16 June Report Card

Each month, I set 5-6 resolutions, and at the end of the month I grade myself. You can read about my June Resolutions and the reasons I made them here.

Complete and Submit Social Security Paperwork | A+
I DID IT! It only took me 22 months but I finally submitted my social security name-change paperwork. I even took pictures for proof! It feels really good to have that done.

Stick to the Budget | B
I did okayyyyyyyy with this.. I went over the budget a little bit for Josh's birthday, but I did so well with the groceries this month that it all balanced out. Unfortunately, this was a tax month for us self-employed folk.. and our taxes just went up unexpectedly, so even if I'd followed our budget to the penny, we'd be saving less than planned anyway. Oh well, y'know? It's just a sign that it's time to rework the budget to accommodate Uncle Sam.

Eat at Least 4 Salads Each Week | A+
Admittedly, I didn't keep track the first week, but the last three weeks I've done really well. Mostly I'm on a Greek Salad kick.. can't really go wrong with lettuce + tomato + cucumber  + onion + feta.

Read at Least 3 Books | A
√ Love and Marriage by Bill Cosby
This book was not what I expected. It was mostly just a string of funny stories about Cosby's dating life and marriage.. there wasn't much substance, but there were certainly a lot of punchlines.
√ The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
Josh read this out loud to me because it was one of his favorites growing up - and I really enjoyed it! The story was intriguing and the ideas presented were thought-provoking.
√ The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
I think this book just became one of my all-time favorites. I can't stop thinking about the characters and their stories.. I don't want to give anything away because Josh is going to read it next.. but I think that some of the ideas in this book are changing the way I see things. I want to read it again, but this time with a pen and notebook in my hands!

For those who are wondering, we still haven't finished Catching Fire... we're very slowly working through that one. Maybe we'll get through it by the end of the summer!

Healthy Traveling | A-
This resolution may not make a whole lot of sense if you don't know that I have an autoimmune disease called Crohn's disease. It's nothing too serious (as in, it's manageable and I'm not going to die from it), but it makes life a little more complicated - especially traveling. My big triggers are stress, lack of sleep, sugar, and various preservatives/food additives. So when I set this goal, I meant that I wanted to A) maintain a healthy mindset (i.e. not stress myself out), B) take extra care of myself in the weeks leading up to the road (i.e. get lots of sleep and avoid trigger foods), and C) make wise food choices while on the trip. I am honestly pretty proud of myself for doing so well in the first two categories. The reason for that little minus up there is that we enjoyed frozen yogurt and In-N-Out while we were in TX. Not exactly diet-friendly. But because I did so well with the first two, the last one didn't effect me at all. Oh, and I guess I should mention that we went to Texas for Adventures in Odyssey's 25th Anniversary Live Show - so that's the reason for this resolution. :P

Create a Summer Bucket List... | A+
Check! I gave myself a + because I created a cute graphic for it AND we've already crossed off 14 items! We are having fun.

Overall Grade | A
It feels good to have a good grade up there! After getting a couple C's on my record, I'm proud of myself for sticking with these goals this month and doing well in each of them... even if I was late sharing them with you guys. Thanks for all your encouragement! I'll be back on Monday with July's Resolutions.

How'd you do with your goals and resolutions in June?