out with the old and in with the new...

another whole year

has come and gone.

2013

was crazy.

it was a year of a huge blessing,

our new home.

with that home,

came loads of adventures

and very little extra time.

i feel like it was chaos from

beginning to end.

i am looking forward

to 2014 and making it

a year of calm.

there may have been some

baby talk from the boo

and my response was,

"don't you want a year

of no big life changes

a year of peace?"

that's what i'm looking forward

to and i'm hoping the lord is on board

with that plan.

i want to move at the speed of snail

this year and just slow down!

a lot.

here is the good from 2013:

our home.

our health.

sharing our lives

with the ones we hold dear.

for the most part, 

finishing the big projects

in the house.

learning to eat healthy

without all the fluff.

growing and learning more

about each other in our marriage.

becoming a person that wakes

up early naturally.

made more time for god.

there is much more good but those

are the highlights.

i won't point out the negatives but,

just so you know,

there were some.

nothing is perfect.

i'm heading into 2014

extremely determined.

more determined than 

i have been in a while.

i am determined to 

stick to my goals for the year.

we have our home and we are settled in.

i have a steady job.

we are finding our way in our marriage.

there are no huge changes taking place

that should distract me from these goals.

i am determined to focus

on them and make them

work throughout the year.

here's the plan for 2014:

make more time for god.

with each year, i feel i make progress

with this but there is always

room for growth in god.

i just want to spend

more time in his presence

and study his word with passion.

only feed the things that feed me

and the things that drain me,

leave those alone.

this is super important to me this year.

i won't go into details of this

because they are personal

but i have got to learn to focus

on the things that feed my soul.

i have got to quit giving energy and 

time to the things that drain the life

out of me.

i am a people pleaser

and a giver so this is hard

but it is time for me to self preserve

and i am determined to do so.

bring back the creativity.

i can count the number

of times i scrapped in 2013 on one hand.

ugh. not how i want to be able

to count those times.

i miss the creative part of my life.

2013 i dove into home decor

because i had to and that is fine

because that's the season i was in.

however,

i miss playing with home decor,

just for fun.

i miss scrapping.

i miss blogging.

i miss taking pictures.

i have made some investments

to make sure these hobbies come back

in full bloom this year.

excited to play in my scrap room.

run.

ah, fitness.

the constant battle.

i feel that i've gotten the eating

healthy down.

trust me,

it's by no means super strict

but that's what's working i think.

i still give myself some room

but i'm eating better because i want to.

i need to run though.

i need to do it to tone.

i need to do it to clear my head.

i just need to do it.

do meal planning and cook.

i am determined to cook this year.

i don't plan on being unrealistic

and say i will cook every night

or even every week for that matter.

yes, every week 

would be unrealistic for me.

i just want to try and plan our meals

to help ensure some success with the 

whole cooking thing.

i really am going to try.

be more organized.

i used to be painfully organized.

i used to plan out every aspect

of life and the day to day.

this year, i kind of had

to fly by the seat of my pants.

this coming year,

i want to find a happy medium.

i want to be more organized

to ensure time and energy

for all of the things i love.

quit giving so much at work.

i posted about my job a while back.

well, this school year

has changed the way i feel a bit.

i do still believe it is my ministry, for now.

however,

i have got to quit giving so much there.

i can't do it anymore.

i have learned that it is pointless

to spend countless personal hours

towards my job.

i refuse to drain myself for a paycheck.

that's what it is.

i wil get what i can get done done.

what i can't get done,

will have to wait.

i am there from 7-4 everyday

and that is it!

i have gone above and beyond

and realized that it doesn't pay off.

so, i will scale back and do what i can.

oh and i won't apologize for it.

(shane will be so happy to read this.)

read.

bring on the books.

i sure do miss em.

i read 2 books in 2013

and boy i sure hope to make

that many more for 2014.

i still really wanna start a book club too.

let shane choose.

i want to give shane the choice

of things more.

what i mean is,

when we go places,

do things,

pick vacations,

i'm usually the one to choose

and shane just goes with it.

this year, i want to let him 

choose more.

and i want to happily do them

without pouting or pitching a fit.

i am so hoping all these goals

don't go out of the window after

a few weeks as they seem

to do because life

takes over.

i am so grateful

to have another year to 

live for the lord

and try to make myself a better person.

here's to the wonderful memories

of 2013 and the lovely

promises that 2014 holds.

i pray the year is blessed

for all of you.

ash...