Category Archives: Blogging

03.18.17
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Blog Awards #13: The Blogger Recognition Award – Number 4!

blogger_recognition_award

Image Credit: icebreaker694

Thank you so much to the incredible icebreaker694 for nominating me for The Blogger Recognition Award for the fourth time!

Here’s the link to the post where I was nominated:

The Rules:

  1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  2. Write a post to show your award.
  3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
  4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
  5. Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
  6. Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How Hot Shot Headlines Started

The origins of Hot Shot Headlines started in 2009. As part of my Communication Studies, Mass Media major at Longwood University, I was required to take a class called Computer-Mediated Communication. To be honest, I wasn’t all that excited about it. I was a junior, I was feeling a bit burnt out. Junior year is notorious for being the worst! I felt it was more geared toward the other COMM major – Public Relations. And, I had never had the professor before – Dr. Bill Stuart, a.k.a., Dr. B.

Luckily, I started to come around, and eventually warmed up to the class. One of the assignments was to create a blog – It could be about anything that we wanted – And have it peer reviewed by our classmates throughout the semester. I ended up loving what I picked – Movies that people had never heard of / never seen – and I continued that blogging effort for several months after that semester ended.

Fast forward several years, and a few other failed blog attempts along the way, and I landed here. I came up with “Hot Shot Headlines” early on – I knew wanted to carry on my journalism efforts / contributions after deciding to not pursue it as a career. I missed working on The Rotunda, Longwood’s student newspaper, so much after graduating in May 2011. It was something that I basically lived and breathed during my four years at Longwood.

My posts officially start as of March 2014, but over the last 18 months, this little blog of mine has skyrocketed. I’m deeply appreciative of everyone who has taken the time to read, comment on, like, and spread the word about my posts. I am a very humble and happy blogger here in Virginia.

Advice

  1. Write for yourself. – What I mean is, your blog is YOURS. Don’t feel pressured to fit a mold, or to write what others are writing about. Write what you feel is important to you. That’s all that matters.
  2. Reach out to other bloggers. – One of the biggest things I do is I read other people’s blogs. It’s expanded my world significantly. There are so many people in the U.S., and around the world, that are talented and articulate writers. Personally, I’m attracted to book blogs, and those who write about writing and publishing. When I find a post that I like, I like the post, and I also try to comment on it. It’s a great way to interact with others! I’m delighted when bloggers email me, too!

Nominations

  1. Candace Robinson
  2. social underground
  3. The ThinkTheorist
  4. Teri again
  5. Holistic Wayfarer

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.07.17
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Blog Awards #12: Sunshine Blogger Award – Number 2!

sunshine-blogger-award-2

Image Credit: The Green Onion Blog

Many thanks to the incredibly nerdy The Green Onion Blog for nominating me for another award!

Here’s the link to the post where I was nominated:

The Rules:

  1. Thank the person(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
  2. Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you
  3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions
  4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or on your blog.

The Questions:

1. Can you describe your ideal man-cave/woman-cave/library, and what kind of things we would find in there?

My ideal woman-cave / library would be a replica of the Beast’s library in Beauty and the Beast. However, I’m excited to be building a smaller version in my own house – The Lady Lounge! Eventually, it will contain my desk, my laptop, my humongous bookcase, my American Girl dolls, and a reading nook!

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2. What was one of your most prized toys/possessions when you were a child?

My first 18-inch American Girl doll, Stephanie. I still have her, nearly 20 years later. It’s funny – She’s one of the look-alike dolls (Originally called “American Girl of Today,” now called “Truly Me.”). However, when my parents bought her for me for Christmas in 1997, the company didn’t make a doll with brown hair and green/hazel eyes, so the next best thing was blonde hair with bangs, and bright green eyes. To me, however, as a 9-year-old, she was perfect. I took her everywhere!

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3. What book/comic book movie adaptation do you wish they would make that has not been done yet?

Oh, goodness. This was the hardest question for me! I’d love to see Stargirl’s story to be continued. She’s had a few live-action and animation roles, but nothing in a movie, yet!

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4. You won a $500 gift card to the bookstore, what do you buy first?

Score! I’d immediately buy all of Jane Austen’s works.

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5. If you had to cosplay any character, and had access to whatever you needed, who are you going as?

Wonder Woman!

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6. You can have any robot-pet, what kind of robo-pet do you get?

A hedgehog!

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7. What was the worst mark you ever got in school?

High school Spanish was the worst! I flat out failed a couple tests, and got a zero on one assignment because my teacher could tell that I had rushed and used Google Translate.

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8. What would be the absolute worst villain/monster after you?

One that takes books away!

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9. If you were going colour blind, and get to choose which colour you lose, what colour will you never see again?

Orange.

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10. If you could own any fictional vehicle, what are you driving?

The Invisible Jet.

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11. You get one protein, one fruit/vegetable, and one dairy product, for the rest of your life, what are your choices?

Seafood, mushrooms, and cheese.

Nominations:

  1. Aliexpress Fashion Review
  2. The Watts
  3. TrevnJess
  4. Not-so-modern girl
  5. MovieBabble
  6. Reads & Reels
  7. Flexi Reads
  8. Elazar Abrahams – TV and City
  9. midnightmusings
  10. goldenquotesrb
  11. Julius – Logical Quotes

Questions for the Bloggers:

  1. If you could have one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?
  2. What was your favorite subject in school?
  3. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  4. What’s your favorite superhero movie / TV show?
  5. Name three books that you read as a child that left a lasting impression on you.
  6. What’s one of your favorite childhood memories?
  7. When did you get your first cell phone?
  8. Which TV cast would you love to meet?
  9. If you had the opportunity to buy a one-way plane ticket tomorrow, what destination would you pick?
  10. Do you have a favorite game show?
  11. If you could have any pet (real or fictional), what would you get, and why?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.01.17
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Getting Personal #63: March Goals

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Image Credit: Entrepreneur Delights

It’s already March 1st! Is it just me, or does the year seem to be flying by?

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Here are my goals for March:

  1. Complete my Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Exam Prep class.
  2. Take, and pass, my CPC exam (a.k.a., boards).
  3. Be a volunteer for the 2017 District Orchestra Assessment at my alma mater.
  4. Write at least 1,000 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
  5. See Kong: Skull Island.
  6. Positively geek out over Beauty and the Beast.
  7. See Power Rangers.
  8. Finally implement my receipt organization system.
  9. Visit TCC to review my transcripts, make sure everything is straight, and apply for graduation!
  10. Celebrate birthdays!
  11. Move at least my American Girl dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house.
  12. Make progress with emptying / organizing the garage.

Here’s the breakdown:

Complete my Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Exam Prep class.

  • This opportunity presented itself in the beginning of February. One of our friends, Shana, took this class last fall, and passed her exam (boards) on the first try!
  • I was lucky to get a slot – I paid about a third of the cost of a typical CPC exam prep course, and my work department graciously bought my books.
  • So far, so good: I’ve been in class since February 20th, twice a week, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on campus.

Take, and pass, my CPC exam (a.k.a., boards).

  • I’m scheduled to take the test on Saturday, March 25th. I have five hours to answer 150 questions. Fortunately, it’s paper-pencil, and multiple-choice. That, I can handle!
  • I should know my results about a week to 10 days after the test, since it has to be fed through a Scantron machine at another location.

Be a volunteer for the 2017 District Orchestra Assessment at my alma mater.

  • I wasn’t able to do this last year, so I’m excited to help!
  • This weekend (Friday and Saturday) is when all the middle school and high school orchestras in the city of Chesapeake descend upon my alma mater, Oscar Smith High School, to perform several pieces and be assessed by a panel of judges.
  • I’ll be working the registration table for a few hours on Saturday. I’ll be rocking my Rehearse-A-Thon T-shirt from my orchestra days!

Write at least 1,000 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

  • I think I set this goal too high for the last two months, so I decided to scale it back a bit. I think I can handle 1,000 words!

See Kong: Skull Island.

  • This is one of those movies that we’ve been excited to see for a long, long time.
  • We first saw glimpses of this when we were on our honeymoon in Orlando in November 2015 – There’s a new ride based on the movie opening soon in Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Positively geek out over Beauty and the Beast.

  • I can barely wait until the 17th, you guys. This movie looks so good!
  • I’m currently searching for a shirt online that will be worn to the movie.
  • I always dreamed of having the Beast’s library!
  • Personally, I think Emma Watson, as Belle, is a perfect fit. As well as Luke Evans (Gaston), Kevin Kline (Maurice), and Josh Gad (Le Fou).

See Power Rangers.

  • Originally, I was a little skeptical about this one. I didn’t watch a lot of Power Rangers as a kid, but I’m actually excited for this movie. It looks really sleek and modern. Bring it on!

Finally implement my receipt organization system.

  • It may be just a series of envelopes, but hopefully it will eliminate a lot of the stress I’ve had! Stacking the receipts for the month, by date, has not been helpful! Fingers crossed.

Visit TCC to review my transcripts, make sure everything is straight, and apply for graduation!

  • Oh, boy. Here we go!
  • I’m really excited, and a little nervous. I think I only have one class left (Legal Writing), but I want to be absolutely sure!
  • If that’s the case, I plan to fill out my application for graduation and make sure everything is in order, all in one fell swoop.
  • It’s so close, I can almost taste it.

Celebrate birthdays!

  • My parents are having a big shindig for a family friend this weekend. I’m excited! We’re bringing angel food cake and Cool Whip!
  • We want to call Al’s mom this weekend to wish her a Happy Birthday!

Move at least my American Girl dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house.

  • I’m tired of not having all my dolls (I have five total) in one place! It’s definitely happening this month – Hopefully this weekend!

Make progress with emptying / organizing the garage.

  • The warmer weather we’ve had recently is giving me the itch to finally empty out and organize our garage.
  • I want to put one of our cars in there by the end of the month, hopefully! That’s the ultimate goal.

Do you have any goals for the month of March?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.28.17
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Getting Personal #62: February Goals Recap

setting-goals-is-the-first-step-in-turning-the-invisible-into-the-visible

Image Credit: Quotlr

The end of February snuck up on me! Wow!

Here’s the link to my February Goals post:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Begin my journal adventure. – Did not accomplish.
  2. Finish my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. – Did not accomplish.
  3. Donate blood. – Did not accomplish.
  4. Celebrate our 6,000th donated pint at our blood drive on February 4th. – Accomplished!
  5. Finally see Hidden Figures! – Accomplished!
  6. Buy a desk. – Did not accomplish.
  7. Buy a shelving system for my dolls! – Did not accomplish.
  8. Move my huge bookcase, books, and dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house. – Did not accomplish.
  9. Make at least three new recipes! – Semi-Achieved.
  10. Successfully co-host the PEO meeting on February 13th. – Did not accomplish.

Here’s the breakdown:

Begin my journal adventure. – Did not accomplish.

  • I didn’t write one single post!

Finish my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. – Did not accomplish.

  • I didn’t write a single new word.

Donate blood. – Did not accomplish.

  • I got close! But, my iron wasn’t quite high enough. Here’s to April!

Celebrate our 6,000th donated pint at our blood drive on February 4th. – Accomplished!

  • Hooray!
  • Mr. Barry Katz was lucky #6,000. He’s been a regular donor for years.

Finally see Hidden Figures! – Accomplished!

  • We went to Cinebistro in Hampton – It’s a great place!
  • If you haven’t seen it, it comes highly recommended!

Buy a desk. – Did not accomplish.

  • I finally started to make space for this desk in the Lady Lounge, but I haven’t 100 percent decided what I want to buy.

Buy a shelving system for my dolls! – Did not accomplish.

  • See above – I’m still not happy with my options at the moment.
  • Any tips for a shelving unit that has at least 20 inches of height?

Move my huge bookcase, books, and dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house. – Did not accomplish.

  • See the above two!

Make at least three new recipes! – Semi-Achieved.

  • For the Super Bowl, I made Pillsbury’s S’mores Pretzel Cookie Bars!
  • Tonight, we tried Campbell’s Skillet Meals for the first time!

Successfully co-host the PEO meeting on February 13th. – Did not accomplish.

  • Unfortunately, the week before the meeting, I came down with the flu!
  • Although I was feeling better by the day of the meeting, I didn’t want to infect anyone.

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to two out of 10 goals. I’ll take it!
  • The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I want to get back to home cooking! We ate a lot of pre-packaged food this month (frozen pizza, Bertolli meals, etc.), so I want to get back on track again.
  • The seven goals that I didn’t accomplish: This one hurt, a lot. But, I’ve been busier this month for several different reasons (See more in tomorrow’s post!). Plus, being sick for the better part of a whole week was frustrating!

Did you have any goals for February?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for March!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.16.17
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Blog Awards #11: Blogger Recognition Award – Number 3!

blogger-recognition-award

Image Credit: Found on The Green Onion Blog.

Many thanks to The Green Onion Blog for nominating me for The Blogger Recognition Award!

Here’s the link to his post, where I was nominated:

The Rules:

  1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  2. Write a post to show your award.
  3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
  4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
  5. Select other bloggers you want to give this award to.
  6. Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How Hot Shot Headlines Started:

Thanks to Dr. Bill Stuart (Dr. B.) at Longwood University, I created my first blog through his Computer-Mediated Communication class. After a few years, different blogs that didn’t go very far, and a couple of platforms (Blogspot, WordPress, etc.), I landed here. I celebrate my blogaversary next month – It’s been three years since Hot Shot Headlines officially kicked off.

As for the name: “Hot Shot” is the nickname that my dad gave me years ago. We have no idea how it started, or exactly when it started, but it’s stuck. Since I was a Communication Studies, Mass Media major in college, I wanted to have a news-like angle to whatever blog I created. Thus, I found “Headlines” to be appropriate.

I ended up not going into the journalism field for my career, so I like to think that my blog is an extension, of sorts, of my university newspaper participation that I absolutely loved for eight semesters.

I’ve really enjoyed the last year or so in particular, where my horizons really started to expand. I’ve loved participating in different challenges and tags, writing about real issues, and exploring other items of interest (Books, different types of media, etc.). Plus, I’ve gained so many amazing followers, and friends!

My Advice to New Bloggers:

  1. Don’t put pressure on yourself to have a set schedule.
  2. Always respond to comments!
  3. Don’t be afraid to take “blogging breaks.”

For me, I agonized for a really long time about setting a schedule for my blog. I wanted to post regularly, but I didn’t know how to do so. I felt awkward with a ton of unfinished drafts.

When WordPress came out with the “Schedule” feature, that was a game-changer for me! Now, I can look at the calendar and figure out any day and time that I want to publish posts. It’s fantastic! If a certain post isn’t ready, I can easily change the date and time for publication.

I’m definitely a routine person. Example – I wanted to publish my “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” posts on the same day every single week. I picked Wednesdays, and it’s worked beautifully. Now, I’m finding that I’m posting more frequently, and enjoying it!

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I try to respond to every single comment that’s made on my posts (unless it’s spam, of course). It’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and readers alike! I’ve made several blogging friends this way.

In addition, I try to comment on posts that really speak to me. It doesn’t have to be a long comment, but I enjoy reaching out to other bloggers in that way. Plus, if it’s a WordPress blog, the poster can find my blog that way! It’s a great networking tool/resource.

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Finally, don’t be afraid to take a “blogging break.” Everyone I know who writes, whether it’s a blogger, journalist, novelist, or poet, gets writer’s block. It sucks!

But, if you’ve found that you’ve hit a wall with your blog or your writing, it’s actually a good thing to take a break. Here’s a personal example – I found that I was absolutely burnt out in early 2015 for about a month or so. Outside of the blog, I was planning my wedding, work was crazy, and I was trying to keep up with my paralegal classes. I couldn’t juggle the blog with everything else. I went on complete hiatus for about two weeks. I felt bad, but those two weeks helped my brain catch up with everything else in my life. Plus, I had fresh material and new ideas for the blog. I came back to the blog recharged, and ready to write again!

Now, I find myself taking shorter breaks every so often – Sometimes a few weekdays, sometimes a whole weekend. It depends. When we travel to Al’s parents’ farm, I really try to hard to “unplug” completely when we’re there. It’s a nice break from technology, social media, etc.

Nominations:

  1. R.H. (Rusty) Foerger – Curriculum of the Spiritual Life
  2. jennanicolee – Bookmark Your Life
  3. Animal Planet Lover
  4. Its Naly
  5. martin houghton – DukkeHus
  6. vinnieh
  7. Panic At The Bookstore
  8. Marie’s library
  9. Cheila – Pink For Days
  10. Suyog Chhatre – Positivity Unlimited
  11. The Sporadic Scribbler
  12. Alex Raphael

Thanks for reading! I hope everyone has a terrific Thursday!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.10.17
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Blog Awards #10: One Lovely Blogger Award! – Number 2!

one-lovely-blogger-award

Image Credit: Found on vinnieh

Many thanks to vinnieh for the nomination! He is the king of movie reviews!

Here’s the link to his post, where I was nominated:

The Rules:

  • Thank the person who nominated you and link their blog
  • Add the One Lovely Blog Award to your post
  • Share 7 things about yourself
  • Pass this on to as many people as you like
  • Include this set of rules

Seven Things About Laura Beth:

  1. I love watching shows like Law & Order: SVU, The First 48, and so on, but I can’t watch a marathon of them at night, especially right before bed. I replay the episodes in my head, and make myself scared.
  2. I am officially in love with / addicted to Stranger Things on Netflix. Holy cow, it’s so good!
  3. I don’t get sick often, but when I do, it’s bad/awful/terrible! I was just diagnosed with the flu and acute sinusitis – Yay! I’m camped out at home for the moment, hoping that I recover over the weekend and can go back to work on Monday.
  4. I hope to own all the Dear America / My Name is America / The Royal Diaries books, someday.
  5. I’m currently 14 chapters into John Grisham’s latest book. It’s been so long since I’ve read one of his books, and I forgot how addicting his writing is. It’s hard to stop at night when I need to go to sleep! I powered through four whole chapters in 45 minutes the other day.
  6. I don’t buy a lot of music anymore, but I definitely have the soundtracks to Moana and Hamilton on my wish list.
  7. I’m ready for consistent 60 and 70-degree weather! Not this ugly roller coaster ride! So many people around me have been sick!

Nominations:

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.01.17
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Getting Personal #58: February Goals

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Image Credit: Michael and Tara

 

Wow, welcome to February 2017!

Here are my goals for February:

  1. Begin my journal adventure.
  2. Finish my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
  3. Donate blood.
  4. Celebrate our 6,000th donated pint at our blood drive on February 4th.
  5. Finally see Hidden Figures!
  6. Buy a desk.
  7. Buy a shelving system for my dolls!
  8. Move my huge bookcase, books, and dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house.
  9. Make at least three new recipes!
  10. Successfully co-host the PEO meeting on February 13th.

Here’s the breakdown:

Begin my journaling adventure.

  • I’m determined to do this!
  • I’m not setting a goal of an entry every night, but I want to get pretty close to that.

Finish my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

  • I’m doing it. I want to set aside at least 15 minutes for three nights a week. If I feel motivated to do more than that, I will!
  • My plan is to work toward the 50,000 word count. I have a ways to go, but I want to finish it, once and for all. This one has dominated my thoughts since Christmas.
  • I’m excited to share my progress!

Donate blood.

  • Our next blood drive is on Saturday. I hope to have a high enough iron level!

Celebrate our 6,000th donated pint at our blood drive on February 4th.

  • We are just 46 pints away from number 6,000!
  • This is so exciting. We have a big celebration planned!
  • Doing the math – That will be 750 gallons donated!

Finally see Hidden Figures!

  • I’m so excited to finally see this movie, this weekend!
  • The author of the book is from Hampton, and the movie is set at NASA Langley, also in Hampton. I see the sign for the base every day on my commute!

Buy a desk.

  • I’m ready to pick out a desk for the Lady Lounge!

Buy a shelving system for my dolls!

  • We received a generous Target gift card from family friends for Christmas, so I’ll be buying a shelving system for my American Girl dolls.
  • I’ve been looking around for the perfect size – At least 24 inches between shelves, and around that depth. I’m excited to finally display them properly!

Move my huge bookcase, books, and dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house.

  • This is the last of my things from Mom and Dad’s. I’m excited to start to bring the Lady Lounge to completion!

Make at least three new recipes!

  • Recently, I’ve found a ton of mouth-watering recipes! I made Cajun Chicken Alfredo this past weekend – Yummy!
  • I’m excited to make something new – A delicious dessert – for the Super Bowl party this weekend
  • I also want to find at least one other recipe in Megan’s cookbook!

Successfully co-host the PEO meeting on February 13th.

  • As co-hostess, I’m in charge of refreshments for the hostess, in Virginia Beach.
  • Since the meeting is the day before Valentine’s Day, I plan to have several heart-shaped or heart-themed goodies!

Do you have any goals for February?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.31.17
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Getting Personal #57: January Goals Recap

Image Credit: quotesgram.com

I can’t believe we’re already a whole month into 2017! So crazy!

Here’s the link to my January Goals post:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Kick off the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge. – Accomplished!
  2. Catalog all receipts and log them in our budget spreadsheet before February 1st. – Semi-achieved. 
  3. Celebrate Al’s birthday! – Accomplished!
  4. Begin my journal adventure. – Did not accomplish.
  5. Start editing my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. – Did not accomplish.
  6. Update my TBR list. – Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Kick off the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge. – Accomplished!

Catalog all receipts and log them in our budget spreadsheet before February 1st. – Semi-achieved.

  • I didn’t do the best job of cataloging everything this month – All the receipts went in one big pile. Not helpful when it’s time to record them!
  • However, I did log all of them in our budget spreadsheet, so I call that part a WIN!

Celebrate Al’s birthday! – Accomplished!

  • The food we had last week was amazing – Smoky Applewood steak, shrimp, Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, cookie cake, and ice cream! Yummy!
  • I loved Al’s reaction to his birthday card and gifts – I went on an Amazon shopping spree and gave him three different Batman DVDs, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and this Marvel deck-building card game. It felt awesome.

Begin my journal adventure. – Did not accomplish.

  • I had my journal and pen ready, but it didn’t happen this month. Not one single entry.
  • Tonight, I’m carrying both upstairs when I get ready for bed. My thought is, if I try to read every night before going to sleep – I can certainly carve out a few minutes to write in my journal!

Start editing my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. – Did not accomplish.

  • Argh. This was frustrating. I felt motivated to start this project at the beginning of the month, but working full-time, behind a computer, is exhausting. Most nights, after work, I didn’t want to look at another screen.
  • However, I felt inspired this past weekend, talking to fellow authors and aspiring ones at an event. All of them said the same thing – JUST DO IT!

Update my TBR list. – Accomplished!

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to 3 out of 6 goals. Hooray!!
  • The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I know what I need to do from here on out to accomplish that goal!
  • The two goals that I didn’t accomplish: Honestly, I completely dropped the ball on these. I felt motivated to do both during the month, but I just didn’t make time for them. Here’s to February!

Did you have any goals for January?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for February!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.01.17
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Getting Personal #52: January Goals

goals-new-year

Image Credit: emilysquotes.com

Happy New Year! Cheers to 2017!

Here are my goals for January:

  1. Kick off the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge.
  2. Catalog all receipts and log them in our budget spreadsheet before February 1st.
  3. Celebrate Al’s birthday!
  4. Begin my journal adventure.
  5. Start editing my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
  6. Update my TBR list.

Here’s the breakdown:

Kick off the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge.

  • Thanks to Kristian at Life Lessons Around The Dinner Table, I’m so excited to start a a full YEAR challenge!
  • My plan is to publish these posts on Wednesdays, so look for a new post every single week in 2017!

Catalog all receipts and log them in our budget spreadsheet before February 1st.

  • All I could think about for the last few days was the best ways to keep our mountain of receipts organized and cataloging them in a timely manner. I want to have a good picture of our budget for 2017 early!

Celebrate Al’s birthday!

  • Al’s birthday is later this month!
  • It falls on a Wednesday this year, so we’ll be working that day, but I’ll make sure it’s a special day.
  • Surf and turf, and cookie cake! Yum!!

Begin my journal adventure.

Start editing my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

  • I started a series called Writing Wednesdays in 2015, where I bravely shared my 2012, 2013, and 2014 National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) attempts / endeavors.
  • Here’s the first post: New Series: Writing Wednesdays
  • I’m excited to finally be at the point where I feel comfortable enough to start editing my first endeavor. The ultimate goal will be to get this piece to at least 50,000 words.

Update my To Be Read (TBR) list.

Happy 2017, everyone! I’m so excited for the New Year. It symbolizes a fresh start.

Do you have any goals for January?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

12.31.16
by

Getting Personal #51: December Goals Recap

goals-pinterest

Image Credit: pinterest.com

December was a complete blur. Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone!

Here’s the link to my December Goals post:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Decorate for Christmas. – Accomplished!
  2. Fully clean up / clean out the attached garage. – Semi-achieved.
  3. Enjoy several holiday parties! – Accomplished!
  4. Donate blood. – Accomplished!
  5. Create our budget for 2017. – Semi-achieved.
  6. Help either a child or a family have a good Christmas. – Accomplished!
  7. See Rogue One: A Star Wars Story! – Accomplished!
  8. Make peppermint bark. – Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Decorate for Christmas – Accomplished!

  • We bought our first Christmas tree! We enjoyed decorating it together. It’s been such a pretty addition to our living room.
christmas-tree-december-2016

Photo Credit: Al Vardaro

Fully clean up / clean out the attached garage. – Semi-achieved.

  • This is something that’s still a work in progress. We were able to clean out several boxes and find places for some more kitchen items, DVDs, etc. However, we still have a ways to go before it’s completely clean.

Enjoy several holiday parties! – Accomplished!

  • We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Amanda and Dan’s party on Saturday, December 3rd. I got so wrapped up in playing Exploding Kittens and Cards Against Humanity, that we didn’t leave until 11:45 p.m.!
  • Al’s company holiday party was Friday, December 9th. It was a good time, with a Hollywood theme. Al even won a brand-new FitBit Alta!
  • Later tonight, we’ll gather to celebrate New Year’s and Al’s co-worker Kathryn’s birthday! We’ve really enjoyed getting together with her, her husband Tim, and other friends to ring in the New Year! I don’t know about you, but I’m beyond ready for 2017 to begin!
bauer-holiday-party-december-2016

The selfie we took toward the end of the night at Bauer’s Christmas Party.

Donate blood. – Accomplished!

  • I crushed the hemoglobin test with a reading of 13.1 – Women need at least 12.5 to qualify to give. I was so excited! Plus, my favorite phlebotomist, Spencer, was there. He always makes my giving experience pleasant!

Create our budget for 2017. – Semi-achieved.

  • We started the spreadsheet. I’ve been playing catch-up with our 2016 sheet, cataloging receipts for days.
  • Note to self for 2017: Get envelopes and file receipts immediately, and then catalog at month’s end!

Help either a child or a family have a good Christmas. – Accomplished!

  • Just days after making my December Goals post, a friend from college put out a call to for help. She wanted to help a former student of hers and her family have a good Christmas.
  • I went shopping for the two girls, ages 12 and 15. I thoroughly enjoyed buying some horses with hair they could style and brush, along with a pair of jeans and two sweaters apiece.
  • I wrapped everything up and met Amy for lunch in Hampton on Monday, December 19th. She was so appreciative! My heart was full.
  • On Monday, December 26th, Amy sent a Facebook message that had a photo of the girls and their mom, all smiles. It was a fantastic Christmas for them, and they were overflowing with gratitude and appreciation. It felt awesome to contribute.

See Rogue One: A Star Wars Story! – Accomplished!

  • Al and I first saw it in XD at our local Cinemark theater on Thursday, December 15th. It was very good. The theater was buzzing with excitement and the atmosphere was awesome.
  • Then, our friend Drew came down to stay with us that Friday. We saw it at Paragon Theaters in Newport News on Saturday, December 17th. It was good to see it again – There were things that I had definitely missed the first time around.
  • I will admit, although it was very good, The Force Awakens still has my heart.
  • Cannot wait for Episode VIII!

Make peppermint bark – Accomplished!

  • Here’s the recipe I used: Almost-Famous Peppermint Bark
  • The hardest part was standing up for nearly an hour to melt both kinds of chocolate. However, judging by the look and smell from last night, it’s gonna be delicious.

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to 6 out of 8 goals. Hooray!!
  • The two goals that were Semi-Achieved: The weekends this month were exceptionally busy this month, and I wasn’t as diligent on weeknights as I would have liked to be.

Did you have any goals for December?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for January!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂