So long 2013 and some resolutions

I've always been one to set goals and have always loved making New Year's Resolutions. At least since high school with my best friend Katie Fro (short for Frohman, but Fro was more fun to say), we met up at the local Waffle House around midnight and write out some resolutions on napkins and share them with each other. To this day we still try to share what we hope to do in the coming year. I think there is something valuable about setting your eyes on a goal and taking reasonable and practical steps to achieve that goal. Whether it's adding something to my life or subtracting something, it's good to look back and look forward at the end of each year.

This year has been a really good year overall. Heartache, loss, pain of course at times, but also so much joy and peace and new directions. We were matched with a beautiful little girl and brought her home this year, my mom and dad are closer to finalizing their divorce, my grandmother's health is declining, we took and completed the Perspectives course which has forever changed us, I read a couple eye opening books with some rad women over the span of the year, didn't get a 1/2 marathon in this year, maybe next...maybe not, and lots and lots in between. It's good to look back, and looking forward, 2014 looks to be a very busy, full, and promising year. May God continue to plant seeds, water and grow them in my life and for His glory!

Here are a few of my resolutions:
1. Read through the Bible, starting with the New Testament, writing down verses to post around my house and in my kids' rooms.
2. Read these books: The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancy, Autobiography of George Muller: A Million and a Half Answer to Prayer, The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Miraculous Movements and The Father Glorified by Jerry Trousdale and some others.
3. Decrease consumption of sweets. This may sound somewhat vain and silly, but it's pretty necessary. It's about denying myself something, because otherwise I won't. And I tend to go overboard with the sugar, because it's so good. So, sweets just once a week, that's totally do-able.
4. Read these books for my kids' benefit: I'm Chocolate You're Vanilla, The Connected Child, and Shepherding a Child's Heart.  I have big (hopefully realistic) aspirations for my reading list in 2014, considering I well, don't read an awful lot. Here's to hoping!
5.  Run and stay active. Basically, maintain. It's not as easy having 2 little kids in the house, but I think I can keep going, for my own sanity mostly, and as a way of "self-care", something I think my grad program placed wayyyy too much emphasis on, but necessary to some extent!
6. Simplify, decrease, de-clutter, reduce, purge. And I'm talking about stuff. Nathan and I did quite a bit of that this past year when we read the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker. We gave 7 things away each day for a month.  I lost count, but we got rid of a lot, yet somehow my house is still packed full, every drawer, cabinet, closet is full.  This is excessive. This is not okay with me, so it's time to get serious about what is necessity and what isn't, what someone else could benefit from and what I can totally do without.
7. I don't know how I'm going to make this one specific exactly, but since we are now on 1 budget, I want to do even better with budgeting and decreasing spending. There's a lot I feel like we already do without (cable, lawn/cleaning services, hair cuts, clothes shopping unless necessary), BUT there are so many areas I need to really re-evaluate and cut back on. Mostly food.  I am looking forward to finding ways to cut back here and there and to feed my family healthy wholesome food without going overboard on costs. This will just have to be a week-by-week thing.
8. Read Multiply and start making disciples. Stop living for myself, tell others about Jesus. Again, no game plan here (can we really have game-plans when it comes to sharing Christ or getting into relationships with others??), but I know I want to do this and am ready to start being intentional about sharing the Good News.

I think that will have to do for now. There are a lot of other things going on in our family that I'm sure I'll find time to write about soon. So much to think about and pray about. Good things and totally unexpected things. Adventures with God nonetheless. So, ultimately this year (and every day of my life) will be lived to God's glory. That's all I want.