this year

there are a lot of things i'd like to work on this year. if i ever want to get any of them done, i better make a plan. so here they are...

serving others - our ward had a challenge this summer called the "summer of service". we were to pray and think of at least one thing we could do for someone else each day. we were also challenged to keep it going after the summer was over. let's just say i've been a little lax and haven't been on top of this as much as i should have. i know this will really bring true joy and happiness.

better mom and wife - i know, this sounds pretty generic, but this is something i really need to focus on. this goes along with serving others. i think i can be better at both of these if i'm serving. i need to put others first and focus on what i can do for them. i need to realize my work will still be there tomorrow, and the mess can wait because my baby will only be a baby once. i want to spend more quality time with my family. while my time at home is limited right now, i want to make the most of what i have. i want to be more patient and spend more time down on the floor with sophie. i want to spend quality time with jd and make sure that we make time for us. i want to serve jd and do anything i can to keep him happy because i love my family!

more organized/productive - i love organizing and being organized....in certain areas. some areas of my life are ridiculously organized while others are a complete disaster. i'm constantly forgetting things and running short on time. and it drives me (and i'm sure jd) nuts. i now have a planner in my purse, a calendar at home for all our activities and one on my wall at work. i'm trying to get things ready ahead of time and plan my time better (or more realistically). there are a lot of areas i need to be more productive in. and, hopefully if i'm a little more organized i can be more productive. i need to use my time wisely. i always feel good when i'm productive. so why don't i do it all the time?

training for 1/2 marathon - this may be quite a ways out, but i want to do it. i struggle to find the motivation for this, especially when its 15* outside and smoggy. lucky for me, i just read a great article that a friend of mine wrote about motivation (and she's a great role model). i need to find something that i like and that i can stick to.

healthy eating - i've been trying to work on this lately, little by little. i am cooking quite a bit more, but don't have a lot of ideas/recipes for healthy cooking. any ideas, recipes or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. we have switched over to whole grains, ground turkey breast, no trans fats, really cut down eating out, but i think its the sugar that gets us. we love sugar, ugh!

increased faith - i thought i had learned this lesson well with the whole pregnancy business. i guess not as well as i had thought. we have been struggling as to where our life goes from here. i would like to work less and be home with sophie more and jd needs more of a career kind of job/path. this is a tricky situation, financially. does jd try to find a better paying job so i can be home more or go back to school first and then find a better job? either way it'll be a change to the way we're used to living...on 2 incomes. we're trying to have faith that the Lord has something in store for us...i'm sure better than what we could plan. it's tough to wait it out when nothing seems like it's working out. this one ended up sounding like a downer, but what i'm really trying to say is...i need to have more faith that the Lord is guiding us and will do what is right for our family. i just need to be patient. and that is NOT easy for me.

well, it looks like i have my work cut out for me. wish me luck!