May 2017 goals

There was so much goodness in April, but unfortunately as I look back over the last few weeks what I remember is feeling dogged by demons that don’t usually bother me: comparison, envy, bitterness… yuck, ew, gross. It has seemed like there are a lot of voices out there telling me the choices I’m making are wrong, or not worth it, or less than.

But that’s not the truth. For me, I think these feelings stem from ingratitude, and I’m choosing to do something about them. The truth is that my life is an embarrassment of riches, and I’m going to put in the effort to feel and act accordingly in May.

P.S. Longtime readers may remember that April, May, and June are traditionally my busiest months at work, with lots of travel. If posts are more sparse than usual, you’ll know why! I would love for you to join me for updates along the way on Instagram.

What I read in April:
— Present Over Perfect (I liked it a lot, and can see that it’s such a needed message for so many folks my age! Shauna is a beautiful writer.)
— Tender at the Bone (Loved this one! I read Garlic and Sapphires last year, and only wish I had read Tender before, since that’s where it falls chronologically!)
— Books I’m reading throughout the year: The Power of a Praying Wife and The Lifegiving Home

Revisiting my goals for April:
Confirm the location and month of John’s birthday trip (Yay!! We will be going in October, but of course I can’t tell you where!)
Pick strawberries (Three times!)
Make Jenny’s popovers and strawberry jam for a Saturday breakfast
Try Bill Hybels’ prayer journaling practice from Too Busy Not to Pray
Travel to Alabama and Mississippi (See here, here, here, and here!)
Visit Duke Gardens or the WRAL Azalea Gardens (We actually went to both!)
Celebrate Easter with joy
Finish a complete organization sweep and purge of our loft (I don’t think I did ANYTHING AT ALL to move this goal forward in April.)
Research patio furniture (Research was done, and we’re now hoping our backyard will be finished by May 15!)

May goals:
— Add to my gratitude list every day this month (I might also start a Write the Word | Cultivate Gratitude journal)
— Go camping with the Rays!
— Take the first step in a birthday project I am working on for John (his birthday is in July)
— Try a new workout video at least three times (going to cruise over to Victoria’s blog for research, as she is always trying something fun, it seems!)
— Purposefully plan for Memorial Day, since we’ll be staying local
— Try Bill Hybels’ prayer journaling practice from Too Busy Not to Pray
— Finish a complete organization sweep and purge of our loft (hope springs eternal)
— Print our summer fun list and post it on the fridge (here’s last year’s)
— Buy new patio furniture for our backyard
— String up lights in our backyard! (!!)

As a reminder, here are my 2017 guideposts. If you’ve posted your goals somewhere, I’d love to see – or just drop them in the comments!