Yes, I know it's not New Year's day. But hey, it's close enough right? I can honestly say that the whole New Year's hoopla has never really appealed to me. I understood its significance to people, but that usually fades away a few weeks after. I've never made a new year's resolution, and only these past two have I had someone to kiss at midnight.
But THIS New Year's had a lot of special significance for me:
First, I have a year long goal: stay steady with the Love Dare book my wife got me. YES, the one from Fireproof. And NO, our marriage is in no way in the ruts or rocky. In fact, it's amazing. It's just something my wonderful wife thought would be good for me to do, and I'm VERY excited to keep with it. It's my daily devotion, and has a love dare that I'm to carry out each week for a year. Any opportunity to deepen my marriage and strengthen the love I have with my wife, I will gladly accept. Like I said, I'm VERY excited to delve into this.
B, I have a "fitness" goal: To lose my stomach. I don't want 300 style abs, I just don't want to have a stomach poochin' out. And I want this flat stomach by the time our baby arrives (the pelican is due August 7th by the way). Feasible? Absolutely. It just means a physical and nutritional routine that I cannot deviate from at all. That's gonna be harder for me than anything else, but hey, I think I've got the motivation to tackle this. I just have to do it!
Charlie, there's a job goal: To have at LEAST 25% of the total income that I make to be from freelancing. That's everything freelance; graphic design, photography, (hopefully) web design, anything art related. It's really been on my heart to find a job that I will love doing, and something that can provide more than enough for my family. And as scary as it sounds, freelancing is one of those routes. There's money in the profession I currently find myself in, I just have to go after it, market myself, hone my skills, and learn from those who have succeeded. There's nothing more exciting to me than being able to create design, to be able to be with my wife and my child whenever I can working from home, and to be free in the things that I want to pursue. That is my American Dream.
Then as I was thinking about these goals before the end of 2011, a thought smashed into me: Not only will I have a baby (hoping for a girl, I'll take either), but he/she will be 5 MONTHS OLD. Holy. Moses. I had already gotten through the fact that I would have a kid, that was easy. But the thought that our little boy/girl would be 5 months old just rocked my world for a minute. I couldn't believe it. I don't want to believe it. haha. My father instincts (I guess most men are hardwired with them) kicked in. How could our kid be 5 months old by the end of next year? That's insane!
I don't know why these thoughts kept running around in my head. It's not like I already have the baby sleeping in the other room, thinking about how they are growing up. This baby is still in my wife! I guess I'm just that excited to be a father. And that terrified. I'm going to be THAT dad for sure. But we have excellent friends, an excellent church, a family 40 minutes away (experienced with grandchildren) and another family 3.5 hours away (very eagerly awaiting to gain experience with grandchildren). God can and will take care of us. I have literally no doubt about that. I am so firmly resolved in taking care of my family that I don't think even God could change my mind. Not that He would. But still..haha.
The new year is my chance. Not to wipe the slate clean, but to further engrave every bit of advice, experience, and love into what I have now. Adding a new layer, so to speak. I'm excited beyond belief. And I cannot imagine ever starting a new year without my wife. She's keeping my life in check, and my head on my shoulders. She's my heartbeat, God is my every breath. Without her, I wouldn't be the father I'm going to be....if that makes sense. And without Him, I wouldn't have met my wife, and I wouldn't be filled with grace.
Praise be to God. Have an amazing New Year my friends and family.
But THIS New Year's had a lot of special significance for me:
First, I have a year long goal: stay steady with the Love Dare book my wife got me. YES, the one from Fireproof. And NO, our marriage is in no way in the ruts or rocky. In fact, it's amazing. It's just something my wonderful wife thought would be good for me to do, and I'm VERY excited to keep with it. It's my daily devotion, and has a love dare that I'm to carry out each week for a year. Any opportunity to deepen my marriage and strengthen the love I have with my wife, I will gladly accept. Like I said, I'm VERY excited to delve into this.
B, I have a "fitness" goal: To lose my stomach. I don't want 300 style abs, I just don't want to have a stomach poochin' out. And I want this flat stomach by the time our baby arrives (the pelican is due August 7th by the way). Feasible? Absolutely. It just means a physical and nutritional routine that I cannot deviate from at all. That's gonna be harder for me than anything else, but hey, I think I've got the motivation to tackle this. I just have to do it!
Charlie, there's a job goal: To have at LEAST 25% of the total income that I make to be from freelancing. That's everything freelance; graphic design, photography, (hopefully) web design, anything art related. It's really been on my heart to find a job that I will love doing, and something that can provide more than enough for my family. And as scary as it sounds, freelancing is one of those routes. There's money in the profession I currently find myself in, I just have to go after it, market myself, hone my skills, and learn from those who have succeeded. There's nothing more exciting to me than being able to create design, to be able to be with my wife and my child whenever I can working from home, and to be free in the things that I want to pursue. That is my American Dream.
Then as I was thinking about these goals before the end of 2011, a thought smashed into me: Not only will I have a baby (hoping for a girl, I'll take either), but he/she will be 5 MONTHS OLD. Holy. Moses. I had already gotten through the fact that I would have a kid, that was easy. But the thought that our little boy/girl would be 5 months old just rocked my world for a minute. I couldn't believe it. I don't want to believe it. haha. My father instincts (I guess most men are hardwired with them) kicked in. How could our kid be 5 months old by the end of next year? That's insane!
I don't know why these thoughts kept running around in my head. It's not like I already have the baby sleeping in the other room, thinking about how they are growing up. This baby is still in my wife! I guess I'm just that excited to be a father. And that terrified. I'm going to be THAT dad for sure. But we have excellent friends, an excellent church, a family 40 minutes away (experienced with grandchildren) and another family 3.5 hours away (very eagerly awaiting to gain experience with grandchildren). God can and will take care of us. I have literally no doubt about that. I am so firmly resolved in taking care of my family that I don't think even God could change my mind. Not that He would. But still..haha.
The new year is my chance. Not to wipe the slate clean, but to further engrave every bit of advice, experience, and love into what I have now. Adding a new layer, so to speak. I'm excited beyond belief. And I cannot imagine ever starting a new year without my wife. She's keeping my life in check, and my head on my shoulders. She's my heartbeat, God is my every breath. Without her, I wouldn't be the father I'm going to be....if that makes sense. And without Him, I wouldn't have met my wife, and I wouldn't be filled with grace.
Praise be to God. Have an amazing New Year my friends and family.
