My September 2023 Reading Bucket List

Well, July and August were a bust for my reading goals.

I ended up getting sick in July (with a cold that lasted for two weeks, and a cough that lasted for three weeks), and that took a lot of energy out of me.

August I didn't get sick, but I still didn't have much energy, so I didn't read anything. And that made me sad. I wanted to read, but just didn't feel up to it. Hopefully I can read at least one book this month and keep it going for the rest of the year.

I am doing better now, and I feel like getting back into reading.

Here are the books I would like to read this month:

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
   
   
2. The Giver by Lois Lowry
   
   
3. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
   
   
4. Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton
   
   
5. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I know I won't be able to get to all 5 books this month, but I wanted to have a few options to choose from.

I have always loved to read, and for a while I just fell out of a habit of reading on a regular basis. I am so glad that I decided to challenge myself to read at least two books a month, because I am really enjoying it, and I get to get out of my head for a while.

Are you currently reading anything, or have recently read any good books?

My Fall 2023 Goals/Bucket List

This year is going by way too fast; I can't believe Fall is nearly here already!!

I am always thinking about things I want to do, and I love making bucket lists for each season/year. This Fall is no different!

Here is my bucket list for Fall 2023:

• Carve/paint a pumpkin for Halloween
• Cook Thanksgiving dinner
• Apply for at least 4 jobs a month
• Read 2 books a month
• Knit or crochet a sweater for myself
• Knit or crochet a blanket
• Go to a fall fest
• Roast pumpkin seeds
• Bake Halloween/Fall cookies
• Watch Hocus Pocus
• Watch Frankenweenie
• Watch The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Watch Beetlejuice
• Watch It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
• Watch ParaNorman
• Watch The Witches (the original)
• Watch Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
• Make homemade chili
• Paint my nails a Fall/Halloween color
• Bake a pumpkin pie
• Set 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year goals
• Clean up and redecorate my bedroom
• Make a prayer board
• Work on having better relationships with my friends
• Work on becoming more comfortable with public speaking
• Relearn how to read music
• Learn how to play 1-2 songs a month on the violin 
• Visit a friend in a different state  
• Spend a day (or more) in the city  
• Work on a junk journal
• Get tattoo in memory of mom  
• Learn Spanish
• Learn Sign Language  
• Completely finish one of my video games  
• Figure out an exercise routine that works for me, and keep up with it  
• Learn how to apply my own makeup  
• Print out retreat photos
• Put retreat photos into scrapbooks/photo albums
• Put together Downton Abbey puzzle

Hopefully I will be able to do at least half of these things this Fall. I want to enjoy the season, and the holidays that come with it, as much as I can.

What is on your bucket list for the Fall?

My Health and Fitness Goals

For quite a while, I have been neglecting my health, and I want to do better about taking care of it.

In this list, I am including goals for mental, physical, and spiritual health, and I feel that they are all inter-connected, and very important to my well-being.

So, without further ado, here are my health and fitness goals:

• Go for 30-minute walks at least 3x a week
  
  
• Get 8 hours of sleep every night
  
  
• Improve my posture
  I slouch a lot, and have done so for years. I really do not like how it makes me feel and look, and I want to work on this.
  
  
• Find a skincare routine that works for me, and keep up with it
  
  
• Find a hair care routine that works for me, and keep up with it
  
  
• No screens an hour before bed
  
  
• Figure out a good balance in the things that I eat
  
  
• Drink enough water every day
  
  
• Spend some time every day in nature
  
  
• Journal at least 2x a week
  
  
• Read my bible every day
  Beginning January 1st, I have been doing a Read the Bible in a Year challenge, and have been doing well so far. I want to keep that up!
  
  
• Pray every day
  I am very bad at this, and very seldom pray. I want to do better with this.
  
  
• Ride my bike 2-3x a week
  
  
• Listen to my favorite music at least an hour a day  
  
  
• Go to bed by 11 pm each night
  
  
• Wake up by 9 am each morning
  I am NOT a morning person at all--I am a huge night owl, so going to bed, and waking up at a decent hour every day is going to be very hard for me to do, at least at the start.
  
  
• Eat a healthy breakfast every morning  
  
  
• Have a self-care day/routine every week  
  
  
• Talk to my friends on a more regular basis  
  
  
• Learn how to cook better, and cook more meals for myself  
  
  
• Complete some type of puzzle every day
  (Sudoku, Mahjong, word search, jigsaw, etc.; I LOVE puzzles, and would love to incorporate it more into my everyday routine.)
  
  
• Lose around 40 pounds, and gain more strength  
  
  
• Learn a few foreign languages
  I love words and languages, and would love to learn Spanish, Italian, French, and Sign Language.
  
  
• Take myself out on regular dates  
  
  
• Do a digital/social media detox at least once a month  
  
  
• Take more photos/learn how to take better pictures 
  
  
• Learn how to meal prep
  
  
• Be more organized
  
  
• Try out a new hobby for a month
  
  
• Take one long bath or shower a week
  
  
• Relearn how to play the violin, and learn to play one new song a week (or every two weeks)
  
  
• Do something active every day
  
  
• Learn how to love myself
  

I may add to this if I think of any more, but this is a good starting point for working on my health. I am definitely going to take it slow, and only start with a couple things at first, and then add more as time goes on.

Have you set any health and fitness goals for yourself? What do you want to do, to take care of yourself?

My Week at Joni and Friends Family Retreat 2023: Days 5 and 6

Well, it's on to days 5 and 6, the last two days of camp.

On Thursday, we had our usual STM morning devotions and prayers, and breakfast afterwards.

After breakfast, we had an accessible worship, where those who wanted to, could come up on stage to sing along with the leaders. It's always a favorite of mine, watching the accessible worship.

After that, the other sweet shop people and I helped set up the sweet shop for the women's lunch that afternoon. When we were done with that, we were given the rest of the morning off, to relax.

I decided to sit in on morning programming again, with the high schoolers.

When I got there, they were putting aluminum foil on, to look like the armor of God, and then they made a keychain/bracelet/necklace with mini shoes, to represent walking in the truth.

Again, I was allowed to make my own shoe keychain, which I enjoyed making.

We then had lunch, and afternoon activities.

While manning the sweet shop, the person that was in charge kindly gave me the rest of the afternoon off, so I first went down to see the horses that the campers get to ride, and then sat on the beach for a while.

Once I got back to the main area where most of the others were, I saw one of the leaders on the lawn, with a kiddie pool filled with a bunch of those water bead things. I decided to hang out with her for a bit, while I decided what else I wanted to do.

While there, the behavior specialist came by, and I asked her if I would be allowed to do at least one of the activities that were available.

She said yes, and took me down to where the ropes course and the zip line were, and I decided to try the ropes course first, as I had never done one before.

So, I put the harness and helmet on and started climbing up to the first level (there were two levels, but I only wanted to do the first one).

I am very afraid of heights, so I actually started to get scared, and started shaking a bit. I started to slow down as I got closer to the platform, and when I looked down, I saw that two of the main leaders had come by to watch me, which I didn't mind. 

I eventually gave up on the ropes course, because I got too scared, so I climbed back down. I do plan on trying again, though, the next time I'm at camp!

After sitting down for a few minutes to calm my nerves, I decided to go on the zipline. I went on it last year, so I knew I could do it again. 

One of the leaders that came down to watch me, filmed me doing the zipline, which I'm glad she did! I love having these things to look back on.

After the afternoon activities were over, we had dinner, and then a talent show.

That lasted for about an hour and a half and is always fun to watch. After that, we had the sweet shop open, which I helped man with the others, and karaoke in another room.

Then came Friday, the last day of camp. I was NOT ready for it to be over!

We didn't have morning devotions, as it was the last day, but we had breakfast, a closing ceremony where the families and campers got to share their experiences, and then the families left. There was a final STM debrief after the families left, but I couldn't go, as one of the families offered to drive me home.

They overheard me telling one of the other STMs that I couldn't find a ride home, and kindly offered to take me home. Which I am so thankful for, as it was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders (I don't have my driver's license yet, and I do plan on getting it one of these days).

While I was waiting to go home, I decided to check out the gift shop that they had in the lodge (which is where I was staying while at camp). I bought a small blue and purple teddy bear, as well as a bracelet that says Grace on it.

I also purchased a few things from the bookstore that was in the sweetshop: a drawstring bag, a Joni and Friends keychain, a bracelet with this year's camp theme on it (Fearless), and one other thing I can't think of at the moment.

Overall, camp was amazing this year!! I hope I get to go again next year, as well. It is such a beautiful experience, that I am so thankful I took the chance to take.

My Week at Joni and Friends Family Retreat 2023: Days 3 and 4

Part two of my week at retreat is of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday, the STMs had morning devotions and prayers, then it was time for breakfast. I am not a fan of these early mornings (We have our devotionals at 7:40 am), but for camp, I am willing to put up with it for a few days!

After breakfast, me and the other sweet shop volunteers made a few more batches of brookies to sell. I am now known/famous for the brookies, as people kept coming up to me, saying that they really enjoyed them. I suppose that's a good thing!

That took about an hour or so, and we were able to have the rest of the morning off. I went to my room to rest, before lunch.

After lunch, me and the other sweet shop people were in the shop for the afternoon. There were supposed to be fun activities for the campers/families, but it ended up raining, so bingo was set up in the sweet shop for those who wanted to play, which made it quite a bit busier for us on a Tuesday, than usual. Which is a good thing.

We then had dinner, and then there was a square dance, as well as a petting zoo. For the first time ever, a race car driver brought his race car for us to check out. I'm not really into racing, but it was pretty cool to see the car.

I was going to sit out on the square dance and just watch, but a couple people convinced me to join in. Which, to be honest, I am kind of glad they did. I am a very shy person, so I don't always join in on things on my own.

There was a horse-drawn carriage ride that evening, and when I got off, I got my picture taken with the horses. As I was standing next to the horse, I saw him move his head toward me, as if I was very interesting to him.

On Wednesday, we had the usual STM morning devotions and prayers, and then breakfast.

After breakfast, I was given the morning off, so I went and sat in on the morning programming. There was worship songs being sung, a couple games, and then everyone split up into groups based on their age.

Everyone was allowed to request a song to have sung, and I wanted to request Amazing Grace, as it was my mom's favorite song. I was too shy to speak up, but someone else had requested it, which made me very happy.

When everyone broke up into their groups, I went with the high schoolers, as the leader that was in charge of that group was/is one of my friends. 

For the first half of the class, she taught about lies that the devil may tell us, and how we can defend ourselves against those lies by putting on the armor of God.

She had a couple crafts, where everyone wrote lies on pieces of orange paper shaped like flames, that the devil would tell us, and glued them onto sticks, where they were then stuck into a shield. Then, they made arrows, that represented the truth of God, and a piece of paper with a Bible verse was tied onto the arrows.

I was able to make my own flames, and arrows, which was pretty cool.

We then had lunch, and afternoon activities. It was actually a nice day for the activities, which was nice. Then, the sweet shop people and I helped set up for the parents dinner, and I was able to relax afterwards, and eat dinner as usual in the dining hall.

After dinner, we had our usual dance (not a square dance, but one with pop and rock and roll songs), and then the STMs had our Wednesday evening debrief.

So, days 3 and 4 were great!!

My Week at Joni and Friends Family Retreat 2023: Days 1 and 2

Family retreat has now come and gone, and I had an amazing time there!! I so needed this week at camp.

I wish I was still there, as the week went by too fast. I have decided to break this post up into 3 parts, so that it won't be too long to read. This post will be about days 1 and 2, Sunday and Monday.

I was in the sweet shop again this year, which I was very happy about. This year was my fourth year at retreat, and every year I was in the sweet shop.

For a while, I wasn't sure if I would be able to go to retreat this year, but things turned out in my favor, and I got to go.

I did week 2 (Sunday, June 11 to Friday, June 16) of this retreat again, like I have every year (there are three weeks total), and I arrived a day early, on Saturday, with a friend who was also doing week 2 (although she was also staying for week 3 and couldn't drive me home).

Sunday, the STMs who weren't there already arrived, and we then started training. Training was basically how to handle situations that may arise, how to treat the campers/families that are coming, as well as the different types of disabilities.

The woman I was rooming with for the week was in the sweet shop with me, as well as another woman who I roomed with for the 2 years previously, which was pretty cool!

We had an hour of training, then lunch, then more training, and then dinner. After dinner, those who were a buddy to a camper/family made posters to welcome them to camp, and we had ice cream in the sweet shop.

I had brought some supplies with me, to make a poster of my own to honor my mom. The theme this year was Fearless, and the decorations that were there were of superheroes, and when I read that we could dress up as a personal hero (or do something to celebrate a personal hero), I immediately thought of my mom.

I put a picture of my mom in the middle of the poster, put My Mom My Hero around the picture, then added some images of things that she liked around the rest of the poster. I also added the words courageous and strong in one corner, and love split up on either side of the photo (L and O on the left side, V and E on the right).

I am very happy with how it came out, and others have said they liked it, as well.

Monday, we had breakfast, lunch, and some last-minute training before the families/campers came.

I went to the sweet shop at one point during the day, along with the others that were in the sweet shop, to make some brookies (part cookie, part brownie; they are sooo good!!) to sell to those at camp.

I was struggling with things during the family arrival time, and I was allowed to go the sensory room that they have on the campus. I think it took me about half an hour or so to calm down. I am so thankful for the sensory room!

Once all the families were there, we had dinner, a welcome ceremony, and then an ice cream social. 

Once the ice cream social was over, we had some free time before the STMs had a debrief at around 9:15 pm.

While I was sitting at one of the outdoor tables, waiting for the debrief to start, one of the leaders came over to sit with me, and started asking me about my faith and my relationship with God.

I told her that my faith isn't where I would like it to be, that I want to deepen my faith as well as my relationship with God. I also said that I had been wanting to do both for years, but never really knew how to go about that.

She then asked if I wanted to fully accept God into my life right then, and to start my journey to a stronger faith. I was a bit surprised by that question, but I said yes, as I really wanted to do this, and that I was in the right place for this journey to start.

The leader then prayed for me, and then she helped me pray to God for helping me in my journey, and to fully come into my life.

Once we finished praying, she asked me if I wanted to share my decision with the other STMs at the debrief, and I told her I didn't feel comfortable with telling them myself. She then asked if I would like her to start out, telling them about our conversation, and then have me say one sentence about my decision, and I was fine with that.

When the debrief started, she asked me to come up, and as I did so, one of the other leaders came up as well, to support me while I stood in front of everyone. I was surprised by that, but very happy that she was there, as I would not have been able to stand there on my own. 

When I told everyone my decision, they all stood up and cheered for me. Yet again, I was surprised by that, but it made me realize that I made the right choice, and that everyone at the retreat supported me, and that they truly cared about me.

So, even though there were a few bumps at the beginning, the start of retreat was going well, and I was feeling so loved by the other volunteers!

I so wish I could travel back in time and relive retreat. It was the best week of my life, and I so needed the time I spent there.

Part two of this post will come on Monday, and part three will be on Wednesday (at least, that is what I am planning).

I so hope that I get to go to retreat next year as this is always my absolute favorite time of year. I have made so many amazing friends, and have some amazing memories that will last me a lifetime. That is something I would never trade for anything.

My July Reading Bucket List (and June Recap)

Well, June was a bust for reading. 

I didn't read ANYTHING that I was hoping to read. I think I just lost motivation and needed a break. I know it's a good thing to take a break from things sometimes, but I do feel bad for not having read anything in June. I love to read, as it helps me to cope with the goings-on in life.

I am ready to get back into reading, though, and enjoy it again.

My reading bucket list for July:

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
   
   
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
   
   
3. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
   
   
4. Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton
   
   
5. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Yes, I know it's the same as last month, but I do want to read these books this year and would love to read them as soon as possible.

Here's hoping that I will actually read something this month.

My Summer 2023 Goals and Bucket List

I can't believe it's nearly summer already. This year has just flown by so far!!

As I always do, I have decided to make a bucket list for the summer. I am one of those people who love to make lists, so this was a no brainer for me.

I prefer warm weather over cold, which means I am more willing to do things outside.

Although I am a major introvert and home body, I can only take so much of staying home, so the nicer it is outside, the more I want to do things outside.

Hopefully, this summer I can do more of the things I would like to do, and have a fun, relaxing summer.

Without further ado, here is what I would like to do this summer:

• Apply for a new job
• Get bedroom cleaned up
• Redecorate bedroom
• Create with sidewalk chalk
• Go swimming at least once
• Work on junk journaling
• Make origami
• Go on a bike ride 1-2x a week
• Put together 3D Downton Abbey puzzle
• Go to the zoo
• Visit a museum
• Learn how to apply my own makeup
• Visit the farmer's market
• Paint
• Complete one of my video games
• Learn how to play the violin
• Read 4-6 books
• Binge watch season 2 of Call the Midwife
• Binge watch season 2 of Outlander
• Binge watch season 1 of Bonanza
• Be a tourist in my town
• Make lemon bars
• Go for a walk 3-4x a week
• Make and fly a kite
• Learn how to barbecue
• Go out for ice cream
• Make popsicles  
• Make a vision board
• Get my hair cut
• Read out on the porch 3x a week
• Learn how to juggle
• Day in the city
• Build a fort
• Have at least one game night
• Make slime
• Learn a new card game
• Create a skincare routine
• Create a haircare routine
• Knit or crochet at least one project
• Be an STM at a Joni and Friends retreat  (I am actually getting to do this from June 11th through the 16th, and I am so excited!!!)
• Write in a prayer journal every day  
• Make s'mores
• Have a root beer float
• Blow bubbles
• Paint my nails
• Have at least one self-care day a month  
• Become more confident in who I am
• Repot my succulent
• Make edible cookie dough

Hopefully I can do at least a few of these things this summer. I can't wait to see what's in store for me this season!

What is on your bucket list for the summer?

My June Reading Bucket List (and May Recap)

Another month gone by, and another one has begun. Why do the days fly by so darn fast?!?

I ended up getting into a slump in May, and hardly read anything. I only read a few chapters of both Outlander, and of The DaVinci Code. Both are pretty good, from what I have read so far.

I am going to put a hold on reading the entirety of Outlander, because it is such a long book, but The DaVinci Code is going on the list for June.

I love to read, but I think I just needed a break from books, just because I felt myself not feeling up to it.

So, here is my reading bucket list for June:

1. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
   
   
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
   
   
3. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
   
   
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
   
   
5. Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton

I hope I can get back in the swing of things, and read at least one entire book this month. 

I am volunteering at a retreat this month, from the 11th through the 16th, so I don't know how much reading I will be able to do during that time, but I will definitely get some in.

I did feel kind of bad for not reading as much in May, as I had the previous months, but I moved past that feeling, and am ready to get back into it, and looking forward to some good reads.

Hopefully June goes well, reading wise!

My May Reading Bucket List (and April Recap)

My reading for April went pretty well. I completed reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman and Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic, and have started reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. 

I was not expecting to finish reading Outlander in one month, which is fine with me. It is a LONG book, and will take me a while to finish.

Since it is over 600 pages, I will keep Outlander on my May reading list (and possibly June), until I can actually finish it.

Long books like this kind of scare me, but I am determined to read the entire book!

So, here is my reading bucket list for May:

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
   
   
2. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
   
   
3. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
   
   
4. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
   
   
5. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Again, I hope that I can keep going with my goal of reading at least 2 of the books on my monthly bucket list. I am not a fast reader, and I can sometimes get distracted by other things. But, I have been doing well since I set and started this goal, which is great for me!

Are you planning on reading any books this month? What do you typically like to read?