Twenty-Thirteen

Happy New Year! 

Over the past week it seems that everywhere I go I've been wishing people a Happy New Year. Yesterday, I was at the post office and when I wished the postal worker a Happy New Year she looked at me like I was a bit crazy as she said thank you. New Years Eve has passed and we are almost a week into the new year, but I guess I am just really excited for this fresh start and all the wonderful things that this new year will bring.

As we began 2012, David and I were full of anticipation for our new little baby girl to arrive. We were full of dreams and excitement. Now Lydia is here with us and having her in our lives has been everything we could have imagined. It may be hard to top the year twenty-twelve, but we are going to do our best to make twenty-thirteen even better. At the beginning of last year, I made some New Years Resolutions. I think that I want to revisit those resolutions and then make a few more for this next year. 

Last year, the things that I decided I wanted to focus on were: 
1- Deliver a healthy baby. (This may seem silly, but it's a lot of work and a big deal so I decided to include it in my list.)
2- Continue to develop an attitude of Charity. Make sure this shows through my actions to the people around me. (i.e. give the benefit of the doubt, don't complain, don't judge, perform acts of service.) 
3- Do my visiting teaching every month. No excuses!
4- Be more involved with Finances/ Budgeting.

I tried to pick one thing from each area of my life. One attitude thing, one action thing, one real life thing. As I look back on this small list - I can honestly say that I made an effort in each of these areas. Obviously I'm not perfect, but I feel like I accomplished each of these goals. 

This year, my goals are very similar. I think that goals should be achievable while still pushing you to be better. After some thought - this is what I have come up with: 
1- Buy and move into our first home. 
2- Focus on seeing the needs of people around me and then working to fill those needs. This goes hand in hand with continuing to develop an attitude of Charity. 
3- Work hard to meet new people in our new ward/neighborhood. Be friendly, social, inviting, and inclusive. (Along with this: Strive to fulfill my calling the the very fullest.)
4- Continue to grow as a mother and wife. Focus on Lydia and David and finding the things I can do to bless their lives the most. Three things that go under this category: -More quality time (Stop letting other distractions get in the way.), -Healthier eating options , and -Maintain a positive attitude about myself and others (Stop letting little things get me down and frustrated.)

I realize that several of these goals have quite a few sub-goals, but these are the things that I want to work on this year. Two-thousand-thirteen is going to be a fantastic year for our little family and I can't wait to see what it brings. My only hope is that we will be able to meet each challenge with faith, that we can be aware of the needs of those around us, and that we will be able to enjoy every second we have together. 

Happy 2013!