Happy Saturday!
Patrick started a new rotation this morning and left for work around 5:00 am. As an Internal Medicine resident, each month, he gets to experience a new area of medicine. This is fantatstic! He gets to try something new every month and learn more about the field of medicine. I have mixed feelings about this type of schedule.ย Three-fourths of meย is so exciting when each new month arrives, and he is off on a new adventure. I love when he gets home and has so many new stories to tell. I love that his eyes light up, andย I realize that all of the sacrifices up until this point have been totally worth it to see him so passionate about his career. The other one-fourth of me experiences a bit of sadness when a new month begins. Of course, this depends on the month. I know that sounds terrible, but I am being honest. As you can imagine, some months are easier than others. For example, in November, his rotation allowed him to work 6:00 am until 6:00 pm, AND he was off on the weekends! That was my kind of month! This month, it is a different story. This month, he will go in at 5:00 am and will get home “when the work is done”- which means 9, 10, maybe 11 at night. It also includes working all weekends and being on night call. Ugh! You can imagine! Typically, I would not consider myself a needy wife, but during these types of months, I tend to start to show characteristics ofย being oneย ๐ Who can blame me? I love my husband and miss him terribly when he is not home.
On a normal Saturday morning, the television would be blaring soccer in Spanish; the coffee pot would be brewing and filling our house with a beautiful aroma; eggs would be popping in the skillet; and Patrick would be in the yard playing with our girls. What a perfect morning! However,ย this Saturday morning is different.ย ย My house is extremely quiet. My girls are laying at my feet, and I am on the couch with my laptop and cup of coffee. The Pioneer Woman is on mute on the television. Is it weird that I sometimes watch the television on mute? I am guessing you are probably saying yes! Leaving the tv on mute, ย I have decided to take advantage of this quiet time to reflect on the month of January. If you remember from my 2014 Goals post, I promised to update you on my progress each month. Let’s get started!
Personal: I worked really hard this month to make deliberate efforts to stay in touch with friends and family. Weย drove to Hattiesburg to see ourย sweet family several times and even had the chance to meet up with a fewย friends from college.ย Through phone calls, lunch dates, and visits, I feel as though I didย a great job with this one!
Marriage: Thanks to Patrick having an “easier” month as well as a week of vacation, we were able to spend lots of quality time together. We intended toย take a short vacation during this time; however, due to the snow storm, our efforts were not successful. Instead, weย started a few projects during his week’s vacation and, if you have experienced projects with your other half before you understand what I mean whenย I say, I feel like we were able to strengthen our communication skills ๐
Spiritual: I have been working really hard on this goal. Walking in faith can be difficult, but I am determined to make this one happen. As I get ready for work in the morning, I listen to K-Love and the song I chose for 2014, “Oceans”, to start my day off worshipping God. On my morning commute, I turn off the radio and use the thirty minute drive to pray. Allowing myself this time prepares me to accept anything the day throws at me knowing that God will lead me. It is not easy. All too often I find myself trying to make big plans for the future. In these times, Iย have to remind myself that my plans are not His plans and His will be by far better than anything I could ever create. What a wonderful thought!
Financial: This goal was easy for me in January. If you are a teacher or work in education, you understand this. If not, let me enlighten you. January is a dreaded month for those in education. We get paid once a month on the last working day. In December, that day was the 16th. In January, that day was the 31st. There are A LOT of days between December 16th and January 31st, 46 to be exact, which means we pinch pennies for the entire month of January. No spending for me!
Health: I had fun with this goal in January! After evaluating my health and a few other concerns, I decided to switch to a paleo diet. Did you just roll your eyes? I know there is A LOT of hype about this diet from the Crossfit community, but as I researched the type of diet I needed, this one fit the bill! Focusing on protein, veggies, and fruit, this diet eliminates all dairy, gluten, and processed foods. All of those Crossfit people have a reason to be excited about the Paleo lifestyle. I feel so great! Don’t get me wrong, I do cheat from now and then. If I were following the diet for weight loss, I wouldn’t cheat, but that is not the reason I chose to incorporate this diet into my lifestyle. I eat strictly Paleo from Saturday morning through Friday lunch. On Friday nights, Patrick and I go to a little Mexican restaurant and order the same meal that we have ordered every Friday night for many years- cheese dip and shrimp quesadillas. This is the one meal I allow myself to have that is not Paleo. I have a few chips with cheese dip, a shrimp quesadilla (without sour cream), and a water. Afterwards, I have some type of dessert. Last night, it wasย a yummy brownie.
Skills: I decided that my focus skills for this year would be photography and Spanish. With that having been said, I need to be a bit more focused in February ๐ I did spend several hours on Rosetta Stone this month and began my Project 365 photography challenge; however, I need to devote more time to each. I finally received my camera bag insert for my purse (I will post a review of the product soon), so it will be easier to take pictures daily and upload them to my album. I am thinking about creating a schedule for Rosetta Stone. I will let you know how that works out ๐
Motherhood: This must be the most exciting one for the month of January! Patrick has been set on trying to start a family in June. Something about the World Cup is in June, so it would be cool to get pregnant in June? I never understood that thought process; however, after many conversations, he has agreed to March! Now let’s hope that God agrees!
How are you progressing with your 2014 goals? I can’t wait to hear all about your January adventures!
Happy Saturday!