End of the month list update: October & November

Confession: I've all but given up on a handful of my goals this year. My mind is already on next year and, if you don't care about my list update, feel free to skip to the end of this post because I could really use your input.

I don't care that much about learning to play something new on the piano right now. Joining a gym is more cost-prohibitive than I expected, especially since I would need to pay for childcare in order to go at any time other than the the middle of the night.

Since I was largely in charge of our ward's Halloween party, I was too busy to even think about doing a Dia de los Muertos photo shoot at Guadalupe. (I did, however, take a ton of pics at Lafayette Cemetery #1 in NOLA, and I may still hit up Guadalupe another time. We'll see.)

Gardening is not really my forte, as it turns out, although David's not ready to call it quits yet. Maybe next year will be better? The master bedroom hasn't been touched, and I'm not sure a lack of cleaning schedule is my real problem.

Think pieces happen when they happen, and calling them "think pieces" feels a little presumptuous anyway. And we all know how regularly I've been contributing to Tipsaholic and the Beesley Project. (Rarely if ever. Cue waves of guilt and shame.)

That said, I have done a few things...

Go on a vacation sans babies: Our New Orleans trip was less of a vacation for David than for me since he had to work for part of it, but we did get to explore, relax, and enjoy each other's company. I'll be sharing more thoughts on that adventure soon.

Purge my closet: Last month I bagged up nearly half of the clothes and shoes I owned. It's quite liberating. Unless someone wants to claim it, I'm donating everything this week. Hashtag thankful.

Figure out my health issues: Had another appointment with my doctor wherein we discussed changing up my meds. So that's happening. And I'm doing some work on my own to see how I can reduce the anxiety in my life without medical intervention. We'll see how December treats me. Could be great; could be a hot mess. I'm hoping for not the hot mess.

Bake something new every month: There was pumpkin cake, brownies, cookies, and more. I'm starting to lose track of all the treats I eat. Maybe it's better that way. That said, those cookies are AMAZING.

Go to the Gilbert temple: I was able to go with our ward's youth to do baptisms for the dead. I handed out towels. It was so sweet to see those kids' happy faces as they came out of the water.

Try five new-to-me foods: New Orleans gave me turtle soup, grilled oysters, fried alligator, and beignets. Every bite was spectacular and I'll be forever grateful.

Remodel the kitchen: Not done. Never done. But very slow progress is happening. Just a little more patching on the ceiling, lots of sanding, then all the finish work. We can do this, right?

This mesmerizing piece was in the NOLA art museum's sculpture garden; it's called "Karma." It's been on my mind a lot this week.

I've recently been taught some hard lessons about myself; it seems some changes are in order. My goals have been pretty arbitrary until now, which is a missed opportunity. I need to decide out what I want out of life, but more than that, I need to find ways to make life better for those around me. Two questions keep coming to mind: Are my goals helping me become the person I want to be? Are they enabling me to be a greater influence for good?

There's still another month left in 2014, and I'll be spending much of it making plans for a better, more uplifting 2015. With that in mind, will you help me?

What goals have you set that have helped you be a better, kinder, more grateful person?

What kinds of things can I share here to encourage and inspire you, both in big and small ways?

Thanks for being my little support group. Truthishly, you guys are pretty awesome.