Look Ahead: A Link-up

I love that Natalie is starting off 2015 with a link-up focusing on the new year. Way to go!

Do you think you'll be going to school at any point in 2015? If so, what for?
I am currently working on my doula certification {see page above} and will hopefully make some serious headway there. But as far as traditional classroom school, I don't see it coming.

Will there be a job change for you in 2015?

Only in the families I babysit, and hopefully the change translates into "more," not just "different."

What adventure or event are you most looking forward to during this coming year?
I think 2015 is the year that I'm going to attend my first birth, which makes me THRILLED!

Do you think there will be a move to a new house/apartment/city/state/country in 2015?
I see people moving in and out of my condo, but hopefully no moves this year. I love where I live!

What do you see as the direction of your blog in 2015? Design update plans? Link-ups coming down the pipes? More or less posts?
I think I'm going to find my own voice again and share more about what's on my mind personally. The design will likely stay the same {gee, thanks, Blogger}, but I may play around with some templates. We'll see. What do you like and dislike about this design?

Definitely, I'll participate in link-ups... I'm not going to commit to hosting any, but I'm not opposed, either.

If you could guarantee that one thing would happen this coming year, what would it be?

I'd love to guarantee that I will attend a birth this year. I'd also love guarantee that I will meet Mr. TDH this year. I'd love to guarantee that I'll finally be able to use scissors to cut a straight line. I'd love to guarantee that I will change my car's oil before the light flashes at me. 

We'll see, though :)

Thanks so much, Natalie! Great way to kick off 2015!

Finish This: Year in Review

{Sorry for the delay in posting and in the technical difficulties earlier. Craziness was the story of my life for several days, and then Blogger decided to throw a tantrum. All is well now, though, so enjoy!}

Happy New Year! THIS is the Year in Review post that I've been working on for so long! A huge thank-you to Nicole at Three 31 for hosting this - she sent out the prompts several months ago so that we could start preparing early. And boy did this post require preparation! Are you ready!?

What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before? I bought a dining room table, saw the Alamo, lived with someone I didn't know {very well}, and hosted a Thanks-mas Party with my young adult group.

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions? Will you make more in 2015? I kept all my resolutions except for the recipe goal, and yes, I did set some goals for 2015.

Did anyone close to you give birth? No, but I got to cuddle a lot of freshly-born babies.

via

Did anyone close to you die? My roomie's mom passed away in March. I had the privilege of meeting Nellie twice, and we spoke over Google Chat whenever I was in the room. Our conversation was "Hi, Catherine's mom!" "Hi, Catherine's roomie!" She was a wonderfully spunky lady.

What countries did you visit? I stayed domestic this year, but I did get to visit Kentucky, Oregon, and Texas!

What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014? I would like to have a better budget in 2015... After reading this inspiring post, I'm going to be tracking my spending more closely and creating more parameters for myself.

via

What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory? This day in February when I surprised my bosom friend; this day in June when I decided to work towards doula certification; this week in July when I watched "The Fall" three times; this day in October when I started doula certification; this Halloween weekend I spent with two of my best friends; and New Year's Eve, with a fantastic gathering of friends at my place.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Completing Bradley Birth classes {all 12 weeks!} and beginning the more formal, less structured doula certification process.

What was your biggest failure? While I did get into a great exercise routine {Zumba 4x a week!}, my eating habits did not much improve, and some days were just plain awful. This is one of my areas of improvement for 2015.

Did you suffer illness or injury? I had some health challenges in the summer, and that brought financial challenges as well, but all is right as rain now!

What was the best thing you bought? A dining room table, a lamp that I made-over, more essential oils, plane tickets to Kentucky, Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth, Pierce Brown's Red Rising, and lots and lots of yarn.

Whose behavior merited celebration? My sisters'! One sister graduated from college and got a full-time job; one sister conquered transferring craziness and is now kicking butt as a junior; and my baby sister is leading her Model United Nations group {and like 6 other groups} in international competitions. Also, all three of them ran a half marathon. My sisters are awesome!

Where did most of your money go? Besides the boring stuff like gas and house payments? Doula certification, Zumba classes, DIY stuff for making my house beautiful.

What did you get really excited about? Have I mentioned doula certification enough? :) I also got really excited about reading {and buying} good books, visiting friends near and far, and hosting Thanksmas and NYE parties.

What song will always remind you of 2014? Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off"

Compared to this time last year, are you:

           Happier or sadder? Happier!
           Thinner or fatter? Thinner, or at least more fit
           Richer or poorer? Hmm, richer in community, richer in career, richer in blessings. I'm gonna go with richer :)

What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I'd spent more time with my sisters.

What do you wish you’d done less of? I wish I'd spent less time worrying about other people's opinions of me.

How will you be spending Christmas? With my family, at my parents' house, in traditional new pajamas {except this year I got a bathrobe and it is plush and luxurious and I'm never taking it off!}.

Did you fall in love in 2014? I fell more deeply in love with life!

How many one-night stands?

via

Who were your best friends? Samara, Cami, Rebecca, Julie, AJ, Dahlia

What thing did you do that was meaningful to others? I got a lot of positive feedback from new parents in the hospital where I baby cuddle. One new dad saw me rocking a baby and upon learning that I was not a new mom but a volunteer, said with a sigh of exhaustion and gratitude, "Oh, I could hug you right now. Thank you!"

What were your favorite TV shows? "Pushing Daisies," "The Mindy Project," "The Office," "Gilmore Girls," "Firefly," and of course the Brits: "Doctor Who," "Sherlock," and "Call the Midwife."

all images taken from IMDB.com

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I try not to hate people... I've stopped caring about the opinions of a couple people, but I don't hate them.

What was the best book you read in 2014?
Non-fiction: Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth, Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, and Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken
Fiction: Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity and Pierce Brown's Red Rising

What was your greatest musical discovery? Birdy - both her albums are hauntingly beautiful. And Amy Stroup... nonstop listening to her gorgeous voice and style.

What did you want and get? I wanted to get through Team of Rivals and 39 other books...and I did! Actually, I exceeded my initial goal of 40 books and read 55!

What did you want but did not get? I wanted to win a trip to Rwanda, but it didn't happen. Guess I'll go another time.

What were your favorite films this year? I know I'm late to the party, but "The Fall" is the perfect film and I saw it just this year.

Of films actually released in 2014, my faves are:
"Mockingjay: Part 1" was absolutely fantastic
"The Imitation Game" - gawd, such an amazing film. Sad story, beautiful film.
"Exodus: Gods and Kings" was really good. The whole Plagues sequence... whoa.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I celebrated with my family and sangria at an Italian restaurant, got rear-ended {I sure know how to have a good time}, hosted a Sherlock party, and wrote about 25 life lessons since I turned 25.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being able to click my heels and instantly visit my friends.... as soon as that magic is invented, let me know!

What kept you sane? My friends who are so awesome - they encouraged me, chased away my doubts and fears, and brought wine :)

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Like in a "hey baby" kind of way? Um, that would be Lee Pace, yes please thank you kindly here's to you.

via

What political issue stirred you the most? I don't think this will ever stop stirring me. The pro-life movement and all that it encompasses is one of my passions and it directs my dollars and vote.

Who do you miss? I've missed my grandpa more this year than last year, probably because time has lessened the pain of loss and because I'm better able to remember him pre-Alzheimer's.
I also miss my Kentucky families and am planning a visit very soon.
Samara, I miss living with you!

Who are the best new persons you met this year? I made a new friend at Notions! She is super sweet and funny and brilliant, and we hung out over turkey-and-stuffing sandwiches - mmm!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.

via

Quote that sums up the year: {I love this one especially because it talks about a birth!}

via

There you go! Goodbye, 2014, and hello, new adventures of 2015!

Goals for 2015

It's that magical time of year when Bek reviews her goals for the current year and sets in stone writing her goals for the coming year. It is also the magical time when she starts writing about herself in third person, and everybody {including her} is confused.

Nic is confused, too

Moving right along...

Shall we start with 2014's goals?

1. Invest time in new friendships. Yes! 2014 was full of friendship, and I'm looking forward to spending time with current and future friends.
2. Get into a real exercise routine. Yes! Except for a few summer weeks that were simply crazy, I exercised at least three times a week for the majority of the year. I'd like to thank my sister for the cool workout jacket she gave me and my city for offering Zumba classes. 
3. Continue to blog at least twice a week. Yes! Specifically, my goal was to keep up Funny Fridays, which has kind of died, but I did blog two times a week for the entire year!
4. Try at least one new recipe bi-monthly. Oh my word, big fat fail here! I tried one recipe and made it at least three times, but that's it. I do feel more confident cooking, though; I coordinated 5 days of meals with my sister and friends for Family Camp, and I hosted Thanksgiving and made half the dishes. 
5. Goodreads: 40 books. I adjusted my goal in June to 50 books, and as of this posting, I have read 55 books and am in the middle of 4 more. So that's a yes! :) 

via

Onto 2015! I really like what Emilia is doing and I'm going to concentrate on Mind, Body, and Blog. I also have some other categories, but I'm keeping those in my journal. So here are my Mind, Body, and Blog goals:

1. Read 50 books. When I was thinking about my reading goals for next year, I came up with some specific kinds of books I want to read, and of course some of them are doula-related, so stay tuned for reviews.
2. Maintain exercise routine {3x/week}, reduce sugar intake, add more vegetables. I'm going to get back on the MyFitnessPal bandwagon and start tracking food again, and the food is going to be less sugar and more veggies!
3. Keep on blogging... Specifically, my goals are to:
• continue linking up with the Not Alone Series at least once a month
• share a doula-related book review once a month
• post something "personal" each month. This can be a Doula Update, a Funny Friday, a general update, thoughts on a specific topic, or something else. I can add it to a link-up {like 7 Quick Takes}, but the "prompt" is my own. 

Bam - goals! 2015 is going to be splendid!

via

Not Alone Series: Getting Outside My Comfort Zone

Hey friends! I'm excited to share with you a lovely link-up called the Not Alone Series. Jen and her friend are the hosts, and I found them through Laura. Since one of my resolutions with Rachel is blogging well, I thought this link-up would be perfect. I'm a few days behind {I think the link-up happens on Tuesdays}, but better late then never, right? So here we go!

Topic: In what ways can you grow and stretch RIGHT NOW that could affect the whole of 2014?

Right now, I want to grow in my friendships. I want to stretch past old limits of being hospitable. I want to grow out of old, small circles of relationships. I want to speak more thoughtfully and listen more fully. 

Right now, I'm choosing to trust God and ask Him where He wants me to be, what He wants me to be doing. I'm asking Him for direction and for new dreams, and right now I'm choosing to trust that He knows what He's doing and that He'll guide me.

Right now, I'm asking God to grow my capacity for love. I read an article that basically said that humans have a limited capacity for relationship and that's why some friendships fade away after a move, because you build relationships where you're at and you can't handle maintaining all relationships. I don't want that. God is bigger than research and findings from experts. I'm crying out for God to expand my relational capacity.

Right now, growth can happen in my writing. In the next couple of weeks, you'll probably see more of Edna Walters, since my Writing Guild goal was to have "a day in the life" for her. You'll also see some more link-up participation. I don't know what God is going to do with the words that flow mind to fingers to screen, but I know that He has called me to be a good steward of His gifts, so that's what I'm going to do. 

There you have it! Check out other Not Alone Series links here, and join us for next week for a discussion on beauty. 

Let's Look Back at 2013

Happy 2014!

It seems that the general consensus is that 2013 was a more challenging year and that 2014 is primed for something new and different and amazing. I for one agree wholeheartedly and am looking forward to all that the Lord is going to do and reveal this year!

I thought it would be fun to review some highlights of 2013 before jumping in to 2014. So here goes: the highs and lows of 2013!

January: I was living with my maternal grandparents and laughing my socks off at their antics {example 1 & example 2}. Here are my blogging goals for 2013, and here is a recap of Laurie and my adventure with ice skating. Also, I started watching Doctor Who...I definitely did not imagine getting SO sucked in to the Who-niverse!

February: Samara and I started planning in earnest to get a place together. I also got really excited to move home, and so I packed my suitcase a month before leaving.

March: a high was seeing The Lion King with Laurie. So so wonderful. A low was my grandpa passing away. Another high was moving home!

April: I got settled at home and we had a memorial service for my grandpa.

May: I got to visit Laurie in Texas for one week and then got to visit my Kentucky families the next. There were also many viewings of British shows.

June: Nothing big happened in June, but there were several Funny Fridays! Check out Thing One, Thing Two, Thing Three, and Thing Four for laughs and eye rolls.

July: Easily summarized into one word: NICARAGUA! First post, second post, third post, fourth post. Boom. Yet July kept on being amazing. Samara and I found a place to move into and we signed the papers and we shared our announcement with much rejoicing.

August: Augh! So much fun! First of all, we moved! Secondly, Dahlia and I went to Prince Edward Island! Here the compiled travel journal, pictures included. Enjoy. Thirdly, August is Family Camp, which didn't get its own post but is always a highlight of the year.

September: Samara and I said goodbye to the Tenth Doctor. Laurie came to visit {although I failed to blog very much about that}, and my condo was invaded.

October: Wow, 31 Days of Writing kind of took over the blog! Here are some non-fictional-but-still-creative highlights: settling into the condo more, hanging pictures on my bedroom wall, having Jamey visit, and watching Danny Boyle's Frankenstein with friends on Halloween, dressed as Fantastic Mr. Fox characters {Halloween summary}.

November: had a wonderful experience with one of my CareNet clients! This story has changed my life, I think. On a lighter note, the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who was quite lovely and wonderful {sorry, I blogged about it in December even though it aired in November}. November was apparently a month for me to recognize my own maturity {which therefore proves my immaturity, right?}, because I blogged about it not once but twice.

December: Samara and I had a great adventure getting our Christmas tree. I spent several nights at my parents' house {and subsequently forgot how to blog}. Also, I learned am learning how to process feelings as a Thinker {the T in my Meyers-Briggs personality of ESTJ}, which has been a challenging but still positive experience.

2013 was wonderful and hard and exciting and stretching. Definite highs, obvious lows, and everything in between. But as Samara noted here, I'd rather have the highs and the lows than the safe mediocrity of middle ground.

2014, I'm excited to see what highs and lows you hold!

New Year

As you saw in my last post, I'm back in the Midwest chilling with the grandparents. Totes awesome. I hope your Christmas and New Year's celebrations were all fabulous and wonderful. Mine were.

And now, on to business.
You might remember my blogging goals for 2012 and I think that overall I accomplished these goals! Woot! Pat on the back for Bek! So now I want to make some new ones for 2013, and I want to advance, not retreat. So here they are, and these are not just blogging goals. There are also some life updates thrown in here for good measure. So here goes.

Blogging Goals

1. Blog at least twice a week. One will be funny {I'm trying to institute Funny Friday, but I'm not promising that a) funny things only happen on Friday or b) that I can remember funny things until Friday. So we'll go for one funny a week.} and one will have more depth. 
2. I'd like to spend some time writing down different experiences, different stories that have happened and that I will want to remember sometime. These might be humorous, but they won't count as the funny post. There are just some cool, random, odd, etc. things that have happened & I want to document them. Nothing big or serious that I can think of right now, but I want to give y'all a head's up. So there. Keep your head up. 
3. Do you have any ideas? I'm willing to try new ideas, so if you got em, share em! Have questions for me? I'll answer them as best I can. 

Life...Updates:

• Two of my favorite people ever are joining me in a Made to Crave journey. Made to Crave is a book by Lysa TerKeurst {check out her blog here} about craving God more than we crave food. AJ read this book first, then I read it, and now AJ's sis Tisa is in on it. The three of us are holding each other accountable to a new way of eating and to our personal exercise plans. It's pretty awesome. So far, so good! I'll probably be posting updates about this, so you guys can hold me accountable too! Keep it positive; we're here for encouragement. 
• Fun goal for this year? Go on a trip with my friend Dahlia! We've been planning a trip to Prince Edward Island for almost two years, and we're hoping that this summer is the time to go. Any suggestions for our trip? Have you been there? Is there some thing or place that we MUST see? Let us know, pretty please! 

Well, I think that's all. Stay tuned for updated & revised comments on Les Miserables since my friend L and I saw it for her birthday. 

Peace out, readers.