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Hi, my amazing readers!

I’m stunned – It’s the end of October! Wow!

Here’s the link to my October Goals post:

• Getting Personal #38: October Goals

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Ready?

Here we go!

1. Prep the house for our first overnight visitor! – Accomplished!
2. Donate blood! – Did not accomplish.
3. Plan our Halloween costumes! – Accomplished!
4. Decorate the house for fall! – Semi-achieved.
5. Clean up the clutter and plan my office space! – Accomplished!
6. Recap my 44 for Bill Movement participation. – Did not accomplish.
7. Celebrate birthdays – Mom’s and Mia’s! – Semi-achieved.
8. Read at least two books on my 2016 Reading Challenge list, and publish those book reviews. – Semi-achieved.
9. Join the Portsmouth Public Library. – Accomplished!
10. Read through Megan’s cookbook, and try at least two of her recipes! – Accomplished!
11. Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals. – Accomplished!
12. Get ahead with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments. – Accomplished!
13. Get excited for our wedding anniversary getaway! – Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Prep the house for our first overnight visitor! – Accomplished!

• This one was a little wonky. Our original visitor wasn’t able to come down during the weekend of October 14th due to a work schedule conflict. It actually worked out okay – There were some unexpected changes that weekend, and Al and I ended up moving a good chunk of furniture from my parents’ house to ours.
• However, Al’s parents stayed with us this past weekend! It was awesome. We had a great time. They stayed overnight on Friday, and then went to see some of our family yesterday.

Donate blood! – Did not accomplish.

• I was so close. My favorite phlebotomist, Spencer, was able to work the drive at the beginning of October, for the first time in over a year!
• Unfortunately, I just barely missed the mark. For women, you need a score of 12.5 for hemoglobin, and I got to 12.4. Argh!
• I’m beefing up my vitamins and investing more research into iron-rich foods. I will give again in December!

Plan our Halloween costumes! – Accomplished!

• We went to Kathryn and Tim’s annual Halloween party on the 22nd as a wizard and witch headed back to Hogwarts. We had matching Griffyndor ties, collared shirts, and dress pants. We also showed off our wands from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Decorate the house for fall! – Semi-achieved.

• I showed off my painted pumpkins, and I was able to give another stylized “V” one to Al’s parents! Mom was so excited – She can’t wait to put it in the house on the farm!

Clean up the clutter and plan my office space! – Accomplished!

• I finally got so fed on a Sunday night that I turned into a tornado and went to town. It’s still a work in progress, but I have all my doll items in an organized pile now.
• Plus, there was enough floor space to move the vintage yellow couch into another corner! I can’t wait to transform that space into my reading nook.

Recap my 44 for Bill Movement participation. – Did not accomplish.

• This didn’t happen. I’m still writing letters!

Celebrate birthdays – Mom’s and Mia’s! – Semi-achieved.

• We went out to dinner with my mom and dad to Szechuan Inn, a great local Chinese place. Mom had a great day!
• We’re hoping to meet up with Mia in November to celebrate her. They were super busy in October, and Nick and Savy both got the plague after attending a wedding!

Read at least two books on my 2016 Reading Challenge list, and publish those book reviews. – Semi-achieved.

• I finally finished Go Set A Watchman!
• Here’s my review: Book Review #19: “Go Set A Watchman”
• Currently – I’m deciding which book to tackle next.

Join the Portsmouth Public Library. – Accomplished!

• I marched in there after the blood drive on October 1st. The man that helped me was wonderful! I’m hoping to visit next Saturday to check out my first books!

Read through Megan’s cookbook, and try at least two of her recipes! – Accomplished!

• I successfully made Burger Bowls and Chili-Lime Sweet Potato Fries!
• We’re gonna look through the Shrimp section next!

Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals. – Accomplished!

• I officially signed up! Woohoo!
• I started emailing Penni, who posted in a forum that she was essentially left high and dry by her “match.” She’s wonderful!

Get ahead with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments. – Accomplished!

• I finished my midterm exam ahead of time, and I feel like I did well. We graded them in-class on the 25th. I missed a few questions, but I got all of the extra credit right! I’m pretty sure I scored a high B or a low A.
• I put in some good work on both folders last weekend and this weekend. Everything is due at the end of November, and I feel really good right now.

Get excited for our wedding anniversary getaway! – Accomplished!

• We’re going to Hatteras Island, North Carolina! We love the beach, and I can’t wait to show Al all that Hatteras has to offer. We are so excited to get away, and enjoy our first anniversary!

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished on 8 out of 13 goals! Woohoo!
• The three goals that were Semi-Achieved: I’m happy that I was able to do as much as I did this month!
• The two goals that weren’t accomplished: I’m excited to conquer them in November and December!

Did you have any goals for October?

If so, how did you do?

Come back tomorrow to see my November goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

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Here are my goals for the month of October!

1. Prep the house for our first overnight visitor!
2. Donate blood!
3. Plan our Halloween costumes!
4. Decorate the house for fall!
5. Clean up the clutter and plan my office space!
6. Recap my 44 for Bill Movement participation.
7. Celebrate birthdays – Mom’s and Mia’s!
8. Read at least two books on my 2016 Reading Challenge list, and publish those book reviews.
9. Join the Portsmouth Public Library.
10. Read through Megan’s cookbook, and try at least two of her recipes!
11. Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals.
12. Get ahead with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments.
13. Get excited for our wedding anniversary getaway!

Here’s the breakdown:

Prep the house for our first overnight visitor!

• Right now, the plan is for one of our good friends to come visit our house during the weekend of October 14th. I’m so excited!

Donate blood!

• As this post goes live, I’m at church volunteering at the blood drive. It’s easy to remember – We host blood drives on the first Saturday of every even-numbered month. This time around, there’s a delicious pancake breakfast that’s made by the local high school’s field hockey team as a fundraiser!
• I’ve struggled with anemia since I was diagnosed in college. I take a daily multivitamin with 100% iron, and I also try to eat a well-balanced diet of iron-rich foods (Red meat, dark leafy greens, whole grains, and a handful of other interesting foods). Usually, since you can give blood every 56 days (eight weeks), I’m able to give a pint and then miss a drive. I was able to give in August, but fingers crossed I can give today!

Plan our Halloween costumes!

• We had this discussion a few days ago in the car. In the past, we’ve dressed as similar characters or part of a team. We’ll keep hashing out ideas!

Decorate the house for fall!

• A local woman paints designs on plastic pumpkins, so I asked for one with a stylized “V” and one with the Green Bay Packers logo. They look amazing, and I can’t wait to put them on the front stoop!
• Pinterest is both a blessing and a curse!

Clean up the clutter and plan my office space!

• This coincides with prepping the house for our first overnight visitor, but I’m itching to clean out the clutter in my future office space and plan it out!
• We have a lot of empty boxes laying around that need to go in the recycling bin.
• Since my parents handle the nut orders for Mom’s PEO chapter every fall, they’ve put us on notice for the sawhorses and plywood in our garage. We want to get it cleaned out, anyway, so one of us can finally put our car in there!

Recap my 44 for Bill Movement participation.

• I’m not quite done with my letters, but you’d better believe there will be a post here when I’m finished!

Celebrate birthdays – Mom’s and Mia’s!

• My mom’s birthday is in the beginning of October, so I’m hoping we’ll celebrate with dinner as a family, and maybe a movie!
• Our future niece, Mia, turns 11 this year. We have a few gifts lined up for her, and we can’t wait to give them to her!
• I also want to get better at sending birthday cards and the like to my relatives. My Aunt Marny’s birthday is at the end of October, and I definitely want to send her a birthday card on time this year!

Read at least two books on my 2016 Reading Challenge list, and publish those book reviews.

• I feel so far behind! I’m about halfway through one of the books now, and I’m motivated to keep that train going.

Join the Portsmouth Public Library.

• Finally! Better late than never. Accomplishing this will definitely help me with the reading challenge!

Read through Megan’s cookbook, and try at least two of her recipes!

• Megan’s cookbook is called The Big 15 Paleo Cookbook: 15 Fundamental Ingredients, 150 Paleo Diet Recipes, 450 Variations.
• Neither Al nor I are Paleo, but I’m excited to try some new things!

Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals.

• It’s absolutely happening this month! I saw a few Facebook posts from Kristian about her pen pal, and I want those feelings, too!

Get ahead with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments.

• At this point, we’re almost halfway through the semester. If I can concentrate for 3-4 hours per weekend, I’m confident that I’ll ace my midterm and get ahead with my work. I want to fully enjoy our wedding anniversary getaway in mid-November!

Get excited for our wedding anniversary getaway!

• We’re headed toward the mountains of Virginia in mid-November. I’m getting more excited every day! It’s hard to believe that we’ve been married for almost a full year!

That’s all I have for October!

Thank you, readers, for all your comments and encouragement! You have no idea how much your words mean to me – They keep me going!

Do you have any goals for this month?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

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Hello, everyone!

I can’t believe we’re at the last day of September. This month seemed to fly by!

Here’s the link to my September Goals post:

• Getting Personal #33: September Goals

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Ready?

Here we go!

1. Complete my first full 30-day blogging challenge! – Accomplished!
2. Enjoy my six-year dating anniversary with Al.- Accomplished!
3. See Emily G. before she jets off to London! – Accomplished!
4. Keep on track with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments. – Semi-achieved.
5. Attend the Chambers Family Reunion.- Accomplished!
6. Work on an exciting wedding anniversary surprise for Al! – Accomplished!
7. Join the Portsmouth Public Library. – Did not accomplish.
8. Play catch-up with my 2016 Reading Challenge. – Semi-achieved.
9. Read the September book and attend my first book club meeting with Sarah H. – Did not accomplish.
10. Make at least three new recipes. – Did not accomplish.
11. Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals. – Did not accomplish.

Here’s the breakdown:

Complete my first full 30-day blogging challenge! – Accomplished!

• I did it! I had a lot of fun with this challenge, overall.
• There were a few days where I almost didn’t post, mainly because I had forgotten to write it up in advance and came home dead tired and didn’t feel like I had any energy to write anything. However, I keep thinking of this goal, and it kept me motivated!
• If you’re curious, here’s the post that started it all: Writing Prompt #7: “30 Day Writing Challenge” (Day 1)
• I’m not planning to do a challenge in October, but I would like to do one in November. I’m thinking every other month from here on out. Suggestions / recommendations are welcome!

Enjoy my six-year dating anniversary with Al! – Accomplished!

• Our dating anniversary fell on a Sunday this year, and it was lovely. We enjoyed a quiet day at home, and then we went out to Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake to the Cinema Cafe. We discovered that on Sundays and Tuesdays, the tickets are only $1.50! Score!!
• We enjoyed seeing Independence Day: Resurgence while we stuffed ourselves with glorious food. We split the spinach artichoke dip. Then, I had the amazing beer-battered shrimp and a hulking amount of popcorn, while Al had the gyro and a salad.

See Emily G. before she jets off to London! – Accomplished!

• Al and I drove up to Williamsburg to meet Emily and three other friends (Her boyfriend, Andrew; Emily’s good friend, Michelle; and Michelle’s husband, Brett) for lunch on Saturday, September 10th. We ate at this great place called Food For Thought. Yummy!

Keep on track with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments. – Semi-achieved.

• I made excellent progress with my Homework Folder this month, but not so much on my Trial Notebook. I’m playing catch-up with that one right now. Hoping to get ahead in October!

Attend the Chambers Family Reunion. – Accomplished!

• This will be explained in a new Adventure Time post, coming to the blog next week!

Work on an exciting wedding anniversary surprise for Al! – Accomplished!

• I can’t say much about this one, but a lot happened, and I’m eagerly awaiting our anniversary getaway!

Join the Portsmouth Public Library. – Did not accomplish.

• Every weekend in September was jam-packed. I didn’t have any time to read much of anything new this month, either. Hopefully, if I get my car back in time tomorrow, I’ll go sign up tomorrow afternoon!

Play catch-up with my 2016 Reading Challenge. – Semi-achieved.

• I barely had time to breathe this month!
• I did make progress with Go Set A Watchman, but I haven’t finished it yet.

Read the September book and attend my first book club meeting with Sarah H. – Did not accomplish.

• The book club moved the meetings to the beginning of every month, and I won’t be able to attend the one in October, since it falls on my mom’s birthday!
• I wasn’t able to pick up a copy of the book, since I haven’t yet joined the library and the price of the book online was a little too steep for me this month.

Make at least three new recipes. – Did not accomplish.

• We stuck to staples this month – Pizza, a few frozen meals, salads, and a few marinated meats. This will come up again in October!

Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals. – Did not accomplish.

• Having hardly any time to breathe, this didn’t happen. However, I’m determined to make it happen in October!

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished next to 5 out of 11. Not bad!
• The two goals that were Semi-Achieved: I’m happy with the progress!
• The four goals that were Not Accomplished: This was frustrating, but there were certain circumstances that made these goals nearly impossible to achieve. I just need to carve more time to read!

Did you have any goals for September?

If so, how did you do?

Come back tomorrow to see my October goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂