Life Lately | September Update

I blinked and we are halfway through September. Life has been changing swiftly and constantly this past month. I've added a multitude of job responsibilities at work, along with being able to cross #18 off of this list. 

I've been really focusing on keeping an hour or so every morning just for myself. Quiet time. No working. No sending emails. I've been working through this devotional this month and it's so great. I highly recommend it.

I've finish a few books this month, which also gets me closer to my goal for my 30 Things List. Since I created my list I've finished: #1, #2, #3. 

I've been trying new recipes and some meal planning throughout the week. So far we have tried: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6. I really liked the Baked Tacos and Baked Spaghetti. 

We celebrated my nephew's 1st birthday this past weekend. He's adorable and I love watching him grow up. 

I finally had the hubby bring down some of the fall decor from the garage attic. I didn't go too nuts this year but it is nice to have a bit of new color. I am also still in love with our new light fixture over the kitchen table. I am also still trying to figure out when in the world I'm going to repaint the kitchen cabinets and paint pretty much the entire inside of my house. I need a week off with no interruptions just to accomplish all of it. 

I'm longing for a small vacation. I would go anywhere at this point. I just want to unplug and unwind. 

September is flying by but everyday I come to the end of my day and feel accomplished. Life is good right now. Family is important. My BIL was in a car accident last week and it just makes you stop and think about life and family. He is going to be ok but the road is not short. Rest is also important. I love that fall is pretty much here and I'm ready to welcome to it. 

30 Things Before 30

Every year, I make a list of things that I want to accomplish by my next birthday. Here's to a new year and a new list. Some of these are big and seem lofty, some are fairly easy to accomplish. Check back every once in a while. I will have a tab at the top of this blog. If I mark something off, I usually will have a link with it. This year, I had too many things on my list which usually doesn't happen. I guess I'm ready to ring in 30 next summer with a bang. Let's do this. 

1. Read 30 books. With my love for the library now, this should be easy. 
2. 30 Recipes, meal plan for dinner. 
3. Try Blue Apron or something like it. 
4. Go on a family vacation. 
5. Work on getting through Baby Step #2 (Dave Ramsey.) 
6. Paint living room and hallways. Repaint kitchen cabinets. Paint trim and doors white. Lots of painting. Pretty much paint the entire inside of our house. 
7. Try Cize. 
8. Do another Whole 30. 
9. Get prego, round 2. 
10. Yoga Headstand
11. Work through this book. 
12. Reach my goal weight and keep moving (30 minutes, 10,000 steps, or C25k per day)
13. Have a meal at The Kitchen. 
14. Get a facial at She She.
15. Take family photos
16. Create some physical photo albums, not digital. 
17. Be able to park the Dodge Journey in the garage. i.e....Clean it out! Dump trip. 
18. Increase our income. Make it happen. 
19. Potty Train Marin.
20. Spend a lot more time outside. 
21. Write some songs. 
22. Breakup with online shopping and go thrifting more often. 
23. Join a CSA or Bountiful Baskets. Buy veggies/fruits from a roadside stand. 
24. Drink more wine.
25. Get a blowout at a salon. 
26. Help Marin not be such a picky eater. Expand her palate.  
27. Capsule Wardrobe or Project 333
28. Go to a concert at Red Rocks. 
29. Eat like a French Woman.  
30. Paint the outside of our house. 

A REVISIT | 29 Things Before 29

I am a list maker. Every year I make another list of things I want to accomplish in my new 365 days. This was my list from my 29th year. I did fairly well at completing certain items and not well at completing others. This past year I really worked on feeling good in my own skin. I loved getting a library card and I totally nerd out about books now, especially books that I don't have to pay for. We did some traveling but I still didn't stay in a cabin. I didn't do well with anything involving family photographs and picture of Marin. 

I am working on my 30 Things Before 30 List as we speak. It's almost done. I am excited. 

Here is a revisit......

+ Make grilled pizza. 
+ Fit back into my old jeans and rock them.  
+ Go to the Drive-In
+ 3 Day Juice Cleanse.
+ Get out of debt. Forever! (Close, but not done.) 
+ Holy Yoga.
+ Grow out my hair.
+ Take a trip to Estes for the day.
+ Pay off my van.
+ Have a minimalist mentality.
+ Redesign my blog/Complete Blog Life. 
+ Buy a new house.
+ Have one date night a month. At least.
+ Get another tattoo/have a half sleeve designed. 
+ Write & Complete 3 new songs. 
+ See the ocean.
+ Play a show with my band or any band for that matter. As of August 9th, it has been ONE YEAR. 
+ Get back into writing Morning Pages. 
+ Go camping or stay in a cabin.  
+ Whole30 
+ Try and have a green thumb 
+ Create a coffee table book of 52 Weeks of Baby Marin Posts. 
+ Get family photos taken by an actual photographer. (not just us using a tripod.)
+ Try PiYo. 
+ Finish reading all of the books currently on my nightstand (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and participate in this online book club. 
+ Treat myself to a Bliss Package at She She.  I tried the Day Tripper Bliss Package. Heaven!
+ Watch 4 documentaries.  So far: #1, #2, #3. One documentary short. 
+ Buy a new Mac Book. It's time. 
+ Get a library card.

WHOLE ME | WHOLE 30 WEEK 4

I survived my first Whole 30. I ate some cake today for my birthday. I was ok with that. I made it the 30 days. I did it. 

The last week of the Whole 30 was a bit of a blur to me. I didn't do very well with taking photos of my food. I did take some photos but as far as what I ate everyday, I can't really remember. I just remember that I ate clean and compliant to the plan and that's all that matters. Here are a few meals that I remembered to take a picture of....

I stepped on the scale the day after and was pleasantly surprised with the number I saw on the scale. I am closer to my goal weight. One step at a time. One pound at a time. 

I am taking every day now after the Whole 30, one day at a time. One meal at a time. I know now what I can eat that doesn't make me feel like crap. I know what can help me reach my goal weight. I also know that for my sanity, I can't be that strict all of the time and need to drink some wine every once in a while. But, my relationship with food is so much better than it was before. I am eating to live, not living to eat. That is where I need to be. 

In an effort to stick to a budget this month, I have started to meal plan dinners for my family. We just went shopping today for the first two weeks and came in under budget. Eating healthy can be affordable. Really. 

I will probably do another Whole 30 this fall. Now that I've made it through one, I can do another. I just need a bit of a break for a little while. The strange thing is that I already kind of miss it. Who knew? 

I am so thankful for this meal plan. It really did change how I view food and how I view myself. It will be nice to not have to have something special made for family gatherings. I am also looking forward to eating a meal at a restaurant again. 

If you want to change your body and how you think about food....do a Whole 30. I promise you won't be disappointed.