I’m about a month late, but I wasn’t completely motivated to do the blogging part of new years. However, I think as I’ve accomplished different things, I want to tell people (besides Dan) about what I’ve done. But I hate talking about myself. I feel so silly when I make it about me. So I’ve come to the conclusion that I can write in here about things I’ve done/made/accomplished/failed at, and if someone CHOOSES to read it, they’re CHOOSING to hear about me. Right? I’m sure it won’t be all about me, because I want to include things that I’ve done that other people can do, too. So lets get started.
Heres a list of my new years resolutions:
Read my Bible more regularly.
Memorize a verse for the week.
Drink 3 bottles of water before coke is allowed.
Get in shape to meet next goal.
Run a half marathon by the end of 2010.
Have at least one night at home every week.
Cook a new recipe every two weeks.
Try a new craft project every month.
Minimize clutter.
Give freely.
Since January 1, Dan and I have joined a gym and worked out relatively consistently (until last week…) and I can tell a huge difference. Dan is a huge motivator for me and such a great encouragement! Not only have we joined 24, but I keep running into people that are wanting to run half marathons too! I thought I was crazy, now I find theres a whole lot of them! Let it be known, I’m going to attempt to run the White Rock Lake half marathon in November. (Lord, help me.)
I was doing REALLY good on the water, hardly drinking any cokes at all (Diet Coke is my kryptonite) until one of those super tired, I-need-caffeine-before-my-eyelids-slam-shut days. I can tell a clear difference with this too. But I will admit, it was incredibly frustrating to have to pee so often. Especially at work, when I’m in the middle of projects, etc. I should probably be drinking some water now…
I set a goal to cook a new recipe every two weeks, mostly because of time and realistically, how often we’re home to cook. But this is one resolution I have (so far) gone above and beyound with (in my humble opinion). Since January 1, I have made
Beef and Parmesan Pasta (not a new one, but definitely a great one)
Sundried Tomato and Spinach Stuffed Chicken (recipe compliments of my wonderful sister)
and
[left to right: Coconut Chicken Chili (minus the rice), Parmesan Zucchini, Sundried Tomato Spinach Chicken, Penne alla Vodka]
So I say above and beyond because my “rules” called for 2 new recipes this month, but I was able to do 4! And considering that once I started working back in October our dinners consisted of Grilled Cheese, Tomato Soup, and Mac-n-cheese (respectively), its awesome to look back on this month and see how much fun it was to make these new recipes. Its super motivating to keep cooking too!
I wanted to try a new craft project every month because at the beginning of the year I felt inspired with free time and amazing websites. I have fallen in love with design*sponge, as well as Storage | Glee and Design Crush. There are tons more, but those are the top ones right now. Design*sponge has especially inspired me to decorate and be creative with simple things. They have a great list of DIY projects here. Earlier in January, I made this grocery planner which makes me feel organized and crafty (like my friends Andrea and Bekah). I’ve been working on redecorating the living room, via Photoshop (haha) which helps my indecisioness but also makes me second guess my decisions. Its so easy to paint the living room in Photoshop, too bad its not like that in real life. 
This weekend, our best man Gabe and I worked on this Illuminated Canvas project. I love the finished product and I’m so glad Gabe likes it too! I’m excited to see how ours turn out!
Clutter is suffocating. And I’ve felt lately a big urge to purge. We’ve managed to get rid of a lot of junk, but theres still so much! Maybe I’ll post things we can get rid of on here…
Along with minimizing comes giving. Being willing to let go of stuff allows you to open up to giving of yourself and your resources so much more freely. When you can really strip down what matters in a materialistic sense, its easier to see what matters for other people’s needs, too. Possible blog post on that.
Saving the best for last:
I am not good at reading my Bible. There. I said it. I love reading it and really digging in with cross references and everything, but I’m really bad (and always have been) about MAKING time for it. I feel like this speaks a lot to my discipline, and unfortunately where my heart is. I did memorize one verse from 2 Peter, “By His divine power, He has given us everything we need to live a godly life.” So rich. so so rich.Why don’t I read my Bible more? Is my time more valuable than God’s? Isn’t it God that allows me to even breathe this second? What in the world do I value more than spending time learning about the God that chose me even before the foundation of the world?
I’ve gotta get off this thing.
