It's hard to believe I'm moving into my final quarter of monthly resolutions for 2012! There is something so incredibly satisfying about setting and accomplishing little goals throughout the year. Even if they don't all work out, they've certainly added variety and joy to my life! Here's a recap on Simplify September, and a lil peek at what's to come for October, er, Blogtober!
Simplify September {follow-up}
My main goal for this month was to simplify. I wanted to seek God first and see where He led. Here's what ended up happening through the month...
Yoga+Life. We joined a nearby gym last month. I'm normally overly skeptical of gym memberships and feel they're highly unnecessary. Daniel's been wanting to join, so we did a week free trial with friends, and we were hooked. We went everyday of our trial (except Saturday), and have been going nearly everyday (except Saturday) since. I love all of the classes and options, but I especially love Sundays. We spend an afternoon of family time swimming and using the hot tub, then we change and take the kids to the junior gym so I can do some relaxing yoga, and Daniel does whatever he does. I love the yoga instructor and all that I learn about life from her classes, and shared some of those insights here, here and here, and will probably keep writing yoga+life posts periodically.
4 Simple Goals. It can be challenging staying focused through the end of the year. It seems once fall rolls around, it's already Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year. I took the challenge and came up with 4 simple goals to accomplish. I already updated on writing everyday, and will update on the others in the weeks to come.
Let my lil light shine. I invited a few friends over for a Shine Party, took cookies to the neighbors, and lead out in a craft for the Mom's Cafe at our church. These were all little ways I stepped out of my comfort zone, and prepared for next month's blog series--more about that below.
September Book-of-the-Month
3-2-1 Stop: stop running and start living by Lorilee Lippincott
Blogtober {preview}
There is so much in store for October!
Blog updates. When I originally thought of making the blog a focus for one of my monthly resolutions, I imagined I would spend that time updating design and creating a brand. After playing around with my header and layout last month, I stumbled into a look that feels so perfectly me and a sort-of brand that works for this phase of the blog. As always, there's still more to do. This month I will work on finishing updating my pages and getting my page links up. I may update my about page, and really whatever else seems to need some t.l.c.
31 Days Series. The Nester started doing 31 Days Series each October based on ProBlogger's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. She has encouraged others to join her and come up with their own series. I finally admitted that I wanted to do this, even if it meant a lot of extra work, even if no one seemed interested, even if I felt short on ideas, and even if it flopped. A couple topics popped into my mind that I thought would be relatively easy to write 31 posts about--you know, cloth diapering or project eliminate. Then, I felt the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart, Weren't you wanting to make your blog more about Jesus? Of course! But what would I write about? Wouldn't it come across as preachy? And so many other people are so much more qualified! That's none of your concern. Do you want to do it or not? Little life experiences have taught me that when God asks if you want to do something--do it! So, I agreed. Ever since July, I've been following God's lead on this little blog series, and I am so excited to share what all He's been showing me! I hope you'll join me for 31 Days of Letting Your Lil Light Shine. Check-in Sunday for a little more about the series, and follow along everyday in October!
Influence {blog} Conference. Have I mentioned that I'm attending the Influence Conference in Indiana? It's so much more than a blog conference. It's "the first stylish and fresh blog conference to make much of Jesus in social media" where "our common thread is the good news." There's a great line-up of life and strategy key note speakers, evening workshops, and plenty of opportunities for networking and making new friends in the blogging world. I am excited and nervous all rolled into one! And how perfect that it falls right in the middle of Blogtober--happy birthday to me!
Birthday Celebration. Seriously, the day I fly back from the conference is my birthday. Brylee has informed me she will be planning a surprise party. However, with further questioning, it turns out she thinks a surprise party is when we decorate while she goes to her room to get ready. So, I will probably be making my yearly pumpkin cake and sharing it with a few close friends. Simple celebrating bliss!
