*12 for 2012*

Soo this post is in no way going to be very original - I'm sure many in blog-land will be making posts about New Year's Resolutions as 2012 quickly approaches. I have never really made resolutions before....but hey that sort of goes with my theme for 2012 to "just go for it" in all areas of my life. So here we go!

1. Read the Bible everyday. I have been a lot better about this in the second half of 2011, and have seen what a HUGE difference it can make to get into the Word, really study it, and have it be an everyday part of your life.

2. Have a date night at least once a month - just Nick and I. We have grandparents nearby who are always up for babysitting :) Having children definitely takes away from one-on-one time with your spouse, so you need to make an intentional effort to get that time in, even if its just going grocery shopping and grabbing a movie from the Redbox. I'm serious....sometimes just going to good ol Wal-Mart sans kiddos and with the hubby sounds fun to me. Weird, I know.

3. Do a daily devotion with Carsten. We gave him a preschool devotional book for Christmas. I tried my best to explain to a nearly 4 year old the concept and he seems excited to start!

4. Go on a mission trip. Ok, I'm kinda cheating here since I already know I will be doing this :) But, it has been a goal of mine for a while now...and I decided to just go for it! I am going with the organization Ordinary Hero. I plan to do a post sometime on how I found them, what has inspired me to go, ect. But for now if you would like to check them out visit their website/blog! Ordinary Hero (That was the first "link" I have ever made in a blog post...I feel cool now.)

5. Be more intentional in my prayers.  Ya know how we often say "I will pray for you." or "You are in my prayers.".....but then we fail to do just that? Or is that just me? Ok, well, I have been guilty of this from time to time. I really want to be better about prayer, because I know it can move mountains. It is powerful. We need to invite God into our daily lives more. I am starting a prayer journal too!

6. Pay down our student debt! Ok, so a not so "fun" one. But, we really want to succeed at this. The only debt we carry is our student loans and home mortgage. Luckily my Dad taught me to pay cash for cars, never put anything on a credit card you can't pay off that month and only have one to build credit with.(Thanks, Dad!!) I know that has saved us from having more debt. But student loans are uh-noy-iiiiiiiing. I appreciate our college educations, but I'm ready to get it paid. We plan on taking the Crown Financial class at our church and are also reading Dave Ramsey.

7. Be a better friend. This is another topic I want to do a separate blog post on. When you get married, have kids, and just get busier and busier its easy to start to lose touch and I have been guilty of this. I want to be more intentional about making phone calls, sending cards(like, in the actual mail....with a stamp and everything - remember those??), and just checking in with those that are important to me near and far.

8. Get my tattoo :) Alright, this is kind of a "fluff" one...but I have been talking about getting a certain something tattooed for years now. I have put it off because..A.) I want to make sure it is important enough to me to be there for life....and B.) I'm a little scared. You see, I want it on my foot. Which they say is one of the most painful places to get one. My plan is to get it in the spring when the weather is warmer for healing purposes so I can wear sandals. Soo, talk to me in a few months about this one :) But I'm feeling pretty confident this will happen.

9. Volunteer. As I learn more about suffering around the world while I prepare to go on my mission trip, I know there is also need right here in my home community. This year I really want to make the effort and take the time to volunteer.

10. Read! I am a bit of a bookworm, its true. But, I have learned soo much and been inspired and challenged from all the books I have read this year! In fact, check out my "Life-changer books" board on Pinterest. Wow, 2 links in one post, go me! :) So, I aspire to continue because you should never stop trying to learn more!

11. Be the best Mommy I can be. I know this should always be a goal, and it is. But being a Mommy is hard work at times, right fellow Mommies?? But hard work with the greatest reward! I want to be more intentional on having one-on-one time with each of my boys, and also creating wonderful memories as a family as they grow up. And I'm gonna throw in there that I also want to take more pictures/videos!

12. Blog consistently. This is only my third post, so who knows what is going to happen with my little blog but I would love to make an effort to be consistent in my postings. And I want to keep it real. Because when you are trying to live covered in His dust it isn't always pretty. But its worth it :)

***These are not in any specific order of importance....although I would say #1 is where it should be in a list of most to least important! :)

So, thanks for reading! Do you make resolutions? Care to share? I would love to help keep each other accountable!

I hope you have a wonderful New Year's weekend!