It’s that time, my friends, to look back at my intentions for the New Year and see where we are at for the first quarter of 2018! What? Did you think I’d forget about my 18 intentions for 2018? Nope, not this year Gina! I’ve got my eye on the prize this year and I’m determined to stay accountable, to you and to myself. Like I stated on that mid-January day, I want to empower myself to truly live in an atmosphere of growth and to take novelty in the ever-rolling, inevitable challenges in life. Here’s what I’ve been up to…

1. 1. Launch the new Fabulously Average site. Been there, done that.
   2. Fold laundry the day it comes out of the dryer. This is something I am constantly working on, my friends. Some days I kill it and have the laundry folded within the hour that it is out of the dry and other days weeks would pass by and the clean laundry is just sitting in the basket waiting to be folded. An endless struggle.
   3. Travel to at least two new place within the Continental U.S. Yay to actively getting *ish done! I haven’t necessarily crossed this one off my list but I am making headway! This past weekend I headed southwest, outside of Harrisonburg, VA, specifically Crimora, which I’d never visited but more on that in #6. I also have a Hershey, PA trip scheduled for May which I’m super excited about.
   4. Exercise regularly. I can technically cross this one off my list but this is more of a lifestyle change so it will constantly be ongoing. I go to the gym roughly five to six time a week and love it. It is helping me mentally and physically and that’s all I wanted.

1. 1. Take a new exercise class. Another thing I can cross off the list! In the beginning of the year my cousins and I signed up for a 2-class deal for SolidCore. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s described as “Pilates intensified and a bootcamp redefined.” It is a 50 minute high-intensity, full-body workout with squats, planks, and lunges. The specific exercise really wasn’t for me but it was fun to step out of my comfort zone. I also tried a barre class at my local gym. Barre is a ballet-inspired workout that focuses on isometric strength training (holding your body still while you contract a specific set of muscles) with high reps of small range-of-motion ballet-inspired techniques. It moved a little too slow for me BUT my body did feel it afterwards.

1. 1. Take a girls trip. Check! My trip to Crimora (#3) was actually a bachelorette weekend for one of my best friends. But this wasn’t your typically rowdy weekend but a fun, relaxing one at that! A couple of my girlfriends and I are potentially taking one in the fall but plans haven’t been made.
   2. Make the bed every morning. This is another item within the list that is more of a lifestyle change than a “one and done” type things. I am happy to report back, however, that I am doing pretty good at this. Now, my bed-making skills may not be resort grade but our bed doesn’t look like a mess at the end of the day and that’s all I’m aiming for.
   3. Read at least 6 books. I’m actually surprised I’ve crossed this one off the list so early! And while I may not necessarily be literally reading the books, Audible is helping me through and making this far too easy for me. So far I’ve read: The Four Agreements, The Power of Now, You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, Girl on a Train, Therapy, The Last Black Unicorn. I want to read The Book of Joy next.
   4. Do a true closet clean out. This is another item on the list that is partially done. I’ve cleaned out my closet but need to go through my dresser and collection of shoes to truly consider this task completed.

1. Implement monthly Remy dates. I can’t really cross this one off yet but it’s going! Shortly after our January date to a Snowflake Princess Ball, I realized that I wanted to get my husband in on this action so we’re alternating months. In February Remy and dad went to Paw Patrol Live on Ice and for March I am planning on taking Remy to get her nails done. We just haven’t had a weekend free but I’m thinking the last weekend of the month should work.
2. Get a new camera. So this is in the works. I know what I want and I have money saved towards the new camera I just have to pull the trigger. Ideally I’d like to have a little more money saved towards the camera I want but once I sell mine I should be in a better place to buy.
3. Do at least three “no shop” months. So I kinda sorta did month one – February – but did have a moment of weakness and purchased one thing last month, on the last day of all days. But I’m counting that as a win. I think June will be the next time I try to challenge myself not to shop. After my birthday month…
4. Work ahead. This works sometimes but not all the time. I think posts are going up more frequently here on the blog but I’d like a more consistent posting schedule – Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
5. Schedule a family trip. So we haven’t done this, and this most likely won’t happen until closer to summer, but I’ve confirmed with my husband that’s it’s happening!
6. Do a 3-day fast. This also hasn’t happened but now might be the right time to pull a juice cleanse. Any recommendations?
7. Take intermittent social media breaks. Yeah, I haven’t even tried to tackle this one. And as addicted I am to social media it’s essential that I take this intention seriously and step away from the phone.
8. Learn how to budget. The fella and I have talked about sitting down and filling out a budget sheet for the year; have we done so – no; do we plan on doing so – I sure hope so. I think this will probably be the hardest thing to complete on the list, to be honest.
9. Donate. In my recent closet clean out I donated a massive bag to my sister to sort through but I also set aside another bag to donate to Goodwill. There are also a few charities that I’m planning to donate to.

So there you have it, an update on my 18 for 2018 list. Anyone else out there doing a list of their own for the year? If so, leave a few you’ve already completed in the comments.