Themes and Goals: 2013 Edition

It’s time for another year.  Where did 2012 go?  It was a busy, dream-accomplishing year.

 Highlights? Gained a nephew, graduated with my Master’s, went to Ethiopia and Uganda, full-time employee at a job I love, and saw Ingrid Michaelson in concert.  I also kept my New Year’s Resolution of not drinking soda.  Which if you knew me in college, Diet Coke was a major part of my diet so it was a big deal and I probably won’t go back to drinking soda.

So without any further adieu, the 2013 themes and goals are:

Themes:

Discipline: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character
Stewardship: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

Goals:

• Put at least $350 into savings each month (which will actually be really hard considering student loans will pick up)
• Read 24 previously unread books that have been recommended to me by friends or bloggers that I feel like are my friends or have been on my book list for the last 15 years (and no judgment I haven’t read a few of the classics on my list, I’ve been busy with higher education for 6 years).  Each month there is a spiritual book and then a book that is either fiction or a fun read.   See list below.
• Transition into using completely natural cleaning products. I currently make some of my own products and the only reason I am not 100% natural is the couple I rent from left some cleaning products and I want to use those first #stewardship
• Only buy Starbucks twice a month (I basically do this now but I made a punch card to keep track)
•  Inductively study: Deuteronomy, 2 Timothy, Haggai, Covenants
• Continue working out with my trainer and eat according to Paleo plan 99% of the time (exceptions: wedding cake, corn dip when shared with Kristen (Knoth) Loney, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins in the fall)
• Visit Silver Dollar City at least 8 times to make my season pass worth it :)
• Outline a book of the Bible each month to add on to my Bible Overview Project from the Institute
• Run at least 2 organized races
• Write a book?

The Month by Month List:

January: Fully Alive by Ken Davis, I was Told There’d be Cake by Sloan Crosley, outline Genesis

February: What Women Fear by Angie Smith, Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, outline Exodus

March: 10,000 Reasons by Ann Voskamp, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, outline Leviticus

April: ‘Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, My Life in France by Julia Child, outline Numbers

May: Hole in My Holiness by Kevin DeYoung, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, outline Deuteronomy

June: Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, outline Joshua

July: The God I Never Knew by Robert Morris, Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close, outline Judges

August: Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Outline Ruth

September: Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, Out of Africa by Karen Blixen, outline 1 Samuel

October: Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist, The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde, outline 2 Samuel

November: Desiring God by John Piper, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, outline 1 Kings

December: The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, outline 2 Kings

What am I looking forward to in 2013?  Attending Passion with Kanakuk, seeing live theatrical events (Mary Poppins and Disney on Ice, and I’m sure more to come), going on a long-talked about Seattle vacation with one of my best friends, and seeing Christine Caine at the 2013 Women of Faith conference.

It’s going to be a good year.

What are your goals?