2019 Goals Recap

New year, new goals! I had some lofty ones for 2019, and ultimately I'm pretty pleased with how 2019 went!

Last year I wrote a post with my goals for the year, so I decided to share how that went. Carly does this every year and I always love to read her recaps!

Marriage

• Make marriage goals | Some of my "highlights" of 2019 were special things that Casey and I did, such as hiking and camping. We also learned this year that we LOVE doing puzzles together! We pick them up for super cheap at Goodwill.  One thing I've been really pleased with is that we are working to implement "Tech Guidelines" and we have done great at keeping our phones out of the bedroom! We've realized we didn't do a super great job at being intentional about dates and such. I think this is because we didn't know about how to create a SMART goal. We've fixed that for 2020! 
• Follow Dave Ramsey Program | We have been doing Dave Ramsey! Woo hoo! We still are learning how to do it and we both hate budgeting, but it makes me feel more secure. (We are on schedule to reach some of our financial goals this year!)

Going Green

• Continue finding new natural products | I actually had some success in this area this year! (Is it bad I didn't really expect it? lol) I found a shampoo and conditioner that I love at Trader Joe's. Which means--bonus!--it's soooo affordable. About $7 for both! I think this year is also when I started using Tom's toothpaste, which I really like. I also started using Schmidt Cedarwood+Juniper soap. It smells so good. I'm still struggling on the natural deodorant front. I've tried a few kinds and none work super well, but one thing I learned this year is I absolutely can't do deo with baking soda. It breaks me out and itches so bad! So I'm currently using Tom's peach deodorant which is okay. I feel like I stink after not a long time, but honestly that's been a common result I've had with all deodorants--even traditional ones--since switching to natural options. So I'm sticking with it for now since it's okay and affordable. But I hope to find one I really love in the future!
• Switch up my skincare routine | I did indeed switch up my skincare and shared about it here. I still have some uneven patches on my skin, but I think that might have to do with food sensitivities. I'm currently doing an elimination diet to see if I can figure that out for sure.
• Work on Going Green Goals | Still feeling good about going green! We are rocking the reusable bags and water bottles, and doing pretty good about reusable coffee cups too! At home, we only use real plates, utensils, and napkins instead of disposable. We do still keep paper towels at home because that is what I prefer for cleaning pet messes (which happens more than I like, but we have three pets), but we use them super sparingly. I didn't get a laundry line up, but would love to look into it this year! (Just not now... because it's coming a storm outside!) Oh! Also we started using a loofah scrubber instead of a traditional sponge to do dishes. I really like it!

Personal

• Be a better friend | Again, an area in which I needed a SMART goal! However, I was so grateful to cultivate some friendships. A good friend of mine stayed at our home every Tuesday evening (to avoid an early-morning commute) and we loved having her here! I also got to connect more with a friend I went to Singapore with. We actually celebrated New Years at her house. Also, I made NEW friends! That was my favorite part about working at the library!
• Read more. I documented 51 read books on Goodreads this year! Granted, some of them were kids books (oops) but I was super proud of myself. I also did a good job at my six-month reading challenge. I'm proud that I stepped outside my comfort zone and read more non-fiction this year.
• Create a cleaning schedule for my home | LOL! This is on my list for 2020 and I will turn it into a SMART goal and make a plan!

Spiritual

• Read my Bible through | Okay, I didn't finish. I got wayyy behind. But I plan to finish it in the next month or two, along with starting a new Bible reading program. I think it will be so encouraging to be reading alongside Casey this year, and we're doing a new-to-me reading program!
• Increase my prayer life | Yet another area I didn't do as well as I would have liked, so Casey and I are working on this together this year!
• Special project | We're still excited for this project, but have realized that it is not yet the right timing for this. And that's totally okay! We will use the time we have to continue growing where we are!

I'm so glad I did this reflection because it made me realize that I didn't give myself enough credit in some areas. That's one thing I love about "goals"--every baby step is worth celebrating! Even if you don't hit the final mark, every step towards that end goal is amazing. So excited to see where this year's baby steps will take us!