March Goals

Hello, friends! Happy March! We have SUN today, which gets me thinking about flowers and green grass and spring in general. I can hardly wait to see our flowers bloom again. :)

For me, March is going to be B-U-S-Y! Especially compared to the relatively quiet winter I've enjoyed. I've got three weddings on the books (but one is already photographed!), trips out of town and a conference to finish out the end of the month. My biggest goal is to keep up with it all while practicing my 2014 goal of balance. This will be a big test for what the summer might look like and I'm feeling good about it!

Over the last couple months I've been taking a tip from Nancy Ray and have been setting my iPhone alarm to keep me focused on each task. The rule is that I can't do anything other than what I'm supposed to be working on until my alarm goes off. Then it's time for a small break to recharge for the next task. So far, so good! It's like a mini competition every hour … who will win? Me or my iPhone? ;)

• Read two books (25 in 12): Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen and The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak (Plus finish Film is Not Dead. I realized as I started reading it last month that it's a book meant to be read a little at a time … not necessarily devoured while you're laying in bed!)
• Complete month #2 of Insanity (between being sick and falling off the wagon, I definitely let this one slide! Time to get back at it this month!)
• Find chairs for our living room
• Mentally prepare for Making Things Happen (if that's even possible!)
• Make time for at least two date nights with Nathan
• Continue working on my good-side split (per #93 on my 101 list)
• Book our plane tickets to Ireland and Scotland!
• Finish my new website
• Finish 2013 vendor discs (le sigh. This might always be on my list … I need to GET IT DONE!)
• Give up sweets and take on a daily devotional for Lent
• Celebrate my college BFF during her Chicago bride-to-be weekend!
• See two more Oscar-nominated movies (my goal is to see all nine this year … five more to go!)

February Goals

Ah, sweet February. Somehow this month always seems rather hopeful. Maybe it's because we're inching closer to spring and I'm generally past the post-holiday doldrums. Maybe it's Valentine's Day. Or it's the 2014 Olympics?! I'm excited about this month just because of that!

This February I have no weddings, and I'm hoping to soak up this restful time before crazy March hits. I'm envisioning afternoon naps with Rosie, getting caught up on business and branding stuff, reading some good books, keeping up with my BALANCE New Year's resolution and turning those goals into habits (hello stretching every night and drinking more water).

After completing almost every, single one of my goals in January (man, does that feel good), I'm looking forward to an equally successful Feruary!

• Read two books (25 in 12): The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe and Film is Not Dead by Jonathan Canlas (I was an overachiever in January and read three books instead of my two. I highly recommend I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and will be doing a review soon!)
• Start exploring film (super excited for this one!)
• Set up Square
• Eat desserts only once a week (we're attempting to rid ourselves of our sugar addiction! Healthy/Natural > Processed)
• Finish up month #1 of Insanity (I forgot to take skiing into account last month!) and finish most of month #2
• File taxes
• Finish 2013 vendor discs (I'm so embarrassed that I'm still working on these! Whew, got to get them done!)
• Finalize all branding except for website
• Celebrate Valentine's Day with a fun date night!
• See two more Oscar-nominated movies (I like to have an opinion while watching the Oscars. American Hustle was great! I'm hoping to see Dallas Buyers Club and Philomena next!)
• Go through all old magazines and get RID of them
• Organize our junk room.
• Host friends for dinner and try new recipes
• Continue working on my good-side split (per #93 on my 101 list)

January Goals

Happy New Year! And a white and frosty one at that. Here on the east side of Cleveland we have 6+ inches of snow. The kid inside of me is doing cartwheels right now! What a beautiful way to ring in 2014.

December was filled with rest and spending time with people I love. It was a really fantastic way to prepare for Christmas and spend the end of what was a crazy year. This coming month I want to be even more purposeful about nurturing relationships, spending some time just being, and learning to be content with the things I already have instead of coveting and buying new things. And of course starting out my 2014 wedding season with a bang! My first wedding of the year is this Saturday!

This morning I had some time to sit and reflect on what is most important for me to accomplish in January. I realized that while professional goals are really important, I wanted to look further than work and embrace the whole BALANCE New Year's resolution I'm taking on (I'll be sharing specific pieces of that throughout the year). I had to remind myself that the most important goals are the ones that make me a more well-rounded person—a healthy blend of work and play. Because of this, I'm taking a new approach to goal setting this month. Of course I have professional goals sitting on my office desk, but here on the blog I want to celebrate the other, unique things that will make my January memorable.

• Read two books (25 books in 12 months … more on that soon!): The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott
• Go on a winter vacation to Colorado and tackle skiing once again
• Get a good haircut (at least four inches!)
• Complete month #1 of Insanity
• Try two new (to us) restaurants in Cleveland on date nights with Nathan (maybe this one and this one?)
• Have a budget meeting with Nathan every weekend (say NO to excess!)
• Work on my good-side split (per #93 on my 101 list)
• Try at least five new recipes (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5)

December Goals

I feel like an old soul saying this, but HOW IS  IT ALREADY DECEMBER?? Where did this year go? Every year goes faster and faster, which is why it's so important for me to keep track of my goals. I might never get anything done otherwise!

I LOVE this time of year. Christmas is my favorite, and the snow we got last night has put me even more in the holiday spirit. It's such a pretty backdrop to our newly decorated tree. :) This month is all about soaking up the last bit of 2013 with lots of time with family and friends. I have quite a list of professional goals, but honestly, I'm going to be focusing most on getting rested for the new year (my first wedding is 1.4.14!).

Here's to sending 2013 off with a bang!

Professional

1. Update/rebrand wedding guide.
2. Send holiday gifts to wedding clients.
3. Get caught up on Facebook albums.
4. Get caught up on vendor discs.
5. Submit at least five weddings.
6. Blog at least three/week.
7. Start on new website. 

Personal

1. Finish Their Eyes Were Watching God and read The Sisters.
2. Do a thorough cleaning on our house.
3. Write and mail Christmas cards.
4. Find the perfect Christmas tree. :)
5. Decorate the living room for Christmas.
6. Try a new Christmas cookie recipe.
7. See a Christmas show at Playhouse Square.

Our house feels so cozy these days. :)