Image Credit: Blissful Gal

Welcome to August! One of my all-time favorite months, because it’s my birthday month! Yay!!

Here are my goals for the month of August:

1. Make progress with cleaning the garage.
2. See Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
3. Celebrate my milestone birthday!
4. Start preparing for our greyhound’s arrival.
5. See Christopher Robin.
6. Get to 50,000 words with my 2012 WIP.
7. Participate in Laura Beth and Kristian’s Blockbuster Challenge!

Here’s the breakdown:

Make progress with cleaning the garage.

• We talked about it enough in July, so I’m convinced it will start happening this month!

See Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

• My mom is taking me to see it for my birthday!

Celebrate my milestone birthday!

• I turn 30! I’m excited to celebrate with Al, my family, and friends!

Start preparing for our greyhound’s arrival.

• Since we’re waiting for the call now, we’ll be buying things like dog bed(s), comfy fleece blankets, and other dog-related items!

See Christopher Robin.

• This is another movie that I’m excited to see!

Get to 50,000 words with my 2012 WIP.

• Bolstered by my success with Camp NaNoWriMo July 2018, I’m determined to finally reach 50,000 words!

Participate in Laura Beth and Kristian’s Blockbuster Challenge!

• It’s already started!
• Come back to our blogs every day in August to see our answers!

Do you have any goals for the month of August?

If so, I’d love to hear about them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Success Magazine

July flew by! It’s crazy!

Here’s the link to my July Goals post:

• Getting Personal #129: July Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. See Ant-Man and the Wasp. — Accomplished!
2. Curb my spending. — Accomplished!
3. See Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. — Did not accomplish.
4. Submit our adoption application to Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption. — Accomplished!
5. See Mission: Impossible – Fallout. — Accomplished!
6. Spend at least two hours cleaning the garage. — Did not accomplish.
7. Make sure the Household Bills Spreadsheet is updated before the end of the month. — Did not accomplish.
8. Spend at least three hours working within Evernote. — Did not accomplish.
9. Meal plan as much as possible for the month. — Accomplished!
10. Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2018. — Accomplished!
11. Update my TBR. — Accomplished!
12. Start another writing challenge. — Accomplished!
13. Plan a special challenge for the month of August! — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

See Ant-Man and the Wasp. — Accomplished!

• We loved this movie! It was almost better than the first one.

Curb my spending. — Accomplished!

• I’m so proud of myself!

See Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. — Did not accomplish.

• This one is just delayed – My mom is taking me to see it on my birthday!

Submit our adoption application to Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption. — Accomplished!

• We mailed it off on a Monday, and got a call to set up the home visit on that Friday!
• The home visit happened on Saturday, July 25th. Now we just wait for the call that they have our dog!

See Mission: Impossible – Fallout. — Accomplished!

• We saw this with our good friend, Mike! What a thrill ride!!
• To me, it’s one of the best movies in the whole franchise.
• Tip: Make sure you go to the bathroom before the movie starts. You definitely don’t want to miss a minute of this movie!

Spend at least two hours cleaning the garage. — Did not accomplish.

• This was set with good intentions, but didn’t make time for it.

Make sure the Household Bills Spreadsheet is updated before the end of the month. — Did not accomplish.

• This didn’t happen. I may re-evaluate our strategy in August.

Spend at least three hours working within Evernote. — Did not accomplish.

• I didn’t make time to do this.

Meal plan as much as possible for the month. — Accomplished!

• This was successful!

Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2018. — Accomplished!

• Look for a Camp NaNoWriMo recap post later this week!

Update my TBR. — Accomplished!

• Here’s the link to my latest TBR post: Getting Personal #130: Seventh TBR Recap

Start another writing challenge. — Accomplished!

• See below for the links to my recent writing challenge posts. I’m loving it so far!
• Writing Prompt #115: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter A)
• Writing Prompt #116: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter B)
• Writing Prompt #117: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter C)
• Writing Prompt #118: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter D)
• Writing Prompt #119: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter E)

Plan a special challenge for the month of August! — Accomplished!

• Check back in tomorrow for more details!

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished next to nine out of 13 goals. This was awesome! I feel really good.
• The four goals I did not accomplish: This was all timing.

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: BeautyBeyondBones

Hello, July!

Al recently reminded me that Christmas is less than six months away. It’s wild. Every year gets faster!

Here are my goals for the month of July:

1. See Ant-Man and the Wasp.
2. Curb my spending.
3. See Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
4. Submit our adoption application to Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption.
5. See Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
6. Spend at least two hours cleaning the garage.
7. Make sure the Household Bills Spreadsheet is updated before the end of the month.
8. Spend at least three hours working within Evernote.
9. Meal plan as much as possible for the month.
10. Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2018.
11. Update my TBR.
12. Start another writing challenge.
13. Plan a special challenge for the month of August!

Here’s the breakdown:

See Ant-Man and the Wasp.

• We can’t wait to see this! Hopefully next weekend.

Curb my spending.

• I went a bit overboard during the month of June, so I’m placing similar spending restrictions on myself like I did during the month of May. This will give me time to go through my closet again, my bookshelves, and our garage!
• Goals: (1) No more new clothes, (2) no more new books, and (3) no more American Girl items.

See Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

• I’m looking forward to taking my mom to see this one!

Submit our adoption application to Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption.

• Now that our HVAC work is complete, we’re ready to submit our application! We’re excited to add a furry member to our family.

See Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

• This is a tradition of ours – We’ve seen almost Mission: Impossible movie in the theaters since we’ve been dating.

Spend at least two hours cleaning the garage.

• There are still way too many boxes in our attached garage, mostly my stuff! It’s high time to go through as much of it as I can.

Make sure the Household Bills Spreadsheet is updated before the end of the month.

• I’m determined to keep up with this spreadsheet on a monthly basis.

Spend at least three hours working within Evernote.

• I really liked my introduction to Evernote last month, so I’m determined to spend more time with it and get more comfortable with it.

Meal plan as much as possible for the month.

• I have several recipes that I want to try this month!

Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2018.

• After my rousing success with my first Camp in April, I’m so excited to be participating in Camp again!
• Look for another Camp NaNoWriMo recap at the beginning of August!

Update my TBR.

• It’s that time again! Look for my updated TBR post very soon.

Start another writing challenge.

• I’m hoping to have the first post ready tomorrow!

Plan a special challenge for the month of August!

• I don’t want to give anything away, but I’m partnering with a special blogger friend to make a fun challenge for August!

Do you have any goals for the month of July?

If so, I’d love to hear about them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: BeautyBeyondBones

June was quite busy, but less hectic than some other months! The biggest news is we FINALLY have proper ductwork, and two new HVAC units! Perfect timing for the typical summer heat waves!!

Here’s the link to my June Goals post:

• Getting Personal #125: June Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Attend P.E.O. State Convention. — Accomplished!
2. See Incredibles 2. — Accomplished!
3. See Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. — Accomplished!
4. Work on a goals list with Al for the remainder of 2018. — Did not accomplish.
5. Update the Household Bills spreadsheet. — Semi-Achieved.
6. Write at least 1,000 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Accomplished!
7. Download Evernote. — Accomplished!
8. Host a “vacationing doll” from Ohio! — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Attend P.E.O. State Convention. — Accomplished!

• I had so much at Convention this year – The theme was “Catch The Waves To Better Futures.”
• I also wrote my first-ever Adventure Time post recapping Convention!
• Here’s the link to that post: Adventure Time: Blacksburg, VA Edition (P.E.O. Virginia State Convention 2018)
• As delegates, Darcy and I also successfully reported on Convention to our chapter on Monday, June 11th.

See Incredibles 2. — Accomplished!

• Al and I went to see it on Saturday, June 15th.
• It wasn’t necessarily better than the original movie. However, it was worth the 14-year wait.
• If you’re a fan of the original movie, it’s worth seeing it in the theaters. We also liked the short that preceded the movie.

See Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. — Accomplished!

• We saw the movie on Sunday, June 24th with our friends Mike and Shana.
• Despite some of the criticism, I really like what they did with this movie. I shut my eyes a few times – Some of it was pretty scary!
• I personally recommend seeing it. I love the franchise!

Work on a goals list with Al for the remainder of 2018. — Did not accomplish.

• This didn’t happen. Oh well!

Update the Household Bills spreadsheet. — Semi-Achieved.

• I started playing catch-up last weekend, and will hopefully bring it to conclusion this weekend. Long overdue!

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

• Word count, as of May 2nd: 33,507
• June 16th: Added 623 words
• Word count, as of June 16th: 34,130
• June 23rd: Added 339 words
• Word count, as of June 23rd: 34,469
• June 29th: Added 250 words
• Word count, as of June 30th: 34,719
• Total words written: 1,212 words!

Download Evernote. — Accomplished!

• I signed up for the website during the weekend of June 15th. I didn’t download anything, for now. But, I really like it so far! I love the layout, and I can see myself using it as another helpful tool with my writing.
• Here’s the link to my latest Writing Adventures post: Writing Adventures #2: Discovering Evernote

Host a “vacationing doll” from Ohio! — Accomplished!

• We had so much fun hosting Emily during the week of May 29th-June 5th.
• Here’s the link to my Adventure Time post: Adventure Time: Portsmouth, VA Edition (The Visit From The Vacationing Doll)

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished next to six out of eight goals. Awesome! I’m so excited, and proud of myself.
• The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I made progress, and I’m happy with it!
• The one goal that I did not accomplish: This wasn’t a huge priority. I like the idea of it, but it may not happen for 2018. No worries!

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

Come back tomorrow to see my July Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: BeautyBeyondBones

Hey there, June! Nice to see you!

We’re halfway through 2018. Wow!

Here are my goals for the month of June:

1. Attend P.E.O. State Convention.
2. See Incredibles 2.
3. See Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
4. Work on a goals list with Al for the remainder of 2018.
5. Update the Household Bills spreadsheet.
6. Write at least 1,000 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
7. Download Evernote.
8. Host a “vacationing doll” from Ohio!

Here’s the breakdown:

Attend P.E.O. State Convention.

• P.E.O. State Convention is in Blacksburg, Virginia this year!
• The theme is “Catch The Waves To Better Futures,” so we’re having a beach party in the mountains!

See Incredibles 2.

• Finally! Fourteen years in the making, we’re finally getting a sequel!!

See Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

• We really liked Jurassic World when it came out in 2015, so we’ve been intrigued about the sequel for a while now. Bring it on!

Work on a goals list with Al for the remainder of 2018.

• I’m determined to make this happen in June!

Update the Household Bills spreadsheet.

• This has been been bugging me for at least three weeks. It’s absolutely happening!

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

• This is another thing that’s been bothering me. After all the work I did for Camp NaNoWriMo in April, I didn’t write a single new word during the month of May. Challenge accepted!

Download Evernote.

• Another awesome tip from Madison Grace!
• Here’s the link to her original post: How to Use Evernote to Organize Your Writing
• I’m excited to try this! It’s something new!

Host a “vacationing doll” from Ohio!

• One of my American Girl doll Facebook groups is full of ideas. A woman in Ohio has nine kids, so vacations are expensive. Her 7-year-old daughter loves AG, and wanted to send one of her dolls, Emily, on “vacation.”
• Al and I will have her for a full week, before I ship Emily off to the next destination!
• I’m so excited to be participating!

Do you have any goals for the month of June?

If so, I’d love to hear about them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: BeautyBeyondBones

May was a month full of adventure!

Here’s the link to my May Goals post:

• Getting Personal #119: May Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Drastically curb my spending habits. — Accomplished!
2. See Solo: A Star Wars Story. — Accomplished!
3. Finish prepping the Lady Lounge for the new standing desk. — Did not accomplish.
4. Schedule the replacement of our ductwork and HVAC system. — Did not accomplish.
5. Finish the book I’m currently reading, plus write the Book Review. — Accomplished!
6. Work on a goals list with Al for the remainder of 2018. — Did not accomplish.
7. Update the Household Bills spreadsheet. — Did not accomplish.
8. Visit the farm! — Did not accomplish.
9. Prepare for P.E.O. State Convention. — Accomplished!
10. See the Virginia Symphony Orchestra perform the music to Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets live. — Accomplished!
11. Publish my first “Down The TBR Hole” post. — Accomplished!
12. Continue progress on my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Did not accomplish.

Here’s the breakdown:

Drastically curb my spending habits. — Accomplished!

• I’m so incredibly proud of myself. I actually did it!
• The power of writing down a goal really works.
• I saw the difference in my bank account and credit card statements.
• I also FELT the difference, which I think is the most important thing. More money in the bank means more money to go toward the things we NEED.
• My stated goals were: (a) not buy any more new clothes [both for Laura Beth, and Laura Beth’s American Girl dolls], and, (b) not eat out as much for my lunches.
• I felt successful with both goals, and I’m very happy.

See Solo: A Star Wars Story. — Accomplished!

• We saw Solo on Thursday, May 24th.
• Is is the best Star Wars movie ever? No. Absolutely not.
• However, it is fun, entertaining, action-packed, and a good story. The cast is AMAZING!
• Give this movie some love and go see it.

Finish prepping the Lady Lounge for the new standing desk. — Did not accomplish.

• We had other priorities this month. The standing desk is lower on the list!

Schedule the replacement of our ductwork and HVAC system. — Did not accomplish.

• We had to get our electrical panel upgraded first, and we’re just waiting for the city inspector to sign off on the work.

Finish the book I’m currently reading, plus write the Book Review. — Accomplished!

• Done! Yay!
• Here’s the link to that Book Review post: Book Review #58: “Prez: A Story of Love”
• I’m also proud of myself that I read FOUR books this month! Yay!!

Work on a goals list with Al for the remainder of 2018. — Did not accomplish.

• This just didn’t happen. Looking forward to doing this in June.

Update the Household Bills spreadsheet. — Did not accomplish.

• See above comment. I’m determined to do this by the end of June!

Visit the farm! — Did not accomplish.

• I didn’t visit the farm this time, since I was in Florida with my family.
• Here’s the link to my Adventure Time post: Adventure Time: Florida Edition (Round 3 – Richard Madan’s Celebration of Life & Family Trip)
• Thank you to everyone for their kind words! We miss him, but we’re happy he’s no longer suffering.

Prepare for P.E.O. State Convention. — Accomplished!

• It’s almost time! I’m so excited to be a delegate with Darcy this year!

See the Virginia Symphony Orchestra perform the music to Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets live. — Accomplished!

• Al and I went to Chrysler Hall on Friday, May 4th.
• It was such an awesome concert!
• Plus, we got to eat California Pizza Kitchen AND cotton candy during the movie!

Publish my first “Down The TBR Hole” post. — Accomplished!

• This was such a fun post. I’m planning to model this for my future TBR posts!
• Here’s the link to the post: Getting Personal #122: My Take on “Down The TBR Hole”

Continue progress on my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Did not accomplish.

• I had all the intentions of working on it during my trip to Florida, but it just didn’t happen.
• However, with my self-imposed deadline of December 31, 2018 on the fast-track, I best be cracking for the rest of the year!

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished next to six out of 12 goals! I’ll take it!
• The six goals that I did not accomplish: I forgot what happens when you take a week off of work and travel extensively for that week! On to June!

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

Come back tomorrow to see my June Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂