I leave for Ireland in 4 days, and I have done no planning whatsoever for the trip…eek! While this is certainly a great “problem” to have, I really need to kick my butt into overdrive so that I’m not aimlessly driving my grandmother around the countryside without a clue where we’re headed (all the while screaming as I try to figure out how to drive on the other side of the road..haha!).

Budget: I’m happy to report that I’ve met or exceeded most of my monthly goals, but I’ll save the highlights for my monthly post. Additionally, I closed on my refinancing yesterday!!! The gamble I took a mere month and a half ago was so absolutely worth it as I’m now set to save nearly $350/month on my mortgage. After I return from my trip, I’ll be re-working the budget to fit in this fabulous new savings.

Fitness: Still no cardio for this injured lady. Instead, I’ve been focusing on pilates and core work. That and lots of foam rolling/IT band stretches. My kitties enjoy giving me puzzled looks as I contort my body in weird ways all in the name of getting through this injury.

Home Improvements: This is where I’m falling short of my goals this month as my busted knee severely limited my mobility for about a week after the marathon. However, now that I’m back in action, I hope to knock out as many of these in my typical last-minute fashion. Grouting a shower while cleaning a range hood and building a shelving unit all at the same time (for two different houses)??  But of course!  :p

Blogging: I’ve decided to add more structure to my blogging efforts because I’ve been feeling spread a bit thin lately. I’m constantly trying to fit in writing here, writing for my two other blogs, guest posting, staff writing, ghost writing, commenting on other blogs, keeping up with Yakezie, tweeting, and generally blowing up the blogosphere as much as possible. The problem is that this isn’t a realistic workload on top of school and my “real” work. I’m doing all of this half-assed sometimes and it’s driving me crazy. My solution is to schedule these various efforts. This will mean less day-to-day interaction sometimes, but I’m hopeful that maintaining some semblance of sanity will be more helpful overall.

Business: Still rolling along with my business portfolio-building efforts. I’m also in the works to establish a side income stream related to all things domestic, which will be a great way to bring in $$ right away as well as expand my client network. Right now, I’m working through the LLC and insurance/bonding issues. I have a fantastic partner* for this new phase of development, and I am so excited about our ability to knock this thing out of the park! *partner is used loosely as we’re going to structure in a way where we both own our respective businesses but work together for marketing, accounting, tax, and general growth efforts…