So... apparently I have been a slacker this new year. I recently realized (Sunday night) that I had yet to make one goal for this new year. Yikes. It's better late than never, right?
I plotted and planned a family home evening to throw together some goals. I told Andrew to be thinking and we came up with some good ones, so stay tuned.
Writing goals can sometimes be discouraging for me which may be why I put off writing any until last night. Reflecting back to last year, I don't think I got to half of the goals I set. I even did what all websites suggest and posted the goals in my room for me to view multiple times daily. Finally, about halfway through the year, I ended up throwing the goals (I wasn't doing) away. Oops...
There is always plenty to work on and several things I'm working towards. This year Andrew and I focused on 5 categories to set goals in: physical, spiritual, educational, personal, and family. The first 4 categories we each came up with our own goals. We came up with 4 family goals together.
Goals can be quite personal, so lucky for you, you don't get to hear all of my goals. (I'm sure you're upset)
Physical
This category is usually most discouraging for me. I tend to set unrealistic goals like "workout 5x a week" and end up blowing that day 2 of the new year. I figured this was a manageable physical goal because in order for me to run a half marathon, I have to workout.
Spiritual
- Start and finish the New Testament.
I recently realized I have a lot to learn when it comes to Bible stories. Instead of reading because I'm supposed to or because I want to say I completed this goal, I'm going to actually learn and study the different people and events in the New Testament. (I didn't choose Old Testament for a reason. Maybe next year?)
Educational
I was soooo close last time. 6 points off to be exact. I'm taking a big step tonight and signing up for my next attempt.
Personal
- Blog at least twice a month.
Lucky you! But really, this is my only form of journaling and I should be better. Plus, I actually enjoy writing when I feel like I have something worth blogging about.
Family
- Go on a trip together just the two of us.
Because we don't travel much, it seems like when we do, it's to see family. Don't get me wrong, we love our family, but we have both decided that we need to make memories with just the two of us this year. A cruise seems ideal, but we'll see if that happens.
Now you have a taste of some of the goals I have for this year. I basically only have 11 months to complete these, so I better get going. Wish me luck.
Back in late August/September, Andrew was informed he would be laid off at the end of December. What a great way to end the year, with a BOOM.
As soon as Andrew found out that he would be losing his job, he immediately started applying for jobs. He had some interviews, but nothing seemed to workout. One place was interested in him, but told us the pay was $15.00 an hour and so Andrew said, "see ya" in the most professional way possible.
This job hunting process was frustrating. One of the places that invited Andrew back for a second interview didn't even bother to get back to him. After 4 phone calls, emails, and who knows what else to attempt to follow-up, we finally gave up on that company.
In September, we were very hopeful. We still had several months for Andrew to find a job and his company kept hinting that they would hire him on in another department. Well, that never happened. When December finally hit, we were worried. Let me rephrase that. I WAS WORRIED. I'm the worry wart in the relationship. We balance each other out nicely. When Andrew gets worried, he hides it much better than I do and I hope to be more like him.
Deciding our holiday plans was a nightmare because we were unsure of our future. Andrew had a really promising interview the second week of December and we were banking on him getting that job. When we got the disappointing "thanks for interviewing, but we don't want you" email, we were back to square one. (Hey, at least they emailed!)
We were blessed to get severance for the month of January. I'm also working, so we knew we would be fine, but I'm not planning on being the breadwinner. Because we had such a fun year, Andrew had 0 vacation days left in December. We didn't want to risk him losing his severance. His company ended up letting him go on vacation a few days early which was very nice.
We spent New Years in Spokane with Andrew's family. While there, my brother Joel told us that Andrew should apply at his company because they had an opening in QA. Andrew did, and that day got called for an interview.
The day after we got back from vacation, Andrew interviewed. The interview went well and he was invited to lunch with the CEO a couple days later. Andrew was offered a job and of course took it. He was only unemployed for 4 days!
This is a complete career change for Andrew. His degree is in chemistry. At his old company, Andrew was building chemical instruments and testing them/tweaking the problems. Now Andrew is finding bugs with computer software programs. He has NO experience, but has been learning quickly. He seems to really enjoy what he is doing. His new company treats him like an angel and I'm more than slightly jealous. (Catered lunch 2x a week, a new Mac, etc.)
We feel so blessed. We are thrilled to save a little extra this month because Andrew gets severance plus pay from his new job. Sometimes things don't workout how you want them to, but it's for the better. (My stress levels would have loved a new job in September!) Through this process, I have learned that I need to be more trusting. Here's to hoping this job is long-term, so we don't have to go through this process again anytime soon. :)