May Goals Update

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

-Annie Dillard

#1 Take Initiative

• complete new-to-me Bible reading plan following this plan. Three days behind, but following nonetheless!
• read for pleasure 10 minutes daily (include at least 6 fiction books in the year) 2 fiction books for the year; met the daily goal 16/31 days; yikes!
• try new things tried new bakeries, restaurant, and coffee shop! Also took the family to pick strawberries for the first time 🙂
• speak David’s love language ummmm
• write outside the blog nada

#2 Build Family Memories 

• take 3 family mini vacations camping trip scheduled for June! (Atlanta in Feb/March)
• couples only overnight trip Folly Beach & Charleston on MLK weekend
• take 4 day trips another zoo trip in May; two trips to the zoo in March
• visit Biltmore
• have lunch/visit with William (aka Pawpaw) monthly visited with William early in the month; he helped David prep that on-going patio project

#3 Continue Home Improvements 

• service garage door
• consider repainting downstairs oh so done! Grey is the new teal 😉
• replace whole house smoke detectors
• clean carpets downstairs
• buy Dyson vacuum
• make small improvements monthly knocked it out of the park this month! Almost too many improvements to list! New a/c, replaced flooring, replaced napkins/gate/doorbell, created a bar seating area, rearranged furniture layouts downstairs
• replace failing vinyl floors in morning room and master bathroom done! Even if we have to replace a section we damaged while moving the fridge!

#4 Be Good Stewards of our Finances

• increase tithe increased  done, with intentions of increasing when/if opportunity presents
• continue monthly savings contributions yep
• pay off oven/microwave purchase done! February 2015
• pay down 401K loans Paid off one, only to gain another in April; but progress is progress
• pay extra toward mortgage 
• make specific monthly goals based on circumstances working to reduce our grocery budget– established a new meal rotation and made corresponding grocery list. Still a work in progress.

#5 Drop a Clothing Size done a/o April 2015, but forging ahead!

• log 12+ miles a week not quite! The painting this week took priority (just 2 runs this week!); totaling only 44.1 miles for the month
• establish strength training routine and build to 2x a week missed this week, but seriously, all that painting? Surely it counts for something 😉
• log food minimum of twice weekly 21/31 days logged 

Final Days of May Rundown

Dude.

Just, duuuude.

I’m tired. And I only ran three-ish miles this week. But I’m pretty sure I did 57,000 squats and at least half that many stair climbs while completing the great downstairs home makeover of 2015. So, in the interest of time and my remaining fragments of sanity, let’s just hit this fast and furious like with a bullet style recap.

Thursday:

• David back at work after the holiday and two day floor debacle. He jokes that he’s easing back into work with two days last week and three days this week (Jude’s having surgery Thursday and Friday is court for Adriana and our camping trip).
• EOG testing for Adriana, Avery, Livie wrapped up. Bless us all, Adriana had a back up pair of glasses and managed keep them in one piece and stay at school. I will never understand why special needs kids are forced to undergo state testing. Adriana’s teacher asked me if I could remind her to pay attention when she answers…sure, I’ll pull out my wand and make that happen, right after I resolve her breaking glasses habit.
• After preschool, Jude hit up his last normal speech therapy session for the next three weeks (crazy schedules for us in June!). He cracked me up by being filled with energy during therapy, only to pass out in the car on the way home and sleep for two hours!
• David tackled the duel volleyball practices while I wiped out the last of the kitchen painting.
• We also had a visit from Taylor! We hadn’t seen him in a month, so it was good to catch up. I still can’t wrap my brain around the man I see now when I look at him. I was laughing at his sincere concern over leaving his dog, Rocky, in the yard with Livie and Jude. Taylor fretted over rocky like any dad would, haha!  

Friday:

• With the kitchen freshly painted, we opted to move the fridge back into its permanent location first thing that morning. Only…we ripped the beautiful brand new kitchen floor in the process. You guys, we didn’t cuss or yell. Our floors. Ruined. And we kept our cool; moved the fridge (successfully) and contacted the contractor to arrange a time to patch up our mistake. We must be getting mellow (praise God!) in our old ages.
• A phone call from a neurosurgery office threw off my painting mojo. It was a new office following up on “Jude’s tethered cord,” as set up by our neurologist’s office. Two problems with that, 1) we already have a neurosurgeon, 2) we don’t yet know if he has a tethered cord.
• The phone call was only a blip in the crazy radar, because with the mail, there arrived a certified letter declaring Jude’s scheduled MRI not covered due to insufficient need. Don’t even. Just don’t. I cried. So much stress is wrapped around the why/what if of Jude’s inability to potty train whatsoever. Now, we wait and attempt an appeal. Everybody sight.
• At least I had the painting of the living room to distract me! Done! In five hours, minus a quick Walmart run for more tape.
• A party at Lizbeth’s house, in honor of her mom’s visit, certainly perked up our evening. Well, minus a car-sick Livie! It was good to be among friends 🙂   
  

  poor Liv!

   
• An IKEA trip on the ride home rounded out our night. Can you believe what a rock star Adriana was in all that! The end of the week, a party, AND a shopping trip? She definitely redeemed her hellacious Wednesday! 
  

  playing hug-a-war?

   

Saturday

• Baseball games & volleyball games (the last of the season!) dictated our morning. 
  

  Livie 🙂

   
• David ran to Lowes, droped off massive recycling and managed three kids’ sporting events (I only handled Liv’s baseball game), while I painted the rest of downstairs. Painting so much space is a beast of a job! But it is DONE!
• Avery & Livie navigated playdates/sleepovers…a preview of summer, do doubt!
• We called on our favorite handy friend, Chuck, who showed up to install our new light in the kitchen area. Then, he and David set hung up bead board around our never-before-used-for-this-purpose bar! I’m in love with the new look! 
  

  ta-da!

   

Sunday

• Church, Adriana’s behavior was debatable, but she pulled through with reminders of shopping and swimming.
• A tour of Target allowed me to wrap up teacher gift shopping (Just 10 days until school is out for the big kids!).
• David took the girls & Jude swimming while I returned order and rearranged furniture in the living room. So.much.work. 
  

  off to the pool

   
• Dinner is done, and I’ll be ending the weekend how I started it, enjoying friendship (coffee date with Katie!).