New Year, New Plans

  I've never really done much in the way of New Year's Resolution. Maybe an occasional "be healthier" or "read my Bible through in a year". But I've never really sat down and thought about what I wanted to change or accomplish in the coming year.

Until now.

There are a lot of changes happening in my life this year. Ones that are going to happen whether I resolve to do them or not. I'm going to have my third baby, leaving my home and moving to another country, going back to school, learning a new language, teaching my children in that new language, going to a new church, figuring out how to cook, clean, and in general be a house wife in a completely different environment... I think you get the point.

  Having all of that coming at me, I couldn't help but sit and think about what I wanted to change and accomplish this year, just out of necessity. So, I have a few goals this year. They are really for January through July to prepare for leaving, but you gotta start somewhere.

  First there's the personal goals. Our lives right now consist of a lot of late nights of travelling or church, so usually I wake up when the kids wake me up, which usually is still earlier than I'd like most mornings. But that tends to lead to rushing through the morning and cramming things (like a shower) in later in the day. So my first goal is to start getting up before my kids. Like I said, you have to start somewhere. The mornings that I do get up before them, I enjoy getting that quiet time for my devotions, and coffee, and it helps the day to be less crazy.

 My second personal goal is to start a prayer journal. I used to do one a long time ago and should have been doing one all through deputation. It's amazing to look back through the journal and really see and remember even the little things you prayed for and see how God worked them out. But especially with all the changes happening this year, I am going to start that back up again.

 Then there's the organization/household goals. With baby number three on the way, I think it's past time for my oldest to be potty training. I refuse to change three diapers. Just refuse. She's got the concept down and goes herself occasionally, but it's the consistency and just getting out of the diaper that we have left. We'll be home more often the next few months so this is happening.

My second goal in this area is my garage. This is one that I don't really have a choice on, because it has to be done by July regardless. It's really more than my garage, but that's where I need to start. The sorting, and tossing, and selling, and storing of all of our belongings. I have diaper boxes in every nook and cranny of the clothes my kids have grown out of. Then there's a couple containers and boxes of bigger sized clothes that we are collecting to take with us to the field. There's also the insane amount of toys that two children have collected over the past three years. It's really ridiculous. Have to sort those and decide what to keep, store, or sell. Having to pack with limited space to move to another country really gives you a new perspective on what you actually use and what you keep for no reason at all.

  So there you have it. My few goals. What are your goals for 2018??