The Henrys had a truly fabulous 2013! We moved into our new home, had some ridiculously fun times with our family and friends (especially Lily, that girl is crazy great!), and found out our trio will soon become a quartet. Our animals only keep things interesting in a good way now and we are all happy and healthy. Basically, 2013 set a pretty high bar...but something tells me 2014 will be another great one!
Chris and I chatted quite a bit, while enjoying our cabbage and black eyed peas, about our resolutions for the New Year. Well, resolutions isn't quite the word...they are more goals and projects we would like to see met or finished before 2015 comes knocking. Enjoy!
Rachel
1. I would like to read at least five books (for pleasure) this year. I know what you're thinking..."real lofty goal there Rach" but trust me...it is.
2. I would like to better tune my negativity filter. Last year I let a lot of things really get to me but instead of doing anything about it, I just let it brew inside until I wanted to burst. In the guise of being nice or trying to be the bigger person or just trying to stay out of the conflict, I wasted a lot of time dealing with or thinking about people or things that were not adding anything positive to my life. So, I would like to get rid of some of that and I've actually already started. Confession, I'm never going to get off of Facebook...I like it, whatever. But some of those on my "friends" list are not bad people...they just post things I don't agree with...to my very core. So, instead of just defriending everyone with opposing ideas or views, I have simply hidden them from my newsfeed. I no longer see anyone constantly bashing the government, spewing intolerant hatred, or just being a regular douche...it's fantastic! It's a small drop in the bucket of ridding complete negativity but that small gesture has already made an impact.
3. I would like to establish a better life balance. Between personal life, work life, and side business life...things get pretty hectic and my personal life tends to take the hit when a hit is needed. I bring work home way too often which tends to distract me when I should be spending quality time with Chris and Lily. What stinks is that I also let a lot of people take advantage of me last year. I spent WAY too much time with people who didn't recognize or appreciate the time I was spending away from my amazingly supportive husband and down-right awesome child. So, I would like to make a conscious effort to organize my life where I'm spending most of my time with the people that matter most...because they deserve it! And...the tough part...saying no to people and projects that just aren't worth it.
4. I love our home...seriously, I tell Chris how happy I am that we moved into our neighborhood at least once a week. Our house is just perfect for us and I'm pretty sure I would be content never, ever moving. We spent this first year in our house making it a home...but a couple things have gotten pushed to the back burner that the clock is now ticking on! We have until March to get a nursery ready and I would like to have Lily's big girl room and their joint bathroom done in that time frame as well. Eek. We also need to focus on the backyard...the whole still not having grass thing is problematic...but I'll let Chris add that to his list!
5. This last one is pretty vague and borderline redundant, but what the heck, I'll mention it anyway. I just want to work on being a better person, wife, and mommy. Not the "Pinterest" version of what a better person/wife/mommy looks like...that's just ridiculous! This isn't something that I will be able to check off a to-do list at the end of the year, but a daily effort to simply be better. I'll work a little harder to make those that matter around me happier. I want to be more educated on certain topics and give back to my community a little more. Basically, all the things that make a good person "good"...I'd like to give that the ol' college try.
Chris
Typically I'm not one to make big, bold goals for the year. I've already got two major events on the books: Harrison's big debut and finally closing the books on my masters. So what else? There are lots of things I could be better about. Taking more pictures, making better use of my free time, taking better care of myself physically, or reading more. But I've made these sorts of resolutions before without getting them to stick. So I'm thinking specifics are the way to go and here is what I've come up with:
1. Brew more. Now that I think about it, last year I only made two beers. Two. Barely enough to call it a hobby. Granted, this was partially due to moving into a new house, but still not my most stellar showing. This year, a simple goal of four. Double last year and easily done seasonally.
2. Keep in touch. I'm a terribly shady person and would like to change this. I want to stop relying on Facebook and the internet to keep tabs on the people I care about and start actually calling, visiting, and maybe even writing a letter or two.
3. Backyard. Yes, I used that as a verb. We love our new house. It's wonderful, but we still don't have grass in the backyard. It's kind of a long story involving lack of communication and choosing to fence it in first, but 2014 will be the year that I fill it with flower beds, fruit trees, maybe a swing set, a little garden, and maybe even some grass. Sure, this is more of a “goal” than a lofty aspiration but I really wanna get it done.
4. Put on my handyman hat. I want to be a DIY person. I read stories of people building things, woodworking, and making cool things all the time and while I have dabbled in some little projects with some success I think my first step is creating a space to get serious. This year I hope to clean out the garage and actually build a workbench and start organizing tools and developing a little station to let out some creativity and maybe a little testosterone too.
5. Notarize. This is a longtime goal of mine that I'm throwing out there. I really want to become a Notary Public. Why not, you know? Maybe this year I can squeeze it in.
All in all, I just hope to have a good year. Try to develop some hobbies, improve the house a little bit, and keep trying to be a good dad and husband. That would be pretty solid I think.
1. Brew more. Now that I think about it, last year I only made two beers. Two. Barely enough to call it a hobby. Granted, this was partially due to moving into a new house, but still not my most stellar showing. This year, a simple goal of four. Double last year and easily done seasonally.
2. Keep in touch. I'm a terribly shady person and would like to change this. I want to stop relying on Facebook and the internet to keep tabs on the people I care about and start actually calling, visiting, and maybe even writing a letter or two.
3. Backyard. Yes, I used that as a verb. We love our new house. It's wonderful, but we still don't have grass in the backyard. It's kind of a long story involving lack of communication and choosing to fence it in first, but 2014 will be the year that I fill it with flower beds, fruit trees, maybe a swing set, a little garden, and maybe even some grass. Sure, this is more of a “goal” than a lofty aspiration but I really wanna get it done.
4. Put on my handyman hat. I want to be a DIY person. I read stories of people building things, woodworking, and making cool things all the time and while I have dabbled in some little projects with some success I think my first step is creating a space to get serious. This year I hope to clean out the garage and actually build a workbench and start organizing tools and developing a little station to let out some creativity and maybe a little testosterone too.
5. Notarize. This is a longtime goal of mine that I'm throwing out there. I really want to become a Notary Public. Why not, you know? Maybe this year I can squeeze it in.
All in all, I just hope to have a good year. Try to develop some hobbies, improve the house a little bit, and keep trying to be a good dad and husband. That would be pretty solid I think.
Lily
When I (Rachel) asked Lily what she wanted to accomplish in 2014, she said two things:
1. I love the potty! (Which is currently a lie but I'll take it to mean that she would like to work on potty training and tackle that at some point this year...you know, when she is good and ready!)
2. I love purple! (Not real sure how to interpret this one...so I'll say she probably wants to paint or draw more pictures that have purple in them. I can get on board with that!)
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