Updates on Dreams and Goals for July 2024

 

Today we bid farewell to July, and I wanted to look over the goals I made for this month! It was a pretty good run! :) 

ONE. Work on our anniversary trip. I spent some time brainstorming ideas for this one this month, and then we had a little plot twist that opened up the potential for an entirely different trip. I’m still waiting to hear whether or not it will come to fruition, so I can’t say this one is finalized, but I can say I worked on it, and that was the goal, so…check! Even if the plot twist idea doesn’t work out, I still have some ideas of what we can do!

TWO. Work on office organization. As you saw from my “office re-vision” post, I did accomplish this! I reorganized the bookshelves, hung up some new (newly uncovered from storage, anyway) pieces on the wall, and tried to tidy things up so it’s easier to work in there. It’ll be an ongoing project throughout the years as my needs change, but I’m very happy with its current look.

THREE. Work on vacation scrapbook. To be honest, I had hoped to completely finish this one this month, but alas, the month took some unexpected turns with my time, so it didn’t get done. But I have a solid start on it and am quite happy with what I have accomplished! I also kept up pretty well on our chronological books.

FOUR. Read for ½ hour every day. I did this and loved it. Both Ryan and I were shocked at how much more I was able to read by merely choosing this for a half hour a day. I don’t miss the half hour of TV I probably would have been watching, and I thoroughly enjoyed the things I read and learned throughout the month. As of today, I’ve knocked out EIGHT books this month. That’s way more than I have been reading each month!

FIVE. Continue the Summer Baking Bingo Challenge. This was so fun! I did five things on the card this month: make pancakes from scratch, eat breakfast for dinner, make a fruit smoothie, make homemade guacamole, and make burgers. I won’t tell you there are still 14 things left on the list that I need to do in August. EEK!!!!

SIX. Work on recipe collection. I did this! I did it in a couple of different ways, actually. I did finally start printing out the recipes that are going to be keepers in our new recipe box, and I also started a new way of meal planning that will hopefully be a time-saver in years to come. More on that once I determine if it really is a keeper. 😊

In addition…

·         As I shared yesterday, we really enjoyed having our hammock back and each of us spent some time this month resting in it and looking out at the beautiful water. What an absolute gift!

·         Ryan had a couple of days off work this month “just for fun,” and THAT was such a great decision. It seems like whenever we take time off, it’s always because we have somewhere we need to go or something we have to do. To have a day off to just sit and enjoy and work on little projects around the house? Game-changer.

·         We had Mom and Dad and my sister and brother-in-law over for a belated Father’s Day get-together. (Mom was sick on Father’s Day, so we postponed our gathering.) We had a gorgeous weather day, we had a cookout on the patio, and we went for a boat ride on the lake. Perfect day!

·         Ryan was on the worship team at church this month and shared the leading responsibilities with another guy from the team. (That guy led the band and chose the songs and Ryan was the “mouthpiece” to the congregation.) He had a great time, and I loved watching him shine in his gifts! He also sang a solo at church one of the Sundays and did a beautiful job.

·         My garden matured and I started harvesting this month. So yummy to have fresh food! Also – when did I become the girl who would run around a garden at 7 a.m. to pick green beans before the heat of the day??

·         Ryan got to enjoy all sorts or water sports this month: paddleboarding, skiing, barefooting, tubing…he had the best time, and I was so happy for him!

·         I helped out with a kids’ event at our church yesterday! If you need me to oversee a game where kids put shaving cream on a shower cap and then throw cheese balls at it, give me a call. It’s now on my resume!