Tuesday, December 31, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up + New Year Resolutions

Happy Holidays, geeks (sorry, that's totally what I'm calling my loyal readership now)!  I hope that you've all been blessed with happiness, health, and some much needed relaxation!  My husband and I celebrated our first Christmas together as a married couple, and it was exactly everything I hoped for.  We have been surrounded by lots of family and friends and are both incredibly grateful for everything we've been given this year.

I wanted to take this opportunity to do a "2013 wrap up" to give you all a peek into what this year has meant for me and my little family.  This year has been a huge milestone in my life; while in the last term in my degree program, my family was hit hard with several health issues and I almost didn't make it to the end of my program because I was spread so thinly.  Add that in with trying to graduate and planning a DIY budgeted wedding, I felt like I'd never make it.  But, with the support of my then-fiance-now-husband, I graduated and received my degree in Computer Information Technology and I married my best friend a week later. We took a wonderful honeymoon to the Caribbean (our first time on vacation just the two of us and my first flight!) and got a chance to explore a bit of Miami.  It was quite a year for us!

I felt so much joy and accomplishment this past year, I don't know how 2014 could be any better.  So, I've come up with a few New Year's Resolutions to keep me motivated!

  1. Earn a 4.0 average in each term this year - After I graduated this past September, I realized that what I earned my degree in wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do.  After doing some research and getting some inspiration from friends, I decided that a degree in graphic design would compliment my already earned degree.  So, I'll be going back to college in January and I'm going to get stellar grades so that I can graduate with distinction.
  2. Implement meal planning - I have read tons and tons of blog posts and Pinterest pins about meal planning and I think I'm finally ready to do this.  I've had to come up with my own methods for this because most things I have found are geared towards families with children, which we don't have just yet.  I've got a plan set out for how to get this done most efficiently, and I think I'll be ready to implement it once the new year begins.  This also ties in with resolution number four.
  3. Use Instagram more often - I love Instagram and think it's a really fun and unique way to share what you're up to with your friends.  I have had an IG account for about a year now, and I haven't used it much; just a few snapshots here or there.  In 2014, I'd like to make more of an effort to use this awesome social network.  Follow me (@codyisageek) to see if I really follow through on this one! :-)
  4. Promote health and wellness - This is something I've been trying to do consistently for a while now. With the new year upon us, I thought this would give me that little push of motivation I need to really bring this into fruition.  I'm going to achieve this goal in several ways including daily exercise, healthy meal choices, vitamin supplements, and meditation.
  5. Stick to a homemaking routine - As you know, I have a cleaning schedule that I stick to in order to keep my home looking fresh in the midst of our busy lives.  In addition to that and my meal planning, I'm going to be working out a routine/schedule for everything having to do with home maintenance.  For example, I'll set aside an hour or two on Sundays to plan out the upcoming week.  I'll choose one day during the last week of every month to plan our budget for the next month and other things like that.  I believe that if I can create a routine that works for me, I'll be more likely to stay on top of things.
  6. Organization - This sort of carries over from my 2013 resolution to become a more organized person.  While I do believe that I achieved this goal, I feel that I still have more work to do in this area.  I'm not sure I'll ever be as organized as I'd like to be, but that won't stop me from trying!
I hope that you all will follow along with me as I try to make these resolutions a reality.  With all this inspiration, I'll have lots of great blog posts to share with you in 2014!  What are your resolutions for the new year?  It's the time for new beginnings and reinventions.  You can do or be anything you want if you just go for it!

Happy New Year!
XO,
C