…since I threw on a gorgeous dress..

…surrounded myself with loved ones…

…walked down an aisle and committed myself to the most amazing man ever…

..and ate cake.

C’mon you knew I had to talk about cake! 😉

Four years ago today I said the following testament to the love of my life:

I feel so blessed to be standing here with you today, knowing that we have a lifetime of happiness together lying ahead. I have always had extremely high expectations and I never thought someone would meet them as perfectly as you do. I cannot even begin to describe all the wonderful things about you…

I went on to try to articulate the character of the man I chose to marry. I have to say, I think I can do a better job today. So, Peter – thank you…

For believing in me and standing by my side.

You provide unbridled support to my dreams. You help me go after hopes that I could never even begin to imagine if not for you pushing me towards them. It means more to me than you can know.

Thank you for the dedication you show to our family and all the hard work you do, day in and day out. You are our rock.

Thank you for the love you give our children, the way you interact with them, and the care you provide for them. They are truly blessed to have you as a father. And I’m truly blessed to have you as a partner in raising them.

Thank you for sharing similar interests – a healthy lifestyle - and always opening yourself up to learning and growing together in new ventures – more vegetarian dining.

Thank you for motivating me to love myself more, see my true worth, and grow deeper in my relationship with God.

Thank you for always making me smile and always making me feel wanted and needed.

Four years ago, I hopped into the back of a limo and drove into the start of my life coupled with another’s.

Four years ago I started the best days of my life. Crazy to think that I only know the best have truly yet to come. Peter, I cannot wait to continue down the path God has laid before us. I love you. Happy anniversary!

• What is a vital quality in someone you would choose as a partner in life? Mine is commitment/support!

I have a lot of goals for myself. Although, when I consider my goals, many range in a broad spectrum and I don’t have specifics in how I hope to achieve them. That kind of bothers me. I have written previously about my approach to goals and simply striving each day for a balance in giving time and energy to all of those things which matter most to me. Yet secretly, I always wish I could organize my goals and thoughts – for example, like other bloggers do with monthly goal posts. Today, I decided no more wishing. I’m taking my broad spectrum hopes for my life and breaking them down into more detailed actions. I will keep my overall, broader perspective, but also include action points that fit into each.

Personal: A Balanced Life of God, Family, and Personal Passion

• Spend at least 20 minutes each day in quiet prayer (does not include my random chats with God through the day) and Bible reading/study.
• Continue making regular, concentrated time for family activities: 2 hours total full-blown family time each day and 1 weekly special family focused activity
• Look into personal training certifications. (more details on why next week)
• Read one book.
• Stick to our newly revised budget and keep up with tracking our expenditures daily.

Health/Fitness: Continue Trusting My Body & Making Healthy Decisions Regularly

• Make one new healthy recipe each week. (this week’s coming tomorrow!)
• Run my first 10K and achieve a sub 1:00 time.
• Maintain my running stamina while on vacation for a week by completing three low-key runs over the course of the week. <--- excited to run at the beach!
• Complete at least two unassisted pull-ups in a row.
• Continue using healthier coping mechanisms when faced with stress or difficult emotional situations.
• Eat on average 6+ servings of fruit/veggies daily.

Blogging: Have Fun While Developing My Biggest Personal Passion

• Stay organized, focused, and balanced with my blogging routine. Continue using solely nap time for blog work to keep that balance.
• Produce quality content that includes a variety of topics – personal, fitness, recipes, body image discussion, FFF daily life, cute kids, and more.
• Stay connected with the wonderful blogging community by commenting on 10-15 blogs per day and staying up to date on my own blog’s comments/emails.
• Put up a recipe page. <--- Still uncertain on this one since I’m not really a “foodie” type blog and my “recipes” are more tossing things together typically. 😉
• Stay active in Twitter and Facebook to connect with you all because without you sharing the love with me, FFF would have nothing.

Wow! That wasn’t as bad as I thought. I think the blogging goals were the hardest to lay out there. I strive first and foremost to have fun with the blog, but I can’t deny how strongly I feel about developing this passion of mine. I feel called to pour myself into it no matter how I try to step back. God just keeps reeling me back in full force to share myself with each of you. I have goals for the blog, but I still don’t care for goals like having X amount of readership or gaining X number of Facebook likes or anything like that. In sum, I believe putting my story out there, staying genuine to myself, and connecting with you all provides all I hope for in my FFF baby.

Tangent aside, it does feel good to put my goals out there in writing rather than rambling around in my head as a hodge podge of hopes, dreams, and paths I feel God calling me towards. I’m always one to go after life. So let’s make June happen. And the fact it’s June could create a whole other tangent in itself so I will stop this post there. 😉

• Do you like writing out goals? What is a goal you have for this month?
• Do you have blogging goals?