It's a New Year

That time of year has rolled around again; it's the beginning of a new year with new hopes and expectations. I've never been one to make resolutions in the new year but I think most people usually try to plan out their year and see if there's somewhere new they want to travel, a new activity to start or something new to try. 

We sat down and took a quick look at the year and planned out our trips together as a family, as just a couple and individually. Then we looked at what things we'd like to try with our children and what we think they might enjoy experiencing. Then personally I looked at what things I want to spend my time on most.

I love planning out my year! I love having activities to look forward to, a general idea what I want to focus on and a feeling that I'm moving towards growth. It still leaves tons of time to fill in the spaces throughout the rest of the year but also gives us some direction.

I thought I'd list some of the things we're doing this year that I'm excited about:

1. DD is taking skiing! Hubs is the one that really wants to drive this so he's taking her every Saturday for lessons. Her first class was last week and she loved it!

2. Introduce the kids to skating, and reintroduce us to it as well! I haven't been skating in about 6 years so it should be interesting for all of us ;)

3. Take the kids back to Winnipeg this summer to visit their Great Grandma and Grandparents.

4. Hubs and I have booked a trip to Cancun for 7 days in March, we need some time to reconnect, relax, and enjoy some time being just 'us'.

5. Start my volunteer group. My main passion in life is making it easy for others to make a difference in their community. If I had my way I would LOVE to start up an organization that motivated Edmontonians to volunteer and then helped place them into volunteer opportunities that interest them. That's a very, very long-term goal so presently I'm just focusing on starting small. I've started a group I've named Because Edmonton Cares (BEC) and I'm so excited to help a few people make a difference in this city and in their own lives.

6. Exercise and stay healthy. Last year was a tough year for me, I was able to spend the first 2 months of the year working out 5-6 times a week but then got pretty sick so was told by my doctor to hold off on exercising until I'd been cleared to proceed. I was finally cleared in September and then ended up with a 2 month cold and then after 2 weeks of not being sick I got sick again for the past 4 weeks! My goal is to try my best to listen to my body, rest when I need to rest,  exercise 3-4 times a week, watch what I eat (enjoy my treats but in moderation), and make sure that sometimes I put myself first.

Have you set out any new things you'd like to try this year, places you'd like to visit or things you want to do as a family? How are you hoping to grow in the next year?