Second, this post signals the end of an era... or something like that. One of my goals in 2013 was to blog weekly. Obviously, that didn't happen. To be honest, I think about writing a lot; blogging ideas occupy my mind when I exercise. Mostly, I think that is because working out for me is somewhat comical, and I veer towards self-deprication when I am uncomfortable. At any rate, this is one of the areas that I want to work on in 2014. So, I am changing things up a bit.
For the foreseeable future, in addition to witty commentary about my life *snicker*, I am going to start using this blog as a journaling forum. This means several things, not the least of which is that many of you might learn way more about my thoughts and feelings than you ever wanted to. There are a few of you that receive this blog via email; I am going to discontinue this unless you tell me otherwise (to save you from Rebekah overload.) The exception to that is Matt..... he's going to hear from me whether he wants to or not.
I hope to be able to address (productively) many of the thoughts and feelings that come to my mind. Just a warning, that may be scary. In some instances, the names may be changed to protect the innocent, and in others you many get an honorary mention; just depends on the mood that I am in. There are several topics that, to be honest, Matt is sick of hearing about, so I need another outlet and in my puppy-induced insomnia, this seemed like the right place.
For the first month or so, I am going to try to post everyday... with the help of a prompt.
There, you've been warned. Choose your response accordingly.
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Moving forward.......
Returning and reporting on progress in 2013.
Health & Fitness
- Made good strides in tracking food and protein intake thanks to MyFitnessPal.
- Exercise wasn't as consistent as it was in 2012, but I ran in at least 5 races. There may have been more, but I can't remember for certain. A big disappointment was that I was supposed to run a 10-miler with Matt in October but had to forgo it because of my hysterectomy. Unfortunately, that whole experience really threw me for a loop and has hurt my training for the half-marathon I'm supposed to "run" next week in Disneyworld. I keep telling myself that it will be okay and that the worst that can happen is that they collect me from the course for not keeping up. At this point, I'm not sure whether that will be an embarrassment or a relief.
- Fruits and veggies.... still don't love them, although I discovered avocados this year and they are so my new favorite.
Financial
- Made a respectable effort to stay more on top of my bank accounts this year. I have discovered that we do not, in fact, have a money tree that grows in the backyard and that I can't run through Target throwing money at things. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.
Spiritual
For some reason, these are the failures that seem the most glaring. I kind of suck at this stuff.
- I can say with some degree of certainty that I made progress in my personal daily prayers. I tried really hard (most of the time) to pray about things that were causing me concern and to act accordingly.
- Family Home Evening. I have a hard time with this, but think it's so important. I need to do better and stop using the excuse that Matt is out of town as a reason to not follow through with this. I am hopeful that I have a few new ideas up my sleeve and pledge to work hard in 2014 to get me and the kids working harder in the spiritual sense.
- Personal Progress. Ughhhh. I soooooo suck at this. There are so many moms in my ward who work with their girls, who set a good example and who achieve goals themselves.... what is my problem? I really need to sit down with Erin (and soon with Allie) and get a handle on this. Erin is almost finished as a Beehive and I don't think I can say she's done much. What am I going to do when we add Faith in God for Jack and Cub Scouts in January???
Domestic Goddess Duties
What? You don't have these? I bet you do. They're generally boring, but I try to spice them up when I can. Goals for 2013 included:
- Weekly grocery shopping and meal planning. Pleased to say that although there were a few rough patches, this generally went better than ever this year. I am still working on trying to think outside the box when it comes to meal planning (my box is very small,) but feel as though I am making progress all the time.
- Making my bed everyday. Not a big thing, but something that changes the way I feel every morning. At the very least, it is much harder to crawl back into a made bed after the kids get off to school, and if I immediately cover it with clean laundry, chances are good that it will get folded as well.
Personal
In 2013, I wanted to take time weekly to read and quilt and I also wanted to blog weekly. Let me just say this... I made one quilt in 2013 (for my new nephew River) and had/have great plans to make them for babies Stella, Ezra, Archer and Charlotte. Not sure that it's going to happen, but I do have a sizable stash of fabric in the basement for just such occasions.
I started off 2013 reading a ton, but kind of fizzled out during the summer. I have at least two dozen new books upstairs waiting to be read and hope that the reading bug bites. There's nothing better than a good book.
If you're reading this blog, you know that the blogging part of my resolution went nowhere last year. I wrote more catch-up posts than anything else.... but the point is, I kept coming back.
So, for 2014, I've decided to change my strategy a bit. Instead of setting specific goals in several areas this year, I thought I would select a few key words and try to make them the guiding principles in 2014. Continuing with the post theme of alliteration (and showcasing a masterful command of alphabetic order,) my words for 2014 all start with the letter S.
- SIMPLIFY - this is one of the things I feel most strongly about, but struggle with, nonetheless. When I spent the better part of 10 weeks in bed recovering from my hysterectomy (and no, I'm not seeing how many times I can use that word in a day,) it was very nice to have the rigors of daily life retreat from my schedule. Of course they have crept back in, but I am resolving to try and keep my schedule more clear in 2014 and to make the things that occupy my time and the time of my family, meaningful. If you see me, remind me of this, will you?
- SPIRITUAL - Obviously, I struggle with this. So, simply put, I am going to try and be more dedicated to reading my scriptures in 2014. Matt and I are going to take time together every morning (no matter the time zone difference) to read for just 10 minutes. We should be able to do that, right? Anything else in this area is a bonus. I have felt a lot lately, that I am holding myself back and the Lord is only waiting for me to put forth the effort to bless me. A simple answer, I know, but one I obviously struggle with.
- SAVING - time and money. This is a rough one when you struggle with feelings of inadequacy and depression. My go-to problem solvers are eating (which is getting better) and spending money. I tell myself that it's not frivolous... it's usually for the house, or the kids, or the school.... but let's be honest, the whole Target credit card thing should serve as a wake-up call for me:) Every time I think about trying to be a better steward of the resources I have been blessed with, I am taken back in time to an experience that Matt and I had with some good friends right after we were married. At the time, we felt so poor (hello, Top Ramen, Mac n Cheese and whatever Matt could scrounge together on a tortilla), but in looking back, there were a few bright spots and I can say that if I had taken a good look around me, we had it pretty good. Anyway, one Saturday night, we drove to Provo to spend the evening with friends, eating in their apartment and watching a movie. It was a little basement apartment, certainly not fancy, but filled with love. The couple were both students at BYU, and the phrase "starving students" definitely applied. Stay with me folks..... In all this, one thing sticks in my mind. This couple had decorated their apartment with phrases to help them remember the positive things that life had to offer. I can still see the small sign over their kitchen table, "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." I NEED to remember this. It is hard to sacrifice; for ourselves and others, but the results are so worth it. I know that if I work hard to remember this in 2014, my family will be better off.
- SHARING - this final guiding principle for 2014 is about being more authentic with myself and others. I am well aware that some of you may find my "sharing" annoying, but I am looking to stretch myself a bit, and to see if writing can serve as a problem solver, taking the place of eating and shopping.
I hope you guys like the new look of the blog (although if anyone wants to help me with a few more design elements, I'd be grateful.) Thank you, in advance, to those of you who choose to stick with me through this journey of self-evaluation and revelation; I promise nothing except you won't be bored (kind of like your own personal train wreck.)
Best wishes for a happy and productive 2014..... it's going to be rockin'!
