The start to 2009 has been incredibly busy! At the end of January UNI hosted the 19th annual RA Conference, of which I was part of the planning committee. It was a great time but an incredible amount of work. The following week we began RA interviews, which consisted of 28 hours of interviews in three days. By the beginning of the NEXT week (last week) we were finishing a different part of RA interviews when I told a candidate "in the last two weeks I've worked between 100-120 hours". At first, I couldn't believe it to be true. The time had gone so quickly. But, after adding it up, I realized that I had indeed logged 100+ hours in two weeks. Andy and I are thankful that things are slowing down, but we know the spring semester will continue to fly by.
As the semester continues to speed down the tracks, it's important for me to take the time to reflect on how the year has started. I've got great plans for 2009 and want to make sure that I stay heading in the right direction. Below is a list of things I'd like to do/change during 2009. This is of course in addition to my NYRs, because, you know, I'm insane ;-).
1. Read more. Last year I didn't read much. This year, I want to finish at least 12 books.
2. Spend more time reading scripture/doing devotions. This hasn't ever been a pertinent part of my life but, as I grow in my faith, I crave time in the Word. As our minister mentioned today in the service we should "know God's promises well enough to pray them back to Him". It's a pretty lofty goal but something I want to be able to accomplish. For the last few months I have been trying to read scripture daily, although some weeks have been better than others. I want to focus on being consistent with that, as well as adding one to two days of devotions in there. I know that daily devotions may be a little ambitious for me, so starting off with a couple a week should be a good stepping stone.
3. I want to exercise consistently. While I've had periods in my life where I've considered myself "active", I haven't felt like that in a while. I want to exercise an average of 3-4 days a week this year. Also, I want to run a half marathon this year. I'm planning to run one in September. I've "talked" about running one before, but I really want to achieve this in 2009.
4. Stay in better touch with friends and family. As my life gets busier and my friends' lives take off in exciting directions, I want to be sure that I don't lose touch. Phone dates are going to be a must!
So, since these are the things I'd like to do, I figure I better report my progress regularly. So, here's where we are, approximately six weeks into the semester:
1. I finished Breaking Dawn in January, buzzed through Irresistible Revolution, although I wasn't able to finish it, and am currently reading My Sister's Keeper.
2. I was reading scripture pretty consistently in January, but that has fallen away as life has gotten busy. I'm recommitting today.
3. I hadn't been exercising very much, again because I was so busy. I did get two days in last week and plan to achieve 3 days of exercise this week.
4. I'm feeling good about staying in touch with friends and family more. I've had phone dates with friends and have made a point to keep in touch with family more. I'm not where I'd like to be yet, but I'm getting there.
So far, things are going okay. I have to be careful not to put too much pressure on myself, though. If I know anything about myself, it's that, at the first sign of stress, I seem to automatically pile on the pressure. Instead of cutting back during the busy times, I'm always deciding to increase things. I have to remember to lighten up! I also need to constantly remind myself to seek God's will first. It's the only will that matters. Despite how much I love to plan, there's no need to put too much stock into anything; God will lead me down the road he's already created for me, regardless of whether or not I've "decided" that's the way I'm going or not.
In other news, Andy and I just bought some furniture! We were so giddy, walking out of the store. Andy told me "it's the first big purchase we've made as a married couple." Once it comes (estimated arrival is 2-4 weeks) we'll take pictures and post.
In peace and love,
Ashleigh (and Andy)
