#goals

In the words of Mulan, "let's get down to business". 

October Goals:

1. Finish Project Life album for camp. 

In a quest to practice better self-care this year at camp I took more photos during sessions and then between session breaks printed photos and made spreads. It worked really well and it's something I'll almost certainly do again in the future. Inevitably, about half way through the summer I fell behind because I was spending breaks doing things. At this point I have about two weeks left of camp to finish and mostly it's adding journalling and embellishments. 

2. Get caught up with 'everyday' Project Life Album (April - September)

I knew this was going to be a problem when I first came up with the plan to do a separate camp album. In January I started my Project Life album using the monthly format but then did more of a weekly format during the summer in my camp album and didn't do anything in the album I started in January. I sort of have a game plan in mind using leftover photos from each week (I almost always printed too many) adding in a few extras and calling it a day. 

3. Organize & De-Stash Project Life/Scrapbooking/Planner supplies.

I am 100% on the Project Life bandwagon and can't imagine going back to 'traditional' scrapbooking. That means I have a lot of 12x12 papers that are just sitting around. Thanks to PLers on YouTube I got the idea to cut down some of those 12x12 papers into PL pocket sizes. I'll keep some large sheets because they come in handy for other crafty endeavours but for the most part I have no need for those big papers. Since I've enjoyed the Project Life bandwagon so much I've decided that in 2017 I'm also going to jump on the Happy Planner bandwagon! So I'd like to sort through all of my stuff and separate it into Project Life, Planner and General Crafting categories. This might be a bit of a lofty goal but we'll see what happens. 

4. Finish 2 books.

I am 75% through one I started in July about the FLDS but then put it down in favour of something a little lighter. I need to finish that one plus another one that I started and didn't finish because I got distracted re-watching How I Met Your Mother. 

5. Map out NaNoWriMo.

..2016 is the year, friends.

6. Take photos during Thanksgiving, Spark Camp & Friendsgiving.

I have lots of fun stuff planned for October this upcoming weekend is Thanksgiving and then I have a plan free weekend followed by a weekend of Spark Camp and then hopefully the next weekend a Friendsgiving weekend with H. & R.. And circling back to the getting caught up with Project Life I've learned it's much easier to stay caught up when you have photos to use! 

7. Publish Blog Posts!

I searched high and low for a 'Blogtober' link up of some sort since I missed out on Bailey Jean's Blogtember but I didn't find anything so I'm just going to make things happen on my own. It's highly unlikely (and impossible at this point) that I'll blog everyday in October but the plan is to make more of an effort and at least press the publish button a few times a week. 

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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? 

Ten On Tuesday - Posts I Haven't Published

There was a time when I never had more than six half written blog posts sitting in my drafts. I currently have 39 posts waiting to be finished or edited so in the spirit of Karli's Ten on Tuesday link up I present to you the title of ten of those posts along with a brief synopsis of what I was planning on writing about.

Ten Things On My Mind

I identify as being a multi-tasker which means I generally have at least ten thoughts bouncing around in my head. This was originally going to be my post for today, and then most of my thoughts were related to trying to be be patient and weren't necessarily an accurate representation of my usual sate of mind.

Bloom Where You're Planted

I first came across this phrase a few years ago. I think it was on a Mormon blog about preparing for their Young Women's Program, but I can't really remember. I'm not Mormon but the concept stuck with me. Last year I found a sticker with that phrase and stuck it to my clipboard in plain sight and this time of year when flowers are starting to push through the soil I think about it even more. 

Experts & Extremists

I'm not sure how it happened or why it happened but it seems like everyone and their dog needs to be an expert on something these days. And if they're not declaring themselves an expert on the topic they seem to be an extremist on the matter. I have a pretty strong belief and value system but that doesn't mean I think my way is the only way. This ever growing society of experts and extremists has made the world a little more hostile to each other, which is not what we need. 

Plans & Progress

One Year Plans, Two Year Plans, Ten Year Plans...I've got them all. And some of them I've made progress on and others I've changed my mind about how I want life to look. 

It's Alright To Be Itty Bitty

Small is an adjective I use to describe almost everything in my life. Small town, small statute, small voice...and in a society where bigger is better sometimes being small is hard, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Day in the Life

This is self-explanatory. I love reading other blogger's Day in the Life posts and I always mean to write my own but in the four years I've been blogging I think I've only ever finished one. I'd like to make this more of a priority and complete one every six months or so. 

Prayer Journalling

Blogging is great but it's not the same as putting pen to paper. I always have a regular notebook journal to write out my thoughts but I also always have a sketch book. I use my sketchbook to doodle, write quotes and verses and prayer requests. 

Things I've Never Done (And Probably Never Will)

There are some things that the vast majority of the population does on a regular basis that I have no interest in doing and have never done before. One of those things include getting a mani/pedi which I think might get be kicked out of blogland.

Confessions

I always have a Confession post in my drafts. I usually add to it as things happen and when I feel like I have enough content for a post I link up with Kathy's Humpday Confessions.

Weird Questions People Have Asked About My Job

I had a running list of weird things people have asked me about my job working in the camp industry. And then a few weeks ago some well meaning person asked if I had ever applied to work at the bank. After that doozy I was a little lost for words.

What posts do you have sitting unfinished in your draft folder?

10 on Tuesday - Things You Might Not Know

Today I'm linking up with Karli for her inaugural Ten on Tuesday link up! I can't pass up the opportunity to make a list so I'm sure this will become a staple in my blog posting routine. Since it's the first week I'm starting off with....

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. I didn't start drinking coffee until I was 22 before then I loved the smell but didn't like the taste. Then I had a particularly challenging summer at camp and coffee seemed like a good option. Now it's one of my favourite daily rituals and the occasional trip to Starbucks makes my heart very happy. 
2. I could eat pizza for days on end without getting tired of eating the same thing. There are so many options for toppings and crust it would be like eating a different meal every time even if it's all technically the same. 
3. Budgeting is not something I struggle with. When I see people posting about all the things they spent money on in any given month I'm constantly in awe of how much money people spend on stuff and eating out or how much credit card debt they have (I didn't get one of those until I was 25). I'm incredibly thankful my parents made teaching me good money sense a priority. That's not to say I don't eat out occasionally or spend $20 on stuff I don't need at Michael's every now and again but in the big picture I know my stuff.
4. My knowledge of football basically ends at being able to identify the correct ball. I never attended a school with a football team and it's only been in the past 2-3 years that there's even been a football field within our municipality. I think the culture around football (especially college football) is fascinating but it's not something I've ever taken a keen interest in learning more about. 
5. If you asked my mother or grandmother or a selection of close friends what my worst habit is they would immediately reply with "nail biting". I've tried every trick in the book to stop, including putting gel nails on, but nothing has worked. At this point in my life I've kind of embraced it. 
6. I used to write all the time. I was never without a notebook and a pen and would spend hours writing every day. In high school I had writing published in a national literary review and writing was generally considered something I was good at doing. I more or less stopped in university because I didn't have time and although I've tried to make writing more of a daily habit in my life it's something I struggle to make time for on a regular basis.
7. I am a 'verbal learner' I learn best by reading something, taking notes while someone else talks and re-reading things. Physical learners are my nemesis...I hate being in a class that involves a lot of up and down and movement games, it totally distracts me from what I'm trying to learn. 
8. I strongly identify as being a cat person. I think puppies are cute and some dogs are lovely but I don't trust strange dogs and the responsibility of being a dog owner is so unappealing to me. 
9. I took painting lessons for years and years...it has now been years and years since I picked up a paint brush and to be honest I don't really miss it. 
10. I was in French Immersion in school and once I graduated high school never took another French class. Last week I downloaded an app that's supposed to help you learn a second language and I've been practicing my French for 15-20 minutes a day. I'm surprised with how much I retained when it comes to reading and writing. 

Now that you've learned some new things head over to September Farm and share your Tuesday list! 

Many Monday Things

I had good intentions of sharing five on Friday but I had a terrible nights sleep on Thursday and then Friday just kind of got away from me. I worked all weekend so nothing to report there, so we'll back track to Friday and share a bunch of things I meant to share then.

{one}

Happy Leap Day! As Leap Day William would say "real life is for March". 

I miss 30 Rock. 

{two}

I requested my first cheque from Checkout 51, I've been using the app on and off for over two years. I'm trying to get better about using the stuff I have because it would take a year of rain for me to use up all the things I've been 'saving for a rainy day'. So I went ahead and cashed out and am planning on doing it more frequently from here on out. I love collecting points but then I feel guilty about spending them...it's weird. One of these days I'm going to go on quite the Shopper's Drug Mart shopping spree. 

{three}

After taking a few weeks off I participated in Susannah's Solidarity Sisters group this month. I was paired with Shannon from Sincerely Shannon and really enjoyed getting to know her. The month kind of got away from us but I hope we are able to stay in touch and maybe collaborate on something in March.

{four}

March Madness. It's happening, not in the traditional college basketball sense (I mean, I know that's happening too but that's not the one I'll be involved with.) My March Madness involves (maybe) my last month of the office job before camp starts (or it could extend into May Madness we'll see how that plays out). Plus, getting back to work on my 52 in 52 list stay tuned for more details on that tomorrow. 

{five}

I'm searching for a new notebook and I would really like to find one with a hardcover, spiral bound and it would be great if the pages were grid/graph paper. Does anyone know if such a thing exists? It also needs to exist in Canada because there's no way I'm spending $100 on a notebook which is inevitably what it would cost to order from the states, factor in the exchange rates and pay for shipping. 

{six}

The internet is full of Oscar references today and I don't understand any of them. I didn't see a single Oscar nominated movie and I am completely indifferent as to who wore an expensive outfit and took home a little gold man. It's just as well though because it means I will spend less time perusing Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and more time catching up on all the blog posts I missed last week. 

{seven}

My office job is pretty mundane and I don't interact with clients/customers so I listen to a lot of podcasts as I work. I still love my favourites The Vinyl Cafe and Grown Ups Read Stuff They Wrote As Kids but I've also been branching out and have discovered a few more that are now a must listen. Camp Code fulfils my love of talking about camp while I listen I scribble down ideas or make note of something I want to think about more. Night Time is kind of a fun mystery podcast that shares stories about local mysteries, I originally started listening just for the Oak Island episode but liked it so much I went back and downloaded the other episodes. My most favourite new discovery is Brining Up Betty. It's a podcast targeting towards special needs parents but it is so informative and fun and real. I would love to hear some more podcast recommendations. I like ones that are educational and family friendly (that's my subtle way of saying I don't like listening to people discuss their wild partying adventures). 

Tomorrow I'm getting back on the mostly goal setting wagon! 

Goal Time

I wanted to read five books but I only read three books this month. One of them took me two weeks to read which obviously impacted my ability to read more books.

I planned to send snail mail packages and that was a success. I sent little Halloween themed packages to N. & R. and a combination birthday/Halloween package to H.

I thought I would be ambitious and plan every Spark meeting until December. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and making notes and calendars but didn't write out any actual meeting plans. I'm not super worried about it though, even if I didn't write out every meeting plan I do have a bunch of ideas and themes for meetings it's just a matter of putting things together. 

I wanted to go on two actual dates (not sitting in front of the TV watching home reno shows and hockey games). I'm pretty sure J. and I went on two actual dates this month...I'm calling it a win.

I aimed to publish 15 blog posts in October. Honestly, I forgot that was even a goal this month. I did it though, although it was entirely unintentional.

I thought it would be a good idea to write using pen & paper everyday in October. I did a quick count and wrote in my designated journal notebook 17 times in October. Not bad, but could be better. 

Let's move on to November...

It is November 5th, I have decided I will not be NaNoWriMo-ing so that means I need to come up with some things I'd actually like to accomplish this  month. 

I'm still on the library's waiting list for the The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up but I'm going to go ahead and make a decluttering goal anyway. Since there are 31 days in November my goal is going to be to donate/repurpose/trash 31 things this month. 

I am not ready to blast Christmas carols or deck the halls anytime soon but any Christmas gifts that I'm planning on ordering online need to be ordered this month. I know for sure I have to put together a calendar for my grandparents and probably order a couple of things for J..

Even though I'm not doing NaNoWriMo I'm going to revisit the pen & paper writing goal everyday this month is a little lofty but I can write 20 times this month. 

It's been awhile since I've made a conscious effort to try any of my pins. This month I'll try three pins, ideally a recipe, a craft and a DIY/Organization/Life Hack thing. 

Read 3 books. I haven't read a single word that wasn't written on a blog or BuzzFeed post yet this month so I'm being realistic. 

I'm not feeling particularly motivated this month so I'm stopping at five. There's a few other things I'd like to accomplish this month but I don't necessarily classify them as goals. 

Linking up with My So-Called Chaos  for the monthly goal link up! 

To NaNoWriMo or Not to NaNoWriMo

Every year around the end of October the Blogworld and my Facebook fills up with posts about people getting themselves motived and excited to tackle National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept you can visit the official website here. Basically it's an online community of people around the world who set out to write a novel (50,000 words) during the month of November.

I first heard about NaNoWriMo way back in high school when my life revolved around theatre, I took acting classes for a couple years but what I really loved was playwriting class and poetry club. I know what you're thinking... And yes, I was indeed kind of geeky and lame in high school and I remain kind of geeky and lame in my young adult life. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Anyway we talked about the challenge every year and I remember some of the older (aka young adults/university aged folks) people participating. I never attempted it back then because of course I was busy writing papers about dystopian societies, child labour and trying to memorize French verbs. I figured it was something I'd have time for in university. HA.

During university I was busy writing papers about deviant leisure, risk management strategies and memorizing a plethora of anatomy and physiology terms. I assumed I'd have time for NaNoWriMo when I was "grown up". Hahaha.

Since I finished university I've worked at wide variety of contract/seasonal/term jobs and can probably count on one hand the number of times I've picked up a pen to do any creative writing. High school me would be so sad/shocked to hear this tidbit of information but it's the truth. I've just been busy with other things and haven't made time. That brings me to present day, I've found myself in another "in between contracts" season of life which seems to have lined up perfectly with NaNoWriMo 2015. Which leads me to the question at hand; to NaNoWriMo or Not to NaNoWriMo?

On the one hand I've had NaNoWriMo on my bucket list since before I really knew what a bucket list was. I do love writing and in theory I do have time to commit to it and I really do love writing! Between the ages of 9-17 I told people I was going to be a writer when I grew up, I was going to study journalism in university and spend my days writing. Then I found out I could (in theory) work at camp for the rest of my life and I determined that would be a more stable job (I'm legitimately laughing out loud right now) and moved on from my author aspirations. So winning NaNoWriMo would feel like a big accomplishment and I could check something off a list.

On the other hand...words, writing, imagination, AH! Where do I start? Whats the main character's name? And their favourite colour? And where do I start!?

Clearly, both solid arguments.

Today is November 2nd, which means I'm already behind a day (or two?) but I still haven't made a decision. Are you setting out to write a novel this November? 

Weekly Favourites

It's Friday! Time to celebrate some of my favourite things from this past week!

Starbucks Lime Refreshers I've only had the instant make at home version of these because the nearest Starbucks is 6 hours away but even out of a box these things are delicious. I've been scouring Pinterest for an easy (and cheaper) copycat recipe. Until I find that recipe I'll continue to splurge on a box of these things every once and a while. 

Girl Guides. I had to take the last two years off from doing Girl Guides because of work but this year I'm hoping to get involved with a unit again. I love that Girl Guides is a Girl's Only group that has a great balance of outdoor activities, STEM activities and still leaves room for more girly activities. It's the best combination of so many of the things I love. 

The East Coast. I love my little corner of the universe. At one point this week I found myself sitting at the beach eating a donut and I was overcome with both the sterotypicalness of the moment but also the awesomeness. The truth is I forget sometimes that not everyone grows up surrounded by water. I love that everywhere is a small town by most people's standards and there really isn't any other place I'd rather live.

Papermate Flair Felt Tip Pens. I love these pens. I bought myself a fresh package of them yesterday after the summer. Mine are either all dried up or gone forever after being borrowed and never returned by counsellors. I'm excited to use them to write out some Pinterest recipes and make them a more permanent part of my recipe repertoire.

Leisurely Grocery Shopping. Sometimes I can feel my blood pressure drop and my whole body relax as I leisurely stroll through the aisles of the grocery store. I love checking out new products or finding not-so new products. Yesterday I discovered one of my favourite coffee shops from university has started making pods for Keurigs. I am super excited to try these out and see how they taste!

My ultimate favourite thing is who incredibly blessed I am to have some amazing friends. It's always a struggle that they all live so far away, especially this time of year when I'm re-adjusting to life without them. The better way to look at it though is how fortunate I am to have those girls in my life. Even if they're spread out all across the country. They're only a text or call away!

Linking up here and here.

It's A Fine, Fine Life {3}

This week's edition of It's A Fine, Fine Life is brought to you by the letters A-Z.

Words.

Most of us have favourite words. 

Symmetry. Laundry. Grace. Butter. Rain. Summer. Prayer. Nap. Camp. Lime. A few of my personal favourites. 

I'm thankful for words that allow us to express our thoughts and opinions. Our dislikes and our desires. To share our feelings with others and to give encouragement when needed. As someone who is perpetually finding myself far away from my best friends, from family and in a short time from my boyfriend I rely on words a little more than your average person. 

The words I type in text messages, iMessages, e-mails and blog posts. The words I speak over FaceTime and telephone conversations. The words I write on scraps of paper, the margins of my Bible and the crisp pages of my journal. Some are chosen more carefully and some are hastily scribbled because it was the first thing that came to mind. I'm thankful for them all though and each one serves a purpose.

Next week during staff training words will be a central topic in many of our sessions. With our head counsellors we'll talk about choosing words how to teach new counsellors and correct them by using their words and not belittling them. With all the counsellors we'll discuss how to re-direct homesick campers using words that ensures they know their fears are heard and legitimate while not dwelling on those moments of homesickness. We'll talk about using respectful language including a lot of information on the 'r' word. Words are powerful.

So today, I'm taking a minute to celebrate all the words that surround us in this fine life. 

April Goals

My goals for April are very short and simple. For the first time in my life I have some legitimate time away from work that won't be spent job hunting. I'm going on a vacation and at no point will I be expected to babysit kids. April is all about enjoying this pause in life before camp season starts and things get crazy. 

J. will be doing some golfing on our trip during which time I will happily sit beside the pool and read. I have three books (you can see them here) chosen for vacation reading and I'm sure that I can find time to read another over the course of the month. 

After months of neglecting my camera a couple of weekends ago I was reminded how much I enjoy photography. Documenting life through photos is going to be a high priority this month. Obviously there will be lots of vacation photos but I also want to spend time documenting the every day stuff. 

Doodling, journalling, scribbling, typing. There are a lot of words in my head and I want them to be on paper. So I'm going to keep carving out time to make that happen. Last month my goal was to "put pen to paper for 10 minutes each day". I didn't do it every day, but every day I did do it I spent much more than 10 minutes letting my creativity and thoughts flow. Which to me is a clear indicator that it really is something I enjoy. Once I start I don't want to stop it's the act of getting started that is the hardest. So I'm going to keep being intentional and eventually it will become a daily habit again. 

I don't think I've done any major changes to the "About Me" section on my blog since I started blogging three years ago. It is begging to be spruced up and updated. This goal may not get accomplished until April 30, but it's something I will do this month.

Camp is just around the corner, there are a million things I could be doing to prepare...the reality is my contract doesn't start until May 17, which means I'm not getting paid until May 17. I refuse to let myself be consumed by the pre-camp to do list and let myself get burnt out before I'm even on camp property. There are a few camp related projects I will probably work on, but they're things I enjoy. Making welcome bags for the staff, decorating 'warm fuzzy' envelopes, nothing that is going to cause me any sort of stress. And if they don't get done, they don't get done. I will not feel guilty about it. I may have to keep reminding myself not to feel guilty about taking some real time off from work, but that's okay. 

What are your April goals? I hope spring is happening where you are...we're currently getting 15 cm of snow...that's a post for another day. 

March Goals Revisited

I have no idea where March went. For a month with 31 days, multiple snow storms and working a lot of weekend over time it flew by! Which means it's time to revisit my March Goals and see how I fared. (Spoiler Alert: Not well)

Stars = In progress

Squiggly Line = Accomplished

Blank = Nope.

10 minutes of pen & paper... I didn't do this every day, but I definitely got out my sketch book, notebook, pens & paper more often than I have been. I think on average I intentionally put pen to paper 2-3 times a week. The good news is every time I did it was much longer than 10 minutes. Still something I'm going to work on because I would like to make this a daily habit.

Do yoga once a week... The closest I got to this was stretching first thing in the morning when I got out of bed. Far from formal yoga. 

Read 2 books... I'm a little ashamed to say I didn't even pick up a book this month. I have three that I'm saving for my trip but I also have a stack hanging out on my to read table. This goal is going to get taken a lot more seriously once my work contract is over. 

Start trip preparations... This is a clear win! I got travel assurance, approved for a credit card so that I won't have to carry a ton of cash and picked up a few things like sunglasses, a new bathing suit and a comfy but cute plane outfit!

Get enough sleep... Nope. I did not get enough sleep. 

Eliminate 2 bags of clutter...  I totally emptied my closet last weekend and forced myself to try everything on and the only things that went back into my closet are clothes that I liked, fit me well and I could see myself wearing at some sort of event. It was so helpful! I didn't follow the "Toss it if you haven't worn it in 3 months" rule because I have some dresses in my closet that I haven't worn in over a year, but they still fit and would be appropriate to wear to a wedding or something like that so I kept them. The dress that was really a size too big got tossed even though I wore it last month. I did the same thing with all of my dressers and decluttered a lot of clothing. Next up is to go through my desk and scrapbooking supplies. Anything that I'm not using and can't see myself using will get taken to camp for the office or arts & crafts room. 

Update planner daily... Again, I didn't do this every day. I also didn't just do it on Sundays either. It was more of a twice weekly thing. I definitely want to keep improving on this. 

Follow meal plans... An improvement over constantly scrambling to grab things to eat at work while I'm on the way out the door. Still not as diligent and organized as I want, but most days I knew what I was taking with me and had everything packed first thing in the morning. 

Overall I made progress, which I think is really important with goals. It's hard for me as a perfectionist not to accomplish everything exactly as I envisioned it but the reality is it takes time to get into new habits and modify goals so that they fit my lifestyle. Check back tomorrow when I share my April Goals! 

Five Friday Favourites

{one}

I've never watched a single second of any show that beings with the words "Real Housewives". And I've also never watched more than 5 minutes of any given Bachelor/Bachelorette season. I love reality TV but that particular brand of reality TV just doesn't interest me.

Except that I started watching Hockey Wives and those ladies are a combination of hot messes, entitled brats and really down to earth moms who are trying their best to raise their kids admit a lot of job uncertainty and constant moving. It's got me hooked and I'm not saying is high quality educational TV, but I think it's worth a watch. 

{two}
Tuesday I was a mess. I was not having a good day and was feeling totally overwhelmed. The city decided somewhat last minute that they were closing the streets for parking so they could do snow clearing, which meant that in the middle of work I had to scramble to find a parking spot, which makes me feel ridiculous anxious and stressed. The last thing I needed that day was to get my car towed. In the end J. saved the day and moved my car to a safe location. He also earned some major boyfriend points when I went out to my car after work I discovered he left a slice of pizza on the seat of my car. I'm not promoting eating ones feelings, but sometimes a girl just needs a slice of pizza after a long day. Definitely a favourite moment of the week.

{three}
Yesterday, it rained. I'm talking full on water droplets falling from the sky making puddles rain. This made me happy for two reasons the most obvious just being that I love rainy days. The second is that rain means the temperature was above 0 for the first time in months. It was warm enough for water to fall from the sky without freezing! Rumour has it we might see +5 degrees this weekend! Which at this point is tropical. Spring might actually be on it's way!

{four}

Watermelon Lemonade candles from Bath & Body works make me feel like summer is a little closer. Around here we don't have much of a spring, odds are good there will still be snow on the ground in May. It's way too early to open all the windows and enjoy a spring breeze so I'm settling for lighting this candle and imaging summer. 

{five}

Writing. One of my March Goals was to write more often, flexing my creative muscle if you will. I've discovered it's about finding opportunities to be creative. Doodling and embellishing my to do lists, or when I'm on the phone. I've also had the chance to really sit down and write and I'm still not exactly where I want to be but it's a goal I'm going to continue working on because writing is my favourite!

                             

                                  

March Goals 2015

I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions. Or January goals. Or February goals. It's a trend I'm breaking for March. Time to be intentional about getting some things done and making myself make time for things I've been letting slide. 

Here's what I'm doing in March.

10 minutes of pen & paper... It doesn't matter if I journal about my day, write a poem, doodle hearts & stars, re-write the same word over and over and over again. I need to physically engage in being creative without technology. I love blogging, photography and all of that stuff but there is something extra healing about old fashion pen and paper. And I'm going to make it happen for at least 10 minutes each day.

Do yoga once a week... I'm not going to set myself up to fail and say I'm going to do this every day. I know I can throw on a yoga video at least once a week this month and give my muscles a good stretch.

Read 2 books... This is self-explanatory. By the end of the month I want to have two books started and completed.

Start trip preparations... Flights are all booked and accommodations are secured. All that's left is the fun part! Deciding what attractions to visit (and not visit). I get to make a packing list! Shop for a few warm weather necessities, get a hair cut...lots of fun preparations!

Get enough sleep... I've been working non stop. It's a make hay while the sun shines situation because once my contract ends in April I won't have the option of working over time, at the same time there's only so many hours in a day. Some of those hours need to be for sleep. I haven't been doing a great job of that lately but it's something that's going to change.

Eliminate 2 bags of clutter... I have a lot of "stuff". Clothes, hairbands, knickknacks, coffee mugs, shoes...and you know what, I don't need it (or in some cases use it), so I'm getting rid of some things. Our church has a flea market in the summer but I won't be around then so now is a good time to round up some donations. And make my drawers/closet a little easier to close.

Update planner daily... I always spend Sunday night updating my planner for the week, but I'm not great at adding to it during the week. I'll look at it but I don't necessarily update it, instead I'll wait until Sunday. Which is silly and I have no idea how I developed such a habit. Starting this month though it's going to be a part of daily life.

Follow meal plans...To be clear, I'm not embarking on any sort of Whole30, vegan, gluten-free, no salt, only eat foods that start with M diet plan. That's not the way I believe in eating. I do eat better when I plan out my meals in terms of knowing what I'm going to take to eat at work each day and prepare things in advance.

What are your goals for March?  I'm joining the #friendswithgoals link up to share my goals this months and see what other belongings are aiming to accomplish!

Three Three Three

Today is my third blogging anniversary! It's not necessarily a huge milestone, but it is another year of documenting my life and sharing it with random strangers on the internet. I'm not into giveaways or ad space or any of the traditional ways bloggers celebrate these days. So I decided to just do a quick post and share some of my most favourite and most popular posts over the last three years.

My Most Read Posts:

#onebigtruth

Brave

5 Years

I Have Called You By Name

And if you're visiting from the first time (perhaps from the Blogging Elite!) here are a few posts I've written that you can read to get to know me better.

Happiness

I'm The Kind of Girl Who...

I'm A Paradox

That's all I've got for today. I need to do some Pinterest recipe research for something to make for a work potluck later on this week. Suggestions welcome, I'm thinking some type of chicken or meatballs? Something quick and easy to transport but also delicious. 

Happy Tuesday folks! 

Just One

I'm indecisive so asking me to choose just one thing I can't live without is hard. The process of deciding what my answer is looked a little something like this: 

Chicken Nuggets
Pop
Tie-Dye
Pen & Paper
Technology (iPhone/Laptop etc.)
Shoes
Faith (I'm not sure this is really a 'thing')
Spicy Chipotle Dipping Sauce
Internet
Books
Jogging Pants
Coffee

I wasn't getting anywhere with that method so I rephrased the question and asked myself what one thing I would want on a desert island. And I came to the conclusion that I would really struggle living without a notebook & a writing utensil. 

Words are my favourite. And when words fail me I can sit in silence for hours doodling shapes and lines and processing what's going on in my life. I could get by without delicious foods and although I wouldn't be happy about it I could go on with out the internet. But if I suddenly lost the ability to put pen to paper and just write I'd struggle. Give me a pencil case full of colourful felt tip pens and a blank notebook and I can be content for hours on end. 

40 Days of Life

I was going to post about my weekend at home but then I realized I need to recap and reflect on Lent! I loved the idea of doing a Lenten Journal but I missed the boat on ordering one online and I couldn't find exactly what I wanted in stores. So I got out my markers and felt tip pens and got crafting! 

First I found a weekly template that was meant to be used for to-do lists on Pinterest. I used this one and you can find the free PDF download here. I did some quick math and printed out enough sheets for the entire season of Lent plus extra to keep going. Then I hole punched the whole works and put them into a duo-tang. 

My goal was to take 10-15 minutes each day and fill in the circle for the day. I didn't give myself any rules about what could and could not fill a circle. Some days it was full of random doodles, others a verse, sometimes a single word and sometimes a combination of everything. I used the "Notes" section of the page to add in any extra prayer requests for that week or praises as the week went on. 

I'll be honest and admit there were nights I missed, but I made a point to catch up the next day. I never let myself get more than two days behind and for the most part I stayed on top of things. Overall it was a positive and productive experience. So much so that I am going to continue with it, it really doesn't take that much time and I really like having that quick snapshot of each day. 

Honestly it's hard for me to believe that 40 days are over. It's one of those things that seemed so long at the beginning but in retrospect went by fast. It has become part of my routine though and I am so happy that I was able to fully establish a meaningful and positive new habit during Lent!

Seven Days, Five Goals

I stumbled upon this link up this morning while reading through my Bloglovin' Feed and knew I had to participate. I used to be really good about writing monthly goals but I'm totally out of the habit. And honestly right now it's hard to make monthly goals when my work schedule is all over the place and the weather is beyond unpredictable. Plus, with weekly goals there's a lot less time to make excuses and procrastinate.

Here's what I'm going to accomplish this week:

1. Half hour of yoga 3x this week.
2. Blog 4 times this week
3. Register for Camp NaNoWriMo
4. Read for 30 minutes every day.
5. Cross off at least one item off on "Long Term To-Do List" at work

They all sound like pretty simple tasks but I know if I don't make myself accountable for getting them all done this week it won't happen. I might read a few chapters of a book and blog for the sake of participating in a link up but defining things as goals and being specific will motivate me to get things done!

What are your goals for the week? Head over to The Sticky Note Addict and link up!

Ten on Tuesday

{one}
It seems like all of a sudden every blogger on the planet is jumping ship to WordPress and is posting about a giveaway/free product/review/other successful blogging thing every second day. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little envious. I'd also be lying if I said my ultimate goal is to be a big time blogger with thousands of adoring fans.

{two}
Up until university I would spend hours every day writing. Sometimes I'd write poems, sometimes I'd just ramble out prose until I was finished. I've been thinking a lot lately about how I want to start writing again. And at some point I realized that the timelines of when I stopped really writing on a daily basis and when my anxiety went from being an occasional visitor to a daily friend match up pretty well. I've started making myself write for 20 minutes every day. It's hard to start but once I do it I find myself losing track of time and really enjoying what I'm doing. Playing with words and rearranging sentences, putting names to feelings…I knew I missed it, but I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started doing it again.

{three}
I hate living in the city. There I said it.

{four}

Pinterest

I've mastered the art of popping popcorn on the stove and it's now one of my most favourite things. I know my parents always had an air popcorn popper but somewhere along the way I fell victim to the microwave popcorn revolution. But it's just not the same. I'm officially renouncing any involvement with the microwave stuff and devoting myself to "real" popcorn.

{five}
When I moved I forgot my camera. I haven't been back home since I moved to get it and it's slowly starting to drive me nuts. It's hard to practice and "get good at photography" when my DSLR is 5 hours away. I know I'll be gone home in April for Easter but I've got my fingers crossed I'll figure out a way to reunite with it before then!

{six}
I think I can officially say that I've masted the art of homemade mac & cheese. Unfortunately I have no photographic evidence of this….but the next time it's on my menu rotation I fully intend on sharing my recipe with the world. Or the 5 people who read my posts on a regular basis.

{seven}
Lately everything has been purple & red. Neither of those colours have ever been my favourite but over the past month or two when asked to chose a colour for something it's always purple or red or both.

{eight}
As you may have guessed by that last line I'm really just trying to pass the time until my chicken is done marinading so I can make and eat supper. I neglected to defrost said chicken so that's really prolonging the supper process. And I'm hungry.

{nine}
There aren't enough words to express how ready I am for summer to happen. I miss sunshine!!

{ten}
"Nine on Tuesday" Didn't have the same ring to it as "Ten on Tuesday" but I don't really have anything of value to say here. Happy Tuesday!

Where I Am

How did you picture this stage of your life when you were younger? How is it the same/different?

When I was was in elementary school...I was determined to grow up and become a famous author. I spent every spare moment I had writing words on paper. Laura Ingalls Wilder & Lucy Maude Montgomery where my favourite people and I wanted to be just like them. I wanted to get married and have babies but most of all I wanted to be a published author.

When I was in jr.high...I still wanted to be a writer, but I also realized that probably wasn't the best way to make a living. So I thought I'd be a Social Worker who wrote books as a hobby. I still wanted to get married and have a big family but I didn't worry about it too much because I figured it was one of those things that would just happen.

When I was in high school...I still considered Social Work. But I knew camp was my real passion so I decided to study recreation in university. I assumed that I would meet somebody in university, fall in love, get married, have babies and do the SAHM thing for a few years and then focus on my career.

When I was in university...I knew I wanted to be a camp director. I thought I'd find a position where I worked in youth ministry from September-May be a camp director from May-August and in between get my camp fix through retreats and other youth activities. And of course I wanted to settle down, be in a committed relationship and have my first baby by the time I was 25.

Elementary School me probably wouldn't believe that it's been years since I finished writing a story.
Jr. High me would be appalled I'm not married yet.
High School me would be a little more understanding but still be disappointed I'm as single as they come.
University me would be pretty darn relived to know that a year and a half after I finished I would be about to start a full time job as Assistant Camp Director. She would be totally discouraged to find out Mr.Right still eludes me, but if she stopped and thought about it for a few minutes she'd accept that it's better to be alone than to settle for Mr. Good Enough.

Linking up with Hayley & Lauren .

Your Story

I know I'm not the only one who loves TED Talks. I've watched a lot of them over the years, but this one remains my favourite. And I think it's pretty relevant to share with the blogging world. There are so many blogs out there it can be hard to sit down and write a post, especially when you feel like you have nothing worth saying or nothing to say that hasn't already been said. The thing is, nobody has told your story. Everyone has their own unique perspective about the world around them. It's true there might be 1000 other blogs about "life as a 20 something" but they're not your blogs. You might come across someone experiencing the same situation, but even then your perspective and circumstances will certainly alter the way you handle these situations and just maybe your perspective can help someone else. Or you will find encouragement and inspiration in the way someone else has dealt with an obstacle. 

So keep writing and sharing your story because nobody else can do it for you.