March 2020 goals
Friends, a big thank you to all who have taken my 2020 survey so far – more than 100 of you! If you haven’t yet, you can do so right here.
Thank you, also, for the birthday wishes! It was a sweet and low-key weekend with my people. John and I had a two-dessert dinner at Mothers and Sons on Friday, and yesterday we took a sunny stroller/scooter/walk through one of our favorite Raleigh neighborhoods, something that has become an early-spring tradition. I’m not the biggest “birthday person,” but boy am I glad to have been given another year to live, learn, and love with my sweet family. That is worthy of celebration!
Something to note: I recently organized all of the “things I’m loving” items more neatly on one page, so you can easily find that article/book/recipe I mentioned a few months back. You can always find a button leading you there in the sidebar, too. I hope it’s helpful!
On my calendar this month:
— A local high school’s performance of Cinderella – June and I are going to go together :)
— My favorite kids consignment sale
— The Bachelor finale. This has not been a very good season, but I’m looking forward to watching the final installment with good friends (and chocolate chip cookies).
What I’m loving right now:
— Do you have a CAVA near you? It’s a Mediterranean fast-casual chain that’s spreading rapidly in the South, and it’s very delicious. (Mezeh is a very similar concept – we went to the one in Reston, VA, while visiting family!)
— Of course, I can’t mention quick Mediterranean without mentioning local hero Neomonde – we love taking a picnic from the Raleigh location to the next-door JC Raulston Arboretum!
— Continuing with the food theme: this one-pot sun-dried tomato orzo recipe is SO good and really easy to make on a weeknight.
What I read in February:
— Late Migrations: This was a Christmas gift from my Mom, which was so very thoughtful! It has all the hallmarks of a book I would love and some really beautiful writing, but the through-line of death turned me away a bit.
— The Sound of Gravel: A fascinating memoir in the vein of Educated. Raw and heartbreaking and uplifting.
My reading list for 2020, if you’d like to follow along! I’m still number 94 on the library hold list for Just Mercy, one of my February picks, but I’ll happily read it when it comes in!
Revisiting my February goals:Clean out favorite recipes Pinterest board and print all winnersOutfit sand/gravel table and get it ready for play
Assemble friend dossiers and brainstorm ideas for get-togethers
Organize the craft table in the loft (Progress made!)Brainstorm a family mission statement on our date nightDecide on 2020 camping dates/locations (Progress made!)Go on our monthly forest school/family hike
Decide on MS race and registerPaint downstairs desk (Done! I chose navy!)
Plan major details (date, location, guest list) for meal planning potluck (Progress made!)Decide on my quarterly date with June (Can’t wait!)
March goals:
— Send invites for meal planning potluck
— Assemble friend dossiers and brainstorm ideas for get-togethers
— Book May camping trip
— Finish craft table organization in the loft
— Finish reading Matthew with John
— Finish planning our trip to Florida
As a reminder, many of the goals above are drawn from my 2020 goals!
Keeping things fairly simple this month since it’s a busy one at work! I would love to hear: are you working on any goals in March? What’s something you’re working toward that has you really excited? Share below, if you’d like!
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I’m so happy to hear your birthday was special, Em! And happy to hear you read The Sound of Gravel. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on our Friday call. I have a two-trip-March ahead so I too, will be keeping things simple this month as I round out my first quarter goals. I can’t wait to sit down in April and see the progress that was made!
One of our “fourth trimester” life simplification plans is what we are affectionately calling Tabbouleh Tuesdays…aka, taking advantage of the kids-eat-free special at Neomonde every Tuesday! Love the idea of picking it for a picnic :)
I love this so much! Might adopt it myself, ha!
Something that has me excited (and nervous!) is our 4-mile race in a couple weeks. I’ve never been a runner but have always wanted to be, so this year I’m changing my narrative. I’m simultaneously nervous I’ll be the slowest runner out there and SO proud of myself for sticking with it!
Kelsey!! Having recently also accomplished a physical goal that was previously outside of my comfort zone, I’m cheering you on!
Loving your goals! Two random things: 1) I love that you and June are going to see a local high school play!!! I wish you guys lived close enough to come see our middle schools Frozen Jr- I think you both would love it! 2) This season of the Bachelor has been lame! And I thought Peter would be a good Bachelor! ????
Oh my goodness, June would so be there!
Ahh Cava is THE BEST, and I’m so glad it finally made its way to the Raleigh area!! It was my favorite in DC (for a fast-cas spot) and the location of many delicious meals with friends since they day it opened back in like.. 2012/2013. I had missed it so much since moving back to NC, so I’m thrilled there are several so close to us now! It the best for a picnic, too – easy to grab and go. I’m also reading The Sound of Gravel now, though only about 50 pages in! For March, one of my goals is to NOT host anything (minus a birthday dinner, whoops), which is likely the opposite of many people but very hard for me to do. It’s such a full month already for us, both with work and personal things, so I am trying to take everything I can off of my plate for this one month. Easier said than done!
Oh my I LOVE Cava! My husband is Raleigh Police and they go there after their training sometimes. The staff are so friendly and give them very generous discounts.Between the delicious healthy food and support for law enforcement, I recommend this restaurant to everyone! Neomonde is excellent as well. Great idea to take it to-go when the weather gets nice again.
Love hearing this, Liza! And thank you to your husband for his service!!
What’s a meal planning potluck? I’m intrigued!
Hi Wallace! Planning to write more about this, but it’s a chance to get together with friends and share some of our go-to weeknight meals!