Goal Updates for June

 

Back at the beginning of the month, I made some goals for June, and today I wanted to share how I did with those!

1. Spend time in my Genesis study every single day.

I made this a goal because I hadn't been entirely consistent with making time for this EVERY SINGLE DAY, and I wanted to do better. I knew I was capable of it. I just needed the accountability. And I did it! There were some days when the study lasted longer than others, but I did carve out purposeful study time each day, and I am so grateful for all the things I learned along the way. I do not plan to discontinue this in the month of July, but since I feel like I now have it settled as a daily habit, I am not listing it in my July goals. It will take me a while to get all the way through Genesis, but I am committed to spending time in daily study!

2. Do stretching every day for 5-10 minutes.

As you might have read in yesterday's post, I did this, and my goodness...what a difference it made! It took me a few days at the beginning of the month to find the particular set of stretches I liked and worked well for me, but once I settled on the grouping I liked most, I kept with it and did it every single day. I did not have a specific time of day set aside to do the stretches, so sometimes I did them early and other times late, but I did them every single day. It made a marked difference in how I feel. I often feel like my back and legs are so tight, and they felt SO much better this month. Like I said yesterday, I was more aware of my posture and  felt physically better after about a week of stretching! Like my first June goal, I do not plan to discontinue this in July, but I am not putting it on the list again, because it is now a daily habit. 

3. Develop social media posts and a newsletter for Love INC.

Throughout the month of June, I was able to have a new Facebook post for Ryan's Love INC affiliate every single day. This generated some encouragement for the staff, conversations with the community, and new local awareness for the ministry and what it offers. I feel like I have a good rhythm down now (each day has a theme) and I've already been working ahead on posts for July! We've gotten really good feedback from those who have a history with the local affiliate, and that is encouraging. I also worked hard on a newsletter to cover the highlights of what was accomplished in June, along with upcoming events and prayer requests. I'm excited for both accomplishments and will continue them again in July and the months that follow. It feels like a good starting establishment, though. 

4. Write from prompts every single day. 

Prior to the start of June, I had not been doing any daily writing other than blogging and journaling. I wanted to do something to challenge myself to write about prescribed topics, regardless of whether or not they came easily to me. I found a list of writing prompts from HopeWriters (which is a writing group that I am not a paying member of, but the writing prompts are a free resource they offer) and then the planner I just purchased comes with monthly Scripture journaling prompts for each day. So I decided to do one HopeWriter prompt and one Scripture-related prompt each day, spending about ten minutes on each prompt. WOW. First of all, I loved returning to the writing discipline. I also loved all the things I learned and/or processed as I wrote. But what I loved most of all was how often the two prompts, which were written by two different people in two different places with two different goals, seemed to mesh. It often felt like one was just a continuation of the other with a slightly different focus. To me, that was a God-gift, and I appreciated it. I wrote just over 30,000 words throughout the month in that exercise alone, and it was a gift for me to be able to do this. I plan to continue this for the month of July and hopefully on beyond that as well!

5. Do something encouraging for someone every day.

I chose this goal to push myself to look outside my own four walls, especially since I spend most of my days INSIDE those four walls. I did complete this successfully. Some days my encouragement was a text or email to someone, thanking them for who they are and encouraging them with something they're facing. Other days, encouragement was more tangible. We took a couple of meals to people, shared some gifts, etc. It was a good practice for me to diligently search every day for someone to bless. I can tell my mindset has shifted well during this month, so I won't make this a purposeful, daily goal for next month, but I want to continue to live in the practice of seeking ways to encourage, whether it happens daily or not. It was a good thing for me to do.

6. Write love notes for Ryan's lunchbox every day.

I actually didn't put this on my public post at the beginning of the month, because I didn't want him to see it, but I made a "secret" goal of writing a love/encouragement note for Ryan every weekday to tuck inside his lunchbox. I used to do this when we lived in Marion and he commuted each day. When we moved to Kokomo, he came home for lunch, so I didn't pack lunches anymore. And then, of course, at WillowBridge, we worked at home, so again, no lunch packing. But this month, I did write him a note every day that he went to work and we didn't eat lunch together. (There were a few days in there where either he worked from home or I went along with him, so I didn't pack notes on those days, because we were together.) I think he enjoyed them, and I plan to keep up the practice, though it's a habit now, so I won't list it as a goal. 

BONUS ITEMS: I had a few goals I made along the way throughout the month that weren't featured on this list, but I'm excited that I completed them. They were:

* Starting and finishing our photo album of our birthday trip to the Ark Encounter.

* Keeping up to date on our chronological photo album for May/June.

* Increasing my water intake each day. I was already drinking more than I "have to" according to recommendations, but since it's been SO HOT here, I was able to fairly easily drink even more every day! I don't necessarily need to do this for the rest of my life, but I wanted to try it for a season.

* Designing Ryan's business card and helping with writing documents, press releases, etc. for Love INC.

* Reorganizing all my archived photo files so they're easier to find. I've had multiple file-naming systems throughout the years, so I finally made everything match!

* Starting the plans for our tenth anniversary celebration.

* Completing one of the items on my "top ten" list of house projects I'd like to knock out before the end of the year.

***

I recognize and celebrate that this month was successful in terms of goal-keeping. I'm sure not all months will be quite so beautifully complete in this area, but it's a boost to my heart that this one was. That aside, what I loved most of all was returning to the practice I've loved so long of being intentional and purposeful in choosing things to focus on throughout the month and then taking those goals seriously and working to complete them. 

My main intention with the specific goals I set for June was to jumpstart good habits in my life again. I know it's not practical or realistic for every month contain the addition of things that I want to keep on my daily calendar forever. There are only so many hours in a day, and if I do this every month, I'll eventually run out of time to sleep and shower and eat...you get the idea. I imagine in the months to come, many of my goals might be more project-oriented with a definitive end-date, but for June, I needed to restart some productive habits, so I'm grateful that goal-setting allowed me to do that. 

I've been working to create some goals for July, and I'll tell you about those tomorrow. 

What I Learned in June

I haven't done a good, old-fashioned "What I Learned..." post for a long time, but just like the goal posts, I thought I would bring it back and see how it goes! June was full of learning for me, so here are some of the biggest lessons I gleaned.

1. I really do function better with an active paper day planner.

I have long loved a day planner - ever since I learned to use one in junior high, really. However, my ability to effectively use one at WillowBridge did not go well. Schedules there were governed by shared online calendars, because each part of every day required so many people working together. And things were ALWAYS changing there. Meetings were constantly canceled, moved, etc. Paper planners took a real beating. But I returned to my beloved paper planner this month, and I love it. I am keeping track of things so much more effectively. Not just appointments, but habits, prayer requests, praises, and more. I'm so much more productive each day. Even when I don't complete everything because of unexpected interruptions, I still get more done than I have in the last couple of years. My life feels so much more organized, and I think it shows in the way we're able to live our days! Our home is back.

2. Stretching is amazing, and I wish I would have known that sooner.

Just one week in with the new daily stretching routine, I could tell a marked difference in how I felt. I didn't stretch more than five minutes a day, most days, but even that little bit was a game-changer. I am much more aware of my posture now, and my back and legs, which are allllllllllways tight, feel better than they have in a long time. I am moving around better and legitimately feel better. I had no idea that something so small could make such a huge difference! (This was extra mind-blowing to me, because usually if I try something that I've seen other people call a game-changer, I actually don't see the same results. It can be really discouraging! So to actually see change from this was an encouragement!)

3. Purposeful prayer and praise in every single day is an outlook-changer.

This is part of the day planner routine. I am keeping a written prayer list, which means if I tell someone I will pray, I write it down and then I follow up after a while to see how things are going! The planner also has a section for daily praises, so I sit down at the end of each day to find praises and answers to prayer from that day. Some days I need a bigger box, and some days I have to really hunt for something, it feels like. But the mere practice of being extremely purposeful in both my requests and my answers has caused me to see God's hand at work in my life in ways I'd been missing. He's always been working - make no mistake about that. But I see it in new ways now, because I'm writing about it!

4. Working with/for Ryan feels like home.

We do have some life/work updates that I shared a few days ago, but the short version is that this month has given me every opportunity to work alongside Ryan in the work he is doing. It is different than the work we did at WillowBridge - different in detail and in appearance - but it still feels just like home. Working together is our absolute favorite in the whole world. It is a joy, a gift, and makes both our hearts sing!

5. Poetry is still most CERTAINLY not my gift. 

I completed daily writing prompts this month, and one day I had to write a haiku. I haven't written a haiku since college, and I learned this month that I am still terrible at it. I'm not being critical. I'm being honest. I am not a poet. That has not changed in the last twenty years. I did it. I tried it. I did not do well. Back to prose! 

6. Growing a yard is not for the faint of heart, and we are one and done on this experience.

The landscaper hired by the company that built our house installed our yard and landscaping this month. This meant we had to launch into a complex, time-intensive watering system to make sure all these baby plants stayed alive and well. It is harder on Ryan than it is on me, but I feel his pain as he tries to find the right mix of sprinklers, the right times to water, and the whole bit. I did a lot of praying for rain this month (though it only happened twice), and we are learning a considerable amount about patience in the growing process. I'm sure there are spiritual lessons involved that we have yet to uncover. But I wasn't mentally ready for the time and labor intensity of growing a yard. This has, without a doubt, been the worst experience of our new-build adventure. I'm pretty sure if we ever move again (which is not the plan), having an established yard will shoot straight to the top of the wish list. Signed, Faint of Heart. 

7. Keeping a puppy still for two weeks is also not for the faint of heart.

Lexi was spayed this month, and my full-time job became keeping her still. Ever try to keep an energetic puppy from jumping or running? My goodness. I worked from the living room floor most of the time, trying to keep her quiet beside me, and for the first 10 days, I almost never left home. We all missed walking regularly, and after she got her stitches removed, we were SO HAPPY to see the literal spring return to her step. 

8. I love sharing our home with others.

Earlier this month, we were able to share our home with our church staff for a day retreat. Some of you probably know, if you've hung out here long, that running a bed and breakfast or retreat center has been on our list of jobs we think we would love, and that simple opportunity proved we weren't wrong! Of course, we were not present during the retreat, but just being able to provide an atmosphere of (we hope!) comfort to them was a great joy and blessing for us. 

9. I have much to learn in the capsule wardrobe journey.

Back in 2015, after I left WBCL, I purged my closet and entered the world of capsule wardrobes. Over the years, the day-to-day functionality of that has changed in a variety of ways, but this month I took the free masterclass offered by Audrey at Putting Me Together and learned just how much I do not know about the mechanics of putting together a wardrobe that actually works well for me. She shared some great nuggets in that class, and it was more than worth my time. (Just FYI, in case you also take it...the last part of it is a plug for her longer, paid course. I honestly wish I could afford it, because I think it would be really interesting and informative. I'll put it on my wish list for someday, but it's not practical for us financially right now.) But...I did learn some key points that I can use now, and I learned that I still have much to learn! 

I'm sure I learned more than just what I listed here, but these items are the standouts for me!

Day in the Life...June 2022

I haven't done a Day in the Life post since our early days at WillowBridge. I wanted to try to do this again so I could remember what days are like in this season. I always enjoy looking back at them! So...here goes! 

Monday, June 27, 2022
Ryan is 43, Bekah is 44, Braeya is 16, and Lexi is 7 months old
The high for today is 76, and it's sunny

* Ryan gets up early to water the yard that we are in our third week of growing, but it's still fairly damp from last night's watering. So instead, he uses his time to do his devotions, pray, and watch YouTube videos about growing grass, since our adventure is NOT going well. (He forgot we were doing this post today, so he didn't take any pictures of that part.)

* Braeya wakes me up and "talks" to me for a while, and then she gets bored and has her breakfast. I get up, get dressed in comfy clothes, and change the date on the blocks in our living room.

* Ryan gets Lexi up while I suit up in a jacket and my shoes. It's been blistering hot here lately, so a jacket feels very strange. The sun is up, and it's so pretty! Ryan brings Lexi outside, and we go on a walk. Lexi lovvvvvves being outside, so walks are an excellent opportunity for us to work on heeling and other skills and obedience.

* We come home and check on the sprinklers Ryan turned on some of the dry spots before we left. Our grass is patchy at best, but he continues to work hard at watering and trying to coax it to life. Ryan cleans Lexi's paws (something she's getting better at tolerating), and then I bring her inside while he goes back out to continue watering.

* Lexi is READY for breakfast and plops down to await its arrival. In the morning, she eats from a wobbly Kong, and she waits patiently to be released to eat. 

* While she eats breakfast, Ryan continues watering, and I make sure the house is ready for the day: I make the bed, put up any blinds that aren't already up, and bring out my day planner and pens for the day. I'm lost without my lists! 

* I get my water glass out of the refrigerator, where it's been chilling all night long. I choose my coffee cup for the morning, which today is the "Grateful" cup my sister gave me as a housewarming gift. I get busy drinking from both!

* Lexi is done with her breakfast, so I put the Kong away and turn on her HGTV shows for her. Today we start with Unsellable Houses, which happens to be one of my favorites. She curls up on the couch to rest and watch TV, and I settle in at the table to check my emails that have come in since last night. 

* I pull up the social media graphic and text for Ryan's work and prepare to post it. It's Monday, so today's social media theme is "Monday Motivation." Today's post is a quote from Annie Chapman, and I've added a tiny extra thought to go with it. 

* I get busy answering emails and checking Instagram, while Ryan gets ready for work. He pauses while getting ready to go move sprinklers, and then resumes getting ready. I'm ready...for the second cup of coffee. Hello, Monday. I see you. 

* I decide to go ahead and eat breakfast, which today is yogurt with honey and granola. Normally I would be packing Ryan's lunch right now, too, but today looks different for him, so I'm not doing any packing! Ryan makes oatmeal for his breakfast and joins me at the table. (I normally do my morning work at the dining room table, rather than in the office, so I can spend extra time with Ryan.)

* I send out a couple of texts to hopefully encourage some friends who are facing a hard Monday. I want them to know I'm thinking of and praying for them and that they have what it takes to do hard things! 

* Ryan heads out to a coffee meeting this morning with a gentleman who works for the national Love INC office. He tells us goodbye, and I notice Lexi is doing better with the morning goodbyes. She seems to understand the routine more now, and that is good. After he leaves, she crawls back up on the couch, and I return to the dining room table to do some more work. 

* I go ahead and do my two writing prompts for today. I am committed to writing for about ten minutes on each prompt, so I set my timer and get to writing!

* I finish my writing prompts right about the same time I finish my first mug of water. (It's 32 ounces and my current goal is to drink four per day. Three is the absolute must, but with the heat we've been experiencing, I've increased it to four.) I decide to knock out my stretch routine, which you might remember, was one of my goals for June. I'm also kicking off a new workout plan this week, so since I'm stretching, I might as well add the workout. It looks easy enough...until I do it! Day one is a 15-minute abs/glute/thigh workout, followed by an 8-minute additional outer-glute workout. Whoa. Way harder than it appears. But I do all of it! 

* After the workout, I need more water and a break, so I refill my mug and sit down to catch up on emails again. They replenish quickly, and that doesn't bother me at all. 

* Once I've had a little rest from my workout and had some more water, I head into the bathroom to get ready for the day. My crunchy hair is two days old, so it's time for a total restart, which means it's hair washing day! 

* While I get ready (recrunching the hair, doing my makeup, etc.) I listen to Marco Polo messages that came in over the weekend. Normally I get right on them, but we had a busier weekend, so I got a little behind. I find both Braeya and Lexi enjoying morning nap/rest time when I'm done, and I tell them I'm proud of them for doing so well! I grab a Rice Krispie treat for a snack (made them for the weekend's festivities, so it's unusual to have them in the house) and continue working on my water consumption and Marco Polos - and an extra half cup of coffee.

* Ryan comes home from his meeting and tells me he plans to work from home the rest of the day. Lexi and I are SO EXCITED to have him here! She can't contain her joy at all when he walks in the door.

* While Ryan tells me all about his meeting and everything he learned, I unload the dishwasher that ran overnight and then put a load of clothes in the washer. I defrost some chicken for our lunch and then cook it on the stove and steam some broccoli to go with it. I give Ryan the love note I would have packed in his lunch if I'd packed it!

* We get to eat lunch together, which is a real treat on a weekday. Lexi eats her frozen Kong for lunch, which makes her so happy. (She loves food as much as I do.) Braeya is still napping. I also fill up my mug the third time today, since my lunch wiped out mug #2. 

* After lunch, I clean up the kitchen and switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Then it's time for me to find my shoes and purse so I can head out for a coffee meeting of my own! One of my local friends and I made plans a few weeks ago to meet up this afternoon for coffee. I tell Ryan I'm sad to be gone on a day he gets to be home, but he needs to work on my laptop to set it up for work I'll be doing with Love INC, so it all works out. 

* I head out in plenty of time to meet my friend and end up having zero traffic to contend with, find a parking place immediately, and they even had tables to spare, so I am able to nab one! The coffee shop is celebrating its 5th birthday, so they have a fun balloon arch and everything. I order a chocolate truffle latte with almond milk, and it is delicious! Sarah and I have a great time catching up, but then she needs to get back home, so I return home as well.

* Ryan is hard at work when I return, and Lexi is waiting for me at the door. Braeya is between naps, and Lexi is ready for her snack. (She gets a smaller frozen Kong in the afternoon. It looks like a pacifier and always makes me giggle.)

* Ryan shows me the calendars and things he had set up for my Love INC account, so I fluff the clothes in the dryer while he does that. Then I fold and put away all the laundry while Braeya and Lexi both watch attentively. Thankfully, today, neither of them "help.")

* While Ryan finishes up his work, I start copying writing prompts for July into my day planner. (They just arrived today via email.) I have a little bit of trail mix for a snack, and then it is time for our next adventure!

* Since we don't have a fenced-in yard for the next little while, we joined a local dog park. I know they are not everyone's favorite, but this one is membership-based, and it has strong policies on being up-to-date on shots and dog behavior within the park. We thought we would try it, and today is our first visit. No one else is there when we arrive, and Lexi has the time of her life running around, uninhibited. She will not even know what to do when our yard is completed! It is so much fun to watch her run! 

* We are tired by the end of our dog park adventure, so all three of us kick back on the couch for a quick nap. Unfortunately, we've forgotten to put our phones on airplane mode, so it isn't long before we're awakened by texts and phone calls.

* Ryan gets up and pays some bills, and I start putting dinner together and putting away the dishes that have been drying on the counter. While dinner cooks, I finish copying the July writing prompts into my planner and check my email/Facebook/Instagram.

* Our dinner, which is chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash with BBQ sauce and ranch, finishes baking, so we sit down to eat. I'm well into my fourth water mug for today. Lexi gets her last frozen Kong of the day and devours it as quickly as she can. While we eat, we continue to talk about the conversations we've had with others today and all the things we've learned from them.

* After dinner, Ryan goes back outside to begin the evening watering routine. It will probably take him about three hours to do the whole yard, but it's so windy that it might take longer. Windy days have been a huge problem for us in our watering adventures. I clean up the table and kitchen and settle in to do my Bible study for the day. In my study of Genesis, I'm currently in the chapter where Abraham pleads with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot's escape from the city before its destruction. Today my study involves filling out a chart to list things the Bible says about Sodom throughout the rest of Scripture. 

* While Ryan is outside, I write his love note for his lunch box tomorrow and tuck it away in the day planner until I pack his lunch tomorrow! I also find a Susie Larson quote that I love, so I copy it into my planner. I try to copy a quote from someone every day, so I have a whole arsenal of encouraging words to read on hard days!

* Ryan is next door visiting with the neighbor, so Lexi and I go over to see them. Ryan switches the sprinklers and then we decide to go for an evening walk. Lexi is SO excited to see so many people out and thinks they are all there to see her. She's really disappointed when her favorite treat-givers aren't in their yard. (It's actually funny to watch her strain to look for them!)

* We come home, do another paw-cleaning, and Ryan goes back out into the yard to water some more. Lexi and I come inside, I change into comfy clothes, and choose a coffee mug for the evening. I go with the orange "Strength" mug Ryan bought me from MudLove last fall, when we were on a date to Winona Lake. I use the Keurig for my evening coffee and settle on the couch to do some Pinterest surfing and blog reading. I turn on America Says, which is one of our favorite things to watch in the evening. 

* I find a shirt I think I need for working out, so I send Ryan a picture. (HA!) It actually reminds me of when I went to Trudy's childbirths and kept telling her every contraction was the last one. She eventually asked me to not say that anymore. 

* Ryan finishes the watering and comes in to watch TV with me. Lexi is worn out from her day and conks out beside him. I work on putting together this blog and finish my last water. Family Feud comes on, and we decide we need a little snack. I choose homemade granola with a sprinkling of chocolate chips, and Ryan has peanut butter pretzels. After our snack, Ryan washes the non-dishwasher safe dishes from the day. Yes, I recognize what a gift it is to have a husband who enjoys doing dishes! 

* It's close enough to the end of the day that I can stop to do my journaling. This is one of my favorite writing practices. I've been doing it (nearly) daily since I was fifteen years old. That's almost thirty years of journaling! WHAT?!!?!?!

* Ryan fills all Lexi's meal Kongs for tomorrow, and she stands close at hand in case he drops any pieces of food as he fills them. :) She's so eager to be on the cleanup crew! Ryan also gets the coffee pot ready for tomorrow morning - filling it with water and getting the beans ground. He also refills all the Keurig reservoir and the water pitchers in the refrigerator.

* I remember I have a thank-you note to write and a Facebook message to follow up on, so at the tail end of the day, I scurry to finish those last two little chores. And then I remember one Love INC chore I had intended to do and forgot to work on. I wasn't tired yet, so I decide to work on it. (It's a form that needs created.)

And that's a wrap on the day! Ryan takes Lexi for her last potty break of the day and puts her to bed. I wash my face, brush my teeth, and that's an end to this day! Thanks for reading along!