2015 Goals// Mid-Year Review

My 2015 goals were explained back here.        


Here's a mid-year review to get me back on track.

Health: 

Walk 30 min a day- This was definitely happening early in the year when I was in my second trimester.  And a little less in the third trimester- but it still happened! And then it stopped.  During C-section recovery it has been quite difficult to do any exercise.  I'm a little bummed about that.  Especially because this is how it will be every baby.  Anyways.  It's too hot to walk right now.  But I am doing some other exercises indoors.  

Stop the sugar 

I did so great for January without sugar! Then I had some for a week. Then I had gestational diabetes which forced me to go off sugar.  But now, I need to adjust this one to 3 sugar free days per week.  Because that is more realistic right now.  

Learn:

Read 20 min a day

Again was doing great with this- but had a baby.  Time to get back on track.

Basic graphic software

I learned very very basic graphics online with a free website.  That might be it for this year.  

Spiritual: 

Take one name to the temple 

This one is so difficult for me- but one I really want to make happen.  Hunter has found dozens of names so if needed, I might count that by year's end. 

Journal/ blog each week 

YES. Doing great.  I love journaling, especially now with a baby and there is so much goodness to write about each day.

Read the Book of Mormon before baby is born 

DONE! It was one of my favorite readings of this book EVER.  

With Hunter:

Pay off credit cards

Still working on it! Haven't gone into anymore debt so that's a good step!

Meet our neighbors 

Done! But I am pretty sad to say that it was because one of our neighbor's had a tragedy in their family that brought a few of us together.  But nonetheless- we have met a lot more neighbors. 

Have more people in our house 

Having Henry has brought more people into our house this year than we've ever had before.  This Fall I'd like to have some dinner parties and game nights.  And of course- at the end of the year we'll have Hot Cocoa Party. 

Word of the Year: 

Patience 

It's hard to really distinguish where I've been more patient, but I know it's been happening.   

In my head I stop myself from nagging Hunter.  

I feel like I'm starting to slow down generally.

I hope I can say that I give people the benefit of the doubt, or am more kind with others. 

And I had a baby. 

Baby=Patience

2015 Goals

{2015 Goals}

This year the list of goals has been cut by more than half from last year.  I really want to make 100% of them by the end of the year.  So I got a little more realistic.  Really, if I could learn more and exercise more I would feel good about this year. 

I'm going to elaborate on HOW these goals will be met this year.  

Health: 

Walk 30 min a day- This one I simply just have to do.  I am not so great with concrete schedules- but when I have a daily "task list" that I have to get done before bed it seems to work out.  This will be on every day's task list.  Right now it's gorgeous outside and walking is easy.  We also have a gym membership for not so beautiful days.  After the baby comes I look forward to walking and pushing a stroller.  This has been a dream of mine for years.  I'm serious. 

Stop the sugar - Hunter and I are treat/ dessert free for January.  We are hoping to continue until the baby comes.  It helps so much with weight loss and cravings for all foods.  I also tend to have high sugar so this will help prevent gestational diabetes.  I eat nuts and fruit for dessert.  Or have trail mix or a glass of milk.  

Learn:

Read 20 min a day- Fiction.  Non-fiction.  Just set a timer on my phone and read.  This is separate from scripture reading. 

Basic graphic software (including iMovie) - Learn from online sources such as youtube and from talented friends and family.  Make/ create at least one card for the year.  (Maybe baby's birth announcement.) Also create word art for baby's room.  Edit video from our vacations last year.   

Spiritual: 

Take one name to the temple- with our new Christmas computer (it's a dream) we can multi-task so much easier and faster.  I will sign up with familysearch.org and ancestry.com.  As I pray and work I will find at least one sister to do work for in the temple.  

Journal/ blog each week - This can be either/ or.  I am going to start typing out journal entries, printing them and storing in three ring binders.  I type so much faster than writing.  When baby comes- I will print two copies of the entries that I want to include in baby's journal.  One for my binder and one for baby. I will have a separate three ring binder for each child through out my life.  Every entry will be in my journal binder- and then any I want to give to my children will be in each of theirs.  I will also save them on all the computer- obviously.  

And blogging once a week is really not that difficult. I can do it. 

Read the Book of Mormon before baby is born - I calculated that I need to read at least two chapters a day.  Not bad. I'm already ahead of schedule!  

With Hunter:

Pay off credit card- CC debt skyrocketed with in vitro this year.  We gotta pay for this baby! When we budget correctly we have a great sum left over that can slash debt each month.  It's all about spending less, eating at home more and just throwing bucks on the card.  

Meet our neighbors - It's just time.  We're going to knock on their door with a treat and say hi.  

Have more people in our house - We love our home.  We love people.  We are going to combine that more this year.  More people over for dinner, more game nights, more family dinners at our house.  Just come over, kids.  

Word of the Year: 

Patience - Oh I need this the most.  And since I will be a new mother this year- I thought this is a good year to really focus on patience.  Before baby and when baby comes.  I can only succeed on this goal (well all of them) with the help of my Savior and the Atonement.  So last year's word PRAY will continue through this year as I PRAY FOR PATIENCE each and every day. 

//2014 Goal Report//

These were my goals for last year (2014).  I am going to report on them in all caps.


Personal

-Keep a personal journal and write twice a week  DEFINITELY WROTE MORE, BUT NOT TWICE A WEEK.  BUT HAS BEEN THE BEST JOURNAL IVE KEPT SINCE BEING MARRIED.
-Say less and listen more ITS HARD TO MEASURE THIS ONE- BUT I FEEL LIKE I KEPT QUIET IN A LOT OF SITUATIONS WHERE I WANTED TO SAY OR COMPLAIN MORE.
-Learn two new songs on the piano YES! GILBERT YOUTH CHOIR HELPED ME DO THIS
-Lose 20 pounds NOPE. BUT I DIDN'T GAIN ANY WEIGHT UNTIL I GOT PREGNANT. I THINK THAT'S A VICTORY!
-Read The Holy Temple, 1776 and an Anatomy book I READ OUT OF ALL THREE OF THESE BOOKS BUT DIDN'T FINISH ANY OF THEM.


Routine

-Be in bed by midnight and up by 8am HA. NO.
-Be 10 minutes early YES- I WAS ON TIME FOR ALL MY CHURCH MEETINGS.

Spiritual

-Go to the Temple once a week MOST WEEKS YES!  MISSED A FEW HERE OR THERE. BUT I WENT ON MY OWN WITHOUT HUNTER MORE THIS YEAR.
-Give out a Book of Mormon NO.  I NEED TO KEEP WORKING ON THIS.
-Be inconvenienced to serve YES. YES!
-Pray, pray, pray YES.

Create

-Memory board for our bedroom  NO.  NOT SURE IF I STILL WANT TO DO THIS.
-Holiday board for hallway NO. BUT IT'S ON THE LIST BEFORE BABY COMES!
-Paint neutral walls white in house YES!
-Take more more more pictures YES!


Work

-Maintain a current AZ teaching license YES!
-Get five more piano students YES!

With Hunter

-Up keep a garden  YES!
-Save money YES! MORE THAN WE EVER HAVE.
-Take at least two airplane trips YES- DC AND NYC
-Make a baby HOLY COW YES!!!!  THIS HAS BEEN THE BEST ACCOMPLISHMENT OF 2014.

Word of the Year:  PRAY
I  LOVE TO PRAY.




So in summary- I feel good about this year.  I realize that I set a lot of goals.  Maybe too many.  But some years you just want to go for it!  I reached or semi-reached at least 50% of the goals I set.  It really helped to have these laminated and in a place where I saw them every day.  This was definitely the best year I've had about remembering my goals ALL YEAR and working on them throughout the whole year.  I love that all the goals I set with Hunter were met.  This year we set some more together and I hope that will help us reach them again!

I also feel really good that I journaled a lot more.  I felt like this helped my faith and helped us get pregnant.

An update on my purpose

To update on my purpose, and to document more goals.....

Goals for The New Year:

(Many ideas/categories are taken from Autumn at staygoldautumn.com)

Personal

-Keep a personal journal and write twice a week
-Say less and listen more
-Learn two new songs on the piano
-Lose 20 pounds
-Read The Holy Temple, 1776 and an Anatomy book


Routine

-Be in bed by midnight and up by 8am
-Be 10 minutes early

Spiritual

-Go to the Temple once a week
-Give out a Book of Mormon
-Be inconvenienced to serve
-Pray, pray, pray

Create

-Memory board for our bedroom
-Holiday board for hallway
-Paint neutral walls white in house
-Take more more more pictures


Work

-Maintain a current AZ teaching license
-Get five more piano students

With Hunter

-Up keep a garden
-Save money
-Take at least two airplane trips
-Make a baby

Word of the Year:  PRAY

Purpose

All righty everyone. We're getting really personal lately on this blog. 

So as I've been looking towards the future and noticing how my life is different than I thought it would be at this point in my life (don't we always feel that way?) I realized I need to lock down my purpose in life. Whether I have children or not, whether I'm working or not, and whether I'm home or traveling or wherever. What is my purpose?! 

Usually my mind is pretty clear. I figure things out quickly. I can see the logical explanation and why it makes sense. But as I thought about my purpose I had to explore a little more than I usually do. Which was awesome! And I realized finding my purpose was part of my purpose. 

I am so grateful for direction from church leaders. They did not dictate my purpose, but as I was reading and studying from the truths that they share I could feel through the Spirit that this is my purpose. 

My purpose 

1. Increase in faith and personal righteousness.

2. Strengthen families and homes.

3. Serve the Lord and His children.

"Relief Society has within its commission some of the most remarkable service opportunities on earth, which are available to all sisters. In my travels across the world, I have seen that the thousands upon thousands of you who do not currently have a husband or children are an incredible reservoir of faith, talent, and dedication. No one is better positioned than you to work in temples, serve missions, teach the rising generation, and help those who are downtrodden. The Lord needs you." - Julie Beck

Build up people through piano. Give them confidence and bring the Spirit. 

Provide funds to strengthen our family and get out of debt. 

Work in the temple. Attend the temple. 

Be healthy through exercise. 

Do my visiting teaching diligently. 

Serve my family.  Pray for opportunities to serve my family. 

Limit leisure and excessive social activity. 

Read from the best books. 

Cultivate my talents. - culinary arts, music, teaching etc. 

Fulfill my callings to their fullest. 

Keep our house clean so the spirit can dwell here. 

Receive personal revelation through obedience, scripture study, and prayer. 

Blog or journal about experiences. 

Cultivate new and old friendships

This list could go on and on of good things that are not necessarily spiritual but still build up my purpose each day.   

I feel empowered, confident, and productive when I look at my purpose. It really gives me direction in the choices I'm making right now in life.  I also really love the part where I can be accountable for living up to the purpose that I found. So I hope to blog and journal about different experiences in my life that come from knowing my purpose. 

And probably the best part of all this is that when our children do come my purpose will not change. My task list might change, but the purpose will remain the same.

Here we go. 

How It's Going

So I'm still teaching.  

I haven't quit yet.  

It's going better.

My students still drive me crazy.

Everyday.

But there's enough good that makes me not die.

The weather itself is spectacular here in Arizona.  It makes everything so much better.  

Our windows are open 24/7.  Probably not something I should be declaring to the world. 

Our house smells fresh.  

I'm not eating sugar.  

My timing for this goal is fabulous, right? 

I haven't cheated for two weeks.  

That's a lot for me.  

I worry a lot.   Which is bad.  And is very unlike me. 

Or at least the me I've created these last 27 years. 

But I'm working on it.  

Because I will not be a worry-er for the next 27 years.

I love my calling at church. 

 The women and young women are so special to me. 

They are my friends, young and old. 

I am strengthened as I teach the Gospel. 

We paid $8 for a bag of grapes tonight and that made me mad.  

The End. 

Exactly how I feel

Look below.....This is only one of the reasons I'm working out lately.  

But it's a pretty significant one.  

I'm having a hard time shedding pounds- and I'm being honest when I say, I'VE BEEN WORKING HARD!  Starting mid-December I started running almost every day.  I've worked up to running a full 3 miles or approximately 30 minutes without stopping to walk.   Go me!  This is huge because before I could barely run 1/4 mile without giving up.   I'm including strength training and a few aerobic videos in there too because as I've researched I've learned that women need variety in their work outs to loose weight.  For those of you who know me well, you know there are a few health issues that seem to be keeping me from loosing weight as fast as others.  This has been very discouraging.   But I'll keep trying.

But- exercising feels soooooo good.  I've been super proud of myself that despite not reaching my weight goals, I am still pushing forward.  Every day (even Saturday) I look forward to moving.  It's so true that you get highs from work outs.  Each day I put my tennis shoes on I feel more accomplished.  It feels good to be consistent with something so good for you in life.  I hope more than anything that I continue to establish exercising routines in my life so I can be happy and healthy forever.

And so I can look hot. :-)

It's NOVEMBER!!

Goals for November:

***Keep a list journal every day of
 1.  What I am thankful for
 2.  What I accomplished that day.
 3.  Acts of service that I gave or that others gave me.

This is the one I am really excited about....


***Bake something every day from now until Christmas.  


This one is crazy.  I might or might not blog about each one of them here.    Also, this is an open invitation to come over any night to taste or take some of the baked goods.  I'm totally serious.  And I would be very excited if someone actually came over.  
-Tonight I'm making Chocolate Chip Cake- an old favorite from my mom's kitchen. 


***Never complain about being cold.