Tag Archives: Goals

07.12.17
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Writing Prompt #66: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 28)

Week #28: Your Past

I’m grateful to simply be sitting here, typing this. As I write this, I think of my birthday that’s coming up in a few weeks. My mom recently commented on how stubborn I am, and that’s part of the reason I’m alive today.

I was given a 50-50 shot when I born. I came 15 weeks early, which was terrifying for everyone, especially my parents. However, I quickly made it known that I was a fighter, and I was determined to live.

As an only child, I was independent, outgoing, and enjoyed a variety of interests. Being involved in the local Methodist church was a family affair, and that involvement continues today, nearly 25 years later.

I loved school, although I struggled with math. It was clear early on that I was definitely not engineering material like my dad! I loved reading, writing, and history. I thought about many different careers over the years – Being an explorer for National Geographic, a teacher (like my mom), a writer/author, working in the news business.

As I graduated from high school and went off to college, I realized how naive I was. I had been a sheltered child. I was called spoiled more than once, although I tried to maintain my Christian image. I worked hard in college, and enjoyed most of my experiences. I loved working for the student newspaper, and as a junior, I joined an incredible sorority.

Not everything in my life was sunshine and rainbows. I was in an abusive relationship from 2006 through 2010. When I finally got the courage to escape and leave, I tried to pick up the pieces that was my relationship with my mom. Many people, however, were immensely forgiving, and soon discovered my abuser’s true character.

It’s amazing how things come together when you least expect it. Shortly after I ended the abusive relationship, I was formally introduced to Al. His brother, Nick, had wanted to set us up for a long time. Nick thought we would be awesome for each other.

I wanted to be friends first, being very cautious and somewhat apprehensive after my recent experiences.

That only took two weeks of talking on the phone, texting, and being friends on Facebook. Our first date was September 4, 2010, and I felt like I was on top of the world. I couldn’t believe what was happening. We kissed for the first time, and I knew I loved him.

Now, here we are, nearly seven years later. He stuck by my side from the very beginning, when we were long-distance for nearly nine months while I was in my senior year of college. We’ve seen each other through job searches, celebrations, frustrations, vacations, multiple moves for me, and more. It’s hard to believe we got engaged nearly three years ago, and we’ve been married for almost two. We bought our house last year. We’re enjoying making home improvements (for the most part), trying new recipes, and we like getting together with our families and friends regularly.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.05.17
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Writing Prompt #65: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 27)

Week #27: Favorite Spot In Your City.

My first thought was the Commodore Theatre in Downtown Portsmouth!

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Image Credit: Commodore Theatre

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Image Credit: The Virginian-Pilot

Built in 1945, it’s a 1,000-seat theater. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 1997!

You feel like you’ve been transported back in time. It was beautifully restored to its original glory years ago, and it looks awesome! I actually feel weird if I go to see a movie and I’m not dressed up.

You buy your tickets in advance, at the box office, when it opens. The tickets look older, too! They have their matinee at 2:00 p.m., and their evening show is at 7:00 p.m.

They only show one movie at a time, usually for four weeks. You can sit at one of the tables and have a meal – The food is delicious.  You order through the phone on the table!

You can also sit in the balcony and buy traditional concessions – Popcorn, soda, and candy.

It’s one of those places that have been around forever, and it feels special. I’m happy that we have such a treasure so close to home!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.01.17
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Getting Personal #74: July Goals

July Goals

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.

Do you have any goals for the month of July?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.30.17
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Getting Personal #73: June Goals Recap

June Goals Recap

Image Credit: Fueled By Carrots

June is over!

Here’s the link to my June Goals post:

—

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.

Blood Drive 100

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

Refresh/update my summer wardrobe. — Semi-Achieved.

  • 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!

Wonder Woman

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

Celebrate Nick and Savy’s engagement/upcoming wedding! — Accomplished!

  • 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 Miller

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.

Celebrate Mom’s retirement! — Accomplished!

  • 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.

Bikes

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!

Visit the library at least once. — Accomplished!

  • 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!

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 🙂

06.28.17
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Writing Prompt #64: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 26)

Week #26: Someone You Got To Meet.

First of all, I can’t believe this post marks the halfway point of this challenge! Time is flying by!

—

Now, I was originally going to write about Robert Redford, but then I realized that I was only in the room with him that day in 2011, so he doesn’t count (Rats!).

However, I will talk about how I got to meet Sister Helen Prejean.

Here’s a question: Have you seen the movie Dead Man Walking (1995) with Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon?

Did you know it’s based on a true story?

—

I had the opportunity to write about Sister Helen’s guest lecture at Longwood University for the student newspaper, The Rotunda. I was so moved hearing about her experiences that I immediately wanted to buy both her books – Dead Man Walking (1993) and The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions (2004). The second book appealed to me because of one of the innocent men was from Virginia.

After she finished speaking, I was only able to talk with her for a few minutes, but she graciously inscribed both of my books with personal messages. She thanked me for coming out, and I offered to send her a copy of the article I was writing. I headed back to my dorm that night forever changed! Her work advocating against the death penalty will stay with me for the rest of my life – I think about her often.

The piece I wrote ended up being one of the longest in the eight semesters that I worked on the paper. It had to be significantly revised for publication, but I’m immensely proud of what I wrote, and what was published. I looked – I couldn’t find it in The Rotunda’s online archives, but I know I saved it somewhere on my computer or a flash drive. After writing this post, I’m committed to finding it – Once I do, I’ll share with you all soon.

After I graduated, I added up all of the pieces I had written for the paper. I think it was around 125 total, maybe more. It felt really good.

I’m fortunate that I was able to meet Sister Helen. She changed my world view, forever.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.21.17
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Writing Prompt #63: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 25)

Week #25: Education.

I’m incredibly grateful for the education that I have received. I was so fortunate that my parents picked an excellent school district when we moved to Chesapeake. Overall, I had really good experiences throughout elementary, middle, and high school. I think fondly of many teachers that I had over the years!

After high school graduation, I was one of the very few that didn’t have to take out any loans to be able to earn my college degree. I don’t say this to brag, not at all – I say this out of incredible gratitude to my parents, who worked so hard to help me get a great education from Longwood. I have multiple family members, co-workers, and countless friends that have student loan debt. That makes me sad! It also makes me angry. Higher education has changed so much, and it’s even changed in the six years since I graduated.

Now, I’m grateful that I have a job that offers educational assistance to its employees! I have used it for several semesters, and it has been a significant benefit. I’m almost done with my Paralegal Studies degree after nearly five years.

I can’t say enough good things about the quality of the education that I have had over the years. With that said, I’m inspired by countless others and their stories.

  • The ones that have worked multiple jobs plus loans to pay for their education themselves
  • The ones that raise or have raised children while working full-time and attending classes
  • The ones that work tirelessly for years to educate themselves in the field that they are passionate about.
  • The ones that go for the Ph.D.
  • The ones that simply have a high school diploma and are just amazing husbands/wives, mothers/fathers, hard workers, volunteers, and so much more than their educational experiences.

My hat goes off to you all!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.14.17
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Writing Prompt #62: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 24)

Week #24: A Book You Learned From.

I wasn’t a big science fiction fan for a long time, but one book helped change my view.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

I wasn’t thrilled when it was assigned summer reading when I was getting ready to start the IB program in 2003.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading it. The story was so intriguing, that I didn’t want to stop.

As I delved into the world of Ender, Valentine, his family, and the intricate / complicated world of Battle School and Command School, I learned several things. I learned to better appreciate the genre of science fiction, but I also identified with several of the characters. I saw parts of myself in Ender, Valentine, Rackham, and Colonel Graff. Thinking about it now, some of the wars and political themes aren’t so far off from our real world at the moment. I think this book also helped me become a better writer, and to be more considerate of other genres.

I learned later that there are other books with Ender. Eventually, I want to read them all.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.07.17
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Writing Prompt #61: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 23)

Week #23: Favorite Physical Trait.

I love my eyes. They’re one of traits from my dad. Most people can tell that I look a lot like my mom (We have the same face shape, and our voices are very similar), so I love the traits from my dad slightly more. I have his hair, eyes, and skin.

I love that my eyes are hazel. I think it makes me unique! Green is also one of my favorite colors, so I’m happy that I have eyes that reflects that part of me.

I can’t say much more than that. Come back next Wednesday for more!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.02.17
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Getting Personal #71: June Goals

June Goals

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 🙂

05.31.17
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Getting Personal #70: May Goals Recap

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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:

—

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 🙂