Happy New Year?

2009 is gone. In case you hadn't noticed ; ) A few years back Bard and I started setting family goals every year for different areas of our life-spiritual, financial, physical, etc. Last year we had several big goals and a variety of little ones as well. Let's see how we did.

*We hadn't gone on a vacation, just our family, since our honeymoon, so that was a priority. You can read all about it in my Bienvenidos post from July, but it was a great vacation! Along with a vacation, we really just wanted to prioritize spending time with each other. Which we've done through regular date nights and a couple of other get a ways.

*We had been working on the basement room for 49 million years and on December 18th (just barely squeaking in for completion before the end of 2009) we passed our final inspection and moved furniture in! (pics to the right) It was a huge accomplishment, one that taught me so much about Bard's ability to grow and persevere.

*We wanted to be involved in a close-knit spiritual community. This one was hard. I almost never make it to the worship portion at our church, so that will be a new goal. About mid year we re-evaluated many of our relationships-or lack of-and made some tough choices, which for me was especially emotional. But, on the good side, I've started meeting with an amazing group of women on a weekly basis. They pray for me, hold me accountable and have grown into close friends. Bard does the same with a group of guys. We also started meeting each week with some families from our church. We have dinner together, commiserate on parenthood, encourage each other and pray for our families. This has been a huge blessing as well.

*We had several financial goals, most of which we've met, even with the basement exploding into a money pit and going a bit too overboard on Christmas. Although we had hoped to end the year with more in savings, so that is a goal for this year now too.

*A goal for Bard was passing the second phase in his CFA. Which he did! The third and final phase is this June, his textbooks are waiting for him : )

*Physically we both wanted to be pretty active and Bard has succeeded at that and I have failed : ( I worked out pretty regularly leading up to Mexico (ahh bathing suits) and then again into the fall, but I have not been consistent so I will get back on the band wagon. . .starting. . .tomorrow. . .

*Now our final goal. We had really thought that we would get pregnant in 2009. Getting pregnant and then losing the baby has been the hardest adjustment of the past year and the healing process is definitely carrying over into 2010, and has actually given it a pretty rocky start. Will we get pregnant and have a baby this year? I don't know. Having set and failed that goal once already, it's too hard for me to be definitive about it again, at least so soon. Even though that is against my natural personality. I think our goal this year will be family-whatever that ends up looking like.

Our goals for 2010 really look pretty similar. Healthy choices in our relationships-with God, friends, each other, and Evelyn. Balanced decisions with our finances and how we spend our time. I don't think making New Year's Resolutions is the answer to everything. But since I am just a bit goal oriented ; ) it goes right along with how I live my life anyway. I think the point is to be purposeful about your life. If you don't, then life just happens and you're left always reacting. And, you're left wondering where all your money went, why you're too busy for friends, and what you really did with the last year.

I didn't do Christmas cards because I just wasn't at a place where I could look back over the year without solely focusing on the loss of the baby. But we did end up-last minute-having our pictures taken (check them out in December pics posted to the right.) And as I look at them I realize it was a pretty good year. We have God and we have each other. And we have a whole new year.