Friends, August was such a busy month! I knew that moving from Florida to Pennsylvania would cause a bit of chaos, and it certainly brought new challenges, new places, and the new home that I was anticipating it would. All in all the move was successful, and I could not be happier to be back in the Keystone State! 

As we move into September I am trying to focus on becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. If I've learned anything from this move it's that I can't always get what I want when I want it. Things take time; I need to learn to savor that time instead of wish it away. As Lara Casey says, "Before a seed can sprout, it first has to break through its outer shell and leave it behind. It has to embrace change." This next month I'm going to really focus on breaking through my comfortable shell and embrace those changes happening in my life. 

So with that in mind, let's review my August goals!

August Goals Progress: 

• Move to Pennsylvania! - DONE! It was going to be hard not to accomplish this goal. While the entire process had its ups and downs, I am so happy and grateful to be back in my home state again!

• Research fertility specialists in Pennsylvania - DONE! And, I've made our first appointment for the beginning of October! One of the biggest differences between Tallahassee and the part of Pennsylvania we're living in are the number of options we have when it comes to doctors and clinics. We are so close to Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York that the research took a few hours to complete. But that time was worth it because I'm really excited about the doctor we chose to have our first appointment with!

• Make a plan for updates to our new home - DONE! We have quite the spreadsheet of things that we need and want to do, and while our time-frames aren't completely established yet for these various projects, I'm excited about the two we're going to tackle first - updating our upstairs bathroom and building a wall of built-in bookcases in one of the rooms downstairs ! Both projects going to be some of the biggest DIY projects Kurt and I will have ever done together, and I'll be sharing lots of before and after photos when we have them finished.

• Work with Kurt to set a new budget for our family and think about trying YNAB - I struggled with this goal this month because there were so many unexpected expenses that came with moving. For example, the first update we've made to our home has been replacing all of the electrical wiring. Because it's a 90+ year old home, it had knob-and-tube wiring which wasn't entirely safe. We made the choice to update the electrical in the entire home sooner than we had originally thought we would have to, so that set us back when it came to budgeting for other things. I'm hopeful that this next month we'll be able to do better in this area.

• Read two books from my 2017 Reading List - MOSTLY DONE! I only finished one book from my reading list, but I absolutely loved it. Friends, I encourage you to pick up Cultivate by Lara Casey. I found so much overlap in her writing to the season I'm currently in and know this will be a book I come back to often. I wasn't able to get to a second book because all of my books are still in boxes! Once I open those up I'm hoping to get back to two books in September.

• Investigate opportunities to get involved in Easton - I've done a bit of researching, but haven't found anything yet that is really speaking to my interests. I'm hoping that the more settled I get in my new neighborhood and community that I'll find something to dive into!

• Talk with Kurt about what to include in new routines after we move - MOSTLY DONE! We have identified a few things that we want to include on a larger scale, but I'm still thinking about what my new day to day will look like. This will be a work in progress as Kurt identifies his work and writing schedules too!

• Get together with a friend - DONE! I went to dinner with my mom and another mother-daughter pair that I've known since childhood. I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with old friends who are still living in the Lehigh Valley area now that I'm back.

• Send birthday cards out for August birthdays - DONE! I did have to mail them from my parents house because we haven't figured out how to send mail from our house yet (there's no mailbox, just a slot in the door!), but they were sent!

• Order and send moving announcements - DONE! I designed them using the Makr app on my iPad and am so happy with how they turned out. If you've been following along for a while, you'll remember that I designed our wedding invitations using Makr as well!

August was a month of big life changes and it slowed me down considerably in staying on track with some of my goals. In September, I'm hoping to regain my footing while maintaining the little bit of routine I started to establish in August. So this month I'll be focusing on the following goals. 

September Goals: 

• Try to set a new budget and explore using YNAB

• Continue to determine what will be included in new routines

• Get together with a friend

• Redo our upstairs bathroom

• Read two books from my 2017 Reading List

• Host my in-laws well when they come to visit

• Build the framework for built-in bookcases downstairs

• Think about options for the outdoor space once the trees are removed

• Submit a video for the IKEA room contest

• Transition to using a seasonal/capsule wardrobe

As I work toward achieving my ten goals for 2017, I plan to share monthly reviews and updates with you all. To be honest, doing so helps keep me accountable and your encouragement helps keep me focused! I hope you look forward to these posts at the start of each month! 

As a reminder, you can read more about all ten of my 2017 goals here. Do you have goals for 2017? If so, I'd love to know what they are! Comment below to share more about your goals for this year and how I can encourage you in achieving them this month. Happy September!