staying motivated

If you read yesterday's list of my goals for the year, you know I have an ambitious plan. How do I keep it all straight? Well, thanks for asking!

I tell you, everything about my goal planning this year has been so inspired. As I was contemplating what I wanted to do, I was told directly to study more, spend time in the temple, and work on family history - specifically the Wells line. My other goals are just gravy. The hardest part I have is trying to balance them all.

Again, I was inspired. I knew that if I made my goals visible, I would work on them more. I also knew that having these huge nebulous goals would not keep me very motivated. So, I took my goals and broke them down into specific tasks. I divided the main goals and tasks into quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals/tasks so I could track each week if I was on track to complete what I needed for the month to meet my quarterly goals.

THEN, I needed a way to track all these tasks. And, here is where the inspiration came in! I made little sticky notes for every goal and task and put them on my wall grouped by quarter, then month, then week. I move my sticky notes around to the weeks where I need to work on them and remove them when the task is complete. This little diagram (not so little really) is up on the wall right by my bed so I look at it every day!! It has been amazingly motivated. And, I find that I am able to put down the things I WANT to do (embroidery) to work on the things I NEED to do (study/family history) because I need to be able to move that little sticky note!!

Here is what my wall currently looks like one month in. You will notice that January is pretty empty as I have moved past that month.

The quote above all the little sticky notes is from Elder Richard G. Scott and says, "To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never done before." I love it and think it is the perfect quote to look at every day along with my goals.

a great start to a new year

Every year, I make new year resolutions. I actually call them goals for the year. I also pick a theme that I want to concentrate on for the year. And, usually, by the middle of January I have forgotten my good intentions and am right back to doing what I have always done, which isn't bad but isn't great either.

This year has been much, much different. First, I have felt prompted to set some very specific goals. Second, I am making my goals very visible. And third, I feel more energized about them than I have ever done in my life.

First, my goals. I actually have A LOT of them this year. It is a little daunting and I am not making as much progress toward all of them that I would like, but I am still making progress. Here is my list:

Spiritual:

• Gain an intimate relationship with my Savior. 
• Spend time in the temple every month, not just go - spend time there. 

Family: 

• Work on family history, specifically the Wells side. 
• Write meaningful emails to my missionaries. 
• Bring my missionaries home and get them settled in the next chapter of their lives. 
• Finish 2014 yearbook, Ireland vacation book, Paris/Germany vacation book, and Italy vacation book. 
• Write in my journal and blog weekly. 

Health: 

• Keep track of my net calories every day. 
• Move every day. 
• Lose 30 pounds. 

Financial: 

• Pass the PMP exam
• Pay off all credit cards and other loans
• Kickstart my retirement
• Become Elite with doTERRA

SCA: 

• Learn trapunto and make largess items
• Make a lefkara veil for my Laurel
• Enter Kingdom Atlantia Persona Pentathlon in 2016. 

Yup, it is a big list. I will give you a quick update as this is actually month two of my goals. 

I was called to be the Gospel Doctrine teaching in my ward and we are studying the New Testament. Yup, I'm actually studying regularly. Heavenly Father knew I needed help staying motivated. I went to the temple in January but didn't spend as much time there as I needed to. I have a trip planned for February already and will spend more time in the Celestial Room. 

For family, my emails are getting better. I'm talking about my studying and lessons. I don't know how this new information is received but I feel better about it. I am almost finished with my 2014 yearbook and should get it ordered this month. I finally got some family group sheets from Mom and Dad and will get started on verifying information this weekend. In the meantime, I started indexing almost every day. I'm not writing in my journal or blogging every week, but I'm better than I have been for a while! I'll get there as I continue to work on my schedule. 

Health wise I'm tracking my food 95% of the time and have already lost 5 pounds! I have to be vigilant every day but it is paying off. Woot! 

Financially, I passed my exam!! I have not done anything about retirement yet but I have paid off half of my other debts. I will be going to FL in March to work a doTERRA event, have a class, and make some contacts. I will take what I learn there and start making contacts here in VA. 

For the SCA, I have been focusing on the lefkara veil that I want to get done by June. It will take me that long to do it as it is a monster piece with a lot of work. I am also doing four scrolls and 2-3 household towels (items that were not on my list but I'm doing them anyway). So, I'm super busy. 

And that is my list. 

super secret birthday pie surprise delivery

It all started last spring when I was card shopping for a friend. I ran across a card that said, "Oh poo. I forgot my recipe for cake. I hope you like pie!" All said by a cow. It was cute and got me thinking that maybe, just maybe I should deliver a birthday pie to my boy, who hates birthday cake and loves my homemade lemon meringue pie.

The mission to surprise my Mister Missionary with a birthday pie began. I finally moved to VA, making a drive to his area possible. I was able to connect with a mom in his area who was willing to meet me and make the delivery for me...so I could give him a surprise and not break the mission rules.

Here is the pictorial story:

Super Secret Birthday Pie Surprise Delivery - Phase I: The PIE 

Super Secret Birthday Pie Surprise Delivery - Phase II: The DRIVE

I enlisted the help of both my girls. :)

Super Secret Birthday Pie Surprise Delivery - Phase III: The HANDOFF

Super Secret Birthday Pie Surprise Delivery - Phase IV: The DELIVERY

and then there's this

Let me start by saying, I love General Conference. I really do! The talks are always so uplifting and give me direction. I get answers, I get soft reminders of what I need to do better, I get direction on what to do next. I also always get a little bit of guilt. Yup, always. When I hear talks about the importance of family scripture study, prayer and family home evening, I wonder how in the world my kids turned out as fabulous as they did. We never did these things as a family. Honestly, I struggle with doing them personally. I tried to teach the gospel through every day conversations, through discussions after church, through moments when the Spirit was so strong none of us could deny the experience we were having.

I wondered if this foundation that was obviously lacking in some important elements was enough to help my kids make good decisions as adults. I still wonder if they will be able to stay strong in this crazy world and raise a family righteous in the Gospel. I wonder if they will be able to add important elements to their homes and create a stronger foundation than I did.

They both made the amazing decision to go on a mission. I knew going in that it would be hard for them. I knew they would probably feel they were lacking in some basic gospel knowledge, after all we didn't study the gospel every day for 18 years.

And then I get this little gem and it makes me cry.

From Kaitlyn's email exchange today:

I'm going to get booted off soon but Just know I love you, You're the best example I could have ever hoped for growing up. You are the reason I am on a mission. Without you our family would have fallen away from the gospel and I wouldn't be making the choices I am now. Without you, I wouldn't be who am I today. So I love you, and owe everything to you! Because of you I am free from Satan forever :D (there's scriptural references for the last bit, go find them)

holding on through all the curves

This has been my week... 

It's awesome! I had several companies CALL ME to see if I would want to be on their teams. Two of them will let me live anywhere, which means I could still enjoy VA for a couple of years and move back on my terms. I love this idea. I have not heard anything definite as of yet and probably won't for a couple of weeks, but this is great news. I am hoping to be able to move more into project management and out of marketing but will do whatever it takes to get a great job. For right now, I'm just holding on! 

uh....seriously?

Usually when I travel back to VA for work, I travel on Saturday so I won't miss any church. I had commitments on Saturday that meant I needed to travel on Sunday. I opted for a later flight so I could still go to at least Sacrament Meeting, which meant I didn't get to my apartment in VA until after midnight. Then, today I get to work and get an email at 8:30am stating that the AMCAD Board of Directors has opted to cease all operations and development for its justice practice of as 5:30pm today. Uh...I was like... 

Yup, seriously. For the second time in less than a year, I have been laid off. I have no idea what this means for my move to VA. I have no idea what will happen in the coming weeks. I am at a complete loss. Jennifer (my friend in VA) said to not give up on the idea of moving. Give myself a couple of days to process and THEN make some decisions. She is so wise. 

More to come. 

one special day in palmyra

When Kaitlyn started filling out her mission papers, I asked her through which temple she wanted to go and with whom. She quietly said "I guess it doesn't matter as it will just be me and you." I really questioned her asking if there was really no one else she wanted to go with. She said, "Well, the ones I really want to go with are Grandma and Grandpa Wells, but they are on a mission." So, I went to work to see if there was any way she could share this day with her grandparents. We got it all worked out and were able to meet them in Palmyra, NY. What an amazing day.

Kaitlyn flew in to VA on 6/29, we actually met at the airport as I had a business trip that ended that day. I was lucky to find two flights that landed within 10 minutes of each other. She met me at my gate and we walked out. It was nice a relaxing the way it worked out.

On 6/30, we decided to make a roadtrip out of our road trip and found a few detours to take along the already 6.5 hour trip. We wanted to share the day with Wells and took a Flat Elder with us. Isn't he cute?

Here we are just getting into the car for this epic adventure.















Our first stop was a random covered bridge. It has some historical significance but we didn't really stop to see what it was. It was a little difficult to find but thanks to Kaitlyn's amazing map reading skills she learned in Ireland, we finally made it.

We made a brief stop at Gettysburg. Not as long as I would have liked but we still had such a long way to go! Here we are visitin' with Abraham Lincoln. We then made our way to the National Cemetary and walked around a bit. Then, we gave up trying to find the auto tour of the battle grounds and just stopped to have some lunch. 

Walking around downtown Gettysburg, we happened upon this cute little diner with Phosphates (honestly we had to ask what they were, think old time soda fountain and you would be right). I ordered a Raspberry Phosphate and shared with everyone, including our Flat Elder! 

The Southwest Nachos were amazing as were the above the rim shakes. We were stuffed and ready for our next adventure.








 This is one of the longest mason bridges in the United States. It is currently used by the rail roads and spans the Susquehanna River.



  On our way we found this giant dragon and had to take a pic.

We had a few other stops scheduled but realized it would take us another 12 hours if we stopped at everything so decided to start driving and see how long it took us. We had a long slog of about 4 straight hours in the car but pulled up to the hotel within minutes of Grandma and Grandpa. A yummy dinner at Chili's and then to bed.

We left the hotel about 7:30 am to get to the temple by 8:15 for orientation and paperwork. This is Kaitlyn's BEFORE picture. She was excited and nervous, as to be expected.

 And...here we are AFTER. All smiles. It was a beautiful day in the temple. And Palmyra is just stunning.

After having such a full day in the temple, we decided to see the sites. I think the perfect follow up to the temple was spending some time in the Sacred Grove. There is an amazing spirit there. You have to walk up the hill though to really feel the power of that place. I heard stories of families spending 2-3 hours there and now I know why. It is truly inspiring. 

After the Sacred Grove, we walked around the Smith Farm, toured the Book of Mormon print shop, and drove to the top of Hill Cumorah. That right there was a full day. I really wish we could have spent more time in Palmyra itself. Someday. :) 

Afterwards, we started the long slog back to VA. No stops this time except for fuel and some snacks. We drove the 6.5 hours straight and ended up back to my place at 11:30pm, exhausted but happy. Luckily church wasn't until 2:00pm the next day so we were able to sleep in a bit. 

It was one amazing weekend. I'm so glad we got to do it.