February Goals

TGIF! But really. This has been a week for the books, which is the whole reason why my February Goals was not posted on February 1st. But... that was just two days ago and we have 25 days left of February, so I think we're good! 

February Goals:

-Read a book

-Meditate on Lamentations 3:22-23

-Memorize one verse of scripture

-Take a meal to someone who just had a baby: 

I have a friend who is having a baby in February and 

I would love to be able to take them a meal 

after the sweet baby boy is born!

-Celebrate Reese's 25th birthday! 

What are your goals for the month? How do you decide what goals to make for each specific month?

January Goals

I know that we are 9 days into January already, but I have decided to try to use monthly goals as a way to get things done this year. I know we all love making resolutions, goals, and dreaming about what all we can get done and plan in a new year and so I am going to use monthly goals to my advantage to try to accomplish things.

I tend to do a lot better when I don't put too many things on my goal list for each month, so we are going to start out on the shorter side for January and see how much we get done! And some of these may be coming from my 101 in 1001 Challenge. If you haven't seen that post yet, click here. You can also look back a my first 101 in 1001 Challenge here.

January Goals: 

- Read one book

- Memorize one verse of scripture

- Try to prioritize morning quiet time

- Blog at least twice a week

- Figure out a plan for my handlettering 

- Work on updating my blog design

What are your goals for January? How do you work on getting your goals accomplished?

New 101 in 1001

Happy Thursday! A few days ago I shared with you all an update on my 101 in 1001 challenge that ended on September 28th. One reason I loved having this challenge was because they were goals that I could make for myself over the months and the years that this challenge was going on since it was throughout 1,001 days. Towards the end of the challenge I realize
d how I made quite a few goals that were not practical or weren't actually obtainable at this current season in my life. It made me want to start a new list of practical goals that I actually thought I could accomplish within this new time frame and this season in my life. So, I am so excited to share my new list with you all!

Start Date: November 1, 2016

End Date: July 29, 2019

Spiritual:
1. Read whole bible
2. Read 12 books in 12 months
3. Memorize scripture each month: 33 months total (0/33)
4. Meditate on that scripture each month
5. Prioritize morning quiet time
6. Volunteer five times (0/5)
7. Start a prayer journal for my children
8. Start praying for guidance for when and where to adopt from, if it's Gods will
9. Finish 30 Days of Understanding the Bible by Max Anders

For Others:
10. Pay for someone in the drive thru
11. Send Birthday Cards to Friends/Family
12. Take a meal to someone that just had a baby
13. Host a holiday party
14. Reconnect with an old friend
15. Send four care packages (0/4)
16. Send someone on a surprise trip (I know who, just don't want them to read this)
17. Host a bible study in our home for married couples

Marriage:
18. Celebrate 2, 3, and 4 years of marriage
19. Have our first baby
20. Have date nights more frequently
21. Take a cooking class
22. Take a weekend getaway
23. Read the Christmas Story every year leading up to Christmas
24. Do an Advent Devotional each year
25. Do Lent- Don't take something away, instead add a habit/help others
26. Celebrate Reese's 25th Birthday (Feb. 2017)
27. Go camping
28. Go hiking
29. Take Tucker hiking
30. Take Tucker camping
31. Go on a picnic
32. Start putting money aside for an adoption

Personal:
33. Unplug from social media for five weekends (0/5)
34. Start running
35. Run a 5k (maybe a 10k?)
36. Complete a 30 day fitness challenge
37. Go to a yoga class
38. Go to a pure barre class
39. Get two massages (0/2)
40. Get pedicures more frequently
41. Do something fun for my 25th Birthday (Mar. 2018)
42. Learn how to curl my hair (to my liking, lol)
43. Finish watching Nashville
44. Give up fast food for three different weeks, at least (0/3)
45. Give up fast food for one whole month
46. Continue perfecting my handlettering
47. Learn what blood type I am

Career:
48. Pray about where the Lord wants me
49. Be obedient with what the Lord has planned
50. Complete any extra schooling I may need (masters for teaching)

Blog:
51. Do a series with another blogger
52. Update my blog design
53. Have a guest write on my blog
54. Write on another persons blog
55. Make Friday posts every week
56. Start doing monthly goals again
57. Do five OOTDs (0/5)
58. Complete a year recap for each full year of this challenge (2016, 2017, 2018)
59. Start a blogging calendar/prep for each month
60. Inspire someone to start a blog

Adventure:
61. Go out to the west coast (Seattle, LA, San Fran, San Diego)
62. Go out of the country
63. Go to NYC during Christmas time
64. Fly a kite
65. Go to the drive in
66. Go hiking with friends/bible study girls
67. Visit 5 new cities
68. Go on a cruise
69. Go to the Grand Canyon
70. Go to Yellowstone
71. Try 5 new restaurants in Lexington (0/5)

Goals:
72. Get a DSLR
73. Learn to use DSLR
74. Get a new computer
75. Learn how to design blogs
76. Learn how to edit photos/make collages for blogging
77. Make photo albums- honeymoon, 1st year of marriage, 1st year anniversary trip
78. See a broadway show (Wicked)
79. See The Rockettes in NYC
80. Do DIYs (0/3)
81. Make my own devotional
82. Start recipe box
83. Find signature lip color
84. Become First Aid Certified
85. Pay off all my student debt
86. Pay off all of our debt combined
87. Get a tattoo
88. Get a new car
89. Buy a house
90. Learn how to make spaghetti sauce from scratch
91. Collect an ornament from each place we travel to
92. Learn how to arrange flowers
93. Plant a garden that thrives
94. Update my passport with my new last name
95. Get wedding pictures printed on canvases to hang
96. Decorate kitchen
97. Perfect my cleaning schedule
98. Stick to that cleaning schedule
99. Go to a woman's UK Basketball game
100. Unsubscribe from emails I don't want to receive
101. Wake up for a week without hitting the snooze button, do this four times (0/4)


What would you put on your 101 in 1001 list?! If you have a list, I would love to see what you're trying to accomplish and encourage you.

101 in 1001 Update

Happy November! So excited for this month to be here. October flew by, but I am excited for the holiday season to be upon us. Now if the weather here in Kentucky would just act like it was fall!

My first 101 in 1001 list ended on September 28th, and I hadn't done an update on it in awhile so I decided to share with you all things I have accomplished.

101 in 1001 Update:
2. Read- I read Lets All Be Brave by Annie F. Downs. She is such a great author, and I feel like I am right there with her listening to her stories. Definitely check her out if you haven't yet!

6. Baptize someone- In March I was able to baptize one of my girls that I led in a bible study through my college fellowship that I was apart of and now lead as a community leader. It was so amazing to see her grow so much and to see what the Lord is doing in her life!

42. Meet a blogger- In April I was able to meet Megan from Simply, Meg (she hasn't blogged in awhile, but that's okay). We had a wonderful time talking about everything at our favorite place, Starbucks. We are so similar and I cannot wait to meet up with her again!

55. Go camping- For our anniversary we went to Charleston and on the way back we stopped in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and camped. We slept in our ENOs and it was definitely a new adventure for me not being in a tent, but I did have fun and can't wait to camp again. 

70. Get a puppy- On August 24th, 2016 my dream came true of getting a puppy. We weren't sure if we wanted to get a dog from the shelter or one that was bred, and realized that we needed to look around often at shelters because puppies were adopted very quickly. One day we went to our local shelter, saw Tucker, and couldn't leave with out him. We've had him for a little over 2 months, and we have loved every second of it. I will definitely be doing a post about what its like to have a puppy soon!

71. Exercise more often- At the beginning of this summer I definitely was exercising at least 3 times a week. I would just look up YouTube videos and watch them. One girl I really liked was Love Sweat Fitness. She had a lot of options and variety for every area that you would need to work out. The videos weren't too long and I could easily do them at home with some dumbbells. 

Stay tuned for a new 101 in 1001 coming later this week! Cannot wait to see what I accomplish in this next one.

What are some goals that you want to accomplish? 

Do you have a 101 in 1001 list??

2016 Goals

Happy 2016 friends! I am excited for the new year and what it is going to bring. My attitude has definitely changed since I started subbing (in November) and it has made me excited and have a more positive outlook on life and what I opportunities I have been given. 2015 was a great year and I accomplished quite a bit of important things, but I am excited for 2016 is going to bring me and I have a lot of things that I would like to do. Also in 2016 is the end date of my "101 in 1,001" list (September 28, 2016). I know that I won't accomplish everything on that list, but I would love to accomplish as much as I can! So, here are my goals for 2016. These are just the goals that I have for myself because my husband and I have goals together as a couple for our marriage, but I believe that those are more personal goals.

So here is my list of goals for 2016:

-Run a 5k

-Eat healthier: I want to portion control and make smoothies. Both Reese and I tend to fill up our plates and eat everything, which ends up making us both stuffed and we end up eating too much, which is not healthy for us! And I want to make smoothies because I tend to not like breakfast foods and I think that make smoothies would definitely be a good alternative and be healthier.

-Premake my lunches: I want to make my lunch at night so that I am not rushing the next morning and end up not having a lunch to eat.

-Read 5 books: 

-Read through the entire bible: I plan on reading through it chronologically

-Read "Wife After God" Devotional: Started beginning of January

-Memorize 12 scripture verses {1/12}:

1. Proverbs 3:24

-Finish "30 Days of Understanding": I believe that finishing this prior to reading through the bible will help me to have a better understanding of the context while I am reading through the bible. So my goal is to first read "30 Days" and then begin reading through the bible.

-Get a teaching job: Please pray for me on this one. I know that everything is in Gods hands and will turn out the way that he has planned for it to.

What are your goals for 2016? How to you hold yourself accountable to complete them?

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2016, and know that God has everything already planned for you and your life!

Answered Prayers

You guys, I have never experienced answered prayers as I had last night. For a while now I have been either having nightmares and/or been thinking that someone is breaking into our home. I'm not quite sure why I have these feelings/nightmares, but they sure do not help me to want to go to sleep at night.

Last night I was especially nervous because I had had a rough night the night before. Reese and I read at night together and I had already planned that I would write out a prayer when we were done so that hopefully I would not have anymore dreams. WELL, God knew exactly what I needed and brought it to me while I was reading, before I had even gotten around to writing out my prayer.

Reese and I switch off and on from reading, and last night it was my turn to read the daily Proverbs chapter... which was Proverbs 3 since it was January 3rd. I had already had this chapter all marked up, but it wasn't until I got to verse 24-26 that I realized it was exactly what I needed.

"If you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."

-Proverbs 3:24

You all, I couldn't even read through the rest of this chapter without stopping and just crying because The Lord had already showed me that if I give all my problems to Him, he will take care of them. You guys, I have never truly felt as if the Lord had truly listened to me and my prayers, or that He was going to answer them. Now I know that the Lord answers prayers in His own ways and timings, but this was just perfect timing. I was dreading going to sleep, and I needed to get good rest because it was back to subbing the next morning, and the Lord knew that I needed sleep. He brought me a verse that I now have memorized, and helped me get rest and find peace in Him. 

All I can say is praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him!

They sang "Great is Thy Faithfulness" at church yesterday, and now I just want you all to take your time, rest in Him and enjoy the fact that Our Lord is so great!

My Heart is Craving...

My heart is craving something new. Somewhere new. Yet at the same time I love my home. Kentucky exemplifies Jesus. I could not imagine living somewhere else, yet I long for the adventure of another place to set roots in. Being in Colorado this past weekend made me want to explore another city, and make it my home, but that is out of my "comfort box." I've also thought of moving to Haiti because I loved it so much, but never in my wildest dreams would I do that... right?! And to think in less than 11 months I will have graduated from college. Then there will be plenty of new things. I could be in charge of 20+ students, I could have my own classroom, I could have a home that I get to decorate. I long and crave for all of this... but this is always what I have wanted, I long for something different than I ever have before. I've always been excited to graduate from college and be done with school (sort of, silly masters...) but school is all I have known my entire life, what's next? I know what I want to happen next because that is what I have been preparing for my entire life, but say it does, am I just done with any adventures?!

I feel my heart (aka GOD) tugging me in a direction that I haven't seemed to figured out yet. He is funny in that way. He loves to put just a hint of something into your heart, but He wants you to draw near to Him to figure out the rest. He wants you to put your whole faith and trust into Him and then He will do the impossible with your life. I also crave to know Him more. I crave for Him to be the one I go to in all my worries and all my praises. I have so far to go in my faith, yet I feel like I've already come so far. Could I be craving Him more because He is preparing me for something? An adventure? A new life? A new direction? I know that it will all eventually come out into clear view for me to see, but I pray that I keep my eyes, ears, and heart open for what The Lord may be calling me to. I pray that I don't live this life comfortably and that I preach His word to those who may not know it and live in a community who encourages me to become closer to God. Y'all, I feel change coming, and I am excited to see where God may be leading my life once I am done with this thing called school.

Where has the Lord called you to lately? What have you experienced?

68. Go to Nashville

On Saturday Reese and I headed down to Nashville for the day. Our main reason was to go to the Packers vs Titans pre-season football game, but we used that as an excuse to spend the day touring Nashville. We had already planned out our day. Farmers Market, bicentennial mall, walking around downtown, dinner, then the game!

We ate lunch at an amazing restaurant called Whiskey Kitchen, which is in The Gulch area of Nashville. We got appetizers because we were planning on eating dinner (that didn't happen). The whiskey kitchen bourbon poppers and the jalapeno fried pickles were literally to die for! I kept saying for the rest of the day how good that food was!

The entire day I carried around my raincoat just in case it rained... put it back in the car before the game, and to say that it rained would be an understatement. It downpoured the entire game! The pack lost by 4 points too, but it was still an enjoyable day.

It was a great day that I got to spend with my handsome man! So grateful for all of the memories that we get to make together and can't wait for many many more!

101 in 1001: Update & Changes // August Goals

I am about 7 months into my 101 in 1001 list and I have definitely accomplished some things, but there are quite a few more that I haven't. There are some things I don't even want to do anymore or I have changed in some aspects and want to do different, more challenging/rewarding things! So today, I am going to update y'all on what I have finished lately (and haven't mentioned) and also change a few things... If that's okay with you?!

Things I can check off:
20. Celebrate 6 years! Tomorrow, the 6th, is our 6 year dating anniversary! Crazy to think that I have been with Reese for this long, and I cannot wait for many, many more!
46. Learn how to edit my blog properly.
52. Write to 20 bloggers. I wrote to Megan, from Simply Meg.
56. Visit 5 new/local restaurants in Lexington. Tried a new breakfast restaurant called First Watch.

61. Go on a picnic. Reese and I went on a hike one saturday and took a picnic along with us.
68. Go to Nashville & be a tourist. This Saturday Reese & I are going for the day, and also for a Packers football game that night. We will also be celebrating our 6 years!

83. Be in a wedding. (Not completed yet, but I thought I could put it on the list) All of the sudden I am in two weddings, one of my friends Caitlyn is getting married in November and my other friend Madison is getting married next summer! Can't wait to celebrate both of them on their special days.
96. Try 5 new meals in my crockpot. Check.

Now, there are a few things I want to take off or change:
16. Send a letter to the 3rd graders in Haiti. Just Changing- I am actually going to just send a letter to the teacher I was with encouraging her for this next school year.
29. Journal through student teaching/ideas I come up with for teaching. Taking Off- With writing lesson plans I will be able to do this, and I also can keep track of things through Pinterest. I will be moving #26 up into the "Relationship with Reese" category, and it will be Read through at least 2 marriage books with Reese and take pre-marriage counseling.
96. Try a new meal each month of 2014. Taking Off- I won't have time to cook very much and I think this would be easier for me to do when I have my own place again and have to plan out meals for the week/month. 

I have decided to add on some more goals even though it would be over 101. I went through my list and did not see things I would actually want to take off. I did not feel that I made my list as challenging as I could, and plus a lot of things that I want to add are new motivations.
101. Grow a garden. Flowers and plants.
102. Learn calligraphy.
103. Make my own devotional/study.
104. Continue to try to watercolor.
105. Make a blogging binder/schedule.
106. Go to the Hope Spoken conference.
107. No shopping for 3 months.
108. Start recipe binder.
109. Find my signature lip color.
110. Become First Aid/CPR certified. Hopefully in September I can take this course.
111. Put $10 in savings for all of the goals I accomplish.
112. Go canoeing/kayaking.

Not sure if it is "legal" to add more to my 101 list, making it more than 101.. but its my list and my goals, so I decided to do so! Makes it more exciting. :)

**I am also going to add in my August goals to this post, didn't feel that it needed its own post.
July Goals:
Sadly I did none of them... Oops! It was just not in the cards for this past month!

August Goals:
2. Read another christian book.
7. Read through Acts again.
16. Send a letter to the 3rd grade teacher in Haiti.
20. Celebrate 6 years! :)
53. Go on a vacation out west. On the 20th I leave for Colorado with my mom & aunt for my cousins wedding! I can't wait to get back out there for my 3rd time and see all of the beautiful sights. Definitely will be posting some pictures from that trip.
105. Make a blogging binder/schedule. I love blogging, but don't make it enough of a priority, and that needs to happen if I will continue it! So here comes making a blogging schedule & binder! Anyone have any tips of scheduling blog posts??
109. Find my signature lip color. I want an everyday color... Anyone have any suggestions?! 

Hope this post wasn't too long or intense! And hope everyone has a great rest of their week! Here's to the last 3 days of nannying my boys!! Can't believe this summer is almost over. Goodnight, y'all!

July Goals

Like always, I cannot believe that June is over. We are half way done with 2014. And let me tell you, it has been good to me. Can't wait to see what is in store for me for the rest of the year!

June Goals
5. Memorize a verse
"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire." 
-Hebrews 12:28-29

56. Try 2 new local restaurants.
I've tried Wild Eggs, but haven't gotten over to Limestone Blue yet.

69. Go to the drive-in... yup, did not happen!

73. Run a 5k.
Ran one earlier this month with Reese.

98. Learn how to budget and 99. Budget Consistently
I have finally figured out what works for me, and have been keeping up with it pretty well for a few weeks now! Hopefully I can keep it up and then it'll be a habit. 

July Goals:

101 in 1001 List

2. Read a Christian book from my books

5. Memorize a verse- 

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." -1 John 3:18

12. Pay for someone in the drive thru behind me

15. Cook dinner for my aunt and uncle

85. Do a Pinterest DIY

This month I have decided that I wanted to go further for my goals than just my 101 list. I feel like I am just trying to complete it to satisfy and not disappoint anyone, especially myself. I have learned that I am so hard on myself and I would be the person to get on me once 1,001 days were over. So I have decided that I need to do something other than just try to complete it... which results in adding things that are not on the list. 

Not on 101 in 1001 list:

-Learn how to do calligraphy

-Sign up for first aid class

-Continue learning how to paint

-Read Lord, Teach Me To Pray OR Lord, I Want To Know You by Kay Arthur 

Hopefully I will be able to get outside the box, not worry whether I am completely my 101 list, and enjoy life more! That truly is my ultimate goal for July... to learn how to enjoy what is in front of me rather forcing what I want to happen.

What are your goals?! Anyone have any advice/tips/etc. for anything mentioned above, especially calligraphy or painting?! I would love to hear about it!

73. Run in a 5k

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:13

This morning I ran in my first ever 5k!

For the past three weeks, Reese and I have been running to prepare for this race. We would work up .5 miles and eventually made it to 3 miles. This mornings run was much harder than I had anticipated... There was more hills and the sun was on us (we've been running at night because that's only time we both can together). I wasn't able to run very consistently, but I did it and I finished it in about 37 minutes. So I'm pretty proud of myself!! 

From these past few weeks I have learned so much about myself and have grown in ways I never thought I would. 

-First of all, I ran. Not once, not twice, but many times and consistently throughout the week to prepare.

-I learned how to push myself and do something that I wouldn't have done 3 months ago!

-I accomplished something that feels good!

-I ran in the rain and heat.

-I grew closer to Reese and we have found something we can do together. 

-I feel more fit and athletic. The only sport I have ever done in my life was color guard for band and that was one year. So needless to say this is a big deal for me! 

If you have ever longed to accomplish something but don't think you can, DO it any way! Push yourself and make an ultimate goal to work for. It is SO worth it in the end. Even though my 37 minutes wasn't very fast this morning, I never thought I would have even made it that far in a race. I worked for this and am excited to see what race is up next in my future of running. 

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 

looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith." 

Hebrews 12:1

June Goals

Well, once again a month has come and gone. 2014 needs to SLOW down! I do not think I've ever noticed a year fly by as much as this one has, but I truly am enjoying it! The past 5 months sure have been busy for me, so I am excited to have a relaxing month. I feel very accomplished about May and cannot wait to see what June brings me!

May Goals

2. Finishing reading Crazy Love- One chapter left, and it will be finished this weekend!

5. Memorize a verse for May- Psalm 63:3

63. Take a spontaneous girls trip- here is my post about that trip!

72. Try running

77. Organize my iphoto- I've gotten half done, but it is a very tedious task.

78. Print out my Haiti pictures

79. Print out pictures I want to keep

80. Go through clothes at the end of fall/winter- I still have a little more to do for this, but since I am moving back home at the end of June I will be working on it throughout June.

June Goals

5. Memorize a verse for June.

56. Try two new/local restaurants- I want to try Limestone Blue and Wild Eggs!

69. Go to the drive in

73. Run a 5k- On June 14th I will run my first 5k with Reese.. it'll be interesting.

98. Learn how to budget- I've started one and will be using the envelope system.

99. Consistently budget- now to continue with that envelope system! Wish me luck.

Hope everyone has had an amazing month of May and that your June is even better :)

63. Take a spontaneous girls trip.

Among my goals in my 101 in 1001 list was to go on a spontaneous girls trip. Now I am not a spontaneous person, but I want to become someone who does do some things (reasonable things) on a whim without time to back out (because I am someone who backs out if I freak myself out or think about something too much). In February two of my friends and I found a GroupOn for a great deal at a hotel in Myrtle Beach. We all wanted to go to the beach together, so we booked it for 3 nights within an hour of finding it! Now that's spontaneous if I do say so myself.

Anyways.. here is how the trip went! :)
p.s. this will be long with a lot of pictures

Day 1- We left at 11 pm on Saturday night and ended up getting to the beach around 8:30 am Sunday. Here are some snapchats that I sent to people, and also my first pictures I took at the beach. It was cloudy on Sunday so we couldn't lay out (even though we still did). We went to dinner at Margaritaville, then we came back to our hotel, passed out at 9:30 and slept for 12 straight hours.

Day 2- We had thought about going parasailing and so we called on Monday morning when we woke up to schedule it for Tuesday. The guy told us that we could come right then and there if we wanted to, so a spur of the moment decision we were on the road to go parasailing! I am not a very spontaneous person, and I am not adventurous when it comes to this type of stuff either, so needless to say I was very nervous at first... but I really had no time to be nervous or think too much about what I was about to do! It was definitely a peaceful experience, and I can say that I am proud of myself for accomplishing this new adventure and overcoming my fears. We laid on the beach the rest of the night and then went to the Boardwalk to eat dinner and walk around. The boardwalk we were by cost $1 to walk on the pier... how crazy is that?! We got back just in time to watch the season premiere of The Bachelorette.

Day 3- One of my friends and I decided to wake up Tuesday morning to go see the sunset. It surprisingly was not that hard for me to wake up at 5:55 to go down to see it. We had a bit of a setback when our hotels pool gates were locked so we had to run through the hotel to the front door and then back around the outside of the hotel to get to the beach, but we still made it in time. Couldn't be more blessed to live in a world where there are sunrises and sunsets, and God sure does make them beautiful. His sunsets are such a great reminder of this beautiful world we live in and this beautiful life we have been given. Praise Him! We laid on the beach again that day and then went out for our last night to another shopping area/walking around and to a restaurant where they harass you (Dick's Last Resort) and needless to say one of my friends was not about that place! Sometimes though it is good to have a nice laugh. 

Day 4- I didn't get any pictures on this day. But all we did was check out of our hotel in the morning and then spend the afternoon shopping at the outlet mall before heading back home.

This was such a great trip with my friends and a much needed short little getaway to the beach. I thought I would share with you all a few thoughts from this trip...

   1. I accomplish driving on the interstate longer than 1 hour. I never had to drive on the interstate and to be honest it made me so nervous, so I can officially say at 21 that I can drive on it and am not scared! 

   2. I overcame my fear of parasailing. It is so high up and you are not strapped in all that much. I am the type of person who needs to know and feel that I am safe, I like my comfort box. Did I mention it was really high? Because it was...

   3. I am turning into a beach person. I never really had patience for laying out on the beach for hours at a time, nor did I like the ocean or the sand. But I can say that I am coming around to all of those.

   4. I feel like an adult. I don't think anything makes you (at least me) feel more like an adult than taking your first road trip without parents to a hotel and checking in yourself. Then going through the week without your parents/family. Then checking out and coming back home. I truly believe I have matured and accomplished so much lately!

Well.. I think that is about all that I can think of to share with you guys! It was a great trip and I cannot wait to go on another getaway with my friends soon. Hope that some of you get to go on a trip this summer and relax. If you made it to the end of this post, bless you. Thanks for reading!

Favorites Friday

Currently I am at work, sitting in the library while my kids watch Pocahantas. These second graders hate sitting down and watching a movie. They also hate playing outside and would rather play in the gym... crazy kids these days!

Even though I just went on a short vacation I am ready for the weekend! It's odd, you go away to relax and rest, but then still need to rest and get used to reality when you're back! Something isn't right about that. Anyways... Here are some things I have been enjoying lately! 

1. It has been nice relaxing the past two days, but once again I packed my bags and headed to visit Reese's family for the weekend. Always nice to get to spend time with them, and it should continue to be a nice relaxing weekend. 

2. I just got done watching Frozen for the first time all the way through. I watched it at work once but it was too hard to pay attention with all the kids singing. By the way, it was SO good and now I know what everyone is talking about. (Even Reese's dog was watching!) 

3. Reese and I are going to start running. And to help with that we are going to sign up for a 5k in June.. Any tips for a new runner?? 

Wish me luck.. 

4. I'm in the mood to travel. I just got back from the beach but I want to travel to places I have never been or other countries. So many people right now are in different countries, and I have to admit I am a bit jealous.. Hopefully I'll get to go to some places soon! 

5. And lastly, I am loving my new blog design. It is definitely me! And I am so happy that Victoria over at Happily Ever Strader was about to design it for me! If y'all haven't been over to here blog, go visit! She is so sweet and definitely inspiring. 

*Thank you so much, Victoria! It was exactly what I wanted!

That's about it that I have to share. Sorry this was posted so late, I had been working on it throughout the day. As you all can tell I am getting back into writing posts and hope to keep this up from now on! Hope everyone is doing well. 

Enjoy your long weekend. 

May Goals

Hello, sweet friends! The semester is almost over and since I knew that after next week I would have an abundance of time, I wanted to get back in gear with my blog. I know I have definitely slacked the last two months but so much has gone on! I will be updating y'all on my life in a soon post, but today I want to share with you guys my May Goals!

2. Finishing reading Crazy Love. 

I also have another book that isn't a Christian book that I started as well...
The Fault in Our Stars. 

5. Memorize a verse for May. 

I didn't for March or April, but that is okay!

63. Take a spontaneous girls trip. 

Two of my friends and I are going to Myrtle Beach in a few weeks!! 

Can't wait to get away for a few days :)

72. Try running.

77. Organize my iPhoto.

78. Print out my Haiti pictures.

79. Print out pictures I want to keep.

80. Go through clothes at the end of fall/winter. 

Since I am moving back home in June this is definitely a must!

I can't wait for summer and to see what it brings to me! It has been a great school year, but I am definitely ready for a long summer before my insanely busy school year starts next year (YAY for Practicum and Student Teaching semesters!) Only two tests left and then it is officially summer for this practicum student!! Hope everyone is doing well.

February Goals

Before I give you all my February Goals I wanted to share how my January Goals went. The first four goals I decided to do I accomplished; the last two I did not accomplish fully, but I am still figuring them out/working on them.

5. Memorize a verse each month of 2014.
I chose to memorize John 3:30- "He must become greater, I must become less." This definitely was a great verse for me to memorize because #1- it is simple and I think that starting off scripture memorization (at least for me) is easier with something shorter; #2- it definitely stuck in my head/heart and God always popped that verse into my head when I needed to hear it or when it was relevant to what someone was talking about. I am so happy that I started doing this and cannot wait to see where I am with scripture memorization at the end of the year. 

8. Go back to Passion.
I did get to go back to Passion this year and it was really great! I have to admit that last year, for me personally, was better though because my faith was very new to me and it just "started a fire down in my soul" but this year since it was only two days it was much harder to relax and not feel so rushed. Still was pretty awesome being in an arena with 20,000 college students worshipping OUR LORD?! If you haven't gone, then now is the time to start thinking about Passion 2015! They already have the dates, and believe me.. It is SO TOTALLY WORTH IT!

9. Go a week without listening to anything but Christian music.
I did this one. I knew that it wouldn't be too hard for me because most of the time in the car I have it on. But I was able to get my hands on an iTunes gift card and download some albums/songs that I have been wanting so that has also helped my desire to only listen to Christian music, not only in the car but even just in my room.

43. Participate in Carabox.
I sent out my Carabox to a wonderful lady on Friday. It is so cool getting to know people who you would never have met if you did not participate in something like this. 

77. Organize my iPhoto.
I have somewhat started to do this. I have deleted photos I didn't need/want, but other than that I haven't gotten very far. We will have to try this out again for another month where I have more time to sit down, relax, and go through the photos.

98. Learn how to budget.
This is SO difficult. I had a plan of doing the envelope system but realized that that just would not work out very well with my income not being consistent. I have though done really well with not spending money very often and even go food to pack lunches to take on campus with me! All I have been doing really is trying to swipe by debit card less (which I have been able to do) and use a certain amount of cash that I have pulled out for a week or so. It has gone pretty well and I have fairly motivated. It also helps that I have an awesome person (Megan, from Life of a College Girl) who I am walking through this new experience/habit with. :)

February Goals

5. Memorize a verse each month of 2014.

This month I am going to memorize 1 Corinthians 10:31. I am so excited that I am getting into the word and actually memorizing it and apply

7. Read the 7 Experiement by Jen Hatmaker.

I am so excited because I am actually starting this book with Megan, from Life of a College Girl.

16. Send a letter to the 3rd graders in Haiti.

I still have not sent a letter to the 3rd graders I was with while on my mission trip in Haiti and I know that I need to do this. I want them to know that I did not just come on any other mission trip like other people do but that they are constantly in my thoughts and prayers. 

78. Print out my Haiti photos.

Going along with the Haiti theme, I want to also print out the photos that I took while in Haiti so that I always have them and can put them up in my room. 

97. Try a new meal in my crockpot
I finally got a crockpot for christmas and made my first meal in it! Chicken Tacos. It was so simple- just chicken breasts, salsa, and taco seasoning. Very good! And tonight I tried another new recipe in my crockpot- Santa Fe Chicken over rice. It was good, but I definitely need to find some recipes that have other things besides chicken in them. Any suggestions?!

100. Go a full week without eating out or having Starbucks. 
My goal is to do this four time throughout the 101 in 1001 challenge. But I'm hoping that with my trying to budget that I do this a lot more than just 4 times. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to do it for a full month?! I'll let y'all know.

So there ya have it.. my February Goals. I am excited about these and cannot wait to see how they go. What are your goals for this month or even this year?! I would love to hear them!

Hope everyone has a great week. 

January Goals

I have realized that in order to complete things on my 101 in 1001 list I must actually intentionally do them. I am excited to get things crossed off; because being a list maker I love the feeling of crossing things off when I have completed them. Doing this challenge is just that, a challenge, but I am very excited to see how doing these things changes my life. I believe that I will become a lot more motivated with this challenge. So with that being said I have decided to make a list of things I think I can complete this month. 

5. Memorize a verse each month of 2014. 
This is the verse I have decided to memorize...

8. Go back to Passion.

I already know that I am doing this because I leave in a little less than 2 weeks, but I am so excited to be going back. I can't wait to see what God has planned for this year because it was absolutely the best decision I made last year in going; and it was a great way to start out 2013. 

9. Go a week without listening to anything but Christian music. 

I primarily listen to Christian music anyways but there are times with I turn on something else. I want to completely listen to it and see how it changes my days. Here's to the first week of ten that I have planned to do! 

43. Participate in Carabox.

I think it was in November that I have signed up for Carabox. I think it is such a great opportunity and I can't wait to further get to know my partner. :)

77. Organize my iPhoto.

I have already started working on this and it is such a relief to finally get all these pictures I have organized, especially with a new year of pictures on its way! 

98. Learn how to budget. 

Thankfully I have found such an amazing blogger who has amazing tips on budgeting with the envelope system. If you need to budget and stop swiping your debit/credit card because it is easy, go read Victoria's posts on How to: The Envelope System and How to: The Envelope System for College Students. {Go read her blog at happilyeverstrader.com, you definitely will not regret it!} But I am definitely ready to learn how to properly budget and it'll be helpful with two bloggy friends, Megan from Life of a College Girl and Taylor from Anchored, who want to encourage each other through this process! :)

So there you have it! Six goals that I plan to accomplish in January. I'm excited to start January off right with Passion and finalizing a budget. Wish me luck, and if you would like to encourage each other through anything let me know, I would love to! 

101 in 1001

I have seen these posts from many people and have been really inspired but never really thought I could actually finish everything on this list. But here is my 101 in 1001 list, and I am ready to see where God takes me with each of these things and can't wait to see how I am able to glorify Him in accomplishing them! I'm excited to see what I get to cross off my list in these 1001 days. Such a fun and great thing to do! If any of you are doing this, good luck! 

Start date: January 1, 2014

End date: September 28, 2016

Spiritual:
1. Read the whole bible
2. Read all of the christian books I have now before I get anymore (0/10)
3. Read the 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker- and actually do/keep up with the experiment
4. Go back to Haiti
5. Memorize a verse each month of 2014 (0/12) {I decided a month because i want it to actually sink into my heart and truly understand what it means}
6. Baptize someone
7. Read through Acts again
8. Go back to Passion
9. Go a week without listening to anything but Christian music, do this 10 times (0/10)
10. Try my Prayer Challenge again, start with a month and then go from there.

Others:
11. Do something for someone without them knowing
12. Pay for someone in the drive thru behind me
13. Lead a bible study group at my home (either CSF or through church)
14. Cook dinner for my mom
15. Cook dinner for my aunt and uncle
16. Send a letter to the 3rd graders in Haiti
17. Send people cards in the mall for their birthdays

Relationship with Reese:
18. Make a day each week for "date night/read together"
19. Have someone take nice pictures of us together
20. Celebrate 6 years & 7 years together
21. Get engaged
22. Get married
23. Start our own traditions
24. Put together a photo album
25. Join a couples bible study when married

School/Work:
26. Get a 4.0 {I've never gotten a 4.0, but I've been really close to it for the past 2 semesters.. I truly believe that I can do it}
27. Teach my first lesson plan (before becoming a teacher)
28. Student teach
29. Journal through student teaching/ideas I come up with for teaching
30. Pass the Praxis II
31. Graduate from college--> THAT'S CRAZY TO THINK ABOUT!
32. Find a job at an elementary school
33. Have my first class of students
34. Survive my first year of teaching
35. Bring breakfast/lunch for teachers at my school
36. Organize all of my class material for teaching

Blog:
37. Organize/design my blog to my liking (I seriously do not know how I want it to look guys, idk my style)
38. Do my first year recap (2013)
39. Finish & post my 101 in 1001
40. Try to plan posts and actually prewrite them, rather waiting until last minute or day of
41. Sponsor a giveaway
42. Meet other bloggers
43. Participate in a CaraBox
44. Meet a reader
45. Have a series with another blogger
46. Learn how to edit my blog properly
47. Write a post each time I complete things on this list
48. Have a guest post on my blog
49. Post a guest post on someone elses blog
50. Try doing monthly goals
51. Try to do at least 10 Favorites Fridays (0/10)
52. Write to 20 bloggers (0/20)

Adventurer:
53. Go on a vacation out west
54. Go on a vacation in another country
55. Go camping (I haven't been since I was little)
56. Visit 5 new/smaller restaurants in Lexington (0/5)
57. Go to NYC for christmas
58. Go to 3 new states (0/3)
59. Go to Charleston, South Carolina
60. Take a spontaneous road trip with reese
61. Go on a picnic
62. Go back to the cabin at Red River Gorge
63. Take a spontaneous girls trip
64. Go snow tubing again
65. Go to the lake
66. Go horse back riding
67. Fly a kite.. I don't think I ever have!

68. Go to Nashville & be a tourist
69. Go to the drive in again/more often during the summer

Goals:
70. Get a puppy
71. Exercise more often
72. Try running
73. Run in a 5k
74. Get a DSLR camera
75. Learn how to properly use that DSLR camera & its features
76. Take pictures for someone
77. Organize my iPhoto
78. Print out my Haiti pictures
79. Print out pictures that I really want to keep
80. Go through clothes at the end of fall/winter that I haven't worn
81. Go through clothes at the end of spring/summer that I haven't worn
82. Plan out my wedding
83. Be in a wedding
84. Finishing decorating my room
85. Do 3 pinterest DIYs (0/3)
86. Host a christmas party for my friends

87. Go to a Keith Urban concert
88. Get a pair of Tory Burch Reva Flats
89. See a broadway show
90. Learn how to make coffee at home to my liking {I spend way to much $$ on Starbucks!}

Home/Food/Financial:
91. Have my own home/apartment
92. Decorate my own home
93. Make a cleaning schedule
94. Plan out meals during the week
95. Have a month of planned out meals
96. Try a new meal each month of 2014 (0/12)
97. Try 5 new meals in my new crockpot (0/5)
98. Learn how to budget
99. Consistently budget
100. Go a full week without eating out or having Starbucks, do this 4 times (0/4)
101. Go a full week without spending money on myself/shopping

I am excited to see where I get with this list and how many I can actually accomplish. I have made a page for this and will be crossing things off there as I complete them. It was very difficult to find the last 30 items to put on here but I finished it! If you're doing this as well I would love to know so that I can help encourage you. And I would love for y'all to help encourage me also! I pray that you have an amazing year and that you truly focus on the important things in life.