Currently // January 2024

I've decided to dust this series off and give it life again. It won't be monthly, but I think it will be fun to see how my interests change throughout the year. Lately, I have been watching a lot of television. Being sick and then staying at home a lot kind of does that to you. Next month will probably look different. Emery’s extracurriculars pick back up and we’re looking into tumbling lessons. So, for now, I’ve just been enjoying getting to lounge on my couch and PJs for a few weeks. Slow days and all. Anyway, without further ado, here is the “Currently” post for the month.

Listening: I haven’t been listening to one specific artist. I’m mainly living off of the curated Spotify playlists. However, the past few weeks have mainly been a lot of ONE OK ROCK. They’re a Japanese alternative/rock band - however, a lot of their songs are in English (or the majority in English). One of my favorite songs is Renegades. Check them out if you get a chance, they’re pretty great!

Reading: Nothing. You know, I used to really love reading. It was like my escape from reality and a way to “visit” other countries/worlds. Interweave a good romance and I was sucked in. But somewhere between casual reading and forced textbook reading - my taste has changed. I’ve attempted four New Adult books by authors that I loved and not a single one has made me want to devour the pages like before. I feel like I need to find a different genre or maybe I’m just a “moody reader” and I’m not feeling it in this particular phase of my life. Let me know if you have any suggestions for getting me out of this slump.

Watching: A lot of Asian Dramas! This month I started “Till the End of the Moon”, but had to take a brief break at episode 30 because it was just so dang sad, and intense. The director overdid it a bit with the blood spitting -IYKYK - but otherwise, it was a pretty great story. I usually watch a few different dramas at a time. Since they're pretty lengthy - it's nice to have a few different stories going on. 

‘Casting: Blessed is She Daily Devotionals. I’ve been slacking on church attendance, and my prayer life has suffered. I still haven’t completed the paperwork for my annulment either. With so much going on I’ve been struggling with making all of this a priority. However, the one thing I’m doing my best to stick with is listening to the 3-minute daily devotional that Blessed is She puts out. It’s short and to the point, and I normally listen as I’m getting prepped for the workday.

And that concludes the “Currently” post for this month. If you have any suggestions, be sure to drop me a line either here or on any of my other social media pages. Links are all at the top. I'm always looking for new artists, films, podcasts, or books too. So, I'm open to recommendations if you have them. Until the next post, Happy Monday, folks! ❤

Wordless Wednesday

2024 // Let it Be

Well, our January kicked off with a cold that hit everyone in our household. It consisted of several days of cold medicine, nasal sprays, steaming showers, kleenex, Vicks, and a lot of sleep. Surprisingly, I got some rest during this time. As we get into the second week, I’m hopefully at the tail end of it and ready to start prepping for this year. My intention isn’t to have a whole bunch of resolutions, but rather a few running goals, and then to take the year as it comes. No huge plans. No huge commitments. Just, let it be.

The Christmas tree has officially come down, and my living room has been rearranged. I’m hoping to declutter (again) in a few weeks, and also get rid of clothing I no longer wear/need. Throughout this week, I plan on doing a social media cleanout as well - because it has a bigger impact than you think. I've also had this nagging feeling that 2024 is going to be a tough year for us in certain areas. A year of big news, adjustments, and changes. And the past few months I've had two words on my mind a lot: rooted & slow. After thinking it over, I've come to the conclusion that this year I’d like to be rooted and slow down. I want to be intentional about simplicity as well. Which is something I’ve struggled with for a while now. So, I want to really dive into living simply, but also being content with what I have. I’m unsure of what that will look like for us, but I’m eager to find out.

I have a few running goals in place, but I won’t be disappointed if I don’t reach them all. I have a few work goals, but I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself about them. If I have the time, I will work towards them, but “climbing” up the ladder is not something I’m interested in. This year, I plan to be present at the majority of Emery’s school activities. I plan to take advantage of the time off I’ve accrued too. When my boss says I can work a day remotely, I will take him up on that offer rather than coming into the office. And finally, I’m hoping this is the year that we can pay down a good amount of our debt. That will require us to penny-pinch, but I’d like to have minimal payments being made - especially since I start my student loan repayment in March.

So, that’s the general hope for this year. I want to have a few goals but I won’t make them so important that I start to think negatively about myself for not reaching them. I also want to prioritize my family and simple living. Slow down. We get one life, and I’m tired of always feeling rushed, stressed, or like I need to “keep up” with everyone else. However, this could all change. Some things may not pan out. And that’s OKAY. This year, I’m going to let it be.