Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Oh How I Love to Plan!
Once a year, in January, I spend one full day "planning". "Planning", for me, consists of:
- finding a fun, cozy location FOR my planning
-Praying
- Drinking lots of coffee
- Reviewing the previous year, and measuring how well I did, in terms of living up to the goals I'd set for myself
- Assessing how I can do things better in the coming year
- Deciding what new things I need to implement, in order to more closely align myself with my "life goals".
"Life Goals" is kind of a cheesy little phrase, and I actually hate that I just used it. It really isn't even the right way to convey what I mean.
Basically, when I first started doing this, I sat down and listed out the four categories that I felt like kind of make up my life:
-Spiritual
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Personal
Then, I wrote kind of a "summary statement" for each one, summarizing what my main goals for each of those categories were. These are not goals that change from year to year, but "forever goals" (wow, that's even cheesier than "life goals"). Basically, I asked myself the question for each category, "Describe what it is that you are trying to achieve in this area". I spent a LOT of time last year thinking through those, prayed a ton about them, and then finally wrote them down. I won't share all of them with you (lest you die of boredom), but as an example, here is what I wrote out under "Parenting":
"I want to create good memories for and with Gunnar. I want him to grow up feeling loved, special, cherished, enjoying life, and enjoying time with his family. I want to take seriously mine and Nason's responsibility to teach Gunnar about Jesus. I want to help him discover his God-given purpose, and how to be a godly man, a responsible person, a good husband, and a good father. I want to cherish every second I have with him, and not wish for it to hurry by. I want Gunnar to love Jesus genuinely. I want Gunnar's biggest driving passion in life to be to find out what will please God most, and then do it. I want him to be confident and secure. I want him to enjoy and savor life. I want him to love other people well. I want him to know how to make wise and sound decisions for himself"
So anyway, every year, I revisit this and remind myself what I wrote in each category, and then decide what I SPECIFICALLY need to do/change/start/stop/implement/do better/etc, to continuously stay on track with that goal.
This system has worked great for me, and really helps me to stay focused, and be purposeful with how I spend my time and energy. Well, at least January through October. Come October, I start to get extremely lazy, and a lot of this stuff starts falling to the wayside. Not to worry though...January rolls around, and the process begins again!
- finding a fun, cozy location FOR my planning
-Praying
- Drinking lots of coffee
- Reviewing the previous year, and measuring how well I did, in terms of living up to the goals I'd set for myself
- Assessing how I can do things better in the coming year
- Deciding what new things I need to implement, in order to more closely align myself with my "life goals".
"Life Goals" is kind of a cheesy little phrase, and I actually hate that I just used it. It really isn't even the right way to convey what I mean.
Basically, when I first started doing this, I sat down and listed out the four categories that I felt like kind of make up my life:
-Spiritual
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Personal
Then, I wrote kind of a "summary statement" for each one, summarizing what my main goals for each of those categories were. These are not goals that change from year to year, but "forever goals" (wow, that's even cheesier than "life goals"). Basically, I asked myself the question for each category, "Describe what it is that you are trying to achieve in this area". I spent a LOT of time last year thinking through those, prayed a ton about them, and then finally wrote them down. I won't share all of them with you (lest you die of boredom), but as an example, here is what I wrote out under "Parenting":
"I want to create good memories for and with Gunnar. I want him to grow up feeling loved, special, cherished, enjoying life, and enjoying time with his family. I want to take seriously mine and Nason's responsibility to teach Gunnar about Jesus. I want to help him discover his God-given purpose, and how to be a godly man, a responsible person, a good husband, and a good father. I want to cherish every second I have with him, and not wish for it to hurry by. I want Gunnar to love Jesus genuinely. I want Gunnar's biggest driving passion in life to be to find out what will please God most, and then do it. I want him to be confident and secure. I want him to enjoy and savor life. I want him to love other people well. I want him to know how to make wise and sound decisions for himself"
So anyway, every year, I revisit this and remind myself what I wrote in each category, and then decide what I SPECIFICALLY need to do/change/start/stop/implement/do better/etc, to continuously stay on track with that goal.
This system has worked great for me, and really helps me to stay focused, and be purposeful with how I spend my time and energy. Well, at least January through October. Come October, I start to get extremely lazy, and a lot of this stuff starts falling to the wayside. Not to worry though...January rolls around, and the process begins again!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
"Worry....
.....Been Doggin' My Soul, Since The Day I Was Born" There's a little Ray LaMontagne for you. And really, the lyrics say "Trouble" been doggin my soul, not "worry" ("worry" is in the next stanza, and those words aren't as applicable to my blog post, so I swapped them. So what?) Anyway, as I mentioned in a previous post, I struggle a lot with worry, and always have. Pretty much for as long as I can remember, I go through these "seasons" of worry, where I ruminate on some certain fear, and like a hamster in a cage, my brain just keeps going around and around and around and around thinking about it. It's really quite exhausting. Then I go through seasons where I'm really not such a worrisome person, and that's a nice break for a while, but inevitably, something will trigger the worry, and back it comes. So, one thing I spent my planning day on yesterday, was thinking through some lessons I had learned in 2011, and ways that God had really grown me. I think I made some big strides in my "worry issue" this year, probably bigger breakthroughs than ever before, because God taught me some big things (some of these things seem so simple, obvious, and "duh"-ish, but they suddenly made new sense to me):
1) God actually COMMANDS me not to worry ("DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING....." Phillipians 4:6-7) So if I choose to worry, that is a sin. If God gives me a command, then He'll give me the ability to keep that command. So if I find myself worrying, it's because I'm CHOOSING to.
2) God DESIRES for me to live free from worry ("Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid" John 14:27)
3) I WILL have problems/trials in this life. There's no sense in sitting around worrying about it. I just WILL. It's not heaven, it's earth, so why should I even have the expectation that it will be problem free? God allows certain trials in my life, because it's a huge way for me to grow, and become more like Him (which is His biggest goal), and I need to want that, more than I want to have a comfortable, problem-free life.
4) "God gives us His grace [to deal with problems/trials/crises] IN THE HOUR THAT WE NEED IT. If we worry about the future now, we double our pain, without the grace to deal with it" (I can't remember where I read that quote, but I liked it, and it really stuck with me).
ANYWAY....I learned a whole lot more about this issue of worry over the last several months, but these are the main four points, I think. Bottom line is, it's encouraging to me to realize that I don't HAVE to be characterized as a "worrisome person". I actually CAN overcome it, and I intend to!
1) God actually COMMANDS me not to worry ("DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING....." Phillipians 4:6-7) So if I choose to worry, that is a sin. If God gives me a command, then He'll give me the ability to keep that command. So if I find myself worrying, it's because I'm CHOOSING to.
2) God DESIRES for me to live free from worry ("Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid" John 14:27)
3) I WILL have problems/trials in this life. There's no sense in sitting around worrying about it. I just WILL. It's not heaven, it's earth, so why should I even have the expectation that it will be problem free? God allows certain trials in my life, because it's a huge way for me to grow, and become more like Him (which is His biggest goal), and I need to want that, more than I want to have a comfortable, problem-free life.
4) "God gives us His grace [to deal with problems/trials/crises] IN THE HOUR THAT WE NEED IT. If we worry about the future now, we double our pain, without the grace to deal with it" (I can't remember where I read that quote, but I liked it, and it really stuck with me).
ANYWAY....I learned a whole lot more about this issue of worry over the last several months, but these are the main four points, I think. Bottom line is, it's encouraging to me to realize that I don't HAVE to be characterized as a "worrisome person". I actually CAN overcome it, and I intend to!
Inspired
Well, my blog still needs lots and lots of help....if expert bloggers have a master's degree, then I am basically still a blogging kindergartner. A preschooler, even. I did change my background, font and colors though! That was huge. Actually, I already knew how to do that at one point, way back in the early days of my blog, but I've regressed since then, and had forgotten how to even do that, so I feel hugely accomplished for having re-learned the skill. Anyway, recently, I have been re-inspired to get back to blogging. I should say, re-re-inspired, because I was re-inspired about a month ago and then I lost interest all of over again. This week though, I was re-re-inspired for two reasons:
1) My sister started up a blog, and reading hers has made me remember how much fun it is to blog (by the way, check her out here.
2) Yesterday, I did my annual Day of Planning, and besides thinking and praying through a bunch of stuff like goals for the year, priorities, ways to be a better mom, etc etc etc, I tried to think through some ways that I would most ENJOY spending the free time I have, versus simply piddling it away on Facebook and Pinterest, and I realized that I really do like to blog and write, and I think it would be a better use of my time (therapeutic, perhaps) than always zoning out on Facebook and Pinterest (don't misunderstand me though...eliminating Facebook and Pinterest ENTIRELY were NOT part of my New Year's Planning).
Anyway, I am excited to re-ignite this interest, and am hoping to become a bit better at it, as I do it more regularly. My sister and I even talked about taking a blogging class...although that seems incredibly dorky, and possibly like a huge waste of time and money (unless someone wants to give us some free private lessons, that is?)
1) My sister started up a blog, and reading hers has made me remember how much fun it is to blog (by the way, check her out here.
2) Yesterday, I did my annual Day of Planning, and besides thinking and praying through a bunch of stuff like goals for the year, priorities, ways to be a better mom, etc etc etc, I tried to think through some ways that I would most ENJOY spending the free time I have, versus simply piddling it away on Facebook and Pinterest, and I realized that I really do like to blog and write, and I think it would be a better use of my time (therapeutic, perhaps) than always zoning out on Facebook and Pinterest (don't misunderstand me though...eliminating Facebook and Pinterest ENTIRELY were NOT part of my New Year's Planning).
Anyway, I am excited to re-ignite this interest, and am hoping to become a bit better at it, as I do it more regularly. My sister and I even talked about taking a blogging class...although that seems incredibly dorky, and possibly like a huge waste of time and money (unless someone wants to give us some free private lessons, that is?)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thankful, 2011 Edition
I've been trying to talk to Gunnar this week about what Thanksgiving is all about (right now, he only knows that it has to do with turkeys, because one of our neighbors replaced their yard full of "scary stuff" with a huge blow-up turkey) and what all he has to be thankful for. So that has ME thinking about what I'm thankful for. Of course the obvious ones jump right out...the gift of salvation, my husband, my son. I certaintly don't want to undermine those....they don't just get an obligatory shout-out in my "Thankful" post...it's just that I'm constantly aware of how thankful I am for those things, year round. I wanted to start a tradition though of thinking through what I am SPECIFICALLY thankful for, for each SPECIFIC year. Maybe some "not-so-obvious" ones, but ones to be thankful for, none the less. So, in no particular order:
1) Our church, women's bible study, and Cindy Hawks: The Biblical Womanhood study, led by the maaaahvelous Cindy Hawks, has been (one of) the hugest blessing this year. I have learned SO much from the study, (much of which I am still processing through), and having the opportunity to lead a discussion group has been awesome as well. I've learned new things, met new people, grown in my relationship with God, AND discovered how totally cool, smart, and godly our pastor's wife really is. By the way, Part 2 starts up again in January, so if you want to jump in with us, go to this link, and check it out:
2) The adoption of Enock Box: : Seriously, this has been such a blessing, for SO many reasons. First of all, have you seen or met Enock? How could he not be a blessing?? He's precious. Secondly, his parents are amongst some of our very best friends in the entire universe, and getting to experience such an awesome, life-changing adventure with them has been one of the greatest things ever. Third, their story has been a huge inspiration/motivation to us, and I know so many other people. Its very convicting, and hard to ignore, when you hear the statistics on orphans, and become aware of how very many there are worldwide, all the while knowing that there just aren't a lot of good reasons why you SHOULDN'T provide a loving home for one of them. I'm thankful to the Box's for putting their belief into action, and setting an example for the rest of us.
3) Our friends: I really dislike the phrase "do life together"...I just hear it used A LOT, and any phrase that I hear used A LOT starts to get on my nerves after a while. However, I have to say, I can think of no better phrase to describe the relationship we have with our circle of best friends. Over the years, they have become more like family than friends to us. I love being there for them, and I love knowing that they are ALWAYS there for us. I love that we love their kids, and that they love ours, and that our kids love each other (well, I'm convinced they do at least, whether they act like it or not). I love that we have fun together, but that we're able and willing to experience the not-so-fun stuff together with them, too. I love that they encourage me, challenge me, make me laugh, and tell me the truth when I need to hear it. I just looooooove them so!
4) Troubles: Yep, I'm thankful for "troubles", and the lessons I learned from them. I could spend an entire page (or more) writing on this particular one, but because I know how easiliy I could let myself ramble on, and how boring it would most probably be to you, I'm going to intentionally make this one the very shortest paragraph of all. Suffice it to say, my biggest trouble in life is my "addiction" to worrying, and this summer was pretty rough, in terms of how much time I spent worrying myself into a tizzy over stupid things. However, the blessing that came out of it is...I'm done with worrying. Yup, I am. At least, I am in the process of being done with it. More on that later, in a different blog post.
5) Pinterest: Yeah, I'm serious. I just don't know what any of us ever did without Pinterest. It is a big time hobby/leisure/unwind activity for me, BUT I think it's totally a worthwhile use of time. Look at all the greatness that has come to our household, from Pinterst this year:
Not even to mention the fact that Gunnar is practically a genius by now, from all the educational activities I've gleaned from there. So I'm thankful for that, too :)
1) Our church, women's bible study, and Cindy Hawks: The Biblical Womanhood study, led by the maaaahvelous Cindy Hawks, has been (one of) the hugest blessing this year. I have learned SO much from the study, (much of which I am still processing through), and having the opportunity to lead a discussion group has been awesome as well. I've learned new things, met new people, grown in my relationship with God, AND discovered how totally cool, smart, and godly our pastor's wife really is. By the way, Part 2 starts up again in January, so if you want to jump in with us, go to this link, and check it out:
2) The adoption of Enock Box: : Seriously, this has been such a blessing, for SO many reasons. First of all, have you seen or met Enock? How could he not be a blessing?? He's precious. Secondly, his parents are amongst some of our very best friends in the entire universe, and getting to experience such an awesome, life-changing adventure with them has been one of the greatest things ever. Third, their story has been a huge inspiration/motivation to us, and I know so many other people. Its very convicting, and hard to ignore, when you hear the statistics on orphans, and become aware of how very many there are worldwide, all the while knowing that there just aren't a lot of good reasons why you SHOULDN'T provide a loving home for one of them. I'm thankful to the Box's for putting their belief into action, and setting an example for the rest of us.
3) Our friends: I really dislike the phrase "do life together"...I just hear it used A LOT, and any phrase that I hear used A LOT starts to get on my nerves after a while. However, I have to say, I can think of no better phrase to describe the relationship we have with our circle of best friends. Over the years, they have become more like family than friends to us. I love being there for them, and I love knowing that they are ALWAYS there for us. I love that we love their kids, and that they love ours, and that our kids love each other (well, I'm convinced they do at least, whether they act like it or not). I love that we have fun together, but that we're able and willing to experience the not-so-fun stuff together with them, too. I love that they encourage me, challenge me, make me laugh, and tell me the truth when I need to hear it. I just looooooove them so!
4) Troubles: Yep, I'm thankful for "troubles", and the lessons I learned from them. I could spend an entire page (or more) writing on this particular one, but because I know how easiliy I could let myself ramble on, and how boring it would most probably be to you, I'm going to intentionally make this one the very shortest paragraph of all. Suffice it to say, my biggest trouble in life is my "addiction" to worrying, and this summer was pretty rough, in terms of how much time I spent worrying myself into a tizzy over stupid things. However, the blessing that came out of it is...I'm done with worrying. Yup, I am. At least, I am in the process of being done with it. More on that later, in a different blog post.
5) Pinterest: Yeah, I'm serious. I just don't know what any of us ever did without Pinterest. It is a big time hobby/leisure/unwind activity for me, BUT I think it's totally a worthwhile use of time. Look at all the greatness that has come to our household, from Pinterst this year:
Not even to mention the fact that Gunnar is practically a genius by now, from all the educational activities I've gleaned from there. So I'm thankful for that, too :)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Picture Dumping
Today, I was accused by Nason of being a "hoarder"...of pictures. This comment was preceded by an attempt on our part to snap a cute shot of Gunnar, using my phone, and not being able to, because there was no available memory. Nason is right...I am TOTALLY guilty of hoarding pictures. Here's the thing: I have this irrational fear...a fear most likely shared only by people 80 years old and up....that if I don't KEEP my pictures (preferably in an actual, old-school album, but if not that, then at least on my phone) that they won't be "safe"..like, maybe this "newfound, internet-thing" won't be around forever, and when it goes away, I'll no longer be able to access all the pictures I had safely saved (or so I thought) on Facebook, my blog, etc. Ok, I know that obviously that won't really happen, but it IS the method to my madness. Anyway, as I scrolled through ALL the pictures on my phone, I came across quite a few that apparently were never deemed "Facebook worthy", but also were just too cute and/or too sentimental to delete, which is why they are now availalble on here, for your (and my FUTURE) viewing pleasure....
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