Goals, NYRs, and Giving Up on this Year

So, this Christmas season is different from any other because I'll be working full-time up until the weekend before Christmas. In years past, I've spent the two to three weeks of Christmas break relaxing, recuperating after the semester, and planning for the new year. This year, as soon as December hit, I've basically given up on this year and my plans for next year have grown bigger than ever before. I think it's the stress and sadness of knowing I won't get much of a break, combined with the fact that nothing will really be new next year- no new classes, new roommates, new homework, nothing! I haven't been in the mood for Christmas crafts, gifts, music, making treats, seeing snow or lights, hot cocoa, or anything. All I keep doing is trying to cherish each moment of relaxation, and plan for next year!

So, I started off with about a million New Year's Resolutions, but I've changed some, narrowed it down, and hopefully created a list of goals that will make 2013 better than ever! Here they are:

Spiritual Goals

1. Visit two new temples during 2013 (I'd like to do Salt Lake City and Manti, or really any temple!)

2. Begin working on my family history and get my husband and myself all linked up on Family Search.

3. Begin our food storage, get 72-hour kits, water supply, and money supply. Also, I want to find recipes to use up the food storage, and have a schedule of rotating through our storage.

Physical Goals

1. Exercise. My original goal was 200 days out of 365- which is about 4 days per week every week. I don't want to make it too stressful of a goal though, but ideally I'd like to hit the 200 day mark!

Food Goals 

1. Perfect a chocolate chip cookie recipe! We're getting closer, but even if I make the same recipe twice, they turn out different. I'd like to have a full-size recipe and a half-size one that turn out great every time.

2. Bake and decorate a 4-layer cake. I'm super excited for this goal!

3. Can fruit during the summer (visit an orchard to get the fruit!)

I also have some other things I'd like to do next year, but I don't necessarily want to make them full goals because I don't want too many goals! Here they are:

-Recover our kitchen chairs

-Learn to make jewelry

-Find a good place to buy fabric (especially jersey) and learn about fabrics/sewing basics.

There ya go! Also, sorry this post has no pictures. I really only read other people's posts with pictures....so I really shouldn't be a hypocrite, but I just need to journal this once. Also, as for 2012- I completed some of my new year's resolutions:

1. Craft or sew once per month: Done every month but December, so we'll see if I feel up to creating anything this month! As of right now, I'm not feeling it, but maybe I'll get a spark of creativity before the year is up.

2. Grow a garden- Nope, but there's not really a place here. Maybe I'll try herbs someday, but I'm okay that I didn't get to this one.

3. Remember birthdays with cards- I did this for all my immediate family members! This was my proudest accomplishment this year, because I am just so bad at remembering birthdays.

4. Learn self control- I wouldn't say I perfected this, but I've come a long way! I ate salad every day for 15 months straight since we got married, and I just barely got sick of it. I've been better at eating smaller dinner amounts, and being done eating at dinner. This will obviously be a life-long goal, and that's fine with me!

Hurray for 2012 being almost over, and I can't wait for 2013!