The awesome part is that most of those goals were less of the 'checking off' nature, and more in the realm of making 'better life choices' Things I hope to continue doing despite the flip in the calendar.
So after a great 2015, I don't have a ton of things I want to change, but rather a few big ones...
I want to become more healthy in 2016. Now that we're settled in our house, I'm anxious for Spring so we can be outside more as a family. Softball in the back yard, family bike rides, more swimming, etc. Adam and I reactivated out gym membership now that we're in town again, and it's crazy how much it felt like coming back home. We all picked off just were we left off and it's feeling great! A huge goal of mine would be to run a full marathon this year.
I want to play with my kids more in 2016. I'll admit, working 4 10 hour days at the hospital, plus running a photography business, plus being a wife, and working out, and be a friend/sister/daughter/etc. leaves me tired and short on time more than I would like to admit. It seems like no matter how much pre-planning as organizing I do, Monday through Thursday are tough. After work, picking the kids up from daycare, going to the gym or taking a kid to an activity, dinner, & baths, there isn't a ton of time for playing. So I'm going to be extra intentional with my time and leave 30 minutes before bedtime each night to actually play or talk with my kids.
I want to travel more in 2016. We worked hard to save money to pay off Adam's car and be able to get out of our condo last year, so traveling got pushed to the back burner more than I would have preferred. We did get to Kansas City for a long weekend, and I went to Texas with my mom, but other than that, we didn't leave Iowa at all which is a total shame when I think of all the places I want to see. With the new house, I may be dreaming, but I would love to take a long weekend and go Skiing somewhere in February. Adam and I will be going to the Turks and Caicos in April and I'm planning to take a girls' trip to New York this August for my 30th birthday. I'm photographing a wedding in South Carolina in October, so I'm really hoping to take Adam and the kids and make a little vacation out of it.
Other than that, I want to stick with blogging to document our life {it's so awesome to have this to look back on}, and monthly dates with each of the kids' and Adam {I found these to be so valuable, no matter how small the 'date' was}, and giving back to the community in some way each month {I did these with the intent of teaching the kids to give back, but I think it's had as much, if not more, of an impact on me. It's incredible the feeling you get when you're able to help someone else out. I also found I valued my life and the people/things/experiences I have it in even more after these events. It's a good reminder of perspective}. Once we finish decorating the house, I really want to work on saving as much as possible, so that will be a big focus for us in 2016. This will help us make the upgrades we want. The only other 'goal' I have is to catch up on the kids' photo albums. I obviously have plenty of photos, but I need to go through them and choose my favorites, and get them into a Shutterfly book. I only made it to 18 months with each of them! So my goal is set aside some time to get them completed. It's a task I dread so much, until it's over, and then it's the biggest sigh of relief! Totally worth it!
Oh, and one more thing. It's not really a goal, but rather a reminder to keep working on myself. I want to slow down and really soak up life's moments. I want to treasure every Friday, Saturday, Sunday with my family. More picnics, Jeep rides around the lake, catching fireflies, camping in the backyard and pushes at the park. I'll have all kinds of time to sit and read my book when I'm 50 and missing having my kids at home.
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 resolutions and Bucket List
