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Be More in 2024

(If you stumble across this, welcome to my yearly declaration of purpose!)

My 2024 theme is: INTENTION. 2024 will be my year of intentional living. I’ve been making some small changes already, but before now, I have not intentionally lived in years, if at all. So I will focus on treating each of my goals and each of my days with intention. Here’s to a year of positive changes!

Big Goals:

Be intentionally faithful

Be intentional in loving myself

Continued health improvement

Intentional planning of body movement

Following PT plans

Showing up for myself everyday

Having fun

Intentional Eating

Continued mental health improvement

Practice the tools you’ve learned!

Look into continued support

Financial health

Learn to spend intentionally

Or to not spend, with intention

Build connections

Be intentional and loving in my friendships and with family

Start the journey to dating

Learn everything

I have always been interested in learning different skills, especially art skills and I want to build upon that

I’d like to actually complete either an art class or a master class every week

Work on a random list of things I’d like to learn (ex. How to braid my own hair)

Chase my dreams

I will be intentional about trying out each of my dreams to see where they take me and how much I like them; it’s okay to not be perfect and it’s okay to not like them after all. I will:

Stream at least once this year

Create and post one Youtube video

Finish an art class & post some art

Write one blog post

Write & post one short story

Create 2 digital templates for an Etsy shop

Happy 2023

[Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these.]

I am not one for New Year’s Resolutions, but only if you call them by that name. I am certainly the kind of person who looks forward to the turn of the year and getting excited for what positive changes a new year can bring. I’m also a planner, so I love setting out goals for the year. As usual, I’m not quite as good as following through however. This year though, I hope that even when I veer away from my goals, that I can find my way back to them. I hope that I give myself grace for taking breaks, but that I return to work toward my dreams. I may not believe it yet, but I do deserve that.

This year, my focus word/phrase is Love Yourself.

For years I have thought I was good at this, a pro even. But it has come to my attention that I am good at spouting the words, but not so good at living like I believe them. So this year I am going to dig deeper and try to truly learn to love myself for who I am. I’m sure that sounds ridiculous, but whatever. It’s for me. :)

2023 Goals (summarized):

Improve Physical Health

Improve Mental Health

Improve Financial Health

Self-improvement

Read for pleasure

Random (like updating my Tumblr)

This is the short version, that I’m comfortable sharing. If you’re struggling with one of these though and have questions about what I’m doing, let me know. I’ll try to help. ♥

haikyuu-incorrectquotes

consecratedelizabeth

Well, is it?

studiompup

commission by @consecratedelizabeth ✨

Commissions are open, click here! or send a message.

consecratedelizabeth

I am so in love! Make sure you check Desinho out! Beautiful, work that is so, so fun!

pinkcori

‘Cori’s Adventures in Seducing an Emo Nerd’ part 15 Series Masterpost Webtoons / Tapas

pinkcori

‘Cori’s Adventures in Seducing an Emo Nerd’ Part 11

SERIES MASTERPOST WEBTOONS

consecratedelizabeth

:3 From Cori, goddess of Stardew comics. ;)

Happy New Year

Hello friends! I know I tend to pop in here at the beginning of the year and then disappear, but I’m going to try something a little different this year. If you’ve read any of my old posts, you know that I don’t like New Year’s resolutions, but I am passionate about setting goals at the beginning of a year. I know that sounds like splitting hairs, but I believe that there is too much fragility around the idea of a New Year’s resolution. Goals are something you work toward no matter the year, but you can start your year with specific goals in mind and set themes of intention for yourself.

So that’s what I am doing today. I am here to set my intentions for the year. Why Tumblr? You’ll see, just keep reading. :)

This year I plan to intentionally move toward these goals:

Listen to my body, love my body, and move my body for joy, not punishment

Love myself exactly as I am

Learn to save up for something instead of purchasing and paying it off later

Walk the path to become a homeowner

Continue writing! (50K words on novel before November, short stories as practice, blog posts, just write)

Practice drawing (specifically focus on feathers and people this year)

Feel free to hold me accountable. ♥

#goals #heresto2021

pinkcori

‘Cori’s Adventures in Seducing an Emo Nerd’ Part 10

SERIES MASTERPOST

WEBTOONS

consecratedelizabeth

My hear can barely handle it. Thank you so much Corinna Marie!

pinkcori

Cori’s Adventures in Seducing an Emo Nerd MASTERPOST

Chapters:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8.1 - 8.2 - 8.3 - Extra 1 -

consecratedelizabeth

I have to be honest. I leave a tab open to this comic on my computer at all times. I re-read it every couple of days. It just makes me so happy. :) Cori is the best. <3

pinkcori

Cori’s Adventures in Seducing an Emo Nerd Part 8.3

SERIES MASTERPOST

Webtoons Link

Patreon

pinkcori

Cori’s Adventures in Seducing an Emo Nerd Part 8.2

SERIES MASTERPOST

PATREON

consecratedelizabeth

Cori is amazing. <3 Check her out!

drinkyourfuckingmilk

an anon asked if I’d put erwin in slytherin or gryffindor and then this hogwarts veteran AU happened (levi feels connected to house elves)

consecratedelizabeth

I can’t even with Sophie’s incredible art, and this...combining two of my great loves...I’ll be over here in a puddle.

Overwhelmed

It’s true. I have felt this way for a while now and it is caused by many different things. Work has been stressful and sometimes awful. The love in my heart and in the world is ruling me. My dreams are finally starting to flare up again. Someone very close to me has inspired me to be a better version of myself. This is kind of hard for me because my heart pulls me in different directions. A lot of the things that truly make me feel alive are things that the mind does. The body doesn’t really have to be involved. Yet for me to be the very best version of myself, I need to be physical. So it’s going to be a difficult balancing act.

The gift that my friend gave me in challenging me to be more positive is one that I am truly starting to feel and one that I will never be able to repay. Everything in life feels better when your brain is working on a positive vibe. For me it really releases my heart to feel all of the most amazing feelings. I think this is one of the main things that we are supposed to experience in our human lives. The full range of emotions. I am extremely blessed in all of the things I am allowed to feel everyday. Even if many days, it’s a little, overwhelming.

Two Pennies to Rub Together

I have gone through many phases in my life where I have contemplated the meaning of financial prowess and what it meant to me. I have discovered recently that I am still very naive and I have a lot to learn and confess. So I am writing today to make a confession.

Growing up, I was a spoiled brat. I was the only child in the house (both of my brothers were near high school age when I was born), and I happened to be my Father’s only daughter. Whatever I wanted, I got it. One of the main things my family remembers about Christmas with me is how many presents I got. I suppose everyone knew how spoiled I was. It wasn’t until I was a little older that I finally realized that there were consequences to getting whatever you want. I don’t remember what day it was, or even what year it was, I just remember being hungry and going to my mom and asking for food and her telling me we didn’t have the money to go get anything. She said we’d have to find something in the house. That was the first time I had been told that we just couldn’t. It wasn’t like being told no. When you’re told no as a child you can be unreasonable and angry at the person telling you no. This however was not something I could get mad at someone for, except myself.

That was the point that I realized that my actions were effecting my family. I wanted and needed too much. I have always had way more feelings than I know what to do with, and I was sad and sorry for my family. I came to terms with the fact that I had to remember when asking for something that something else had to be given up for me to get it. I felt like I had learned an important lesson. However, it didn’t stick. I went from asking for 5 toys to asking for 2 (or whatever the realistic numbers were). Sure, I had made an improvement, but I certainly had a long way to go. I kept getting what I wanted, only a little less of it. I didn’t really learn the value of earning money and spending only what you could.

I went to college without really knowing. I got handed a shiny credit card with a couple of thousand dollars limit. At first, I knew better. I never used it. I knew I shouldn’t use it. It was a bad thing. Then I started interacting with financial aid at school. They offered me my scholarship and a large loan. I thought it was so cool because I could use that to pay rent. Oh and while I was at it I could buy furniture and other things I needed for school on my credit card and then pay it off with my loan money. Guess what? The loan money, as great as it was, didn’t cover everything. Yet I plugged along from one semester to the next buying what I thought I needed or wanted on the card and accepting more student loans. When I graduated, I was $40,000 in debt.

I took the first job I could get, knowing that the loan money was gone and I wouldn’t be able to pay rent. The job paid about $11/hour and I was barely able to cover all of my bills (rent, car, student loan, credit card bill). I could tell I was in a bad way. Did that stop me from spending? Not at all. There were still things that I needed. I thought I was doing a good thing by splitting out my paycheck into different accounts and using each of the accounts for a different type of expense (car/gas, entertainment, and bills). The problem was, I was still spending money faster than I was getting it. I opened two additional credit cards in those first couple of years, thinking I still really wanted things that I should be able to have.

In requesting advice from a respected elder, I was told that I needed a job where I make more money if I was going to have any hope of paying down my debt. This advice, coupled with a really bad couple of years at my job pushed me to find something better. It took a year or so in the new job in order to make a little more than the old job, since I now had benefits for the first time and needed to pay for those. I also sought counseling from a debt adviser on campus where I was working. I decided that I would go back to school for a Master degree (I wanted to change careers and knew that my school loan would go into deferment). After I took these steps, I started to see a difference. Slowly, I paid of one card, and then eventually paid off my car note. I eventually paid off two more cards (I had opened two new accounts to purchase large household items that would eventually pay for themselves). With four items paid off, I was feeling very proud of myself. I could finally see progress and I felt accomplished.

After a miscalculation on when I would need to start paying my student loan again and the addition of some new medical bills, I found myself further behind than I wanted to be. This broke my heart that I still was struggling after all of my research. This was earlier this year. A few months ago, I read an article about 15 reasons that you are stuck in debt. The thing that struck me the most was the advice, do not live above your means. When I first saw it, I thought to myself, well duh. Everyone should know that. Yet after a while, when I went back and looked at it again, I realized something. I have never lived below my means. I have always thought I was entitled to anything and everything I wanted. I have never known true poverty and I have always been too proud to admit that I should give up certain things that I considered human rights. I am admitting this to myself and to you. I hope that I can truly learn what it means to live below your means. I buy things entirely too easily. I must learn to truly question every purchase I make as necessary or not and I need to become more honest with myself about need vs. perceived right.

I by no means believe that I have everything figured out, but I sincerely hope that I am making a step in the right direction.

An Unexpected Road

My life is currently taking a different kind of path. If I'm honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I am hoping through writing I may discover it for myself.

I never expected that one day I would be living with my father for a period of my life. In fact, if you had told me as a senior in high school that this was coming, I would have cried and promised to never let that happen. Now let me be clear here at the beginning: There is nothing wrong with my father. I love him with all my heart and I am exceedingly grateful for his allowing me to live with him. In high school however, my parents divorced and I was extremely upset at feeling abandoned. I’ve grown a lot since then. I also know that there is a societal perception that moving back in with your parents after school is seen as lazy and weak. I hate this idea. Am I lazy in terms of physical activity? Yes, very. Am I lazy in terms of my mind? Not at all.

I made the decision to move in with my dad about two months after finishing my Master of Library Science degree. Graduate school had been stressful for me. Not only did I feel the perfectionist and I worried greatly about keeping my 4.0 grade point average spotless, but I was also dealing with depression and a hostile work environment for those two and a half years. It was a roller coaster and I am convinced I only made it out with my perfect grade and my sanity by the Grace of God. At the end, I needed a break. My mental well-being demanded it. So I did not do all the things I should have done. I did not apply to every job available, I did not give ample time to thinking about where I wanted to live and work, and I did not prepare a list of must-haves for my new career. So I fell into a bit of a forward-progress lull. That being said, I did apply to four jobs, had two interviews, and was offered one. I ended up turning the job down because of serious medical benefits concerns. And, that being done, was left with only the choice to move in with my dad when my lease ended. I did not want to renew a one-year lease if there was a chance that I could get a job in the next couple of months.

Therefore, after living alone for about 11 years, I am now living with my father and step-mother. The moving process was stressful, and it has been very difficult for me to adjust to a new location, new schedule, and a new 45 minute commute to and from work. Needless to say, I have been stressed out and emotionally confused for a while. Today marks my being here for two weeks however, and I am very slowly starting to adjust. I try to focus on looking for the good, the silver lining to things. I have to say, the views here are beautiful. In the photo above, you can see how beautiful the sunrise is in the backyard. This is what I see every weekday as I leave for work. I drive down a winding country road and witness fields full of early morning fog. I am reminded every morning that God’s creation is beautiful. I can certainly understand the appeal of living in the country. While I am struggling with the change, this will be my solace and I will cling to it. So there will be more pictures of beautiful country-sides or historical buildings. If you’d like to see more, they will be posted on my Instagram account.

Year In Review

Okay, I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed in myself. I suck and keeping New Year's plans. Maybe I get too excited and make too many plans, or maybe I think I can fit a lot more into a year than I actually can. Either way, I think this year I will make better plans for myself.

First, I want to take a look back at this year. Even though I didn't meet hardly any of the goals I had on my little list, I did some pretty great things this year. One of the things I really want for myself is to travel more and have more fun. This year I managed to successfully save for, and go on a trip to Washington DC to visit my best friend. It was a wonderful experience. I created memories that will never leave me. This is absolutely in par with what I wanted this year.

Some other goals I had dealt with my health. While I didn't do any of the things I actually had planned, I did manage to have a healthier 2015. I made it a whole year with no major medical issues. I'm on a more easily manageable medication, and I haven't had any bad clots. That's a win. :) I also made a little progress in my struggle with my weight. Over the span of 2015, I have managed to take about 30 lbs off of my average weight. While this may not seem like a lot, it's a great start for me and I consider it a victory.

Lastly, I did make one of my financial goals for the year. I have struggled with debt since my graduation date and it is going to be a long lasting battle, but I set small goals for myself to get closer to financial freedom. This year, I paid off the first bill that was on my hit list. It was a small hurdle but was exactly the motivation I needed to set the next goal.

I believe 2015 has been a great year. Every year has its setbacks but this one has been pretty good to me. I am excited to continue into the next year. This time around, I'm not going to make a checklist of things I want to accomplish. Not really anyway. I want to stick with three overarching areas where I want to seek improvement, while maintaining some of my priorities. Family, work, and education are always going to be present in my life and I want to maintain my positive levels of output for each. I want to focus on continued improvement on health, finances, and just having fun and enjoying life.

As for my health goals, I want to move very slowly. I’m not in a hurry to reach a certain weight or a certain waist size, or anything like that. I want to move slowly so that I can build healthy habits for life, not fit into someone else’s image of what I should be. When I feel good about myself, that is the only goal I need to reach. Since achievable goals often help with health however, I am setting a personal goal of working off another twenty pounds this year.

The financial world is actually a little harder to stay objective about. There are so many numbers and figures that go into financial wellness. I don’t want to stress myself out with all the places where I can fail however. I know that my car will be paid off this year, so that’s on my personal list of course. I also plan on paying of all of my small debts this year. My hope and goal is that by 2017, I will only have two major debts left (yeah, student loans is one of those). It may not sound like much to you, but it means that I can actually see the dark tunnel around me, even if I don’t see the light at the end yet.

Since my financial goals are a little large this year, I’m not going to make any super crazy travel plans this year. I absolutely do want to see more of the world however, so here is what I’d like to do in 2016. I have been wanting for a long time to visit New Orleans. That is my big trip that I’m planning for this year. I want to go in October, so if anyone wants to go with, do let me know! Other than that, I’ll mostly be saving money, but I would like to maybe take a weekend trip to a part of Texas I’ve never seen before. Who knows that the future will hold!

I’m excited for another year of learning more about myself and just enjoying what life has to offer. I sincerely pray that his year is good to you as well and that you are able to see many happy moments and create lasting memories. Happy New Year!

Lost Sheep, Offering Reward

Have you ever felt that overwhelming desire to find yourself again? It’s not very fun to be lost. I sincerely do not like losing myself. I have never been extremely confident in myself but I almost always have a grasp on who I am. I’m not saying I am entirely lost, because that would be too much of a stretch. I just don’t know what I want right now and that usually is not me. I always plan so far in advance that I always have a pretty solid grasp on what it is I’m after. Yet, here I am, completely confused. I suppose it is time for a break. As they say, sometimes you have to break the process down before you can build it up. So that’s what is on deck my friends. Just a warning, things might get weird for a while.

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