2016
- Continue a reading my Bible daily and protecting my quiet time each morning
- Take the steps to join the church we've found in Columbia
Health and Wellness:
- Stay Gluten Free - it's working!
- Start Bikram Yoga again after I have the baby and when my body is up for it
- Be a healthy mom and get back to my pre-pregnancy size (or better) by getting outdoors more
For me:
- Sit down and relax more (Alex is always telling me this, so listen to him!)
- Make more time for sewing, crafts and "projects"
- Get caught up on my scrapbooks (so behind here!)
- Organize my digital files and photos for peace of mind
For loved ones:
- Be a better wife: make more time for me and A (and for A in general), and have patience
- Be a better friend/daughter/granddaughter/sister: make time for the people I love. Call them even when I don't have the time for an hour-long conversation. It's worth it!
- Learn how to be a mom: with Hope coming early this year, I will be starting off the new year right away with the biggest challenge of my life. I am nervous to learn how to parent and juggle everything else in life, but welcome the challenge. I can't wait for the things I'll learn in this year ahead!
2015
Faith:
- Read from a daily devotional or scripture-based book to start off each day. Make this part of my routine, like coffee.
- Find a church home for Alex and I: even if we don't officially transfer our membership from our old church in Greenville, I want to have a church that we call home here in Columbia.
Health and Wellness:
- Go gluten-free for 30 days to see if it helps control my Crohn's Disease. If it does, keep it up!
- Do a 30-day yoga challenge in a quest for better physical and mental health. And better flexibility (I'm getting old). Again, if it helps and I feel better, make it a part of my regular routine.
- Take matters into my own hands with my doctors. Be aggressive in being my own advocate for my health.
Do things that I love:
- Leave (most of) the cleaning to someone else: use the Christmas money from mom for housecleaning to hire a monthly cleaning service so I can relax on the weekends!
- Do more things for me: take a break when I need one. Say no when I want to. Say yes when I want to. Take more bubble baths. Actually sit down and watch a movie now and then.
- Get my craft on. I love getting crafty and don't make enough time for it.
- Reward myself in healthy, productive ways (like a peaceful walk versus a snack). Make a concerted effort to relax in my "me" time.
Things to check off the list:
- Take a vacation. Doesn't have to be anywhere crazy or grand, but taking some time to get away and recharge my batteries with Alex by my side will be nice. And who knows: it could be the last true vacation we take for a while, depending on how the baby thing goes!
- Get caught up on my scrapbooks! This means finishing my wedding event/party book (from 2011...), our Italy vacation book (from 2013...), our 2013 Year in Review AND our 2014 Year in Review. Whew.
- Organize my life. I'm an organized person, but certain areas of our home (A's hunting closet; my craft stuff) could use some WORK.
Family:
- Be a better wife: be more patient. Help Alex pack his lunch for work. Write love notes. See movies he wants to see. Give him words of encouragement. Love him harder.
- Call my grandparents, parents and brother more often just to say hi. I wish I could pop in to see them but I live 2 states away so the phone will have to do.
- Start a family. Really, this is not in my control. This is all the Big Guy upstairs. But it's still a goal, a hope, a dream, a plan of mine. It's highly likely we won't have a baby in our arms by the end of the year but I do hope we'll be on our way to a family, one way or another. Take baby steps - literally.
Finally...
- Don't take anything for granted. If I learned anything from 2014, it was that life and everything in it is fleeting. What's here today can be gone tomorrow; what feels permanent is only really temporary. Spend quality time with my grandparents. Call my brother more to chat. Write more "just because" notes to people I love. Appreciate the job that I have. Enjoy the beautiful home we've created. Walk my dogs. Spend more time outside (but wearing sunscreen, of course!). Notice the small things and be thankful for them all.
2014
I have 365 days to get it done - so let's do this!
1. Run a 5k: this time, I will do this. I can do this. I first did the Couch to 5k program last year, and almost completed it but got sidelined due to sickness (Crohn's strikes again!). This year, I'm getting it done, no excuses.
2. Take a Chicago or NYC trip with Alex: Alex loves New York, and I lived in Chicago for a short while several years back. We've never been to either place together and have been talking about going for too long. This year, it's happening.
3. Have an Essentials Only Month: we did a modified version last year, but the one we did in 2012 was awesome. It helped us save money while cleaning out the pantry. And also made us get creative on the entertainment front. That's what you call a win-win-win!
4. See the Gators play football at least once, preferably in The Swamp. And ideally, a win. And the cherry on top would be a winning season so we can move on from 2013 and get back to the top-tier program that we should be.
5. Perfect 10 new recipes: I want (and need) some new recipes, for when we have people over, when I bring dinner to new parents, or we're invited to a potluck. You can never have too many good recipes in your arsenal.
6. Organize my life: I'm an organized person, but everyone has problem areas (Right? Right?!?). We've gone paperless for as many bills as we can, but we still have so many papers floating around. And don't get me started on all our lawn and outdoor stuff. And my craft supplies. Yeah, I have some work to do.
7. Spend more time in my Bible: I can't put parameters on this, because there could never be enough time spent in my Bible. But I want to read the Word more and spend time soaking it up, and making it part of my daily habit.
8. Read more: I want to read (and actually finish) at least 12 books this year. I love to read...so why don't I do it more often? I have a few good books to kick off the year, some of which I've already started, so I see no reason that I can't spend more time with my nose in a book (or in front of my iPad) in 2014.
9. Write more: snail mail letters, love notes, and on this blog. I have plenty of outlets. I enjoy it. I just need to make time for it.
10. Pay down - or pay off - our car: one car is paid for, while the other...is not. I want to change that ASAP. I almost titled this one "Pay down our debt," but really, other than our mortgage and our car, we're blessed not to have any. We're obviously not paying off the house this year unless we strike it rich courtesy of Mega Millions, so I want to pay off at least half of what we owe.
11. Find a church home in Columbia: I'm not sure that we will change our membership to another church right now (we're still members of our church in Greenville where we got married), but I want to find a "home" here in Columbia. We have no way of knowing how long we will be here before it's time to move to the next opportunity, but a solid church family can make a big difference no matter how long we live here.
12. Stop letting others hurt my feelings: this is a tough one for me. But I need to stop letting things get to me so much. Whether it's the friend who doesn't follow through, or someone canceling dinner plans at the last minute, or a work contact not remembering my name - I'm going to let it go. Just because I strive to be a dependable friend, and someone who does what she says, and try to remember everyone's name, doesn't mean that I'm perfect. I make mistakes. And I inadvertently hurt feelings, too. I just need to stop taking things personally and let. it. go.
13. Do one thing each day that is good for me: floss, get on the treadmill, take Ellie for a long walk, make a healthy meal. Yeah, in a perfect world, all of this would happen every day, but let's get real. I can make small choices every day that will make me healthier.
14. Simplify my wardrobe: I wear a lot of the same things over and over, while some pieces are never worn but take up just as much space. I think I would be happier paring down my clothing, and keeping only things I truly love. And when I buy new things, they will be totally worth it.
8. Read more: I want to read (and actually finish) at least 12 books this year. I love to read...so why don't I do it more often? I have a few good books to kick off the year, some of which I've already started, so I see no reason that I can't spend more time with my nose in a book (or in front of my iPad) in 2014.
9. Write more: snail mail letters, love notes, and on this blog. I have plenty of outlets. I enjoy it. I just need to make time for it.
10. Pay down - or pay off - our car: one car is paid for, while the other...is not. I want to change that ASAP. I almost titled this one "Pay down our debt," but really, other than our mortgage and our car, we're blessed not to have any. We're obviously not paying off the house this year unless we strike it rich courtesy of Mega Millions, so I want to pay off at least half of what we owe.
11. Find a church home in Columbia: I'm not sure that we will change our membership to another church right now (we're still members of our church in Greenville where we got married), but I want to find a "home" here in Columbia. We have no way of knowing how long we will be here before it's time to move to the next opportunity, but a solid church family can make a big difference no matter how long we live here.
12. Stop letting others hurt my feelings: this is a tough one for me. But I need to stop letting things get to me so much. Whether it's the friend who doesn't follow through, or someone canceling dinner plans at the last minute, or a work contact not remembering my name - I'm going to let it go. Just because I strive to be a dependable friend, and someone who does what she says, and try to remember everyone's name, doesn't mean that I'm perfect. I make mistakes. And I inadvertently hurt feelings, too. I just need to stop taking things personally and let. it. go.
13. Do one thing each day that is good for me: floss, get on the treadmill, take Ellie for a long walk, make a healthy meal. Yeah, in a perfect world, all of this would happen every day, but let's get real. I can make small choices every day that will make me healthier.
14. Simplify my wardrobe: I wear a lot of the same things over and over, while some pieces are never worn but take up just as much space. I think I would be happier paring down my clothing, and keeping only things I truly love. And when I buy new things, they will be totally worth it.
