow in my field by blogging, writing, maybe finding an internship, practicing my photography, or creating art.

+ Take more photos.

I think this was also a success! I've been trying to take my camera with me more and took a lot of photos on our recent weekend trips. My camera is new, after all, so I need to get plenty of use out of it! I'm hoping to go on a photo adventure with a friend soon, too :)

+ Blog more consistently!
I have not been around here much lately, but I want to change that! It seems that I either blog very consistently or not at all! I need to change that a find a steady pace and schedule that works for me.

+ Try to eat mostly Whole30 compliant.

Dai and I did a mini-Whole30 for 11 days and it really made me feel great since I hadn't been eating close to 100% compliant since ending my official Whole30. I am planning to start a Whole60 in April, but until then, I want to try to eat mostly compliant because I know that I feel best when I do! And I don't want to undo all of the progress I have made.

+ Create a photography website.

I had a site for my photography, but I closed it because I was paying a monthly fee when I could actually create a site through a different platform for free. I'm thinking I will go with Wordpress for now. Hopefully I can get the site up and running, and actually put myself out there for more photography opportunities!

+ Spend time creating art.

In all honesty, I haven't spent time creating actual art since high school. During my junior and senior year, there was a lot of pressure for everything I make to be wonderful and portfolio worthy, so once high school ended, I was just burnt out. That's why I decided to start this blog, and it has been a great creative outlet. I think I am ready to dive back in to creating things just for fun though and would like to use my free time to do so! I don't want to put any pressure on myself and just rekindle my love for creative thinking.

+ Sign up for school orientation.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have made a decision about where I will be going to school in the fall and I'm excited to attend an orientation day next month. Just gotta nail down a date and sign up!

+ Purchase and begin Maiedae's hand lettering e-course!

I have been wanting to learn more about hand lettering for so long! I love Jenny of Maiedae's style so much and am thrilled that they are now offering an e-course. The course seems to be jam packed with so much great information and I'm hoping that it will really help me get started in making hand lettering one of my hobbies!

What are your goals for March?

I wish everyone a wonderful week!

New Month // December Goals

December?! Woah! How did we get here already?? I am really having a difficult time wrapping my head around this one. It has been such a great year! I am ready for the Christmas season and all of the wonderful things that come with that :) I plan on decorating whatever I can, baking, wrapping lots of gifts, watching all my favorite Christmas movies, spending time with family and friends, cuddling, and drinking lots of hot chocolate!

I started making monthly goals at the beginning of this year, so it is kind of a nice accomplishment that I have stuck with it all year long. Here is the last installment of 2014!

+ Stay on top of school projects.
I would say that I mostly did a good job at this. November was a very busy school month, but I am happy to have made it through! I still need to catch up on some things for one of my classes, however, I am all up to date in the other class.

+ Start and complete college applications.

Boom! Done! Now I just wait until the next step...

+ Work on blog design update!

I did this! I don't know if you noticed, but I updated the header with one that I hand painted and spruced up a few more details throughout the design. I definitely want to work on it more over Christmas break, but for now I am pretty happy!

+ Plan meals ahead of time & only buy what I will really use.

I didn't do so great at planning meals, but I didn't really buy things that I ended up not eating, so that's good! I also realized that I don't really need to buy much because most nights I end up eating dinner at work, which is a nice perk of my job.

+ Finalize plans for potential getaways!

Done! We are planning to drive down to San Diego to spend Christmas with my family and booked a trip to Seattle for New Year's/my birthday! It is really nice to have some adventures on the calendar.

+ Read one book.

Unfortunately I didn't get to this. I think I will add it back to the list for December though because I think I will have some leisurely time to get into a book!

+ Read one book.
Carrying this one over from last month. I think I can really make it happen this time!

+ Control my spending & don't go overboard on Christmas.

It is so extremely easy to just get ALL THE THINGS FOR EVERYONE. Unfortunately, my heart is bigger than my budget. I think it will be a bit of a struggle, but I am going to do my best to not overspend and be reasonable about estimating how much I can actually spend on my loved ones this year.

+ Finish the semester strongly.

I only have about two weeks left! Pretty crazy. There is still a lot of work that has to be done to finish and I really want to finish things on a strong note.

+ Practice watercolor ink writing.

I have really enjoyed practicing writing with ink and a brush! It is a lot of fun and I love the uniqueness of it. I want to keep practicing that this month and hopefully give people some that I make for Christmas. I may share my progress  and latest ones here on the blog, so watch for that :)

+ Savor the Christmas season!

Obviously, this time of year is AMAZING. I want to soak it all up as much as I can and try to really be present wherever I am.

What are your goals for the last month of 2014? What are you looking forward to this special, festive month?

Happy December 1st, friends!

New Month // November Goals

November! A new month! This is really such a good month. Past Novembers have held some of the most memorable times, and I am hopeful that this November will not disappoint! I can already tell that things will be pretty busy with school and work, but I am ready for the challenge.

If we take a look at the past few months, my goals have been absolutely p o i n t l e s s. I have utterly failed and ignored the goals I set for myself, which only leaves me disappointed in my lack of efforts. Here we go one more time and I am determined to be successful this month!

+ Work out at least 2x per week. I failed at this. Ugh. Dai and I did work out at our hotel while we were in LA, so that definitely counts for something, right? haha

+ Treat myself to a few new pieces of jewelry.

I did, indeed! I got two new statement necklaces, and even a few new clothing items. It was nice to spoil myself juuuuust a little bit, but it will be important to stick to my budget this month.

+ Drink 1L of water per day.

Done! It really feels good to stay hydrated and I definitely notice a difference in how I feel when I don't get enough water in my day. Hopefully I can continue this habit!

+ Spend time with family.

Since we went to a wedding this past month, I was definitely able to spend time with family I don't always get to see often. I also spent some time with my dad, which was really nice.

+ Send a friend something in the mail.

Fail. I would like to revisit this goal for November though! Keep an eye on your mailboxes, friends ;)

+ Stay on top of school projects.
We are just about a month and a half away from the end of the semester (aaaahh!) and things are quite busy! I am going to need to be very intentional about staying on top of my work and making it a priority.

+ Start and complete college applications.

I'll admit... I'm a little behind on this. Applications are due November 30th and I have got to get going! This process is a little stressful and exciting, but I'll definitely be relieved when it is over.

+ Work on blog design update!

I've been dabbling with this for the past week or so, but haven't quite finalized the design. There are also a few elements I am looking to change, but don't know the proper coding to do so, so we shall see what I can do about that. I'm also considering hiring someone to give this space a facelift for me. I'd love some recommendations! 

+ Plan meals ahead of time & only buy what I will really use.

Since I just grocery shop for myself, if things that I buy go bad, it is my own fault. I have found myself not eating all that I buy and I hate wasting money and food this way. I definitely need to be more intentional about planning meals I will actually make and using my food budget more wisely.

+ Finalize plans for potential getaways!

Dai and I have started talking about plans for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my 21st birthday (which falls on New Year's weekend), and I think we have some adventures in mind! I'll keep you updated!

+ Read one book.

I love reading, but hardly ever take the little time for myself to do so. Hopefully I can manage to just read one book this month!

Do you like November? What are you looking forward to? Do you have any goals?

New Month // October Goals

October! How are we here already? These months keep on flying by. I am pretty happy to be here though, I must say. I think that this month is going to be a good one. Things are a little busy with school, but my classes are pushing my creativity and I think that positive energy will spill over to my blogging life as well. We have a trip planned for the end of the month to attend a wedding and some fun things sprinkled in between. Plus, it is officially fall and what's not to love about that?!

Here's a recap of last month's goals and some goals for this month!

+ 30 Day Smoothie Challenge
I will admit, I did not make a smoothie every single day, but I did make them pretty often and am happy that I added that nutrition into my diet :)

+ Start my new job!

Check! I'm in my third week and things are going really well. I'm so much happier in this area of my life than I was just a month ago!

+ Create a budget.

Completed! I'm feeling pretty good about this and actually kind of responsible ;)

+ Consistently spend time reading/commenting on other blogs.

I really wish I did more of this! I'm still working at it, but I have been consistently reading blogs again like I used to. Now I just need to set aside the time to leave comments! 

+ Get back to blogging!

Still working on this one, but I have a pretty great month planned ahead!

+ Resume outfit photos!

I did one outfit post in September, but I've been inspired to do more and I think I have Dai on board to help me out with this again, so look out for more of those this month :)

+ Work out at least 2x per week.
Guys, this is something I am suuuuper awful at. I just don't make the time for it and then instead make excuses. Dai and I have both been wanting to be more consistently active and get our booties into shape. It is never too late and we should definitely start now! So, I'm gonna go ahead and give myself the realistic goal of working out at least 2x per week to start with.

+ Treat myself to a few new pieces of jewelry.

It's a new season and I would love to add a few new jewelry pieces to spice up my collection! Helloooo Forever 21 haha.

+ Drink 1L of water per day.

I love water, but I have noticed that I haven't been drinking as much as I should lately, so it is time to get back in the habit of that.

+ Spend time with family.

My family is very important to me and now that we are all a little more spread out we don't spend much time together. I would like to make an effort to do more of that this month!

+ Send a friend something in the mail.

It is always nice to get fun things in the mail and I always think about sending people things, but rarely do. Well, that changes this month!

What are your goals for this month?

New Month // September Goals

Hellooooo September! This new month feels so good to me. This summer was very strange and I feel like I am now able to settle into my "new normal." I am ready for a fresh start with things across the board.

Here is a review of last month's goals and my new ones for this month!

+ Pack up & move.
Done & done! I'm gonna go ahead and be really honest here: this was so stressful and exhausting. My dad was even so burnt out and said, "I've moved countless times before, but this one is just the worst move ever..." So basically that sums it up haha but we made it through!

+ Start school off on the right foot.

So far so good! I'm just starting my fourth week already... I really enjoy my classes and my teachers. It also has been the least stressful semester so far, which is good since I think I've earned a little break ;)

+ Wash car exterior.

My dad sprayed it off with a hose... Good enough, right?

+ Get into the habit of flossing.

It was so funny how everyone commented about this random thing on my list, but it was good to know that I wasn't the only one failing at this! That motivation actually helped and I did really well with this silly goal.

+ Get back to blogging!

I'm actually super bummed that I didn't do so well at this one, but I'm gonna go ahead and give myself a free pass. There were more urgent things going on, unfortunately...

+ 30 Day Smoothie Challenge
This is just something that I came up with when I was looking at my September calendar and was like "hey, there's 30 days in September... I should do a challenge!" So here we are... I also fell out of habit of using my Nutribullet and wanted to get that going again. It has been really great so far! The green smoothies I make are pretty yummy and I just feel better when I have one each day. Maybe this is something I will post more about if there's interest? Or something we could all join in together on and do another month?

+ Start my new job!

Praise the Lord, I have found another job as a nanny! That means no more late nights and weekends at the restaurant! That was one of the hardest parts (besides the hefty pay cut...) because I have realized that I am the kind of person who needs the structure of a set work schedule to maintain some sanity in my busy life. This is seriously such a weight lifted off of me! I start next Monday and can't wait!

+ Create a budget.

I have a budgeting sheet that I created a few months ago that really comes in handy (free download!), but I haven't been using it since my income became so sporadic. Now that I have a pretty good idea of what my income will be like each week, I can start using that system again to plan for each month. Gotta be smart with my monies!

+ Consistently spend time reading/commenting on other blogs.

I used to do really well with this, but lately I have barely had the time to write anything for my own blog, let alone read some of my favorites! I feel like I'm missing out on so much that's going on in my blogging friends' lives. Plus, I really believe that spending time reading and commenting on other blogs is such an important aspect of this community!

+ Get back to blogging!

I'm adding this one back on the agenda for this month and am reeeaaallly going to try to do my best to accomplish it! I am feeling like I have a bit more control over things in my life and can kind of resume things as normal again. Woohoo!

+ Resume outfit photos!

While I don't consider myself a fashion blogger, I do like putting together outfits for outfit posts! It is a lot of fun for me and has been surprisingly well-received with readers in the past. So, as long as I can convince Dai to help me, I want start doing these again! Now to finally order some of the things on my ModCloth wishlist.... (I'll add it to the budget ;) )

What are your goals for this month?

Is there anything you would like to see here on the blog?

Have a great week!

New Month // August Goals

Hello! I'm here, I'm alive! I've been away from here for nearly two weeks now and while I wasn't necessarily planning a blogging vacation, I was okay with it. I'm feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of this month! This is quite the big month for me. I've got moving to deal with, school starting back up, and adjusting to these new things on my plate.

I made some goals for July, but let's face it: they didn't really happen for me. Aside from getting a job, I was largely unsuccessful (just like I was in June, actually haha), but it is okay. I'm actually not all that torn up about it and know that I will just try to do better with what is left of this month. Onward and upward, am I right?!

No time like the 11th day of the month to make some goals. I haven't been so succussful with my goals the past couple months, so I'm going back to the basics for a fresh start. Simple and attainable!

+ Pack up & move.
This isn't necessarily a "goal" per say, but something that is going to happen whether I want it to or not. Nonetheless, I do need to pack up all my stuff in order to move it! This has been slow going for me, but something I need to get serious about. I did pack 3 boxes today, so that's a good start!

+ Start school off on the right foot.

Eek! School starts a week from today! How can that be?! I am definitely not ready for this, but I'm going to have to get used to it and start the semester off well. Hoping to make the most of this last week of freedom!

+ Wash car exterior.

Seems like a simple enough task, but I am quite the procrastinator. I've been using the excuse of CA's drought as to why it's okay that my car be so dirty (haha), but I finally need to just wash the darn thing. She is a pretty baby when she is clean anyway.

+ Get into the habit of flossing.

Don't think I really need to elaborate much on this one, but I did go to the dentist last week and was scolded for not adopting this practice into my routine, so I suppose now is the time!

+ Get back to blogging!

I haven't had the best blogging behavior lately since, you know, I haven't actually been blogging. BUT, I'd like to change that! And I think now is a good time to delve back into things full force because it's not like I'm busy or anything (sarcasm) and also I would actually like to document this time of many changes in my life. Plus, I have high hopes and big goals for this space, none of which will be realized if I'm not actually putting in the effort.

Well, I think that is enough for me to handle for August, especially since it is already 1/3 over. September though... I've already got a list started of goals for September. What can I say? Guess I'm just a planner ;)

Thank you all for your endless kindness and support during these past few difficult months! You are all so very appreciated in my books <3

A New Month // June Review + July Goals

July! It is July! To put it bluntly: I am not heartbroken to see June go. June was rough for me and it definitely put me in a rather unmotivated, lethargic state at times. Though June did not turn out how I had hoped in my personal life, it was a great month of blogging and I am proud of all I accomplished in this space! I'm hoping July will be a good fresh start to kick my booty into high gear and allow me to see some results in all areas of life!

- JUNE HIGHLIGHTS -

Now here is a look at my goals from June and what I'm hoping to achieve in July!

+ Start (and hopefully finish) Japan scrapbook.

+ Walk 300,000 steps using my Fitbit and actually remember to wear it every day.

+ Get back into the habit of using my Nutribullet.

+ Start using My Fitness Pal or join Weight Watchers online.

+ Think about others more and less about myself.

Ok, so here's the thing: I utterly failed at June. While I was able to spend time relaxing and doing other things, I was also really frustrated with my job situation (or lack there of). Therefore, I was not motivated to do anything else. I hate to let myself down like this, but I didn't work on any of these goals (except for maybe that last one) and I only have myself to blame. So, on that note, at least we are facing a new month and I can start from scratch!

+ Completely clean my car.If I showed you every to-do list I've made this past month, you would see this on every single one. My car is currently so gross and messy that it makes me cringe every time I open the door. Gotta tackle this one this week hopefully!

+ Make money.

Enough said. June just didn't cut it in this department.

+ Japan scrapbook.

I'm gonna go ahead and put this one back on the agenda for this month because if I don't get it done this summer it is likely to never happen. Gotta buckle down and get that creativity flowing!

+ Spend time journaling.

I suppose this blog is kind of like a journal of sorts, but it would be nice to get my deeper thoughts down on paper. I used to journal quite a bit as a kid (maybe that's why I enjoy blogging so much) and would love to get back into the habit of doing so.

+ Follow the beginner's month of Blogilates (maybe).

This is a big one for me, considering my health and fitness goals usually go unattended to. I'm hoping to force myself to try out the beginner's month of Blogilates. We shall see what happens, but I think this would be a good place to start.

Well, friends, this is where I'm at right now! I am ready for a fresh start with this new month and am excited to see where it takes me!

What are your goals this month? What about for this summer?

A New Month // May Goals

April flew by and here we are with another new month! Kind of crazy, if you ask me. I am really looking forward to what this month will bring, since I will be finishing school! This semester has actually been pretty good compared to the others, but I am always ready to welcome a break.

I know we are already 9 days into May, but I still need to make some goals for the month! April was... wow... Let me just say it like this: I nailed April. April and I got along pretty well, from what I can remember. Whatever grief it gave me in the first couple weeks is forgiven, since it made up for it in the latter part. I mean, how can I hold a grudge when I got to go to Japan?!

So here's my monthly check-in:

+ Get a haircut.

I finally did this! I had been procrastinating it for so long, even though it is such a simple task. I got it cut just before our trip and it feels so much healthier. Never again will I wait over a year-and-a-half for a trim!

+ Start packing for Japan early.

I sort of did this I suppose! I had started collecting and organizing clothes during the week before and then packed it all up the day before. At least I wasn't scrambling to pack the day of!

+ Have all blog related tasks prepped/completed before I leave.

This was basically done before I left, so that was good! It really helped having most of the guest posts well enough in advance so that I could plan and schedule when they would be published. It definitely took a lot of time to prep all the posts though, but overall I think it worked out really well!

+ Do as much schoolwork as I can before I leave.

I think I did what I could and everything has actually worked out pretty well. I'm basically caught up on homework I missed, but now just have to study for a couple big tests I have Monday!

+ Have the best time of my life!

Done. Duh. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun these past two weeks were! Holy moly. Luckily I have about 2,500 photos to give you an idea ;) It was truly a wonderful experience that I will never forget! I loved spending two whole weeks with Dai, getting to know his family better, meeting new friends, and exploring a new place every day. I miss it already! When can I go back?

+ Do my best to finish the semester strong.

I have only two weeks left! I have my last classes next week, finals the next, and then I will be done! It is coming really quickly, but I still have to get through five tests and a lot of studying. I am really looking forward to having free time to do creative things, like work on this blog!

+ Organize/edit Japan photos.

Like I said, I have 2,500+ photos from this trip and they aren't going to sort and edit themselves. This will also help me to figure out what I want to make blog posts out of. I'm really excited to dive in and relive these memories!

+ Register for fall classes.

This is all a mess. Scheduling isn't working out like I thought it would and now I don't really know what classes to take this fall. Also, I won't really know what I am doing for work during that semester until I have an idea of what my school schedule will be like. I'm hoping to meet with a counselor very soon to help me sort all this out so I can register for classes!

+ Start making plans to create a Japan scrapbook.

Remember this post about scrapbooking inspiration? Well, since school will be over in just a couple weeks, I will finally have the time to craft a book of my own! And I can't think of anything better to make my first scrapbook about other than our trip! I even got a Japan flag sticker while I was there to add to it :)

+ Nail down a job for the summer.

My current nanny family will not be needing me this summer since they are putting the kids in camps instead, so I need a job! I have only four weeks left with them for the school year, so I am definitely feeling the pressure to figure out my work situation. I am really hoping to secure something soon!

Now, let's get to it! What are your goals for this month?