13 in 2013

Well, I have officially spent far too long thinking about this post and now we're a couple weeks into 2013 and I am just now solidifying my goals for the year. I have gone back and forth in my mind about what I want to do, and I've finally committed to them...I think ;)

I read a blog recently where the author did 12 goals in 2012 and 13 in 2013, so I think I'll follow Regina's lead and do 13 goals. However, some will be smaller than others, as I know that I have a lot going on already and don't want to set myself up for failure. Here are my 2013 goals, in no particular order:

1.) Try 2 new recipes each month. Since having all this dental work done, my desire to cook has declined significantly. I've spent so much time lately with a sore mouth that I either don't feel like eating or have very limited soft options, so I haven't cooked a real meal in...well, I don't remember the last one, so that tells you how long it has been. I really enjoy cooking most of the time and want to get back on track, so I'm hoping to try some new dishes and be more adventurous in this arena. I need to get going if I'm going to make this happen in January--time to get on Pinterest and start searching for new recipes.

2.) Memorize the book of James. I've actually already been working on this one for a while. Each year at CIY (the summer camp we go to), students get Kingdom cards and they receive some sort of challenge for the next year. You don't have to open an envelope, but if you open it, you have to do it. I have seen cards that include selling your most expensive possession and giving away the money, joining a new club at school, raising money to go on a foreign mission trip, starting a bible study at your high school and even memorizing the book of Ephesians. I decided I'd take on a Kingdom challenge at CIY this year along with the students and committed to memorizing my favorite book of the Bible, which is James. It's been tricky because I grew up with NIV (didn't we all??) and now our church uses ESV, so trying to memorize it with different wording than I already knew is a bit difficult. I've slacked off the past couple months and am still on Chapter 1, but I'm ready to kick it back in high gear again. I will complete this goal by August when we go to CIY (Christ in Youth) again.

3.) Pay off the Camry. We bought a house and a car in the same week last March. We wish we would have waited on the car, but we were stressed to the max about the house and bought the car in a bit of a rush. Silly us; lesson learned. Even so, we are blessed to have the money to pay for it and are going to really attack that debt and completely pay it off in 2013. Then, we'll probably start saving for our next vehicle, but putting money in savings always makes me feel way better than giving it away to some bank in California who charges us interest. Oh, and that will make us debt-free, except our house, which is always exciting!

4.) Give away produce from my garden. As I attempt to have a better, more productive garden this year, I want to be able to bless some other people with the fruits of my labor. Ideally, I'd like to give away at least some small portion of everything I grow. Based on last year's garden, that would mean I should have given away one of the 3 total snap peas I grew...let's hope for better results this year!

5.) Complete 12 crafty projects. I'm trying to leave this one a little bit more vague so I can have the freedom to sew or crochet or make holiday decorations or whatever I feel like. I'm totally ok combining this with another goal...my blog, my rules! haha

6.) Make our house feel more like a home. This one is pretty subjective, but I'm the one who has to follow through, so as long as I understand it, that is all that matters. With this one, I am thinking along the lines of buying/making curtains for the living rooms windows so our neighbors can't see straight in our house, getting a couple rugs for the bedrooms, putting some decorations up on the walls, replacing old yellow light fixtures, etc. I did quite a bit of holiday decorating, but now that Christmas stuff is put away, it feels pretty empty and bare in here.

7.) Take a break from my iPhone. I need to just say it: I am addicted to my phone. There is no denying it or excuses. It has gone too far. I have it by my side pretty much every second of the day; it is the last thing I look at when I lay down in bed and the very first thing I look at in the morning. I don't plan to get rid of my iPhone, but I am going to take some important, difficult steps to spend less time staring at that little screen. Plus, it's going to be much easier to accomplish these other goals if I'm spending less time checking social media on my phone.

8.) Keep in touch with our Compassion-sponsored children. We sponsor a little girl named Patience and a little boy named Baraka through Compassion International. Our monthly donation is deducted from our bank account directly, so the money always gets to the kids, but I think I only wrote 2 or 3 letters all of last year. I really want to be better about writing letters and sending small gifts to these two. I want to have more of a relationship with them instead of just sending money their way and hoping for the best.

9.) Develop a deeper prayer relationship. My prayer life has really been suffering for quite some time now. It's sporadic and inconsistent and sometimes non-existent. I always say I'll pray for someone; I occasionally actually do pray for them. I think about what I want DAILY; I ask God what HE wants sometimes. I've recently been convicted about this significant problem in my spiritual life and am making it a priority to improve immediately.

10.) Play with Sky every day. We have a seriously energetic dog with two prone-to-be-lazy owners, and that is just not fair to Sky. I don't think I could ever tire him out, but he does deserve to have more of our attention. Again, less time with the phone will really help here! Every day (when I'm in town, of course) I want to do something with him...go for a walk, play in the yard, throw a ball, run around the house in circles (this one is one of his favorites!), SOMETHING. We got a dog to play with and love and I want to do just that in this next year.

11.) Clean, organize and purge one drawer, closet, or cabinet each month. I am really not a hoarder/pack rat and I don't enjoy keeping a lot of junk just in case I might need it someday. I LOVE the feeling of sending unused items out of my home, so this one will be really satisfying for me. I don't think I'll have a ton of things to get rid of since I already try to do this on a fairly regular basis, but I know I will find things I didn't even know we owned (since some drawers have remained closed since we moved in almost a year ago).

12.) Spend time with and learn about people different than me. It is easy to be with people who are like me, but I don't want "easy" to be how my life is described. I want to step out of my comfort zone this year and make a real effort to be around people who don't fit in the same demographic as I do.

13.) Plan quality, creative time for Kory and I to be together. Kory and I spend lots of time together, but we don't always really engage with each other or spend meaningful time with each other. Right now, for example, I'm blogging on the laptop while he plays games on the iPad. We are sitting in the same room but haven't talked to each other for the past hour or so. I want to make a real effort to plan some technology-free time for us to be together and have fun!

As I read back through these, I realize that it might sound negative or like I'm really unhappy right now and have to make all these changes in my life to be satisfied. That is most definitely not the case. I just know that I have to make these commitments now if I am to become the person I want to be. I won't hold myself to the expectation of being perfect, but I will require that I make a valiant effort with each of these.

My plan is to do monthly updates on my progress with these goals. I know better than to promise a goal update every single month, but I'll do my best. Being a better blogger didn't make the list...maybe next year :)