Happy New Year!
I must admit, towards the end of 2013 I became very lackadaisical on my blog posting and for that I apologize. I have decided in 2014, I am going to try to write a blog post at least once a month. If you are lucky (ha, like you care) or if exciting things happen, I will possibly write more often than that. Overall 2013 was amazing. There were a lot of weddings, and if you know anything about me, I LOVE love, so that was special. I celebrated my one year anniversary of being married. I got baptized as an adult with my husband, renewing our vows to God and to each other. I made some awesome new relationships, while existing friendships grew even stronger. We started the process of looking to buy a home. While we really want to purchase our condo, as of now with the market, the landlord wants to hold onto it. No worries, we are looking at other units in our building and the surrounding area, so we shall see how that goes. This was also the first year I only had one job, therefore I will only have 1 W2, which seems crazy (becoming a woman).
When I look back at my New Year’s post from last year, I was happy to find that I did follow through with many of my resolutions for 2013.
My first goal was to find a fun activity for exercise and I can say I am so happy with Monkey Bar Gym. I am not a fan of the traditional gym, not exactly sure why, but if you have ever seen those Planet fitness commercials– that definitely doesn’t help, lol. MBG is all body weight exercises, you do not wear shoes and it is a boot-camp/group style class. I have never experienced such a full body workout every class, it is fantastic.
My second goal was to be more available to my friends. Not a text only friend and that is something I struggle with and resolve to work on this year.
Surprisingly, I did not drink coffee for half of the year, so I basically stayed true to my third goal. When those holiday drinks come out at Starbucks, I simply couldn’t contain myself.
I can definitely say I followed through with number four, being active in the church. Like I mentioned in the past, I love my church, Park Community. I was baptized, Matt and I became partners and we found an amazing small group and love our new friends. I see the work God is doing in my life and I am excited to see what 2014 brings.
Five, is another goal I resolve to work on this year. As I get a new item of clothing, it was my goal to donate a piece and I think I have donated a lot of clothes, but not every time I purchased something new.
Six, I did want to get a promotion at work, which has not happened, but we are currently working on changes with that, so check back soon.
The last two resolution goals have been met with flying colors. I wanted to travel for longer than 4 days and I think we did that a few times this year for weddings. Only a few of those were in surrounding states, but the goal was to have at least one big trip- check.
Lastly, I wanted to be the best wife I could be practicing patience, understanding and trust. I think Matt can attest to this, but I do not think we could be any happier. I had such a tainted view of what a wife should be prior to getting married, but what I have come to realize is there are no set of rules that outline the perfect wife. It’s all a learning experience that we are in together and as long as there is open communication and respect/appreciation for one another, you can’t go wrong.
This year I resolve to right the wrongs I did not follow through with last year, as well as attempt these…
- I want to communicate more regularly with my grandparents. Instead of waiting for them to call me, I should pick up the phone to talk. Life is fragile and instead of distancing myself to ease the pain once they leave this life, I should embrace that precious gift and take advantage of the time they are here.
- I would like to be strict gluten-free M-F (lunch) because I do honestly notice a difference in my energy levels and weight when I stick to this.
- I will love my profession, I will enjoy coming into work every day and I will look forward to my future.
- I would like to have a conversation with one “stranger” a day. Whether that is someone in the elevator, on the bus or in line at the grocery store. I know Chicago is a big city, but I’m sure it is tough for those alone and maybe this is the only conversation they will have all day. Seems easy right? I hope so.
I hope everyone else had a wonderful 2013! For 2014, please “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference”. Be blessed 🙂
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