The End and The Beginning

This time last year:

I was thinking about quitting my job and had recently discussed having a baby in the near future. We were still paying off our Escape, and had a minimal amount in savings. We were eating whatever  we felt like, but didn't feel super great. We had just started working at the church with Alex as the Youth Pastor. 

Over the past year:

My last day of work was in the beginning of February, and I found out I was expecting in the beginning of March. We paid off our Escape and took a trip to Disney in February. We reached our halfway point for our savings goal. I started a diet due to a gestational diabetes diagnosis. We have a beautiful baby girl, who is sleeping soundly on me as I type this. We've been at the church for over a year, and are building relationships. 


Goals for next year:

I've been reading through Hebrews, and our pastor has been preaching on the book for the Sunday night service. I've based some goals on this book. With scripture as the basis for goals, we will be more focused on His will.

Hebrews 10:22-23 " let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. ²³ Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."

1. Make time with God my #1 priority. As soon as I have a quiet moment in the morning, that time is Bible and prayer time. Even if I have an incredibly messy house, God time comes first.

2. Get reading! I have a number of books  that I want to read, but haven't. TV is something that has dominated my time, when I could just as easily be reading a book. I would like to finish one book a month. So, I plan to have 12 books finished by the end of the year. I think this goal is attainable for me.

Hebrews 12:12-13 "¹² Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead."

3. Food and Physical activity-okay, so this may be a little bit of a stretch with the verses, but I know that when we exercise and eat healthier, Alex and I do a much better job as children of God, spouses, parents, and friends. Therefore, I want to start walking and strength exercising more often. I'm going to need to incorporate holding a baby for a lot of it. I could do squats while I'm bouncing her...not 100% sure how this is going to pan out yet. 

Food: Gluten is in EVERYTHING-even my jar of mixed nuts was processed in a place that also does wheat. I realized that trying to avoid it altogether was stressing me out more than just eating it every now and then. I'm going to focus on eating lots of fruits and veggies, plenty of protein, and then not stress out of there's a little gluten in our diet. We're also only going to have dessert once a week, and most likely when we are hanging out with other people-that's when we are most tempted to have sweet treats.

Hebrews 13:1-2 " Let brotherly love continue. ² Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. "

4. Hospitality: I want to plan meals so that if extra people show up for dinner, I won't be stressed out. I need to plan so that leftovers aren't necessary, but still have enough to have extra if needed. My plan is to have a lunch plan that doesn't go bad right away as a back up plan if we don't have leftovers. I want our house to always be a place where people are welcome.

Hebrews 13: 5,16 "Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you... Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices."

5. We will write out a budget for every  month (which Alex already does) and we will stick to it. We will use cash accordingly (usually spending and grocery). We will give to our local crisis pregnancy center above our tithe. We will also reach our savings goal of 3-6 months of expenses by the end of the year.


My final goal is to pray continually. So often I forget who is really in control, and try to take charge myself. I want our house to be a place of learning, and I want Adara to learn what is most important.