Saturday, January 30, 2016

Poetry

Sometimes I have a hard time reading the Book of Mormon. Sometimes it is hard, tedious, boring. Sometimes I just don't have the patience to understand. Or perhaps it is the Spirit I lack. I don't really know. Then sometimes the words singg to me. They come off the page and straight into my heart. This is the gem I came across tonight:

"My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was wracked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more." Mosiah 27: 29

No one paints a picture of repentance the way Alma does. It is probably why his words speak to me so well. I have felt the pain and known the darkest abyss brought on by sin.
Oh, but I have seen the glorious light of God as well. I have cried to Him and in His endless mercy He has answered and given me life. He blesses me continually and forgives me more than I deserve. And it is wonderful to me.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

New calling

Not for me, for Kyle. He was finally released from scouts, a calling he really couldn't stand. Now he will be Gospel Doctrine teacher.
I am really excited about this. Probably more so than he is. I think he's actually excited for the experience, but nervous about being the one people see as the person who should have answers to their gospel questions. I get it. That's a lot of pressure.
One of my goals this year was to do scripture reading with Kyle three times a week. We failed last week. But I am thinking maybe this calling is a blessing to help us achieve our goal. We love studying together. We really do! We learn so much and have so much fun. But we also like TV. And vegging out in bed after a day of work and children. But his calling requires a lot of study. So, here's to accomplishing more goals than last year!

Saturday, January 2, 2016

2016

I always like to write down my goals. However, I accomplish very few of them. In fact, last year I made ten goals, with very detailed plan on how to accomplish them. Of the ten, I completed one. And it was a simple one. The only goal I achieved was not buying any new books for myself. Getting them as presents was not off limits however, so my library was still getting fresh blood. All I really had to do was put a book in my amazon cart and my husband would eventually get it for me. I am ashamed to say, I only completed one of my ten goals and it was kind of because of a loop hole. For Shame.
This year is gonna be different! I know I think this every year, but 2016 is gonna stick. I saw someone post on facebook something about their goal book. Basically a weekly planner that she used to keep herself on track. I am really excited about this idea. I constantly have a book in my purse anyway, it may as well help me accomplish something.
In 2016 I will:
     1. Reach my goal weight of 120 lbs by April 29th. I know weight goals seem so trivial, especially since I am not truly overweight, however, on April 29th, I turn 30. I can't turn 30 and still have fat from Lily hanging on to me. The girl is over three! I need to have some accountability!
     2. Visit teach every month. I did pretty well at this last year, but this year I am going to do even better!
     3. Make one new recipe a month. Last year my goal was a new recipe every two weeks, I probably made 3 new recipes all year. I just have a hard time because kyle is so unenthusiastic about new food. He's unenthusiastic, but that doesn't mean he doesn't eat it. He will just learn to eat what I make. Eventually he'll like something.
     4. Go to the gym 3 times a week. Besides just my weight goals, I would like to actually be in better shape. Not looks wise, but I'd like to be able to run and not be weary.
     5. Have dinner as a family at least twice a week. This sounds ridiculous right? I am a total failure as a mother. Kyle and I usually eat in front of the TV while the kids sit at the table. Twice a week may not seem like enough, but I will have a hard time even accomplishing that. And this one is totally on me. I can't stand listening to people eat or really make any noise... In fact, just today I left the steam room at the gym after just a minute, because I couldn't listen to people wiping the water off of them. It's a sickness.

Kyle and I also have family goals to accomplish. I guess the family dinner thing could go here, but I blame myself for that one, so it goes in personal. I am the mother after all. It's my job to make this mish mash of people a family. This year as a family we will:
     1. Go to the temple once a month. We did pretty well last year, but not great. 2014 was our best year so far. Gotta get back to that record.
     2. Read the scriptures three times as week. This isn't just a five minute read though, this is when we pull out our scripture guide and spend a good half hour or more really diving in. I love when we do it this way. I get a lot our of it, even if we don't do it as often as scripture reading should probably happen.
     3. Go to church every Sunday. We are not inactive, don't get me wrong. But we have a slightly lazy approach to church. It is hard for me to want to go. This year I am going to have us do a little bit better. I want to make sure I am setting the right example for my kids.
     4. "Ponderize" every week. I really hate that term, so I drag my feet to call it that, but honestly, I really like the program. My kids did really well when we were doing it constantly. I just need to be better about it.

That is it. That is my plan for 2016. I have many more things to work on, but I am starting slow. I am being realistic about my goals and expectations.

Wish me luck!!!