Our Focus in 2013 & a Giveaway

Every year I enjoy sitting down and making plans for the following year and this year is no exception. I decided to focus on six areas of our life and make goals for each. Within each area I looked for tools to equip ourselves with to make these goals easier to achieve. Of course, I also picked up a few things along the way that I thought you guys would enjoy thus leading to what I think is one of the best giveaways we've had to date!

FAITH

I know this isn't something we discuss very often on the blog. We are both deeply rooted in our beliefs and are fortunate to have grown up in loving homes with parents who showed us by example how to be Godly men and women. With that said we have the utmost respect for everyone's beliefs whether they are similar to ours or not. This is one of those things we chose to keep private and off the blog.

Journal with a verse on the cover that's always been a favorite of mine

FAMILY

No matter who you are you'll probably agree that there's always more time that can be spent with family. On the top of our list for family is a trip to Kentucky to visit Allan's grandmother. She's the queen of quilting and bowls in a league so maybe she can teach me something about quilting and won't beat us too bad in bowling! We also need to do a better job of taking the dogs for runs/walks. They love to ride in the truck so taking them to the trails and running with them instead of just running around the neighborhood will make a run seem more exciting. Yes, I realize we lumped dogs into family but hey this is us! Try as I might I couldn't think of anything related to family that wasn't a picture frame or something cheesy so I picked out these earrings (and bought myself the same ones in blue!) that you might wear to a family gathering.

Everyone can use some cute, fun earrings!

FINANCES

I've been tracking my expenses in Excel since 2006 and it makes it much easier to see where your money goes each month when you have it spelled out right there in front of you. This year we are sitting down each Sunday and logging our expenses from the past week and seeing where we stand for the budget for the month. We are keeping track of expenses, budget, our weekly to dos, and weekly events in a journal just like the one we are putting in the giveaway. We are also using the same bill organizer pictured below to keep track of our bills for the month and their due dates. There are pockets where we can file the bills or receipts for each month. This little find is one of my favorites!

Bill Organizer & our Weekly Planner

FITNESS

This category literally makes up half of our goals for the year and some of them are quite lofty but hey if your goals seem easy then you probably aren't setting the bar very high for yourself or so I've always though. I'm going to run a sub-25 5K and Allan is going to run a sub-22 5K this year. Allan is very speedy so I think he won't have any trouble with this. Speed isn't exactly my middle name so I'm going to have to count on Allan to really push me in speed workouts. We are also making a big effort to get up at 7 AM and work out together before Allan goes to work and I start my day. Thanks to my insane work out DVD collection we have quite an assortment of pilates, yoga, Jillian, and other DVD's that we plan to use. Allan is actually the one that introduced me to pilates and I love yoga so it will be fun for our different workout styles to mesh. At the marathon expo last month I snagged a few pairs of running gloves and I've already enjoyed using them. The Saucony ones we are giving away have a light for those who run in the dark and are nice and bright so no one should have a hard time seeing you when you're wearing these! Safety first people!

Fuelbelt and running gloves

FOOD

Eating healthier means more water, fruits, and vegetables at our house. We are also going to limit dining out (the budget is very strict on this!) and I will continue to do my best to be a smart shopper and use my coupons and the weekly ads at Publix to get the best deals I can on things we use on a regular basis. Grocery shopping is another area of the budget I'm being pretty strict about so hopefully that will limit junk food and make me stick to the shopping list. Just a tip: I find that I spend less and don't throw as many extras into the buggy (shopping cart) if I go first thing in the morning right after breakfast and I limit my trips to 2-3 per month depending on how fast we drink the milk and what's in the Publix ad each week.

Crock Pot recipes (cough, Alyssa) and a Hot/Cold Water bottle with lids you can switch out

FRIENDS

We do our best to spend as much time with friends as we can and now that we are all scattered across the country that can be difficult at times. I've really come to cherish long talks on the phone with my closest friends and a phone call or text from any one of them always brightens my day. People that I used to see on a daily basis I now see only a handful of times each year or perhaps not even once a year. With a wedding or two in the mix this year we will get to see some of our favorites more often. It took me forever to figure out a prize for this category and hopefully you guys will think these are cute. I have one in navy and purple!

It's a little hard to tell the colors but the top is a maroon and the bottom is red-one for you, one for a friend!

Now for the fun part: the GIVEAWAY!!! One person will win all the items pictured above and I know you guys have all written and read posts about 2013 goals so I'm sure there's no need to ask you all what you have planned for the year. Instead just let us know which of the prizes is your favorite and why. If you'd like to earn extra entries feel free to share on your blog, twitter, facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. and leave links for each. I'll pick a winner on Monday, January 21, 2013, when I wake up. Good luck!

We hope this giveaway will assist you in achieving a goal you've set for yourself this year or at least give you some things to enjoy. May 2013 be filled with happiness, good health, and success for all of us!