Friday, January 7, 2011

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?

4 comments:

  1. Great goals and things to do this year Jody!

    I'm looking forward to volunteering more this year (thanks to BEC and you, this should be quite achieveable).

    I'm looking into getting involved in our local allergies and anaphylaxis support network.

    I also hope to take our little girl to the mountains this year. I think she's old enough to be excited by the scenery.

    I want to establish more regular outings with the hubby... we rarely go out on dates and I would really like that to change.

    Lots to look forward to and aspire to.

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  2. My number one goal for this year should be no surprise: finish my dissertation and graduate.

    My second goal is to get a full time job. Teaching university anthropology courses is still a priority but I've realized that I'd love to do something in community development or with a non-profit organization. But it's essential that with whatever position I take on I am still able to pursue my volunteering.

    My third goal is to finally go on a vacation with my husband. We've only ever been on one in ten years.

    My fourth goal is to finish our yard work so we can enjoy our backyard. We really want to be able to have people over to hang out on our deck with us.

    Lots to do but I'm looking forward to it :)

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  3. Loved reading about your goals/plans for the year ladies; I hope we can all help support each other's efforts to achieve them :)

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  4. Wow! I wish I could say I was as focused as you all are. Every few days I come up with something new I want to do - better choose a few important ones before I drive myself crazy. But here ARE a few I know are at the top of the list:
    1. Take a family vacation for at least a week - even if it's just camping in the mountains. We've camped for maybe four days at a time but it's been a while since we actually had proper time off together. (Say, about three years.)
    2. Read more. Hence, the book club I want to do.
    3. Get more active. Whether it means exercising, playing with the kids, dancing to the Wii or lately, snow shoveling.
    4. Finish the garage/upstairs apartment.

    I'm sure more will develop, but prioritizing is in order. I LOVE your idea of sitting down together and figuring things out at the beginning of the year. Fabulous! Looks like I have work to do . . . .

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