Ringing in 2026

 Well, I'm finally caught up on my blogging, and we are up to the new year. It's wild that it is 2026 already. I really don't know how 2025 flew by so fast. I always like to make some goals for the new year, so here we go. 

2026 Goals:

1. Bible Recap: I just started doing the Bible Recap program through the bible app. Basically, I read about 15 minutes worth of a daily bible reading and then there is a 5-6 minutes video afterwards explaining what we had read. I really like it so far, and hope to get through the entire year. 

2. Gym attendance. So far, I have been really on top of going to the gym, and I plan to continue. It's not reasonable to go every single day. But, I hope to make it most days and continue on my fitness journey. I would love to be around 10-15 lbs lighter, so that's ultimately my goal. But also, just to feel good, have a stress reliever, and have some me time. 

3. Reading. I plan to read 30 books this year. This is 10 less than last year, but with the bible reading, blogging, and other activities, I felt like I needed to decrease my books for some sanity. I like to read, but I don't want to be stressed about it. 30 seems like a good number. Also, I got a kindle for Christmas, so I'm looking forward to using that. 

4. Sleep. My goal is to shoot for 8 hours of sleep every night. Sometimes, I stay up too late just reading or watching a show, and I feel so much better when I get enough sleep. 

5. Volunteering. We have been bad about getting the the Humane Society for volunteering, so I would like to find some new place to volunteer with the kids that is easier to get to. I'd like the kids to know more about volunteering and understand why it's important. 

6. Date nights. It's really important that once a month John and I have a date night or something that we do by ourselves. Sometimes, we can totally wrapped up in our kids' events, and our relationship gets pushed to the back burner. I want to always carve some time out for us. 

7. Day trips. This year I want to do more spontaneous day trips. Day trips to Pipestone National Monument, Pallisades, Lake Vermillion, Clear Lake, or anywhere that's within 1-2 hours. Sometimes we forget that we can just go to a state park or a lake for a couple hours and have a really fun day. 

8. Meal prepping. I want to keep getting better at meal prepping and planning. And also to keep experimenting with new recipes and foods. Also, to focus more on whole, healthy fruits and vegetables. 

I always like to have new, positive things to focus on in the new year. I may not achieve all these things, but I like to have something to focus on and work toward. Happy 2026!