A Neeley New Year

As we welcome a new year, we are grateful for the experiences of the past year that have helped us learn and grow closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We also have high expectations and goals for ourselves in the coming year!

Memorable Stuff from 2011
1. Munchkin's 1st birthday!
2. Brad's first full-time job!
3. Leaving Utah, moving East, and being closer to family!

Goals for 2012
1. Hold FHE each week.  We really struggle with this one, especially with a toddler.  But as a family with a young child-- FHE should be even more fun!  A friend of mine put this list together with some awesome FHE ideas for toddlers and I'm excited to try some of them. 

2. Practice the piano at least 15 minutes each day.  I've always wanted to be able to play a musical instrument.  Brad and his family have been very supporative and given me self-teaching books and practice pieces.  One of my most treasured Christmas presents this year was the simplified versions of some church Hymns, from Brad.  I'm excited to practice and have music in our home more. I know 15 minutes isn't much, but an hour each day isn't realistic with a demanding toddler, and it's still practice everyday.

3. Attend the temple at least 6 times this year (or every other month).  Attending the temple has become so tough!  It's almost 3 hours away, so we either need to go separately or find another family to go with us that we can swap babysitting with during sessions.  Either way, it means double the time in Columbus for both of us to do at least 1 session.  And that time adds up: 3 hours driving, 4-5 hours at the temple, and 3 hours driving back.  I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to live within minutes of the temple while in Provo and to go more often.  It helped me strengthen my testimony of Jesus Christ and the importance of temple service.

4. Develop healthier life-habits, like being more active each day (physically and mentally) and eating healthier foods.  There's not an easy way to quantify this one and measure it, but to help us reach this goal, we are getting a family YMCA membership (and setting a goal for Brad and I to each use the membership at least 2 times per week) and trying to eat more fruits and vegetables throughout the day.  And I've been exercising with a pre-natal workout dvd or playing Just Dance while the munchkin naps 5-6 times per week.

Happy New Year! And Best wishes on meeting your goals in 2012.