Life won't begin at your next milestone.

"If we view today as less than tomorrow, we choose to live in the imagined picture of a story that hasn’t happened, sacrificing joy and adventure that could be ours in the present. We get caught in the idea that this is just the green room, and if we plan well and press on, we’ll eventually walk out on the other side and a great narrative will unfold." 

Read full article: Life Won't Begin at Your Next Milestone

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Two thousand fourteen.

Here are my goals for 2014!

+ Daily prayer & Bible reading. If we're being totally honest, this is always at the top of my "New Year Goals" lists. I will not even pretend like I am good at this (hence why it is once again #1 on my list), but it is still something I value and want to be more intentional about doing. If you have any Bible reading plans that you love, please pass them along!

+ Set a monthly budget. My roommate is SO GREAT AT THIS, and since I obviously just want to be like her in every way possible, I am making an effort to budget more regularly. :) In all seriousness, this is something I have tried to do now that I'm an official grown-up, but it seems a tad overwhelming. I'm looking forward to seeking some guidance on the topic and am actually excited to keep up with a budget plan!

+ Visit 3 new states/cities. Pretty self-explanatory. (Note: I have no idea if 3 cities/states is too many or too little, but next year I'll adjust if necessary.) Some of my ideas include: Oregon, Seattle, Boston, California, Colorado, and/or Edenton (small town in NC where my friend works!). Some places I would love to revisit include: Charleston, Chicago, Nashville, and DC.

+ Eat healthy & exercise regularly. I'm joining a gym which should make this a lot easier, and I won't feel bad about not wanting to venture out in the snow to get a jog in. I am also considering training for another half-marathon, but I haven't fully committed to it yet, so this idea will remain off of the official goal list :)

+ Join a small group. It is much harder than I realized to meet people my age where I live. Hopefully this will help! (And will also help with the first goal on the list.)

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Breaking Away

Never did I imagine that I would value a *break* (of any kind) more than I valued time off when I was in college.

I was so very wrong.

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I have spent the last week in North Carolina at my parents' house (yes - not my house anymore) & praise the Lord I still have the rest of this week to go. I even allowed myself the coveted luxury of not doing any teaching-related work for ONE WHOLE WEEK. I don't think I even opened my laptop.

The week of Christmas was full of family, friends, food (way too much), and a lot of relaxing. I received lots of books as gifts, and have enjoyed being able to rest and read them.

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I am giddy with excitement about New Years. I will be traveling to spend some time with my friends from college, most of whom I have not seen since we graduated in the spring. I just hope they're prepared for the ridiculous amount of hugs they are about to have thrown upon them. :)

Speaking of the new year, 2014 is practically here and I have yet to nail down my hopes and goals for the year. While this is something I often do, I usually fail at the follow through. This year WILL be different, and I am excited to put into writing what I hope and pray to by true of 2014. There will be more to come on this, but it will most likely involve healthy eating & fitness, travel, and spiritual growth (not necessarily in that order).

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Next on the agenda: plan a spring break adventure, hopefully to a place I have never been!

While I get back to the ever-growing pile of lesson plans, enjoy these recent finds:

+ 20 Things People Over 20 Should Stop Doing
+ Teach For America in 2013: The Unofficial Year in Review
+ What did the world search for in 2013?
+ America's New Elite Ivies
+ Lucas: Our Way

A New Resolution

New Year's resolutions scare me. I honestly don't know if I have ever followed through on goals that I have set at the beginning of a year. As a lover of lists, it is overwhelming when I am unable to cross things off, and my list of resolutions always ends up feeling like a list that I'm never able to complete.

If I were to make a list of goals for 2013 it would be full of things for me to do: read my Bible daily, be truly present where I am, joyfully go where God is leading me, invest in relationships, be a better daughter/sister/friend/roommate/girlfriend, etc. This, to me, is an intimidating list. How do I tangibly complete these things that I so desire to be a part of my life?

The only way that I will outwardly display these characteristics and complete these goals is if the Lord changes my heart. 

Refine (v):

• To free from impurities or unwanted material.
• To free from moral imperfection.
• To improve or perfect by pruning or polishing.
• To become pure or perfected.

My resolution for the new year is to allow the Lord to refine my heart; purify and cleanse it; give me a heart that allows me to love others well, be present in all circumstances, and joyfully enter into the unknown, all in response to what God has already done for me. I'm excited to begin this journey of scripture reading/memorization and prayer as I trust the Lord to continue changing my heart as he has faithfully been doing.

"...I will put this third into the fire,

and refine them as one refines silver,

and test them as gold is tested.

They will call upon my name,

and I will answer them.

I will say, 'They are my people';

and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"

Zechariah 13:9

"Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name." Psalm 86:11