2015 New Year's Resolutions: Getting Personal

Happy New Year!  Well, I guess I'm a few hours ahead of myself.  

I always get so nostalgic this time of year.  I want to hold on to every sweet moment.  Our little family has gone through so much this year, in the best way.  And I have grown immensely in my faith, in my confidence, in my abilities with my long list of interests, and maybe even my waistline a tad.  (Although, I'd prefer not to keep that last one.)

2014 was a year full of changes.  At the beginning of the year, we were adjusting to our new (and first) house.  I was juggling being a mom, being a wife, being a full-time high school English teacher in our new town, and somehow squeezing the projects, writing, and posting in the middle of it all.  

In June, my husband and I made the decision for me to leave teaching to become a stay-at-home mom.  It was incredibly scary making the switch to being a single-salary family, but my heart told me it was right.  But the smaller income made me that much more determined to DIY on a major budget.

2014 has been proof to me that God always has a plan.  I always wandered with my hobbies.  I got a degree in English, but never really had the desire to write literature.  I'd wanted to go into journalism but didn't know if I could handle the competition.  I'd been a portrait studio photographer for several years before deciding it wasn't the path for me.  I was passionate about interior design but never thought about it being my profession.

Blogging was a total out-of-the-blue realization, but I'm so glad to have found something that has everything I love all rolled up into one.  When I seemed to be wandering aimlessly without any certainty of a direction, God made it all come together.

And along the way, He blessed me with a supportive husband and our sweet little girl to make it all possible.  I can't even fathom it, but all I know is I couldn't have planned it better myself.

2015 has big shoes to fill.  Even though my heart overflows with happiness, there are still so many goals I want to conquer.

Goals for 2015:

1.  Get organized.  The cluttered pantry, my jam-packed craft closet, my embarassing number of junk drawers, the randomly placed files on my computer- It HAS to stop!

2.  Get back to eating Paleo.  Don't focus on a weight loss number; just get healthy.

3.  Work on more Twitter interaction.  And actually figure out how it works...is that sad? 

4.  Drink more water.  Seriously, how hard is that?

5.  Spend more time outside in the fresh air.

6.  Try to make time for a daily devotion- even if it's only for 10 minutes.

7.  Get our little one out of the crib and into her big girl bed.  And hopefully keep my sanity intact.

8.  Stop wasting time on the little things.  I mean it.  Step away from the Facebook newsfeed, Lauren!

9.  Worry less.  

10. Have faith more.

11.  Round up all of our digital photos to put into family year book albums.  

12.  Practice more with photography.  

13.  Plan some exciting mommy/toddler activities and watch less TV.

14.  Enjoy this toddlerhood stage no matter what the struggle.  One day, I'm going to miss it.

15.  Take more pictures of myself with loved ones and stop being concerned about how my makeup, hair, weight, etc. looks.  In 20 years, it won't even matter.

16.  Revamp the blog design.  It's way past time.

17.  Be a better listener for my husband.  

18.  Do little things to still "date" my husband- leave love notes around the house, surprise him with a night out with the guys, simply tell him how much I appreciate him every day.

19.  Stay true to my own identity.  And embrace it.

20.  Stop trying to strive for perfection.  Imperfections and differences should always be celebrated.

I really can't say enough how very thankful I am for all of you who have followed this blog this year.  You keep me going and hold me accountable.  No matter what 2015 has in store for you, I hope you take the time to be thankful for what you have, not for what you wish to have.  If you have shoes on your feet and breath in your lungs, you are already starting off the year so much better than so many others.  Hold onto the good memories, let go of the bad, and strive for a better you each and every day.

Blessings,

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