So. Y’all know a thing or two about me. BUT, did you know that I LOVE The Bachelor?

(And by The Bachelor, I mean both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Love them equally. I draw the line at Bachelor Pad – have never watched it and never intend to. For purposes of this post, we will refer to both shows as The Bachelor from here on out. Also, I would like you all to know that The Bachelor is an anomaly in my TV watching habits. I do not watch any other dating show, and I have no interest in doing so in the future.)

Yes, indeed, I love The Bachelor. Let’s take a brief walk down memory lane, shall we? (It looks a lot like that suspiciously wet-looking path leading into the mansion.) The first season I can remember watching was Trista’s, in 2003. I also watched season three (in 2003) with Andrew Firestone and Jen Schefft, and the season in 2006 with Travis and Sarah. Next up for me was Andy and Tessa in 2007, and from there, I’ve diligently watched every season: Brad, DeAnna, Matt, Jason, Jillian, Jake, Ali, Brad again, Ashley, Ben, and Emily. Whew!

To clear a few things up, do I think everything that happens on these shows is real? No, of course not. Do I think half of the contestants are ridiculous and mildly insane? Yes, of course. Do I really like some of the contestants and root for them? Yes, of course. Do I truly believe that the couple at the end will make it long term? Depends on the season :)

So yes, there is a bit of a hopeless romantic inside me, but that’s not really why I love the show. I do love that it’s simply fun to watch, and there’s something comforting in the fact that it’s a variation on the same theme every time. I do enjoy watching the narratives and relationships as they unfold, but when it comes down to it, what I really love about this show is the off-screen relationships, not the onscreen ones.

Jen Huang via Snippet & Ink

You see, over the last six years, I have somehow convinced almost every member of my family, and most of my friends, to watch this show. It might sound crazy, but watching this show in tandem helps keep us all close. Text messages fly back and forth during every episode, Facebook messages and emails dissecting individual plot lines are sent, and news articles about past contestants are forwarded in the “off season.”

And yes, John watches with me. He would admit openly to you that he is a fan, and he actually has a HIGHLY developed ability to choose the eventual winner from the first episode (which he’s very proud of). My mom and younger sister have been tuned in for about as long as me. Two of my best friends from home have been watching since DeAnna’s season and Trista’s season, respectively, and we frequently schedule Bachelor dessert parties whenever we’re together and it’s in season. John and I convinced our best friend in college to start watching with us during Jason’s season, and she’s been hooked ever since. One of John’s sisters has been watching intensely since crazy Jake’s season (her boyfriend is now a fan as well), and the other, since Brad’s second go-round (her husband also watches). You see? It’s not so much the show, but what we’ve built around it. I have so many good memories related to this show that really have nothing to do with it at all.

All this to say, I’ll be watching tonight when Sean’s season premiers, and so will most of my peeps. In fact, the Thomas children and spouses are actually holding a formal draft for this season. Take that, fantasy football! In case any of you are interested in the details, here’s how it will work:

(1) We’ll have three teams of couples.

1 point per rose until you leave the country
2 points per rose when out of the country
3 points for the rose that brings you to the hometown date (and subsequent roses except for the winning rose)
6 points for the winning rose

YESSSSS.

Let’s hear it: Do you love The Bachelor, too? If so, please tell me 1) what season you started watching, and 2) who your favorite bachelor, bachelorette, couple, or contestant is. I’ll go first. I actually really like Brad. I like Jason a lot, and I like Molly, too (didn’t at the time). I REALLY liked both Ali and Roberto, I was so glad Ashley picked JP (Ashley herself was kind of eh), and I still really like Emily. Your turn!

P.S. Last night was the premier of Downton Abbey! Love that show, too :)

Sheesh, y’all are probably sick of my goals by now! (I hope not, because I’ve got lots more where this came from!) Well, they’ll actually go back to being more “behind the scenes” for awhile, as I work on what I’ve set out for January, but I promise I’ll be back in February to report on my progress and set out some new ones. I firmly believe that writing goals down is essential to sticking to them, so here we go!

This month, I will:
— Find something to turn into a prayer journal around the house, or buy something new if necessary (for Daily Goals)
— Complete list of power foods and post (for Daily Goals)
— Schedule visit with my Dad’s mom (for no. 10)
— Make 2012 contribution to my IRA (for no. 18)
— Brainstorm get together and dinner party plans for 2013 and commit to months for each (for nos. 41, 78, 82)
— Decide on the next biography I’ll read and obtain it (for no. 61)
— Conceptualize, make, photograph, and list one entirely new product in my shop (for no. 72)
— Upload first Friends of Em banner (for no. 73)
— Wear my updo at least one more time (for no. 93)
— Submit our wedding announcement (for no. 97)

You can see all of my 101 in 1001 goals here and my 2013 daily goals here. Now, off to schedule each of these in my planner! If you’d like to share your goals for January, I’d love for you to either list them in the comments or leave a link, and I promise I’ll check them out!

Since I’m in the final year of my 101 in 1001 challenge, I’ve decided that I’m going to focus on completing as many items as possible off of that list in lieu of separate 2013 goals. I’ll also be continuing with the daily goal system I implemented in 2012!

As you may recall, I introduced the concept last January, and though I briefly reported in with progress in February, we never touched on it again! I’m happy to say that the system worked marvelously for me.

To recap, I made a list of ten daily practices that I wanted to become habits by the end of 2012. They included: wake up at or before 8am, go to sleep by 11pm, go for a walk, floss, read the Bible, eat breakfast, do the dinner dishes before I go to bed, and make the bed in the morning, among other things.

In January, February, and March, I promised myself I’d do at least four of the practices every day. In April, May, and June, six. In July, August, and September, eight. In October, November, and December, ten.

The thing I loved — and still love — most about this system is that it didn’t expect me to do everything every day, or all at once. I was able to gradually incorporate the changes into my life over a year, and if I slipped up a few times, that was alright. Grace not perfection was definitely applicable here!

So here we are after 12 months, and I’m ready for another set! I can confidently say that four of the ten practices I outlined have become complete habits, so I will no longer be tracking them every day in 2013 (but still doing them, of course — they are habits, after all!). I did well with an additional four, but feel I still need a reminder to complete them, so they’ll stay on the list (with some modification and condensing). The remaining two (ahem — everything having to do with sleep) definitely still need to stay on the list.

For 2013, my daily goals are as follows:

1. Get out of bed by 8am
2. Make bed
3. Go out of my way to encourage or check in with someone
4. Eat at least one “power food”*
5. Finish two tumblers of water
6. Take a midday walk around the block at work
7. Do something physically active
8. Stand up until John comes home**
9. Write in faith journal***
10. Lights out by 11pm

I’m shooting for three practices every day in January, February, and March; five in April, May, and June; seven in July, August, and September; and nine in October, November, and December.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in trying yourself, a few recommendations:

1. I bought this goal log at the beginning of 2012 and it has been extremely helpful with keeping track of everything. In fact, it seems designed for this exact system! At $15 (or $5 a year), it’s a no-brainer. I keep my log on my bedside table and fill it in every night before I go to bed.
2. Travel definitely complicated the system. Since it took me out of my normal routine, some of the practices became impossible to complete, which threw off my daily totals. I eventually decided to not tally days I was traveling, though I still tried to complete as many practices as was feasible.
3. When you’re brainstorming daily practices to include, spend some time picturing what your ideal day would look like. Would you eat healthy food? Would you have a close relationship with God? Would you arrive polished and poised at work every morning? Walk through the whole day in your head, then line it up with what your current day looks like. THEN, figure out how you can break the difference between the two down into bite-size, concrete pieces.

This system has been marvelous for me, and I hope it might be helpful for some of you, as well! If you’ve posted about your 2013 goals, I’d love for you to leave a comment with the link so I can come check them out! I’ll be back tomorrow with an update on my 101 in 1001 challenge and a breakdown of how I plan to accomplish as many of the remaining goals as possible.

*Still researching what should go on this list, but I’m thinking things like spinach, pomegranate seeds, blueberries, flaxseed, edamame, etc. Suggestions welcome!
**This one sounds nutty, doesn’t it?? My understanding, though, is that it is generally not good at all for our bodies to sit for most of the day, and that is definitely what my body currently does. Since John works later than me, I generally am on the computer in the early evening before he gets home (replying to email, working on the blog, etc.), and I’m going to try and stand while I do this instead of sit.
***I added this to directly combat one of the things that didn’t work for me in 2012, and I’m hoping it will make both my prayer time and reading of the Bible more meaningful and effective! If you keep something similar, I’d love to hear what you include in yours or use yours for!