March Wrap Up & April Goals

Before we get into what I want to accomplish this month let's do a quick recap on my March Goals and what I accomplished last month...

March Goal: Read one book of the Bible every day in March

Outcome: Nope. I read 5 books, which makes it more of a once a week accomplishment than a once a day accomplishment. I'm not being too hard on myself with this one. I've made progress and I'm going to keep it up for the month of April.

March Goal: Read two books.

Outcome: Seriously, what is my problem with this!? Another month has past and I didn't read a single book. I'm too disgusted by this thought to elaborate any further.

March Goal: Journal/Write Creatively 16 days out of the month.

Outcome: I'm giving myself a check mark next to this one! 

As for my 52 in 52 List...I did try a new food (baked brie with apricot jam) and made two new recipes (icing and pad thai). I'm anticipating April being a more successful month because I already have some things 'in progress' but can't actually call them done until next month. 

April has a few unknowns right now. Basically one of two scenarios is going to play out; either everything will continue according to plan OR I'll check a pretty big item off my life goals list...which is the preferred scenario and it will also come with some big changes. So keeping that in mind I'm keeping my April goals pretty simple. I'm going to go ahead and carry all of my March Goals over to April with a few moderations. I am going to keep up with my Bible reading plan and aim to read 10 books this month. On the literature front I'm going to take a different approach. I'm just going to read one book. One. Surely, I can read one book during next next 30 days. As for the writing, I'm not sure I want to put a number of times on that. I discovered last month that It can be hard to count days, somedays I can easily write for a few pages and others the only writing I do is a quick five minutes to answer the question in my Five Year Journal. So I'm going to try and keep track of how many hours I spend journalling and writing. I'm going to aim to spend 30 hours writing and we'll see how it goes. To make my goals a little more rounded and since the weather is warming up I'm going to aim to have at least one day a week with 15,000 steps on my FitBit. 

There may be some changes to this list depending on how the month unfolds, but for now I'm balancing living in the present while being aware of things on the horizon. What are you planning to accomplish in April? 

March Goals

I'm keeping things simple this month, but I'm also being smart. Last month I totally and completely failed at completing the One Little Word prompt. Even saying I failed to complete it is giving myself too much credit, I hardly started. The good news is I'm cutting myself some slack and tweaking it for March. And, since I also didn't get much accomplished on my 52 in 52 list last month I'm going to go ahead and kill two birds with one stone. 

One of the biggest goals on my list is to read the Bible cover over the course of the year. At first I was going to go the chronological route, but I don't think that's the route for me. I'm not going to follow any particular reading plan, I'm just going to read book by book. I whipped up a simple bookmark shaped checklist to keep track of which books I've read that I'll keep in my Bible and then transfer to my OLW album when I'm finished. How does this fit into OLW you may ask? Well, last month the challenge was to choose a practice and do it everyday. And I really struggled to decide what my task was going to be and then when I decided that I was overthinking things and my practice would be to simple interact with my word each day it was February 10th and the month was half over. I could have started then but I chose not to, I don't want to skip the month all together so my March goal is going to be to read one book of the Bible each day in March.

In addition to all the Bible reading I'm also going to read two books this month. And I'm also going to journal/write creatively 16 days out of the month. 

I'm keeping it simple with goals this month. I have a few things on my to do list that I would really like to accomplish but I'm intentionally not making them a priority this month. Verdict is still out about a contract extension, and it's possible there will be overtime each weekend in March so I'm choosing my goals wisely and reminding myself I can do it all....but I can't do it all at once.

What do you have planned for March? Let me know if you're sharing your March goals today as well! 

September Coffee Date

If we met for coffee this week I'd suggest we grab a bagel too because I love bagels and I haven't had one in over a month. I might even suggest we have coffee at home so I can stay in my jogging pants. 

If this is our first coffee date I will listen more than I'll talk until I have a better idea of what kinds of things we should talk about. If this is a reoccurring coffee date then I'll dive right in and let you know that my contract ends this week and I still don't know what's coming next. That I am worried and anxious about the next few months. That I've been putting myself out there, had some hopeful moments but so far nothing has really worked out. If you're interested in talking faith & theology then I would let you know that Habukkuk 1:5 has become a source of comfort lately.

I would ask you how things are going in your life and hope that you'd provide updates on your love life, work life and anything else that's interesting or important. Leaving lots of time for discussion.

Gradually we'd transition from life's 'serious' matters into new T.V. shows we've discovered and Pinterest projects we're dying to try. I'd let you know that I watched the pilot for Girl Meets World when it first premiered and wasn't blown away, but I went back and watched all the episodes and it's grown on me. I fell into the hype and watched How To Get Away With Murder, it wasn't phenomenal but I'm interested enough to keep watching. This would lead to an in-depth analysis of Grey's Anatomy and how that show is going to end.

We would wrap things up when the pot was emptied, our faces are sore from smiling and our souls feel  refreshed. And agree that this is something we need to do more often.

Linking up with Brave Love for the last day of Blog-Tember.

Coffee & Prayers

{one} 

I'm in the market for a new Bible. My current "all-purpose" Bible was given to me at the beginning of an LIT program I completed at camp when I was 16. It's very much highlighted and bookmarked and noted and has seen better days. I'm sure I'll save it forever but I feel like I'm in a phase of life where I need to start fresh. If you have any suggestions for a translation or specific Bible I should get I am all ears! I have been using God's Word translation but I'm open to change. I already have a copy of The Message that I read on occasion but would prefer something else for daily use.

{two} 

I posted yesterday on Instagram about my deep love for Salted Caramel Mocahs from Starbucks and I'm going to post about it again here. I know everyone goes head over heels for Pumpkin Spice this time of year but the PS Bandwagon is not one I'm interested in joining. I so rarely go to Starbucks but I had an appointment yesterday and picked some up on my way home. It's been a long week and I'm starting to feel the stress of not knowing what's around the corner. 

{three}

Somewhere along the way between April & Now I lost my planner. It wasn't so bad during the summer because the days schedule was always posted on the door and when I had errands to do during break I made a to-do list and got things done. Now that I'm back in the Monday-Friday real world I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing each day. I was trying to plan blog posts last night and realized I had nowhere to write them down. I'm way too cheap to buy a fancy Erin Condren planner or any of those other brand name books that cost an arm and a leg. So fingers crossed I can find something cute & cheap the next time I'm at Wal-Mart. 

{four}

I'm doing an Online Bible Study with Love God Greatly on Esther which prior to this month isn't a book of the Bible I've read a whole lot. I do feel like it's perfect timing though so much of the lessons we've covered so far is about trusting that God has you where you need to be. It might not be where you want to be but there is a reason why. I struggle so much with journalling and really making a specific time to pray and reflect during the camp season it's one of the biggest challenges I've found working at a secular camp. It's been lovely to get back into a routine of journalling every day and having time to really reflect opposed to a quick prayer before bed. 

{five}

One of the best things about working from home is waking up at 8:30, putting on a pair of jogging pants and checking my e-mail on the couch while I drink my coffee. My brother broke my favourite coffee mug earlier this week and now I can't seem to find another one that holds just the right amount of coffee. There are a million coffee mugs in the cupboard though so I refuse to buy a new one, but it just isn't the same. Please tell me I'm not the only one with an unhealthy emotional attachment to which mug I drink my coffee out of in the morning.

     

What Happens Next

If I could go back and start at the beginning all over again I'd do a few things different. 

I would have done a better job communicating and spent more time writing and communicating with myself so I could express my thoughts and feelings to others. 

I would have focused on the big picture and reminded myself that 10 years from now I won't remember the minor details that I found so annoying in the moment.

I would have drank more water and less coffee.

The thing is my contract is ending this month and I may not get the change to do things over again. I wrote about my loyalty to my current camp last year and I still feel a lot of the same feelings I did back then. The difference is I realize that I can't stay with a place/at a job forever where there's no opportunity for it to become full-time. I'm not really sure where that leaves me though.

Once again I find myself staring into the future and only seeing a giant question mark. And I'm trying really hard not to let that giant question mark make me overly anxious. 

Instead I'm focusing on making the last couple of weeks in this job good ones and trusting that something great is just around the corner. I should know by now that things happen when they're supposed to happen and it's often at the last minute. 

"I will put my rainbow in the clouds to be a sign of my promise to the earth."

- Genesis 9:13

Elusive Pause

Pinterest

I have always been a supporter of the theory "slow & steady wins the race" and that "good things come to those who wait". Over the years I'v had many friends voice their strong opposing theories; good things come to people who work for them and the quicker the better, all that jazz. On some level I understand…unless you give me the chance to elaborate you may assume I'm someone who sits around all day and just hopes for the best. 

The truth is my "good things come to those who wait" philosophy is more about having faith in God's timing and believing that even when it doesn't seem that way He is in control and He has only my best interests in mind. 

And sometimes He says "no". 

And sometimes you think He is saying "No.", followed by "Absolutely Not.", followed by "seriously, I said no. Stop. Move on." So you take the hint (sort of) and slowly start to move on but the question never really leaves your mind. 

And sure enough, slowly but all at once just when you had stopped asking everyday (and only asked on special occasions) you start to realize what He has really telling you is "Not Right Now.", "Not Yet.", "Now is not the the time." and in that moment you hear "Not quite yet…but someday".

There is no doubt that 'someday' is several calendar years away. 

Things will unfold slowly and steadily. One step at a time.

Be patient, therefore, brothers & sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8 

I fully realize this post is pretty vague and such but for now that's the way it needs to be. The specific details are few and far between and right now they are the tiniest of threads being woven together. It's a beginning though, the strongest ropes start with a single thread. And I am overwhelmed with hope and faith that even if these threads aren't going to produce the final pattern that I'm hoping for whatever the end result is will be nothing short of amazing.

God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever ask for or imagine. - Ephesians 3:20

Snow Storms & Bravery

{one}

In my efforts to Be Brave in 2014 I took another step in the blogging world yesterday and made a Twitter Account! I decided to make a new account that is more anonymous, I'm just not ready for the "real world" to know about my blogging. I might be someday, but today isn't the day. So if you're into the Twitter scene and are just dying to read my Tweets about how cold it is around here these days and whatever else strikes my fancy, follow along!

{two}

My anxiety has been way out of control the past few days. The grant situation still hasn't come to a conclusion but it needs too. The reality of the situation that is as much as I want to return to that camp and appreciate the effort that has been done to complete the application process, I can't wait any longer. This was a job that was supposed to start on October 28th. It's January 3rd and I'm still unemployed sitting on my parents couch.

{three}

I know it's only Day 3 of the 2014 but so far I've journaled everyday, read my Bible and am on my third book that I'm reading for pleasure! It's all about keeping momentum and making everything into a habit! It seems like the popular opinion is reading the Bible and reflecting should be done first thing in the morning but I've never been able to get into that habit. I prefer to end my day with Bible, blank paper and a handful of markers and felt tip pens. Maybe someday I'll join the ranks of sunrise Bible readers but it probably won't be this year. 

{four}

To my lovely blog readers who reside in the South (or anywhere where the temperature is above 0) enjoy your ability to venture outside without 10000 layers. It's cold here. Really cold. And it just won't stop snowing. 

{five}

If you follow me on Instagram you've already seen this photo but I had to blog about too, because it's ridiculous. I cleaned out my sock drawer after Christmas and was left with this. There are FOUR purple/black socks and none of them match. Same goes for the two pink/black, blue/black, and the three beige coloured ones with three different coloured heels/toes. So frustrating. I haven't thrown them out yet because I'm trying to convince myself that I can make "pairs" out of them,  but my OCD just won't have it. Back in jr. high I refused to wear matching socks and now I can't even wear two socks that are nearly identical but not. A phycologist would probably have a lot to say about that. 

I'm linking up with the lovely ladies for Five on Friday!