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Monday, January 2, 2012

Dreams for 2012

I was never one who was big on making New Year's resolutions, until I read an article by CRU's national director in 2012. He used Philippians 3:13-14 to emphasize not only being thankful for what the Lord has done in your life in the past, but to also have dreams, plans, and resolutions for the future. It was in 2010 that I made my first "dream" list. By no means did I conquer everything on this list, but it did serve as a guideline for the year, and it was helpful to refer back to throughout the year. I seem to be one of those people who stays on track far better when things are written down. So, here is my "dream" list for 2012 (in no particular order)!

1. Spend more time with Kyle, especially doing things he enjoys. This seemed to be much easier before Hardy arrived, but I do enjoy going to ball games and the likes, and I want to make time for these things.

2. Be intentional in relationships, especially with other young moms. Once you become a mom, it requires a good deal of planning to just grab lunch with a friend. But, I do value this time and I know I really need it too!

3. Be a better long distance friend. I have been TERRIBLE in this area of my life lately! It is so easy to just shoot a text and say hi, but I want to give more. I want to have good conversations with these friends that I treasure so much. Maybe I can find some more hours in the day?!?

4. Exercise more regularly....I should just say exercise period. I am such a nicer person to be around when I exercise regularly. It does my soul some good, but it is often something that gets pushed to the side when life gets hectic. My goal is 3 to 4 times a week.

5. Eat healthier. Is this not on everyone's list? I eat way too much processed food and just junk.

6. Focus more on OTHERS. It is so easy to just be consumed with myself and my needs. I really want to be intentional in serving others. Whether that's taking time to listen to a friend going through a difficult time, taking dinner to a family in need, or keeping another families children so they can have some time together, I want to serve others!

7. Have another child. Did I just write that? Yikes! Yes, I know it seems rather soon, but being that it took us 18 months to conceive Hardy, we decided to start trying again soon. If our children end up close together, we will just count that as a big blessing from the Lord and move on!

8. Create a mission statement for my life. This was inspired by my friend Kitty. I feel this could take me a few weeks, maybe months, but it is something I want to do.

9. Eat at home more, which means cook more often. It would be nice if our jobs were 9 to 5 and Kyle was home every evening, but there are bible studies, the weekly meeting, and various other activities. I hate to make a nice meal for just me. However, Kyle is aiming to be home most nights for dinner this semester, so I need to get my behind in that kitchen!

10. Date night every other week. This should not be too hard. We have so many sweet girls that offer to watch Hardy. We just need to make the time!

11. Read a book each month. Since Hardy was born I have not done any reading! I really enjoy reading, fiction and non-fiction. Hope to cross more books off the list this year.

12. Finish Hardy's baby book. Ha! Begin and finish Hardy's baby book. I have everything gathered. I just need to start it. Maybe this can be a Spring Break project.

13. Blog more regularly. By the time I get to the computer at night, I just want to go to bed. I keep falling behind and have to play catch up. I would like to blog at least 2 to 3 times a week.

14. Bake bread from scratch. This is always something I have wanted to do. I bought a book at Barnes and Noble back in August and I really want to attempt this one day.

15. Find a bible study to get involved in. One would think that the campus minister would already be in a bible study, but I'm not! I used to be a part of one in our church, and I loved learning from woman who are older and wiser than me. Praying I may find a study to be a part of because not only do I enjoy the fellowship, but it also encourages me to study the word.

16. Pray more often. It is so easy to turn the light off and drift to sleep, but I really desire for Kyle and I to pray together every night. I also would like to make a list of people to pray for weekly and divided those people into days of the week.

17. Hospitality--it is one of my spiritual gifts but I feel that I do not use it often enough. I would really like to have people over more often. I need to not worry if the house is clean, and just invite them to come. I also want to find ways to reach out to our neighbors.

18. Discipleship is another gift of mine and I absolutely love it! Most of my girls are getting older, and I would love to find a group of freshman to invest in. My time is more limited now, but I would certainly make time for this...it gets my heart beating!

19. Take time to just relax. Kyle says I never sit down, and it is probably true. There is always another load of laundry to be done, bills to be paid, or bottles to be washed. I just need to take time each day, even if it is just 20 minutes to read a book, listen to some music, or shut my eyes.

20. Be a better steward of my money. Only buy things I really NEED, not just WANT. The Lord has been so faithful to us in always supplying us with what we need, and I want to be a good steward of what He gives us.

This list could probably go on and on, but these are the "dreams" that came to my mind first! I am definitely a realist, and I realize that I will not accomplish all of these things. The achiever in me would really really like to, but I also know it is unrealistic. It certainly does not hurt to DREAM though!

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