Happy New Year!

Can you believe that the year 2008 is upon us already? It's hard for me to believe that Christmas has come and gone. It seems as if it was just yesterday that my husband and I were setting up our decorations and in turn, getting excited about spending the holidays with family.

With the new year upon us, take a minute to think back on 2007. Think back to January 1st 2007. Did you set out goals to accomplish, only to find that 2 weeks later you had lost sight of those goals? Was 2007 a year of joy and happiness, or one of sadness and sorrow? As you think back to 2007, what is it that you would like to do differently in 2008?

I want to encourage you to take some time to write down your thoughts. One thing that I like to do at the beginning of each year is purchase a new journal that I can start off fresh with. If you have no journal, I want to encourage you to go out and buy one. Be determined to write down your thoughts, ideas, goals, joys, sadness, etc. It's amazing what a difference writing can make in your life. What's even more amazing is the fact that within a few months, you will be able to go back through your journal and realize how far you have come in your thoughts, ideas, and actions.

So with 2008 upon us, what are you striving for? If you are not sure, spend some time with the Lord asking Him to show you what He would like to do within your life in 2008. If you ask, He will reveal. Let me share with you a few things that I know that the Lord wants to do within my life this year:

* Healthy eating and exercising-Yes, many of us make this a goal and unfortunately, fall short within a few weeks. I'm determined to shed some pounds and in turn, get back in shape. I've been feeling convicted about really taking care of the temple of God. So, to help keep me on track, my husband and I have hired a personal trainer to help keep me going. No, it's not cheap, but if I want to accomplish this goal once and for all, I have to be willing to do whatever it takes. Watching the Biggest Loser helps too!

* With the healthy eating, my husband and I have decided to not spend any money on eating out in 2008. Last week, Luke and I tallied up the receipts from 2007 that we spent on eating out, and the amount of money we spent was, let's just say, too much. So needless to say, we will only be eating out this year if we have gift cards. We really want to be better stewards of our money, so we are determined to not eat out. In turn, this will help us lead a more healthy lifestyle and will help us afford that personal trainer to keep me in line!

* Last but not least, we want to live lives of simplicity. We want to cut back on so many of the things that we allow ourselves to get caught up in. Our goal is to live simple lives.

There's my goals for 2008-what are you planning on accomplishing in 2008? I would love to hear from you regarding your goals!

Happy New Year!