May ... a 31 Things update

This year, I've decided to challenge myself to complete a list of 31 things that will challenge, inspire, and renew me. I hope you'll let me know that you're following my adventures by clicking on the link to the left that says "Join this site" or by entering your email. I appreciate having you here and always read every comment!

Almost half way through the year and I almost can't believe it. Sometimes the months pass slowly but this year they have been flying by. A few weeks ago I celebrated my 31st birthday, a special marker this year in light of my 31 Things list. My fabulous friend Amy helped me by going through each item; here's my update as well as a few plans for the coming months.

#2. Lose 31 pounds

This is, as it always has been, a difficult challenge for me. But the days are a little longer and the weather is a lot warmer, which means getting back to a regular routine of walking and biking. The plan is to walk at least once a week with a friend (and a few more times by myself) as well as bike to work 2-3 times each week. Not much progress so far, but if you want to walk with me, I would LOVE to meet up!

#3. Make one new recipe a month

Success! Since I'm playing catch-up, I have three new recipe stories! In February I made an easy baked ziti recipe that I absolutely LOVED and have actually made a couple different times now. In March, I made a strawberry-vanilla cake (and two variations of the same recipe: blueberry-lemon & chocolate-cherry). Last, but far from least, I made foil-wrapped salmon over lemon slices in April which was one of the best dishes ever! 

Here is what I'm finding - cooking is not so hard! I have long been afraid of food, due to the ways that I tend to abuse it when I feel emotional or afraid. I guess I had come to believe that food was the enemy, and the thought of purposefully putting food together in new ways on my plate was pretty daunting. But using these recipes this year, and searching for new recipes using my criteria of 1) easy to make, 2) minimal ingredients, and 3) small enough for one (or at least freezer friendly), has made me feel more powerful over food. 

#7. Read 12 "real" books

In my last post I wrote about "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin, which I'm still making my way through. But in addition, I recently finished "Impossible to Please" by Neil J. Lavender and Alan A. Cavaiola. I chose it primarily for research on the topic of dealing with critical people. I recommend it if you are in a relationship or working closely with an extremely critical person. My one critique, however, was that the book seemed to make the assumption that there isn't one glaringly obvious response to living with an unfairly critical person -- get out. It's not an option for every situation I know, but if someone is treating you as if you don't matter... Well, you do. 

#11. See a show on Broadway.

It was somewhat off Broadway, but my friend Bill was pretty fantastic as Amos in a community performance of "Chicago" last weekend. I'm not sure this one "counts" in true 31 Things fashion, but I'm putting it anyway. :-) 

#15. Increase my blogging audience to 25 followers

We're almost there folks! I'm up to 23 "official" followers -- thank you so much! This goal is really more about motivating myself to write and post more regularly. One of my "review" goals from my birthday is to get back to writing every Monday. So if you haven't become an official follower or subscriber yet, would you consider becoming one? (Even if just to give me the satisfaction of crossing something off my list.)

#26. Grow my savings account

I already updated you on this one, but I just have to say again how surprised I am that I've been sticking to this one. Saving money has long been a challenge for me, but I am grateful for a steady job I love that allows me to set money aside. And this process has reminded me that I really do have "enough". It has also convicted me of my desire to tithe and give regularly in a more purposeful way. I'm still working toward that, but will update as I go.

That's pretty much it for now, although I've got some fun plans in the works for #9. Spend a day in downtown Detroit, and #18. Do a 5K run/walk. I can't wait to see what else the year brings! Thanks for sharing, supporting, encouraging, and joining me in all my random adventures!

What adventures or challenges are you looking forward to in the coming months? Leave a comment below!