Hooray, it’s December!! After a very joyful (and snowy!) Thanksgiving in upstate New York, Dave and I are back in NC and have already decorated my apartment for the holidays, lit the first candle on our first Advent wreath, and watched Elf–a perfect start to this month of prayer, celebration, and family. December has also always been my favorite month to blog, and I am extra excited about all of the holiday posts I have planned–some of which I’ve been dreaming up since last year! Before diving in, here’s a November goals update and my plans for finishing out this year strong.

 From my Gingham and Gold Christmas Party

November goal progress

1. Write and design a new About page for Something Pretty. See it here!

2. Log 30 miles of running. UPDATE: This was an ambitious one for me, and while I didn’t quite make it, I logged more miles than any previous month this year and am on track to finish 100 miles of the year–one of my big 2013 goals!

3. Make a preliminary list of Christmas gift ideas for family members and close friends. So excited about this–I love Christmas shopping!

4. Finish unpacking the last few boxes in my new apartment.

5. Hang up pictures in my bedroom. UPDATE: I changed my mind about where to put my gallery wall and am switching out some of the pictures, so this is delayed but in progress!

My goals for December:

1. Prepare for Christmas through faithfully praying these Advent reflections and the ones in the books my church provided.

2. Host a Christmas cocktail party.

3. Photograph and blog Christmas Style Week–five days worth of Dressed Up posts for five different festive occasions. So excited about this!

4. Finish running 100 miles of 2014.

5. Send Christmas cards.

My monthly wedding update will be up tomorrow, so stay tuned for that as well! What are you hoping to cross off your list this month?