I’m not usually one for New Year’s Resolutions (and yes… I’m aware that New Years was over 2 weeks ago… BUT, I’m not usually a fan, mostly because I know that if I were to make them… I’d break them in 2.7 seconds.  It is like my brain takes my decision to change something in my life as a challenge to see how fast I can break it. Oh… you want to go on a diet… how about you drink 3 Large Dr. Peppers instead? Okay… cool.

So I don’t usually make them.  But for a whole host of reasons, this year feels like a good year to make some generic goals for the year.  Maybe it is that we are moving and will be in a new city.  Maybe its because it is Taylor’s first full year and I want to start good traditions and have been thinking a lot lately about what kind of parent I want to be.  Or maybe I just miss having a list like my 30 before 30 to focus me on the things I want to do. I’m not sure what exactly, but I find myself really drawn to the idea of challenging myself this year.  So without further ado, my goals for 2016.

1. I want to learn to code.  Like webpages.  I took a computer science class in college and loved it; I’m also sort of the default tech person at our small business because i’m the only one who knows anything much about computers.  But I think this is something I could be good at and I love learning things like this.  So I’ve already kind of started this one by signing up for Codecademy and you know… in all my free time, I’ll be working through it.  I’ve done a few lessons already and love the step by step process.  We will see how I feel when it gets more complicated!
2. Run a half marathon. I have run 2 1/2 half marathons (the half is a long story that involves me signing up for too many things on one day and deciding I’d rather watch KU play in the Elite 8 but not wanting to bail on a friend) but it has been a few years.  I’m wanting to get back into running post baby, so I have a jogging stroller and so as soon as the temps warm up… she and I will be pounding the pavement and starting the slow process of building up endurance again.  My goal is the Prairie Fire Half in October as a way of getting to know my new city better!
3. Blog More. In the insanity that has been my last several months–sort of single parenting, getting the house ready to sell, finding a house to buy, my normal day job, blogging has taken an understandable backseat.  But I truly miss logging my life online and working on projects and updates.  I’m guessing that this year it will be more parenting/crafting than projects and house updates (I promised my husband I wouldn’t buy a fixer upper–despite my addiction to everything Magnolia–so our new house doesn’t need much updating), but I still have the goal of being more semi-regular in posting than I have been.
4. Say No more often.  Moving to this new city feels like somewhat of a fresh start, and while absolutely LOVE my life in TX and all of the things I say yes to, I want to be intentional in this new place about thinking through what I want to be involved in.  My husband will have a much more demanding new job and with our little family I want to make sure that the things that will take away from our time as the 3 of us are something I really want to do, not just something I get asked to do.
5. Have more Lazy Days.  Sort of related to item #4, I am so guilty of over-scheduling my life and I want to have more freedom to take long walks, go play at the park, or just have a lazy day at the house without feeling the need to GO GO GO or finish an obscenely long list of to-dos.

So those are my broad goals for 2016.  Who knows what life will throw my way, but for now those have been on my mind… and there is nothing like throwing out to the old inter-webs to keep you accountable.

What do you think? Can I do it? Or am I too hard wired to be who I am?

My beautiful yard with lots of pretty flowers that my mom spent several days slaving over while I was 9 months pregnant and floating in the pool (true story) have died.  Not all of them… but for sure all the ones in pots.  Its Texas in the extremely long summer fall afterall, so forgetting to water your pots makes flowers die in about 24 hours.  And remembering to water things every day? Not happening around here.

So my plants are dead.  But my daughter and my dog are still alive and doing well, which is what really counts.

Life is a bit crazy around here.  My husband took a new job which requires him to be gone for training for a while, so I’m trying to juggle keeping the house going, keeping my day job, and learning how to be a good mom, all on my own.  This time in my life has given me mad respect for all the single parents out there… your job is NOT EASY.  I am so lucky my time as a single parent is for a relatively short and finite time.  But more than anything it has made me supremely grateful for the support network I have.  I am so so lucky to have great friends and great family that help bail me out when I need it and also just help me make the load a little lighter.  These last few months have had HUGE life changes and while they are all great and amazing changes, they take a certain amount of adjusting and hard work.  And really, they have made me really focus on the things that are important in life.  On that list and in no particular order? My daughter, my husband, my friends, my family, my faith, and getting to enjoy the now.

But do you know what’s not on that list? A perfectly clean, designed house, a finished to do list, or worrying about the future.  And so while a huge part of me wants this transition time to go faster, there is another huge part that is saying “stop, enjoy these moments for what they are, relish in the fact that your child is changing every day, and that there is great beauty in the imperfection”.

I have continually in this phase of life been grateful for God’s timing, for friend’s selflessness and for just a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on.  And this face makes it all worth it.

So while my flowers have suffered, the things that are important haven’t.  I am eternally grateful for that and I might just forgive myself for letting the not so important things fall to the wayside.