My FinalVibe
Knowing Jesus changed me. The story of how it happened is, for another time, but there’s no question that my whole life began to restructure with a renewed sense of purpose but also an understanding of the value in truly living my best in the days I’ve been given.
It’s then that I started thinking a lot differently about my goals and ultimately where I want to be when I’m 80, a question Lara Casey continues to pose to my heart year after year in her Goal Setting PowerSheets. When I look back at the life I’ve lived, will I be proud of it? Will I have kept my eyes open to receive every single good thing that God’s had for me? Will I have loved people well? Will I be healthy and intentionally stewarding the resources I’ve been given?
The questions could go on and on. It’s hard to know for sure, but I think daily steps of making myself better and continuing to grow, will contribute to me being able to give an emphatic “YES”!
Psalm 90:12 (NIV) says,
“Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Ever since I first read that verse, it’s stuck out to me in a way that only few others have. What does it mean to number our days? Of course Moses didn’t think that we would know how many days we’d be living, but what I think he meant was to be intentional and live every day as if it were the last.
Man, I’d be bummed if I spent my last day scrolling Instagram over spending quality time with my husband, not resolving a conflict or admiring flowers on a walk.
So the task at hand is figuring out how to live this one life well. It seems big picture, but Annie Dillard reminds us, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”
For me, FinalVibe is about taking the road less traveled, intentionality, and making the decision for a harder choice over the easier one. It’s improvement on physical health and overall wellness, its continued spiritual growth year over year, it’s championing my friends, its loving people well, its living vulnerably and accepting change, its setting goals, its sustainable living, its financial security, and it’s being a badass wife.
So I’m taking this hour by hour in making decisions that point me in those directions. I might be thriving in one or two of those categories currently, but look forward to powerful growth that I can’t do by myself. That’s why I’m excited about this community that FinalVibe is building.
Let it be a place of encouragement.
Let this be a place telling someone else what you once needed to hear.
Let this be a place of making an impact.
Let this be a place of learning, judgement free.
Let this be a place of intentionality and vulnerability.
Let this be a place of making the world a better place.
Let this be a place of achieving personal excellence, together.
Check out what we’ve been up to over at FinalVibe.com.
Day in the Life – Working from Home Edition
In honor of going back to work at the office, I thought I’d share some final thoughts and a day in the life of working from home. I was at home form March 30 – June 5, so just over 2 months. I was one of the last to leave and one of the first to return, and many of my colleagues are still at home and may be for quite some time.
8:15 am | I don’t typically have too long of a commute when I’m in the office, but that combined with less hair washing has definitely left me with a little more time on my hands in the morning. I’ve loved using this time to make a warm breakfast – this day it was pancakes and fruit.
9:34 am | My computer set up is in my “craft room” and it never fails that I have visitors throughout the day. Kevin began working from home before I did, and has his set up in his office downstairs. Our schedules allow us to have lunch together on most days and it makes me really happy.
12:57 pm | The hardest part of working from home is that the dogs want to spend as much time as possible outside, and we obviously need to be inside working. Occasionally, I’ll work out on my lunch break and I’ll do it in the back yard so that the dogs can enjoy the sunshine for a bit.
1:19 pm | Just a little photo of me working away. We brought our entire workstations home from the office, and the two screens barely fit on my desk.
3:02 pm | My little visitor. It’s hard not to want to just crawl in bed next to her! HAHA
8:24 pm | One of my favorite new habits of quarantine is walking and talking on the phone with my Mom while she walks her dogs. This night, we got the most beautiful sunset during our walk.
Overall, I can say after the full two months that working from home isn’t for me. I really miss the camaraderie with my co-workers and was ready to get back in the office despite how different that might look. I’m still hopeful that we’ll be back to normal soon.
June Goals & A Look into Summer
Whew, I blinked my eyes and May was gone. I’m not sure if it’s working from home or just the pace of life in general that’s got me feeling this way. Here are my May goals all wrapped up.
May Monthly Goals
- Read 4 Books – I finished off four books this month – Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timoth Keller, Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel, Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki, and 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam
- Go on a photoshoot with my DSLR – I didn’t get to this one, unfortunately. Soon, though!
- Make a mini book for my One Little Word – Done!
- Take photos of our house – Alrighty, this is being punted to future months.
- 5 Blog Posts – 2 is better than nothing! Haha!
- Clean out / reorganize my raskog cart – Yep!
- Schedule and go to the Doctor – Done and done! And in a pandemic, no less.
May Weekly Goals
- Weekly Weigh Ins
- Tending Tuesday
- Review Budget
May Daily Goals
- 75 Hard
- Read
- Track Food
- Devotional
- Journal in Hobonichi
May Highlights
- We got to see some of our best friends become parents.
- Missouri opened back up from being on a stay at home order.
- I completed my first half marathon
- I finished 75 Hard
- I helped my Mom and Dad paint their kitchen and living room (Sherwin Williams Gracious Greige for the win!)
- For the longest time, I’ve considered combining my three instagram accounts, and I finally went for it.
- I attended the Rise x Live conference by Rachel Hollis
May Favorites
Food: Plain Yogurt with Berries and Chocolate Chips
Book: Prayer by Timothy Keller
Purchase: QueenieKe Leggings from Amazon (you’ll thank me later)
Song: Anything Luke Combs
May truly felt like a huge month, and I can say for sure that I smashed some goals. Between a project Kevin is working on, Rachel Hollis’ Live x Rise conference, chilly weather, and still being cautious about going out – I had one of the most productive months ever. Finally near the end of the month, it started to warm up weather wise but we still had lots of cold spells. Spring is my favorite because it’s the gateway to summer after the most miserable season of the year – at least in Missouri.
I love summer and everything that comes with it. Unfortunately, our family vacation has been postponed due to the Coronavirus, but I’m optimistically hoping this clears up sooner than expected and Kevin and I are still able to take a little get away after all. As things continue to open up here, I’ll likely head back to work, so I’m excited at the prospect of making new routines around some of the habits I’ve had for the last couple years.
So, June goals!
June Monthly Goals
- Read 4 Books
- Launch FinalVibe and share my story
- Move back to the office and establish new rhythms
- Get a new bed
- Write and share 10 Blog Posts
June Weekly Goals
- Weekly Weigh Ins
- Tending Tuesday
- Review Budget
June Daily Goals
- Exercise
- Read
- Track Food
- Devotional
- Journal in Hobonichi
What are your goals this month?
Currently
F E E L I N G
I’ve been treating this whole quarantine as an intense sabbath of rest and resetting. It’s been a great feeling to really investigate the things still on my plate to determine if they are worthwhile and God-honoring, driving me to the person I want to be. There are so many ‘good’ things but I want to make sure what I’m doing are only the good things meant for me.
W E A R I N G
During quarantine, I went from wearing jeans to wearing yoga pants daily. I love a good pair of lululemon leggings, but I’m also pretty hard on my clothes and prefer not to spend $100+ on something I’m not going be precious with. I’m also a little peeved that I’ve had to throw out 6 pair this year alone because of rips, tears, and overuse. I’ve tried multiple different brands, but my current fave is QueenieKe on Amazon, which were recommended to me by a friend at work pre-quarantine.
B U Y I N G
We recently just bought ourselves a new mattress, and I’m absolutely dying for it to arrive. We made the switch from a queen (which was my bed from before we were married) to a king. This meant all new sheets and a new headboard, so now all we have to do is hope I measured correctly and our bedroom is big enough for a bed of this size. Can’t wait to get a tiny box with a huge mattress in it super soon.
C R A V I N G
I’ve really been thinking a lot about traveling lately. I don’t get the travel bug super often (since I am able to travel pretty regularly) but knowing that our trip for the year has been postponed I’m definitely feeling the itch to try to plan something a little closer to home. I’m typically a beach type of gal, so even a little weekend get away to the Lake would be a step in the right direction as things start to open back up.
D I S C U S S I N G
We’re always working on content creation and side-hustles, so that’s what we’ve been discussing, brainstorming, and dreaming about the most lately. Check out Kevin’s new project –> FinalVibe.
Currently
M A K I N G
Right now, I’m meal prepping like it’s my job. My current favorite thing to make are quiches with all my favorite things – broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes. Healthy, simple breakfasts save my life on weekdays.
M I S S I N G
This month, I’m really just missing the sense of normalcy that comes with being able to go where ever we need to whenever we need to. Things like haircuts, doctors visits, and trying on clothes before you buy them just got a lot more complicated. Definitely something I hope I don’t take for granted in the future.
L E A R N I N G
Where do I start? I’m learning that experiences always trump things. I’m learning that I always have time for what I prioritize. I’m learning to ask why instead of just doing what I’ve always done. I’m learning that sunsets and stillness and showing up are keys to this season.
L O V I N G
Right now, I’m loving working at home. It’s given me the space to get a few extra zzz’s in the morning, lunch breaks with my hubs, as well as extra snuggles with the pups. Even though I know this time will come to an end, I’m definitely enjoying it while I can.
R E A D I N G
I recently borrowed the audiobook Goodbye, Things on my library’s app and I’m really enjoying it. All around I’m fascinated by the why and how behind minimalism and this book didn’t disappoint. Throughout quarantine, Kevin and I worked on downsizing our stuff and it’s felt amazing. I know I’m holding onto a couple of things because of price or “what if” circumstances that this book might just do the trick in helping me get rid of once and for all.
About
Hi, I'm Jacqueline - believer, learner, and all around hobby enthusiast. I'm married to my highschool sweetheart, Kevin, and we live in the midwest with our sweet pup.
On this blog I share all kinds of things about my life - from my faith journey to the garden in my neighbors backyard. I've been blogging for almost eight years and use this space as a way to document my daily life.
Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet.