NEW YEAR, SAME ME

What kind of New Year’s celebration do you usually partake in? Are you a “stay at home in your pjs and barely make it to midnight” kind of person? Or are you a “wear sparkles, pop champagne and ring in the New Year with lots of people and a big celebration” kind of person? If I’m being honest, I’m usually the first. New Year’s Eve I’m usually found in cozy loungewear with my family, happy to be in bed right at midnight (or a little bit before ha!) But this year we are in Oregon and are ringing in the New Year out on the town!

A few days before New Year’s Eve, most find themselves reflecting on the past year and prepping for the new. New Year’s resolutions are made, and there’s a spirit of excitement for what is ahead. I don’t think there is anything wrong with these habits, as I have done my own reflecting on the past year and have my own goals and prayers laid out for the new year. But rather than heading into the new year with extreme resolutions and drastic plans for change, I have decided to embrace 2020 with excitement as I continue working on myself.

As I reflected on the past year I couldn’t help but look back full of gratitude. There were hard moments for sure, but it was a good and blessed year. It was a year that I found myself again to the fullest as a mom, wife, and individual. I truly found joy in my role as a stay-at-home mom, which until this year, did not come naturally. I started a blog in hopes of inspiring and encouraging anyone who cares to read my words. We adopted our son Mason, my community flourished, and Zach and I celebrated five years of marriage. The year was good. All these things did not come without some tears, some late nights and lots of prayer. But looking back and reflecting, I’m so grateful for these past twelve months, and am so excited to jump into the new year.

When it comes to resolutions, I’ve decided they aren’t for me. I think the reason they don’t stick is because they tend to be drastic goals and and out of character ambitions in hopes of extreme results. I’ve decided to approach the new year with goals and ambitions that continue to develop who I am in my faith, my personal life, and the roles God has given me. I’m excited to move into the new year continuing to work on what I’ve worked on this past year. On most New Year’s Day, I try to start something completely new and fresh, and it never happens. So this year I am taking my new approach. I took the things from 2019 that I wanted to continue to work on, and added a few fun outlooks, and created my goals for the new year. Some of the more specific goals for 2020 I have decided to keep private for our family, but I wanted to share other dreams and prayers I have for the new year. So here they are;

2020 Dreaming

take more risks; I want this year to be a year of more risks. Generally speaking, I want to participate in things that push me out of my comfort zone. I want to be active with the boys and get creative with our time together. It’s important to me to raise kids who love to live out of the box.

Read more; I started to read books again this past year which I shamefully haven’t done in a while (#newborns) and forgot how much I love getting drawn into a good book. I plan to continue to read this year and even set goals for myself to make sure it’s a habit I keep.

Write more; I have loved expressing myself through words these past six months and want to continue to improve on this skill. It’s a way for me to express myself and my thoughts and I pray God uses it for His glory. I am excited to continue to write not only for the blog but also for myself and on other platforms.

Foster care; Zach and I are still praying through what is best for our family but we are hopeful this year we will reopen our home for kiddos in need. We know this is a calling God’s placed on our hearts and are excited for the time to come when we will jump back into the hard work of foster parenting. In addition, we are hopeful this year to launch an organization we’ve been dreaming up and praying over that betters the lives of kids in the foster care system. We still are figuring out details but believe in sharing what we are working on even though it’s not perfect yet.

Yoga; this past year I’ve gotten into yoga and have really enjoyed being active and taking care of my physical health. I hope to attend more classes and form a more consistent schedule. I think, especially for mama’s, this time to get away and focus on your own well-being is crucial for success.

I wanted to take a second and thank you for reading the blog and following our family this past year. I hope this next year is full of joy and blessings for everyone. Below is a very small recap of some of our favorite moments of the year!

so thankful for family close by. lots of fun memories made this year

first family vacation as a family of 4! Hawaii 2019

ISRAEL TRIP 2020

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS