Tag: new years

Creating goals for 2020 and reflecting on those from 2019:

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First, let’s look back at my goals for 2019. I got about half of them, and the ones not finished were about half done. I don’t know whether to consider that a success or not, but progress is progress and I had a really busy year, so it’s remarkable I got any of it done. Let’s break them down:

  • Plan a wonderful wedding fit for my upcoming marriage: I did it! And it was fabulous. It was honestly the best night of my life. You can see some pictures from it here.
  • More time of hobbies, less time online: Eh. Okay, so I spent less time online but it was because I was spending more time hanging out with friends (yay) and doing daily tasks that increased when I moved out and got married. I did spend time on hobbies, but I don’t know if I did more than in 2018, so I will call this one a half win.
  • Start barrel racing again: Things got really busy in the spring season, so I didn’t start going to races again, but I took all the necessary steps to start next season. I’ve been taking lessons and we’ve finally purchased a horse trailer.
  • Read more than 20 books: Check. I’ve read over forty books year, so I’d say I went above an beyond on this one. Audio books have drastically altered my reading progress, though I still love those paper books!
  • Buy a house: We did it! It’s beautiful and it feels like home. I’m so proud of it. We’ve gotten it all decorated and I’m so excited to come home to it at the end of the day!
  • Send birthday cards to everyone: I started out the year strong and I got birthday cards to people I saw in person. As for the rest… well I got all my wedding thank you notes out? That counts for something, right?
  • Pray more: I’m doing much better at this then I was at the start of the year, though I still have room for improvement.
  • Finish a novel: I didn’t, but I have been making progress on one after months of not writing at all. It feels good to break my writers block.

Now as for the coming year?

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Things 2018 taught me:

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A lot can happen in a year, everyone knows that, or at least everyone has heard it. I was starting to doubt it when I was sick. Nothing can happen if you’re sitting on a couch… at least, not anything exciting.

But flash forward to 2018. I’m still having treatment, but my entire world has shifted. I’m off the couch. I’m about to marry the man I love. I have been working a year and a half at a wonderful job I love. My world is coming into focus. I’m starting to get a clear picture of what the future is going to look like. And I’ve learned a whole lot in this busy year, so I thought I’d share a few of those lessons with you:

Things really do happen when you least expect them too. It makes life feel like a series of surprises you just stumbled into, but that’s part of the magic. It’s easy to feel like everything is out of your control when it comes to the next step, but our main job is to keep moving forward. Get farther down the trail, there is a lot of beauty ahead.

Kindness doesn’t just happen on its own. Maybe civility happens without much effort, but true kindness, the kind that shifts days and changes lives, that comes from a lot of effort and a series of repeated actions. You have to choose to be kind, and work at it. It’s always worth it.

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Thoughts to Start the New Year With:

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If you’ve been on Twitter lately, it’s all about 2016 being the worst. And I’m not going to disagree, there has been a lot of bad this year. But to keep perspective, I know a lot of people who have had very good personal things happen this year (I did too! Logged all in my travels this year). However if you ask me if 2016 was a good year… I’m going to go with no. It’s been kind of rough all over.

I don’t believe that the start of 2017 is going to reset the world, but bad is always balanced by good, and it’s about time for an up swing. So whether you think a clean slate comes Saturday at midnight or you’re just hoping this time next year you can say that it’s been a good year here are some insights. Actually- that’s the wrong word. These are just things to keep in mind as we start 2017. Continue reading →

2015: A Year in Review

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2015 a year in review

Favorite Books:

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Favorite Songs:

  • Cam- Burning House
  • Logan Brill- Tupelo
  • Hold me Down- Halsey
  • Church Bells- Carrie Underwood
  • Watered Down- Rainy Quaglly
  • Sirens- Cher Lloyd

Favorite Moments (as photographed):

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The “I didn’t reach my resolutions” revolution.

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recenttumblr_ngbyi6rK0v1qzb3obo1_500This is the time of the year were everyone starts panicking or stressing over all the stuff they didn’t get done this year. Understandably, we try to set goals for each year, but they don’t always happen. Maybe I gained weight instead of lost it this year. Maybe I didn’t touch my camera near as much as I wanted to. Maybe I only finished a few books instead of my goal of fifty. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

It’s so easy to get upset over these things, because we feel like we’re not making process. My thought is, what were you doing instead? You were doing something. If you gained weight perhaps you became a better baker, or got a better social life and were eating out more often. Maybe since you weren’t that creative you spent  more time saving up inspiration, see were I’m going?

This year when making that list of resolutions, how about instead of just rewriting all the things you had on it last year, you look at what kept you from getting your goals and you put the first step in the opposite direction. Instead of lose weight: eat three salads a week. Instead of take more pictures: set aside two hours, one for down time and  one for camera time.

Goals are about balance, and now that you’ve made the goals and missed them, you can know why you missed them and how to correct that in the future. Don’t stress about getting it all done in the next two weeks, just be realistic and work out all the details.