Goals for 2014

Good morning!  I hope your new year is off to a great start.  Joe and I have still been busy since returning from our Christmas travels.  On New Year's Eve, we went to our landlord/next-door neighbor's party and had a blast.

We woke up the next morning, drove to Jacksonville, and watched the Gator Bowl (Georgia vs. Nebraska) in the rain.

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Then we spent yesterday sitting around and clearing out the DVR.  It was much needed after all of the going, going, going we've been doing!  I also got in my first run of the new year yesterday.

Speaking of the new year, I wanted to share with you my 2014 goals.  I know these posts have been popping up all over blog land, but I want to document these so that I can come back a year from now and

Deepen my Faith
This is a constant goal for me, but especially because I've been in a slight rut with my faith lately.  I saw a sticky note in the bathroom at the Gator Bowl on Wednesday that really spoke to me:

As I deal with some worries and struggles right now, I know I need to deepen my faith so that I can trust in the Lord.  I've signed up for another Bible study already, and I want to establish time in the morning to read His Word before things get busy.

Run 14 in 2014
Last year, my goal was to continue running after I completed the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  Well, with 3 half marathons under my belt in 2013, I'd say I did just that!  My first goal for 2014 is to continue running by committing to run 14 races in 2014!  I saw a bunch of people doing 13 in 2013, so I signed up for the challenge through Jill Conyers' website.

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I chose to run a combination of distances and already have 3 races (2 half marathons and 1 10K) lined up for 2014!  There's still time to sign up if you are interested.  Just click the link above, and it'll take you right to it.  You can do a combination of distances like me, or you can commit to 14 5ks, 14 10ks, 14 half marathon, 14 marathons, or whatever your heart desires!

Reduce the Clutter
I have come to realization that I am a bit messy.  It's not something I'm proud of, and it's making Joe a little frustrated with me lately.  So, my goal for this year to reduce the amount of clutter I leave lying around and actually put things away when I'm done with them!

Make a t-shirt quilt
One way I can reduce the clutter is by getting rid of some of my t-shirts.  I have SO MANY shirts, but I never want to part with them because they remind of things.  Now that my sewing machine is up and running, I finally have a way to deal with some of them: making a t-shirt quilt!

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This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, so 2014 will be the year that I do it!  The picture above is what I'm hoping mine will look like when finished.  This will be a challenge for me, but it's one I'm willing to take on!  I found some tutorials online and have some friends who have made one before that I can use as a reference :)

Attend a Conference (or two or three)
I want to attend a conference this year, either for work or for blogging.  I love the community of like-minded people, the sessions are always interesting, and I always have a blast when I attend a conference!  I've been to a few math teacher conferences in college, but I want to get back in it this year.

Do Something Adventurous
I may just have this planned already, but I wanted to do something that puts me out of my comfort zone in 2014.  I'm THINKING that I'll go sky diving out in Seattle with my friend Kristie, but we will see :)

I originally only wanted to set 2 or 3 goals, but I think these are all manageable.  I'm already taking steps toward completing most of these, so I hope that I will follow through!!

Question for you: Do you set goals for the new year?  If so, what is one of yours?  If not, how do you celebrate the new year?