22 and counting. By this time next year...

 
I'm sooo ready to say "hello" to 2013.  Bring it on!  2012 was a year of extreme highs and lows for me. I'm looking forward to a more emotionally stable year, that's for sure.  Here are some highlights of the year that was:

• Great year professionally. I feel like I did good work this year.  There's room for improvement, but there were no major catastrophes and I met 95% of my fundraising goals for the organization. 
• Gained 30 pounds in eight months, but, in October, I decided to make some permanent changes to my weight and I've lost 22 pounds in two months so far. 
• More than one significant relationship in my life either vanished or changed which was painful, but I now know how I'm perceived by these people and truth is good. 
• Took more day-trips with the family this year. It may not always seemed like a good idea at the time, but, insisting on "whole-family time out of the house" months ago is resulting in stronger bonds between all of us now. That too is good.  

When I set personal goals for the coming year, I write them down as if I've already reached them. It's a challenging exercise because it causes me to really discern what I have control over in my life and what I don't.  I have also found that setting goals that are beyond one year is ridiculous. It's a good idea to have a vision of what you want, but a successful and happy life requires flexibility and adaptation.  This article is a great example of setting yourself up for utter failure.

So, with that, here is how "2013" turned out for me.

Spiritual

• I feel so much fuller and richer now that I've stopped focusing on serving God and started focusing on knowing God.  I didn't realize how superficial my relationship with Him was.  I've been reading more about faith and putting more of my life into God's hands. I really took the Church's "Year of Faith" to heart and I love the knowledge and peace I've gained.

Marriage & Family

• I had so much fun on our family long weekend getaway this year. This one is a left over from last year.
• My interaction with the kids has been much more focused and positive.  I've really enjoyed playing games with them more often and I've tried to always have a positive tone in my voice and be more affectionate with both of them. We laugh more and have enjoyed each other more than ever. 
• The weekend trip Steve and I took to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary was perfect.  I really wanted do something super meaningful for him to celebrate what an amazing husband, person and friend he is to me.

Personal

• I did it!  I stuck to my plan and lost 65 pounds this year!  I hit my weight loss goal and I feel fantastic.  I have so much more energy and I look great.  As a reward to myself, I bought those black boots I've wanted for forever.  Love them!
• I'm in such a better place emotionally now that I believe in my self-worth. I don't react so intensely and personally to the negative things people say and do to me.

Professional

• The special events for the Club were so successful this year! Plus, I love that I was able to add my own personal touch to each of them. I had so much fun this year! Met this goal last year, and it's a good one, so I'm keeping it on again.

Financial

• I did a really good job working with Steve in getting our financial house in order.  Last year was a disaster. But, I improved my communication with him so we were always aware of what was going to be spent before it was.  We caught up on all our bills and our emergency fund is fully-funded.  Plus we had plenty of money saved for Christmas this year. 

Live long and prosper. Peace and long life.
 

It's that simple

Simplify. Oh my, do I need to do that! Since I started working 40+ hours a week outside the house again, my home life has become anything but simple. It seems like I can't stay organized and on top of things no matter how hard I try. Scheduled appointments are remembered last minute, laundry piles up, important papers are lost, and cleaning the house...forget about it. With all of the able bodies here in the house, everyone seems to have a "scheduling" conflict that keeps them from pitching in. "I'll get to it tomorrow night, " I say to myself. And then...

It seems like I am constantly behind the ball.

This isn't the first time I've had a full-time job outside of the house. How did we manage before? I honestly don't remember.

Earlier this week, while feeling a little overwhelmed and a bit defeated, I started to look for things to do for Lent. I've always tried to do something that would bring a sense of peace and discipline to an aspect of my life. I was cruising through facebook when I came across a post about this article. While I thought all of ideas were good and things that people who love each other should do anyway, the last suggestion struck me as the answer to my Lenten prayer. "Simplify you life. Clean out a drawer, closet, or other storage area each day during Lent...". Make a place for everything and put everything in its place. But, do it one at a time and it will be easier to stay on top of it. Oh, to one day feel organized and not crazy... It's that simple.

Last night, I cleaned off the top of my bedroom dresser. Tonight, I'm going to clean under the dresser. 39 days from now, will I feel like I'm actually taking care of my family instead of trying to catch up with them? That's my Lenten prayer.