30 changes for this decade.

Friday I entered my 30s. Not a number I was dreading. I love where I'm at right now, so there is no need to complain about a simple number. But I've been doing much thinking about the things I would like to accomplish in this new decade. Not sure if I have 30. This might be a stretch, but we'll see where this list in my head takes me.

1) I want to be a homemade, healthy cook. More whole foods. I would love to shop the perimeter of the supermarket and be good to go - no cans, no boxes, no junk. Instead of giving the boys frozen waffles from a box for breakfast, I want to make them myself from whole wheat flour and whatever else it requires. (Obviously, make a few dozen at a time, freeze, toast and wallah.) That's the direction I want to go. It feels daunting at this point.

2) I want to keep a tidy house. Sometimes when the boys are finally asleep at the same time (like now) I just want to sit, not scrub the floors and clean the toilets. But as a stay-at-home mom, my house is something I want to take pride in. The house is normally "straight", but I want to put more time each week into making it super clean. Oh goodness, I almost want to delete this one now. Don't think we're filthy people. We're not. I just want to devote more time to it. I feel like it's part of my job.

3) Read! Read! Read! There is a list of books that I really want to read and just can't find the time. I have 3 on my nightstand right now. I want to get back to regular reading.

4) Delve into that Bible of mine. I like deep Bible studies, learning, pondering, chatting about it ect. But lately, I haven't taken the time to do this on my own. Well, that is changing this week. Tuesday night I start meeting with a group of girls (that I have never met) to do just that! Very excited about this.

5) Become that runner I've always wanted to be. I had finally hit the 4 mile mark the week we brought home Holden. Then all running stopped. I had just begun to get in the groove and enjoy it. I've run a little here and there in the last 2 years, but nothing consistent. So a few weeks ago, I started hitting the pavement once again. The spring weather was calling my name. I don't love it yet. Well, I love it once I'm done for the day. And I'm only going about 1.5miles before walking. But I have to start somewhere. I think a 5k is in the near future for this girl.

6) Experience true COMMUNITY! This is oh-so-important to me. I should have listed it first. We're on the church hunt and finding a group of like-minded couples our age is at the top of my list. I've learned it's easy to find a nice church. It's much harder to live a vulnerable and honest life and in that, find deep and meaningful connections with the people of the church. And that is a huge purpose of the church. So that is what I'm not going to give up on. I don't want to sit alone in the hospital the next time my child has surgery. Call me selfish, but I want my church there. And in return, I want to be that to others. (FYI: no surgeries scheduled for our family. Just a hypothetical.)

7) Find that inner spunky cheerleader that existed in me 15 years ago. Occassionally she comes out in the privacy of this house. But for the most part, my past Sanguine personality has become much more Plegmatic over the years, probably due to different life changes. It's okay. Maybe it's part of me maturing. But it just seems my Sanguine self had more friends and an easier time developing those relationships. :) I wonder if I can talk her into coming out more often. She's a fun girl.

8) Return to crafting. I haven't made a scrapbook since we had to do our lifebook before our first adoption. I miss it! I want to do scrapbooks for the boys. Creating these books is something that I love.

9) I've thought about international adoption since high school. I'm hopeful that in these next 10 years, Jeremy and I might board a plane to head overseas and pick up a child or 2 to welcome into our family. I don't know if these are God's plans or my own thoughts. So it's just something we will be praying through as we get closer to thinking about child #3. (A few years down the road.)

10) The Proverbs 31 woman. Read it often. Memorize it. Live it well.

So I don't have 30 goals. Honestly, I don't think any of you would have read to 30. It was getting kind of lengthy with my long-winded self. And even though I could just start making things up, this is really all I've got. So 1 per year. Maybe I can handle it.