Category: Goals

Well it’s June now and when I logged into my Macy’s registry last night it said there was 333 days left until our wedding.  Where did the time go?! 

Here are the goals I set for myself for May and the current status of them.

1.  Get my skin and hair in order.  Skin – somewhat completed, Hair – completed.  My skin had a crazy breakout this month and now I have dark spots from the scarring.  Luckily, last night I went to Macy’s and picked up the Clinique Clinical Dark Spot Corrector.  It’s guaranteed to lighten your scars up to two shades in a month.  I’ll be using this religiously twice a day so hopefully I see some improvement.  In hair news, I finally got my hair trimmed this month, so it no longer looks like 2 inches of fried hair at the ends.  That’s definitely a positive. 

2. Take at least one yoga class at a studio.  Did not complete/Will complete tomorrow.  I signed up for a class tomorrow morning at 5:45AM!  I was chatting with my yoga teacher on Facebook last week and was joking around with her that she needs to start an early morning/pre-work class.  To my surprise, she has that class on Wednesday mornings!  

3. Get back to the gym.  Somewhat completed.  I did get to the gym a few times this month, but nothing significant.  It’s so nice out these days that the last place I want to be is cooped up in our gym. 

4.  Take more walks around my development.  Did not complete.  Completely forgot this was a goal of mine for this past month.  We’ve been so busy that any down time we had this month was spent laying on the couch. 

I’m only going to have three goals this month, so I can really focus on each one.  I find that if I have tons of goals, none of them ever get done because I either forget what they are or I just get overwhelmed.

1. Take at least one yoga class in a studio and practice more yoga/meditation at home.  I already have a class scheduled for tomorrow, but I want to start attending more frequently to truly benefit. 

2.  Stop picking/biting my nails.  My nails were actually pretty long at the beginning of May, but after a really bad gel manicure, they all broke and then I started picking at them.  I.Will.Stop.Picking/Biting.My.Nails.

3.  Organize our office.  Now that we have an office in our apartment, I need to start actually putting it all together.  That means: buying a desk chair, cleaning out the closet, and decorating. 

Talk to Me

• What are your goals for June?
• Do you have an office in your home?  If so, where did you buy your chair?  I’m looking for a more formal dining chair for my office.  Nothing with wheels.
• When do you find is the best time for meditation/yoga? In the mornings or at night?

Wahoo it’s May!  Well, it was May yesterday but since I didn’t post yesterday let’s just celebrate today.  You know what that means though right?  Since it’s the beginning of the month, it’s time to recap April goals and state May goals!

1.  Practice yoga more.  Some what completed.  I started doing morning yoga a few times this month, but I’d like to really get back to the studio a few times. 

2.  Read a good book.  Completed.  I started reading Creating Your Best Life and I love it so far! 

3.  Get my hair, skin, and nails in order.  1/3 completed.  I still need a hair cut, so that part I didn’t succeed at this month.  However, I did start back on my topical for my face.  I’ve been religious about putting it on day and night, so I’m looking forward to seeing results soon.  Although I didn’t really get my hair and skin in order, I did get my nails in order last month!  I showed a photo on my Instagram a few nights ago.  So how did I get my nails in order?  GEL MANICURES!  This is going to be an expensive habit, but if it keeps my nails looking nice, I’m OK with that.  Especially with the wedding next year and (hopefully) engagement photos coming up this summer. 

4.  Sign a contract with our caterer.  Did not complete.  Our first catering tasting went pretty terribly, so we are on the hunt for another one.  I just sent our tasting choices over to another caterer, so hopefully we can get that scheduled for May. 

5.  Experiment with new salad recipes.  Did not complete. 

clearly, a goal to drink more mimosas

1.  Get my skin and hair in order.  Yep, it’s going back on the goal list.  I’m hoping to get at least one of these items under control this month. 

2. Take at least one yoga class at a studio.  This is SO over due it’s crazy.  I can’t wait to get back into the studio.  Actually, I think my local Whole Foods is having their ourdoor yoga classes again starting this month!  Those are my favorite.  You may remember from last year all the fun that I had.

3. Get back to the gym.  I’ve lived in our new apartment since mid-march and I haven’t been inside the gym once.  This month I HAVE to get over to the gym. 

4.  Take more walks around my development.  Yesterday, Bryan and I walked over to pick up our mail and it was gorgeous outside.  I want to take at least a half hour or so a few times a week to walk around my development and get some fresh air.

Talk to Me

• What are your goals for this month?
• What’s your favorite hair care product?
• What did you accomplish in April?

I’m a bit late on this, but here are my March Goals Recap and April Goals.

1.  Find a wedding venue.  COMPLETED!  I mentioned in yesterday’s post that we signed our venue contract, so if you want to read more go to that post!  I’ll be doing a full post about our venue at a later time.  We are so very excited and can’t wait to start planning the rest of our wedding.

One of my favorite weddings at our venue, photo by Lauren Fair

2. Take at least 1 yoga class this month.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  I didn’t really try to get this goal done this month.  March was a pretty great month, but it was super busy.  I’m still going to add this to my April goal list.

3.  Experiment with other juicing recipes.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  Since March was spent moving, I didn’t get a chance to try new juices.  Our juicer was unpacked first though!  You know where my priorities are! 

4. Read a good book.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  This is going on my April goals list!  I really need to get back into reading and stop sitting on my computer all night. 

5.  Get my hair, skin and nails in order.  SOMEWHAT COMPLETED.  You know that I’m cutting dairy out of my diet, and I’ve found that my skin cleared up without it.  When I started having dairy again on Easter, I noticed my skin going crazy.  Looks like I found the culprit. 

April Goals

1.  Practice yoga more.  I would like to start going to yoga classes and doing some at home videos this month.  I know yoga has been on my goal list for the past few months, but I really think this month is my month!

2.  Read a good book.  Adding this one back to my goal list for April.  I need to stop spending so much time sitting on my computer at night.  I spend from 8:30-6 everyday at work (sometimes more) on a computer.  I need to at least spend some time everyday away from my computer!

3.  Get my hair, skin, and nails in order.  Another repeat goal.  Still trying the dairy free diet.  I’ll be doing a recap thus far in a few days.

4.  Sign a contract with our caterer and have our tasting to pick out our wedding menu.  This should be scheduled for a Saturday this month, but you never know what could happen, so I’m adding it to my goal list for April.  One more thing to check off for wedding planning.

5.  Experiment with new salad recipes.  Last month I started adding avocado to my salads, but I want to experiment and add even more new ingredients to my salads.  I’m thinking seeds and different veggies.

Talk To Me

• Did you accomplish your March goals?
• What are some of your April goals?
• What is the best book you’ve read recently?

It’s now March 5th, so I guess it’s a good time to figure out my March monthly goals.  This is going to be a shorter post than normal, because I’m actually running a bit late this morning. 

The great thing about making monthly goals as opposed to only setting yearly resolutions is that if your priorities change, you can switch your goals around as well. 

(source)

1.  Find a wedding venue.  Yep, it’s still on the list.  At some point we’ll find the perfect venue in our budget, but it’s been 3 months since our engagement and we haven’t figured that part out yet.  We’ve toured a handful of places and found a good one, but are 100% sure that it’s over our budget and we would be hating ourselves later if we booked it and then couldn’t afford a nice photographer. 

2. Take at least 1 yoga class this month.  This goal is also still on my list.  Yoga puts me in a better mood and makes me feel great overall.  I’m going to get to at least one yoga class this month or do some at-home yoga in our new apartment!  We’ll have the extra space for a bit until we get a dining room table.

3.  Experiment with other juicing recipes.  I LOVE my carrot, celery, spinach and apple juice, but I know myself – if I keep drinking it I will eventually end up hating it.  And I don’t want to hate it!  I hope to try new recipes and find a few other juices to add to my rotation.

4. Read a good book.  I have a few books that I received from Runner’s World that I need to start reading, and I’d also like to revisit a few books on my bookshelf. 

5.  Get my hair, skin and nails in order.  All three take on a beating when I’m stressed out.  I’m thinking that when I start taking yoga classes again all will balance itself out.  Here’s to hoping.  Plus, I just really need a good trim – split ends are the WORST!

Talk to Me

• What are your goals for the month of March?
• What books are you currently reading?  Anything good?
• Random question: how often do you paint your nails?

I didn’t want this weekend to end.  I didn’t post on Friday, because Bry and I took a vacation day to celebrate his birthday!  We spent practically the entire weekend celebrating, going to The Titanic Exhibit at the Franklin Institute and eating great food at El Vez!  We spent a good amount of time this weekend in the city – which was nice, because typically I only go down there when I travel for work. 

Train at the Franklin Institute – we couldn’t take photos in the Titanic Exhibit, but it was awesome, because our tickets also got us admission to the full museum.

Instead of doing a Weekend Recap video today, I wanted to get my February Goal Recap video done so I can start focusing on March’s goals!

1.  Keep my nails painted and stop ripping them.  (Did not complete).  My nails took a beating this month.  I’ve been stressed out with both work and my personal life lately, so my nails don’t look amazing right now.  When I get stressed I pick and peel my nails.  It’s terrible.

2.  Find a wedding venue and pick a date.  (Did not complete).  I mentioned in my February Goals blog post that I wanted to have all the preliminary wedding stuff done by March 1st.  That didn’t happen.  We still have no date and no wedding venue.

3.  Take at least ONE yoga class this month.  (Did not complete).  I signed up for a yoga class in the beginning of the month, but then got a nasty stomach bug and had to cancel.  I hope that with the warm weather (hopefully) coming soon, I’ll be more motivated to get back in the studio.

4.  Start packing for the move in mid-March.  (Completed).  I started throwing out clutter and reorganizing my clothes so that when we move in a few weeks it’s not a complete nightmare.  Yesterday we went and signed our lease, so we are good to go for move in day.  I can’t wait to be in an apartment with lots of light and more space! 

5.  Develop new recipes for our juicer. (Completed).  This month I’ve been loving our new juicer.  You probably have read post after post about my love for this appliance, but it’s true!  It’s amazing.  Bryan and I love making orange juice on the weekends, and during the week I’ve been loving my carrot, celery, apple and spinach juice.

Talk to Me

• Did you accomplish all of your February Goals?
• What did you do this weekend?
• Have you ever been to a Titanic Exhibit?

Wow. I haven’t posted since Tuesday.  I didn’t disappear.  Unfortunately Bryan and I got nasty stomach bugs and I wasn’t in the mood to write a post.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  Which I did.  Thank goodness for sleep.

Although I usually do Friday Favorites on Friday, I really don’t have that many “favorites” this week, because I’ve been feeling crappy.  So, I figured that since it is February 8th already, I mind as well do my goal post for this month. 

1.  Keep my nails painted and stop ripping them.  IDK what has gotten over me in the past month or so, but I keep picking at my nails.  It’s probably a nervous habit, but at this point some of my nails are so short they hurt.

This isn’t my photo, nor my nails – but I must get this polish.  It’s Essie in “Demure Vixen”

2.  Find a wedding venue and pick a date.  We have another tour on Sunday, but nothing is definite yet.  I hope to have all of this preliminary wedding stuff squared away by March 1st.  Once that stuff is done, I can relax, go dress shopping, and do all the fun stuff.

3.  Take at least ONE yoga class this month.  I really need to get back into yoga.  I’ve said it so many times since the summer, but yoga makes me happy and I need to start taking care of myself.  I have a yoga class credit at one of my favorite hot yoga studios, so I’ll be going hopefully very soon.  Lululemon also has free Sunday yoga classes in store, so there’s no real reason for me not to go!

4.  Start packing for the move in mid-March.  I’m not sure if I officially told you, but we are moving in mid-March to a much bigger apartment.  We’ll have two bedroom and two bathrooms.  We’ll be using the second bedroom as an office.  I’m super excited!  I’m actually also excited to purge all the junk we have here and start fresh.  I love organizing and am looking forward to packing.

5.  Develop new recipes for our juicer.  OK so we haven’t technically purchased a juicer yet, but we will today! YAY!  It’s been on my wishlist for a while now and I’m glad we’re finally getting one.  Pulp free juices, here I come!

Talk to Me

• What are your goals for this month?
• Do you have a juicer? If so, what’s your favorite recipe?
• What color do you tend to paint your nails?  Blues, reds, pinks?

Finally January is over!  Does any one else feel like this month was never ending?  I seriously feel like Christmas was months ago.  As I do at the end of every month, I like to look back at the goals I set for myself for the month.  It’s not a time to reflect on how terrible I did, but rather reevaluate what was important and what wasn’t.

this is a photo I took a few weeks ago, but I love it and it’s the background on my iPhone

Here were my goals for January.

1.  Start Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer…again.  DID NOT COMPLETE 100%.  I started the month doing the Live Fit Trainer exercises, but I fell off the band wagon. I’d like to continue adding these workouts to my gym routine, but I know I’ll probably never do the full program.  It’s just too restricting.

2. Set a venue and date for our wedding.  DID NOT COMPLETE 100%.  So we figured out two dates that we’d like to get married, but still no venue.  We had one tour at a place near our home, but it wasn’t what we were anticipating.  It didn’t feel like “us”.  I’m hopeful that February will bring new things!   

3. Find a new place to live.  COMPLETED!  YAY.  This was the biggest goal for me this month, because of how unhappy I am at my current place.  After a long month of going back and forth, we finally got a new home!  It will be a two bed/two bath apartment not too far from where we live now.  I’m excited to have more living space and even an OFFICE!  WOO. 

4.  Learn calligraphy.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  I didn’t even think about this goal this month.  It obviously wasn’t top priority, but that’s OK.

I’ll be doing my February goals tomorrow, so keep posted for that! 

Talk to Me

• What were your January goals?  Did you accomplish them?
• How many bedrooms do you have in your home? 
• If you have an at-home office, what are some great places to buy furniture?

I’m not a fan of yearly goals, because I tend to forget about them.  Last year I had a few yearly goals, but focused my energy and time on monthly goals.  I plan to continue my monthly goals for 2013, but also have a few yearly goals that I have all year to accomplish.

I present to you my 2013 resolutions:

1. Perfect the crow pose. 

2.  Run at least 1 half marathon and beat my current time.

3.  Start a physical journal and keep writing throughout the year. 

(source)

January Goals

1.  Start Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer…again.  Yep, it’s back on.  I’ve mentioned in a few recent posts that I’m looking to start weight training again.  Weight training makes me feel stronger and the Jamie Eason plan gave me more purpose at the gym.  Although I won’t be following the plan exactly (I won’t be following her cardio and meal plan), I think it will give me guidance on exercises at the gym.

2. Set a venue and date for our wedding.  Wedding planning has been hectic over these last few weeks, partially because of the holidays.  Now that we have set a budget and the holidays are over, I’m hoping things are smooth sailing from here. 

3. Find a new place to live.  Yep, we’re moving again.  We need to figure out our living situation by the end of this month, because of our lease terms.  We have a place in mind, but we just need to figure out the logistics of when a unit will become available. 

4.  Learn calligraphy.  It’s a random goal for this month, but I’d like to learn calligraphy so I can address all of our wedding invitations by myself.  Plus, I think it would be cool to learn anyway.

Talk to Me

• What are some of your new years’ resolutions?
• Do you set yearly, monthly or weekly goals?
• Do you have a physical journal or do you keep one electronically?

Guess what!  I’ve picked a winner for the Mediterranean Snacks giveaway.  Stay tuned… the winner’s name is at the end.  If it’s you, please email me your mailing address so we can get your prize on its way!

When I made my December goals last month, I knew I had to make them somewhat attainable, because the holiday season was among us.  That being said, I’ve accomplished some of them and others I don’t think I even attempted.  Let’s take a look at my December Goals Recap.

1.  Organize my Pinterest boards.  COMPLETED.  My Pinterest boards were a mess last month.  When I got engaged on December 2nd, I knew I’d be using Pinterest for wedding planning inspiration, so getting these boards in order was a must. 

2.  Finish holiday shopping.  COMPLETED.  I waiting until the last possible day for some presents, but at least I finished.  Now to start saving for this wedding of ours.

3.  Make a list of New Years Resolutions.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  With the craziness of getting engaged and the holidays in December, I haven’t had time to think about what my resolutions for 2013 will be.  I’ll think of these today and get back to you.

4.  Begin a weight training plan.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  I am toying with the idea of going back to the Live Fit Trainer weight training plan I did last winter.  This time I will just use the weight training section, and not focus on cardio restriction.  It drove me crazy last year.  I’ll need to switch up the workouts a bit to fit into what I have readily available at my gym.

5.  Register for a race in January.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  Since I stopped running for the month of December, I think I’ll start small and register for a 5K in my area.  My favorite distance is the 10K, but I know I need to work back up to the fitness level I was once at during my half marathon training. 

6.  Practice yoga at least once a week.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  I did do yoga a few times this month, but not nearly as frequent as I’d like.  I’m hoping to buy the Lululemon “the mat” within the next few weeks and start taking classes at the Lululemon store in January.

7.  Write blog posts the night before.  SOMEWHAT COMPLETED.  Some nights I did and some nights I didn’t.  I need to get better with this.

8.  Update the “Reviews” page on my blog.  COMPLETED.  I was behind on posting these to my Reviews page.  I’d done probably 6 or 7 reviews in the past two months that I added to the Reviews page.  Go check them out!

9.  Find at least 1 guest blogger.  DID NOT COMPLETE.  I think I’m going to give up on this one for a while.

Now… the reason you probably visited my blog this morning is to find out the winner of the Mediterranean Snacks giveaway.  Well, you shall wait no more.

THE WINNER OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SNACKS GIVEAWAY IS….

NUMBER 41 – LESLEE from HerHappyBalance !!

Congratulations, Leslee!  I hope you enjoy these chips as much as I do!

Talk to Me

• What goals did you accomplish in December?
• What was your favorite holiday present?
• What was your favorite memory from December?