2012 Goals: Re-visited

As the year comes to an end...

a little recap on how the 2012 goals went.

1. Love deeply

I'm learning a lot about what this looks like from the time I've been spending with Love himself.

I hope I continue to grow in the way I love those around me...

both my family and friends as well as people I don't even know.

2. Be wise stewards of our finances

This year we paid off two of our three student loans

(with plans to pay off the third in 2013),

cut out a few unnecessary things we were paying for

and tried to give more generously.

But the Lord has shown me some other things He's calling us too as well.

More on this as part of our 2013 goals.

3. Develop my career.

God has slowly, but surely been teaching me how to glorify him through my work.

This year, Jeremiah and I were also both promoted at work.

I completed my CUA courses and passed my certification exam, too.

4. Continue to make our house a home.

We were busy this year remodeling our kitchen

and we are absolutely in love with how it turned out.

We've also been learning how to use our home as a blessing to others.

5. Go on 50 First Dates.

This was one of my favorite goals of the year

It has been such a fun thing to do together.

And we did it! We actually went on all 50 dates (though I'm still working to blog them all)!

I'm really excited about the twist we're putting on this goal for next year. More later.

6. Live a healthier life.

Let's be honest, this is always a goal.

And while I'm finally more conscious about it,

I still don't count this much of a success.

Instead of coming and going in waves,

I'm praying for a little extra dose of discipline in 2013.

7. Stamp that passport.

We finally wandered outside of the US this year.

Before we left, I completed all 50 levels of the "Learn to speak Italian" app I had been playing with,

but to be honest, my elementary vocabulary 

and inability to construct more than a couple sentences

was not terribly helpful.

Doesn't matter. We had a wonderful time anyway.

And the funny part about this goal...

when we finally got to Italy,

no one stamped my passport at all.

I had to fight my way through the line again,

just to get an actual stamp. :)

Date 23: Vintana + Esco Gelato

We had only been home from Italy for a couple days,

but already I was having MAJOR gelato withdrawls.

When you eat something once (or maybe twice, but who's counting?) a day for weeks,

one day without it feels like an eternity.

Anywho, I knew about the new little gelato shop that had opened in Escondido a few months prior,

but all the restaurants I was hoping to pair it with have gone out of business recently.

(This economy is dumb.)

When the Cohn Family opened a new restaurant in Escondido,

I was really excited to try it out (and stop by Esco Gelato for dessert, of course).

Vintana is located on top of the Escondido Lexus dealer right off the 15.

It has a beautiful view of the local hills and a tasty menu to go with it.

Their Happy Hour is great, too.

We've had the shrimp and corn fritters, the ceviche, the brie, 

the filet trio, lobster bisque, lobster mac n'cheese, and um... well, half the menu.

It's all delicious. And their cocktails are just as good.

If you're headed to Esco Gelato,

pray they have the sour cream and brown sugar.

They change their menu all the time and always have wonderful flavors.

But the sour cream and brown sugar pairs so perfectly with the peach.

It's my absolute favorite.

I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Date 22: A Taste of the Gaslamp

I'm a little behind on blogging about our 50 First Dates.

Okay, a lot of behind.

It was back in June 

when we participated in the Taste of the Gaslamp as our 22nd date.

If you've never been,

I totally recommend it.

It's roughly $30/person

and you basically spend afternoon

wandering around (with map in hand)

to up to 30 different restaurant in San Diego's Gaslamp district.

Each participating restaurant is sampling one or two of their specialties.

We had everything from seared scallops to paella to passion fruit sake.

It was absolutely delicious and a great way to get to know several of the restaurants downtown.

It didn't hurt that the self-guided tour ended at Altitude Sky Lounge atop the Marriott Hotel.

The rooftop bar overlooks Petco Park (great for catching a game during the summer)

and the beautiful San Diego Bay.

Do it. You won't regret it.

Next Year's Taste of the Gaslamp is June 8th and 9th.

Better Sacrifices

I am really hesitant to post this because I don't want it to come off pretencious or prideful, but my {relatively} new morning routine is ROCKING - MY - WORLD. 

 I want to write it down for documentation's sake, but also share it with my few remaining readers in case any of you are struggling to find time with the Lord and might be encouraged by what a big difference a small change can make.

My Old Morning Routine:

6:30am - Alarm goes off. Snooze a few times.

6:45am - Get up and get ready for work.

7:30am - Maybe grab something to munch on while I run out the door. 

7:45am - Stop at Starbucks if I didn't grab anything.

My New Morning Routine: starts 45 minutes earlier

5:45am - Alarm goes off (It's Christmas music right now - making me so happy). Snooze once.

5:55am - Get up and get ready for work.

6:45am - Go downstairs, light candles, and spend time reading/journaling/praying

7:15am - Make breakfast and pack a lunch (if I'm not too wrapped up in my quiet time)

7:30am - Leave for work

Not only am I absolutely loving the un-rushed and deeply fulfilling time that I'm spending with the Lord each day (it seriously feels like we have a coffee date heart-to-heart every morning), but I'm also feeling much better equipped for the day as a whole. I'm not wasting as much money (and calories!) on eating out and my heart is so SO full as I head off to work. 

The tiredness I thought I'd feel from getting up earlier is {almost} completely replaced with an excitement and anticipation that makes me eager to wake up the next morning. I pray often that the Lord would sustain this excitement as I incorporate this discipline into my daily routine.

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The Story Behind the Routine:

I didn't just wake up one day and decide to sleep less and do more.

For the past year, the Lord has been calling me (and preparing my heart) to lay better offerings before Him. These offerings fall into several categories, but one of the things specifically on my heart is giving sacrifices of the flesh. 

I'm not saying everyone needs to wake up early and read their Bible for hours on end. Or give everything they have to the poor and move to some third-world country.  

But for me, and what the Lord has for me right now, He's made it clear that He expects better sacrifices from me - and to start with, sacrifices of this world: sleep, comfort, money, resources, my own blood (in the form of donating blood), etc.

So I've made a step to sacrifice sleep to spend more time in relationship with Him.

And boy is He blessing that offering like crazy.

This Bare ol' Blog

I must admit

that while my blog is bare

the pages of my journal are full

of prayers, of honesty, of processing

and my heart is full to match.