Goals: I have them.

So, if you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I laid out a bunch of goals for myself and for the blog. And let's be real here: I have SUCKED at keeping up with them.

So I'm here to tell you right now that all that is about to change. It's about to get way awesome and goal-oriented up in here. And instead of just saying "I'm going to focus more on my goals," I decided to choose a few to focus on, and make a plan on how I'm SPECIFICALLY going to meet those goals. Obviously, I'm telling you guys all this for accountability's sake.

So here's the plan, man:

I have lots of plans for things I want to create for the apartment. Unfortunately, I don't have an unlimited budget, so I'll have to spread them out a little bit. Here's the tentative plan:
August - Hooks and decor for apartment entryway. (sort-of inspiration here. I'm actually really excited about this one, and I can't wait to do it and show it to you!)
September - Jewelry Nook (inspiration here)
October - Gallery Wall in dining room (inspiration here and here)
November - Paint furniture and create centerpiece for dining room table (paint inspiration here and centerpiece inspiration here and here)
December - Curtains (inspiration here. I'll probably be using this tutorial.) and MAYBE painting the apartment? We found out we're allowed to paint, but I'm not sure if we will or not.

Now that Garrett and I are going to actually be together, and have a semi-normal schedule, we're really going to get into the intentional meal planning thing.  I'm going to do a more in-depth post on this sometime soon, but what I plan on doing is sitting down with Garrett at the beginning of each month and choosing recipes we'd like to make throughout the month. Then, at the beginning of each week, we'll choose what we're going to make that week. Planning meals for the whole month seems fine in theory, but we're so busy and plans change so frequently that we'd never stick with it. I'd like to avoid mid-week, unplanned, 'lets just make this' trips as much as possible. That's where we typically end up spending the most money, so being intentional is key here. I feel like there are going to be some growing pains with this one, but I'm excited about it nonetheless!
We also really, really need to start eating healthier again. I've gained ten-ish pounds in the last year. The number on the scale doesn't bother me (that much), but the fact is: I've gained weight because I'm being unhealthy. And I need to change that.

Our apartment complex has a nice little gym in it, so there's really no excuse anymore. I used to be able to run a 5k, and now I don't think I can run five minutes. I think I'm going to do the Couch-to-5K treadmill program, but we'll see. What do you guys do to get yourself motivated???

I'd like to read one book a month from now until the end of the year. To a lot of you, that probably doesn't seem like a lot, but it's busy around here, yo. So that's the goal for now. The plan is:
August: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
September: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
October: MWF Seeks BFF by Rachel Bertsche (per Lauren's recommendation!)
November: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (I'm also going to reread Catching Fire in preparation for the movie, but that'll be easy.)
December: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I'm also going to try to start using Goodreads again. Who else uses that? Want to add me, or whatever?

So there you have it. I have a plan, with measurable goals and everything. My dad would be so proud. Keep me accountable, okay you guys?!?



Check out one of the sweetest (literally! get it?) bloggers I know, Leslie!