My 2014 Path to Contentment

Welcome to 2014 Lovelies! I am not usually one to make new year resolutions, but as I reflect over the past year, there are so many things I want to do better in the next one.

A Walk With God



I want to spend quality time with God every day. I want to truly develop my personal relationship with Him. I want to grow. I want to read His word, keep a mindset of prayer, and be faithful to His house. I know that I won't be able to do these things perfectly, but I want to have a reservoir of strength at all times to draw from when I fail, and I want to be sure that I keep going despite my failures.

 

A Balanced Life

I need to find the right balance in life, not just with work and home but with every aspect. I often find myself more focused on one area at a time instead of spreading my focus. I want to learn how to find that right balance for me and maintain it. I know this is something that people struggle with daily, but I also know that putting God in the center is the first and most important step.

 

A Healthier Body

I recently turned thirty, and am quickly learning I am not getting any younger. As someone who was always so active during my school years, being inactive for so many years after I think, escalates the getting old factor. Joints and muscles are starting to ache, and painfully. I'm also certain that my eating habits and weight do not have a positive effect on my health. I know that I cannot fully eliminate sweets and my addictive Coke, but I can make a concentrated effort to cut significantly back and minimize my fast food consumption.

 

A Better Woman

I want to be a better wife and mother. I want to strive to be the Proverbs 31 woman that my family deserves. I take so much for granted. I often withdraw to my own personal bubble and forget to consider the real blessings in everyone and everything in my life. I need to remember to be a supportive wife and a cherishing mother. My little boy is growing up so incredibly fast, and I know I'm not appreciating the everyday moments that will soon be a thing of the past.

 

A Consistent Blogger

And since this is a blog, you may be wondering if I have any grand plans for Seriously Kate this year. Honestly, I hadn't given it much thought until a little FTSF reminder arrived in my email suggesting we finish the sentence "My blogging goals for this year are..."

 

Basically, I'd like to minimize the blogging "spurts" and post more consistently. Although it may seem like it from time to time, I really haven't given up blogging altogether. I just go in spurts. I'm really the same way with books. I'll read several in a row and then I won't read for a couple of months. It's like I play hobby of the month instead of moderation in all the things I enjoy. I suppose it all goes back to balance, doesn't it?

 

I'd also like to spend more time reading others' blogs and developing the friendships I've made over the past year. I have a real connection with some of you and just like a friendship in the flesh, without a little time and effort they will fizzle, and that's not what I want.

As I read through what I've written, I realize I've got my work cut out for me in the year ahead. I want to revisit this post a year from now and know that I tried, and that when I failed I got back up again. I want to give myself reason to be content with who I am in 2014. And to do so will only be by God's grace. Lord, I pray you would help me to reflect YOU this year.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2014!

Kate

January 2, 2014

I'm linking up with Janine for FTSF and Darci for Five on Friday. Look at me, two birds with one stone. :)

Being in Labor Makes Me Sick

It's been a little while since I've linked up with the Finish the Sentence Friday crew. So, I'm pretty excited to be getting back in the groove with this week's link up.

And this week's sentence to finish is "I wasn't myself when I..."

...was in labor with our son. It's important to note that my pregnancy was fairly stress free - little to nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe a little swelling in the hands and feet towards the end, but that was it. I really can't say the same for the labor part - it was just a tad bit livelier.

I was induced on a Sunday morning. The Pitocin worked beautifully (I know that is not always the case). And as my contractions became stronger and closer together, I began to shake. It was like I was shivering and I couldn't control it. I was fine besides that. Then the epidural came and helped tremendously with the pain from the contractions. Unfortunately, it made me nauseous. Or maybe it was just my body's way of reacting to what it was going through, but nonetheless, I felt like vomiting.

A Reality Reject

It's Finish the Sentence Friday and many thanks to Janine, Kate, Stephanie, and Dawn for hosting! This week's sentence to finish is "When it comes to reality TV, I..."

So, without further ado...

When it comes to reality TV, I... am completely ignorant. My knowledge and experience is practically non-existent. I've caught an episode here and there of a number of reality shows but an addiction or obsession with any particular one has yet to develop.

In all "reality," my TV time in general has dwindled immensely since the arrival of our little one. I'll occasionally curl up on the couch and watch a movie or a re-run of some sort, but to commit myself to a TV show is asking a little much. I've managed to stay committed to a very select few shows of which I can only think of two that I wouldn't dare delete off of the DVR before watching - and not a single one of those are reality TV. Truthfully, there are just other ways I prefer to spend my time.

However, today's FTSF is about reality TV, so I must come up with something... How about a glimpse of what I haven't stuck with but have at least tried?

Looking for Work at Five

It's Finish The Sentence Friday and this week's sentence is "When I was younger I tried..."  And I can promise you that I have wracked my brain trying to think of just how to finish this sentence. I'm not sure why I found it so difficult, but things I kept thinking of were either boring or embarrassing enough that I couldn't bare putting them out there for the world (or my family) to see.

But finally, this evening while watching Mickey Mouse with my little one, it came to me. It's not overly exciting and it's not one of those memories I personally recall. As a matter of fact, I called my mother to make sure I had it straight. It is, however, one of those stories I love to hear her tell.

So... When I was younger, I tried to get a job at McDonald's.

Top O' the Morning to You

It's Finish the Sentence Friday and this week's sentence to finish is "The last time I went on vacation, I…"

And I, very much like Kate at Can I Get Another Bottle of Whine, have nothing very exciting to report about the last time I went on vacation. It was a pleasant and relaxing trip to Carolina Beach with amazing family - but nothing exciting or earth shattering.

So, I took a moment and thought back over the past few years to see if there was ever a vacation worth sharing and I landed in 2004. It was actually not a vacation, but may as well have been. It was actually a two week study abroad, and it was amazing.

I was given the rare and privileged opportunity while in college to spend two weeks in Ireland. As a bit of background, my years on this earth have not involved much travel - I've been to neighboring states and a few beaches, but I had never even been on a plane. So, a trip to Ireland was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and an incredibly new experience.

Thoughts of an Exhausted New Mommy

It's Finish the Sentence Friday over at Janine's Confessions of a Mommyaholic. Today's challenge is to finish the sentence "One of the most embarrassing things I ever did was..." I first saw the post last night, so I've had some time to think about what I'd like to share.

I can think of all sorts of embarrassing moments where I find myself ashamed - instances where I've said the wrong thing or failed to filter before speaking - but moments of embarrassment that are now comical to look back upon and that I'd enjoy sharing seem to have escaped my brain. It IS Friday! But, thankfully, one of my dear favorite memories in which I was incredibly embarrassed but strangely proud about simultaneously crept into my memory this evening.

So, without further ado...