Owning 2013! Defining My Own Perception...

Happy 2013 to everyone!
It's that time of the year...for Resolutions?! I love this time of the year, finally a chance to relax after the holidays and think back to all the blessings of a year gone by. My post may be a bit long-winded but I truly love reflecting & renewing and I've kinda placed my heart all over this post!

Why is it that we reserve the marking of a New Year as the time to set new goals?! Must be the chance at a new beginning....any day you choose, it's a time to define and say....I own this ride in life.

                                                                    Source: soleadusthere.tumblr.com via Kristine on Pinterest

Looking back over the past year...all I can think is WOW!
First off, we've grown! Grown out of this house and the boys have grown, one a toddler and one almost a teen! Secondly, I did not attend church, not one single time. And thirdly, each of us was fit and active.

Going back to the house. We choose this beaute because Lucas insisted. I spent nearly 6 weeks searching for a home within our BAH, desirable school district and within the comforts we need/want. He was away at school and I sent him text and emails about each new find, but he always went back to this house. This house being the first one we saw and have lived in, nearly 3 years now. The other day, I stood at the backdoor watching my youngest play on the deck and instantly began tearing up. This also happened when packing up the Christmas decor, knowing I wouldn't see it again until life was established in another state. As much as I want to nag and complain about the small closets, etc., I know we are lucky to live here and this house holds many "a first" and many a memory.
Your home is what you make of it. So what, if for the last 3 years we've failed at every attempt to organize our clothes, we've emptied our attic twice, and cursed the hearing range of our main hall. We've created some of the sweetest memories a family can have, in this house.

I've watched my oldest son become a brother. I've watched him struggle with hyperness only to switch into a calm, loving, gentle spirit with his baby brother. The two of them have grown and changed so much in the years we've lived here, it's a bit sad (to think of the day) we'll turn our keys in and drive cross country to our next home.

Not attending church, not a single time, is not something that I'm proud of. I am ashamed of it. I hesitate to even admit to this, to share it. Most times when you admit to something, telling it to the world, you are reinforcing it's importance and committing to the desire in a bigger way than just the mental post-it-note. We believe, we live, and we pray in a Christian fashion yet, hubs and I have found so many pointless, useless reasons//excuses to neglect the importance of spending that one hour a week in God's house. We're forgiving ourselves, letting go of the mistake, and moving on in the right direction.

An active family, we are! My husband and I really focused on this over the last year. My pregnancy was probably the laziest time of either of our lives, so literally, the second Landon was born we were ready to be fit and active again. To prove this, I'll tell you that as soon as the nurses cleaned up...I stood up. They panicked, I resisted their help. Hubby and I walked over to the recovery ward to our room as they wheeled our newborn away for standard testing and such. We sat there at there at the edge of the bed...ordered midnight meals with a nurse, ate our meals and about two hours later...asked if anyone would be bringing our baby back. The nurses had no clue I was actually a patient, much less a patient who had just delivered a baby, two hours ago. This kind of persistence and determination has been with us, all year long. 
I've sweat pink...hubs has sweat Mickey Mouse shapes and the boys well, fitness come easily to them.
We've completed football seasons, basketball seasons, weekly rock climbing sessions, push-ups on the beach, outran the dog, signed up for our first 2013 race and Landon is on the verge of being a famous skateboarding toddler.

As for the year ahead?
2013, you are a scary mofo, to say the least, but we are ready. 
Our spec's are cleared and our hearts & mind are in-line for whatever comes our way. 

I aim to spend as much time as possible with our family here in VA. We've been very blessed to live in our hometown these last three years. But, the time here has almost stripped us the Army's true reality.  I am committed to blocking out time from our busy schedules to be sure that the cousins, sister's, parents, and grandparents have time we deserve together before our family departs for the next step in hubby's career.

I hope my family falls in love with Colorado. We'll move there during my favorite season, summer. We are outdoorsy people and thrived in the adventures of Hawaii, so I expect we will lap up all that Colorado has to offer. While, I'm not much for the cold, I wish to climb the mountain trails and ski the slopes and teach both of the boys winter sports. I pray for my husband to land in a good unit and not deploy within weeks of our arrival. And of course, I yearn for bigger closets in our new home.

I wish for my oldest to become wiser. He's such a playful boy and at an age that traps him between kid and teenager. I hope that Lucas and I can continue to influence him in the right direction and be strong examples of the good in this world.

I want for Landon to be secure. This little boy loves his daddy and just the thought of him saying goodbye to his dad, again, breaks my heart. Little Landon is a daddy's boy, thru and thru. We must work much harder with him to help secure his being. He must trust that his home is home and when daddy's away (gets deployed, field training, etc.) - he will come back, just not in a few hours. His little world is set to change drastically this year.

Continue to live healthy, strong lives. Habits have been made and will continue into the new year. Our family is of the healthy lifestyle but there's always room for improvement. Hubs and I need to pack more lunches, enroll our youngest into non-contact sports and swimming lessons, and support any sport of Lance's choosing. We'll also include the "green footprint" idea into this goal by recycling and using our green bags more often.

Strengthen our Faith. Hubs and I were both raised in Christian homes by parents (and grandparents) who included Sunday morning worship in their weekly routines. I raised Lance this way. When I married Lucas and we moved, we found an open-air church on Oahu, the three of us spent many Sunday mornings learning, praying and singing God's word. Somehow after moving again and welcoming our little one, we haven't made the time for church. 2013 is the year to recommit. We awake for early morning workouts, we arrange for sitters, we find the time for playdates and yes, even blogging...the start of this New Year is the perfect time for me to take lead and guide my family back into church. I am excited to see the beautiful changes bound to come from what's genuinely my best goal of the New Year.


On a lighter note....
I will continue to blog. I had no idea how much I would enjoy this and connect with you people! I have been so encouraged by the bloggers I follow and you readers of mine! Blogging can seem like such a narcissistic thing and without watch that is what it becomes, but not for me! I seriously spend just as much time, if not more, reading other blogs and taking to heart the stories and lessons. I've learned so much via this crazy blogging world and hope to always be that kind of light to others. I hope to bring new things into my blog, such as a linky party, guest posts, and a few other goodies (gotta keep some secrets). I'm set to become more open and real with you/myself by publishing drafts and sharing more tips/choices in exercise. I want to always motivate and inspire fitness & healthy lifestyles in my RL and this blog! I think we've got a good support group going here and my hope is for it to have a bigger, better, and more meaningful reach...

!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR AND LOVE TO ALL !!!

If you're still reading, thank you.
This post is more personal than my norm' and resolutions//goals may not be of much interest to you.

I, however, would love to hear about yours! Any of them similar to mine?
Share them with me, point me towards your list and def' leave tips on owning 2013!


In case you haven't met up with Mrs. Janna's blog...I suggest you do. I couldn't resist her link up party for the New Year, it's name (like her blog's title) is powerful and I felt fitting to my post.

I've also linked with Helene for Tell Me About it Tuesday! And, another GFC blog hop!