so, as many of you know, i am a huge fan of goal setting and telling people what my goals are so i am held accountable. i have found in the last couple years, that if you there is something you want to do, there is a MUCH larger chance of that happening if you put it out there for people to see. yes it can be a scary once you declare your dreams and goals as for me, there is always the fear that i won’t accomplish them. but this year, i’m going to challenge that. who cares if i don’t accomplish everything on this list? probably nobody but me. and at least by putting them out there, it will give me something to work towards with focus and direction. something to strive for. ya i might not do all of these things in 2014, but i will be a lot closer to them at the end of the year then i am right now – SO, with that, let’s do this!

in 2014, I WILL…

–live healthier! drinking 8 cups of water a day and eating more vegetables! i know that sounds dumb, but with being on the road so much it’s sometimes hard to keep the fridge stocked up with fruits and veggies ~ BUT, we have started “meal planning” where we write out what we are going to eat for the week, tape it onto the fridge and buy the groceries needed every sunday – i know its only jan. 14th but we’ve eaten more vegetables in the last 2 weeks then we probably did in the entire month of december! go team!

-be more intentional in our marriage – i want to be intentional with the things i can do for scotty and how i can make his day better every single day. from something as small as coming upstairs from my office when i hear his truck pull in the drive way to great him with a hug and a kiss at the door, to surprising him by ironing his shirts or *attempting* to make his favorite meal for dinner. i love this article in the huffington post about how marriage isn’t about YOU, it’s about the person your married. i want to strive to put his needs infront of my own and find new ways to intentionally love him every day.

-host my first 2 day workshop for photographers – EEK! this is the first time i have ever put this out to public masses, BUT! im super excited to announce a workshop that will be held in our new home in cochrane sometime in the fall! i don’t have all the details quite yet, but my mind is full of ideas and i can’t wait to share them with you all soon!

-shoot a wedding on kauai (yes! hope this comes true!!)

-join some kind of sports association when we move to cochrane – whether it is playing volleyball, ringette or even coaching. i miss the competitiveness of sports and would WAY rather do something like that then go to the gym

-start swimming regularly to keep in shape – apparently it will help prevent my ribs from popping out again! here’s to hoping!

-spend less time on my phone. in fact, i would love to try and turn it on airplane mode at 9pm everynight and just enjoy my evenings without checking my emails. anyone else do this?

-photograph at least 2 proposals
-read 3 business books: Selling the Invisible, the E-Myth, and one more (open to suggestions!)
-reach 10,000 facebook fans by attracting people with my message and my work
-connect with each of our couples more frequently throughout the year!
-start another shoot & share group in the cochrane/calgary area
-take a last minute trip to somewhere exotic
-invest time into building new friendships
-celebrate my little sisters 21st birthday in vegas
-take on 10 more weddings for 2014
-make time to go on a hike in kananaskis and to take a day trip to banff
-master off camera flash techniques
-teach 3 different “how to use your DSLR” camera classes
-do less of what i don’t like and more of what i love ~ first thing on the list – outsource the housecleaning!

what are your goals and dreams for this year? KJ & Rob, an incredible husband/wife photography team based in colorado, asked us while we were facetiming with them last night “what is your 2014 year all about? what do you want to do, so you can look back and say ya, we did 2014 right” – it was an amazing question although it occurred to me that i hadn’t really thought about it yet. imagine if we all took some time in our day today to think about that, and how much drive and focus our answer would give us for the year. it really inspired me, and so, my answer is this:

this year, i will work on being thoughtful, purposeful, creative and intentional in all aspects of life and business. i want to be able to answer WHY i am doing everything i am doing. i want to live with a purpose. in our marriage, in our business, and in our personal everyday life. i want to talk less and listen more, worry less and trust more, work harder and play harder, settle less and strive further. like less and love more. i want to smile bigger and laugh louder and wear more glitter. i want to have more random dance parties in strange places and always look to find the magic. i want to think less and just jump. take risks and dream big… i truly believe life is a fairytale if you make it one, and in 2014 i am going to be intentional on keeping ours going strong.

…so my question to you is, what is your 2014 all about?

photo credit:  kaihla tonai