Welcome 2009!

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year! Ours was very low key but just how I wanted it to be. We stayed in and played games and barely stayed awake until midnight. Having a newborn can really shift your priorities. I'm so excited for this new year to start. It's nice to close the chapter on 2008 and start fresh! I am setting three goals for 2009 which I think are realistic for me to achieve.
The first and most important one is to continue to grow and mature in my faith. I want to be a good example for Bishop and to raise him in a loving Christian home. I am so thankful to my parents for raising my sister and I that way. I don't know if my faith would be as strong as it is today if it hadn't been instilled in me from the beginning. Here is a "deleted scene" from a sermon at the church we've been going to called Journey Ecclesia:

Some of you need to let go of resentment, and treasure again.You need to go back to the sweet moments. The good things.You need to cleanse your soul.For some of you, it is not a matter of forgiveness but a matter of simply being reminded of what you have. For once, would you put the dishes down, and leave them dirty and come and sit on the couch.For once would you shut your phone off and give more than 15 minutes to each conversation.Would you close your laptop, and star into the eyes of the real people surrounding you not the pictures of the ones on your Facebook.I am not saying those things are wrong, I am just saying how often are you fully present?How much time to take to ponder and treasure that which is good.I honestly believe this is one of the secrets of life.Without it, you will spend most of your minutes in the day, off center...Being fully present keeps you more acutely aware of the kingdom that is around you...The radar of the soul remains sharp and is not dulled by the restless, driven pursuit of doing.

I think this is a great reminder to all of us. Sometimes we just need to slow down and treasure each moment. Blogging has helped me do this. I never thought I would be someone who would enjoy this because I've always been pretty private about my personal life but it has allowed me to reflect and journal all that I'm thankful for.
The second goal for 2009 is to get on a budget. I'm not too excited about this goal because I've never really had to do it before so it's kind of scarey to me. I started my career when I was 20 and it has been a great and successful career for me. But now Bishop is my top priority and I want to be with him as much as I can. I want to work to live not live to work. I don't think anyone has ever loooked back over their life and said I wish I had worked more. I'm sure that it's been more like I wish I had spent more time with the people I loved. So I'm going to have to get creative and be very disciplined in order to do this. It will be a nice challenge for me.
And last but not least is to loose the baby weight and then some! I wish that I had been in better shape before I got pregnant so I could have exercised through the pregnancy. Even though the majority of what I gained was water weight and it's already come off I still have a ways to go. It's amazing what one little 7 pound 12 ounce baby can do to your body! I'm still wondering if my feet will shrink back to normal size. But, I am going to make this goal more about a lifestyle change and not just about the weight. I need to create habits that I love like cooking healthy, yoga and exercising outside. For me following a specific diet plan and being in the gym will just set me up for failure. Wish me luck!