The Year of Open + 2020 Goal Setting
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we’re standing toe to toe with a new year and decade. As I have the last couple years, I’ve been thinking through my goals and intentions for 2020 with Lara Casey’s PowerSheets. It’s such an amazing tool to cultivate what matters and count fruit – even if it feels small.
My process of setting goals, always starts out with a word that I feel like the Lord is whispering to me. This year, I was telling Kevin his word should be “open” although I had no reason why and then I took it back because in that exact moment I was like, actually that’s my word. It was the most interesting way of a word coming up for me but I’m excited to run with it. As I let the word marinate through December, open really felt like an invitation for me. Here is the note I took on my phone over the course of a couple weeks:
- Open is an invitation to let my guard down, to experience vulnerability, and to invite people in.
- Open is an invitation into wonder and delight. To get outside, go for drives, and take in the natural beauty around me.
- Open is an invitation to enjoy rhythms over routines. To try new things. To allow flexibility and spontaneity.
- Open is an invitation to dig deeper into God’s word and truly experience solitude with the Lord.
- Open is an invitation to really live in the margins. To stop scrolling and spend my time doing things that fill my cup.
- Open is an invitation to a peaceful, deep, and joy-filled 2020.
Here are my 2020 Goals for the year of OPEN.
Goal 1: Prioritize my health – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social.
Why? To change the trajectory of my life. To live strong. To be who God made me to be.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: Taking action on this goal will affect all areas of my life, decision making, sleep, energy levels and, of course, the people around me.
Mini Goals:
- Create good nutrition habits and portion sizes.
- Move my body and challenge myself in my workouts.
- Decrease stress through simplification and removing barriers of decision making.
- Purchase more second-hand and ethically sourced items.
Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): download new app for tracking food (12/29); try a cycling class (1/2020); add workouts to my calendar weekly (1/2020)
Encouraging Words: 1 Corinthians 10:41, Psalm 23:1-6, Philipians 4:8
Goal 2: Allow open to be an invitation to live intentionally.
Why? Being open to change and vulnerability as well as growth of faith will help me to be a better follower of Christ who deeply and intentionally impacts the lives of others.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: Taking action on this goal will allow me to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, glorify the Lord, and bear fruit in my life and that of others.
Mini Goals:
- Experience solitude with God through Bible reading and deeper prayer.
- Choose vulnerability with my people to go deeper in relationships.
- Love on my people by celebrating and hosting them well.
- Invest in daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly rhythms over routines.
Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): clean off my desk/raskog cart (12/31); order Hobonichi Weeks to be used for Bible Study, gratitude, and church notes (12/30); create a social media mantra (2/2020); plan a trip to see Brittany and Taylor (1/2020)
Encouraging Words: Ephesians 5:15-17, Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Timothy 4:15-16, Matthew 11:30
There you have it! I can’t wait to see where open takes me in 2020!
2019 Year in Review
Happy 2020! I just love the fresh start feeling of the New Year as it’s always a great reminder to reflect and celebrate victories of the previous year, or in this case the previous decade. Each year, I look forward to these posts as a way to count the fruit. You can read previous posts here: 2018 and 2017.
January
- I kicked off my One Little Word rest in hopes of prioritizing resting secure in God, cultivating a life of less, drawing from an overflow of rest, listening to my body and heard, and resting and rejoicing in growth and change.
- Our sweet Chloe turned 5!
- We survived snowpocalypse 2019 – about 20 inches of snow.
- I started watching The Office after finishing up Friends in 2018.
- Kevin and I tried some new restaurants. Le Bao and 44 Canteen were two of our favorites.
- We were regulars at Fuzzy’s Trivia on Thursday nights.
February
- I started meeting with a counselor on a weekly basis.
- I went to California with Mom and Grandma to celebrate my cousin Mia’s birthday. I was in love with the lemon trees growing fruit in the winter.
- My small group friends and I make prayer binders for a craft night.
- I made the best watch face of all time.
- I worked lots of overtime.
March
- Kevin and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary the best way we know how – with some amazing food!
- I created a gallery wall (with my absolute favorite photos) that brings a smile to my face every single time I see it.
- We tried Mod Pizza with our friends, Jeff and Taylor. Somehow I ended up with dairy free cheese.
- I started using Monat hair products and saw huge changes in my curls.
April
- We celebrated our Three Year Highridge Ranch-iversary. I just love this space that’s all ours.
- Our friend, Taylor, moved in with us. It was such a sweet season of spending time together and watching all the Bachelorette and Fixer Upper.
- I ripped out the roses in our front garden beds.
May
- Taylor and Jeff left Columbia for the last time as residents.
- Kevin and I bought a Honda CRV!
- I listened to Sabbath Practice podcast from Bridgetown Church (it was amazing!).
- The Stanley Cup Finals put me in a state of anxiety during every single game.
- I took a watercoloring class with Bohemia’s School of Artistry and learned so much about light and blending.
June
- WE WON THE STANLEY CUP!
- We went to the Stanley Cup parade in Downtown St. Louis – the best.
- Books Read: The Five Intentions: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Bread Bad Ones, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, and Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People, The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships
July
- We celebrated 4th of July in Hamilton with Sarah, Cole, Andrew, Alexa, and Josh.
- We went to Weston, MO for a distillery tour, delicious BBQ, and cave bars.
- We celebrated Grandma’s 75th Birthday!
- I committed to volunteering with Compass 31.
- Book Read: Girl, Stop Apologizing
August
- I celebrated my 28th Birthday (and make white chocolate raspberry cheesecake to celebrate!)
- Mom and Dad took the family to the Lake of the Ozarks for a long weekend.
- Kev’s students moved to campus and he officially became “coach”.
- We wrapped up the month with the annual Family Golf Tournament.
- Kevin and I invested in a record player and spent time searching for gems at the record store in town. Our faves: Eric Church, Billy Joel, and Paul Simon.
- Kevin got me a legit Poloroid camera.
- I graduated from weekly counseling to only going on an as needed basis.
- Books Read: The Coddling of the American Mind, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, A Love Letter Life: Pursue Creatively. Date Intentionally. Love Faithfully.
September
- Kevin and I celebrated 10 years together!
- Willow gets a forever home and Chloe gets a new best friend.
- My first Compass 31 product launch went live with all new products in their shop.
- I started leading a college juniors small group at our home.
October
- Sarah and Cole sold their house next door and officially move; it was the most sad.
- We helped host a dope homecoming tailgate.
- First snow of the season (WHY THOUGH?)
- My team celebrates me well with Ketchup on Bosses Day.
- Books Read: Afraid of All the Things, Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation
November
- Kevin’s Rocket League team wons the NACE Championship and was undefeated in their inaugural season!
- We put up the Christmas Tree.
- I participated in the Live2Lead Event at work and got to see Rachel Hollis speak – I’m a fan.
- We spent Thanksgiving with Claire and Michael and I made my first pumpkin pie.
- I went to VU’s Feast Forum and got teary-eyed over the gratitude and goodness of my workplace. I’m so thankful.
- I spent Black Friday with Grandma and we shopped til we dropped.
- I tried my hand at cooking vegan at home and found some new recipes to incorporate into our regular routine.
- Book Read: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
December
- I watched 12 Christmas movies before Christmas.
- I completely caught up on Project Life – so now I have printed photos from 2013 – present.
- Mom and I dressed our dogs up in matching PJs.
- VU hosted an incredible Holiday Party, as always!
- We made gingerbread houses at work.
- Books Read: Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service, In His Image, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
Cheers to 2020!
Little Willow
We adopted this little Doberman/Coonhound cutie officially on September 8th, 2019 almost a week after unofficially adopting her (…also known as taking her home for a trial run) on September 2nd. For Kevin, it was love at first sight and I had to warm up to the idea of having two dogs, hence the multiple date situation, making this the most typical Jacqueline and Kevin decision of all time. We were not in the market for another dog, but when you see an adoption event when you’re driving by Petsmart, you can’t just pass it up like nothing is happening. We both love all the pups and have joked about having a farm some day so we can adopt or foster more, but we didn’t really plan on getting another one this soon.
At the time we adopted her, she was only 12 weeks old and just about as crazy as you would imagine. She wasn’t house trained or really anything trained, so it took some getting used to and lots of new routines. Just like we did with Chloe, we taught Willow to ring a bell when she needed to go out and she learned that in about two weeks. She still occasionally has accidents, but it’s mostly just when we’re not paying enough attention to her.
Willow was the name originally given to her at the adoption shelter, and we thought it was a perfect fit for her and to go with Chloe’s name. We also got to meet her sister, Fern, who looked very similar to Willow, but was all tan with longer ears. The coonhound genes were strong with that one. It was fun to be able to see them together, especially since we never got to see Chloe’s siblings. They told us that Willow and Fern were found together on a county road outside of town and that they searched high and low for the folks she belonged to, but they never had any luck.
Our biggest concern in bringing home a new pup was how Chloe was going to handle it. I always thought of Chloe as a single dog household kind of gal, but she quickly took to loving on and instigating all the crazy play time with Willow. I truly think Chloe is happier with her around. Since we got her, they have destroyed almost all Chloe’s plush toys and have chomped their way through about four antlers.
Weeks with us: 8
Trips to the Vet: 4
Pounds Gained: 5 lbs
Estimated Full Grown Weight: 55lbs
Likes: the toy Chloe has, howling as we scoop her food, cuddling at night, and Chloe’s bed.
Dislikes: having to go in her kennel while we’re gone, cars driving by during walks, and sleeping in her own bed.
We’re lucky to give this little sweetie a forever home.
A Year of Rest | November Goals
I feel like fall came a little later than normal for Missouri this year, but I was happy to start seeing the leaves change colors. I wouldn’t consider fall my favorite season, but the colors sure do make me question myself. October was full of so many good things including Mizzou football, saying “see ya later” to the best neighbors, lots of walks, our first snowfall of the year, and lots of exciting wins for Mizzou Esports.
A lot of people I know seem to be starting to put up Christmas trees, and to be honest, it feels wrong!
November Goals
Monthly Goals:
- Schedule at least 2 days of PTO – I have lots of time that I need to take off, so I’m just wanting to start thinking about how I plan to use that.
- Meet with each of my small group girls in November – I started leading a small group at the beginning of fall, and I’d like to do a check in with each of my girls before the end of the month.
Weekly Goals:
- Exercise 3x/week – simply just making this a habit
Daily Goals
- Close Apple Watch Rings
- Bible Reading
- Meditate using Headspace
October Goals
Monthly Goals
Host a DOPE Tailgate for Mizzou’s Homecoming– Done! So thankful to get everyone together to party. And Mizzou won, so that’s a win-win.Wrap Up Current Reads– Boom! Just a couple more books to go until I’ve read everything on my shelf.Delete Podcasts– The amount of freedom taking un-listened to episodes off my “to-do” list, was kind of incredible. On to find more things to pare down.Decorate the house with autumn decor– Easy, peasy.Regularly post on my blog and Instagram– Could have done better, but I got a couple out there.Create a work and personal Trello board– Yes! This was a huge win.- Visit the sunflowers @ MU South Farm – I didn’t make it again this year…maybe 2020!
Weekly Goals
Prep in advance for Compass 31 Launches– Weekly prep just makes the week of launches that much easier. I’m hoping to continue this into the new year by building it into my weekly habits.Prep our meal plan each week and use pick up for groceries– Meal prep, yes. Pick up groceries, nope.Weekly Sabbath– Yes!
Daily Goals
No spend– I could always do better in this area, but helpful for tracking.Weigh ins– Yep!Close Apple Watch Rings– Hit the move goal 18/31 days in October
Neighbs
We wore out the grass between our houses for the final time last weekend. So thankful for the opportunity to live next to two of our favorite people for the past 3 years. Lots of amazing memories were had here including all the house projects (including peeling paint and completing a tile backsplash in one day), Quiplash game nights, borrowing sugar (even though Schnucks is approximately the same distance away), Reapeford Garden, and all of our plans to tear down/add windows to our fence or somehow connect our basements. Looking forward to all new shenanigans for us to get into in the future. We already miss you, Sarah and Cole!
About
Hi, I'm Jacqueline - believer, learner, and all around hobby enthusiast. I'm married to my highschool sweetheart, Kevin, and we live in the midwest with our sweet pup.
On this blog I share all kinds of things about my life - from my faith journey to the garden in my neighbors backyard. I've been blogging for almost eight years and use this space as a way to document my daily life.
Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet.