goodbye March, hello April!

March was a productive month! I read five books this month, which is a record for me! (see the reviews), spent a few days in Seattle, finished a two month in-depth study of Philippians, and kicked off most of the month's goals! Here's to a new month full of new challenges and opportunities! 

It’s spring! Farewell
     To chills and colds!
     The blushing, girlish
     World unfolds

Each flower, leaf
     And blade of sod—
     Small letters sent
     To her from God.
~John Updike, "April," A Child’s Calendar, 1965

March Goals

>> Sell at least 4 items (clothes and apartment decor) on Facebook local buy-sell-trade groups. (Yes! I sold a lot more than 4 items! Woohoo!)

>> Check mint account weekly and work on budgeting. 

>> Continue reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey & start brainstorming budgeting ideas. (YES! Read my review of the book. I have been working on budgeting too!)

>> Clean up my iPhoto albums, deleting unwanted photos. (One step closer to cleaning up my computer's memory space)

>> Call Comcast about my super slow internet. (Not sure it did me any good, but it did it!)

>> Pray specifically & intentionally encourage/reach out to one friend a week. (This was a really great way to be more intentional in my prayers for others! I want to continue this!)

>> Study Philippians chapters 3 and 4 using Jen Wilkin's 5P Bible Study method from Women of the Word.  (YES!! Philippians was AWESOME and I LOVED using Jen Wilkin's 5 P's of Sound Bible Study. (see more info about this here).

>> Meet with my "little sister" that I mentor and catch up. (No, sadly we didn't meet!)

>> Write back to my Compassion International sponsor child (she sent me a sweet letter!)

>> Book NYC tickets for May!  (Woohoo!!!)

>> File taxes for me and my siblings through TurboTax. YES! I completed mine and 3 sibling's taxes!
>> New crockpot recipe. (I made a crockpot chicken noodle soup! Yum!! Get the recipe here!)

April Goals

>> Write to my Compassion Child

>> Check Mint monthly for budgeting

>> Finish The Great Divorce, Fresh Wind Fresh Fire, and audiobook version of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, and start a new book.

>> Put old (but cherished) photos and documents onto my external hard drive after to make more space on my computer (and maybe speed it up!)

>>Work out twice a week

>> Decrease my jogging mile/minute average by 10 sec.

>> Start a new Bible study
>> New crockpot recipe 

[from to left, clockwise: studying Philippians from my favorite Seattle cafe across from Greenlake, sunset in rural Washington, Space Needle from Kerry Park, reading and relaxing by at a park near by apartment]