Friday Favorites 006

We're back with another installment of Friday Favorites! This round I only shared one per category, unlike last time, so I'm pretty proud of myself.

I've got you covered with a few recommendations for music, TV show, recipe, podcast and YouTuber!

Favorite Song

My Spotify Discover recently showed a gem of a song with me called Battle Dancing Unicorns with Glitter by Five Iron Frenzy. I could not stop listening to it after discovering it!

The grammar nerd in me was a little confused at first by the chorus proclaiming "We're battle dancing unicorns with glitter." Are we the battle-dancing unicorns, or are we challenging unicorns to a dance battle (while using glitter as defense)?

Five Iron Frenzy clears up the grammatical ambiguity with their music video!

Favorite TV Show

WandaVision is the first miniseries for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) on Disney+. I was excited for its release the minute it was announced, and -- wow. It exceeded my expectations by miles.

Following the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, we find Wanda Maximoff and Vision living it up as a 50s sitcom couple in the small town of Westview. It's adorable and hilarious. But not everything is as it seems as the pair travel through the decades.

WandaVision is a brilliant psychological and mythical exploration of a woman's grief. Show creator Jac Schaeffer, director Matt Shakman, and their team of writers put such thought and care into each episode. Elizabeth Olsen's performance was also incredible! I really hope she (and the show) wins an Emmy.

I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending, but I know that this is just the beginning of Phase 4, so I will just wait patiently for it to come full circle.

Favorite Recipe

I think all of the recipes I've shared so far have been breakfast related and I'm not sorry. I just love breakfast!

My mom has made this overnight French toast twice and it is sooooo good! The key is using good bread--I like brioche.

Favorite Podcast

The Happy Writer is a podcast hosted by best-selling author Marissa Meyer. She chats with a guest to discuss their work and their writing process. I love the happy writer bonus round Marissa does at the end of each episode. She quizzes her guest on several things that make them happy.

I've listened to a handful of episodes and I've really enjoyed them! The conversations encourage me as a writer and I hope they will encourage you too. It's also a great way to discover new books to read and authors to follow.

Favorite YouTuber

Pick Up Limes focuses on food, wellness, minimalism, and travel. Sadia's inspiring content and welcoming personality makes each video feel like a conversation with a friend.

All her recipes are vegan and many are gluten-free! (Note: don't watch while hungry)

2021 Goals Check-In: Quarter One

I can't believe we're one-fourth of the way through 2021. It feels like we were just ringing in the New Year!

At the end of each quarter, I like to check in on my goals for the year. I've been doing this process since 2019 and I've found it to be really helpful! I write down successes, challenges, and my next steps.

Wellness

Goal: Create functional morning and evening routines

This quarter I filled out the morning and evening routine worksheets from The Bliss Bean. I added a timestamp for each step. I plan on sharing my routines in their own blog posts!

I created my morning routine in February and did a decent job at sticking to it. I felt energized and unrushed.

Then came March and it all fell apart. A packed schedule, poor sleep, and Purpose Institute deadlines interrupted my routine.

This is why I need an evening routine. Recently, I heard someone say that your evening influences your morning. This past month showed me the truth of that statement. If I don't have a good night's rest, I won't follow my morning routine.

I'm only a few days into my evening routine, so I think it's going to be a nice way to relax.

Spiritual

Goal: Memorize a verse a week

I only "memorized" 4 verses this quarter. I used quotes because those four verses are ones I already were pretty familiar with.

To memorize, I would spend around 10-15 minutes studying the verse using SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer). Then I would write the verse on a flashcard and read it aloud several times until I could say it without looking.

Since I finally completed my chronological Bible plan, I will use part of my morning devotion time to memorize.

Creative

Goal: Write the second draft of my book

I took a bit longer break from my draft than I anticipated, but it was good. I printed off my draft and read through it in February, taking copious notes. I was actually still really happy with what I had written but I know that I still have a lot of work to do.

I outlined my draft and broke each chapter down into its beats and scenes. My outline will help me fill the narrative gaps and rework the timeline of events. The climax of my story aligns with the start of the Franco-Prussian War in July of 1870.

But before I do that, I need to do all the research I didn't do!

Things I need to research include the Franco-Prussian War, the political, social, and economic climate of Europe/German states in the early 1870s, the roles of kings and princes, and probably Prussia. My story involves a conspiracy plot but I don't know what that conspiracy plot is yet! I'm hoping my research will make that clear.

I also need to create a name for my fictional German kingdom, along with a layout of the capital city. I think I'm going to base the capital off of Lüneburg, which is where I studied abroad.

Personal

Goal: create a budget to pay off student loans

In my 2021 goals post, I said that I would find a new budgeting system in quarter one. That did not happen. I would periodically check my spending on my Chase app, but I don't like how they categorize certain purchases (Target is rarely ever groceries).

One financial accomplishment was paying off my car Ventress! It feels great to have one less outstanding loan, even if the loan was from my dad. I also continued paying the minimum monthly payment for my Wells Fargo loan.

2021 has gotten off to a fairly decent start. I've realized that I might have overestimated my goals this year (I still have eight other goals I don't share on the blog), especially as I've been working more. It'll take some refocusing and reprioritizing, which is what these quarterly check-ins are all about.