Fleur de St. Louis Follow Up

Happy Wednesday, readers! Here we are, post #45 (so close to 50!), and it seemed like a good time for me to look back at my ideas & goals posted here on the blog and follow up with you. Enjoy a quick recap of where I've been and where I am!

⚜Back in April I mentioned my goal to read 24 books in 2017 (about one book every two weeks). When I'm in the full swing of teaching, this feels just right. This summer, I'm hoping to fit in even more time to read. My progress: 13 out of 24 books. I should have hit 12 by the end of June to be on track for my goal, and it looks like I will hit 6 months a bit ahead! Surpassing my goal is the dream, but I am thankful to have set an honest goal to keep me going without taking the joy out of reading. Also audio books! Audio books with the right narrator (I love when they are read by the author) are a ton of fun and turn drive time into more reading time! 

⚜Also in April, I told you about this lesson I learned in regards to my French language journey:

The lesson: Next time I have the chance to speak French with natives I am going to be more confident in my abilities and seize the wonderful opportunity. 

This opportunity doesn't present itself every day here in St. Louis, MO, but I'm happy to report that the next time it did I seized the opportunity with confidence. And then the next time, it was no problem at all! I look forward to using my French daily in Paris (just 3 weeks away!). 

⚜Wow! April was a big goal setting month for me! I mentioned on April 15 that I was going to start making Coffee Break French a part of my every day routine in order to continue to better my French language skills. 52 days have passed, and I've listened to 23 episodes. Turns out one episode every couple of days is fitting better into my schedule. Did I hit my exact goal? No. Am I listening and working on my French a lot more than I was before? Absolutely. I call that a step in the right direction with room for growth (as there always is). 

⚜Still April... and this was a big one. I posed the following question inspired by a book talk I attended with author Jen Sincero:

I'm willing to bet you have a desire inside of you. If you haven't already, why not give it a chance and take a risk so that it has the opportunity to bloom into something that allows you to live your fullest, happiest life? Just some food for thought. I will be thinking on this one too.

I'm happy to report that I have thought on this. I've made some connections. I've done some research. I've sent some e-mails. There is a dream inside of me and I am getting serious about taking the leap. More to come on this. I am happy to be staying close to my inner self as I continue to move in the direction of my dreams. :) 

⚜Toward the end of May, I became interested in healthy beauty. I've continued to do research, and recently connected with a healthy beauty expert in my community. I've begun using healthy beauty products (cruelty free, vegan, all natural) and am noticing a difference in the look and feel of my skin. To start, I'm trying this deodorant, this facial sunscreen, this night cream, and this blush. I look forward to continuing to build my healthy beauty collection over time. 

A quick post today, but a reminder to set goals and check in frequently. It was a lot of fun to look back on this journey and see how far I've come already. Thank you for continuing to stop by, read, and comment. I love that you get to be a part of this journey with me. What goals have you set recently? If you quickly check in, are you making progress? What tools could you seek out to continue to move forward with your dreams and passions? You've got this! 

Warm wishes and a very happy Wednesday from me to you,