Bring on 2014: Goals and Hopes

So, today, 27 days (now, 30 days as I drafted this post and never actually posted it....) into the new year, I am finally blogging about 2014 goals and resolutions....just a little late! Maybe blogging consistently should be on the list :)

Instead of one big goal, I have several small ones this year.  Lots of little things I (and in some cases, we) want to accomplish in 2014. I like goals ---particularly goals I can control when other factors in life aren't so easily controllable....like eating habits, exercise, saving, goals to read more or drink more water, etc.  I ran my first half marathon because I needed a goal.  I had just moved to Jackson and didn't have many friends yet and certainly didn't have a boyfriend or husband, so I decided to run a half marathon.  When I felt like I wasn't "accomplishing" my other life goals, this gave me something to strive for!

I also have a few goals ("prayers") that I can't make happen.  I can make strides but I have to hope, pray and trust that God can and will provide. Goals like these are more difficult, but so much more rewarding---- because you learn so much about the Lord and his faithfulness while waiting and working and praying for these goals to be met.

2014 goals:

(1) Eat healthier and work out more.  Let's start with the most obvious new years resolution.  Dave and I both have marriage bellies that we are working on losing. Fat and happy right?? Well, not so much fat, but chubby....so lets stop it now before we become fat! We also joined a gym and have been going about 4 times a week for the past 2-3 weeks.  I don't want to do anything drastic---but we are eliminating some of the junk we've been eating and hopefully dropping a few pounds while eating healthier.

(2) Read more....1 book a month. I read less now that I am married. I think this is due to the fact that reading is a solo activity and I have spent a bulk of the past 6 months hanging out with Dave, meeting new people or working.  But, I've been reading more this month...and would like this to average out to one book a month (atleast)

(3) Pray for my single friends to meet spouses.  I used to pray fervently for myself and friends to meet godly men. I haven't been as committed since I got engaged and married. Prayers for others to find spouses and have good marriages are just as important as prayers for my own marriage, so I have been striving to pray for my favorite single ladies and gentlemen this year.

(4) Save more.  Dave and I were just making it the first few months here, so no money was being added to our savings account.  Then I got a job and we finished paying for the move-- and we have finally been able to start saving the past couple months.So our goal is to continue this....saving some each month....and hopefully, once I have a better job, saving even more!

(5) Find a job.  The job search is finally beginning to wear on me.  I know some things happened that I couldn't control --  namely, a government shutdown, but constantly looking and/or being rejected is starting to get me down. The past couple weeks have been particularly hard-- a couple rejections where they narrowed it down to me and someone else and hired the other person because of more experience or because that person was from the Congressman's state (which its hard to disagress with home state allegiance!) Not only do I want a job so I can start my career here, I also know that certain futuristic things like home buying, etc can't really happen until I am employed in a better position for awhile. This is just one of those goals I have to trust that God will provide in His own time. I can apply and network and search, but in the end, He will open the right door. So, when jobs fall through and I'm disspointed, I take a day or two off and drink a glass of wine and watch tv then get right back at it.....

(6) Remember the Lord's faithfulness. I remember telling myself (on the week of my wedding) that I wanted to always remember that the Lord is faithful to provide and sustain us. I was experiencing His provision (after many prayers) and wanted to never forget His faithfulness in the future.  And, now, I am definitely praying that I see the Lord's faithfulness now and that when discouraged, I remember His faithfulness in times past.  That is my goal for this year (and for every year).

(7) Be a better wife.  Like #6, this is not just a 2014 goal, but hopefully an ongoing goal.  I am still learning how to be a wife, but my goal this year is to be more forgiving, more loving, use more kind words, serve more, etc. 

(8) Run a race.   I want to run a race of some length --- it could be a 10k or a half marathon or a ten miler.   I just want to get back into training for races. 

(9) Pray expectantly....and keep up with a prayer journal.  I've been writing prayers, requests, answers, praises in my journal over the past few weeks and plan to continue. I want to watch the Lord work in my life and in others--- writing prayers down is a great way to remember the Lord's faithfulness (#6)

(10) Make a DC Bucket list and accomplish several things off the list this year.  We live in such a great area.  I want us to enjoy and take advantage of this city. We really did explore the city at first, but the longer we've lived here, its felt less like a tourist destination and more like our home -- which is great, but it also means are weekends now include more chores, rentining movies, cooking dinners, etc than exploring.  I've listed some things I want to do in the city and am going to encourage Dave to list a few "dc goals" too... we can slowly begin marking things off our "DC Bucket List"  Some of the "to dos" on my list: go to a play at one of the many theaters;  pick a neighborhood we want to explore and make a day of it -- walk around, shop, visit tourist sites, grab dinner or coffee, etc; go to union market (and/or eastern market) for breakfast and shop for our dinner items -- meat from the butcher, cheese, veggies- then cook a lovely meal from what we bought at the market that day (buying food at the market to cook that same day feels so urban to me!); go to an outdoor concert at Wolftrap; when its warm, get drinks on a rooftop bar in DC; go to the Virginia wineries together; go to  the H Street Country Club-- a bar with miniature golf on the inside. The list goes on! Some things I have done, but Dave has never done; but many things I haven't done either! I'm excited to further explore my new home!

(11) Travel.  Weekend trips, day trips and hopefully Toronto/Niagra Falls this coming fall. We love to travel and realize that its easiest without kids so we should do more of it now!

(12) Make weekly goals. (and thus, better manage our lives and schedules)  I think lofty year long goals are great, but I am a big believer in making lists...and then trying to accomplish about 3/4s of the list.  I did this a lot in law school, and I've started doing it some in DC.  These aren't always exciting goals -- for example, one of my goals for this week is "sew buttons back on Dave's coat"  and "take clothes to the dry cleaner" But, my list also includes a couple fun items like "plan a date night for Dave and me" (last weekend we were busy so busy with meetings and work and chores that we just rented a movie and cooked in, so this week my goal is that we actually go out in the city for a few hours and have fun!) Having weekly goals is a great way to get the small things done in life!

2014 got off to a rocky start- and to be fair, it is hard to top 2013, BUT I have high hopes for this year! Excited to see where God leads us in the coming months!