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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

—

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 🙂

Here are my goals for the month of September!

1. Complete my first full 30-day blogging challenge!
2. Enjoy my six-year dating anniversary with Al.
3. See Emily G. before she jets off to London!
4. Keep on track with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments.
5. Attend the Chambers Family Reunion.
6. Work on an exciting wedding anniversary surprise for Al!
7. Join the Portsmouth Public Library.
8. Play catch-up with my 2016 Reading Challenge.
9. Read the September book and attend my first book club meeting with Sarah H.
10. Make at least three new recipes.
11. Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals.

Here’s the breakdown:

Complete my first full 30-day blogging challenge!

• This will be explained in another post that will be published later today. I stumbled upon it through a WordPress blog, and I’m super excited about it!

Enjoy my six-year dating anniversary with Al.

• We are celebrating six years together on September 4th. Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun. We have tickets to see The NeverEnding Story 30th Anniversary release in theaters for Sunday afternoon!

See Emily G. before she jets off to London!

• One of our dearest friends is headed across the pond for grad school! We’re so excited for her. We want to meet up with her before she leaves!

Keep on track with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice class assignments.

• After reading the syllabus for my class, I know that I have to hunker down and block off time every weekend to complete my assignments. Even though the two projects, the Homework Folder and Trial Notebook, aren’t due until the very end of the semester, I want to get ahead and stay that way! Plus, doing these assignments in an orderly fashion will get me into a solid routine, and help me prepare for my midterm exam!

Attend the Chambers Family Reunion.

• My mother-in-law’s side of the family always has a reunion in the middle of September, and this weekend has become one of the highlights of my entire year. It’s a huge potluck at the United Methodist Church in Keysville, Virginia. It’s a great way to get together, share stories, catch up, and enjoy each other. I requested to have Friday, September 16th off from work, and it was approved! My in-laws are so excited that Al and I staying at the farm for the weekend, and so are we!

Work on an exciting wedding anniversary surprise for Al!

• I can’t say much about this goal, but I’m very excited, and everything is starting to come together. Look for a post about this one some time in November!

Join the Portsmouth Public Library.

• Hopefully this weekend! There’s a branch of the library literally two miles from our house. I’m so excited to check it out, and bring home several books that I’ve been itching to read.

Play catch-up with my 2016 Reading Challenge.

• Here’s the link to my original post: Commentary #14: “2016 Reading Challenge”
• It’s already September, which means I’m woefully behind on this list! But, I own several of these books – I just need to get them from my parents’ house and bring them to ours! The others that I don’t own, well, that’s where joining the library comes in!

Read the September book and attend my first book club meeting with Sarah H.

• I had a lovely dinner with my friend Sarah last month. She was one of my career advisers when I was a student at Longwood, and we kept in touch after I graduated. Now, she’s working at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, and bought a house that’s close to my office! She told me about this book club that meets once a month in cities like Portsmouth and Suffolk. I’m so excited!
• The September book is titled The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children – And The World by Roger Thurow. It looks really interesting!

Make at least three new recipes.

• I’m determined to find healthier recipes to cook for Al and I. One of the recent steps I took to achieve this was buy my friend Megan’s cookbook – The Big 15 Paleo Cookbook: 15 Fundamental Ingredients, 150 Paleo Diet Recipes, 450 Variations.
• With that said, neither Al nor I exclusively follow the Paleo diet, but I’ve admired Megan’s commitment to it for years. I’m excited to leaf through the book and find new things to try!
• Check out her blog, Freckled Italian, for more!
• My mom also sent me an email the other day with some drool-worth Pinterest recipes! Yum!

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

• I’m committed to explore more of their site this month, and then actually sign up for a pen pal!
• The sign-up process opens on the 15th of every month, so you’d better believe I’ll be ready in two weeks!

Well, that’s all for my September goals!

Thank you so much to those who read and commented on my August goals and goals recap posts! Your encouragement and kind words have motivated me to do this every month! Thank you, all!

Do you have any for this month?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: quotesgram.com

Hi, everybody!

This post is a recap or review of my August goals! I cannot believe that September starts tomorrow!!

Here’s the link to my August Goals post:

• Getting Personal #25: August Goals

—

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Build up some cash – Accomplished!
2. Thoroughly enjoy my birthday! – Accomplished!
3. See Star Trek: Beyond, Jason Bourne, and maybe one other movie with my husband – Semi-achieved.
4. Prepare for the start of my Trial Prep & Discovery class at the end of the month – Accomplished!
5. Finalize our first wedding anniversary getaway for November – Did not accomplish.
6. Read Harry Potter and The Cursed Child – Accomplished!
7.  Keep blogging! – Accomplished!
8. Paint as much of the house as possible – Accomplished!
9. Hopefully move my furniture! – Did not accomplish.
10. Find at least five new recipes – Semi-achieved.
11. Start tracking our monthly expenses via spreadsheet – Semi-achieved.
12. Check out geekgirlpenpals.com – Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Build up some cash – Accomplished!

• I took a hard look at my credit card statements from July and almost fell on the floor. Plus, my main credit card was hacked in the beginning of the month, so that sobered me up too.
• I hardly spent any money on personal items this month, with the exception of some American Girl books that were deeply discounted on Amazon! Currently halfway through one of the new Mysteries, and I love it so far!

Thoroughly enjoy my birthday! – Accomplished!

• On my actual birthday, Al made cinnamon rolls for breakfast! Yum! I was also treated to an amazing dinner at Olive Garden, celebrating with Al, my parents, Mom’s best friend Debbie D., and our friends Kathy and Perry. Debbie D. gave me this amazing no-bake pie-making kit that came in Mason jars! I’m so excited!
• I took off work on Monday, August 8th, and enjoyed myself immensely. I didn’t go see a movie solo, but I did purchase Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, stocked up on LUSH items (I love the Ocean Salt scrub!), and went to lunch with Al and his co-worker, Kathryn. We went to this amazing Thai place near where they work. I had their orange chicken that made Al salivate!
• Then, the big birthday surprise came later in the week – Al bought me my third American Girl doll, Kit Kittredge. She’s the historical doll from the 1930s. I couldn’t believe it! I’m over the moon, and I’m so excited to de-clutter my future office space and make a home for my desk, files, future window seat / reading nook, and permanent haven for Stephanie, Molly, and Kit!

See Star Trek: Beyond, Jason Bourne, and maybe one other movie with my husband – Semi-achieved.

• We did see Star Trek Beyond on a Tuesday night with Al’s dad. It was an awesome movie! I won’t post any spoilers, but if you’re a fan of the newer movies, this one is a must-see.
• We decided to wait for Jason Bourne to come out for rent or on the streaming services.
• We saw Suicide Squad during the Thursday night release. It was good!

Prepare for the start of my Trial Prep & Discovery class at the end of the month – Accomplished!

• I ordered my textbook as an e-book for my phone and iPad. I got my paper workbook too, through Amazon, well in advance.
• I’m really enjoying the class so far. The second class of the semester was last night, and I’m actually excited to dive head-first into the Homework Folder and Trial Notebook assignments this weekend. I have to do Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 before the next class. My professor is awesome!

Finalize our first wedding anniversary getaway for November – Did not accomplish.

• This didn’t happen this month, for multiple reasons. We’ve been so busy with the house, that our weekends just slip away. However, I love the idea of going to Key West, Florida for a few days, so hopefully we’ll book everything very soon!

Read Harry Potter and The Cursed Child – Accomplished!

• I bought the book on Monday, August 8th. I flew through it within a couple of days the next week!
• Here’s my review (Warning: Some spoilers!): Book Review #17: “Harry Potter and The Cursed Child”
• My overall take: I’m glad I bought it and read it!

Keep blogging! – Accomplished!

• I’m super proud of myself. I published a post almost every day in August. I did have a five-day break between the 24th and 29th, but I needed it. I was stressed and overwhelmed. I’m happy to be back at it!
• I’m currently working on posts containing house updates and book reviews, plus a 30-day challenge series!

Paint as much of the house as possible – Accomplished!

• This could not have happened without Nick and Savy. They came over on Saturday and we powered through two of the bedrooms! It looks amazing. I’m so happy with the color – Monorail Silver – and it looks different than the gray that’s throughout the house. We bought the paint for Al’s office and our master bedroom – Storm Cloud – but we’re going to wait until the weather cools off a little, so we can open the windows and properly ventilate the house!

Hopefully move my furniture! – Did not accomplish.

• This didn’t happen this month, mainly because the weather has been so stinking hot! Ugh!

Find at least five new recipes – Semi-achieved.

• I found about three new recipes to make, but not five.
• I made Honey Balsamic Chicken and Veggies earlier this week, and it was amazing! Thanks to Tony for sharing the link – Perfect timing! I definitely want to make this again, especially for a potluck gathering! So yummy. I’m excited and proud that I prepped everything on Sunday, and I baked it in the oven on Monday night. Lesson learned: I’m definitely marinating meats for at least 24 hours now, if at all possible – So juicy!

Start tracking our monthly expenses via spreadsheet – Semi-achieved.

• We started this spreadsheet very early on Tuesday morning. We’ll be refining it this weekend, figuring out and tying up all the loose ends. It feels good to see it on paper, but it’s also absolutely terrifying.

Check out geekgirlpenpals.com – Accomplished!

• I registered for the site, and looked at it a little bit over the course of one weekend in the middle of the month. I haven’t signed up for a pen pal yet – The site is a bit complicated and overwhelming (So many amazing things!), so I hope to do that soon.

Final Thoughts

• I was thrilled to be able to put Accomplished next to so many things! 7 out of 12. Yay!
• The three goals that were Semi-Achieved: I’m happy with the progress!
• The two goals that were Not Accomplished: That’s okay, too! There were certain circumstances that made these goals nearly impossible to achieve this month.

Did you have any goals for August?

If so, how did you do?

Come back tomorrow to see my September goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: quoteslike.com

Several bloggers I follow do monthly goal posts, and I’ve always enjoyed reading them. It’s good to put yourself out there, to hold yourself accountable!

When I read Brey’s post this morning, I knew I wanted to start doing my own.

I commented on Brey’s post with my goals, so I’ll share those first:

1. Build up some cash
2. Thoroughly enjoy my birthday!
3. See Star Trek: Beyond, Jason Bourne, and maybe one other movie with my husband
4. Prepare for the start of my Trial Prep & Discovery class at the end of the month
5. Finalize our first wedding anniversary getaway for November
6. Read Harry Potter and The Cursed Child
7. Keep blogging!

Between writing that comment and starting this post, I came up with a few more:

1. Paint as much of the house as possible
2. Hopefully move my furniture!
3. Find at least five new recipes
4. Start tracking our monthly expenses via spreadsheet
5. Check out geekgirlpenpals.com (Thanks, A Girl’s Voyage!)

Here’s the breakdown:

Build up some cash

• Last month, I got bit by the American Girl bug. I have two dolls – Stephanie and Molly – and I happened to find several American Girl groups on Facebook. Let’s just say I went a little crazy / overboard (Neither doll has made the trek from Mom and Dad’s to our house yet, either). So, in August, I’ve pledged to slow down on the personal spending and try to rebuild some of my cash.

Thoroughly enjoy my birthday!

• My birthday falls on a Sunday this year – So that’s awesome. I worked on my actual birthday for several years, and I hated it. Finally, I decided that I would take my birthday off from work if it fell during the week, or a Friday or Monday if it fell during the weekend. This year, I’m doing the Monday route, and I’m so excited. The last few years, I’ve treated myself to a movie, solo, one that Al may not want to see. My plan is to go to LUSH at MacArthur Mall and then see a movie there. We’re (Al, me, and my parents) also going to Olive Garden for dinner on Sunday night – Yum!

See Star Trek: Beyond, Jason Bourne, and maybe one other movie with my husband

• We’re hoping to see Star Trek: Beyond this week. Jason Bourne also looks very good. We are considering seeing Suicide Squad on Thursday night, but it may be later this weekend or next week. I have roughly three weeks before my fall class starts, so I’m very excited for the break!

Prepare for the start of my Trial Prep & Discovery class at the end of the month

• I have a short break before my Trial Prep & Discovery class starts on August 22nd. It’s another on-campus class in Virginia Beach, but the class is held just once a week, on Tuesday nights. I’m really excited for this one! We get to learn about trials, the discovery process, and how you prepare to go to trial. I need to get my books and make sure everything is squared away long before the 22nd!

Finalize our first wedding anniversary getaway for November

• Our first wedding anniversary is November 14th. Yeesh, how time flies! Al and I have been discussing where to go and what to do. We’ve been debating back and forth – Do we go away, or do something local? We probably won’t be doing a whole week off of work, but likely a Friday – Tuesday thing, since our anniversary falls on a Monday this year, due to Leap Year.

Read Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

• As much of a Harry Potter fan as I am, I was very skeptical about The Cursed Child. However, I’m going to bite the bullet and buy it!

Keep blogging!

• I really enjoyed doing the July TV Show Photo Challenge! I had a lot of fun with it, and I’m so proud of myself that I posted every day for 16 days! Woohoo! I’m taking a break from daily challenges for this month, but I hope to do another one in September. In the meantime, I plan to keep blogging as much as possible – I have at least three books I want to read and review, plus house updates!

Paint as much of the house as possible

• Al made amazing progress this weekend on the walls by our stairs and upstairs hallway. I was able to help a little, with finishing my final Legal Research project and all. We’re planning to get the paint for the four bedrooms tonight, and just go to town.

Hopefully move my furniture!

• We haven’t moved much of my furniture because we’ve been painting, and our garages have been pretty full. So that would be nice to accomplish by the end of the month. Then we’ll be fully moved in, and my parents get two bedrooms back!

Find at least five new recipes

• I want to pull out our new Crock-Pot and go to town, among other things. I have two recipes that I used years ago, but I want to push myself and find five brand-new recipes that will be healthy and tasty!

Start tracking our monthly expenses via spreadsheet

• We just made our first mortgage payment! Wow. We decided last month to catalog everything in a spreadsheet, so we’ll sit down and start inputting every dollar.

Check out geekgirlpenpals.com

• Thanks to her Snail Mail post, I want to check out this site immediately. I love writing letters and cards, so I’m excited to look at this site and possibly sign up to get a pen pal!

That’s it for my August goals!

I’m going to make this a regular thing – Do a “Goals” post around the 1st of the month, and then a “Recap” post at the end of the month. I’m excited!

Do you have any for this month?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂