It’s officially 2015 as of today, which means that we have another year of a long list of things we need to accomplish.

I spent some time reviewing the list of goals I made last year, and I have to say that I actually made better progress than I had originally thought. Some goals will be on an ongoing basis, but many will be new and focused on propelling life forward and trying to be a better version of me.

I read an interesting quote from a wedding site article the other day (this rarely happens since most of the articles rarely say anything deep or thought-provoking). It talked about the dangers of marriage in terms of thinking that post-marriage, you can change the person you are marrying. It said that a fine line exists between trying to change someone and inspiring that person to change. For the former, the change is for yourself; for the latter, that change is for himself, you, and the rest of the world. It’s a change that improves overall life.

I think that’s one of the things that makes Chris and my relationship so great. We’re very focused on making sure that the other is the best person s/he can be, and it doesn’t come from a selfish place; it comes from a place of wanting an overall better life together and individually. A lot of the changes I’ve noticed in myself and in him in the last three years have been prompted and constantly encouraged by the other. Not everyone is as lucky as we are in our relationship, and we are very blessed to have this type of love.

When I think about this, I think — this is what I want conveyed at our wedding. It’s not just about wearing a white dress or cutting a cake with flowers on it or having a banh mi truck; it will be about showing everyone the profound connection we share. I love my baby.