January Favorites

As expected, life has been pretty busy in 2016 so far. I haven't really had time to blog regularly, but hopefully things will slow down a bit in February so I can get back to it.

I couldn't miss my monthly favorites post though! Here's what I've been up to this month:

Reading...

This should be "will be reading" because I have yet to start, but I plan to be done by the end of the month. One of my New Year's Goals (because I refuse to use the word resolutions) is to read three books a month: one fiction, one current events/social issues, and one Christian nonfiction. I have about a week left to read Sarah Dessen's Saint Anything, CS Lewis' The Great Divorce, and another book I haven't picked yet. Honestly, most of them will probably get pushed back to February, but that just means I'll be reading more for that month. If you guys have some suggestions for good reads (especially for the current events category) let me know!

Following...

This is actually related to my goal of reading 3 books a month. I recently followed Taylor Reads on Instagram because she posts so many book photos, which makes it easy to add new recommendations to my reading list. Plus, she has the most enviable bookcases ever! I mean look at them... If there's no #bookshelfgoals hashtag, I'm starting it right now.

Watching...

the Bachelor. Okay, not really. But I have (accidentally ;) caught a few episodes of the new season- which I'm kind of ashamed to admit! I watch this show every now and then as a total guilty pleasure, and I guess I'm going to be sort-of keeping up with this season. I have a lot of opinions about this show and there's quite a few things I don't like about it, but I don't think watching it every now and then is the worst thing in the world. Let's just blame it on my Once Upon a Time withdrawals...

Loving...

My new camera! I got a fancy DSLR (because why wouldn't you?) a few weeks ago and have been taking every opportunity to practice shooting with it. It's definitely more complicated than most photographers out there make it seem! But it's also a lot of fun to learn and I love that it's given me an excuse to explore my city a bit more. Here's a shot from a few days ago exploring my old college campus. If you've got any good photography tips, let me know!

Working on...

Completing a Bible reading plan. Reading the Bible in one year has always been one of those I'll-do-it-someday things for me. But in December I went to a church gathering where these plans were passed out and decided 2016 might as well be the year. Four chapters in a day was overwhelming for me though, so I decided to cut it down to two. Basically, the idea is to read through the New Testament first (2 chapters a day, starting with Matthew and Acts) and then move on to the Old Testament. One thing I'm learning is that it's not so much about where you start reading or how much you get through. Two chapters is more than enough to learn so much as long as you truly engage with the stories.

#favorites #2016 #books