In 2017 posting on the blog with my progress toward meeting my goals helped to keep me on track and accountable, so I’m doing the same thing this year. Here is my May 2018 Goal Update.
Faith Goals:
Attend church at least one time per month. Met.
Read at least two chapters of the Bible per month. Met. I read Numbers Chapters 27-36 and Deuteronomy Chapters 1-4.
Read at least one devotional per month. Met.
Attend Bible Study weekly. Met as our group was available.
Reading Goals:
Read at least one fiction, one nonfiction, and one devotional per month. Met. Check out my May 2018 Reading List post for a list of the books that I read.
Track my reading on the blog. Met.
Utilize Overdrive, Kindle Owners Lending Library, Prime Reading, and books previously purchased to keep costs down. Met.
Complete PopSugar 2018 Reading Challenge. In progress. My Reading List posts show which categories I’ve met in each month.
Apply to What Should I Read Next? podcast again. Met! I just re-applied.
Finances:
Pay off at least half of my Acadia. In progress. We paid extra in May.
Pay off law office line of credit. In progress. I paid extra toward this in May.
Double personal, law office, and LLC reserve funds. In progress.
Continue charitable giving at present levels. In progress.
Keep meal costs in check by eating at home and packing lunches. Met mostly. We also used up some gift and rewards cards when we did eat out to keep our costs down.
Fitness/Health:
Drink 8 servings of water per day. Met with the exception of a couple of days in the middle of the month.
Drink no more than two pops per day. Met mostly.
Eat at least one fruit or vegetable per day. Met.
Track food consumption with either MyFitnessPal or Weight Watchers. Met about 40% of the time…I’m trying to get better about doing this consistently.
Pack lunch or eat at home each weekday, unless eating out with friends/colleagues. Met.
Plan lunches for the week on the weekends. Met.
Cook and eat dinner at home five times per week. Met.
Use FitBit for sleep and step monitoring. Met.
Walk at least 8,000 steps per day, five days per week. Met probably 75% of the month.
Peloton three times per week for 30 minutes. Met. I rode 3-4 times per week for 30-45 minutes.
Law Practice:
Pay off law office line of credit. In progress. I paid extra toward this in May.
Double reserve funds. In progress.
Research law office marketing. Met.
Revamp website. Not started yet.
Develop and implement marketing and social media plan. Not started yet.
Write blog post once per month. Not met in May.
Hire associate or advertise office share availability. In progress. I participated in the Nebraska Rural Practice Initiative interviews and hired a law clerk for the summer. I interviewed for associate candidates as well. But I ultimately want the right fit, and am willing to wait to find someone who is best for my office.
Blogging:
Post at least once per week. Not met.
Post travel post at least once per month. Not met.
Post goal update monthly. Met.
Post reading list monthly. Met.
Develop and implement marketing and social media plan. Not met yet.
Take additional Travel Blog Success (or replacement) course. Not met yet.
Find/watch Lightroom tutorial series. Not met yet.
Utilize travel journal while travelling. Met so far. In progress.
Update old posts with pinnable images. Not met yet.
Increase photo size in old posts. Completed.
Travel:
Take at least one trip or local adventure per month.
- January–Bahamas. Met! This was such a fun trip!
- February–Rapid City. I went to Rapid City for a weekend to see family.
- March–Florida with my friend Tara. We went to Tampa/Clearwater, and St. Petersburg. It was so fun!
- April–Willa Cather Museum ? I went to Rapid City for Easter. And then went to Arkansas for a family funeral about a week later. And the weather in our area was horrible for much of the month.
- May–Stuhr Museum ? I didn’t travel in May.
- June–Cour D’Alene, Idaho and Spokane, Washington for Mike’s family reunion
Girls weekend with my college sorority sisters, Lincoln, NE - July–Museum of Nebraska Art ?
- August–Willa Cather Museum ?
- September–New York over Labor Day Weekend ? Ireland ?
- October– Philippines with my friend Paige
- November–Cozumel/Belize/Florida Keys with Mike ?
- December–
Go to Iceland ?
by Jeff Anderson
by Susan Meissner
by Tammy Kling
by Patrick Rothfuss
so much last month, that I jumped right into this…all 1000 pages! And I loved this book even more than the first. Now I’m impatiently waiting for the release of the third book telling Kvothe’s story. I’m not going to talk more about this book, as I don’t want to spoil anything if you’ve not yet read The Name of the Wind. But it is best categorized as an epic fantasy.
by Simon Pridmore
by Kristin Hannah
Special Edition
by Blake Crouch
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
which was a Newbery Honor Book. I liked this one, but not quite as much as the first. It is the story of a little girl who has been evacuated from London and an abusive mother and is living in the country during World War II.
by Edith Wharton (including Expiation, The Dilettante, The Muse’s Tragedy, The Pelican, Souls Belated, Xingu, and The Other Two)
and didn’t care for it, which made me think that I didn’t like Edith Wharton’s writing. Earlier this year, we read 
, which made me reconsider Wharton’s writing, as I really liked it. I’d picked this up by mistake when looking for The Old Maid, so I thought I’d dive into this short story collection for a broader taste of Wharton, and am glad that I did. These short stories were realistic, with complex character portrayals despite their short length. I’m now firmly in the Edith Wharton fan club after exposure to more of her writing. If you’re not sure about her, start with a short story collection such as this one and see for yourself.
by Sophie Hudson (I’ve been working my way through this book over the last couple of months, but forgot to list it. Oops!)
by Lysa TerKeurst (My bible study just started working through this book and the associated videos)
by Keith Richards and James Fox
by Vera Brittain
by Affinity Kovar
by John Berendt
by John Douglas and Johnny Dodd
by Vinzenz Brinkmann, Renee Dreyfus, and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann
by Simon Sinek (My overdrive checkout expired on this, so I’m waiting for my new hold to come up on it so that I can finish it.)