Last Month…

February flew by in a blur! The shortest month of the year and it was filled with highs and lows. I continued to chug along with my beloved morning routine except for this month I woke up at 5 AM instead of 6 AM. I feel like I was more tired this month although I still managed to get 8 hours of sleep every night. I figured out I was burning myself out.

SHOP MY OUTFIT

I kept tracking my time on Toggl and I did make a few changes. I found that I was spending close to 8 hours a week prepping and cooking food. So, I changed up my recipes and kept things pretty simple this month. I have no regrets! After all, there is no need to eat a gourmet meal every day haha.

This month, somebody also backed into my front door while I was in a parking lot. I’m so grateful that I was not moving and that it was not a serious accident but it did shake me up. It made me really slow down and be more aware of my surroundings especially when driving.

A Few Joys For Me Last Month…

— Our Valentine’s Weekend Vacation: Getting to check out a Michelin Restaurant and have a romantic weekend in Charlottesville was definitely the highlight of this month. We even got to see our best friends!

— Getting these weights. I have been doing Madeline Moves workouts and I had felt like I was plateauing with my 12 pound weights. I now have the option to lift 55 pounds (we are a long ways away from that though!)

— I finished the Bible Reading Plan for February. I will admit, Leviticus was hard to get through. I still feel squeamish thinking about it. I will also admit, I am not necessarily looking forward to Numbers. But we chug along.

— I started practicing Sabbath.

Books I Read Last Month..

— 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You: I would say Tony Reinke is the Dave Ramsey of phone usage. He had some pretty extreme examples that really drove the point home for me. All in all, I’m incredibly grateful to have read this book. I learned a lot and it was sobering to realize many of the points Tony Reinke made.

— The Pillars of the Earth: I can’t say that many books suck me in and transport me to a world that I can so easily envision, but this very book did that for me. It is truly beautifully written and a magnificent story. A book at over 1,000 pages, it took quite a while for me to read. But, it was one well worth reading. On to book #2!

— The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: I had a complicated relationship with this book. I didn’t enjoy reading it, particularly, because it presented truths that I knew were relevant to my life. I learned to embrace my pain and sorrow and my sin with this book. It did inspire me to pursue Sabbath which I am grateful for.

This Month..

Something I’m Reading:

(For reference, here are the books I plan to read this year: 2021 Reading List.)

— Love & Respect: This was gifted to us by the pastors that ministered to us in college and married us. I read it but never finished it. I want to see how it will apply to our marriage after four years.

— Long Bright River: I have heard great things about this book. I plan to have this be my pleasure book for the month and I’m looking forward to it!

Something I Want:

I am celebrating my birthday this month and we have a fun local staycation in Durham, NC planned.

Most importantly, this month marks a pretty big milestone in our lives. Joe will find out where he matches for residency. We need all of the prayers that you can spare. We are crossing our fingers and toes! Ideally, we would have a large celebration but I’ll have to come up with an alternative method of celebration.

Something I Want To Do:

— Learn a new song on the cello. In January, I learned Brahms Sonata Cello No. 1

— Prepare for Spring Cleaning (the last week of March)

— Celebrate my birthday with a staycation in Durham, NC

— Take advantage of the greenway in Greenville, NC

— Go to the farmer’s market

— Make sure to go to sleep early for Daylight Savings Time! (I’m excited for even more sunshine!!)

— Celebrate our next phase in life after we find out where Joe matches in residency (and coincidentally celebrate the first day of spring as well!)

— Schedule our anniversary trip

— Prepare for a move and finding a new place to live in the city we match to!

Do you have any goals or plans you are excited about this month?