June Goals

Happy Monday friends! I'm sorry I've been MIA. I feel like I say that a LOT but I really have missed you guys and this sweet space of mine. These past few months have been a blur and I so much has occurred since I wrote my last review and goals post. To say I'm excited to catch y'all up would be an understatement. So I'll waste no time and cut to the chase.

April + May Recap

- Traveled to and played tourist in Chicago with Will. You can read my recap of our trip here.   - Updated my passport and have ALL of my documents updated with my new last name. If you are getting married, I used this resource to help guide me through the post-wedding name changing process!   - Backed up all files, documents and photos on my computer and got rid of a bunch of stuff that was no longer relevant or needed. I love all things related to organization to simplifying and checking this off my list was a relief.   - Visited Caitlin in Winston-Salem and had a much needed girls day together! We went to lunch at the cutest place called the Silo, did some window shopping, treated ourselves to ice cream and had our nails done. It was the perfect day and made me really like Winston-Salem. It's a small city but really cute and I can't wait to visit again and explore more places Cait finds!    - Spent an afternoon at the Whitewater Center with the hubs and our pup, Miller. We walked the blue (intermediate) trail, then had lunch on the patio at the River's Edge Bar & Grill which overlooks the river. Good food + great views = a win/win in my book.   - I got a new car! Long story short, while we were in Chicago, my car (which was parked on the street like everyone else who lives on our street) was hit by someone who backed into the front of it and tore off the driver side headlight and ruined the radiator. After a few weeks with a rental, it was determined that the cost for all of the repairs was more then the value of my car so they gave us what my car was worth and viola. I honestly can't complain one bit. Was it bad timing? Yes! But I'm thankful that no one was hurt, that my neighbor saw it happened and called us right away. He even took care of the police report for us. Nationwide was also really easy to work with and I can't say enough about my husband who has been supportive through the whole process!
   - Tried a new restaurant in Charlotte called Seoul Food (Korean inspired southern BBQ). If you live in the area you need to check this place out. Make sure you order the sweet potato birds nest and the bao buns! You'll thank me later I promise.    - Went to Charleston and Folly Beach to celebrate my friend Allison's bachelorette getaway. Tomorrow I'll review some of the places we went and places I highly recommend.

June    - Printing photos from our honeymoon was one goal I had for April but sadly never got around to doing. It won't likely be a priority of mine for June so I'll save this for another month!   - At the beginning of the year, I made it a goal to read six new books over the course of the year. To date, I've already finished six books and I'm halfway through reading You and Me Forever by Francis Chan and (Un)Qualified by Steven Furtick. This brings me to a total of eight books which means I've not only met my goal but I've surpassed it! Just because you meet a goal, does NOT mean you can't revamp it later. There is still a handful of months left to 2016 so I'm going to keep reading and next on the list is A Praying Life by David Powlison. What other books should I read? I'm looking for a fun summer read. If you have any recommendations please leave a comment!   - Join a bible study. Y'all I'm so excited about this one! Right at the end of last month, I reached out to a girl who leads an E-Group at Elevation Church and she was not only quick to respond but genuinely excited for me to check out her group. Meeting new people is not always easy, even when your an extrovert like me but something about her excitement made me excited and all my nerves melted away. I went to my first bible study, which led to me going to the next one, which has already led to new friendships being made. Y'all...Kenna is the REAL DEAL! She is the leader of a bible study (or E-Group as they all them at Elevation), the owner and hairstylist of New Steele Studio at Sola Salon, a photographer, does makeup, AND teaches classes for SkillPop in her free time. Can you say superwoman? She also has the sweetest soul and can make you laugh without even trying. I mean, #girlboss am I right?   - There are so many places in Charlotte we have yet to try and since Seoul Food was such a hit when we went, Will and I have decided to keep finding and trying out other restaurants. On the list is The Summit Room and Kid Cashew. We actually went to The Summit Room over the weekend and my friend and I split the burger, mac and cheese, and maple bruleed brussels. My mouth waters just thinking about that meal. Another must if you have the chance to check it out.   - In my last review and goals post, I opened up about having degenerative disc disease and how I went to Duke to get a second opinion from a Neurosurgeon there. Well, the appointment went great and I was given a lot of insight into my current condition and have decided to go through with surgery. Like really soon. Next Monday to be exact. A few friends have asked me about my condition, the surgery and what the outcome will be like so I've decided to write a post that will go live Thursday if your interested in learning more about this personal topic and decision. Prayers for a peace of mind would be so appreciated as the days leading up to the surgery draw near!     

January Review + February Goals

Happy Monday and first day of "love" month friends! One month down, 11 more to go! I don't know about you but I'm sooo glad it's February. January was a good month and all, and I'm really enjoying 2016 so far, but the first month of a new year always tends to be a little bit of a challenge for me. You feel me?

I always make a list of all the things I want to accomplish, whether it be weekly, monthly, or yearly goals. Half way through January I found myself stressing out and forgetting to take things day by day. But this month I'm going to do a better job at reminding myself to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak. But like I said, January was good and I was able to check off a few of my goals I set for the year which was a win in my book!

January accomplishments:

Spend two + weekends visiting our parents (not including the holidays). My mom had knee surgery at the end of December so I decided to stay with my parents for a few days and keep mom company and helped with a few tasks around their house. Will wasn't able to come with since I went during the week, but I still counted this as time with family!

Reach out to my group of girlfriends on a weekly basis. I'm really proud of myself for this one. It might sound silly but I created a note in my phone that contains a list of my favorite people that I use as a reminder of who I need to reach out to regularly. Maintaining relationships is important to me and I often get caught up with all that's going on in my life. I wanted to do a better job this year at putting others first and this has been really helpful.

Clean out my closet and invest in essential items. I was able to clean out my closet and ended up with two boxes full of items I was able to sell and give to Goodwill. Next on my list is taking inventory of what I have left in my closet and then create a list of items I want to invest in. One thing I know I want, and is an essential item in my book, is a pair of nude pumps like these or these.

Develop a 30 minute morning quite time routine that I do everyday. Ehh, I tried to adopt this new routine but was not successful at doing it everyday like I wanted and I will tell you why. I have a hard time and get overwhelmed with myself when I try to utilize too many resources at once. There were so many things I wanted to incorporate into my quite time such as reading Jesus Calling, Join The Journey, and reading my First 5 and Joyce Meyer apps. This didn't work and I had to step away for a few days and re-evaluate my plan of action which is to focus on using just one or two of these. Any advice you can give would be so appreciated!

Find a CPA to help us with our taxes. We did some research and asked around for recommendations and scheduled a meeting with a CPA this week to see if they are a good fit for us.

Help Will pay off the rest of his student loans. I am proud to say we are DEBT FREE! Yay!

Take a SkillPop class and discover a new passion. Last week I took a class on Interior Design which was led by the amazingly talented Sarah Scott. I loved learning about top paint colors and what trends are in for 2016. I HIGHLY recommend taking a SkillPop class if your in the Charlotte area.

Read at least six new books. Last month, I read The Ten Best Days of My Life by Adena Halpern.

Take a weekend getaway to the Blue Ridge Mountains with Will's parent. Check! We stayed at Alpine Escape Cabin and had fun playing board games, enjoyed the snowy weather and exploring the downtown area.

Goals for February:

1. Host a game night at our house.

2. Back up all photos/documents/etc. on my laptop.

3. Increase my prayer life.

4. Try new plan for having quite time in the morning.

5. Pick a CPA and start working on our taxes.

6. NO SODA!

7. Meal-plan healthier lunch and dinner options.

8. Read Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst which I started a few days ago and I'm already hooked.

9. Start planning for our trip to Chicago. Let me know of places to go, things to do, etc.!  

What are your goals for the month?