Each year I blog about my monthly goals for the upcoming year. In years past, I've found that breaking it down to monthly goals is more successful - and attainable - than a yearly resolution. I'll be honest, I haven't looked at my goals for 2017 since, uh, February. So let's see how I did, shall we? I mean, what is a blog for if not for some painstaking accountability? ;-)
January: Get Mistletoe baptized and blog about it, mostly because Maronite baptisms (chrismations) are amazing. -
done.
February: Get back into blogging once a week. I might need to get better at one handed typing, but I’m still setting this goal and we’ll see what happens! -
done.
March: Celebrate Monkey’s second (?!?!) birthday. Publish my bible study book! -
half done. One was just the passing of time. The other is still on my hard drive...
April: Hopefully by the end of the month we will find out which campus we’ll be at next school year (2017-2018). Start researching housing, doctors, etc. Start packing our townhouse. -
nope. We didn't find out our next campus until May. Packed the townhouse though!
May: Travel to Colorado at least for a little bit, enjoy time with family and friends. Relax. RELAX. -
Yes to Colorado, not really much relaxing. It was awesome, but chaotic.
June: New Staff Training in Florida. Living in a dorm with 2 small children for 5 weeks. Sounds awesome and you are totally jealous, right? Right. But in addition to not needing to cook or do dishes for over a month, I also get to hang out with ~1,000 missionaries and spend time with other missionary families. Sure, there are drawbacks to training, but there are definite perks, too. And, unlike last year, we plan to fly rather than drive, so that will be nice too. My goal is to make new friends and not spend five weeks complaining about living in a dorm with kids and/or the cafeteria food. My other goal may be to figure out how to feed us using dorm approved appliances. -
Made new friends, didn't complain the whole time, made some new food in a dorm setting. Calling this one a win.
July: To be determined. Potentially some time in Colorado, potentially a trip to visit Anthony’s family in Lebanon, something else super exciting that hasn’t been announced yet, and preparing to move to fill-in-the-blank campus. (Even if we do stay in Boise, we’ll be moving out of our current townhouse, so either way we’ll move!) Whatever ends up happening, my goal for July is to prepare for another move without losing my mind. -
Did it. Prepared for a move, didn't lose my mind.
August: Move. Fall outreach. Meet students. Find our new normal as a missionary family. Personal goal: 30+ active minutes a day with the girls – at the park, walking the local trails, whatever. Get out and get active. -
Fall outreach didn't happen until September because the campus we are at is on a quarter system, not a semester system. I was active with the girls, maybe not every single day, but close!
September: Re-find my blogging groove and get back to blogging two times a week, consistently. Kind of sad that this goal is a full 9 months away, but I’m being realistic! -
Nope. Never happened.
October: Secret
Worthy book related project announced/introduced? Let’s shoot for that. Also, I’d like to read one book. One non-children’s book. Spiritual or not, doesn’t matter, I just want to read one book in one month. -
Nope to the book project, still. I did read a book though!
November: Create monthly personal, professional, and family goals for 2018. Spend one night away from the girls – date night away with Anthony! -
Nope and nope.
December: Celebrate Mistletoe’s first birthday! Continue making family traditions during Advent and Christmas. (Truth be told I am really excited for Advent next year, I feel like (I let) the end of pregnancy steal my focus from Advent to get-this-baby-out-of-my-belly.) Find some way of getting out of the house and being active, even if we are in some snowy climate that is frigid. -
Yes to Mistletoe's birthday! Yes to new traditions! Got out of the house some, even in the rainy PNW.
So...that's 21 goals by my count and I got a whopping 15/21. Not as bad as I thought for not looking at the goals since February!
Instead of making monthly goals for myself this year, I'm trying something new. With our life as missionaries, things are unpredictable. We only know where we'll be through May 2018. We don't even know where we'll be for summer training yet. Life beyond mid-May is a mystery, which makes goal setting hard. So here's the plan: daily, weekly, and monthly goals that are the same for each day, week, and month of the year. Goals that aren't dependent on where we are or what happens. These are goals that can be met regardless of most circumstances life may throw at us (because you never really know what God is going to do!).
Daily
Read the bible. Daily readings/the
Blessed Is She is my goal, but I just want to read the bible daily.
Weekly
Blog.
Holy hour. (in adoration or an hour outside of the home to pray without kids or distractions)
Monthly
Read a book. A whole book. I have a lovely habit of starting books (there are 4-6 on my nightstand at any given time) but don't always finish them, so my goal is to finish twelve books. I've got a few, but I'd love to hear your suggestions, specifically for a non-trashy and yet entertaining novel. I read a
lot of spiritual books and sometimes I want something a little less...heady? :)
What are your goals, hopes, dreams for 2018? Cant wait to see what this year has in store for all of us! Onward and upward!
