Every year Joe and I set goals for our family and then set our own personal goals. It's part of my type-a plan for world domination. In all seriousness, I like thinking about resolutions as promises to one's self rather than a list of things that are forgotten on January 31.
Usually we evaluate our year in September, then we adjust the goals that are left (if necessary) and make a short list of what we think we can finish/accomplish before the year ends. Any unmet goals are saved for the following year.
So while we did our almost-end-of-year goal evaluation in private this year, I thought I'd fess up about what I actually accomplished in 2010.
Personal Goals
- Make an effort to be a nicer, more cheerful person
I think getting out from under the shroud of infertility certainly helped with my overall demeanor. I tend not to sugar coat things, so my honesty is sometimes perceived as unhappiness or melancholy when in actuality, I'm quite happy. I'm just telling it like it is, and that's actually a quality I like about myself.
- Try to not talk badly about others and keep negative opinions to myself
This goal created something I'd call a "teachable moment" in my life. I realized I'll never be one of those people that likes everyone and that everyone likes. You know the kind of girls I'm talking about. They were probably your high school's homecoming queen. Instead I chose to embrace my odd sense of humor, and have had a lot of fun with friends this year conversing about bad relationships, worse outfits and the trainwrecks on 16 and pregnant. And I've enjoyed every second of it.
- Make more time for family and friends
I made huge strides in this area, traveling home to Florida and Jersey for big and small family events and scheduling lunches with friends as often as possible. It was awesome and I felt so much more connected!
- Make every day count, and try to live more in the moment
Let me be honest. I've wished away most of this year because of discomfort or frustration. Yes, I'm grateful. But no, I didn't always live in the moment.
Fitness Goals
- Get a bike and ride 100 miles in the Tour de Cure this summer
- Run one road race each month from April to September
- Run 500 miles in a year
I met zero of my fitness goals this year. I got pregnant in January, miscarried, had a D&C and then cycled for IVF #2 when I conceived the twins. Races weren't even a blip on my radar most days and by the time the Tour came around I was ten weeks pregnant with the twins and having spontaneous bleeds.
While I didn't accomplish these goals specifically, I shocked myself by being able to run through my 14th week of pregnancy, spin through my 28th week of pregnancy and swim through my 32nd week of pregnancy. Not a set goal, but not a bad accomplishment!
Career Goals
- Find a career path that will let me be my own boss
I halfway accomplished this. I started doing freelance work around August and left my full-time job in October. Right now I'm focusing on the babies, but I plan on pursuing the freelance thing with more force in 2011, once we get some sort of routine going with the kids.
Life Goals
- Plan two fun vacations and one *relaxing* staycation!
ACCOMPLISHED! Husband and I went to Paris, Nantucket and took a week off in October to just hang out at home and work on the nursery. (We also snuck in a trip to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and Quebec City.)
- Cook at home three times a week
This lasted 5 months or until my first trimester. All I can do is laugh because it was the dead of summer and I couldn't stomach grilled food. I subsisted off of chicken broth and plain noodles. Of course, I had just bought the husband a new grill and he never got to use it!
- Find ways to increase the emotional and physical intimacy in our marriage
With the IVF's, the D&C, the subchorionic hematoma and a multiples pregnancy I've pretty much been on pelvic rest since January. That's right folks. No sex for the entire year, doctor's orders. You can forward condolences onto my husband. However, it's forced us to talk more, cuddle more and be more honest with each other than we previously thought possible. So I would say this goal was accomplished emotionally, and physically...well, let's hope 2011 is a better year!
House Goals
- extend our back patio (done!)
- plant a perennial garden (done!)
- finish painting our hallway, trim and laundry room (done!)
- finish furnishing and accessorizing our home (*done!)
- hold a garage sale, donate whatever doesn't sell to charity (done!)
ACCOMPLISHED! The only room we have left to finish is our master bedroom. But it took a backseat to the nursery, so the master bedroom will be back on the list in 2011. Although, truth be told, it has furniture and a bed, and we can survive like this for many years to come.
Financial Goals
- pay down 20% of our mortgage
Well, we saved up enough to pay down 20% of the mortgage, and then we saved some more. But we decided to hold off on actually making the payment until May of next year. With the twins on the way and me giving up my full-time job, we thought having a sizable savings was better than not having PMI.
I'm almost done with my goal list for 2011, it's funny how your goals and ideas change in a year...
