Goals for 2016
Aloha 2016! I am so excited to get this year started. 2015 was fantastic for us, so I can only hope that this year goes just as well.
For the last two years, I’ve chosen a word for the year. I’ve found it difficult to shape an entire 365 days around a single word, so this year, I’m simply setting some realistic and attainable goals.
Spend more quality time
Lately, I’ve been guilty of becoming a slave to social media. If I’m not checking Facebook, I’m on Twitter, or trying to find something pretty to Instagram. While my girls are still young and craving my attention, I’d like to be able to give it to them.
Santa brought the girls a trampoline for Christmas. Hanging out with the three of them out there has been so much fun. We get to enjoy time playing together and they burn some energy. Win-win!
Thanks to a kid-free trip to Maui, John and I got to spend some quality time together. Since he took command in July, his days have been filled with early mornings and late nights. He no longer has time to come home for lunch on a daily basis, so by the time he gets home in the evenings, we’re both pretty worn out. A little solo time to reconnect has me wanting to make the most of the time we do have together.
Take more photos
I’m pulling a page out of Amanda’s playbook and considering doing seasonal photos of the girls. I don’t have nearly enough photos of them (btw, Shutterfly is offering 101 free prints) and having a predetermined theme might motivate me to grab the camera and snap more often.
I should probably just take more photos in general. I often feel weird about busting my camera out in public and taking the time to compose a shot. Our time in Hawaii is fleeting, and I never want to forget the beauty of these islands.
Take blogging more seriously
My end goal is to make blogging at least a part-time career for myself. As much as I’m dying to go back to work once Juli hits elementary school, I also want to have the flexibility of schedule to be able to have an active presence in the girls’ school lives.
Last year, I started working towards making a small income from blogging, and I was successful. I’d love to continue that success through this year with more growing and writing opportunities.
Explore Hawaii more
We officially only have a year left on Oahu. If all goes as planned though, John should be able to extend for a few extra months, giving us about a year and a half left. After doing a bit of exploring over the weekend, it was clear that there are still so many things on the island that we haven’t done.
While we have the time, I’d like to use our babysitter more often to venture on more hikes (especially the not kid-friendly ones) and try some more restaurants. Yelp was our go-to when we first got here, but as we’ve become more comfortable with our surroundings, we started using it less and less.
I think everything I mentioned is pretty attainable. I can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store for us!