2016 Resolutions Update // June + July

Monday, August 1, 2016 by Nicole 2 Comments

Hello, my name is Nicole and I have not published a blog post in forever. While a part of me wishes I could say I’ve been frolicking on the white sand beach of some remote tropical island, the truth is I’ve been neck-deep in the busyness of life with a toddler (including trips to the splash pad and attempting to potty train), preparing for a big change (more on that to come), enjoying dinner with friends, and leading two women’s Bible studies. One other thing I’d like to showcase from this list is the power of social media: I shared pictures of the Toyota Camry I wanted to sell on Facebook and I sold it 12 hours later. A friend of a friend of a friend bought it … and now she and I are friends on Facebook and planning to meet again for dinner and a movie.

Back to resolutions … time has, once again, gotten away from me and I feel like this list is getting lost in the chaos that is life. I’ve never not blogged an entire month or combined two months of resolution updates into a single post but there’s always a first for everything. Tate of these goals are still up in the air, but here’s what I’ve accomplished the past 61 days:

FOR MYSELF

Participate in the Read Scripture project but
Keep a prayer journal, such as this one
Write a few sentences every day in a journal (I already have one of these.)
Read the Bible … again (using this plan)
Learn “Inductive Bible Study” and attend a PUP course
Create one Bible Journaling page a month
Finish Believe study SUCCESS! May 11 
Forgive “S” because holding a grudge is weighing me down
Walk/Jog/Run in the Wicked Wine 5K with Mom-Tribe on March 26 FAIL – did not happen.
Get photos printed and display in our home
Utilize health coach and benefits (i.e. pedometer, reimbursements, etc.)
Wear size 16 pants

FOR OTHERS

Lead this Bible study
Start a small group
Host a meal with Mom-Tribe every month March 17 – Celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a Toddler-Mommy party at our house.
Continue writing for Sweet Jesus Ministries I sent Jan, founder/creator/manager of SJM, the inevitable email simply stating that I’m having to step away from contributor position. It’s obvious from my  personal blog I’ve hit a writing wall and with the impeding changes coming, I simply do not have time. The opportunity will continue to exist, and I might fill in as a guest writer every once in a while, but the monthly commitment is now removed from my to-do list.
Potty train Kamden If I disliked potty training before, I LOATHE IT NOW. Some days, Kamden is excited to use the potty chair (or even sit on the big toilet with an insert), but then are days he specifically asks for a diaper or pees/poops on the floor and I want to pull my hair out. I need a Potty Whisperer to get this shit done (pun most definitely intended).
Move Kamden to a big bed SUCCESS! May 20
Take Kamden on a train
Celebrate Husband’s 40th birthday SUCCESS! July 6 we had a low-key family dinner complete with some of Husband’s favorite homemade foods and spent the evening outside shooting leftover fireworks (sparklers, really). Kamden found an old box of Poppers in his Daddy’s toolbox and thought those were pretty cool; he’s not a fan of loud “boom booms” though.
Donate unwanted books

FOR FUN

Find three hobbies: one to make money, one to stay in shape, and one to be creative
Host “Games with Friends” and play this, this, this, this and this!
Use Skype SUCCESS! June 10 – Jenny and I used Skype to chat about life, love, and Bible studies.
Photo editing “workshop” with Becky
Sell the Camry SOLD!!!!! July 4
Save money earned from photography sessions to invest in new equipment
Publish a blog series
Go on a family vacation
Create my family tree with Ancestry dot com

MORE

Exercising
Dates with Husband
January – Husband took the day off so we could go shoot while Kamden was at school. Unfortunately, it was too cold and windy to shoot at the outdoor range and the indoor facility was reserved for a private event. But we enjoyed lunch and being alone for couple of hours.
February – no date with Husband
March – went to the gun range and ate lunch at Schlotzsky’s
April – no date
May – another trip to the gun range and lunch at Schlotzsky’s (are you beginning to notice a pattern here?!?!)
June – no date
July – This doesn’t count as Mommy-and-Daddy-only but went to Cracker Barrel the night of July 4 for dinner and we were three of 11 guests in the entire place and the youngest by at least 40 years. Kamden loved the golf tee / triangle game on the table while we waited for our food.
Sleeping DANGER – Old habits are beginning to creep back again and I really need to get a grip. I’ve been spending extra late nights browsing Pinterest (yay!) but waking up feeling blah (ugh!).
Picture-taking
Housekeeping and organization
Rounds of golf
Snail mail
Reading July 25 – began reading “The Power of a Praying Wife” and I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
Blogging HA – this is a funny one.
Meal planning (helpful printable)

MONTHLY GOALS

January – Log 1,000 minutes of exercise for the #SJM1000MinuteChallenge. FAILED. This is a big disappointment because I was the person responsible for coordinating the event with Sweet Jesus Ministries. I ended up with 865 minutes of exercise for the month of January, which is well below the goal I had for the month.

February – Embrace role as spiritual mentor. This is going well! Go to the gym three days a week or more. Semi-failure as I have been inconsistent some weeks. Coordinate small group with C8M. Fail. Start organizing “City on a Hill” event on behalf of the church. Semi-failure. I’ve only talked to a few people about volunteering.

March – I guess I didn’t set a monthly goal; whoops.

April – Obtain a sponsor for new volunteer t-shirts at church before April 15. SUCCESS – I got three (3) sponsors for the t-shirts!
This wasn’t a published goal but definitely an answered prayer: I’ve been waiting forever it seems to catch my neighbor outside with her children. We’ve passed each other on the road for 9 years but never formally introduced ourselves. I saw her in the yard and stopped and introduced myself …. and invited her to church and women’s study this summer!

May – Drink 100 ounces of water every day. Doubtful I did this every single day, but I was close. Prepare the Summer Studies Series (Bible Studies for adults) by May 20. Our summer studies have begun and are off to an incredible start. I’m leading a small group of event every Sunday afternoon as well as a larger group every Wednesday morning. Each group is compromised of different women from different backgrounds and the studies are completely different, but one thing is for sure: I could not do this life without genuine women and their friendships. I am truly blessed and they teach me more than I could EVER teach them!

June – Sell the Camry (at least get it detailed inside and out and post pictures online). Camry was detailed and posted online to sell July 3 … and sold July 4! Enroll Kamden in a summertime activity. We enrolled Kamden back at The Little Gym for two class sessions a week, which he seemed to enjoy most days, and purchased a Fort Worth Zoo membership so we could also visit their water splash pad. We’ve been four times this month! Schedule a trip to Kentucky. SUCCESS – and by the time this post is published, Kamden and I will be in Kentucky.

July – no goals.

August – Intentionally pray for Husband for 31 days. Declutter, clean, paint, and decorate The Space. Get Kamden ready for another year at JUMPS.