October Goals and Highlights

September has come and gone, and it's actually starting to feel like fall is around the corner. We're getting a few mornings of cooler weather, but the days are still nice and hot, and I love it! This was a busy month for me but wasn't very fun- I had to start going back to the office three time a week (which is frustrating since my team is all in Pittsburgh, so I come into the office to sit alone and not see anyone!) and also had to work almost every weekend! It's been really busy and stressful at work, and honestly getting in the way of the work/life balance that I always try to keep. I'm working way more hours, and also just feel tired and stressed all the time, so I'm hoping that October will get a bit better.

There weren't a lot of highlights this month, but finishing my fourth triathlon of the year and spending that weekend with friends was definitely one of them! It was also my only weekend I didn't end up working, so I was thankful for a little time to unplug.

Here's a look at how my annual goals are going- 

Annual Goals

Korean Vegan Cookbook

Unfortunately I didn't make anything from the cookbook this month. I was really bad about meal prepping in general, so I'm hoping to get back on track in October.

Temperature blanket

I'm done with month 9 of the temperature blanket- officially 3/4 of the way done! It's absoultely massive already, so I'm thinking I might sew it in half to make it a heavier and shorter "weighted blanket" instead of one super long blanket.

Here are some stats for September-

- I used a total of 4 colors

- The highest daily temperature was 97 and the lowest was 65 (just a reminder, I'm only doing the "high" of the day so I didn't record the daily low or average)

- My most used color was yellow (used 13 times) which is used for the range 80 to 89 degrees.

Here's what the blanket looks like now (and you can see how big it is!)

Hike 100 Miles + Check Out 10 New Parks

I didn't plan this, but I hit 99 miles this month! I'm only 1 mile away from my goal which is kind of wild. I also visited a new park- the Durant Nature Preserve.  It was a really nice place to walk and was really relaxing. I enjoyed it a lot!

Read the Goodreads Best Books

I finished two books this month from the Best Books list-

Best Horror- Hidden Pictures. This wasn't particularly scary, just kind of spooky and suspenseful. I liked the beginning, but the twist was really weird and after reading a bit more about it, I realized how problematic it is and it ruined the book for me. Would not recommend.

Best Non-Fiction- Atlas of the Heart. I didn't really enjoy this book- it was basically a manual laying out different emotions and how/why your body responds in certain ways. I kind of skimmed through this and wasn't super into it.

Work from a Coffee Shop Once a Month

Now that I'm back in the office, I'm not going to keep trying to work from a coffee shop. But- I do want to try out new ones in downtown Raleigh (where my office is!). This month I went to Sir Raleigh Coffee and got a delicious fall latte (Spice Up Your Life!). This was a really cute shop and I think it would be a great place to work from..if I ever need a change of scenery downtown.

Let's talk about some goals for October-

Finish Bathroom

Dan has been working on our bathroom remodel for the past few months, and now it's my turn to start helping out. I'm hoping we'll finish this month- we just have to do all the waterproofing and tiling, then install our new fixtures! Hoping it'll go smoothly and I'll be able to share everything soon.

Start using Peloton again

Now that my summer racing season is over, I need to stay on track with working out. So- I'm going to be getting the Peloton app back! I stopped my membership this year but I want to get it back to keep in shape during this "off season".

Closet Cleanout

It's been a while since I've gone through my clothes, but I'm definitely overdue for a cleanout. My goal will be to donate everything I'm not wearing or don't fit anymore, and tossing anything too old and holey!

Plan/Plant Fall Crops

It's time to start planting some fall veggies, so I will work on figuring out what needs planted and getting our garden beds ready. We also have to get out our old plants to make room! I also want to plant some fall flowers (probably mums since I've been seeing them everywhere).

What are your goals this month?