11 Goals for 2011: Checking In

June 15, 2011
Well, we are at the halfway-through-2011 point.
Which means, it's time to check in with my goals for the year.
Here we go.

1. Spend time with Jesus daily

in the Word, in prayer, in worship, in nature, embracing His creation

doing pretty good... definitely been in more prayer daily and looking for Him in the little {and big} things.
loving worship music in the car {not a new thing, but always refreshing}.
reading the Word more frequently - still working on daily consistency.

2. Find a job in a hospital

and do a little professional development
i became NRP certified and an ENPC-provider.
i have a few classes lined up for the fall.
still working on the job in a hospital part.

3. Pay off my school loans 

yes, this is a lofty goal... but i think it's attainable
paid off one of three! working on #2 now.

4. Put in new carpeting/flooring in our condo

[this is a must if we are ever going to invite people over again :)]
hasn't happened yet. but lots of talk. need more action.. :)

5. Work on our marriage and love my husband even deeper than in 2010

[this is an even bigger must]
this has been a great year so far, marriage-wise.
lots of heartfelt chats about us and where we are headed.
we went to a marriage conference last weekend at church, which was awesome.
after discussing the idea for some time, we recently implemented "weekly check-in and planning" sessions.
best. idea. ever.

6. Take a few trips 

 [possibly Oregon/Washington, to visit my sister, and to visit S&V]
headed to visit S&V next week! so excited.
a slight change of plans, but we're headed to nevada in september to photograph a friend's wedding.
so there's another trip for the books. ;)

7. Plan our Italy trip and learn a little Italian
i believe we have decided on January 2013. our 5-year anniversary.
both of us are getting excited about the thought of going.
haven't begun planning yet, but have begun saving a bit.

8. Try some new [healthy] recipes and make dinner at least three times a week

this may seem rediculous since most people make dinner every night of the week

however, i am not most people [sorry babe]
good news: i have definitely have had multiple weeks of 3 homemade meals.
bad news: i think those weeks still may be the minority of weeks.
good news: this week, we went to the classy market across the street, picked up some yummy marinated chicken, salad and garlic bread, and cooked ourselves a feast. inspiration!
bottom line: getting there.

9. Spend some time crafting and exploring new crafts

and maybe make a few things that are show-able :)

this includes making birthday cards...and sending them on time
i've started making homemade greeting cards this spring, even selling some for $90 profit for the 3-day!
looking forward to making more soon.
haven't gotten to make as many birthday cards as i would like, but trying to send them.
i think my track record for getting them out and there on time is about 50%.
again, working on it.

10. Exercise. and Be on Time.

these are not related. but both are next to impossible for me to achieve, so they get a combined category
{on exercise} i signed up for the 3-day walk with my mom, which requires 24 weeks of lotsssss of walking!
last week was week 1... so i'm hoping by the end of the year i'll be able to say i am an avid exerciser/walker.
for now, i'll say i walked 3 miles yesterday.
{on being on time} well... i was going good. haven't done great. but definitely making effort.
good news is, tonight, we were five minutes early to an appointment. i think that's pretty good.

11. Live this passage:

 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." 

Philippians 4:4-8
difficult to evaluate. i have made serious effort to be in prayer in every situation. i've made effort to rejoice in the Lord and to have my heart guarded by peace. I believe the Lord has given me His peace in many situations over the last six months. i always get stuck at "what is true... think about such things." and now, i will move on to think about things that fit into the rest of the list. :)

All in all, I'm making progress. Definitely have much more progress to be made, 

but thankful for this time to check in and keep myself accountable.

How are you doing on your goals?