an honest review of making, maintaining, and achieving your New Year's Resolutions

Good morning and welcome back! I took a quick break from the blog during last week to spend some QT (quality time) with both our families and friends. And, as a result, I have a lot of new ideas as we move into 2019 and I can't wait to start to share them all with you today.

Today's post is a wee bit long, so be sure to grab a cup of your favorite tea or coffee, cozy up with a blanket, and enjoy!

Shop the post:

exact glitter shoes // exact denim // similar sweater

similar button down shirt // exact bag // exact earrings

Last Year's Resolutions: 
1. Focus on my first year of marriage with B. 
How it went: Our first year of marriage was a lot of fun! I still reminisce about our wedding, wishing we could relive it every weekend, but I'm looking forward to what the future holds (NO. We are not pregnant!) We started to search for our forever home and ended up moving to a bigger two story townhouse with a full basement to rent, while we continue our search. We unplugged during date nights (which we hope to make a more permanent and regular event in our weekly schedules). Also, we had a lot of open and honest discussions about finances. People always ask "Does B get upset with how much clothes you buy?" In short, the answer is no. He may not agree that I need all those items, but we budget frequently together and we both are really careful with our spending.

2. Read a book a week (52 total).
How it went:
I'm sad to admit I did not achieve this goal. I, unfortunately, went into a significant book lull, after finishing some amazing books like Beartown and The Hate You Give. Additionally, I did not factor in all the weekly reading I would have to do for class. This reading was unexpected and really cut into my independent reading time. However; I'm still pleased that I was able to read over 40 books, in addition to the weekly readings for class, even if it wasn't my exact goal.

3. Keep my car cleaner.
How it went:
YAY! I not only nailed this goal, but I made it such a part of my routine I don't even notice "having to keep it clean." Now, I naturally do not leave anything unnecessary with the exceptions of my iPhone charger and chapstick, hand sanitizer, window scraper, and a small group of my favorite CDs in the car. It's so refreshing to have a tidy car. I think it may even help me be a bit more organized.

4. Focus on the blog!
How it went:
This one was partially difficult to judge. Overall, I think my commitment to the blog was inconsistent. I don't feel like this goal was specific enough for me to really measure my success with it. I think I made a lot more effort at times with the blog, but at times when life gets busy, I didn't have enough material or time to keep up with it. This will definitely be a resolution I wish to adjust and continue for the upcoming calendar year.

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This Year's Resolutions: 
1. Focus on our second year of marriage. 
The Specifics: 
B and I plan to have weekly date nights. The dates don't need to require money, but instead, we want to focus on spending time together. So we will be unplugging for the night, to free ourselves of distractions from technology.

2. Read a book a week. 
The Specifics: 
I'm going to have to be more flexible and forgiving with my goal depending upon the reading requirements of the current class I will be taking. I already have a never-ending list.

3. Focus on the blog!
The Specifics: 
To post every single day, 365 days, on Instagram this year. (Probably at 7:30pm)
To post every single Monday on the Blog during this calendar year. NO exceptions. (Posts hopefully to go live at 8am and emails go out on Tuesday's.)
This is going to require that I get into better routines of pre-planning posts ready for holidays. I notice this is when B is home, so I opt to spend more time with him.

What I will need to achieve these goals: 
After reviewing these goals, it seems like I need to be better about time management. There are so many things I want to do and often find that when I'm especially stressed, nothing gets done, which is the exact opposite of what I hope to accomplish. I do think this is going to be something that involves trial and error. For the first week of 2019, I plan to set a lot of alarms to help track how long various tasks take and record these tasks in my favorite planner, Erin Condren.

What are some of your New Year's Resolutions? 

As always, thanks for following along. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year! 

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