Miscellany Monday {Goals for 2017}

Hey y'all,

I love creating goals and you can read my goals from last year here. Looking back I am proud to say I completed some of my goals including running a 5K every month, going dairy free for a month since I became diagnosed as lactose intolerant in March. I even paid off two of my four student loans so I would say it was a successful year. 2016 was a year of transitions as I swithed jobs, helped lead my small group for half the year, worked on connecting with more of my friends and building community.

I'm excited for 2017 and I am thinking my word of the year will be well. Filling my well, serving well, feeling well, and loving well. Here are my goals for the year.

Be Financially well.

I am still working on paying off student loans and my car so I want to use the Envelope budget for one month. I am also using the Every Dollar budget app from Dave Ramsey so I know where all of my money is going. I am set to pay off one of my student loans in October and my car will be paid off in early 2018 on my current budget. 

Capsule Wardrobe.

I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe, I know that I rock a black dress everyweek and have favorite tops so it's time to trim down my closet to only those things I actually love and wear.

Travel to Charleston.

This has been on my 30 by 30 list for a while and I think I need to plan a fun weekend trip with friends and why not pick the gorgeous city that is a quick drive away. 

Celebrate Friends.

I will be attending a few weddings this year and I want to continue cultivating my community. I love celebrating others but I think we often forget to celebrate the little things. One of my goals is to send happy mail or a card to one of my friends every month to celebrate them. New jobs, new homes, new babies, there is always something to celebrate so it's time to make small gestures and bring smiles.

Read 50 books. 

Last year with lots of changes with my job and then different activities with my church I wasn't reading as much. This year I want to get back to reading even if it is just audio books on my commute. 

 Be Spiritually well.

I think working on your relationship with the Lord is a continuous goal and as a relationship it takes work every year. I didn't complete my goal to read the whole Bible last year but my church is reading through the word again beginning today. I am going to utilize the audio bible option on You Version more since I loved listening to the bible in the morning as I got ready for work. This means being in the word daily and I hope to utilize my Write the Word journals more as I love the time and structure of reflection on set verses.

Devtional/Spiritual Based Books

Part of the 50 books I want to read, I want to read 15 books that are spiritually based like Present over Perfect or Uninvited. I really enjoy this type of book and they are a great supplement to my small group meetings and church time. 

Serve well.

I recently became a team leader of my church's pre-school team. I have been serving in the preschool team for almost four years and I am excited to be helping to lead the team. We have some of the sweetest families and I love watching my students learn to love the Lord. Seriously, little kid prayers melt my heart.

Feeling Well

Since becoming aware that I am lactose intolerant I have been hyperaware of how my body feels with different food options. I did go back up to my heighest weight in 2016 by allowing stress eating when I was looking for a job and then just allowed a lot of treats when I know they weren't great for me. This year is about making a game plan of what works for me and what feels well. 

Whole30.

I am kicking off the year with completing a Whole30 again since it is a dietary reset and will be a great jumping off point of feeling well nutritionally. I am on my second week and had the best sleep last night. My gut feels great and I am enjoing being in the kitchen each day.

Track foods in myfitnesspal daily.

My nutritionist has me write out what I am eating and I have tried in the past on myfitnesspal since it is so enlightening to see what you are eating and you can note how you are feeling. So far I have tracked everyday and it's been great during the Whole30 so I am making sure to eat enough food or if I need to add in something like a roasted sweet potato.

Cook two new recipes a month.

Going through pinterest and my cookbooks in prep for the Whole30 I am reminded how many recipes I have marked in my cookbooks to try but I have never attempted them. I think 2 recipes a month is plenty since as a single gal I only make a few recipes each week and eat the leftovers to extend the meal. 

Run half marathon #3.

I didn't think I would be thinking of another half again but a few of my friends are running a half in Raleigh this October and I decided to join in on the fun. I am excited to see what my time will be and to get to training this summer (after all this cold disappears).

Become consistent with workouts again. 

Even if it is just walking 2 miles a day or doing a quick 20 min video by Tone It Up I need to have consistent workouts because I feel better when I feel strong. Plus, endorphins make everyone happy, right? I am excited that Cyclebar is opening a new location that is not far from my apartment in West Cary. I tried out Cyclebar in Brier Creek last month and enjoyed the fun workouts. The new Alston Town Center at route 55 and I-540 as part of its grand opening, the studio is inviting the community to try a CycleBar class for free from January 19th through the 29th (a total of 2,500 FREE rides). The free rides are now open for registration at http://www.alston.cyclebar.com/schedule. I think adding in some cycling with the fun rides like brunch and Wine not Wedenesday will be great to include in my workout calendar. 

What is your word of the year?

What are some of your goals this year?

Best,