So Begins 2014

2014 will be a year of transition for us . . . more on that later.  Here is my plan for what lies ahead.

Reading

The year's focus will be three-fold:

1. "read down" the number of books I own but haven't yet read
• In 2012, I owned 100 books I'd never read.  That number is down to 75, but I want it down to 40 by year's end.  There's no reason to own things you don't plan to use, and I'm taking that to heart this year.
2. British medieval history and legend
• Though my 'official' British Reading List is done, I want to spend the last months of my time in the UK reading on the time period I enjoy the most: Medieval (~500-1500).  Be it history (the Norman invasion, the Plantagenets, Hundred Years' War, Black Plague, Wars of the Roses, Tudors) or legend (Robin Hood & King Arthur), I hope to immerse myself in this era.
3. Christianity
• I own a lot of books on different aspects of Christianity.  Though I've read many, many more remain unread, even after 10 years of sitting on my shelf.  That changes this year.

I have 40 works currently on my reading list; of them, 11 are history/historical fiction, 7 are fantasy (centering on Arthur/Robin), and 19 are Christian in some form. While the list always changes, I hope to keep it to no more than 50 books this year.

Fitness

Fitness will be more of a priority in 2014.  Here are my goals:

• lose 10 lbs (get to 175lbs)
• eat less sugar
• heal my lower back problems
• stretch more
• increase push-up totals
• be able to do the "green sally up" challenge for 2:30 (current best is 1:30)
• run more.  some milestones here:
• 1 mile in 6:00
• 2 miles in 13:00
• 3 miles in 21:00
• 10 miles in 80 minutes
• Half-marathon?  Maybe . . . depends on my knees and lower back

Travel

2014 marks our 7th and final year in Europe.  As such, we have a few small on-island trips planned for the time:

• South Coast (Portsmouth, some castles/abbeys south of London)
• Lake District (still have never been!)
• Peak District (may be done over long weekends)
• Cheltenham area/Cotswolds

Since this is our last year here, I hope to blog about our different trips of years past for memories' sake- another goal.
 

Moving

Yes, moving.  This spring/summer, we plan to head back to the USA after 4 years in Germany and 3 years in England.  What a blast it's been . . . but it's time.  We've loved our time here, but we look forward to returning home.  I hope to blog about our overall overseas experience this year as well.

Minimization

With moving comes minimization.  Books, movies, toys, clothing. . . . we have so much more than we should!  For most things, the decision to keep or donate will be based on whether or not we'll use it again.  Books, for example, will be kept if we want to read it again, refer to it, or lend it to others.  Else, they go.

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In short, I have lots of plans for 2014.  But, as always, "A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9).  So, we'll see what actually happens this year :-).