Saturday, May 31, 2014

2014 Goals Update: May

151/365

1: one self portrait (per week)
Success! This month has been slacking in the self portraits. I'm feeling pretty bored with this, so I'll have to figure something out...
week eighteen | week nineteen | week twenty | week twenty-one

2: compose photos (every day)
Success! I ended up blogging a ton of these this month.
121 | 122 | 123 | 126 | 128 | 129 | 131 | 132 | 133 | 135 | 136 | 137 | 139 | 140 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 151 - which is at the top of this post

3: read the Bible (every day)
Nope. I have no reason for this besides that I'm lazy and I preferred to read Harry Potter. 

4: journal (daily)
Also a fail. I'm not sure what day it was exactly, but I just got behind and haven't bothered to get caught up. I've really got to figure out the best way for me to journal before I leave for school (81 days!).

5: blog (daily)
Success! Although there was one day I forgot completely, I simply blogged twice the next day and adjusted the time on it to make it seem as though it was published when it should have been. Problem solved! (:

6: walk
Fail.

7: bike
Fail.

8: 52 projects
Fail. This was the most disappointing knitting month thus far. While I did actually finish one project this month, it hasn't been blocked, so I haven't blogged it. But now I'm, like, five projects behind, so there's that.

9: 52 books
Fail. Kind of. I completed five books this month, but I'm still seven books behind, which is something that should be solved in June as I read some smaller books.
what I read this month

10: experiment with photography
Success! On the first of the month, I went to an evening session of Catalyst and took some pictures. I played with bokeh another night, and I just really liked the pictures I took last weekend

11: make six new meals for the family
Fail. Although! I think I'll be making dinner in a few weeks. We want to try quinoa, so that's what I'm scouring pinterest for.

12: learn to play the keyboard
Fail.

13: at least one photo book
Fail.

14: travel
Success! Last weekend, we headed down to New Braunfels to celebrate my cousin's high school graduation. 
post one | post two | post three \

- rl

Previous 2014 Goals Posts:
Original List
January Update
February Update
March Update
April Update

Friday, May 30, 2014

What I Read This Month

I only have 60 pages left in the fifth Harry Potter book and 24 hours left in this month, so I'm considering it a completed book for the month.

This month was a good one in the reading world! I have finally started the Harry Potter series, and I love it. I know a lot of spoilers, so that's not so much fun, but it'll be nice to finish the series and finally be able to understand the hundreds of references on tumblr.

So, here are the books I completed this month:
10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling
11. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) by J.K. Rowling
12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3) by J.K. Rowling
13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4) by J.K. Rowling
14. Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix (Harry Potter #5) by J.K. Rowling
Ok, so I haven't technically finished this one yet, but I still have 24 hours left in May 2014 and I know I'm going to finish it way before June 1 hits, so I'm counting it as finished for the month.

& the books I'm still working on going into next month:
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6) by J.K. Rowling
Like I said above, as I'm writing this I'm not actually onto this book, but I will be before the month ends. So.
- One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Once again, this book was not opened. I'll finish one of these days...

- rl

Previous What I Read This Month posts:
January 2014
February 2014
March 2014
April 2014

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Scenes From the Journey Back

On Tuesday I shared what our first day of travel looked like last weekend, and today I'm sharing our second day.

My cousin and I discovered we both have a love of photography. It was fun (for both of us) to have someone to talk about all the geeky sides of photography with, even if it was only over brunch with the rest of the lot. (145/365)
What I get at brunch - grilled cheese and fries. I'm not a big breakfast eater.
What my little sister got (and what I stole a few bites of...
John showing off his 50mm lens.
In the car: reading.
As much as I love soda, I developed an appreciation for water when I gave it up for Lent this year.
Grimaldi's - one of my favorite pizzas.

The reason for this little trip - and my asking for a day off! - was to celebrate my cousin (pictured). He actually graduated high school tonight, but there was a party at their church last Saturday night, so we went to the party then and watched the graduation online tonight. Congratulations John!

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

WIP Wednesday


Ok, so I didn't get much knitting done this week. I did 16 rows, which isn't too bad considering the thing grows by one stitch each row, getting longer and longer. I spent most of my free time this week reading the Harry Potter books because I had it in my head that I would be able to finish the last 2.5 books by Friday. Now that I've accepted it will take a tad longer, I'm trying to get into a better balance. I'm trying that out today by reading one chapter, then doing something productive. So far the only productive things I've done are eat dinner and photograph/write this blog post. Hmm. I really need to learn how to GET STUFF DONE before school in August. 84 days, in case you were wondering.

- rl

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Scenes From the Car

While on our way to New Braunfels this weekend, we saw...

...rain.
...the Texas Capitol Building.
...a steep street.
...a fellow knitter. The black bumper sticker says "I'd rather be knitting."
...a crazy looking storm cloud.

- rl

Monday, May 26, 2014

My Memorial Day

146/365

This is how I spent my Memorial Day. Not pictured: 7.73 hours of mall craziness. After that, though, I was blessed to be able to just stay at home and relax with my family, as well as some friends that my parents have known since long before any of us kids was born. We had ribs, cream corn, mac and cheese, baked beans, and jasmine rice.

Now I'm off to get some reading done. I really want to finish the Harry Potter series before the monthly book update in a few days (I'm about halfway through the fifth book), but I'm just not sure that's possible...

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Self Portrait (21/52)


Right now I'm (not even quite) halfway through the fifth Harry Potter book, despite my best efforts. The month is drawing to a close, and I really want to finish before this month's book post. So while I want to finish (at least) another 110 pages tonight, I'm going to watch a movie with David Tennant because, well, I'm going through (yet another) Scottish Accent Obsession Phase. So, if you'll excuse me, The Decoy Bride, my knitting, and my nighttime snack are waiting for me.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Blurred (Power) Lines

144/365

A blurry picture (which I feel are supposed to be "bad", but I like them) from our journey today. We were in the car for five or so hours, yet I only got a little bit of reading and knitting done. #bummer

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Friday, May 23, 2014

A Wild Friday Night

143/365

Tonight I'm starting on the fifth Harry Potter book, listening to Robert Pattinson and Bryce Avary, and just relaxing because tomorrow is Saturday and I don't work! But, and I posted about this on twitter earlier this evening, do you really have Saturday off if Monday is a holiday (aka everyone is off) and it's supposed to rain (aka everyone is going to come to the mall, which is where I work)? Although, I suppose I would rather have one of those days off than to work both of them.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Thursday, May 22, 2014

I Want to Remember: In the Morning

142/365

I decided last night that I would have to take my picture in the morning today. While I could easily take a picture after I got off work (I closed tonight), I knew it would just be another random thing in my room. So when I was finished getting dressed this morning, I sat down at the coffee table with my water and bagel bites to watch a few minutes of the TODAY Show. After quickly eating these, my mom took me to work, where I opened, worked until 3p, sat in the food court with older sister while she worked on the setup sheets for work, then went back into the office before eating and going on to my second shift of the day: 5:30 to close. These days I have the most consistent schedule of anyone, except for when I get a text from someone with the chicken I put next to their name in my phone, and gladly accept a few more hours.

Not so sure that paragraph made sense, but this is a I Want to Remember post, and it's just how I would describe it to Future Rachel, which is kind of the point, no?

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

WIP Wednesday


I feel like I made no progress this week. I actually did about 20 rows (I'm at 124/160 stitches across before I can start the decreases), but they were all last Wednesday and Thursday nights. I watched movies both nights, which always motivates me to knit. Then came a busy weekend, and finally a few more rows today while trying to catch up on Supernatural (I'm three or so weeks behind now, but I know what happened in that finale...*sob*).

I really, truly believe I should be able to hit that magic 160 this next week. We're taking a quick trip this weekend, and as long as I'm not driving I should be able to switch between making good progress on both this blanket and the Harry Potter books.

Do today's photos look more vibrant than previous WIP Wednesdays? I think so, and it's a result of taking pictures outside today! That's right, I grabbed my camera, my knitting bag, and the poster board (aka my background) and headed to the backyard this afternoon. One of these days I'll making myself a light box, not that this project would even fit in there.

- rl

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Baby Steps

140/365
Tonight I finally cleared out the area directly in front of this machine, and wiped the dust off. Baby steps, y'all. Maybe tomorrow I'll actually turn it on. *gasp*

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Monday, May 19, 2014

Time to Cherish

"Bo!"
Dad making dinner. Obviously, I wasn't much help. (139/365)
Honey and ?? (I forgot...) chicken.
Jasmine rice

Tonight I was chatting with my mom and she mentioned a thought she had earlier in the day about making most of this time before I leave (93 days!). I couldn't agree more. It made me think of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which is a passage I love. It relaxes me.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Self Portrait (20/52)


This is precisely what I haven't done all day, but wish I could have. Instead I went to church, had a little Sunday drive with the family, ate lunch, met a cyber friend at Barnes and Noble (where we were for 3+ hours...I love that place), chatted at Sonic with my best friend, ate dinner, ate sno cones, then hung out with the family. I'm exhausted. Not just because it was a busy day, but because it's just been a little bit of a crazy weekend. I just really want to finish this book series so I can move onto the next ones in my pile.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Evenings with Mom

137/365

Today I worked, hung out at home with my parents, then my mom and I ran a few errands, including Big Lots, where I got a few skeins of their yarn. I'm very interested to see what other Ravelers have to say about it, and my opinion after I knit with them. When we got back home, we planned on doing a little sewing, but we ended up just hanging out on the couch. Also, I spent way too much time on Pinterest looking at different fiber/fabric crafts. *sigh*

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Friday, May 16, 2014

God (& Book!) Lovers

136/365

Tonight I hung out with one of my best friends. We talked about school - Moody Bible for me, and A&M Nursing for her - as well as our favorite (and least favorite...) fictional worlds, all while sitting outside Dairy Queen enjoying this beautiful, and rare, cool Texas weather. At the end of the hour, she handed me a bag of books - a few she was returning, and most were being lent to me to get read before I leave in August.

(I now have 1.6 billion books to read. This is pile #3 in my room, and that's not including the 26 I have on a list on our library's online catalog, just waiting for me to check them out. Maybe this will be the first summer that I actually get some reading done???)

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Mid-May Rambles

135/365

Doesn't it feel like all I've been posting these last few weeks are that day's photo & a little caption? I'm so bored with it, but also not quite ready to start a "series" or anything. Just yesterday I drew out a single sketch of how I would like my future blog to look, but that's a few months out. I don't have any knitting projects to share because of my "one project at a time" rule. I'm getting so close to dusting off the sewing machine and just figuring it out, but that would require cleaning the little desk it's on, so...

This is just never a very exciting time of the year for me, I guess. I think a lot of people get really inspired and pumped in spring/summer, but I think I'm more of a fall/winter gal. Or just a lazy gal. Hmm...

But I have been doing a good amount of reading compared to a few days ago. This afternoon I switched between reading one chapter, then knitting a row. It lasted for about an hour and was a nice switch between the two things. I'm reading just about everywhere, even while on break at work, which isn't easy and I don't get a whole lot read, but it does help my mind a little bit, I think.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

WIP Wednesday


I think I've made good progress this week! I'm currently on 104/160 stitches across, so I'm getting there. I've convinced myself that if I just watch one movie a night for the next week or so, I should be able to reach that magic 160, and then it will finish quickly from there (or so I think...).

- rl

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

When I'm Home Alone...

...mashed potatoes leftover from Sunday's lunch are heated up while waiting for water to boil.
...this is my dinner.
... I let the dog out, then step outside myself to enjoy the breeze.
...I get a few pages read while waiting for the macaroni to finish boiling.
...I eat outside, because this weather is too good to pass up. (133/365)
...this is my view, which isn't too bad (besides that roof).
...the dog apparently wants to try some Dr Pepper.
Then I spend the next few hours fangirling over how "ardently" is said and get 15 rows done on my WIP.

the end.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Monday, May 12, 2014

I Want to Remember: Putin Dobby

132/365

This picture was taken just minutes before tonight's Harry Potter watching with big sister + a couple coworkers who are brother and sister, as well as HP fans. We're kinda making it a weekly thing now to get together at one of our houses and watch a movie. Tonight was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which is the longest of all the movies. Also, a little fun fact I found while searching through IMDB's trivia on this movie: google "putin dobby". It's kinda hilarious.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Self Portrait (19/52)

131/365

Tonight I continued with my Harry Potter reading (I'm on book three and have about 160 pages left, but I really want to finish tonight so I can move onto all the really large books of the series) and made funfetti cookies with big sister. So. Good. I used this recipe. It's so simple that I'm almost afraid of the number of batches I will make while at school...

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Dallas Theological Seminary: 2014 Commencement


Today I got to hear Dr. Paul Nyquist (the President of Moody Bible Institute) speak, then see Amanda, my mom's coworker and our family friend, walk across the stage summa cum laude with her Master of Arts. Such a cool ceremony. I won't even lie, I teared up hardcore multiple times just thinking about how this is the type of community I've entered now. I've only watched part of a Moody Commencement Ceremony online, but it's crazy to me that I'm not only going to be a Moody student, but a Moody alumni.

- rl

Friday, May 09, 2014

Long Days

129/365

I'll be honest with you: these last few weeks have been chaos. Next week, however, things should start to fall into a routine, and maybe I'll even be able to get my room cleaned! It's reached a point of disorganization that is driving me crazy.

In this picture you can see the shawl I finished knitting last week, and is just waiting to be blocked. So much to do, so little time...

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)