Seven Update (and other things)

Me approximately every three months: I am going to turn my life around and blog weekly. Maybe even twice a week.

Me three months later: Oops.

I'm bad at the thing. I'm sorry. But, as always, if you're sticking with me through the struggle, you are so very, very appreciated and loved.

So. First things first: The Seven Winner From January! Thanks for your interest in the book after my previous post. I randomly picked a name from the comments, and the winner is... *drumroll*

Kim Konuch

[[Kim, email/message me your address, and I'll send Seven to you in the mail within the next two weeks 🙂 ]]

Friends, I can't stress enough how life-changing this book is. You can find it at your local library or on Amazon here. It is worth it. I promise.

So, now that that's taken care of, let me tell you about the last couple months. And then hopefully I can actually start doing this blog thing right and give you updates about my [[slightly boring]] life a little more regularly. 

[[I feel like this would be easier if I had cute kids to brag on, ya know? I'm just me. I have a cute roommate and a cute dog though so maybe I'll feature them someday.]]

Without further ado:

Seven, Month One: Media

I gave up media for a month. My life was so boring. I [[ashamedly]] live for my Instagram captions and Facebook updates.

Small victories in January:

-In all my spare time, I started a devotional that's going to get me through the Bible in a year. I figured I maybe should read all of the book I'm building my life on.

-My "useless apps" on my phone [[candy crush, games, etc.]] are much less appealing to me after spending a month without them.

January was hard; I did a lot of failing. And I'm not going to lie--I posted an Instagram photo on February 1, without shame. Media is an outlet for me [[and my words]] in so many ways. But learning how to balance it with the rest of my life was important. Month One: ✅

Seven, Month Two: Greener Habits

Being a college student and going green is just... not a thing. But Deborah and I tried our best. My seven greener habits were:
1) Unplug EVERYTHING when it's not in use
2) Take my own bags to the grocery store instead of using plastic ones
3) Stop drinking bottled water
4) Drive only when necessary
5) Recycle all possible things
6) Stop using paper towels
7) Buy [[and sustain]] a plant
Instead of telling you about my small victories in February, I'm going to tell you some embarrassing stories about my life:

-Deborah and I decided to go to Aldi. And we forgot to bring our own bags. So we grabbed the smattering of things we had in the back and prayed for the best. I even offered up a cardboard box that was in my trunk. We didn't need it; bless. We 100% felt like fools. We had one job. And we forgot.
-My bedroom is on the top floor of my townhouse, and sometimes at night when I was too lazy to go downstairs for water, I might have opened a water bottle or two. And then [[because I really didn't want to recycle it]], I shoved it inside my desk drawer and tried to forget it was there. Also I didn't want my roommate to see because she would have scolded me. I am not proud of this.

-I bought an adorable little cactus for $2.50 at Walmart. I have spilled him three times because he is top-heavy. I took him home a couple weeks ago, and my mom got sick of my spilling him everywhere so she replanted him in a bigger pot. I can't even take care of a cactus. A. Cactus.

I am bad at being green. But I do owe a lot to our sweet earth, so I want to love her better. [[I have continued my recycling goals... but there are still water bottles in my desk drawer. Win some, lose some.]]

Seven, Month Three: Declutter

We have reached the month of March, during which I am giving away seven items a day. However, since I live at school and a majority of my "stuff" is in Bluffton, I'm just trying to do math and hopefully have 217 less things at the end of March.

The Goals:

-49 books

-49 items of clothing/shoes

-49 items of jewelry

-70 miscellaneous items

The reality? I'm trying my best. My bookshelves are done. The rest of the things won't be hard, but they require effort, and most of the time during the week I feel like I can't breathe because doing school is about all I can handle right now. But I am life cleansing. And loving Jesus a whole lot as I learn how to give up and give away.

That said, if you are in need of new-to-you books, jewelry, clothes, or shoes--hit me up. Do I have free stuff for you or what.

Thanks for sticking with me on the journey, friends. It's a different kind of adventure--less exhilarating, but just as life-giving. It's going alright.

Tune in [[hopefully]] next week to hear about April's challenge.