day 298 : everyday life in photos {week 4}

another week of documenting the small moments that make up my days! 

i am loving the idea of jotting down the little things that i want to remember!

week 4 {january 18-25}

this week : subbed 4 days {and biked 10+ miles for three of them} // completed 1 yoga class // sent my mom a payment towards what i owe her // wore my new rise t-shirt {grab one here} // took photos of the winter box // started my very first quilt AND completed the top {i am so proud of how it turned out!} // reserved another 14 travel books from the library {we have narrowed our trip down to 4 countries, with three one-day tours to neighboring countries!}  // watched Aladdin for the first time since Robin Williams passed away {you guys, it was emotional!} // started adding Nuun tablets to my water after every workout {totally loving them!} // almost finished Harry Potter {&the Order of the Phoenix} // took the bus home on friday & got to stand outside in the SUNSHINE! 

 all three of my bike rides this week ended at night ; each night i got to ride around the lake in the dark!

cheers! 

day 297 : everyday life in photos {weeks 1, 2 & 3}

oh, you guys!
i have been wanting to blog for WEEKS ; but i just haven't made time for it! anyways, HERE I AM!
one of my goals for the year, is to take at least one photo every day. i am making an effort NOT to post every picture on instagram {because, hello, its okay not to share EVERYTHING on social media!} ; but i do want to share a weekly recap, along with things i have done, to help me remember and document the little things.
since i haven't blogged for the last few weeks, i am doing three weeks worth of photos now, but will {hopefully} be more consistent in the future!

week 1 {jan 1-3}
this week : took 1 yoga  class // started and finished HP {& the sorcerers stone} // watched ALL of season 5 of 'its always sunny in philadelphia' // put aside $130 into our 'travel to europe fund'

{one of my 2015 goals is to complete 100 days of yoga. to help me remember {and document}, i plan on taking a photo with EACH instructor after class}

week 2 {jan 4-10}
this week : we had a few days of -25* wind chill // finished HP 2&3 {the chamber of secrets AND prisoner of azkaban} // completed two turbofire workouts // subbed 3 days // wore my brand new white snow pants every day // i super-purged my closet {i donated about 20 pieces!} // spent a TON of time researching our europe trip! // since it was SO cold this week, i decided against biking to work and spent a lot of time waiting for buses {and avoiding the winds} in bus shelters

week 3 {jan 11-17}
this week : only subbed two days // finished HP {the goblet of fire} // made power cookies {i will post the recipe soon!} // went to a train museum for blake's holiday party // picked out fabric for two quilts {another 2015 goal is to sew my first quilt!} // took one yoga class // re-joined crunch live {my favorite way to workout at home} // had supper with a friend from out of town // walked around the lake with another friend {and counted it as #5 for #52coffees // volunteered at the kite festival

yikes! so many photos in one post!
i seriously have about 25 blog posts i really want to get up! fingers crossed ;)

day 296 : 10 goals for 2015

its 2015, folks! 

i LOVE when monday comes around. or a new month. or a clean slate. its just like a blank page in your favorite journal.

each day is unwritten ; WE get to pen it. WE get to decide how to spend our time and energy.

i totally love that.

each year, i take a large canvas and handwrite my goals for the year. i hang it up in the living room, so i can be mindful of them all year round.

i made my 2015 board last week {i use a 16x24 canvas & sharpie markers} with my 10 goals & intentions for the year!

{i am also working hard to declutter my life & live with 'less' ; which you can read more of here} 

1) pay off my mom & blake! my mom loaned me some money last year & i am finally able to start {slowly} paying her back! while i spent so much time and energy launching the Be Nice Box last year, blake was super generous and helped cover a lot of my expenses. i have already started paying him back ; but by years end, i plan on having both he & my mom 100% paid off. {and then i will be 100%, without-a-doubt debt-free! 

2) read 55 books! for me, thats a pretty tall order! i think i finished 2014 with 38 books read ; but i am re-reading the Harry Potter series {for the 11th time!}, and i have 4 library books on my nightstand right now AND i have 42 books in my queue at the library! {another awesome excuse to spend less time on the computer and more time curled in bed reading!} 

3) complete 100 days of yoga // barre! this includes modo yoga {my absolute favorite yoga studio in the cities!}, any other studios i might try & home dvds. honestly, i really only love yoga in a studio {my brain moves too fast to do it at home} ; but any form of yoga and/or barre will count!

4) sew my first quilt! i already have my sewing machine out and ready to go. i will buy most of my fabric from the linden tree and will head there and to the internet for tips // tricks on how to make one. i am not super confident with the sewing machine {i can make bags & scarves} ; but i have wanted to make a quilt for YEARS!

5) visit the new Harry Potter park! blakes grandpa turns 100 this year & to celebrate, his entire family is heading to Florida to celebrate. we were there in April and saw the IOA park, but since then, they opened the new addition on the Universal side. i really, really want to check it out!

6) open a retirement fund. seriously! i wanted to do this last year, but just didn't have the extra income to do it. its so important to me to start saving for my far-away future.

7) replenish my savings account! another financial goal. i still have a healthy-ish savings account {i have two, actually} but they are lower than they were because of the Be Nice Box. my goal is to put aside a small amount of money each month, to build it back up {and beyond} 

8) start planning // saving for Europe! i have mentioned it a few times lately, but i really, really want to focus my time and energy on experiences, rather than things. we have decided that NEXT summer {2016} we will be taking a 2+ week trip to Europe! we are still deciding on locations, but right now, we are pulling towards the Netherlands, Austria, Croatia and maybe Belgium and // or Greece. we have a monthly savings plan in place and a general idea of our budget, so we are starting there. {i will be sure to update this as we move forward} 

9) finish #52coffees project! i really need to keep moving with this one. so far, i have completed 4/52! if you live in the area and want to hang for coffee // donuts // a run // hot yoga, let me know! 

10) take more photos! i have tried to complete a 365 photo challenge every year for SO LONG, but i would really love for this year to be the year i actually complete it! even if i drop the ball, i really want to be more mindful of capturing small moments of our every day lives!  

did you blog about your goals? leave the link in the comments ; i am always SO motivated by others goals!