Day Dreams

This blog has taken a backseat to my normal day to day. Sadly, that is not what I intended when I started this online journal about myself and my life. My goal with this site was to subtly inspire and assist in further education and expansion of knowledge for anyone that happened to come across it.

And yet, looking at the recent drafts that are left unpublished, I was forced to reexamine my life. Time and time again I find myself reading books on finance, time management, leadership, being the boss of my own life, and overall self improvement. And yet, I do not see adequate change in my overall life. Have I taken the time to savor my time? Have I actually implemented the financial practices that I know will help me as I age? Have I taken the opportunity to push myself by embracing challenging situations and analyzing my personal and career areas of growth? Have I self reflected enough in the past few months?

Looking at all of the unpublished drafts that are clogging this wordpress backend, I think the answer to every one of those questions is a big, fat, unattractive no.

I have not even begun to improve on my own personal objectives, let alone sit back and be able to adequately assist anyone else. Can my words help anyone in their own life? Can my words push anyone to better versions of themselves? Can I use my writing for the greater good? Can I write to show others they aren’t alone?

Starting today, my personal goal is to ensure that those questions have different answers than the no that I feel today.

I am fully aware that there are numerous other blogs out there: fashion, beauty, makeup, travel, family life, motherhood, overall adventures, lifestyle… and more. And yet, I find this blog as more of a catch all. Sure, there are different tabs that feature stuff in my life – (aka all of those blog categories I previously mentioned), but when you boil down all of those items, and ask me what I want people to get from this collection of stories and posts, the answer is overall inspiration to better their personal life.

We all have aspirations and dreams. I hope to inspire you in some way, shape, or form. That is all I could hope from you reading this post and maybe others from this lovely personal blog.

We are all trying to improve ourselves, our lives, and our situations… one day, one hour, one minute at a time. This is me, pushing myself to take one step closer to following my dreams. Maybe one day, instead of reading one of my blog posts, you will be reading one of my books.

Crazier things have happened…

Fearlessly,
Kayla

New Year, New You Part 3

Happy 2017!

Every year, I think about New Year’s as a fresh start, but in reality, every day is a fresh start. That is how I intend to begin my 2017; with the continuous knowledge and reminder, that a new year doesn’t bring a new life. It’s just the calendar resetting itself. There is that quote floating around a lot of social media sites talking about how you wouldn’t throw away $10, so why throw away 10 minutes of your life. It’s a little bit of a stretch metaphor for me, but I appreciate the underlying message. There is so much that each and every one of us can accomplish. It’s all about getting started and finding the inner motivation to keep going no matter what. Trust me, I forget that myself sometimes. And motivation is not always there banging down your door. But each and every one of us has people in our lives, or waiting to be discovered, that will push us to be better versions of ourselves.

Every year I set myself a list of resolutions, normally in coordination with the age that I will be turning in just a few months. I am going to do the same thing this year, with a little twist. This year, I am going to place some time limits on these resolutions. Because I tend to succeed when there is urgency.

1. Travel somewhere outside of the United States
2. Lose 10 – 15 pounds
3. Apply to Grad School
4. Save $10,000 for a down payment on a house
5. Read more and keep a list of the books I read and what I like or disliked about them.
6. Prepare my meals and meal prep everything
7. Keep a journal for the whole year
8. Go to sleep earlier. My goal is to be in beed by 9:30pm at least 4 nights per week.
9. Cook new recipes
10. Work on my blog (woot) – review more products and work on my “style” side
11. Volunteer or start something charitable, maybe with kids or maybe cats?
12. Meet up with old friends
    1. Reach out to Jennifer
    2. Set up time with Olivia
    3. See if Sara Shanahan is in California
13. Visit more family
    1. Go see Bachan as much as possible
    2. Take a trip to Texas to see Jo
    3. Visit the Matson’s in Utah again
14. Recycle my purchases: when you buy something, get rid of something else.
15. Set up date adventures like mini golfing, go karting painting or just dinner out just a way to be together.

Gratefully Gilmore

Growing up, television was never something that I paid too much attention to. I was engrossed in the technological age of the internet and Aol Instant Messenger. I spent my time in front of a computer screen. There were only a few shows that really captivated my attention, and one of those was Gilmore Girls. The show provided me with role models, pop culture references (better known as Gilmoreisms), and life-long friends. I joined the show a little late in the original series, and did not start watching them religiously on TV until around the fourth season. (A very torturous season finale, might I add.) For seasons five, six and seven, I was dedicated and emotionally invested. I grew up with Rory. I saw myself in Lorelai. I gave my heart to Dean, Jess and Logan. I felt like a regular at Luke’s. I competed with Paris, rocked out with Lane and laughed along with Kirk. I was an honorary Gilmore Girl.

When the show ended I was heart broken. I replayed season after season. I recored reruns on every channel I could find. I purchased (multiple) DVD copies of all 7 seasons and watched them whenever I could. To this day, I come home after work and get my daily Gilmore Girls fix. I bet you, I’ve seen every episode, from all 7 seasons, over 30 times. The series finale still makes me cry. My classic cry moment is when Richard tells Lorelai how proud he is of the life she created. But every time I watch, I think how is that the last scene  of Lorelai with her parents?How could a compliment on a necklace and a discussion about a sippy cup and a “World’s Greatest Reporters” cap be the last conversation we saw of this amazing, dynamic, beautiful mother daughter duo?

I never knew that a show could end with so many questions. Without a proper goodbye. Without the actors knowing it was the end while filming. I truly believe, if social media was as prevalent in the past as it is today, another network would have tried to pick it up immediately. It should not have taken 8 years to bring back. It was too good, to sentimental, and had too many dedicated followers to be over, just like that. I begged the TV gods to bring me back my favorite ladies. And then, in June of 2015, a panel was created for the 15th anniversary of Gilmore Girls, and I knew, something was happening.

I can’t even remember the day that I heard Gilmore Girls was coming back; I was too excited by that news alone. And for Netflix to be it’s new home, just seemed to make perfect sense. I mean, I had already been enjoying episode after episode on the beautiful streaming service. 2016 was a big year for me, and this revival definitely added to that amazingness.

After watching the 4 seasons in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. I can definitely say there were highs and lows. Character flaws that I personally did not want to be reminded of and depth into story lines that I never anticipated, made it a true piece of art. I was going to utilize this blog to sing my praises and express what I felt were downfalls of the 90 minute episodes, but I don’t think I am quite ready or prepared. I mean, I’ve watch each episode in the original series over thirty times. I could deduce, analyze, recount, and replay moments in my head just by a reference of season or quote. But these four episodes, I have seen only twice now. I’m not prepared to fully express the importance of each character milestone. I’m not ready to talk about my excitement when seeing Mr. Kim for the first time or my sorrow of Sookie’s empty kitchen. I can’t express my love for Luke’s heartfelt speech. Or clearly state the idiocy of Jackson’s one-line cameo. Or even begin to discuss Richard’s absence. Don’t get me started on the bizarrely long musical. I’m not ready to talk about those last four words. Until I am ready, I will say – no matter what I think will happen in the future, no matter how many instances I disliked in this revival, no matter how many times this show made me cry tears of joy and sorrow, I will always be a true Gilmore Girl.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kayla McCoy (@kaystar300)

Let’s Plan a Wedding: Month 2 & 3

Life doesn’t always go as planned! Work has been absolutely insane for me lately, and it has taken a lot of time from Wedding planning. (Side note – I am actually giving away a wedding at work! Someone deserving couple is going to win a $40,000 wedding courtesy of the station! I’m actually getting excited about this whole event as the contract and legal process is done.)

Anyways, the list of wedding stuff is piling on and as of July 22 we are exactly 8 months away! 8 months is INSANE! Especially because save the dates have to go out 6 months in advance and the invitations go out 3 months in advance. I’m already FREAKING OUT. So, this is what I have accomplished in the past two months. Don’t laugh at how little I’ve accomplished!

---

Finalize a Venue/Secure a Date

We finally secured a venue and a date and placed our deposit! Andrew and I will be getting married on April 22, 2016 at Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa, California!

---

Choose Wedding Party

We finally choose our wedding party! Meet them all HERE!

---

Look into Hotel Room Blocks

Hotel room blocks will still happen, but I think we are going to look into

---

Make a Bridal Dress Appointment

---

TRY ON DRESSES

---

SCHEDULE/RESEARCH HAIR AND MAKE-UP

---

FIND FLOWERS/FLORIST

I have decided that I am going to end up making my own flowers! It’s a very tedious and crazy goal, but I’m crafty and extremely interested in the idea of creating something special that is going to be a part of my very special day. The only fear is that it won’t turn out great… but I am going to practice this month and I will post how that whole process goes!

Bridal Bouquet

Bridesmaid Bouquet

Aisle Decor

---

Photographer/Videographer

We found our photographer and videographer! Today we are finalizing the contract and submitting the deposit for Amanda Collins Photography and Milligans

---

Schedule Engagement Photos

We are so close to this that I am keeping it in the “already done” section of this post.

---

What we did not accomplish:

• Order invitations – I have not even attempted to look at invitations lately. I took an invitation break… After going through so many different designs, I have to really sit down and look at how I want our invitations to look. And that takes time. (and concentration.)
• Book a DJ/MC – DJ’s are expensive! We are trying to find a DJ that isn’t too over budget. We can only really afford to spend a few hundred dollars. Research needs to be done, and I have yet to do it.
• Officiant interviews – We have an officiant in mind, but have yet to ask him. Hopefully we can do that in the next few months. Maybe after Hawaii!
• Finalize Guest List
• Cake Tasting/Ordering

#BetterSkinChallenge Part 2!

I’M BACK!! After a LONG, LONG break to, you know, start a new job and get married. I am back to doing what I LOVE. Reviewing products for anyone that stumbles along to find this unorganized, uneventful blog (and the crowd goes wild!! *screams*)

Here is what I will be discussing with you today: Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Powder.

Now, let’s start with the pro’s. This foundation powder is very great at matching your skin tone. I mean, it goes on and you’re questioning if it’s really there. It’s THAT good. It’s also very smooth. It goes on softly and blends very well.

Now, let’s talk about the con’s. This is not a foundation that I would rely on solely. It does not have the coverage that I desire. I also felt like my skin was rather shiny at the end of the day. Almost as if it took off my entire face. (Although, it has been rather warm here in the sunny state of California.) I would not utilize this as anything other than something to keep in my purse for a midday touch up.

Overall, just because it isn’t my style, I give this product a 3.5 out of 5. Because I mean, in that selfie, my skin does look pretty damn flawless.

(I did receive this product complementary from the lovely Influenster, but the opinions are ALL mine, duh!)

Sizzling Summer Silmdown

When it comes to trying to lose weight, I have done it all. I’ve tried fad diets, crash diets, detox teas, meal plans, workout regimes, classes, meal replacements, different gyms, online videos – you name it, I’ve done it. And from all of those hits and misses and some success, I’ve taken away a few valuable lessons. They alway say things aren’t solid, and set in stone, until they are written down in words, so here is my Slim-Down lessons.

1. It’s all about dedication. My dedication level was what stood in the way of a lot of potential success. I didn’t realize how necessary and important repetition and continuity was in the strive for physical fitness.
2. Don’t forget the veggies. If there was anything that constantly kept me full and always provided me with an additional side dish to my lean protein, veggies did the trick. They were always there to be a hunger filler and give me the nutrients I needed.
3. No more condiments. This was a hard pill to swallow. I am a sucker for condiments. They make food taste delicious, by hiding everything about the actual taste of the food you are consuming. Without the salt and sugar – flavors came from the food and not from the ketchup or italian dressing I constantly savored. (Mrs. Dash is a godsend to give you back a tiny bit of flavor, by the way.)
4. Stay away from caffeine. No matter how badly I wish this line wasn’t something I determined in my many, many attempts at fitness, it is something I sadly have to agree with. Subtract the sugary coffee drinks, and the soda from your life – and you actually find yourself realizing that you don’t need the extra red bull, you just need another hour or two of sleep – and better fuel for your body. (i.e. – veggies.)
5. Drink water. Water was my life savior during this time. I was ALWAYS, constantly thirsty. (And many, many trips to the bathroom were involved.) BUT it was absolutely worth it. It made me ten times less bloated than when I wasn’t drinking over a gallon of water a day.
6. Schedule your life. This was something I did when I started this fitness class. I planned to go after work 4 days a week. And you know what? I went. The constant repetition of the same plan every day after work, made me actually excited for the next class. I knew it was coming, it wasn’t a surprise.
7. Find something fun. The one thing that helped me in my journey to strength was this HIIT training fitness class that I joined for 4 months. These classes were 1 hour long classes that were a mix of strength training and cardio to improve your overall fitness. If it wasn’t for the expense of the classes, I would still be busting my ass there.
8. Weights are wonderful. I cannot tell you how exciting it was to watch the weight I could lift increase and the weight on my body decrease. I saw results within my muscle tone as wells over my entire physique. Weights are wonderful inventions that I will continue to pair with cardio.
9. Stop stressing. Stress does not help you lose weight. It actually helps you gain it. Which is why the time around my wedding, I really tried to calm myself down as often, and as much as possible. If you allow yourself some “me” time, you’ll be able to handle anything that life throws your way.
10. Love yourself. This is something I am still working on. I think we all have those instances in life where you are your worst enemy. When it comes to my physical appearance, I am definitely my worst enemy. And I am trying to change that. I want to be my biggest supporter, my biggest cheerleader, my strongest ally. Once I can believe in myself, I can get other people to have that same faith in me.

With these 10 different lessons, I know my next dive into fitness is going to bring even more lessons and even more exciting challenges. I can’t wait to see where I end up.

The second half of 2016 holds so many exciting events for me. Multiple weddings, a trip to Las Vegas, my niece’s first birthday. I want to be at my best throughout the rest of this year. I want to feel great, look great, and experience great.

This is why I am embarking on this journey again. And since my wedding is now over, I have settled within my job, and I am working on studying for the GRE, I can sacrifice some time for my physical fitness and overall health.

Join me in this next attempt!

#BetterSkinChallenge

I have been an avid Influenster lover since my amazing friend Aman told me about them. The process is by far one of the most awesome things I have ever done. Now, after about a year, I have only received 2 samples. One was for these panty liners, which were actually decent. And the second was for this amazing cat food called Purina One Smart blend. (Side note: MY CATS LOVE THIS FOOD. It’s like kitty crack. They RUN to be fed every time we shake the bag. Lillian does great on this food, but Boo, she always throws up after. I think the blend might be too harsh on her poor tiny kitty tummy.)

Getting back on track, my most recent VoxBox trial was for Maybelline’s Better Skin foundation, and let me tell you, I am seriously impressed. I started using Maybelline’s Better Skin foundation on July 29th. Within that time frame I was out and about, sweating my ass off at work, had my time of the month, and went to a wedding. It’s been almost 2 weeks and let me tell you, my skin looks great.

Here is me on Day One: (Ignore the gross up-do.)

Normally I break out like crazy during my lady time, mainly in my T zone and especially on my chin. This month, nothing. I had one tiny pimple on my forehead and that was it! The formula is really smooth and goes on extremely well. The only thing I would probably do next time when I purchase this foundation, is buy it in a slightly lighter shade for fall and winter.

I will be checking in again to let you know how my full 3 weeks went, but so far, I think I have found my new forever foundation!

(I did receive this product complimentary and for testing purposes from Influenster!)

Let’s Plan a Wedding: Month 1

May 2015 went by in the blink of an eye! I could barely catch my breath! Life stuff happened and Andrew and I were booked up with trips home and a business trip to Disneyland, but still ended up previewing a few venues along the way.

Me being the planner that I am, set aside a bunch of “goals” for the first month of wedding planning and boy, oh boy was I surprised at how much we did NOT accomplish. There are just so many factors that depend specifically on the venue. IT IS SO HARD TO FIND A VENUE THAT FITS WITH THE BUDGET WE SET! It’s absolutely insane how expensive this whole industry is. Rentals are over $5,000, food is over $100 per person, the BAR is astronomically expensive i really hope all of my wedding guests are HUGE alcoholics.

Above all it is pretty fun. It’s exciting to see ideas on Pinterest and be able to completely engulf myself in the idea of a gorgeous elegant event where Andrew and I promise to love each other forever.

Here are the goals for the month of May that I accomplish, and the goals for the month of May that I did not accomplish.

---

Goals:

Pick Colors

---

Set a date

---

Secure a budget

This was probably the hardest part to complete. Let’s get down to it, weddings are extremely expensive. Even the cheapest venue is the price of a car. And yet every year, I see numerous extravagant weddings that are so stunning, so impeccable, I realize I am in the wrong business. When setting our budget we really started with looking at the venue rental fee, the per person food cost, and the bar cost. I reached out to over 20 venues for their pricing. The first thing I did was make sure that each venue was under the venue booking fee. Then I looked into the dinner service and how much it costed per person. Finally, I looked at the bar fee. If the bar fee was too high or required too high of a minimum, I would set that venue aside. This gave me a list of venues that fit our budget to tour, and other venues that just didn’t fit. In the end, we only ended up touring 7 total venues. Even after that, we still went back and looked into different venues, but the first 7 we saw were the only ones that really fit into our budget.

---

Preview Venues

Chardonnay Golf Club, Napa

Chardonnay Golf Club, Napa

Oakmont Golf Course, Santa Rosa

Oakmont Golf Course, Santa Rosa

Cornerstone Sonoma

Cornerstone Sonoma

SpringHill Suites, Napa

SpringHill Suites, Napa

Paradise Ridge, Santa Rosa

Paradise Ridge, Santa Rosa

---

Guest List

This was another tough part of the entire wedding process. There are so many people in both Andrew and my families as well as family friends and our own personal friends. Both of our parents began listing off members of the family and their friends. Some people Andrew and I didn’t even know! That is when I came up with a very reasonable rule.

If these people do not know me and Andrew as a couple, they will not be invited. Andrew and I have been together for 7 years. If these people in our parents lives have not had the opportunity to at least MEET me once, they should not be invited to celebrate the beginning of our life together. It just does not compute to me.

Now this may not fly with your families, but remember, this is YOUR day. And if your parents or your fiance’s parents are assisting with the wedding finances, you can tell them that they can pay individually for anyone they want to come.

It’s all about compromise. That is what planning a wedding is all about.

---

 What we did not accomplish:

• Secure a date and/or location – we have still not nailed down exactly when or where we are getting married. We are getting closer, but we still have not decided exactly where we want to spend our extremely special, once in a lifetime day.
• Order invites/details cards – because we did not find a venue and we did not settle on a date, we ended up not purchasing any invites or details cards…

Now we are moving forward. I am going to show Missy one of our favorite venues this Saturday and see what her thoughts are as she just went to one of her friends weddings this past weekend. I am, honestly, just excited to get married. I can’t wait to start that part of life with Andrew!

I’m Getting Married!

Andrew and I are engaged!
I have a fiancé!

Let me give you a quick background of our relationship, if you are not aware of this lovely real life “fairytale”. (wink wink) Andrew and I have been together for 7 years now. We met long ago when I was just a baby (on my 18th birthday!). Through distance, many trips from Davis to Rohnert Park, moving in together, adopting two beautiful kitties, college graduations, new jobs, adventures, life altering events, and more, we have only grown stronger as a couple.

On April 18, 2015, we moved forward in our relationship.  I was told a few weeks prior that my parents, Amy, Keith, Wes, Debbie, Andrew and I were supposed to go out to a VERY fancy dinner for Keith’s 30th birthday party. There wasn’t any extreme flashing lights of suspicion for me, because our families celebrate a lot together, especially when Keith and Amy are here from Kansas. My lack of suspicion and the amazing planning done by all of my loved ones, made for such a memorable day! Here is how the day played out for me.

8:00am – My morning began with a run with my mom! I have no idea how through this 4.5 mile run she didn’t say ANYTHING about what the rest of the day held for me.
12:00pm – Then I had lunch with Jennifer! I have known Jennifer since I was a baby freshman in high school. She was what I always refer to her as my “big sister.” She taught me so much and has remained such a special person to me. And our lunch was another amazing part of that day.
2:30pm – Then shopping ensued. My mom and I went searching for something for her to wear to Keith’s 30th birthday dinner. We didn’t find anything, but I wasn’t concerned. I had a dress, and I didn’t think there were going to be too many pictures posted or anything. (Funny, I know.)
5:00pm – My dad gets a “call” from his boss telling him that he has to bring him keys for some park at Spring Lake. My dad works for the City, so it didn’t seem strange. We would just drop the keys off before heading to Petaluma for dinner.
5:30pm  – We arrive at Spring Lake. Boy, was I surprised there was no one waiting for keys!

From there I was met by my awesome cousin Alex who showed me the most adorable video of Andrew asking my dad for permission to marry me. The video instructed me to follow the purple balloons down the path. Andrew even included a section of the video where our two adorable baby kitties were in it! I did as I was told and ended up at the first group of people – our parents. I got to open my first story board filled with photos from our first year together. The second group held my sister and her boyfriend, Jon and that was it. Or so I thought. As I approached them, out pops Makenna, my cousin who is going to school in Arizona. Seeing her there was so overwhelming, I started bawling. I then got to open another story board filled with photos. The third group was a combination of Amy and Keith (Andrew’s sister and her husband) and Andrew’s Uncle Russ from New Mexico. After lots of tears and hugs, I looked at that story board (the first inclusion of Lillian and Boo!) and then had to hand her my promise ring. (That I wore for 6 years!) The fourth group was a combination of all of our cousins. It was amazing to see them all. As I made my way further down the path, still following the purple balloons I came up to the next group of our best friends. It was amazing to see Aman, Alysia, Amber, Jimmy, Baby Lila, Olivia and Derek. (By this point the tears would not stop.) Then as I continued walking I approached a group of our Aunts and Uncles. It was amazing to see our family together. They showed me another board and I knew that I was getting closer to Andrew. The final group was a combination of Andrew’s grandparents, his grandmother, and my “adopted” grandparents Joyce and Ron. It touched me so much that they came. FINALLY, after what seemed like miles, I walked up to see Andrew. He was standing with a bunch of yellow daises, something extremely significant from one of my absolute favorite TV shows, Gilmore Girls, and purple balloons. He was holding a board that had “7+” on it and “Marry You” by Bruno Mars was playing. After an absolutely heartwarming speech, Andrew got down on one knee.

I have so many people to thank for this amazing proposal. First off, I have to thank my fiancé. I could not have imagined a more perfect engagement. It was absolutely beautiful. Second, I have to thank Debbie and Amy for helping Andrew put together such an amazing proposal. Third, I have to thank all of our family and friends for taking the time to come out and celebrate this huge life event with us. It meant the world to have everyone there. I also have to send out a special thank you to my Aunt Janette. She took all of these amazingly stunning photos. And Uncle Russ, too! He also took some fantastic photos. Photos are the most amazing things to look at and remember how special of a day this was.

I, honestly, cannot stop staring at it.

Now that you know our story, follow my journey to planning Andrew and my wedding! I will lay out our planning goals, our challenges, and as much additional information as I can, so maybe I can help anyone going through this process in the future. If you are getting married soon, and you have any tricks or pieces of advice to give me, PLEASE share them with me! I am always in need of any tools to help make planning this easier!

She believe she could, so she did

March 10, 2015 is the current date, and I am finding myself in a writing type of mood. (Or maybe it is more of a blogging type of mood…) Either way I realized my updates have been slacking in the virtual world lately, so I had the eager desire to look back on my new years resolutions. Today, I will look over half of them (well, 13, because half of 25 is 12.5 and half of a resolution is just a resolut….). Embark with me on the journey through my first thirteen 2015 New Years Resolutions.

2015 New Years Resolutions: (in no order, I chose 25, because I am going to be 25.)

1. Plan one big thing each month. (Concert, trip, event, just something.)
   • January 2015 – Saw Sam Hunt in concert!
   • February 2015 – Girls Shopping Weekend for Auntie’s Birthday!
   • March 2015 – Yet to plan, but one month out of 5 isn’t a bad thing!
   • April 2015 – My 25th Birthday, Stagecoach, and Disneyland!
   • May 2015 – EndFest? Maybe?
2. Lose weight, really Kayla, lose some weight.
   • I swear, I am trying! – SEE??
3. Make a BIG change, in some aspect of life.
   • I’m not quite sure what this is going to be yet…
4. Save money for the future.
   • Stagecoach fund is currently saved up for, and my secondary vacation fund already has $200 in it! Yay for saving!
5. Get up earlier, daily.
   • So far, it’s been extremely hard. I can’t say I’ve done this one very often.
6. Workout in the morning, trust me, you’ll be thankful if you do.
   • I have gone to the gym in the morning! Last week I got up about 3 times and worked out in the morning at the gym with Andrew. It was actually really beneficial because getting home and not having to work out is probably the best feeling in the world. Only thing is, it’s so nice when I do get home, I might start running after work now. A few miles can only help goal number 2!
7. Pay off my debt, and incur less.
   • Right now, as my credit cards stand, I am about $900 in debt. This is HUGE for me considering last year I had a lot more credit card charges. I am really trying to make my daily routine cheaper and more efficient. Saving is much more important. My goal is to have my credit cards paid off by July. (Wish me luck!)
8. Accomplish 3 things on my bucket list.
   • In April, I will accomplish one of my bucket list items (go to Stagecoach), but besides that, I cannot think of any bucket list item that I have accomplished this year… yet. Hopefully things will change and an opportunity will pop up.
9. Finish at least 2 scrapbooks. (Online printed books count, too!)
   • My cricut is dead… and with that sad thought I realized this resolution might be the worst one out of them all. How am I going to accomplish this without my beloved cricut 😦
10. Do more for others.
    • I did do this recently for Missy, and hopefully she realized that it wasn’t just an easy thing. I hope she has fun 🙂
11. Visit Makenna in Arizona.
    • This one is going to be challenging because time is always a factor. I’m not sure when I am going to have the opportunity to take time off and go see her. I really want to make the effort though. So if somewhere along the line I have some money to set aside, I need to do this.
12. Read 3 books, each month. (An increase from last year.)
    • I am extremely disappointed in myself for this… I have not read at all in the past 3 months. I have been bombarded with the decision to work out that my reading time has fluctuated to nearly nothing. I cannot say that it is all the gym’s fault, it’s mainly me coming home and watching tv instead of opening a book. I am definitely going to change that though.
13. Write a little each week, and focus on one story.
    • I have been writing. Just not as religiously as I should be. I really need to push myself to really at least one page per day. This way by the end of the month, 30 pages are done. Hopefully the story that I typed out in January reveals itself to be something exciting. Maybe.

Accomplished: 6/13
Failed: 7/13

I have 9 months left to finish out the year with a bang. So out of these thirteen resolutions, I am going to make sure that this week I do the following:

• Start a novel. Doesn’t matter which one I choose to read, but I need to make sure I at least read one within the next week.
• Write one page per night for the rest of the month This honestly is not that hard, I just have to position myself in a place where I can actually write.
• STOP GOING TO BED SO LATE. I really need to focus on the time at night. If it’s getting past that 9:00 pm mark, I need to go up stairs and get ready for bed.
• Organize my photos. Just because my cricut isn’t functioning right now, does not mean I need to completely set aside my entire scrapbooking lifestyle. I just need to find another way to create adorable works of scrapbooking art.

Check in with me next month to see how the other 12 of my resolutions are going. Hopefully, I have better news about these 13 as well. Lots of love, always!