I have been slacking on the blog posts this past month! I am going to make a recap of what I’ve been doing in August then I will make a September goals post.
Career goals
Give a 2 week notice to my current job —I gave my 2 week notice on August 4, and they ended up firing me on August 8. It ended up better for me because I was already working somewhere else so that freed up my schedule to work.
Job search — I meant this to be for me to job search for myself because I don’t need to be a waitress all my life. I looked some for me, but I was really looking for one of my friends a new job.
Social media goals
Publish 3 blogs + monthly goals & recap — The only thing I got posted was the goals. I slacked on posting ANYTHING else.
Post on YouTube 2 times— I didn’t post a single YouTube video in August. Oops.
Get to 185 subscribers on blog — I haven’t gained or lost any subscribers. I have stayed at 179. I was hoping to post more and gain some.
Organize my Pinterest — Why do I keep putting this off?
Personal goals
Do one self-care act a day — I know I did at least one most days. I forgot to keep up with it.
Drink 50 oz of water a day — Some days I did 50 oz. Some days I did 20 oz.
Plan 2 dates with Cody outside the house — If we did I didn’t get pictures of it, and my memory is bad LOL. I know we at least had one date outside the house, and we had went out shopping and had lunch.
Practice mediating — I did NOT do this like I wanted to.
Journal daily — I was doing good with journaling daily until I wasn’t.
Walk 3-4 times a week — I have been slacking.
Schedule a day to hang out with each friend — I did really good with this. I hung out with all but two.
Books goals
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell — I am hopefully finishing this in September! I’m currently 64% into the audiobook. If I have to go get the physically copy from the library I will finish it this month!
When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough by Dr. Kevin Leman — I am literally finishing this book on the day I am posting this (September 9 lol).
Along Came a Spider by James Patterson — I enjoyed the first book of this series!
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes — LOVE this book series! I’m already almost done with the next one.
Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel — A good little self-improvement book. Not my favorite, but not bad.
I had such a good month even though I did not do all the social media things I wanted to do! I’m already doing better in September so go me! Here are some pictures that capture some of the reasons my month of August was so great.
When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough by Dr. Kevin Leman
Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel
I am going to check in with myself weekly to try and keep myself more accountable. I was very happy with the results of last month! This month I am trying to challenge myself even more.
I thought it would be a really neat idea to make a blog each month that reflects on my goals, books I read and talk about my favorite things from the month like tv show, video game, pictures I took. It is a great opportunity to connect with you and to be able to look at this later to see what was going on in my life this month. With that being said, let me get started!
GOAL RECAP
Career goals
Bring home $350 in tips weekly — I did!
Job search — I did not… however, soon I will be starting a new waitressing job (long story), and I will be searching for a new job then. One I can use my degree with.
Personal goals
Publish 2-4 blog posts — Posting this reflection will make it my fourth blog post this month! I am so proud of myself.
Post on YouTube 2 times — I have only posted one video this month.
Save enough money for PC gaming set up — I did!! I am so excited to be able to get it once I finally get my own place.
Keep up with finances and budget — Yes, I did!
Pay bills — most of them. Will do the rest ASAP.
Catch up on emails — Hundreds of emails later… Yes, I did.
Take care of mom’s dogs – give lots of love! — Always!
Health goals
Meditate at least 4 times a week — I know I definitely slacked on this, but I know I did do it every week… Maybe just not 4 times.
Walk 10,000 steps a day — I walked at least 10,000 steps 18 days out of 31… On my days off I definitely lacked steps.
Cardio 3 times a week — I did not.
No food after 7 — The people I live with wasn’t wanting to eat till 8 pm some nights.
Drink 40 oz of water minimum — I am so bad at this.
Adventure goals
Go to pool — I really wanted to do this for my boyfriend because he wanted to swim in a pool. While I did not go, he did end up going to a pool.
Go hiking — Sadly I haven’t made time to go hiking.
Do something for Cody’s birthday — We didn’t do anything too crazy, but I think he still had a good time.
Meet up with friends — We did! It was so good to see them again.
Social media goals
Get to 180 subscribers on blog — I didn’t. I hope of I continue to be active on posting, I will get more people to follow my blog journey.
Get to 317 subscribers on YouTube — Nope! I also didn’t post like I meant to.
Get to 30 followers on twitch — I meant to start streaming again, but I did not.
Be active on Facebook, twitter and instagram — Mostly! I was more active — just not as much as I wanted to be.
Organize my Pinterest — Not yet…
BOOKS I READ IN JULY
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
This book was given to me by one of my friends. She highly recommended it, and I did get some good things from it. For how on when I read self-improvement books, I am going to start writing notes from them… I have forgotten most of what I have read to be honest LOL.
Final Offer by Lauren Asher
This was the third and final book of the Dreamland Billionaire series. I loved this series and going through the journey with each brother. I love the grumpy- sunshine trope.
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
This was such a good book! It’s a mystery with a side of supernatural. It had me guessing, and then when I did know what had happened, it was cool for it to show you how things came to be. Some things are different than they seemed to be.
FAVORITE PICTURES I TOOK
I think Khloe wants to play fetch.Cody and Stitch always chilling on the couch.A big ol’ baby.Fun in the sun!Cody can be sweet (most of the time).. cats photobombed.Nights outside..Set up selling tomatoes!Roasting marshmallows, being silly.Day out with friends.. ate at Buffalo Wild Wings.Cody and Khloe snuggling.Wanted a cute picture.He’s so handsome.Thea a big baby… She pretends she isn’t.
I also have favorite pictures with some kiddos, but I don’t want to put them online!
FAVORITE TV SHOW
I haven’t watched much tv this month.. The only things I’ve really watched is Hoarders and Family Guy.
FAVORITE VIDEO GAME
I recently just got into playing Dreamlight Valley! I love it. I love playing a quest-type game. Getting to play with all our favorite Disney characters is so neat! At some point, I’ll be able to play with my friend too.
I have a goal of reading 50 books this year. I also have a goal of reading more physical books that I have already instead of only reading kindle books. In order for me to accomplish this, I made a list of books that I wanted to read this year with more than half of them being physical books.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Terms and Conditions (Dreamland Billionaires, #2) by Lauren Asher
Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires, #3) by Lauren Asher
The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Harry Potter: A Journey Through A History of Magic by British Library
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You: Poems by Misha Collins
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
The Rainmaker by John Grisham
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
We Used to Live Here by Daniel Hurst
Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz
When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough: The Secret to Measuring Up by Kevin Leman
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2) by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3) by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4) by Sarah J. Maas
The One by John Marrs
Keep It in the Family by John Marrs
The Locked Door by Freida McFadden
The Inmate by Freida McFadden
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Becoming by Michelle Obama
1984 by George Orwell
The 8th Confession (Women’s Murder Club, #8) by James Patterson
The 9th Judgement (Women’s Murder Club, #9) by James Patterson
10th Anniversary (Women’s Murder Club, #10) by James Patterson
Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1) by James Patterson
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Stone Maidens (Stone Maidens, #1) by Lloyd Richards
Buy YourSelf the F*cling Lilies by Tara Schuster
The Invisible Life of Adie LaRue by Victoria Schwab
Will by Will Smith
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1) by Rebecca Yarros
The New Girl (Fear Street, #1) by R. L. Stone
Mystery Ranch (The Boxcar Children, #4) by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Mike’s Mystery (The Boxcar Children, #5) by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Out of these 50 books, I have read 22 of them and am currently reading 3 of them. According to Goodreads, I am 6 books behind schedule, but I think I will still be able to reach my goal by the end of the year. I know I will also eventually veer off of my TBR and read some shorter kindle books — especially during Christmas season… I am a sucker for some hallmark-quality Christmas books.
Have you read any of these? Do you want to read any of these?
In June, I had finished reading 8 books! That is the most that I have read in a month in a very long time. Four of those were books I had started in a pervious month but still. I wanted to start trying to do monthly book logs/reviews so here we go.
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas is the last book of a very good series. There are 7 books in the series – not counting some extra side books (I don’t remember what they’re called lol). I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. This series starts out about a woman who is an assassin, and she is totally badass. I don’t want to talk too much about the series because I don’t want to give anything away. My favorite thing about this series is that the little things in the books matter because in the end it will create a big picture.
Recipe for Love by Anna Malcom
I gave Recipe for Love 4 stars even though parts of it was a little bit cringe. However, it wasn’t so cringe I couldn’t finish it. It was a lovely fast read for me. I love the sunshine / grumpy trope so much.
Ignite by Melanie Harlow
I gave Ignite 4 stars. This was a really quick read for me. I am pretty sure I read this in one day. It was a good single dad romance. To be honest, the reason I had wanted to read it was just for the fact that he was a firefighter. There was some cringe parts in this, but it is mainly because I could not really relate to the girl main character all that much. Winnie falls in love very easily which is why a bet was made between her and her best friend that she couldn’t not fall in love for the rest of the year.
This is definitely not relatable to me because I have the opposite problem. It is hard for me to fall in love. Because of this, it blows my mind that there are actually people out there that do fall in love very easily.
Could not be me.
Savage Hearts by J. T. Geissinger
I gave Savage Hearts 3 stars. This book is part of a series, but one of those that is about different people each time just in the same setting (?). I read this in a day so it was a very fast read for me. The thing that put me off about it, and apparently the previous two books are also focused on, is that the girl(s) have MAJOR stockholm syndrome. Like – immediately. I’ve read some books where they got it, but those settings were normally where these girls were taken from a bad family and they warm up to the person that kidnapped them. This book was nothing like that. It was very fast paced. I thought they really needed to chill out. LOL
Spare by Prince Harry
Spare got 5 stars from me. I love memoirs. Even of people I don’t keep up with. Going into reading Spare, I did not know much about the royal family AT ALL. Since I had started reading it, one of my friends had talked to me about the whole Princess Diana being murdered thing, and I watched a movie about them. Other than that, I was pretty much reading without knowing anything the whole way through.
I’ve read reviews that people said the reason they did not like this book is because he was just “whiny”. I think those people just said that because for whatever reason they just don’t like him. A memoir is about telling a lot parts about yourself. Good and bad. I think reading from his point of view really made me understand things about him and the royal thing as a whole.
One of the main things I learned was you cannot trust what any news or tabloids say because they can and will post straight of lies. It made me so mad as I was reading how the paps were treating Harry and the people he cares about. They probably treat them like that still. They have no boundaries or a conscious.
Another thing that made me mad was the palace. There was so much that could have been straightened out if only they had said something.
I’m glad Prince Harry and Meghan got out of it.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Outlander got a 3.5 stars out of me. Hear me out. My sister and I started this book at the end of last year, and the reason why it took me so long to read was because I was trying to read at the pace of my sister.
I did really enjoy reading this book most of the time, but it is one of those books I can’t have any distractions otherwise I would have to reread parts over and over.
I really liked some characters like Claire and Jamie, but then this book also made me really dislike some characters – which I think is a really good thing.
I think the main reason it was so hard to read is because I am an American woman so there were a lot of times I had to look up what something meant. Also I knew going into it that there was some scenes of sexual assault, and reading about that was really hard for me.
With that being said, I will probably read the rest of the series at some point. (I just have to wait in my sister to finish this one).
How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera
3 stars. I am on the journey of self-healing so this year I want to try to read more self- help books just to at least get some ideas on how to heal on my own. I believe this book helped me understand myself and my parents more. I will definitely take some of the “exercises” the book talked about and apply it to my life.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This got 4 stars. I loved Red, White & Royal Blue so much. Forbidden romance between a prince and the first son of the United States? SIGN. ME. UP.
THOUGHTS
I was very happy with my reads for this month. My favorite book I read was Kingdom of Ash. My least favorite was Savage Hearts.
What books did you read in June? What books are you wanting to read in July?
This month I not only read a couple books (some I am still reading), but I also listened to some audiobooks – which I do count toward my goodreads reading challenge.
The Zombie Chronicles (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed, #1) by Chrissy Peebles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was definitely for a younger audience, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I love zombie books and movies. I like that this book revolved around teenagers and young adults instead of the middle-age and up genre. This was interesting enough that I would check out the next book of the series.
If You Ask Me by Betty White ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely adored listening to this audiobook. It was read by Betty White herself (rip). I really liked learning more about her life.
Forever Words: The Unknown Poems by Johnny Cash ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I listened to this one on audiobook as well. This was something I wish I would have read instead, but it was still an interesting listen. Two poems stuck with me and one was him talking about how he didn’t want to have a movie made about him (unless it told his whole story well) and the other one was a poem called I wish you a merry Christmas. With the second one, it is still with me because the contents of it definitely surprised me. I did not expect it.
Hello everyone! It has been a while since I have posted on here. I’ve mostly been on Tumblr BUT for this December, I have decided to do blogmas!! I don’t know if there are official rules for blogmas, like having to only post Christmas things, but I am not going to do that. I am, however, going to post for at least 25 days in a roll. With that being said, it is only write to start out with my December goals. The last monthly goals for this year.
Do at least 2 weeks of vlogmas (click here for YouTube channel)
Do at least 2 weeks of blogmas
Finish reading 4 books to meet Goodreads goal (click here)
I feel like the months are going by so fast. June seemed to have just started yesterday and it is already the end of it. Here’s the results from my goals for this month.
Buy a new planner
I did do this and I am so excited to use it. It is called the simplified planner. This planner will help me simplify my life, and at the same time, declutter it. It kind of goes hand in hand. I will make a post about this planner sometime in the future.
Read 2 books
I read 4 books in total this month.
Coming Up Roses (The Southern Roots, #1) by L.K. Farlow
An Uphill Battle (The Southern Roots, #2) by L.K. Farlow
Weather the Storm (The Southern Roots, #3) by L.K. Farlow
Shielding His Baby (Deuces Wild, #3) by Taryn Quinn
Post 4 blogs
I ended up only posting three. These are the ones I posted:
I feel like by me walking outside 3-4 times a week has gotten me a little tanner.
Walk 30 miles for cancer
I walked over 30 miles to raise awareness for cancer.
Take vitamins daily
I didn’t have vitamins for 2 weeks of this month, but when I did have them I took them. I am counting this because I could not help that my vitamins got here late, lol.
Meditate 3x a week
I did not do this. I did meditate about once a week. I am still trying to get better at this.
Go hiking
I actually did not go hiking, although I did walk on a track a lot. This month just flew by. I am going to pencil in time for a hike next month.
Practice writing
I have practiced writing this month. I started writing my book instead of staying stuck on beginning ideas. I am trying to male myself plow through on writing and let myself go back later to rewrite, add or subtract things from my rough draft.
22 push ups every day
I started this at the beginning of the month, but I ended up have to take a week and a half break because I got a bad sinus infection. I have started again on June 28 and will do this for at least 22 days to raise veteran suicide awareness.
22 squats every day
I did not continue doing this. Probably should.
Clean house
I have started this. I reorganized the kitchen’s pantry and multiple cluttered drawers. I hope to move to the dining room and my room.
The months are going by like a blur. This month I want to try to be more present. That way I might get everything done. Here are my goals for this month.
May seemed to have gone by in the blink of an eye, but I am proud of all that I have accomplished with my goals. Here’s the new goals for the month of June.
It is May already – wow! I was proud of my accomplished goals last month. I hope to do as well this month!
Post 4 YouTube videos
I want to post at least 4 YouTube videos this month. However, I am going to try to post twice a week, but if I don’t do that I am going to at least once a week.
Post 4 blog post
I have two planned so far (including this one), but I want to at least post four. I will try to post at least once a week on here.
Post 3 days a week on Tumblr
I want to try and post on my Tumblr more. I am on there all the time, but I rarely post anything. I have two actually so I’ll post on either one.
Read 2 books
I did not do this last month, but I hope to this month. I want to finish a book this week so I can start reading the twilight series. That series is one that’s a fast read so I might even read more than two books this month.
Take more pictures
I want to take more pictures as I hardly take any anymore.
Complain less
This is mostly toward complaining at work. I have decided I am just going to go about my life and my job and not worry about other people.
Take vitamins
This week I have a package of vitamins coming in from care/of. I am so excited to try this out. I know I am not getting enough vitamins in me.
Get some vitamin D (sun)
I really need to be outside more. It always makes me feel better when I do.
I hope to stay organized this month. I go through periods of being really organized to not at all. (That’s depression for you).
I decided that at the end of each month I am going to list everything that I have watched and give a small review of it.
The Seven Deadly Sins
The seven deadly sins is an anime about… the seven deadly sins.. as people. I have not finished it yet, but I have really enjoyed it so far. I get so surprised by how powerful these characters turn out to be. It is hard to choose, but my favorite has to be Ban (the greed sin). I give this a 9/10.
Criminal Minds
I just found out that Criminal Minds seasons 13-15 are on Hulu. As soon as I realized, I started watching them (which was a week ago). As of January 31, I am on the last episode of season 14 with only 10 episodes of season 15. I am not ready for this to be over AT ALL. I know they are more episodes to come (I think), but it’s going to be weird not watching new episodes of Criminal Minds. These past 2 seasons have been crazy (though not Reid going to prison crazy). I give this show a 9/10, and I would have to say that my favorite character at the moment is either Penelope or Luke. One thing I am sad about is that Spencer Reid is not on these seasons much at all. 😦
The Ranch
I am currently rewatching The Ranch. I have not seen all the seasons, but I have forgotten what happens so I decided to start over. I love the actors Ashton Kutcher and Sam Elliott. This is one of those shows I watch when I want a laugh. My mom watched a few episodes with me, and she did not like it so much. She said, “All they do is cuss and drink,” which is not totally inaccurate, but there’ is more to it than just that.
Here is my June Wrap-up! I finished more than half of my list! In July, I am going to try to be more organized. I’m going to use my planner, plan my meals (as I have not been eating right), and work on my mental health.
Work on book
Job search
Volunteer
Publish (at least) 4 blog posts
Publish (at least) 2 Tumblr posts
Finish watching Lab Rats: Elite Force
Send out ‘Thank You’ cards
Read a book (or more)
Go hiking
Organize rooms
Have a yard sale
Work in garden
Go fishing
Save $400
Plan vacation
Post Youtube video
Stream on Twitch (kyoun42)
Photoshoot
What are some of your goals for this upcoming month? I would love to hear about them!
It seems like the months are going by fast and slow at the same time. This past month I ended up mostly just working a lot, and I did not do much of anything I wanted to get done. Here’s an update of what I did do:
Graduate
Go hiking
Work in my Grandpa’s garden
Read (at least) 1 book
Publish (at least) 4 blog posts
Film and post (at least) 1 YouTube video
Write & publish (at least) 2 short stories on Tumblr
Story of My Life 