June Goals and the #writeawayjune Challenge

All right then, we're back at this!


(Notice the superfluous use of the exclamation point. Generally, I hate exclamation points, but on occasion... anyway...)

So, let's see how May Goals went...

May Goals

Blog Goals

Continue to post once a week. (Gotta do it for more than one month, so it becomes habit.)

I think that's my only blog goal this month. 

Life Goals

Keep up with the stupid chore chart. I made it for a reason.... 

Find a place to live. (I'm not homeless, just moving.)

Save up more money for a huge vacation to China!

Stop eating out as much as possible. 

Write 30 minutes once a week. 

Health Goals. 

Make it to 145 lbs by the end of the month. 

Go to the gym three times a week. (Which shouldn't be hard, I attend three classes a week.)

Up my running interval on the treadmill to 6 minute spurts with 5 minute walks. 

So yeah... May Goals... not so much. 

I didn't write once a week. I tried, but failed like in the second week of May.  I'm still in the same apartment I was before. 

And I didn't keep up with the chore chart. 

I was almost at my weekly gym goal, but my little brother got married so I missed all last week. Ah well. 

See, I was a bridesmaid. 

Because I'm going to do the #writeawayjune challenge, I'm not going to do my monthly goals. That will be my one goal. And as I am two days behind, I'll post the first two challenges here. 

Day 1: A Picture that inspires a story and Brainstorm with it. 

A orange sun sets on a hot, desolate, fallen world. This is life after the event. Only handful survived, barely enough to actually rebuild. The protagonist stands in one of the many empty sky scrappers towering over his desolate home. In the distance he can see what looks like bodies on a machine. Necessary death, he had to do it. Living with that guilt, he must work to rebuild what he destroyed.

Day 2: Your favorite Character to write about

I don't have any pictures for this one, which is just as well. My favorite character to write about is Zariel Harcos. She's one of the main characters in a novel series I've been working on. 

Standing 5'4" she was tiny, her heart shaped face set hard against the world and everything in it.  Large, light green eyes regarded the room, searching each posture and pose. She preferred it that way. Only those who knew her really well could induce any useful conversation beyond thinly veiled disdain. She didn't revel in their discomfort, but that hard militant edge made them feel like she was judging their every move. 

People only spoke to her when absolutely necessary, and unfortunately for her, this business meeting was absolutely necessary. 

She moved nearer to her brother, the more well received of the Harocs siblings; although, none of them were overly well received. Something about them made people uncomfortable. 

Anyway, those are days 1 and 2. I'll post three later, but I didn't want this to be a super text heavy (not that it isn't already) post. Enjoy!

May Goals and photo dump!

Wow... where did April go? I mean it was here one second and then gone the next.

Did this month blow past for anyone else?

I stayed busy between work and trying to have a life. Honestly, it was chaotic, but fun. Don't think I'd like a month like this every month.

So, let's see how we did in April. Just as a refresher, here are my April Goals.

Blog Goals

Post once a week.

Add cooking to the blog.  

Life Goals

Keep up with the chore chart.  

Only buy coffee two times a week. 

(It doesn't help Dunkin Donuts is 7 minutes away from work.)

Health Goals

Go to the gym five times a week. 

Prep two meals a week. 

Well then, I did all right in the Blog Goals section. I posted once a week and added cooking. To see my first cooking post, look here

Life Goals

Well, I did not keep up with the chore chart. It was pretty sad actually. One day I'll find a circadian rhythm that is actually conducive to humaning.... Until then, I'll muddle through. 

I made the Coffee goals. Knowing that I would have to report back to you all, whoever you all are, held me slightly more accountable. 

Health Goals

I did not go the gym 5x a week. I don't know what happened. I think I got sick, and then it's gotten hotter lately, which makes it hard to be motivated. Maybe this month I'll back it down to three times.

And I may not have meal prepped twice a week, but I did it more often than not, which is an improvement. 

Now time for 

May Goals

Blog Goals

Continue to post once a week. (Gotta do it for more than one month, so it becomes habit.)

I think that's my only blog goal this month. 

Life Goals

Keep up with the stupid chore chart. I made it for a reason.... 

Find a place to live. (I'm not homeless, just moving.)

Save up more money for a huge vacation to China!

Stop eating out as much as possible. 

Write 30 minutes once a week. 

Health Goals. 

Make it to 145 lbs by the end of the month. 

Go to the gym three times a week. (Which shouldn't be hard, I attend three classes a week.)

Up my running interval on the treadmill to 6 minute spurts with 5 minute walks. 

Well, since this has been a text heavy post, I'll show you guys some pictures of what I've been up to. 

Camping (What's a freezing cold camping trip with out a poodle dog?)

Israel at the ruins of Bet Sha'an

Hiking!

Ethiopian coffee

A Dramatic Production for the MS foundation LUNA

Cirque Du Soleil's Ovo 

The dragonfly was my favorite!

More Hiking Pictures!

As always, 

Here's to hoping we find what we're searching for. 

April Goals

Welcome Back to my blog. Getting started again with life it feels like. Nothing says I'm back like a new blog background. Ok, so this month will be check in for savings and weight loss (haha)

But we're gonna get back on it. 

1. Limit myself to two sodas a week.

2. Work out two times a week. 

3. Write for 30 minutes 3 times a week. 

4. Save up $100 in cash from end of month savings.

Small list. You know me. Never to ambitious. 

However, if I get to 125, I'm going to buy myself the Keyvn Aucoin Makeup. I saw Zabrena do a review of this and the gossamer powder and I wants. 

So once I loose enough weight I'll buy it for myself. 

New Year and January Goals

So we all know my stance on New Year's Resolutions. I hate them.  The thing is, it's a new year, and I've got a somewhat new out look on life. Yes, I'm still me, but I can work with that. I've decided to set some goals for the year.  When people say things like "I will loose weight"; "I will eat better, sleep more, love more," they forget to plan.  Sure, I can say I will loose weight, but you have to plan. To use my favorite word, the idea is too nebulous. So this year, or month or anything, when I say I will... I'm going to make a plan to accomplish it.  At my last job, they were big on goals. My manager taught me this acronym to help me reach the goals.  It kind of stuck.  It's SMART. Literally.  Specific Manageable Attainable Relevant Timely
Specific  So your ultimate goal needs to be specific. For example, I want to go to Israel again this November. I need to save around $3,000 to go. Now, in the mean while, I have to realize this isn't going to happen over night. So I need to move to the next step.  Manageable How am I going to manage this?  So in a goal it has to be broken down into manageable chunks. Unless I have a rich uncle who dies and leaves me his fortune, I'm not going to meet this goal over night.  I know that I need to save so much every month to accomplish said goal. I went through my budget and figured everything out to save the amount each month that I need.  Attainable Now once you've gotten your goal and seen if you can manage it, you have to ask yourself can I actually attain this goal. And how will you attain it? How will you actually meet your goal?  This kind of dove tails with manageable. Don't set the bar so high you can't meet it. I could say I'm not going to spend any money on beauty products, eating out, or coffee, but then I would get so overwhelmed, I wouldn't do any of it.  However, if I set a realistic goal and leave room for other spending I'll be all right.  Relevant So, does the goal fit with your life? Does it match with long term and short term plans you've made? Israel does match with the plans I've made for this year. And since I don't want to plan too far in the future, I figure this fits in with my yearly goal.  Timely When will you accomplish your goal? If it's something like I will get published, you can say I will have submitted so many proposals by this date. I kind of have my deadline built into mine. I have to have the money saved up by November. But some goals don't have that luxury. Like getting published or loosing weight. Those you have to mark down on the calendar I will have this amount accomplished by this day.   So that being said, here are my January and New Year's goals.  Save for Israel. Create and keep a budget. I want to get to 130 by November. Submit one freelancing proposal a month--failed Continue to update the blog regularly.  Write 100 words a month. Small goals. I know, but like I said. I want them to be attainable for me. I believe in small goals.  
Happy New Year  and  As Always,

In Search Of. . . Observations: October Goals

In Search Of. . . Observations: October Goals

Ok... so goals... things I want to accomplish. . .
I go through phases with goals, where I want to accomplish everything and carpe that diem. Then I go through phases where my accomplishment is eating a whole box of Cheeze-its.
It's all about balance right?
I think I'm on the Carpe Diem kick right now. But I do have a few goals for this month.

Life Goals
Go see Ransom Riggs.
Go to the Pacific ocean.
Get through the next 13 weeks of my associates degree.
Work on videography skills which are incredibly lacking.

Writing Goals
Finish typing up the first draft of my novel from
Write.
Expand the Blog to include some videos and DIY.
Keep up with this daily writing challenge
Submit for publication
Edit chapter two of the collaboration

Other Random Goals
Refinish desk.
Finish painting
Finish remaking skirt
Make curtains and pillows for living room

Health/Beauty Goals
Reach a goal weight.
Maintain goal weight.
Do one full unassisted chin up-- Because that's better than my current number of 0
Cut back soda to one or two a week.
Drink more water.
 Eat better.

So... I'll try to mark some of them off as they get done. It seems a bit ambitious, but if you make a big to do list it can carry over. Wish me luck.
Maybe a little sense too.
As Always,