Just a little update

As much as I wanted to participate in A. Liz Adventure's Five on Friday, I didn't want my readers to get sick of reading because all I do is list five things going on with me.  So, instead I updated my 30 by 30 list.

I have quiet a ways to go to fulfill my whole list, but I'm on my way! Check it out:

1. Obtain a Master's Degree in Education 
 I think this is going to change to a Master's Degree in anything, English, Technology, Education...something. Not necessarily just Education.
2. Be debt free (with the help of one Dave Ramsey and his baby steps)
    --exception--our mortgage
3. Become more active (by using the C25K program) and be at my goal weight
   --yes, I do realize Aubrey and I have similar goals...it freaks Kyle out how similar she and I are
4. Read 100 new books.
  --This year my goal is 24 books total...I'm not quite there yet
  1. Twisted (Laurie Halse Anderson), 2. The Glass Menagerie (Tennessee Williams)
5. Improve my photography skills--I have a nice camera, but I'm not good with it
6. Create a blog schedule and stick to it
7. Send snail mail 300 times, just because
8. Take 3 road trips (2 with Kyle and 1 EPIC trip with Aubrey)
9. Send out Christmas cards every year (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
10. Read through the Bible with Kyle
11. Bake "just because" cupcakes for people 8 times (twice per year)
12. Make salsa with the tomatoes from our garden
13. Run a 5K, twice
14. Create a cookbook for both sides of my family (mom's & dad's sides)
15. Compile 100 new recipes that our family LOVES & put them into a database
16. Visit & review all of the local restaurants and businesses in town with our friends
17. Make homemade gifts for each baby born (in our families)
18. Surprise four someones with a little "I'm thinking about you" gift.
      1. On its way 3/19
19. Do something special for my husband every season.
20. Visit Seattle with Kyle
21. Visit San Francisco
22. Landscape my front yard
23. Plant my garden each year from seedlings I've started (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
24. Paint all of the rooms in our house colors that we want
     -I've picked out some of the paint, but it's not on the walls yet
25. Move the tree OUT of our back yard...the poor thing--there's no room for it!
26. Build something for our house--by myself! (a shelf, a cupboard, a table, etc)
27. Create a memory book from our wedding to have on display at home
28. Become (consistently) involved in a small group through church
29. Purge my wardrobe twice a year (spring/fall)
30. Take a long vacation/staycation with Kyle & just do all of the things we've dreamed of

So things are coming together, but hopefully I'll become more ambitious as spring arrives.

Year Goals {By the Numbers}

I don't usually do resolutions for each new year. I've seen monthly goals and I've seen year long goals. I've been thinking about what my goal(s) should be for this year.

Do I want to lose weight?
Do I want to read (school books, self-help, my Bible, etc) more?
Do I want to foster better relationships?
Do I want to pay off lots of my loans?
Do I want to grow more as a teacher?

There are so many things that I want to achieve. But I've decided that I want to have just one goal.

Be the best that I can be.

That's my one goal for 2015. I want to be the best:

*wife, teacher, writer, friend, daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, person*

that I can be.

The hardest part about this goal is trying to find ways to achieve it. So what's happening this year, is I'm setting small goals to help me achieve my ultimate goal.

One day a week, I'm going to send a message to a friend or family member letting them know how much they mean to me.
Two days a week, I'm going to sit down and have some me time. No distractions. For 30 minutes.
Three days a week, I'm going to the gym. It can be for 20 min or 120 minutes (hah!).
Four days a week, I'm going to bring my own coffee to work. No more buying coffees regularly.
Five days a week, I'm going to cook homemade suppers (seven if we're really ambitious).
Five days a week, we're going to bed earlier for school.
Six days a week, I'm going to read out of an actual book before I go to bed.
Seven days a week, I'm going to show my husband how much I love him (I'm sure there'll be a series of posts of how that's going...)

I know there are more things I'm going to do...if I want to be a better writer and teacher, maybe I'll commit to reading 4 teaching books this year and writing in this space a few times a week. If I don't write here, I'll have to write somewhere else too.

Stay tuned. 

I'm sure I'll have more updating to do on this goal. 

How Many Things Can I Learn in a Year?

We've been married for a little over a year now and so many people keep asking, "How was the first year?" or "What did you think of the first year?" Thus far my response has been, "Some days I can't believe it's already been a year and others I can't believe it's only been a year!"

And that's the truth! Our first year of marriage has flown by. We've laughed and cried, smiled and fought, agreed and compromised. 

And through this first year of marriage I've learned things. Some lessons I expected to learn. And others were a surprise. 

I learned that I still really struggle with doing dishes...they're one of those extreme hatreds in my life. 

I learned that after living on my own for 5 years does not prepare me for my first night alone after only 5 months of marriage. Minimal sleep was had that night. 

I learned that it's not very hard to convince me to watch "just one more" episode of our current tv series. (Parks and Rec right now...in case you were wondering)

I learned that I'm way more selfish than I thought I was. *surprise, I know...*

I learned that the things that make my husband happy, can be sacrifices for me. (Biking many miles? Really??) *Okay...it hasn't been that awful...*

I learned that there are certain types of time spent together that I need.  Watching tv is being together. But I desire quality time. Talking, (board) gaming, reading, dreaming, are the things that I desire. 

I learned that I love to cook for my husband...but it's hard to agree on meals that we both want. 

I learned that I really just want to make my husband happy. 

And in the end, that's my goal. 

At a wedding yesterday, Pastor Seth recounted something a family member had passed on. He said that if we remember that love is patient and kind, that's what matters. That's what matters because after that, the rest of 1 Cor. 13 takes care of itself. 

Patient. I'm still working on that. And it's hard. 

Kind. Also a struggle sometimes. Sometimes the sharp words come faster than the kind words. 

Those are two of my marriage goals for this next year of marriage. Show patient love and show kind love.