2014 Goals.

Good morning, 2014. Welcome, though I'm sad to see 2013 go. It was an amazing year for us, with many milestones that we'll be remembering for years to come. Rather than focus on the year past, however, I'd like to get some goals down on paper the internet.


Paul and I are approaching our first anniversary, and I couldn't be happier. I feel that we're closer than ever before, and we're so in sync, it's ridiculous. I'd like to spend this year growing together as a couple. We'll accomplish this through travel and projects.
We're already planning trips up north for weddings, but I'd love to make more weekend and day trips around Florida and Georgia. There are some wonderful sites here that we haven't visited yet, and so many memories to be made.
I realized the other day during our photo shoot with a newly married couple that Paul and I work extremely well together. He has so many great ideas, and we're able to execute them together. I'd like to make that a common thing. Photo shoots, construction projects, maybe even a book!


So many things could go into this category, but I'll narrow it down to three simple things.
We need to drink more water. This is a constant thing. It's simple, but seems to be difficult to remember. Just by drinking more water each day, we'll stay more hydrated, energized, have less headaches, and lose weight.
I want to keep up with meal-planning. I've let it slide the past few weeks because of the holidays, but things are slowly getting back to normal and I'm excited to try out some new recipes. I'm going to focus as much as possible on healthy vegan meals for the two of us.
Both of us have gotten new sneakers in the last few months, so that means exercise is on the table! We're looking to get thirty minutes a day, by starting off small with daily walks. Hopefully that will evolve into jogging, then running, but I'll just be happy if we get outside and breathe that ocean air every day.


We've been in our home for nearly nine months. It's great, but it feels like a mishmosh of borrowed goods. I want to focus on making this house more like our home by creating some new furniture, clearing out the clutter, and covering the walls with photos, prints, and projects we've put together. Maybe I'll even post some finished photos!

Once again, welcome 2014. Wishing you all a fruitful year.

Hello, December.

Our first trip to Crucial Coffee this holiday season!

I don't know how, but it's now December 1st. Our family left just a little while ago after an epic Thanksgiving weekend, and the house is quiet. Our Christmas tree lights are on, there's a load of laundry in the wash, and everything is quiet.

After putting together some November goals at the start of last month, I figured it might be a good practice to keep up. So, how did I do last month? Pretty well!

1. Drink more water. B+
2. Meal plan for nights we are home. A+
3. Get outside & exercise! B

Drinking water is sometimes difficult for me. I keep up with it at work, where I leave one of my water bottles, but seem to forget to drink it at home. Drinking water always makes me feel a lot better, so I'm going to work harder on it this month.

I kept up with meal planning pretty well thanks to my Moleskine planner and some cookbooks checked out from the library. I'd like to post about some great new recipes we stumbled upon sometime this month. Meal planning is super helpful, especially since it's now getting dark before six p.m.! We're putting our slow cooker to good use this winter.

I had such high hopes for exercising! While I did manage to fit in a lot of stretching and yoga, I would've liked it even more to get outside for some walks around the neighborhood. We did walk downtown quite a bit, which saved our "score" somewhat.

Now, what am I shooting for in December?


1. Set aside as much time as possible to spend with family and friends.
It's really hit me that this will be these little guys' very first Christmas. That, plus the fact that our families are each far away this year, has me itching for some quality time together. December also means lots of holiday parties with friends! Paul and I joke sometimes about being anti-social, but I'd really like to get out there and socialize during the holiday season.


2. Take more photos, especially of everyday life.
I've been doing more of my "day in the life" photo posts lately, reminding me of just how valuable they are. I can look back at what a basic day was like for me as far back as 2009. I want to keep that up. Also important is documenting all that time from goal number one!


3. Remind this guy every day of just how much he means to me.
Sometimes, it's easy to get lost in the routine of everyday life. I want to break out of that and try to make each day more meaningful for us. Simple acts of sweetness are my aim here, including mini adventures, a favorite snack, and a few little surprises. :)

What are you hoping to accomplish in December?

Hello, November.

November is my very favorite month, and so I'm thrilled that it's finally here! There are some really great dates to look forward to during November... my birthday, our dating anniversary, the day Paul proposed, Thanksgiving, and sometimes I even look forward to Black Friday. Not for the shopping, mind you, but for the fun that comes with working that day and the official start to the holiday season!

I think, though, that we are most looking forward to a lot of quality family time this month. We're saddened that we have no family in St. Augustine, and so are thrilled that our brother Peter is coming this weekend. Hopefully Elizabeth and Aunt Beth will come the following weekend, if things work out--fingers crossed!

With all of that fun and family visiting, however, usually comes a lot of eating out, convenience foods, and unhealthy choices. To counteract them (because they're certainly good in moderation!), I've come up with a few goals:

1. Bring my water bottle everywhere, and drink the entire thing.
Whenever life gets crazy, drinking water falls to the wayside. This leads to dehydration, water retention, and in my case, causes a whole bunch of other bad effects. I can't forget about it!


2. Meal plan for days that we do not have plans to eat out with family/friends.
We've been meal planning here and there lately, and it has helped SO much! I'd always thought about it, but chocked it up to too much work. Wrong! It's lead to healthier eating, and eating earlier than ten o'clock at night. We love it.


3. Get outside and exercise!
Whether it's yoga on the porch, a nice walk around the neighborhood, or a run to the beach... we need to do it! Breathing the ocean air and stretching our legs is so very important, especially for us couch potatoes. We went on a spontaneous four mile walk the other day, and hope to keep it up in the future.

Are you excited for what November has to bring?

October.

It's October! How did that even happen? All of a sudden, Paul and I have been married for over seven months, I've got two new babies in my life, and the holidays seem to be closing in on us.

I want to use this month to get caught up on this blog. I've got hundreds of photos from our trip to Gatlinburg that I've yet to go through, and that was back in July! Then there are all of these baby photos I've been snapping... over 600 already!

Some other goals I want to keep in mind this month:
♥ Be patient in everything I do.
♥ Do yoga every day--or at least get in some stretching!
♥ Drink loads of water.
♥ Eat more vegan meals.
♥ Spend more time on the hammocks with Paul.
♥ Take more photos--and post them!

Happy October, everyone!