The Me Monthly - Volume 1

I want to break these monthly update posts into sections. This is probably kind of overkill, but I think it will help to give me direction and I feel like it will be easier for me too. If I finish a goal, I'll still do a separate post for it within the week I finish it (hopefully).

ME THIS MONTH
I'm thinking I'll use this section to give highlights from the month that aren't list-related. Maybe I'll share some favorites of the month, some fun things I've done, or some thoughts I have about my progress.

July has been quite eventful! We spent lots of time with friends and family, and had a few big, one-day events that required extra time beforehand for planning and stuff. The week of the 16th was especially busy. I'm one of the Webelos leaders in my ward and there was a day camp on the 17th. It featured a 3 mile hike where the first mile was almost entirely uphill (my knees and I nearly died), and I brushed up on my first aid knowledge (no more breaths during CPR btw). I also tried a fidget spinner for the first time (#trendy), and I ran into an old friend from my St. George YSA ward! Overall it was a good experience, but I was so glad when it was over and I could take a shower. This was also the longest I have been apart from Daisy since I graduated. No tears or worries from me though - it was nice haha ;) And it helped that I knew she was in great hands at my in-laws.

Another big thing from that week - Jonathan's little sister got married on the 19th! I did a lot of design for it (invitation, bridal shower stuff, reception banners, etc.) so it's been a lot of work but a TON of fun :D From a helper/stand-by point of view, the whole day was lovely! Cloud-cover made the day a lot cooler, but it did rain for a little bit while doing pictures. I helped set up the reception too, and it was really fun. I'm just glad they got a place where we didn't have to do set up or take down tables and chairs. (Congrats Kenzie and Race!!)

I'm glad this month is over though. I do like being busy, but mostly because it makes my life more enjoyable when I get a minute to myself. I haven't had a lot of time to work on my list, but it's been nice to have these goals on my mind and to have something to work towards.

Watching: Sofia the First. AND....Gilmore Girls!! I finally started it and I love it! To all those who suggested I watch it and I never did, I'm sorry. I understand now. I'm sure my sister-in-laws and friends will enjoy knowing they have another fellow fan :)
Listening to: Decemberists Pandora station
Eating: Lots of leftover tortilla chips from the reception, with a combo of salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Seriously had it for lunch 3 days in a row (plus 1 dinner!) after the wedding, and I would eat it that often again.
Designing: A bunch of banners for a convention my work is attending.
Feeling: Tired! This month took a lot out of me - and Daisy has been up really early the past few days. I think she's teething again..


THE FOCUS GROUP
I want this section to be where I will talk about which short-term goals (1-3) I'm in the process of doing and what I've done for them so far. This will also include the one-time goals I want to do within the next month. (If I think that far ahead..)

19. Get a new bedding set
I bought a blanket/sham set, now I just need to get sheets! We also want new pillows, so I may wait to say this one is "finished" until after we buy those. I plan to go shopping and finish this one within the next two weeks!

54. Figure out the deal with curtains
I've measured the windows I want to get curtains for, and I've been checking out Amazon, Ikea, and other places for curtain rods and panels. The hardest parts so far are finding the right size for our HUGE windows and deciding on what color to get. I'm sure once I've decided that, the hardest thing will be actually putting them up. This one may take me a little longer, but I'm really hoping to have curtains up by the beginning of September.

80. Go to the movies alone
For this one, I've kind of planned a little date for myself. I'm not only going to go to a movie alone, but I'm also going to take myself to dinner or dessert :) I think I want to go see Wonder Woman, so I'm going to do this one in August.


LONG-TERM BEGINNINGS
Pretty self-explanatory - I have some long-term goals that I need/want documentation on when I start them.

17. Lose 3 inches of current waist measurement
This goal focuses on my waist measurement, but I want to keep track of other measurements too.
Current measurements: Waist 35" | Stomach 39" | Hips 45" | Thigh 24"

20. Read the Book of Mormon twice during the list
When I started the list, I was like 10 chapters into 1st Nephi, so I've just kept reading!

27. Be able to touch my forehead to my knees
I'm doing yoga most mornings to work on this one. I just want to be more flexible!
Current distance from forehead to knees: 3 ¾"

38. Start an Etsy/creative market shop
I have started thinking of ideas for what I would offer. I think the hardest thing is deciding how I would brand myself...so that may take me a while :) And shout-out to my friend Saya for helping me! She has an Etsy shop (Custom Kokoro), and we're planning to keep each other accountable with our goals for our shops and stuff :)

48. Be able to sing 5 anime theme songs
I have made a list of the songs I want to learn, and have started practicing the first one.

98. Choose and memorize 25 personal scripture mastery verses
I started choosing topics and looking up scriptures in the topical guide. I feel like this one will take me a while, so I wanted to start it soon.


KEEPING YOU POSTED
This section will show up every once in a while. I want it to be a way to discuss milestones and give updates to long-term goals that I've started.


NUMBERED NEWS
This section will feature the various items that require reaching a number of things to pass them off (movies, games, eateries, Oreo flavors, etc).

49. Play 51 new games (at least 15 award-winning)
1. Freedom: The Underground Railroad (7/15/17)

85. Watch 51 new movies (at least 15 award-winning)
1. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (7/9/17)
2. Hidden Fortress (7/12/17)
3. Sanjuro (7/20/17)
4. The Lego Batman Movie (7/22/17)
5. Cinderella - Live Action (7/23/17)
6. Beauty and the Beast - Live Action (7/29/17)


DAISY'S BOOK OF THE MONTH
My second goal on the list is to buy Daisy a book for her library every month of the entire list. At the end, there will be at least 32 new books at our house! I want to use this section to show which book I bought that month. 

So this month I didn't have to buy a book! Jonathan's aunt and uncle were downsizing their library and gifted us a bunch of children's books. (Thanks Diana and Dallas!) Out of the 10 or so we got from them, this one is definitely the favorite - I Spy: Little Wheels.

There's a cute little rhyme throughout the book, having you find 2-3 things per page. I loved I Spy books as a kid, so I love looking through it with her. Daisy really likes cars, so she loves staring at the pictures. And there's a page that has a cat toy and she does a little happy yell whenever we turn to it. It's super cute.

Daisy has been super into books lately. She'll just go to a corner and look through them multiple times a day. To keep up this love of books, I try to read to her everyday. I'm excited that this goal will help build our library and to add some variety to our reading time! Nothing's better than a new book!

And there we go! the first installment of The Me Monthly! I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and I'm way pumped to keep working on stuff, so I think it accomplished its purpose. Until next month!