approaching joy

Lately...

I've been working.

Planning.
Painting.
Writing.
Photographing.
Emailing.
Tweeting.
Not a lot of blogging.

I feel a big transition and I haven't fully been able to grasp it. Lots of swirling thoughts, lots of staring at the ceiling at 2am, and lots of possibility, but nothing concrete.  It's coming. Promise.

Until then, do me a favor and check out two sites:

Pars Caeli (Where MJ has a lovely interview that started my process of considering how I would change this blog space.)

Month of Mae (Rad people, rad fancies: What more does a person need?  But more on them soon...)

Talk soon.

Approaching Goals :: October 2012

Yes, I'm a week late posting my monthly goals.
Yes, I still want to post them.
Accountability is good stuff and this public sharing of goals holds me to these things.

Blog 

• Highlight my part of the world
  I really don't ever remember saying it in an actual blog post (and my "about me" section just barely counts) but I live in Northwest Arkansas and absolutely love it here.  As I told Joy of The Frock Files the region I now call home is "an amazing little amalgam of small towns that has grown into a pretty cool place".  And yes, I've lived other places and know that there is likely to be a handful of people who would express some doubt about this last statement but I want to prove them wrong: I'm super excited to play tour guide and call attention to different areas of my new home. 
• Establish more relationships with local artists & businesses & organizations.
  This is actually goes hand in hand with the goal above: one of the reasons I consider the area so great is partially because the people I have met and interacted with are fabulous.  
• Invite company over.
  As you probably know, the Mister and I are getting married at the end of the month.  As I have come to learn recently, wedding planning is no joke.  Now that everything is down to the wire I am warmly welcoming a cadre of the coolest people I know and have asked them to write about moments in their life that have been "life changers".  I am nothing short of stoked to see what every one of them plans to bring as guest bloggers here at Approaching Joy.

Writing-  

• Write a magazine article.
  This is a big one guys.  I am chatting with a local artist about her process and would love to take those talks and turn them into a long-form type article which I would then pitch to different magazines.  While the hurdles that come in between this goal and I are sizable, I am really passionate about pursing this to see where it goes.

Personal 

• Find a bathing suit.
  On a last, much lighter note, I am getting married- Woot!  This means I will also be honeymooning in Hawaii- Double woot!  This calls for a new bathing suit, would you agree?

Goals :: September 2012

I started posting my monthly goals last month.  My goal rules are that there aren't any rules and that I can post any goals for issues that have been on my mind.  Here's what I have for this upcoming month:

Beauty:

• Embrace my curls
  Thanks to a combination of lower humidity, new hair product, and a significantly decreased time to get ready in the morning I'm going to try to be comfortable with my curl in all of it's massive natural curliness, similar to how I had it the day of my shower.
• Find a pair of rocking flats
  Because of a slight wedding dress... issue and my upcoming trip to NYC (where everyone says you must wear comfortable shoes) I have to find the perfect flat.  Any suggestions?

Professional:

• Time management
  As my post Wednesday implied, I am getting busy so I can continue to be better.  This is amazing news for many different aspects of my life but it also means I have to start managing my time more efficiently. 
• Be confident
  A side note to the aforementioned "getting busy" means that a lot of opportunities are coming my way.  I'm learning that the best way to handle these is with confidence and smile.  As I mentioned a long time ago (and am still repeating to myself on a daily basis): If you don't believe in yourself, who will?
• Take a breath and enjoy 
  And a post script to the aforementioned "getting busy" mean that a lot of absolutely awesome opportunities are coming my way.  I have to make myself stop and enjoy that awesomeness!!

What are your goals for the month? 

Goals :: August

Did anyone else wake up yesterday and wonder where there summer had gone??

As is the norm around these parts, I am super inspired by Elise (as I have mentioned here, here, and here).  I highly recommend her blog to any one wanting to get an example of a true lifestyle blog.

One of the (many) things Elise does is a monthly goals list.  As she explains in this post, the concept of having a few things to focus on every month makes goal setting much more practical and well... attainable.  It's with that in mind that I want to set one goal a month for a few different areas of my life each month.  They will be small things but things that will account for a much bigger whole.  Also- knowing that I'm putting my goals out there makes me more accountable to you and to myself.  Here we go.

Blog: 

• Publish at least one post every weekday. 
  I did it while I was taking classes and working twenty hours a week.  There's absolutely no reason I shouldn't be able to do it now. 

Photography:

• Make and order a photo book.
  I took pictures of my grandmother (i.e. Nana) and her friends at her 84th birthday party this past month.  I want to edit and put together something awesome that she, and our family, can cherish.  No pressure, right?

Personal:

• Don't be afraid of the word "budget".
  I am going to be taking a more active role in finances around the hacienda.  Numbers, money, and finances are at the opposite end of the spectrum from my strong suite so any links, recommendations, and happy thoughts in this area of my life are appreciated.

Now it's your turn.
What are some of your goals for the month of August?  Leave a comment OR (even better) leave a link to your blog post or face status telling me and the rest of the Approaching Joy community* what your goals are. 

*I'm thinking about calling this group of people (you know, you guys who read this blog) the "Joyous Ones" or maybe the "Joy-sters".  ("Joy-sters" sounds like oysters and has a decidedly New England feel, don't you think?) Any thoughts on naming the community (i.e. coming up with things even more ridiculous than my own attempts) would be appreciated as well.