Below are the New Year's Resolutions I made for 2017. Can you believe 2017 is already A THIRD OF THE WAY DONE?! I can't believe it. I'm turning 30 in about 5 months, but I don't wanna talk about it. Anyway, let's get a progress update on my resolution list, shall we?
1) Lose another 50 pounds - As of this past Sunday, April 30, I have completed two months of my 3-month weight loss challenge in which I've lost about 13 pounds so far! But I have to confess, my exercising has slacked off, so I need to get back on that.
2) Pay off all of our immediate debt - Still working on it - it's definitely a work-in-progress. Obviously, if we're still working on it... Anyway, enough of that. (We're hoping to have everything paid off - except for my students loans - by this time next year!)
3) Rewrite Ravensboro - Still no more progress on this. Sadly, I haven't been bitten by the writing bug lately. But maybe soon, I will be.
4) Finish Harkness - I really can't start on this until Ravensboro is done... ='(
5) Journal/Blog more - I have a few more book summaries waiting to be written and posted on my blog, but I finished the Harry Potter series - yay! Not really journalling right now, but I'll figure out some kind of plan soon.
6) Find out where I should be career-wise - This is honestly still a prayer in my heart, but when you're paying off debt, a career or job change is about the stupidest thing you could possibly do. Am I right? This past weekend, I went to a Beth Moore devotional weekend with my best friend, and God showed me some things to work on in my spiritual walk, so that's at the forefront of things I'm focusing on right now, and honestly, I don't feel the least bit bad about it. At all. So yeah.
What about you? Did you have any New Year's Resolutions going into 2017? How are those working out?
Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts
Friday, May 5, 2017
Friday, March 31, 2017
March Update on New Year's Resolutions
Below are the New Year's Resolutions I made for 2017. Can you believe 2017 is already A QUARTER OF THE WAY DONE?! I can't believe it. I'm turning 30 in less than 7 months, but I don't wanna talk about it. Anyway, let's get a progress update on my resolution list, shall we?
1) Lose another 50 pounds - As of this past Sunday, March 26, I have completed one month of my 3-month weight loss challenge in which I've lost about 9 pounds in 4 weeks! Between sickness and back pain, I haven't worked out as much lately, so my exercising has slacked off, but I must have built some muscle, because I can tell I'm still burning fat. Well, it's at more of a simmer, but still...
2) Pay off all of our immediate debt - Still chugging along! Even though we're down to about six bills (at least when it comes to paying off debt), they're still the largest chunks, so I'm having the mentality of "slow & steady wins the race" right now.
3) Rewrite Ravensboro - Still no more progress on this. I'm ashamed to say between work (tax season is here and I work in a tax office), working out, and otherwise being married and being choir director at my church, I haven't had much time to do much else. Including updating Ravensboro.
4) Finish Harkness - I really can't start on this until Ravensboro is done... ='(
5) Journal/Blog more - I have SIX more book summaries waiting to be written and posted on my blog, which is awesome, but I've started slacking on the journaling front - unless you count the food journal I'm doing for my weight loss competition.
6) Find out where I should be career-wise - I just got a raise, so I'm sticking where I'm stuck right now. Hopefully, God will continue to lead me in His will for my career, because I still don't know what to do. I had lunch with a friend the other day, and we were talking about careers and finding jobs doing what we're good at and love to do. Obviously, being a writer or working in a church would be preferable, but I have also considered guidance counseling or camp counseling before. So maybe I'll look into that...
What about you? Did you have any New Year's Resolutions going into 2017? How are those working out?
1) Lose another 50 pounds - As of this past Sunday, March 26, I have completed one month of my 3-month weight loss challenge in which I've lost about 9 pounds in 4 weeks! Between sickness and back pain, I haven't worked out as much lately, so my exercising has slacked off, but I must have built some muscle, because I can tell I'm still burning fat. Well, it's at more of a simmer, but still...
2) Pay off all of our immediate debt - Still chugging along! Even though we're down to about six bills (at least when it comes to paying off debt), they're still the largest chunks, so I'm having the mentality of "slow & steady wins the race" right now.
3) Rewrite Ravensboro - Still no more progress on this. I'm ashamed to say between work (tax season is here and I work in a tax office), working out, and otherwise being married and being choir director at my church, I haven't had much time to do much else. Including updating Ravensboro.
4) Finish Harkness - I really can't start on this until Ravensboro is done... ='(
5) Journal/Blog more - I have SIX more book summaries waiting to be written and posted on my blog, which is awesome, but I've started slacking on the journaling front - unless you count the food journal I'm doing for my weight loss competition.
6) Find out where I should be career-wise - I just got a raise, so I'm sticking where I'm stuck right now. Hopefully, God will continue to lead me in His will for my career, because I still don't know what to do. I had lunch with a friend the other day, and we were talking about careers and finding jobs doing what we're good at and love to do. Obviously, being a writer or working in a church would be preferable, but I have also considered guidance counseling or camp counseling before. So maybe I'll look into that...
What about you? Did you have any New Year's Resolutions going into 2017? How are those working out?
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
January Update on New Year's Resolutions
Below are the New Year's Resolutions I made for 2017. Let's get a progress update, shall we?
1) Lose another 50 pounds - As of this morning, I have lost 8 pounds this month! Wheeeee! And last week, I joined Gold's Gym, so hopefully, having to pay $30 a month will help me get my quickly-shrinking butt in gear! ;)
2) Pay off all of our immediate debt - Slowly but surely, this is happening. We did have about $250 worth of unexpected car expenses come up this month, as well as us make about $200 less than we normally do, but God is providing, and we are trying really hard to be faithful to our budget!
3) Rewrite Ravensboro - So far, I've rewritten the Prologue and the first 2 chapters :)
4) Finish Harkness - I really can't start on this until Ravensboro is done, but I'm in the zone!
5) Journal/Blog more - I've written a few blog posts about the books I've read on my Book List for 2017, but I haven't journaled yet. I really need to/want to get back in that habit.
6) Find out where I should be career-wise - Honestly, I'm not really sure how to measure this goal, or to even go about this goal, other than keeping my eye out for job openings that appeal to my talents & schooling. I'm trusting in God to guide me and take care of my needs (which He is completely doing) during this time of dissatisfaction with my current career path. I know He has a plan for me, and I'm willing to be faithful where I am until He moves me.
What about you? Did you have any New Year's Resolutions going into 2017? How are those working out?
1) Lose another 50 pounds - As of this morning, I have lost 8 pounds this month! Wheeeee! And last week, I joined Gold's Gym, so hopefully, having to pay $30 a month will help me get my quickly-shrinking butt in gear! ;)
2) Pay off all of our immediate debt - Slowly but surely, this is happening. We did have about $250 worth of unexpected car expenses come up this month, as well as us make about $200 less than we normally do, but God is providing, and we are trying really hard to be faithful to our budget!
3) Rewrite Ravensboro - So far, I've rewritten the Prologue and the first 2 chapters :)
4) Finish Harkness - I really can't start on this until Ravensboro is done, but I'm in the zone!
5) Journal/Blog more - I've written a few blog posts about the books I've read on my Book List for 2017, but I haven't journaled yet. I really need to/want to get back in that habit.
6) Find out where I should be career-wise - Honestly, I'm not really sure how to measure this goal, or to even go about this goal, other than keeping my eye out for job openings that appeal to my talents & schooling. I'm trusting in God to guide me and take care of my needs (which He is completely doing) during this time of dissatisfaction with my current career path. I know He has a plan for me, and I'm willing to be faithful where I am until He moves me.
What about you? Did you have any New Year's Resolutions going into 2017? How are those working out?
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
New Year's Resolutions - 2017
By now, we all know how bad I am at making plans AND STICKING TO THEM.
But oh well. Plans are still fun to make. And then, when I ACTUALLY stick to them, it's AH-mazing!
So here are my resolutions for 2017:
1) Lose another 50 pounds (this will bring me down to my high school weight - which would be awesome! I've already lost 25 pounds since mid-October!)
2) Pay off all of our immediate debt (by immediate, I mean everything that isn't my student loans - because that will take WAYYYY longer than just one year to pay off).
3) Rewrite Ravensboro (after stepping away from the book for a year, I've realized how haphazardly it was written. I want to tighten up the storyline, simplify it a bit, and reduce the number of characters so I can really develop one or two.)
4) Finish Harkness (I'm about halfway done - WOOT! But I'd really like to be ALL the way done, you know what I mean?)
5) Journal/Blog more. It's been so long since I actually journaled my life, and that's definitely a way for me to reevaluate and emote about things. Plus, I feel like it improves my writing ability. So there ya go.
6) Find out where I should be career-wise. I know I'm not working where I want to be for the rest of my life; I just don't know where my niche is.
Obviously, I have way more things that I would like to do, but these are my immediate focus. Also, in the "Journal/Blog more" category, I would like to start keeping track of books I've read and recapping them. My friend, Hannah, has a blog strictly dedicated to this at oldoriginalthoughts.blogspot.com - you should check it out.
ANYWAY, that's enough for now! Do YOU have any resolutions? What are they? Do you feel like any of mine are unreasonable? Would any of them be hard for you to do? Lemme know in the comments! :)
But oh well. Plans are still fun to make. And then, when I ACTUALLY stick to them, it's AH-mazing!
So here are my resolutions for 2017:
1) Lose another 50 pounds (this will bring me down to my high school weight - which would be awesome! I've already lost 25 pounds since mid-October!)
2) Pay off all of our immediate debt (by immediate, I mean everything that isn't my student loans - because that will take WAYYYY longer than just one year to pay off).
3) Rewrite Ravensboro (after stepping away from the book for a year, I've realized how haphazardly it was written. I want to tighten up the storyline, simplify it a bit, and reduce the number of characters so I can really develop one or two.)
4) Finish Harkness (I'm about halfway done - WOOT! But I'd really like to be ALL the way done, you know what I mean?)
5) Journal/Blog more. It's been so long since I actually journaled my life, and that's definitely a way for me to reevaluate and emote about things. Plus, I feel like it improves my writing ability. So there ya go.
6) Find out where I should be career-wise. I know I'm not working where I want to be for the rest of my life; I just don't know where my niche is.
Obviously, I have way more things that I would like to do, but these are my immediate focus. Also, in the "Journal/Blog more" category, I would like to start keeping track of books I've read and recapping them. My friend, Hannah, has a blog strictly dedicated to this at oldoriginalthoughts.blogspot.com - you should check it out.
ANYWAY, that's enough for now! Do YOU have any resolutions? What are they? Do you feel like any of mine are unreasonable? Would any of them be hard for you to do? Lemme know in the comments! :)
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Hello Again!
Well hello everyone - it's been awhile! Since I last posted, Tyler and I moved into a new house that we're renting for the next year and...yeah, that's all I got.
Exciting stuff, amiright?
Anyway, I just wanted to take some time to talk about my most recent obsession - writing.
This past November, I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where authors are challenged to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days - and I did it :)
The book I wrote is called Ravensboro, and it's a Young Adult Fantasy book. If you're interested in YA books, Fantasy books, or just my writing in general, let me know if you'd like access to my super-secret book blog :) Sequel is pending.
There are two other books I've been working on for quite some time now, and these are open to be perused by the public:
Exciting stuff, amiright?
Anyway, I just wanted to take some time to talk about my most recent obsession - writing.
This past November, I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where authors are challenged to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days - and I did it :)
The book I wrote is called Ravensboro, and it's a Young Adult Fantasy book. If you're interested in YA books, Fantasy books, or just my writing in general, let me know if you'd like access to my super-secret book blog :) Sequel is pending.
There are two other books I've been working on for quite some time now, and these are open to be perused by the public:
- Camp Tandy - this is a fictionalized account of the summer I worked as a counselor at Camp Gilead in 2007. Names and circumstances have been changed to protect certain identities ;)
- The ITDS - this was a super-ambitious Sci-Fi story that I started awhile back. I didn't plan out the plot or anything before I started writing it, and I'm afraid I wrote myself into a corner, so I don't plan on adding anything to it anytime soon.
And here are three books I have an idea for that I haven't started writing yet:
- Kissing the Waves - basically, this is a Christian Fiction book about five women who are friends and how their Faiths are tested by miscarriage, marriage problems, and men problems.
- Untitled - I haven't named this book yet, but I got an idea from hanging out with my niece, Bella, and discussing which Disney princesses are best. This story has to do with a young girl who is sucked into a world where fairytale villains are imprisoning princesses. The young girl has to rescue the princesses, and in doing so, restore her faith in all things fairytale.
- Nearly Dead Naomi - Honestly, I just got the idea for this book JUST THIS MORNING. It's about a girl named Naomi who escapes death and lives her life as half-human, half-ghost, trying to stay off Death's radar and have a normal social life at the same time.
So, do any of these stories strike your fancy? Or are you more of a non-fiction type reader? Because lemme tell you, I'm not much of a non-fiction type writer, so my stuff might not be for your eyes. The more encouragement I get for one particular story, the more apt I am to focus on writing that story, so FEEDBACK people! :)
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
#30DayChallenge
Guys, not to brag, but I'm a genius.
That is to say, I'm really good at coming up with these awesome plans for my life that I rarely ever follow up on. Character flaw? Maybe. Okay, yeah, pretty much, but this plan I REALLY want to follow through on.
Let me start back at the beginning. So I was watching this show on Netflix called "30 Days," and basically every episode, a person from one background/culture/belief system would spend 30 Days immersed in an opposing lifestyle. The four episodes I watched were: a conservative Christian living with a Muslim family in a majority Muslim town, a conservative Christian veteran living with a homosexual in the Castro district in California, a health-nut mom who binge-drank four times a week to get through to her 19-year-old college-partying daughter, and an atheist living with a non-denominational Christian family.
These episodes really had me thinking. A lot. Mostly about how Christianity and today's culture don't mix very well, but also about how Christians don't know how to LOVE their neighbors in truth AND mercy (they're either "loving" them by unmercifully shoving the truth of scripture down their throats or "loving" them by watering down the truth or casting it aside altogether in favor of "tolerance"). So I was like, "Hey, I should create a Bible study centered around all of this and introduce it as a small group at the church I'm currently attending..." But the more I meditated on that, I realized it would be too much of a commitment for me at this point in my life.
BUT here comes the exciting part. I was praying all afternoon and evening for God to show me how He wanted the concept of 30 Days to impact and effect change in my life, and He woke me up at 2:00 AM this morning with the answer!
Thus, #30DayChallenge was created. Physically, my body is a mess. I've gained a ton of weight and developed some pretty unhealthy habits lately, and I keep getting sick and missing work as a result (not cool at all). So something needs to be done about that. Spiritually, I'm incredibly undisciplined. If I could change any area of my personal spiritual walk and my relationship with my husband, it would be that we would pray together more. Also, I've felt for a long time now that God has gifted me with the ability to write and a passion for doing so.
ALL of that to say, each month for the next 8 months, I'm taking on a #30DayChallenge to sharpen one of these areas of my life. I'm pretty excited about all of them. Take a look:
I'm going to try and write one blog post a week to chronicle my progress, but I can't make any promises. lol I'm really excited to see what God shows me through this process, and hopefully I can cultivate some healthy habits that will last me for the rest of my life!
Your prayers and encouragement would be greatly appreciated during these next 8 months, and if God lays a #30DayChallenge on your heart, I encourage you to consider doing it.
So here we go!
That is to say, I'm really good at coming up with these awesome plans for my life that I rarely ever follow up on. Character flaw? Maybe. Okay, yeah, pretty much, but this plan I REALLY want to follow through on.
Let me start back at the beginning. So I was watching this show on Netflix called "30 Days," and basically every episode, a person from one background/culture/belief system would spend 30 Days immersed in an opposing lifestyle. The four episodes I watched were: a conservative Christian living with a Muslim family in a majority Muslim town, a conservative Christian veteran living with a homosexual in the Castro district in California, a health-nut mom who binge-drank four times a week to get through to her 19-year-old college-partying daughter, and an atheist living with a non-denominational Christian family.
These episodes really had me thinking. A lot. Mostly about how Christianity and today's culture don't mix very well, but also about how Christians don't know how to LOVE their neighbors in truth AND mercy (they're either "loving" them by unmercifully shoving the truth of scripture down their throats or "loving" them by watering down the truth or casting it aside altogether in favor of "tolerance"). So I was like, "Hey, I should create a Bible study centered around all of this and introduce it as a small group at the church I'm currently attending..." But the more I meditated on that, I realized it would be too much of a commitment for me at this point in my life.
BUT here comes the exciting part. I was praying all afternoon and evening for God to show me how He wanted the concept of 30 Days to impact and effect change in my life, and He woke me up at 2:00 AM this morning with the answer!
Thus, #30DayChallenge was created. Physically, my body is a mess. I've gained a ton of weight and developed some pretty unhealthy habits lately, and I keep getting sick and missing work as a result (not cool at all). So something needs to be done about that. Spiritually, I'm incredibly undisciplined. If I could change any area of my personal spiritual walk and my relationship with my husband, it would be that we would pray together more. Also, I've felt for a long time now that God has gifted me with the ability to write and a passion for doing so.
ALL of that to say, each month for the next 8 months, I'm taking on a #30DayChallenge to sharpen one of these areas of my life. I'm pretty excited about all of them. Take a look:
- May - #ExerciseChallenge (30 min./5 times a week)
- June - #WeightLossChallenge (Exercise + Healthy Eating)
- July - #DrawingChallenge (1 drawing per day - I'm pretty excited about this one)
- August - #GuitarChallenge (Learns 3 chords & 1 song per week - hopefully Tyler will help me on this one)
- September - #LoveMyHubs (Going above and beyond to show Tyler how much I love & appreciate him)
- October - #DevotionalBlog (Writing a total of 20 devotional blog posts - 5 per week)
- November - #NaNoWriMo (Yep, I'm finally going to participate - and hopefully finish writing "Camp Tandy"!)
- December - #PrayerChallenge (30 min./5 times a week)
I'm going to try and write one blog post a week to chronicle my progress, but I can't make any promises. lol I'm really excited to see what God shows me through this process, and hopefully I can cultivate some healthy habits that will last me for the rest of my life!
Your prayers and encouragement would be greatly appreciated during these next 8 months, and if God lays a #30DayChallenge on your heart, I encourage you to consider doing it.
So here we go!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Laptop Love
Happy Easter everyone!
I hope you all are having a FANTASTIC day celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Church today was amazing - we started off in all black, and by the end of the service, the band came out wearing all white. We did a song at the end of the service called New Creation - I tried to find the YouTube video link, but I can't find it. Sad. Anyway, my friend Brittany and I came out with paintbrushes and got to paint the singer while he was singing the song! It was so cool! There were also two people there playing drums with glitter and water - LEGIT. I can't wait to watch the video once they get it uploaded to the church website. Don't worry, I'll let you know when that happens.
Then, Tyler, his friend Billy and I went to Tyler's parents' house for an Easter cookout complete with hot dogs, hamburgers, deviled eggs, sweet corn on the cob, and homemade banana pudding. Mm mm, good! As we were leaving, Tyler's grandma gave us a LAPTOP to take home with us. I was ECSTATIC. I can't believe how much I've missed having a laptop.
I FINALLY GET TO BLOG AGAIN. LIKE, A LOT (I bet you're happy about that, Hannah!).
And hopefully soon, I can start CONSISTENTLY updating my two books! :) Although, I am kinda over I.T.D.S. right now. But Camp Tandy for sure. It's happening.
Right now, Tyler, Billy and I are chilling in our living room watching some random YouTube videos of people drifting. Fun... I'm trying to decide if I'm hungry again yet, but I will say it is nice to be in some pj's right now!
Anyway, hopefully there will be another post soon. Hannah has inspired me to start posting regularly on my blog, because then people may actually start reading it more. *fingers crossed*
Have a good day!
I hope you all are having a FANTASTIC day celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Church today was amazing - we started off in all black, and by the end of the service, the band came out wearing all white. We did a song at the end of the service called New Creation - I tried to find the YouTube video link, but I can't find it. Sad. Anyway, my friend Brittany and I came out with paintbrushes and got to paint the singer while he was singing the song! It was so cool! There were also two people there playing drums with glitter and water - LEGIT. I can't wait to watch the video once they get it uploaded to the church website. Don't worry, I'll let you know when that happens.
Then, Tyler, his friend Billy and I went to Tyler's parents' house for an Easter cookout complete with hot dogs, hamburgers, deviled eggs, sweet corn on the cob, and homemade banana pudding. Mm mm, good! As we were leaving, Tyler's grandma gave us a LAPTOP to take home with us. I was ECSTATIC. I can't believe how much I've missed having a laptop.
I FINALLY GET TO BLOG AGAIN. LIKE, A LOT (I bet you're happy about that, Hannah!).
And hopefully soon, I can start CONSISTENTLY updating my two books! :) Although, I am kinda over I.T.D.S. right now. But Camp Tandy for sure. It's happening.
Right now, Tyler, Billy and I are chilling in our living room watching some random YouTube videos of people drifting. Fun... I'm trying to decide if I'm hungry again yet, but I will say it is nice to be in some pj's right now!
Anyway, hopefully there will be another post soon. Hannah has inspired me to start posting regularly on my blog, because then people may actually start reading it more. *fingers crossed*
Have a good day!
Friday, August 2, 2013
So Many Blogs :)
I have added 3 new blogs to my collection :)
Two of them are private, because they are stories that I am currently in the process of writing. If you would like an invitation to read either of them, let me know!
The other blog can be found by going here. It's a compilation of my many writing endeavors (mostly right now, it's just journal entries from middle school. Embarrassing for me; entertaining for you).
I'm also wanting to write a blog post soon about "lifting up holy hands." It's a phrase found in 1 Timothy 2:8 that struck me as very interesting. Coming soon!! :)
Two of them are private, because they are stories that I am currently in the process of writing. If you would like an invitation to read either of them, let me know!
The other blog can be found by going here. It's a compilation of my many writing endeavors (mostly right now, it's just journal entries from middle school. Embarrassing for me; entertaining for you).
I'm also wanting to write a blog post soon about "lifting up holy hands." It's a phrase found in 1 Timothy 2:8 that struck me as very interesting. Coming soon!! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)