Well, it's been 2 weeks since I've posted. And I'm not sorry. I needed the technology detox.
2008 was a GREAT year for me and my family. My brother and his family moved up this way. We found out we are pregnant with Baby H. 3.0! I re-joined the amazing team at LifeChurch.tv. I have a GREAT job with the ability to work from home. I've discovered a new group of friends in #citrt and even met many of them at the Roundtable event in October. I was able to pick up several side-jobs which led to the ability to give generously to Church and to several friends for mission trips and personal financial needs. We also were able to pay off a HUGE chunk of debt including my 2003 Taurus and my school loans. One of the really good things that hit in 2008 was the news that a good friend from College has found Christ and is deepening his journey.
2009 will be a great year too, and I'm looking forward to seeing how God shakes it all out. Baby H. 3.0 will arrive sometime in late April/early May. Nathan will hopefully go to a better pre-school that is more challenging for him and get him prepared for Kindergarten NEXT fall (2010). Jacob may even find preschool this fall depending on how to we go with potty training this summer.
Here are few things that are on my radar for this next year:
- Physical Stuff – I started the year weighing in at 173. I'm currently deep in the BL3 contest with #citrt – more details here. I started at 186 on 11/13/08, so I'm down 13 pounds in about 7 weeks. My goal was to lose 10%, so I have 5-6 more pounds to hit that goal. We'll see what happens after that. I've started exercising more. Well, that's a lie. I started exercising (no need to use the word more). I walk about 2 miles in the evenings at least 5 days a week. I walk outside, so if it's raining really hard, I typically don't walk. The cold I don't mind cause you burn more calories in the cold anyway :) I'm also trying to limit my Diet Coke (shock!) intake.
- Family Stuff – I am a lazy husband and father. No, really. This next year I need to get re-focused on family time and get my lazy bones out of bed on my days off to spend more time helping out and with my family. Maybe I need to invent an alarm clock that not only buzzes but has a built-in hammer (soft hammer) to hit me in the stomach to get me out of bed. Maybe I need a timer to turn off my internet access / TV / Wii at a decent time so I go to bed before 2am also 🙂
- Professional Stuff – This next year will be a VERY busy time for me so I'm taking a break from all the consulting/side-gigs. I've typically chased $$$ to help pay debt and such. But, it's turning out too costly for family balance, so I'm going to be more selective this next year. I've already pruned one long-term gig last week.
- Financial Stuff – my wife and I made the decision to tithe years and years ago. This next year I'm looking forward to how God shapes our finances. We basically have two more debt-related things – our van (2+ years into a 6 year note) and our house (2 years in the normal 30-year mortgage). We're now trying to figure out what to do. Should we pay more on debt or put the difference in savings? Preschool will be expensive. Baby H. 3.0 adds more expenses too. And, related to "Diet Coke" above, we spend over $100 a month on my bad Diet Coke addiction. I'll be interested to see how that changes in 2009.
- Spiritual Stuff – I have lots to learn, and lots more to act on. It's one thing to "know" and another thing to "be." A co-worker at LC.tv has "Esse Quam Videri" on his wall – it means "To be, rather than to seem." That's something I'm going to strive for this coming year – and it starts with daily YouVersion reading…
Well, that's it. What's 2009 going to be like for you? I've love to know.
Daryl if you invent the alarm clock I’ll buy one for David.