What's the Plan?

So, now that we've established this is a new beginning, you're probably wondering where this blog will lead. What goals I have? How I plan on accomplishing them? And the answer might surprise you, unless you know me really well- in which case you'll be able to answer it before you read it. But the honest truth is... I have no idea.

In real life, I'm a very go with the flow type of person. I don't have itineraries when it comes to vacation time, much to the chagrin of my in-laws if I'm ever in charge of an event. LOL. I have very limited ideas of what I want in life, like my wedding- my husband planned most of it. I choose the colors, and I had a say in it all- but I let him take the reins because he seemed to care a lot more than me and that was fine by me! My wish was for a strong marriage, which we are always working on, and not a big wedding. I would have eloped if he would have been up for it. But he wasn't. 

I tend to take the long way around when it comes to finishing my goals. Like my bachelor's degree. I finally received that at the age of 29, but along the way I had a great career for awhile, I made some wonderful friends, I got married, I moved away from everything I'd ever known and loved. Most of my friends had their BS degrees long before the end of mine was even in sight. 

These things don't bother me. I know that my path in life is different from anyone else's path in life, and I'm grateful for that. Yes, at times I get frustrated that I don't have what others have- I'm human after all- but when I really stop to think about it I know that I'm where I'm suppose to be, and I'm doing what I need to do. If I had finished my bachelor's degree long ago, would I still be living in Texas, married to Trevor? If the answer is no, then I don't even want to entertain the thought. If I had been married when I was in my early 20's, and started having kids when a lot of my friends did would I be happy? Would I still be married? Would I still be as compassionate? Didn't all those years on my own teach me about patience? And love? And service? 

I'm not saying I couldn't learn those same lessons if my life had turned out differently, I'm just saying I'm not worried about how I learned those lessons. If I'm constantly comparing my life to others, then I'm missing out on so much. Plus, I don't feel 30. What I mean to say is, I don't feel old. I still feel like I have plenty of time to have the big family I've always wanted, the house with the white picket fence. The family dog. There is time. What there's not time for is grudges, competition/comparison, hate. 

Okay, somewhere along the lines this post took a turn I wasn't expecting. Let's get back on track, shall we?  

The purpose of this blog is to take you along on my journey as I complete the personal progress program before it's retired in the year 2020. I'm excited to see what new program is put in place at that time, but I've always wanted to get my medallion- something I didn't do as a youth and have regretted every since. I don't have many regrets in life, but there are a few. So. I'm making a plan, and I'm going to receive my medallion before it's too late. 

My plan: work on it every day. 

When I was younger, my dream was to be a wife and a mom. I wanted to be the type of mom that made dinner every night, and could sew clothes for her children (not sure where I got this idea from as both of my mom's worked outside the home and loved it). I thought stay-at-home mom's had so much time on their hands. If you could only hear me laughing right now! Even before I had Chase, I had NO TIME! There are chores to be done, callings to be fulfilled, friends who need cheering, a sick neighbor who needs dinner. Then you add in a baby- and let me tell you they aren't as easy to manipulate as you might think- and you go to bed with the same to-do list that you woke up with. With the added bonus of thinking: when did I shower last? Did I brush me teeth at all this week? Do I even fit into anything other than my pajamas anymore, it's been so long I can't remember!

I am very lucky, in that I get to stay home with my son right now. My hope is that our situation allows me to do this for as long as I want to, but for now I'm trying to enjoy all the moments and being grateful for this life. Next week, life could look very different. 

But, if I'm going to be an effective stay-at-home mom, who complete's the chores, fulfills her calling, cheers up her friends, feeds the sick neighbors, makes all the dinners, and sews the clothes- then I need to learn to prioritize my time. So, that's another goal of all this I suppose. Learning to prioritize. 

I'm just going to add in right now that my sewing skills are a joke, and I hate cooking dinner. So, maybe not those two things. LOL. 

Maybe I should explain what personal progress is, for those of you who have hung in here with me this long and have no idea what I'm talking about. There is a good description of it here: Personal Progress, on our church's website. But in general it's a program that our church encourages young women to finish that will help them strengthen their testimonies in Christ, and learn skills that can help them to be their best selves throughout their lives. It's an opportunity to learn new skills, improve on old ones, and learn form older women- be it mothers, grandmothers, aunts, or other women in the congregation. It's broken up into eight values: faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity, and virtue. Each value has required experiences, some optional experiences, and a 10 hour project of your choosing. Some other requirements are to attend church regularly, read the Book of Mormon, and keep a journal of your journey. After this is completed, there is an additional program called "Honor Bee" which can be earned. But, my focus for now is on the main program. 

I haven't yet decided how to set up this blog. Do I only write about my personal progress journey? Do I let total strangers in on my daily life? Do I blog about every single experience I do? I have some choices to make,  but for now I'm excited to get started on this journey, I hope it makes sense as I continue on this path (I have a tendency to ramble, or jump on several different trains of thought at once. ... what's that? You didn't notice? That's sweet of you.). I have decided not to erase my previous blog posts as well, so feel free to check those out. Maybe I can even incorporate them into future experiences and use them to pass things off! 

Thanks for being here with me, and taking this journey with me. Thanks for keeping me in line, teaching me how to stick to it, to prioritize and to become better than I was yesterday.