Quick Takes Friday (vol. all sorts of win)

Thanks for hosting, Jen!

quick takes

— 1 —

NaNoWriMo was a surprising success.

If you’re not familiar, it’s a mad rush of writing 50,000 words in 30 days of November. It’s intense.

I had to write nearly 5,000 words on the last two days, but I finished it. And I don’t want to look at the “novel,” that I know needs a lot of editing, for a long, long time.

— 2 —

Thanks for all my readers who continued to visit the not updated blog last month.

I will be back in full action starting next week.

Here are some upcoming posts I have planned: Ad Catholici Sacerdotii review, five ways to read the Bible and a learn something post on different translations of the Bible.

— 3 —

I have started keeping very strict budgets.

Everything is written down on paper. I read Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover,” and it really set everything in focus for me.

In the next 12 weeks (that started Wednesday), I have a goal to pay off $1,000 of my student loans. That’s more than I typically pay in a whole year since I received a military payment earlier this year. It’ll be tough, but I know I can do it. After that I’ll continue the regular payments and try to do another 12-week goal sometime in 2014 to pay another $1,000 toward it. I want the loans paid off by the time I turn 29. (eeek! 2 years, 2 months!)

But with all my writing budgets down, I somehow have $126 extra in my checking account… and I double, triple check everything. It’s weird. I can’t explain it.

I’m using that as my food budget for the next month and a half, so I can focus more of my paychecks to the loans. Yes!

— 4 —

It’s Advent!

And I’m at my fourth parish in four years for the Advent wreath lighting.

I don’t like my current parish, and I am finding myself drawn ever more to traditional Masses and priests.

My current priest doesn’t even wear the Roman collar! 😦

I desire a Latin Mass, and I know there are some not too far away. I am making it a mini Advent goal to attend one of those Masses.

— 5 —

I signed up to do Salvation Army bell ringing tomorrow. I did it a few years in a row a while ago, then quit when I moved. It’s a 3-hour shift, but it’s inside. The organization does such great thigns.

— 6 —

I started a new diet and have ACTUALLY been following it. Today is 2 full weeks done and I like it. I’m losing… something. I plan to get a scale in the new year.

— 7 —

My personal intention this month is for babies, for families, for finding solutions to the problems that make babies “unwanted,” that split families up… not just treating the symptoms.

Oh, Blessed Mother, pray for us.

Have a great weekend!

God bless.

Read posts from other Catholic folk at Conversion Diary!

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