It's Never Too Late to Change - Delve

Hi, I make New Years Resolutions on the 26th of January instead of the 1st. This year, I said that I wasn't going to do any New Years Resolutions. In the last few weeks though, I've changed my mind. In fact, I may have made twelve resolutions...

Reading all the beginning of the year blogs and talking to my friends, Andrea and TeeJay, about all the options of the new year made me desire to actually do something. I've ended up combining a few of my favorite New Years Ideas including Jon Acuff's Finish Year with Words of the Year (Up, Grow, Delightful) and Andrea's sister-in-laws Twelve for Twelve - Twelve Resolutions for the year 2012. 

I'm kind of excited about this. I mean, it's all still new. It is still January. I know making a New Years resolution-ish blog post so close to February is a little iffy, but that's okay!


Twelve for Twelve
They are: Books, 5K, Quotes, Blog, Create, Learn, Gratefulness, Minimize, Handmade, Intentionality, No, Word.

1. Finish Year: Books I've Already Started.
I am positive that I am not the only person with a reading problem. I used to devour full books in a day, now I can't even stumble through reading a full book in a year. I have a knack that no matter how much I am enjoying any particular read, I will stop at Chapter 3. Okay, that's being way too lenient. I usually stop after Chapter 1. I made it to the first page of Chapter 4 on Redeeming Love so in my mind, all the books I've ever started that ended up in piles of books on my nightstand or in my car were all immediately jumped to that first page of Chapter 4. This is exactly how I missed a full half of one of the Harry Potter books. (For the record, I figured it out because of the confusion my mind was in during the movie.) For Finish Year: Books, I will attempt to finally finish all those books that got left behind after that first chapter or so.

2. Finish Year: Work Out More - 5K.
I ran a half marathon once. Okay, okay, I sprinted about 5 minutes during a half marathon that I walked. That does seem quite different now that I think about it. My goal is to run a 5K in its entirety by the end of 2012. I'm going to start slow by walking the majority of one next weekend, but we all have to start somewhere.

3. Finish Year: Quote Book.
I started a quote book when I was in high school. This is really just a green journal that I wrote down a few quotes I liked and has now expanded to a huge list including sections of books that challenge, inspire and make me laugh. I want to fill up the whole thing with quotes from the books I read for Finish Year, scriptures that are near to m heart, favorited tweets and other quotes I've heard or seen around Pinterest.

4. Blog More. Regularly. Intentionally.
You agree on this one, right? I wish I had gotten paid this last semester for every time someone asked me when I was going to update again. I don't want this blog to be a place where I update when I feel like I have the time. I want it to be intentional. I stink at journaling because my hand cramps up, but I can type all day plus I have things to say to the world, whether I always believe it or not. Here's to blogging more regularly!

5. Create.
I was really good at favorite-ing food items on Foodgawker last semester. I was really good at adding blogs to the bookmarks on my computer to come back and look at, cook the recipe of, or craft from, etc. Now after having held out for almost a year, I am finally on Pinterest. (You can follow me here.) It's dumb to have all these great ideas and recipes at my fingertips and not utilize any of them. That is what I will strive to do, whether it's a recipe, craft or whatnot as often as I can.

6. Learn.
Confession time. (Although, my whole 12 for 12 may be one big confession really). I have an awesome camera with access to a ton of great resources and I don't utilize these resources nearly enough. I have a desire to speak Spanish even more fluently yet never practice. I want to be able to tell you what wrong with my car but I just never read up on it. I want to be able to do ________, yet I just don't. For all those things I need to practice or learn, this is their spot in my next year. Can't say it will be perfectly done, but I want to at least put forth an effort.

7. Minimize & Organize.
I have a bunch of stuff I don't need or even have the desire to still have as well as things that are silly but I still want to hold on to. Jeans that don't fit? Yeah, it's time to part ways with you. Piles of ticket stubs in drawers? Let's get you in a book or something. Every card I've gotten in my life? The full drawer is nice, but let's find you a better home. I need to give away and declutter. I need to organize and repurpose.

8. Gratefulness.
'Hi I'm American!' seems to be synonymous with 'Hello, I'm ungrateful.' I want to use up a bunch of thank you notes this year not only so I can get new ones, but because there are a ton of people that could use the encouragement, gratitude and even a Sunday funnie in a letter to brighten up their day. I wan to give that to them.

9. Handmade.
Ever go into a friends house and you can practically see the store layouts of where they got them and which of your other friends also owns it? No? It may just be me and my problem with noticing things at stores right after seeing them at a friends house. It's like individuality has gone out the window with all these brands (Sorry to rag on you Target. You know I love you as I have my fair share of Target buys littering my home). The favorite gifts I've given these last 2 years have been homemade gifts. This is the year I want to try to give as many homemade gifts as possible (although there will be some exceptions!)

10. Intentionality in Relationships.
You can say I'm good at this. You can say I'm terrible at this. Both statements are true. How? I'm really good with being intentional in some relationships and not so intentional in other ones. Why can't I just be intentional in all of them? Its ridiculously hard for sure, but their are definitely some friends that I have allowed to be stranded by the wayside during tough crunch times. (Also, shout out and thank you to all of those whom were more than willing to change our coffee dates into picking out diploma frames, running errands, etc. You know who you are and you are amazing!) This year though, I want to try my best to be fully present during hangouts and opportunities I have with family, friends and strangers. This will be a work in progress, possibly forever.

11. Say No & Relax.
This is for sure going to be the most difficult thing to do. I think it's pretty self explanatory but do more downtime rather than running at 97 miles per hour just because I can. All the running, chaos and last minute plans cause burn out and that's not good to cope with. Why not forgo all that and just rest some before the burn out? Brilliant. This is going to be so hard. 

12. Word.
Delve into the word. This one is also pretty self explanatory, but I really want to get inside the stories of the Bible and really develop not just a relationship with God, but truly a deep intimacy with the scriptures to go alongside of it.

& The one word that sums it all up for me? Delve

 Also, if you've made it this far, enjoy the 2011 Twitter Timeline Review.