Goals Update

I failed miserably at meeting my "30 before 30" goals...I did not even come up with 30 of them, ha! So sometimes I feel really silly even attempting to make goals. This year, however, I believe that I am making some headway with the goals I made here.

Faith -

We are currently in the midst of Redemption Groups at church - probably about halfway through them. Though I struggle to describe to others what RGs are exactly, I have no hesitation in saying that they are worth participation. They are heavy and deep and require vulnerability, but flip the coin and they are healing, uplifting and encouraging. I am connecting to the ladies in my group - it would be impossible not to do so during this process - in a way I have never connected with anyone before ever. I look forward to growing with them.

In about two weeks, I (along with Cam) will be meeting with our lead pastor and his wife to complete the process of becoming a covenant member at CityView. My honey is already a member, of course, but I am glad that he will be with me during this meeting. Once I am a member (officially), I hope to find a way that I can actively serve. They are looking for help in the children's ministry and I am leaning that direction.

Family -

It seems easier to check in on my brothers via text and I have tried to be more proactive about doing so. There is still room for improvement. Cam and I will be meeting my youngest brother and his girlfriend in a couple weeks for dinner. We had decided to try to do this monthly since the day he was dropped off at school as a brand new college freshman. It has not been monthly, unfortunately - our calendar seems to have exploded all kinds of crazy - but I am thankful that we live close enough that we can do it occasionally as opposed to rarely or never. I will admit that I am looking forward to meeting his girlfriend...at least, I am assuming that is what she is what with the way her name is becoming synonymous with his, lol. My baby brother is growing up! My middle brother, much closer to me age-wise, is struggling. Or he seems to be. I am concerned for him and hope to be able to connect with and encourage him more.

My dad spent this past Sunday with Cam and me. It was nice having him come early enough for a modest breakfast and then church. I know our music is not what he is used to - he did not comment about it - but I hope that he saw the heart of our church and recognizes the family atmosphere there. The sermon covered a touchy subject - which consequently was the theme of the last sermon series about topics that make people uncomfortable - but definitely one that needs to be addressed. I am glad we were there for it. We took a trip to Cabela's (surprise! Not really - that is the first thing all the men in my family want to do when they come to the city.) and then my honey used his magic skillet to turn some nothing-exceptional-about-it chicken to a magic-skillet-wonder to go along with some sliced squash and zucchini we roasted in the oven. Yum! I was thankful for the time we had with him. Talking was not easy, but we did have some meaningful conversation. He made the effort to spend the day with us and that is what matters most. All too soon it was time to say goodbye. I am looking forward to next time!

Friends -

I was convicted in church one Sunday (during that sermon series centered on uncomfortable topics, ha!) about how I have been using the excuse "I can't seem to connect" way too much. It basically kept me in this semi-depressed state where I was just feeling sorry for myself and becoming very clingy to Cam. He was sweet about it and has not complained nor pushed me away (for which I am so thankful!), but we both know that we have reached a point in our relationship where we need to learn to start balancing our time with each other, with others and time alone much better. I reached out to my two closest friends and God blessed the effort. I also reached out to the ladies in our community group - we gathered at my place for a ladies night at the end of January. It was precious time together - talking and learning more about each other and crafting and snacking. Sweet, sweet time. The goal is to make that a monthly thing.

Fiscal -

I am two months away (at most, assuming no unexpected emergencies) from being debt free!!! This makes me so happy (just in case you could not tell from all the exclamation points, lol)!

Learning to coupon is not really happening right now, though I have clipped a pretty good collection of coupons I feel I could/would use. I have not taken the time to match them with sales ads to see where I can find good deals and I have not hunkered down to plan meals for each week which would help give me a better idea of what I need to buy. Definite room for improvement here.

Tithing is not happening yet either. I really need to sit down and make my game plan for the next couple months to see if I can start doing this now and still meet my goal. It is so important that I stop neglecting this.

Fitness -

In an attempt to get fit again, I now attend Zumba classes twice a week. As the days get longer, I look forward to being able to run outdoors again. Right now there just is not enough day light when I get home and I am not about to run by myself in the city after dark. Cam and I did workout together once last week, which was nice. Twenty minutes on the treadmill was about all I could handle that evening. I did not adjust the incline much, but I alternated between walking and different running speeds. I am hoping we can work out together regularly. If we do not, though, I know that I can count on him to keep me accountable. We talk about our diets and exercise with each other and I always hate to tell him when I am bad, lol.

I also have a new diet guide that I am trying to incorporate into my life. It is based on my blood type and hypothyroidism and I have learned that certain foods are not ideal for me considering those two things. So, I have a list of foods not allowed and foods that I should try to keep to a minimum and foods that are ideal. Last week after our workout, I used my bamboo steamer to cook some tilapia filets and sweet potatoes. It was delicious! I had steamed fish before (salmon, I think, which is fattier than tilapia), but not sweet potatoes. They were perfect! Cam added a little honey to his, but I ate mine as is and loved it. There have been a few road bumps - like my number being drawn for free chocolate fondue at the Scentsy Spring Sprint last Saturday and deliveries of Girl Scout Cookies ordered a month ago - but as I stated in my goal regarding eating healthier, I recognize that sweet stuff will never completely leave my diet. It is unreasonable to expect it when it has been practically a staple most of my life. I DO know, however, that I can limit my intake of sweets because I have done that before and seen the positive results, so now it is a matter of making that self-control a priority again.

Updates are good. Writing this out and seeing progress is encouraging.