Go For The Goal: April!

"To reach a port, we must sail—sail, not tie at anchor—sail, not drift." ~Franklin Roosevelt

Am I the only one who can't believe it's already April? How did this happen?? To celebrate the occasion, Meghan at The Perfect Compilation Tape is doing a link up where people share their goals for the month. So I sat down to make my list of goals, but first I read my daily devotional.

That included the following quote: "A successful day is one in which you have stayed in touch with Me, even if many things remain undone at hte end of hte day. Do not let you to-do list become an idol directing your life."

Well crap.

Do you ever read something like this and feel like it was God speaking directly to you? Because let me tell ya, the book might as well have included a picture of me on that page. I'm a list maker--bucket list, grocery list, Happiness Project list, to-do list, montly goal list, gift list.....you name it, I've got it. And in general that's not a bad thing. But when we let something take over our lives--to become an idol--then something good can turn into something bad.

So, today I am going to start off my list with a little reminder of this. And I'm thankful that God speaks to us through devotionals, even when our initial reaction is "well crap."

* Spend time focused on God's plan for my life and realizing that the most important "list" item I have to do is accomplish that. I'm currently in the middle of praying a Novena (nine days of prayer both to God and to a specific Saint asking that the Saint intercede on your behalf as well) with a group of people to St. Pier Giorgio Frassati about this, so that's a start! (Sidenote--this is not a picture of St. Pier Giorgio, but one I took of St. Paul while visiting the Bascilica in Rome.)
* Read 2 books. This is not an April specific goal, but a year long goal that I'm working towards. I am loving this one--it makes me take time for me (crazy that I have to have something make that happen) and to stop from all the crazyness of life and just relax. I've read all sorts of books already (see my reviews here) and I plan on continuing! Currently I'm working on Death on a Friday--the Seven Last Words of Jesus. Appropriate for Holy Week, right?

* Train for Remember the Ten. In a couple of weeks I'm headed to the Happiest Place on Earth--Stillwater, Oklahoma obviously--to run the Remember the Ten 10K! I am super excited for this for lots of reasons. First, I've never run a 10K before--I've done an 8K, 12K and half marathon, but for some reason, a 10K has not been checked off the bucket list. Second, this race is run in rememberence of the OSU family members lost in the 2001 plane crash. I love the idea of running in thier memory. And feel like it's even more special this year that we are also running in memor of The Four. Third, we get to run around Stillwater and the OSU campus! I think it will be like a trip around memory lane for me. I spent 3 amazing years at OSU and love the chance to remember all of that chaos! Fourth, after the race, I plan on getting to spend time with SoulMate Friend and her family, watch the OSU Spring football game, hit up the Penny, and go to church with my Small Group friends. Could this weekend be shaping up better? Well.....if I was farther along in my training---but I'll get there! Yesterday I knocked out 4 miles and felt pretty strong at the end. 2.2 more to go!

* Clean out my closet! Ugh! This is one of those things that I feel so good after doing, but can't motivate myself to get started on. And I always want to quit in the middle, about the time my room is covered in clothes and looks like a complete disaster. But it's time, friends. It's time!

* Send cards to 3 friends for no reason. I'm really good at sending birthday cards and Christmas cards. But I'm not that great at randomly just sending cards for no reason and surprising someone. So, this month, I'm going try and do that three times. If there is one thing I know about friendship, it's that you have to put in the effort and the time to keep them strong. That means getting creative and for me, that means random cards!

* Do a Make-a-Wish interview. This one is actually a year long goal as well. You guys might remember that I volunteer with Make-a-Wish as a Wish Granter. That means that I interview wish kiddos and their families and fill out all the paperwork to get their wishes rolling. I also help with send-offs if they have an out of town wish, or help with the day-of wish activities if they stay in town. It's seriously such a fun, rewarding thing to be a part of. So far this year, I have managed to do three interviews (wishes have included Disney World, Hawaii and the British Isles), so I'm right on track!

* Cook two new recipes. If you know me in real life, or have followed this blog for a while, you know my cooking skills are....well....lacking. I call it a success if I make something and do not set off the smoke alarm in the process. So this is a good area of my life to work on. Fortunately, my Food and Family magazine came last week. I've flagged several recipes to try: chicken and brown rice pilaf, chicken tetrazzini florentine, the great burrito stack, and thai chicken wraps. Stay tuned....

I'd love to know....what are YOUR goals for April?