February...carpe diem

February is here.  I go back and forth between not being able to believe it is already February and going "wow, at the end of this month [which you know will fly by] we will be a sixth of the way through the year".

This year I find myself with a new mindset--carpe diem.

Seize the day.

We have a new years resolution with our sister (who loves 10-15 minutes away) to get together with her at least once a month.  I have a personal resolution to try and plan at least one "time" [my husband's love language] adventure/event/date per a month with my husband.  I have another personal resolution to hand write a note of encouragement to one person a week.  I had to break my goals into smaller goals, with short term "deadlines" to help keep me on track.

I want my year to be one of change, and worthwhile priorities.  I want to invest in relationships.

I already look back on last month and am pleased with the things "that got done" and I didn't feel like I was having to micromanage my schedule.  I want to be thankful for each moment I am given and looking back on it, know I used it wisely.

That all being said, January was a wonderful month!  Per my mister's suggestion, we are trying to clean out one closet per a weekend.

Side Note: We have an odd schedule.  Once we get used to it, it changes.  I am a planner, and am having to learn to adjust to it.  Again, I have had to learn to seize the moment.  The quicker we get into a new routine, the longer we get to stick with that one.  The mister enjoys a weekend of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  His Friday is my Monday, and my Friday is his Monday.  I get called to sub, and so we never know if I actually will be home when he is.  We mutually agreed, to protect one of his weekend days to become our weekend.  We sleep in, I make a special breakfast, and we enjoy our time together until 3pm, when I go into work.  This has been wonderful for us!  It allows us some rest time, and some time together.

Our home is getting cleaned out and we are throwing away, selling, and donating so much--it feels great!  We have agreed it is a wonderful winter activity when it is too cold to do outdoor activities (no skiing, or snowmobiling down here).

I am spending a lot of my "off hours" lesson planning and trying new recipes.  We are celebrating the month of February with a "Countdown to Valentine's".  Pictures to follow in a future post.

All this to say, I find myself enjoying life more, when I live each moment to it's fullest!

What are some fun things you did in January to help jump start 2014?