September 2021

 QUOTE OF THE MONTH: 

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence... You have to work hardest for the things you love most. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome.”  ~Carol Dweck

SEPTEMBER GRATITUDE LIST

• My Home Study visit with Shay going well
• The natural momentum and joy that come with taking initiative and getting started - tons of paperwork, but I'm nearly done with it, and the Home Study should be complete next month!
• Good conversations with God, Mom, Dad, Kristin, Sarah, Chet, Laura, and Tiffany about adoption thoughts and plans
• Reading time with the Mini Miss K
• The joy of seeing Cody on Dancing with the Stars
• OSU football game fun with Dad and Charlene
• Cheesecake Factory brunch with the fam

What was life-draining this month?

• Dealing with the car wreck + insurance claim + scheduling repairs (but very grateful it wasn't worse!)
• Self-doubt about my ability to be a good + financially stable parent... but I didn't give it too much power, and it didn't last very long

What was life-giving this month?

• Steven Furtick's Green Light at the Red Sea sermon
• Matt Chandler's 10-year cancer anniversary sermon
• God-given wisdom and clarity
• Continued social media break for the first 21 days of the month
• Walking at Crescent Park
• Swadley's dinner and an encouraging chat with Kristin
• Driving firsts with the niece and nephews (minus Carter, who I've definitely missed lately)
• A welcome break from a painful family situation + a bit of progress with the legal system on that
• The official beginning of fall!
• The entire gratitude list above. ❤
  

HAPPY LISTS

I Read:  

• A lot about different adoption agencies, consultants, grants, and attorneys

I Listened To:

• Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (The Message Translation)
• One Republic's new album, Human (fav songs = Someday and Wanted)
• Lots of music, but the songs on repeat were the album above + To Begin Again by Ingrid Michaelson & Conversations in the Dark by John Legend  (both thanks to Greys Anatomy)
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson (some good advice, irreverent but funny)
• Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens (second time though)
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
• All my usual favorite podcasts!

I Watched:  

• Modern Family seasons 8-11 on Hulu (seeing a lot of those episodes for the first time - loved the final moments and the "Modern Farewell" tribute)
• The Karate Kid (the newer one with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan) on Amazon Prime -- I'm a fan -- the whole training montage makes me very happy, and makes me wanna learn martial arts! lol

I Made:  

• My first pot of Pioneer Woman chili for this fall - yum!!
• My Adoption Profile Book (a 20-page scrapbook that gives birth parents a colorful snapshot of my life, work, friends, family, and values as a potential adoptive mom.)  I signed up for a free trial and used Canva Design Pro, then uploaded each page into Google Photos, and I'm very pleased with the results!! ❤

(Book cover)

 

*This recap was inspired by Emily Freeman's The Next Right Thing Journal, and I'm writing one for each month of 2021!