Especially Ellis: 2018 is Almost Over!!!

I can't believe that next week is Christmas! Another semester is over, another round of grades are in the books. Next semester will hopefully be my last until student teaching in August! I'm so excited to be so close to finishing my degree and earning my teaching certificate! I'm still praying and pondering about what comes after graduation. Brandon and I think we have a pretty good idea of what we will be doing and where we'll be living in the next few years, but we haven't yet figured out the details. So, more information on life after graduation will come over the next year or so.....

I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on how 2018 has been so far, seeing as there are only a couple of weeks left in the year. Then I'll share some of my goals for 2019.

In January, I decided to focus on faith and relationships for the year. My faith has been on a roller coaster these past few years: sometimes it's strong, sometimes it's weak. I have had experiences this year that have strengthened my faith. I have also had experiences that have strengthened my relationships. Going to the Lower 48 was especially beneficial because I was able to see people that I've seen in 5 years. I'm making it a goal to get down to the Lower 48 at least once a year to visit people (and maybe even more often than that, depending on how future plans pan out).

For a refresher of my goals for 2018, go here.

For the most part, I accomplished my 2018 goals. I went to the temple, and I went to the Lower 48. I made an attempt to use time wisely, even though I still have my lazy days! I was especially grateful that my church leaders encouraged me to take a break from social media. That really helped me to prioritize my time. I need to take breaks from social media more often!

Thinking ahead to 2019, I have decided to base my goals on a framework that I learned in my child development classes. The acronym PIES represents different areas of development:

PIES Chart Created using Google Sheets

P- Physical
I- Intellectual
E- Emotional
S- Social

I also added an extra S: Spirituality.

Here are my goals for each area of development:

Physical: Exercise at least 3 times a week. I also have a reasonable weight loss goal which I will not disclose to online world.

Intellectual: Begin student teaching.

Emotional: Write in a gratitude journal at least once a week.

Social: Attend a conference in a city that I've never been to before.

Spiritual: Attend the temple at least 4 times in 2019.