Sweet Start Monday

Welcome to another Sweet Start Monday, where we talk about life's sweetness before another week takes over! This week is especially sweet for me because it's officially February! My birthday month! The month of love! One month of 2014 down! And one month closer to spring! There is a lot of be thankful for and celebrate. Because it's the first Monday of the month, let's definitely talk about 2014 goals:

RUN - There's still no running in my life, but the boot and I are getting along fine. We've had some nice and easy workouts on the elliptical and even went for a walk in the snow last week to Redbox! Tomorrow morning, we go in for an MRI to see if there is anything else fishy going on in my foot besides a stress fracture. I'm recovering, one step at a time! SAVE - January was a bit of a test month. I created a budget with a couple holes for categories like groceries, eating out, and medical because I didn't know was was reasonable to allot. Now I'm more aware of those spending tendencies and am looking forward to being better this month! IMPROVE - I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed this month. I liked this book a lot, as it invoked memories of walking the Camino de Santiago in college. The experiences honestly weren't all that similar, but I was able the relate to the struggle of walking with an overloaded pack, the instant connection felt between fellow walkers, and adapting to (and falling in love with) a life 100% different from the one waiting at home. GIVE - I actually have a trash bag of clothes sitting in my car's back seat, which I hope to get to a thrift store soon. BLOG - January was a good re-start and planning month for what I want my blog to look like in the future. Also, I have too many baking ideas. I'm praying for more snow days so I can knock some out!

Besides progressing with some of my goals, my family also claims the sweet spot in my life this week.

I spent Saturday with Boyfriend's family at a his sister's bridal shower. I'm so thankful and always so impressed by how they've embraced me as a (tentative) family member. And every once and a while it takes me by surprise how much they've become mine. It's a weird...but good part of relationships and growing up.

On Sunday, my family (minus Cherie!) came down for an early birthday brunch at Tarrant's...queue my mom with homemade chocolate cupcakes and a bear hug from dad. One of my sisters is preparing to serve as a volunteer in Thailand for two years, so it was especially sweet to have her there to celebrate. And each time I see my youngest two siblings, I'm shocked at how fast they are aging! They're both in HIGH SCHOOL. Wow. After a slow and satisfying meal, we went on a small walk around Maymont because it was an amazing 65 degrees. I couldn't ask for much more at the start of my birthday week!

Your turn! Tell me about your sweetness! 

What are you happy about or thankful for this week?