March Wrap Up

Bruh. What happened to March? Work was unusually busy, I've had smoothie bowl pictures sitting unedited on my computer FOR WEEKS, and queued up posts for days (like, literally, the amount of Bible in a Year posts I need to write, paired with how long they take to write . . . it's ridiculous). March was good though! We repainted our kitchen walls and cabinets (I can write a post about that - probably this summer at this rate, haha), we had a great Easter weekend, and we experienced our biggest snow storm this winter. I also got WAY behind in my Bible in a Year reading, BUT I caught up this weekend, and I have never been more glad to be through the book of Leviticus. While yes, it shed a lot of insight into why the Pharisees in the time of Jesus were the way they were, it made for some tedious reading. A plus, though, was getting to read Jesus' last week during Easter, which held the magic I needed to relight the fire to continue the reading plan.

Reflections on the Month

I had a higher success rate in my daily habits of 60% as opposed to last month's 55.8%, and I accomplished mostly everything on my mission board except doing the smoothie bowl blog post and stretching every day. Not too bad, not too bad.

On a side note though, I feel like I'm getting back to the old me again, someone who loves reading and has compassion for animals, and who has a pretty big soft spot in general. I don't feel like I'm pretending to be smarter than I am, or that I have to prove something, which I think is really important for achieving personal inner peace. I worked really hard through college, post-grad in my first jobs, and while I was finishing my Master's program to prove I was worthy of my place in those spaces. Even getting the job I have now, I worked really hard to prove myself and establish that I was a hard worker, trustworthy, and smart. Lately, though, I've felt like I can breathe a little easier - I still am working hard, but I'm also feeling just more relaxed, authentic, and straightforward with my family, friends, and co-workers. This is definitely a side effect of everything else I'm doing, I think, because I didn't even know it was a thing I needed to happen until it started happening. I think it helps that I've been watching a lot of movies or TV shows that I watched when I was younger (*cough* Free Willy), and they've been bringing back out these sides of me I thought I had lost.

Not much to reflect on this month, but what was worth reflecting on was pretty big, I think. I can feel big things coming - I have a lot of positivity moving into April.

Books I've Read

I read two books this month! But I feel like one doesn't really count because it's a book of poetry. However, WOW. I see what all the fuss is about when it comes to Rupi Kaur - her poetry is incredible, empowering, and important for women to read. She is a successful writer and poet who is also a woman of color. I need to pick up her first collection of poems, but I would highly recommend The Sun and Her Flowers. It is so great, and delves into her heartbreak, her struggle to find self-worth after being sexually assaulted, her questions about a woman's place in society, and the rights we have to our own bodies - it's a wonderful piece of work that, again, I highly suggest.

Murder on the Orient Express, I think I made a mistake by watching the movie first because the book didn't hold the intrigue for me that I had hoped, and I know it was because I already knew what happened. Granted, there are some differences in characters and details, but the movie stuck pretty closely to the book, and so the ending held no surprise for me. It was a super easy read, but it also felt a little stuffy (everyone thinking they're better than the other because of what country they're from), and sometimes a little dated. I know the book was written in 1933, and while I feel like most of it transcends time, there were certain parts that just felt old. I do think everyone should read at least one Agatha Christie book in their lifetime though because she pioneered a lot when it comes to the mystery murder genre, and she also wrote a TON of books. I would recommend this overall - just, don't watch the movie first!

Favorite Bible Verses

"The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent."

Exodus 33:11

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him."

Exodus 34:29-30

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"The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one."

Psalm 28:8

"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."

Psalm 29:11

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever."

Psalm 30:11-12

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars, he puts the deep into storehouses."

Psalm 33:6-7

"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed."

Psalm 37:23-26

"The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him."

Psalm 37:39-40

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.'"

Matthew 16:24-25

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

Matthew 19:26

"Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Matthew 22:37-39

"In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

Matthew 23:28

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"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 1:3

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Media I Consumed in March

Movies: Thor: Ragnarok; Rewatched: Logan Lucky; Moana; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Free Willy

TV: Started: Roseanne; Splitting Up Together; The Terror

- Still watching The Office and The Walking Dead

Music: Khalid's album, American Teen; The Middle by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey; Silence (feat. Khalid) by Marshmello

Top Tweets

Gratitude List & April Focus

1. (Mostly) completing our kitchen - it still needs touched up in some spots, but wow. We cranked it out in four days, and I feel like we have a new room in our home.

2. We got to go to the Orioles' Opening Day game thanks to work perks - and they won!

3. Getting my garden planned out, and preparing to start my seeds.

4. Skyfit class - one week, I went twice and I noticed a huge improvement in my overall mood and energy level.

5. My family <3

So in March, I was praying a big prayer: for God to give me courage to be my best self. It kind of turned into what my best self even looked like, because how could I be my best self if I didn't know what that even was? And at the end of the month, I had figured out what my best self looked like. So for April, my prayer has become putting that person into practice. I know what I need to do, and, again, it will require baby steps, but knowing the big themes, and being able to do them every day will be a big help. I won't go into detail about what those things are because not everything needs to be shared. But wow, I feel like God revealed a lot to me last month and now the hard part lies ahead: I have the knowledge, what will I do with it?

But for real - this month you WILL see my smoothie bowl recipe. I am going to make my weekends more intentional and not just lay around like I feel like I have been (or painting another kitchen any time soon). And as I finish my Bible in a Year recaps, I'll be posting those too. I told myself 2018 wouldn't see blank months on the blog, which March was. It happens, life happens, but I'll try to do better, okay?