march goals

After two months of feeling behind and busy, I finally feel like I have a better grasp on my routine. Two months may sound like a long time just to feel settled, but this year has thrown a few unexpected curveballs and it has taken a while to get used to all of the changes those brought and feel ready to run the bases at full-speed ahead again. I’m excited for all that March has in store, but especially the warmer weather and longer days. I love all four seasons and am grateful to live in a place where we get a true spring, summer, fall, and winter, but at the end of winter and summer I find myself yearning for the next season. Spring and fall have always been my favorite in this North Carolina climate – the colors, temperatures, and outdoor activities are wonderful and encouraging. Coming off of a winter with more snow than usual for our area, I can’t wait until spring is here again! I have some big goals this month (one in particular), but just as I’m excited about the start of a new season, I’m excited to see what I can accomplish. Let’s do this!

February Goals
– Celebrate a wedding and mini reunion weekend with college friends! – Yes, this was so, so fun! It was wonderful to catch up with good friends!
– Stay on track with race training (more on this later). – Yes! See March goals below for more :)
– Do meal prep at least two weeks of the month. – I meal planned every week (success!), and meal prepped two weeks of the month. It is still hard to prioritize, but baby steps help!
– Wake up early enough to enjoy a slow morning before work at least two days a week. – I did really well at this at the beginning of the month, but I let the Olympics throw off my sleep schedule and was terrible at it for the rest of the month.
– Finish editing photos from Paris and post at least one Paris post. – Even though technically the post went live on March 1st, I’m giving myself some grace and counting this one because it was ready to go live on February 28th but I got caught up and wasn’t able to post it during the day.
– Watch some of the Olympic medaling events! – Yes, yes, yes! I love the Olympics, and while the Summer Olympics can sometimes be more exciting, I loved seeing some of the snowboarding, skiing, and figure skating medal rounds!
– Complete our annual budget review – We reviewed and updated our budget – now to stick to it!
– Do something fun! – We went on a spontaneous date to the new Guglhupf Bake Shop between church and grocery shopping one Sunday and had the most delicious almond schnecke (the German version of a croissant). I’m not typically a very spontaneous person, but it was so fun.

March Goals
– Celebrate Will’s birthday!
– Cut sugar for one week (I have gotten into a bad habit of wanting something sweet daily).
– Wake up early enough to enjoy a slow morning before work at least two days a week. “Slow morning” meaning I have at least 15 minutes of free time before/after getting ready for the day.
– Run a marathon!!! Eek! I’m so excited and so nervous about this one, but I have done my best to train for it over the past few months.
– Enjoy our weekend in D.C.
– Do core strengthening exercises at least twice a week. Because I have been focusing on running lately, I haven’t been very good at incorporating other exercises. I know core strengthening will help prevent injuries and improve my balance while running and while going about my days.
– Post the rest of our Paris pictures.
– Do less Instagram scrolling. There are so many other things I could be doing, but I have gotten into the habit of checking Instagram whenever I am on the bus, walking home, or waiting for something (i.e. water to boil, bus to arrive, etc.). I know I could be more productive if I wasn’t directing my attention to the app.
– Print and frame photos from Paris.
– Get in bed by 11:00 pm four nights a week. I would love to add “get more sleep” to this list of goals, but I’m going to start small with the task of just getting in bed. If this is successful, maybe next month we can graduate to actually getting more sleep ;)