Looking Ahead

I know...Christmas isn't even here, and if you're like me, you're probably scrambling with last minute prep. But even though I'm not quite ready for Christmas yet, I'm still looking ahead to 2014 and working on my list of goals for the new year.

I gave myself a year of grace as a newlywed. Ryan and I already had packed schedules when we came together as husband and wife, so I figured it would take us a while to figure out how things should work. We spent most of last year trying different schedules...learning what worked and what didn't...and learning how to manage the parts that were less than ideal, but we had no way to change them.

Some things I/we did very well. Other things...well...we need to make changes. Still others remain less than ideal, but we're committed to finding ways to make them work.

So here are some of our goals for 2014. Hoping for an even better second year of marriage than our first...and hoping for more rest.

Things we loved and want to continue: 

* Weekly date nights. We both believe marriages are healthier when couples spend time together, and we're committed to setting aside one night a week to spend uninterrupted time together. Not working. Not sharing each other. Sometimes we'll go out, and sometimes we'll stay in, but either way, we'll protect that time.

* Annual birthday trip. It's a tradition we started last year, and we loved it, so we'll continue it. We'll pick a weekend somewhat near our birthdays and enjoy some time celebrating each other. Last year we went to the Creation Museum and ziplining, so we'll see what this year holds.

* The blog. Of course. Even though Ryan's not a writer, he loves this blog and understands it's my/our form of ministry. So we plan to keep showing up day after day in 2014 to share with you - and possibly do even more posts together!

Things we got a taste of and want to try even more: 

* Church involvement. We have just begun to find a place in our church home, and it's made us miss having places to serve within the church. We aren't sure yet where we fit in, but we hope to try it.

* Entertaining in our home. We were so busy working on our house last year that we didn't have much opportunity to invite folks in for fellowship. But we loved the few times we did get to do it, so we're hoping to open our home even more this year.

* Relaxing. We BARELY got a taste of this last year, but things like weekends at the lake and naps in the hammock...and walks on warm evenings...were such a joy to us and we hope to have more of those things in this second year.

Things we want to improve this year are:

* Personal and couple devotional time. We just were not as good at this in our first year of marriage as we hoped to be. We both know we can do better and are committed to making time for this important foundation.

* Sabbath rest. We were pretty good at this last year but are both aching to have a day that is reserved entirely for rest. We try to protect our Sundays from any commitments, work, or activities, but want to be even more intentional about it.

* Consistent workouts. It's hard to do this one with the work schedule we keep, but we want to get on and stick to a gym schedule as much as humanly possible.

Things we want to pray about for our future are: 

* The ways God wants to use us in ministry, through the blog, in person, and in any other way He chooses.

* Where to live. We will have the opportunity, during the course of this year, to make more decisions about where we should live - and we want to make the right choice to fit in with God's plan for us!

* Living an example of love to those who are watching. We want to prove wrong the people who think we're just still stuck in that newlywed stage and be able to live in obvious love as much this year as when we were first married.

So that's a peek into our goals for the coming year. How about you - any plans for 2014 yet?