What’s on my Heart?

Since reading #SheReadsTruth’s plan on Colossians a certain verse has been on my heart.

I need to be filled with His knowledge and wisdom! I need to lay aside what the world holds important and walk in a manner worthy of the LORD. Thank GOD for Jesus! He makes me worthy. He laid his life down so I could be forgiven everyday for my sins. I am so grateful the grace we have been given!

Quality Time: My Mom, Cheesy Bacon Dip, and Calligraphy

After work today I am headed to my Mom’s house for some quality time. I found a yummy cheesy recipe we can whip up quickly with some toasted baguette rounds. After a snack we are going to open up my birthday present (Calligraphy kit with online videos). We are going to start the videos and attempt my first shot at calligraphy. My mom took classes in college and has beautiful handwriting, which is a far cry from my chicken scratch. I’m looking forward to spending some time with her and learning some new skills. I’ll post my first practice basic strokes for y’all to check out later in the week!

Does anyone have any tips or tricks for a beginner?

Birthday Year Reading List

My Goal: Read 1 book from each category starting 10/16/2015-10/16/2016

I am excited to blog about my reading list for the year because this is the first time I am being intentional about my reading goals. Normally, I read whatever book I find interesting at the time,usually realistic fiction and memoirs. While, I strongly encourage reading for pleasure I want to expand my library.

I will be incorporating  Nancy Ray’s technique and guidelines for a well rounded reading list for the year focusing on major categories of my life.

1. Only select books that come recommended by a trusted source
2. Choose a balance of books that touch on every aspect of life
3. Read a little every day (I read at least 15 pages/day, during my morning routine)
4. Read one book at a time

I plan on adding to this List throughout the year, however these are just a few of the books I plan to read first.

Spirituality

Make It Happen

What You Do Best in the Body of Christ

Finances

The Total Money Makeover

Career

The Art of Work

The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant

Family/Relationships

Personal + Intellectual Development

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

168 Hours

The Gift of Imperfection

Health

Rest/Enjoyment 

The Goldfinch

The Silver Star

Does anyone have any suggestions on books I should add to my list? I could really use some recommendations for Health and Relationships?

30 Before 30

Today is my 26th birthday and reflecting back on the past 6 months since graduation I have steered off course. I have become lazy and stagnant without the obligation of studying, reading, and tests filling my schedule. In order to grow I need to shake things up and turn the Netflix OFF.

In light of this revelation I have decided to take action and create a 30 before 30 list of goals and activities I will complete before my 30th birthday. My hope is that these goals will help me become more intentional about my life and give me the push I need to make things happen.

Start: October 16th, 2015

End: October 16th, 2019

1. Get a Passport
2. Travel to Washington, D.C.
3. Learn calligraphy
4. Find a home church
5. Go on a beach trip with my sister and her kids
6. Complete The 7 Baby Steps 
7. Quit smoking
8. Take 8 road trips to different cities in North Carolina and surrounding states (Ashville, Greenville, Chicago so far on my list)
9. Travel to Europe
10. Visit a winery
11. Read the entire bible
12. Read at least 5-10 books that enrich all aspects of my life in 2016
    • including: spirituality, finances, career, personal + intellectual development, health, and rest/enjoyment.
13. …and in 2017
14. …and in 2018
15. …and in 2019
16. Watch Sabrina, Funny Face, and Casablanca
17. Cook Thanksgiving dinner
18. Make a quilt
19. Start a Ladies Bible Study using Open Your Bible by, #SheReadsTruth
20. Go on a camping trip
21. Become fluent in Spanish
22. Attend a Hillsong concert
23. Complete The Contentment Challenge
24. …
25. …
26. …
27. …
28. …
29. …
30. …

This whole week I have been stressing about completing my list of goals. This morning I decided that having a few blank spaces gives me room to meditate and pray on some great goals to add later to the list.

My first item to cross off the list is to learn calligraphy. I purchased an online class and calligraphy kit from here. I cannot wait to make my own lettering for images on my blog.  After I complete the class I will post a review for anyone interested.

Does anyone have any suggestions for goals I could add to my list? What goals would you put on your 30 before 30 list?

Book Review 2015

2015 might not be ending for a couple more months, but I am trying to construct a different reading plan. I will be picking different books that focus on spirituality, finances, career, personal + intellectual development, health, and rest/enjoyment. I am taking this week to pick out some books and start a reading list for the next year.  I plan to dive in starting on my birthday (10/16). Before I start a new reading plan I wanted to discuss the books I have read so far this year.

My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir

by, Noelle Hancock

This book was interesting and I would highly recommend it to any women trying to change things up. I heard about Noelle on a Facebook link because she quit her high paying job to move to the Caribbean. Amazing! After reading the article I ran right over to Amazon and purchased her book. Noelle faced her fears on a daily basis throughout the book and gave me inspiration to kick my fears in the but as well.

WEIRD: Because Normal Isn’t Working

by, Craig Groeschel

WEIRD helped my soul. Groeschel found me at a time in my life I was struggling, drifting away. He helped me stop being normal and start being WEIRD. Fantastic book! Groeschel gives real life accounts of his struggles that helped me relate to him. Highly recommend his chapter on debit and time.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir

by, Jeannette Walls

Another book I would highly recommend! Jeannette’s account of her life was a roller coaster. The ups and downs, turns and twists kept me guessing. She made me feel like I was actually with her family on their “road trips” and adventures.

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls

by, Lynn Weingarten

I would not recommend this book. The characters were only semi intriguing and the plot was hard to follow. While, the book was suspenseful I found myself becoming confused half way through the book and had to reread a few sections to get better clarifications.

Do y’all have any book suggestions I should add to my list for 2016?

San Diego, California

I was given the opportunity to travel to San Diego at the end of February for work.I have traveled with many families over the years to various states, but I must say this trip was by far the most exciting. The Bradley’s were so generous to take me with them on all their fun activities.

Tuesday February 17th, 2015

We had an early flight on Tuesday morning, so I drove over to spend the night on Monday just as the snow and sleet was starting to cover the Triangle. We got up for our scheduled 6AM flight to find it had been cancelled. We were able to get a later flight out of Raleigh to Texas and then finally arriving in San Diego in the late afternoon. It was a treat getting to leave snowy NC for the bright sunshine of San Diego. This is the first picture I took straight off the plane.

Renting a car was a breeze and we navigated our way to the house fairly easily arriving around dinner time. The house we stayed in was amazing with 3 bedrooms, 2 balconies with fire pits. The house came fully furniture and even had a toy chest for kids. The views from the balconies were my favorite part because we were up on the top of a hill. We were able to see the ocean and downtown San Diego right from the balcony.

Wednesday February 18, 2015

After an exhausting day of flying and adapting Malek to the time change I stayed in that night with him. We started fresh and rejuvienated on Wednesday and drove to Balboa Park which is fantastic. The park has so many gardens, museums, cafes, statues, and nature walks you could spend a whole day there looking and exploring. They opted to see the gardens. When I go back I would love to check out the Aviation Museum and the Art Museums.

Thursday February 19th, 2015

On Thursday we headed to the San Diego Zoo which was a lot of fun. The most memorable animals were the Koalas because they have the largest koala colony outside of Australia. The thought that still stands out in my mind when I reflect on the trip was how close the animals were to visitors. Anyone daring enough could easily have reached out a hand and touched most of the animals (YIKES!). Later in the afternoon we decided to eat at the Treetops Cafe. The view was great because the cafe was up high above all the animals. Although, eating at the zoo has it drawbacks because the smell was rather unpleasant. 

Friday February 20th, 2015

On Friday we went to the Gas Lamp Quarter for some shopping and ate at a delicious and trendy looking burger joint called Burger Lounge. I ate the burger on special and it was amazing. It was made out of grass fed bison and topped with blue cheese, caramelized pickled onions, lettuce, and their secret sauce.

Saturday February 21, 2015

On Saturday we spent the day at La Fiesta de Reyes which is one of the oldest historic parks in San Diego dating back to 1821. We explored the area and went into many different shops that sold hand made pottery, cigars, soaps, and oils. After some exploring and dancing with the authentic Mexican dancers we headed over to Casa de Reyes for some authentic Mexican food. After lunch we headed to La Jolla Beach where we saw a huge congregation of sea lions on the rocks and spent a fair amount of time just walking along the beach and enjoying the sunset.  

Sunday February 22nd, 2015

On Sunday we started the day at Cafe 121 which was highly recommended on Yelp. The food was decent and they had lots of yummy looking sangria with fruit soaking in it. My omelet was overcooked but the pancakes and breakfast sandwich were delicious. We spent the rest of the day walking around downtown and the GasLamp District were we luckily stumbled across the Chinese New Year festival going on. We explored the festival and dancers for the afternoon. While exploring I bought a fantastic hat after much debating and a little negotiation with the sales lady.

Monday February 23rd, 2015

On Monday we spent the morning at the Birch Aquarium. Malek really enjoyed the aquarium and at the end it was very interactive. We were able to touch sea anemones and  sea urchins.  After the aquarium we drove a short distance back to explore La Jolla. First we stopped for lunch and yelp pointed us to some of the best tacos at Puesto. The place had the best vibes and the vibrant artwork on the wall kept Malek entertained until the food came.

Tuesday February 24th, 2015

Malek and I spent the who day together, while his parents went to explore Hollywood.  The weather was fantastic and we adventured out into Ocean Beach. We went to a park and ate at the Olive Tree Marketplace which was a cute little deli and specialty store. We had a scrump shush grilled cheese and avocado sandwich. After lunch we explored the shops and Malek impatiently tolerated my shopping. We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the porch reading. It was the perfect ending to the trip.

Wednesday February 25th, 2015

We flew home early on Wednesday, although due to the snow in Raleigh things got very hectic with cancelled flights. We flew on a direct flight to Charlotte, but were unfortunately stranded their until the morning. We finally got a flight out of Charlotte that afternoon. After a quick 20 minute flight we were back in Raleigh by Thursday night.

Goals for October

Starting my first post has been intimidating. I have decided that I will add a title for my blog later, so now I feel a sense of relief and can dive right in. My first post I have decided to start out with my goals for the month.

• Read Make it Happen
• Enjoy my 26th Birthday
• Go to Saxapahaw, NC
  • Saw this on a blog post . I think it will be a great adventure to start off being 26
• Go for a walk 5 times to watch the leaves change
• Finalize my first 30 before 30 list and post
• Post on my blog 3 times

My hope is that this blog will grow with me as I strive to make 26 my best year yet.