Image Credit: Food, Booze, & Baggage

We have arrived at the peak of summer. It’s my birthday month! But, I’m also excited because we’re in the home stretch, headed toward fall. Yay!

Here are my goals for the month of August:

1. Register for the fall semester.
2. Donate blood.
3. Clear out the clothing clutter, once and for all.
4. Celebrate my birthday!
5. See The Dark Tower.
6. Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.
7. Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours.
8. Update my resume and LinkedIn profile.
9. Make a series of home improvement blog posts.
10. Make the Succulent Sphere craft for Savy.

Here’s the breakdown:

Register for the fall semester.

• This is happening on Friday! I’m absolutely determined to make this happen!

Donate blood.

• Blood drive #101 is on Saturday!

Clear out the clothing clutter, once and for all.

• My thredUP donation bag is scheduled to arrive this week!
• I’m so excited to finally clean out! Our closets need it!

Celebrate my birthday!

• I’m excited to take the day off from work and thoroughly enjoy it.
• I’m making my regular pilgrimage to LUSH Handmade Cosmetics and Barnes & Noble, plus meeting Al and his co-workers for lunch!
• My parents are taking us out to eat sometime this coming weekend – Spaghetti Eddie’s!
• Al’s parents are supposed to stay with us during the second weekend of August, so hopefully we can get our parents together then, too.

See The Dark Tower.

• Al is more excited for this movie than I am (Stephen King’s epic book series), but I’m intrigued!
• Plus, who can resist Idris Elba?

Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.

• I felt so good at the end of July – I just want to keep going!
• Making time for it makes such a big difference.

Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours.

• This will be a significant step in making my office complete!

Update my resume and LinkedIn profile.

• Piggybacking off of last month, this is something that I desperately need to do. Five years is way too long!

Make a series of home improvement blog posts.

• This is long overdue, so be prepared for lots of Before & After photos!

Make the Succulent Sphere craft for Savy.

• Link coming soon!
• Savy saw this video when I shared it on Facebook and tagged her, and I’ve offered to make it for her!

Do you have any goals for the month of August?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Grammarly Facebook Page

July felt like one of the longest months to me, but I think that’s because of two weeks of suffering through AC issues (Now gloriously fixed!), and we didn’t have many plans during the weekends. However, the end of the month always seems to sneak up on me!

Here’s the link to my July Goals post:

• Getting Personal #74: July Goals

—

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Clear the clothing clutter. — Semi-Achieved.
2. Start designing my custom American Girl doll cabinet / storage unit. — Semi-Achieved.
3. Register for the fall semester. — Did not accomplish.
4. See Spider-Man: Homecoming. — Accomplished!
5. See Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. — Accomplished!
6. Write at least 200 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt. — Accomplished!
7. Work toward weekly meal planning. — Accomplished!
8. Set up a consistent cleaning schedule. — Accomplished!
9. Update my resume. — Semi-Achieved.
10. Publish a bigger variety of blog posts. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Clear the clothing clutter. — Semi-Achieved.

• I got it a bit more organized and clearly divided.
• I tried everything on, just to be absolutely sure!
• This past week, I just ordered a Donation Bag through thredUP – I love that what I put into this bag, when it arrives, (including Al’s stuff!) will help our local Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation! There are three local charities that we can choose from, at any time.

Start designing my custom American Girl doll cabinet / storage unit. — Semi-Achieved.

• We took measurements of a standard American Girl doll box.
• Al is starting to work it up on the computer, using Adobe Illustrator.

Register for the fall semester. — Did not accomplish.

• This is happening, just later this week!
• I called the academic advising department two weeks ago – They don’t make appointments, they only take walk-ins (Of course they do).
• I’m prepared to sit on campus all day on Friday until this happens. I’m tired of waiting!

See Spider-Man: Homecoming. — Accomplished!

• We saw this on Thursday, July 6th! It was a later showing, and we were both really tired on Friday at work, but it was COMPLETELY WORTH IT.
• It’s one of the best movies with Spider-Man, in our opinion.
• It’s a movie that I think would make John Hughes proud.
• If you haven’t seen it, we both highly recommend it!

See Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. — Accomplished!

• We saw this last weekend – A Sunday matinee.
• It was good, overall – Not anything spectacular.
• The CGI was stunning and mind-blowing.
• The story – Not so much.
• We’re both a little sad that it flopped at the box office.

Write at least 200 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt. — Accomplished!

• Drumroll … I wrote approximately 452 words!
• I feel awesome. I’m hoping to keep this momentum going!
• Current word count: 10,662 words.

Work toward weekly meal planning. — Accomplished!

• We sat down and mapped out the month of July. We basically picked one meal per week, and then I adjusted the recipes I had accordingly.
• One of our favorite recipes now is Creamy Parmesan Garlic Mushroom Chicken.
• The first time I made it, I followed the recipe step-by-step. It was really good!
• When I made it again this week (Monday), I grilled the chicken on our George Foreman grill after marinating it for over 24 hours with olive oil, water, salt, and pepper. Instead of spinach, I used a whole head of broccoli. Absolutely delicious! I made enough for us to have ample portions for five nights.
• This week – Taco salad!

Set up a consistent cleaning schedule. — Accomplished!

• I took a pen to our Chick-fil-A calendar in our kitchen, and basically alternated Kitchen, Bathrooms, and Floors on every weekend. I wrote it down for every Saturday, but I give myself all weekend to make sure whatever it is gets done.
• I’ve also noticed that I now feel less stressed because I’ve broken it down in this way!

Update my resume. — Semi-Achieved.

• The main thing I did was write down the highlights of my current job, and the skills that I’ve learned while working for Riverside so far. I just need to condense it down into something that’s resume-worthy.
• I’m not planning on leaving my current job anytime soon, but I know that it’s a good idea to keep my resume updated and refreshed.
• I also need to overhaul my LinkedIn profile.

Publish a bigger variety of blog posts. — Accomplished!

• I felt really great about my posts this month – I counted 21 posts total!
  • One Awesome Authors post
  • One Blog Awards post
  • Two Commentary posts
  • Two Hot Topic posts
  • Three Getting Personal posts
  • Four Tag posts
  • Four Writing Prompt posts
  • Five Book Review posts

Final Thoughts:

• I was able to put Accomplished next to six out of 10 goals! Yay!
• The three goals that were Semi-Achieved: I’m happy with my progress with these goals.
• The one goal that I did not accomplish: I’m okay with this – I’ll be able to mark it as officially Accomplished at the end of this week!

What about you? Did you have any goals for the month of July?

Come back tomorrow to see my August Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Pinterest

Here we are! Summer in Virginia is in full swing. Hot and humid!

Here are my goals for the month of July:

1. Clear the clothing clutter.
2. Start designing my custom American Girl doll cabinet / storage unit.
3. Register for the fall semester.
4. See Spider-Man: Homecoming.
5. See Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
6. Write at least 200 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.
7. Work toward weekly meal planning.
8. Set up a consistent cleaning schedule.
9. Update my resume.
10. Publish a bigger variety of blog posts.

Here’s the breakdown:

Clear the clothing clutter.

• Piggybacking off of last month, we’re trying to clean out our closets. There’s a lot of things that don’t fit / we don’t wear anymore.
• We just need to bag it all up, and head to the local thrift stores.

Start designing my custom American Girl doll cabinet / storage unit.

• This is going to be my birthday gift from Al. I’m so excited!
• I’ve been designing it in my head ever since we started talking about it last weekend in the car.
• I’ll finally have a functional / beautiful way to store my dolls and their clothes / accessories.
• This will be a fun project that we can work on together!
• I promise pictures!

Register for the fall semester.

• Once the replacement Longwood transcripts come in, I’m making an appointment on campus to make sure everything is taken care in terms of transfer credits.
• After that, I’ll talk with Professor Pedigo to make sure everything is squared away.
• Then, I can finally register for Legal Writing!

See Spider-Man: Homecoming.

• We’re definitely going to see it on Thursday, July 6th!
• Depending on how the first show goes, we may go see it again with friends.

See Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

• I was initially skeptical about this one.
• But, after watching several YouTube videos and reading more about it, I’m excited to see it!
• It looks super trippy, in a good way. I’m excited to see how they interpret the graphic novel.

Write at least 200 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.

• I was re-reading what I’ve written so far, and I’ve been jotting down some thoughts. I’m excited to add more to the story, bit by bit.

Work toward weekly meal planning.

• After looking at our budget recently, and finding out earlier this week that we need to replace our HVAC system, I’m motivated to start meal planning in a notebook.
• We have several good recipes that we like and use a lot, but any new ideas and welcomed and appreciated!

Set up a consistent cleaning schedule.

• This is another thing I want to put in writing, or on the calendar in the kitchen.
• I need to make time every weekend to do some cleaning, so stuff like dust doesn’t pile up.
• We have our laundry and sink / dishwasher routines down cold, but vacuuming / dust mopping / dusting – Not so much.
• As an adult with my own house, I’m now starting to understand why my mom had me do certain things at certain times every month – It really helps!

Update my resume.

• In talking with Professor Pedigo at the blood drive last month, she’s offered to help me update my resume. She keeps student resumes on file for lawyers needing help, and other job opportunities.
• She also recommends to update it every six months, so I’d like to get in the habit of doing that now.
• I also want to update my LinkedIn profile, and a few other professional things this month.

Publish a bigger variety of blog posts.

• I want to do a few more Commentary and Hot Topic posts this month.
• I definitely want to have a few more Book Reviews.
• Look for a new TBR recap!
• Suggestions are welcomed, and appreciated!

Do you have any goals for the month of July?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Fueled By Carrots

Here’s the link to my June Goals post:

• Getting Personal #71: June Goals

—

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Celebrate our 100th blood drive! — Accomplished!
2. Refresh/update my summer wardrobe. — Semi-Achieved.
3. See Wonder Woman! — Accomplished!
4. Celebrate Nick and Savy’s engagement/upcoming wedding! — Accomplished!
5. Attend the 10-year high school reunion with my IB classmates. — Accomplished!
6. Celebrate Mom’s retirement! — Accomplished!
7. Buy bikes! — Accomplished!
8. Visit the library at least once. — Accomplished!
9. Work to write between three-four Book Reviews. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Celebrate our 100th blood drive! — Accomplished!

• We had an excellent blood drive for #100 on Saturday, June 3rd.
• I was FINALLY able to give blood – Happy dance!
• We collected 60 units total, which is excellent for a summer drive. Historically, the summer months are the worst for the Red Cross and other blood banks, because there are less donors.

The awesome cake my mom bought at our local BJ’s!

• I’m mainly happy that I moved/re-organized my fall/winter clothes! Those are stored away until the seasons change again (It won’t be long!)
• I also moved some spring/summer clothes into my closet, and organized those properly.
• Next: Go through the huge hamper at the bottom of the closet!

See Wonder Woman! — Accomplished!

• I’m so glad we went to see it. It was AWESOME!
• Gal Gadot is a FREAKING ROCKSTAR.
• If you haven’t seen it, it is highly recommended!

Al’s caption on Facebook, June 4th: “Going to see Wonder Woman with my Wonder Woman.”

• We had a great time at their house, as we always do.
• Al’s parents drove us there, and my mom came with us!
• It was an awesome reunion – Seeing Mia, Crystal and Steven, Jeremy and Chelsea, Rachel and Jason, Kudu, and others!

Attend the 10-year high school reunion with my IB classmates. — Accomplished!

• After a few challenges, like changing restaurants, 18 of us (11 classmates, 7 spouses, and Sean’s not-so-little brother) gathered at Waterman’s at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Saturday, June 17th. We had a great time!
• Thanks, Sean, for setting this up!
• We had to wait an hour and a half for a table big enough to open up, so a bunch of us gathered on the boardwalk for a while. We stood in a huge circle and had a great time catching up and reminiscing. It was really great to have that opportunity, because by the time we got in the restaurant to eat, it was hard to hear everyone!

Markus was smart to hand his phone to our waiter! This is one of the better photos. It was so great to see everyone! Image Credit: Markus Miller.

• We celebrated at Spaghetti Eddie’s with my parents on the last day of school.
• The school had a wonderful end-of-the-year luncheon, where Mom and several other retiring teachers and staff were recognized.
• A photo mat was passed around the school and signed for my mom, and all the messages were so sweet!
• She received a wonderful send-off after 23 years at Chittum Elementary.

Buy bikes! — Accomplished!

• We were able to support a fantastic local business, SCAT Bikes – And, they’re only a few miles from our house!
• In one Saturday, we purchased two bikes, two helmets, a bike rack that works for both of our cars, and a fancy adjustable bar that makes my bike more stable when transporting it.

Al took this photo last weekend before we hopped on. We love riding around our neighborhood – Very safe and quiet. We certainly work up a good sweat! The only change we’ll make is better bike seats!

• I went twice!
• I picked up The Man in the High Castle and The Lost Symbol, and then renewed The Lost Symbol. I’m deep into that one now, and loving it! Trying hard to finish it before next Saturday!

Work to write between three-four Book Reviews. — Accomplished!

• I finally got back on track with my Book Reviews – Yay!
• I’m proud to say that I published four reviews this month – A new record!
  • Book Review #32: “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison”
  • Book Review #33: “The Devil’s Dozen: 12 Notorious Serial Killers Caught By Cutting-Edge Forensics”
  • Book Review #34: “Music in My Heart: My Journey with Melody”
  • Book Review #35: “The Man in the High Castle”

Final Thoughts:

• I was able to put Accomplished next to eight out of nine goals. I think this is a record! I was so excited when I started counting!
• The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I’m just happy that I got things organized. I still have some more work to do, but that’s fine by me!

Did you have any goals for June?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for July!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: jenny collier blog

Welcome to June! We’re basically halfway through 2017 – Already! Time is flying by.

Here are my goals for the month of June:

1. Celebrate our 100th blood drive!
2. Refresh/update my summer wardrobe.
3. See Wonder Woman!
4. Celebrate Nick and Savy’s engagement/upcoming wedding!
5. Attend the 10-year high school reunion with my IB classmates.
6. Celebrate Mom’s retirement!
7. Buy bikes!
8. Visit the library at least once.
9. Work to write between three-four Book Reviews.

Here’s the breakdown:

Celebrate our 100th blood drive!

• It’s TOMORROW. Wow!
• This should be relatively easy: Successfully donate, and then party!

Refresh/update my summer wardrobe.

• I need to go through all my clothes this month – Put away all the fall/winter items still in my closet, sort out the ones that need to be donated, and make sure the rest isn’t hiding in suitcases!
• I definitely need a few more pairs of shorts that actually fit!

See Wonder Woman!

• I’m so excited to see this!

Celebrate Nick and Savy’s engagement/upcoming wedding!

• Their fun and creative “Stock The Bar” party is this weekend!
• They always put on a great party – Tons of food, loads of friends, and usually shenanigans and live music!

Attend the 10-year high school reunion with my IB classmates.

• Scheduled for later this month, I’m excited to get together with several of my IB classmates and their spouses/significant others.
• Lots of us have kept up through Facebook over the years, but it’s really cool that we’re all gathering together in-person!
• Fun fact: The restaurant we’re going to was the same place where Al and I had our first date!

Celebrate Mom’s retirement!

• Mom’s cleaning out her classroom, for good.
• We’re excited to celebrate her long career as an ESL teacher!

Buy bikes!

• This has been on our list every since we bought our house.
• Luckily, there’s a bike shop just a few miles from us.
• We took a trip there a month or so ago, so we want to go back and actually buy!
• We’re excited to live in a neighborhood where we see families walk, run, skate, and ride their bikes and scooters.

Visit the library at least once.

• My ultimate goal is to do this at least once a month going forward, but I need to remind myself!
• Since the library near my house has limited hours, the best time for me to go is on Saturdays.

Work to write between three-four Book Reviews.

• I have one review in the pipeline, and I’m almost done with another book!
• I have a good feeling that I can power through at least one more book, maybe even two!

Do you have any goals for the month of June?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: My Be AH Vida

It’s hard to believe that today closes out month #5 of 2017. The month of May was very exciting – One of the busiest months yet!

Here’s the link to my May Goals post:

• Getting Personal #69: May Goals

—

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Celebrate Melissa’s graduation from William & Mary! – Accomplished!
2. Attend Tidewater Comicon. – Did not accomplish.
3. Visit TCC to review my transcripts, make sure everything is straight, and apply for graduation! – Did not accomplish.
4. Attend PEO Virginia State Convention. – Accomplished!
5. Research more uses for essential oils. – Semi-Achieved.
6. Celebrate Mother’s Day! – Accomplished!
7. Make at least three new recipes. – Accomplished!
8. Help prepare for our 100th blood drive! – Accomplished!
9. Figure out a new, effective workout plan. – Accomplished!
10. Read at least three new books. – Semi-Achieved.

Here’s the breakdown:

Celebrate Melissa’s graduation from William & Mary! – Accomplished!

• We took a road trip up to Richmond on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
• We had so much fun at Marisa and David’s house! Their house is gorgeous, and the renovations/expansions turned out beautifully.
• There was so much food! Melissa’s mom sent us home with tons of leftovers.
• We thoroughly enjoyed celebrating with Melissa, and meeting many of her friends and colleagues. We stayed a bit longer because we were engrossed in conversations about Star Trek, and Harry Potter!

Attend Tidewater Comicon. – Did not accomplish.

• Since Melissa’s graduation party fell on the same weekend, it wasn’t worth the money to go this year.

Visit TCC to review my transcripts, make sure everything is straight, and apply for graduation! – Did not accomplish.

• I blame my mess for this! I could not find the transcripts that I purchased a while back, even though I searched many places!
• I just need to buy two more transcripts, and make another appointment.

Attend PEO Virginia State Convention. – Accomplished!

• This was one of the best weekends I’d had in a while.
• Cindy was a great carpool buddy!
• There was so much good food!
• The business was conducted and the entire weekend went smoothly.
• We celebrated over 20 “Golden Girls” – Apparently 1967 was a great year for PEO!
• I was thoroughly exhausted after driving six hours round trip on Sunday, so I came home, got into my comfy clothes, and watched Undercover Boss on Netflix until bedtime.

Research more uses for essential oils. – Semi-Achieved.

• I want to do more research every month, but I’m happy with what I’ve learned so far.
• The fabulous woman who got me turned on to oils in the first place – April – sends out emails every week!
• Thanks to a tip from a friend on Facebook, we put “Purification” on our new air filter, and the whole house started to smell amazing!

Celebrate Mother’s Day! – Accomplished!

• We had a wonderful Chinese take-out dinner with my parents. The weather was gorgeous, so we ate on the porch! We also brought leftover cupcakes from Melissa’s graduation party from the night before.

Make at least three new recipes. – Accomplished!

• Baked Crispy Honey Lime Shrimp – Yummy!! This is one of our new favorite recipes.
• One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta – Really good. We had leftovers for a week! I won’t make it super often, since it’s loaded with calories (think 6 cups of milk, three types of cheese, etc.). But, it tasted awesome!
• Pork chops with Smoky Applewood marinade – Amazing!

Help prepare for our 100th blood drive! – Accomplished!

• This was fairly simple – Lots of moral support, and a few editing suggestions.
• We’re raffling off a $100 VISA gift card courtesy of the Red Cross!
• If you’re in the area, come out on Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.!

Figure out a new, effective workout plan. – Accomplished!

• Thanks to bodybuilding.com, I have a new 30-day workout plan in place!
• After just two days at it (yesterday and today), I’m super sore and I struggle to climb the stairs, but I’m sweating more at the gym, and I’m even starting to sleep better!\
• I’m excited to learn some new moves, and re-build some strength!

Read at least three new books. – Semi-Achieved.

• Book #1: Book Review #31: “The Da Vinci Code”
• I finished Book #2 recently, so I’m planning to publish Book Review #32 by the end of this week.
• I’m just a few chapters away from finishing Book #3, so I expect to publish Book Review #33 some time next week!

Final Thoughts:

• I was able to put Accomplished next to six out of 10 goals. Yay!! I feel super productive, and proud of myself!
• The two goals that were Semi-Achieved: I’m pleased with my progress with these goals. Looking forward to doing more in June!
• The two goals that I didn’t accomplish: There were multiple circumstances that prevented me/us from achieving these goals.

Did you have any goals for May?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for June!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Success Magazine

Hello, everyone!

This post is several days later than normal – I’m sorry if I disappointed some of you when this post didn’t show up on May 1st.

The last couple of weeks have been challenging, in a word. My work department lost a great team member to a bigger and better opportunity, and his very sudden departure has been upsetting and tumultuous. We’re picking up the pieces now, but I haven’t had a lot of energy to write recently, especially after long days at work. I hope all of you understand. Thank you for continuing to read, like, and comment. I really appreciate it!

Here are my goals for May:

1. Celebrate Melissa’s graduation from William & Mary!
2. Attend Tidewater Comicon.
3. Visit TCC to review my transcripts, make sure everything is straight, and apply for graduation!
4. Attend PEO Virginia State Convention.
5. Research more uses for essential oils.
6. Celebrate Mother’s Day!
7. Make at least three new recipes.
8. Help prepare for our 100th blood drive!
9. Figure out a new, effective workout plan.
10. Read at least three new books.

Here’s the breakdown:

Celebrate Melissa’s graduation from William & Mary!

• My best friend is earning her PhD! In physics!
• I’m beyond proud of her!
• We can’t wait to celebrate with her mom, friends, and family at her mom’s gorgeous house!

Attend Tidewater Comicon.

• We’re excited to attend this year!
• We missed 2016 entirely, so we’re looking forward to seeing what’s happening.

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

• I’ve made an official appointment for May 18th!

Attend PEO Virginia State Convention.

• This is not my first Convention, but the first for me in several years.
• I’m excited to be carpooling with Cindy, a new transfer from Florida!
• Between my chapter and Mom’s chapter, we are celebrating multiple “Golden Girls” – Sisters who have been in PEO for 50 years!

Research more uses for essential oils.

• I want to explore more uses for the oils that I have.
• I’m currently diffusing “Peace and Calming!”
• I want to especially look at more cooking options with them.

Celebrate Mother’s Day!

• We’re planning to take my mom out to dinner!

Make at least three new recipes.

• I want to dive back into Megan’s cookbook!
• There are so many recipes on Facebook – I know I can attempt at least a few of them!

Help prepare for our 100th blood drive!

• We are just weeks away from our 100th blood drive. Wow!
• I want to work with my parents, and other members of the blood drive team, to make this one the best!

Figure out a new, effective workout plan.

• I got stuck in a cardio rut for a while.
• I enjoyed the structure that bodybuilding.com offered for a while, so I want to find something like that again.

Read at least three books.

• I’m currently deep into this new book I bought when we were visiting Al’s parents.
• I want to continue the Robert Langdon saga.
• There’s a few books in my Lady Lounge begging for attention!

Do you have any goals for the month of May?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂