December 2017 blog updates + monthly goals

Blog Updates

Here we are – we’ve made it to the last month of 2017.  I don’t post my personal stuff all that often, but I’ve gotten better about opening up more on the blog.  Some of you know this year was a little rough for me.  The first 7-8 months of 2017 were pretty bad.  There were some good things that happened (running the marathon, performing in Chicago, visiting Disney World!) but almost that whole time it was permeated with a feeling of anxiety I couldn’t shake.  After visiting many doctors, trying different medications, and also unfortunately cutting some people out of my life who were harmful, I’m doing much better.  I’m running regularly (training for the Fairy Tale Challenge!), spending my time with good people who actually value our friendship, acting, and of course planning trips to Disney!

In terms of the blog, the holidays are upon us!  And in celebration of this I’ve organized a 12 Days of Christmas Disney giveaway!  This week I’m giving away a different Disney item every day.  Make sure you check that out and enter to win!  I’ll be posting some other holiday and Christmas related items this month too, so stay tuned.  I’m looking forward to the new year and hopefully getting my blog even more organized so I can really do what I want with it.

November Goals

Let’s see how I did with my November goals!

• Take the Social Media Superhero e-course I signed up for ages ago but never completed (I’m about halfway through it but didn’t complete it. So I guess this half counts)
• Send out an email newsletter weekly (yes! I got my typical updates out every other week, as well as some “in between” emails, including a giveaway and an email on Black Friday sales)
• Update 4 old blog posts (nope, didn’t update anything)
• start creating a master post of trip planning resources (I did start this… and the funny thing is that when I wrote this goal, I’m not 100% sure what my thought process was behind doing it.  I kinda forgot. But I have a plan now, whether it was what I originally had in mind or not!)
• Start working on a 2017 survey to send out to my readers (I’ve got a list of questions and want to edit it and figure out if there’s anything missing)
• Hang the remaining pictures and shelves in the guest room that we haven’t put up yet (i got a lot up and built a nightstand! I have one large oddly sized picture I want to hang, but I need to get a custom frame for it I guess)
• Memorize my lines for Act 1 (with the exception of one or two fumbles now and then, I’ve got Act 1 done)
• Do whatever the sports physician tells me to do to get my hip back in better shape so I can run again (I’m not running pain free yet but it is improved, and I am running!)
• Read 5 books (I only finished 4 in November – The Losers Club by Andrew Clements, The Librarian and the Spy by Susan Mann, Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys, and Life is Like a Musical by Tim Federle.  I didn’t get as much reading done because I usually listen to a lot of audiobooks, but when I’ve been in the car I’ve been listening to recordings of my lines for the play instead)

December Blog Goals

• Finish the Social Media Superheroes course
• Send out an end of the year reader survey
• Reach 2,000 instagram followers (I’m currently at 1965!)
• Finish my master list of trip planning resources

December Personal Goals

• Memorize my lines for Act 2
• Pick out 3 songs to sing for auditions for “Broadway Sings”
• Finish my Run Streak (run at least 1 mile every day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s)
• Donate at least 2 boxes of stuff I don’t need

What are your goals for the month?