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June Goals Check In

I’m feeling so accomplished so far this month. Not necessarily work related, but I’ve hit some personal goals that have really improved my motivation all around. It’s been a good month! Here’s an update on my 5 goals for June:
 
  1. Backyard Patio: If you follow me on IG then you know that Charlie and I finished a big backyard project and we finished it this week! OMG, this has been such a burden for us and I’m SO happy that we’ve finally finished it! Truth be told we have so much work in the back yard to still do but this was a big one for us. I’ll be posting a before and after as well as a how-to next month. This was a big one for me. I feel so accomplished. I’m excited to use our back yard, have BBQ’s, have dinner out there, even work out there! It’s slowly but surely turning into the space I’ve always dreamed it could be!
    Before

    After
  2. Go to church: To be truthful church is really important to me and I’m disappointed in myself that I still haven’t gone. But, in hindsight I’ve been watching Pastor Steven Furtick’s YouTube Channel and watching Elevation Church’s sermons every week. Not to mention my daily devotionals and podcasts. But there’s just something special about physical church. I’m glad I’m still making an effort to hear the Word, but I’m yearning for my church community. There’s just something about being in church, in person.
  3. Exercise: I’ve put together a fitness plan people! This was a big hurdle for me to overcome (more mentally than anything else). I haven’t exercised at all this year. Shame shame shame on me. We don’t have a budget for a lot of things we used to so I’ve had to cut down on our monthly expenses, our gym membership was one of them. I have my home workout planned out. I started yesterday and it felt good to get my heart pumping a bit again. Now it’s time to keep it going!
  4. Keep plants alive: So far my plant babies are doing well! Charlie named them Romeo and Juliet. I’m trying not to obsess over them too much, I might kill them. I’m also trying not to forget I have them, I might kill them. Lol! Stay tuned on my IG to see how they’re doing.

    Please don’t die, Plants!
  5. Be creative: I need to be better about this. I think i’m going to create a doodles stack in Procreate so get me to start playing with the app more and to let my creative juices flowing.
On the work end of things, it has been progressing nicely which is why I didn’t really make it part of my goals for this month.
 
After my 30 day Blogging Challenge I decided to write Monday-Friday while posting new content Monday/Wednesday/Friday every week onto my blog. Blogging has turned into something I’m very passionate about and I feel that my voice is starting to develop the more I write consistently. Ninong’s has also been steadily growing and we’re starting to get a good idea of how much grocery and supplies we need every week. Things could be better, still at a net loss and paying back loans from the renovation but we’re doing ok. We’re getting by and I’m grateful for that.
 
I’m also starting to settle into my productivity routine. I think I’ve found a system that works for me which I’ll be sharing soon. I still have a little bit of tweaking to do but I’ll probably be sharing my workflow/productivity tools for personal and professional use some time next month. Stay tuned for that!
 
xoxo,
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When Someone Makes an Impact – Anthony Bourdain

I get shaken every time I get reminded of the mental issues that are plaguing our world. Whether it’s you, someone you know, or not, the issues of depression, suicide, and mental illness are difficult things to hear and talk about. There are people out there, hurting, feeling alone, and hopeless. There are an average of 123 suicides per day in the US, according to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. And in just a matter of days, 2 individuals have reminded us that even wealth, affluence, adventure, and inspiration can’t hide from the dark shadows. My heart is overcome with sadness.
 
You know how there are people that you just want to have the pleasure of meeting in your lifetime? Someone you look up to, admire, inspires you. Someone that you know is the real deal, is just so unapologetically themselves. I have a long list of people that I hope to meet one day. Some have passed away and some are still living — Anthony Bourdain was one of those people on my list.
 
Photo: Getty Images
I respect the man; for his brutal honestly, his contribution to the food industry, his “don’t give a shit imma do me” attitude, his approach on other cultures, and the way he inspired us to approach other cultures with an open mind instead of a judgemental one. He appreciated food in a way that a lot of people don’t. He loved finer foods as well as simple home style cooking.He understood that food was much more to all of us.
 
I don’t know him. Heck, I don’t even know someone that knows him. But one of my life goals was to meet Anthony Bourdain one day and have him taste one of our dishes. He was a hero for us food underdogs. He gave us hope that there are people out there that were outside of our own culture that could appreciate what we had to offer. Even us, a small little family restaurant. It’s almost like he made the “mom and pop shops” cool. The idea of him walking into our little business like you see on his show. Sitting down and eating at one of our tables. I knew it probably would never happen, but there was a glimmer of hope that it could. That little glimmer was enough to make it possible. Until last Friday when the news hit.
 
I was saddened by the news that day, but even to this day I’m still effected by it in a way that I didn’t think it would.  I thought it would pass. I know I’ve never met him, I guess I just admired him so much and saw in him things I wish I had the courage to be. I wish I could’ve sat down with him over a plate of sisig and a beer and just talk about life.
 
He was himself. He wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is. We thought that he was living a life that so many of us wanted. The ability to travel the world, experience new things and cultures, and eat great food while getting paid for it! But there were obviously things that us fans didn’t see. Maybe he felt alone during his travels. Maybe it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe there were demons that were hard for him to battle. Maybe there’s more to it than the media wants us to know. I don’t know. None of us will ever truly know how he felt, what he saw, and what really happened.
 
What I do know is how he inspired me. He inspired me then, and he inspires me now. He inspires me to embrace the road that I’m traveling – the good and the bad. He inspires me to be honest with myself – brutally honest. He inspires me to tell my story and not be afraid of being judged. He inspires me to be myself and never be tempted to hide who I am. Most of all, he inspires me to embrace other cultures, show them respect and love because you never know the battle that they might be fighting.
 
Rest In Peace, Mr. Bourdain. Us fans are shaken as we thought there was so much more that we could learn from you.  Thank you for everything you’ve done for our industry, world, and culture.
 
xoxo,
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June Goal Setting

I’ve got big, big plans for you June! I feel like I say that about every month lol.

But really, life has been great! Not saying that life is full of ups. Trust me, every day is a challenge. I never know what kind of hand I’m going to be dealt. But because my goal in April was to focus on “faith” and May was to “simplify.” I know my outlook toward every day life has changed in the last 2 months because I’ve shifted and made an effort to focus on the right things. I feel more at peace about things, I appreciate all the good things so much more, and I have more room for things that lift me up. Why fill myself with negative things when positivity is so much better!

That being said, this month the keyword is “Balance.” Balancing life between work and personal life has never been my strong suit, TBH. I think it just goes with the type of person I am. I’m a work-a-holic. If I’m into something or I find it useful I’m 110% dedicated and hard core about it. I guess you can call it passion lol! But like I said, that doesn’t lead to a balanced life.


“Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them.”– Thomas Kinkade

Aside from work goals (restaurant sales goals, posting 3 blog posts a week, and creating content 5 days a week) I’ve created 5 fun personal goals for this month to keep the balance. I’m going to keep track of these goals in my Digital Planner to keep me on track.

Be a “plant lady.” Guys, this goal is the one that probably gives me the most anxiety. I am so bad at keeping plants alive. Even low maintenance plants die at my hand lol! So I bought 2 plans at the end of May and I am determined to keep them alive and watch them grow!

Please don’t die, Plants!

Finish our backyard patio. This one is pretty embarrassing. We started on this DIY project a year ago and it’s STILL not done. We have a really nice covered patio attached to our home and we wanted to extend it out because we have such a big back yard that we don’t use. The project came to a screeching halt when we moved the restaurant at the end of 2017 and continued until recently because we’re lazy AF. But Charlie and I agreed that it’s finally time to finish this one. Mind you, we still have a LONG list of home improvement projects we want to complete. But, one step at a time.

 

Start exercising again. I miss exercising which surprises me lol! I know I’m not at the place where I used to be (working out 4 days a week, sometimes 2-a-days) but I just want a little pump. I miss that feeling after a work out.

Go to church. I’ve been watching/listening to sermons weekly but it’s so different when you’re physically there in person. This is the one thing that truly turns my attitude and approach on life a complete 180 degrees.

Make time for creativity. I guess the graphic designer in me is yearning to come out. Now that I don’t really get to draw and hand letter as often as I used to I want to make space to excercise the creative side of my brain.

Hope you have a happy June everyone! Half way through the year, let’s keep it going!

xoxo,

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