2016 Goals

I feel like I literally just made my list of goals for 2015! Looking back over the goals I set for myself last year, I feel really good about most of them. Some of the highlights: I went gluten free in January and haven't looked back. I completed the Jesus Calling daily devotional on December 31 and loved it. I did yoga every day (and got hooked on Bikram)...until I found out I was pregnant - then I gave it all up! I hired a housekeeper to deep-clean once a month (a gamechanger, y'all). I really did take matters into my own hands for my health on the Crohn's and fertility front, and didn't have a flare all year and got pregnant!

But there are other things that I didn't really get around to, so they've rolled over to the 2016 list -- along with some brand new goals.

Faith: 

• 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! 

Ready to embrace this new year and absolutely thrilled to see what it has in store!

xo

KH

It's good to have goals! {2015 Resolutions}

Nothing like waiting until the last day of January to post my 2015 Resolutions, huh?

To be fair, I've had these written down since the 2nd. It's just taken me 29 days to get them up here.

The overarching theme for this year? Stress Less, Relax More. After the ups and downs of last year, my focus is to enjoy the little things and be thankful for what I have without causing myself undue stress (it's just my personality; I totally do this to myself.)

What do I want to do, remember, practice and make a reality this year?

Faith: 

• Read from a daily devotional or scripture-based book to start off each day. Make this part of my routine, like coffee. [I started Jesus Calling in January and really love it. It is such a nice way to start my day.]
• 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! [Started this January 19 - so far, so good!]
• 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. [Did this for January and LOVED it. Plan to continue!]
• 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! [Hired someone! She comes first week of February and I am SO EXCITED.]
• 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.

Happy 2105! Now I'm going to get after the remaining 11 months ;)

xo

KH

My decision to go without gluten: Day One

I'll be the first to admit that I think cutting out any whole food group sounds ridiculous. I firmly believe that the things we consider part of our food supply were put on this earth for our nourishment...and enjoyment. One of the best things in life is a good meal.

I've been perplexed by the gluten-free trend since I first heard of it. The whole gluten-free thing has been gaining traction for a few years and I've continued to think, WHY would anyone willingly go without cupcakes, bread and pasta?? (Unless they have to for allergy reasons). And aren't whole grains supposed to be good for you?? Then I started hearing - from people I know and trust - how removing gluten from your diet can make you feel better, help digestive issues, reduce swelling in joints, and make you less mentally "foggy." And the more research I've done, the more I've come to understand that gluten is linked to many autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's Disease. Huh.

So I'm here today to say that I am joining the growing number of people who have given up gluten in hopes that it will change my life. Gosh, I hope it does. 

I am actually really excited to start this experiment. After a terrible flare that lasted nearly two months and the constant fear that any old meal will make me sick, I'm willing to try anything. Even giving up cupcakes, bread and pasta - arguably three of my most favorite things on earth.

I've had a few weeks to mentally and otherwise prepare for this lifestyle change. I decided around Christmas time that I'd try it in the new year for 30 days - the length of time it might take to see if it's making a difference. This gave us (yep, hubby's joining me for this experiment!) time to enjoy our favorite foods containing gluten "one last time," clean out the pantry, read up on making the switch to gluten-free and stockpile gluten-free staples.

Left: pantry before the Gluten Purge of 2015
Right: what remains! 

I am so, so optimistic about this change. But I'm also scared out of my mind. What if it works and I'm stuck in a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life? What if I can never again carelessly eat off a buffet at a Super Bowl party or baby shower? You know what? It will be worth it. I pray this works and my biggest worry becomes how to perfect a gluten-free pizza crust rather than how I'm going to manage to get to work when I can't even keep food down due to Crohn's.

Have you tried gluten-free or are you currently living a gluten-free life? What are your favorite resources, recipes, tips and tricks? I would LOVE to hear your advice as I make this change for the next 30 days - and maybe forever.

Wish me luck!

xo
KH

Run girl

I did it. I ran a 5k!!

Before the 5k: sleepy but ready!

This has been on my life list for awhile now, and I added it to my "14 in 2014" list at the beginning of the year. I knew I could do it, but you see, me and running? We've never been friends. I've always preferred Pilates and power walking over jogging or running. Plus, I look a mess during/immediately following/two hours after I run. It's really not my best look. 

But I started the Couch to 5k program again in late January, giving myself plenty of time to train up, since I knew it would be painful. 

(Side note: I started the Couch to 5k program last year too, and got pretty far but never finished. Fail.)

This time, I remained focused and dedicated and ran like I was supposed to. My goal was to run the 5k without stopping to walk, but a few weeks ago I realized that my stamina just wasn't there. I would probably have to walk, but that was okay: I had made a lot of progress. And for a non-runner and someone who dreaded "The Mile" in PE classes for most of my youth, being able to run almost three miles without stopping was a huge success in itself.

On Saturday - race day - I was nervous but pretty jacked up and ready to get it over with go. Alex ran it with me, and I couldn't have done it without his encouragement every single step of the way. He kept saying "Let's just run to that sign up there" or "You're doing great, keep breathing" (important, I guess) and sometimes "You're running faster than your training pace - slow down." Even though he could have done it a lot faster, he stayed with me the whole way. And although I did take two short walk breaks - which may have accounted for a total of a tenth of a mile - I ran it a full four minutes faster than my best training time at home: 32:38. I know this is a pretty slow time, but for me, it was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line and see that I was sub-33. Honestly, crossing the finish line was a great feeling, period. The DJ was yelling "Looking good! You end at the finish line! You're almost there!" It was actually a ton of fun.

Will I run another race of any kind? Jury's still out. But I know I can do it, and the competitive side of me knows I can do even better. We'll see what the future holds, but for now, I'm getting back to my barre workouts and will run when I feel like it.

At home, post-race. we did it!!

I'm still kinda on that crossing-the-finish-line high. What a feeling!

xo
KH

Having faith greater than fear

I'm getting personal today. Alex and I have recently started thinking about having a baby.

We've been married two and a half years. We both have good jobs. We're in a solid financial situation. We done those "Twenties" things like staying out too late or having too much to drink. We've taken the dream vacation to Italy we talked about for years. We've raised two dogs, which although nothing like child-rearing I'm sure, does prove a moderate capability of responsibility. We've done all the things you're "supposed" to do, in the "right order" - high school, college, love, marriage. We feel ready. Or as ready as I suppose anyone ever feels when contemplating whether or not to bring a life into the world.

I am a control freak. I like to have a plan, and stick to that plan. I am extremely motivated by to-do lists and accomplishing goals. And the more I understand (and re-learn from 9th grade health class) about the complexity of what actually has to perfectly align to conceive a child blows all of my planning and to-do lists to bits. I mean, seriously. You start reading this stuff and you think, "How does anyone actually get pregnant?!" I guess that's why it's called the Miracle of Life, huh?

I am a worrier. I have struggled with intense worry many times in my life. Matthew 6:25-34 has been one of my favorite scripture readings for years because I cling to those words: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"...

I don't want to worry about the things that might happen. I have no reason to believe that I will not be able to conceive, or that I will have a child born with complications, or will lose a child. Alex and I are just getting started on this journey, and it's different for everyone. Three consecutive posts in my Facebook feed last week prove this. Three women who I went to college with, all sorority sisters of mine. All love the Lord, all have an intense faith.

The first woman is a mom of 2 healthy, perfect little girls.  She was pregnant with her 3rd, a little boy. She found out around 24 weeks that he had Trisomy 18 and would likely be stillborn. She delivered him last week, a tiny, stillborn baby boy who will never have an earthly life. She and her family are mourning the loss of a child, grandchild, and little brother. Her faith throughout this ordeal has been incredibly inspiring. She was literally bracing herself for the sure loss of a child for 9 long weeks before it actually happened. I cannot imagine.

The second woman found out a few months after her wedding that she was expecting triplets. Natural triplets! Although she had no problem conceiving, she delivered the babies - 2 girls and a boy - very early and, as with most multiple or premature births, there were complications. She just brought the last of the babies home from the NICU a few weeks ago after a nearly 3-month stay. Thankfully, everything looks good now and the babies seem to be doing fine.

The third woman has been trying to conceive for more than 2 years. She recently started writing personal blog posts about she and her husband's struggle with infertility, and the possibility of adopting. They had an adoption in the works, but it fell through. Then, a picture popped up in my newsfeed: she was holding a darling, squishy infant and the caption was "It's a GIRL!"She literally woke up one morning and found out that they were getting a baby that day - no time to prepare a nursery, no time for a baby shower, no time to even tell her job! She is now a mommy, and seeing those pictures makes me well up with tears of joy for her.

These cases are all amazing. They are all sad, terrifying, and uplifting in their own ways. I could go on and on about the many women I know who have miscarried, been unable to get pregnant, have had complications with pregnancy or birth, or have had truly terrifying health scares with their children.

But you know what? I know even more women who have had no problem conceiving, have had beautiful, healthy children, and the only pregnancy "issue" they had was gaining a little too much pregnancy weight.

I must choose to have faith greater than fear. If I start to think about all the things that could go wrong, I'll make myself crazy. And in the end, it's in God's hands. It's all in His perfect timing, in His perfect way, in His perfect plan.

So here we are, beginning this journey that will end one way or another, by God's grace, in parenthood. Which is the start of another journey. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if I will struggle to become pregnant. I don't know if I will have a healthy child. I don't know if I will have a baby at all. But I DO know that God has a plan. Faith greater than fear.

Here we go! Wish us luck (*wink*)

14 in 2014

Happy 2014!

We all woke up to a brand new year on Wednesday. A new year is so refreshing; it gives us a chance to start again or to finish what we started. Or to abandon something completely and set our sights on new goals.

In the spirit of the new year, I've made a list of 14 things I want to accomplish in 2014. Things that I can do to make myself better. Make my marriage fuller. Make my home home-ier. Make my faith stronger. Totally doable, right? 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.


Whatever the goal, it can be done. Happy New Year: here's to a fantastic 2014!