homage to 2015

The new year is upon us.

2015 was quite the year.

Here are the happy highlights:

January: Our little Charlie was born. I can't imagine life without him.

February: We stayed home, sanitized our hands, and snuggled our baby boy.

March/April: California trip to see our amazing friends.

May: Dave and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! And I turned 31, which was a big deal for me because it was my golden birthday and I had looked forward to it ever since I was a little girl and heard about Golden Birthdays. (It's when you turn the age of your birth date.)

June: Jack had his golden birthday and finished up baseball.

July: We spent the entire month in Idaho.

August: We tried to squeeze in as much summer stuff as we could.

September: An amazing visit from our awesome Vermont family.

October: Amazing trip to Arches National Park. Also, Star Wars Halloween!

November: Hosting my first ever Thanksgiving with my lovely sisters. (Also, I read the last 3 Harry Potter books in 1 week. Don't judge.)

December: Awesome Christmas celebrations.

These are the happy things. Sandwiched in all of that was Dave working like crazy,  the big kids' constant bickering, a lot of raised voices, and  Charlie getting 3 ear infections and learning how to get into everything.  And I went through a grumpy phase. (I think it was caused by, among other things, all the turmoil and angst I saw on social media that somehow seeped into my soul. ) (2015 was messed up on social media, amiright?)

I tried to stay focused on my goal to Reach Out. One thing I incorporated this year was reading that theme in my scripture study as well. It was so enlightening to me. There were times when I was really diligent about serving others and times when I wasn't. I will say this, it saved my sanity this year. The times when I focused on service were the much happier times in my year. I felt good. I felt productive and proactive. I felt like I was making a difference. In the busy-ness of the end of the year it seemed to fall by the wayside and I felt a difference.

And now I look forward. My love for New Year's resolutions is well-documented. It feels like a clean slate and fresh start. And I feel really good about my theme this year. But that will have to be for another day. Because it's midnight and tomorrow is back to the grind.

Here's to a New Year!

a year in review

2011

3 firsts

1. first garden

2. first ER trip

3. first hurricane

3 favorites adventures

1. Niagara falls/Palmyra

2. 4th of July in Boston

3. Sister's weekend in Oklahoma City


3 new things

1. a new baby!

2. a new car!

3. a new kindergartener!


3 things mommy said all the time:

1. What time is it?

2. I spent all day cleaning and the house is already a mess!

3. Look at the beautiful world Heavenly Father created!



Bring in the new year! I'm sure 2012 will be just as good.

commitment

I've been thinking about the New Year for a couple months now. I've thought a lot about my theme for last year to "Establish a House of Order." I think I did well for a while. I learned a lot of things. Like how it is just as easy to fold towels neatly in the cupboard as opposed to shoving them in there randomly. And how it is easier for kids to help clean up when everything has a place: like shoes, toys, and clothes. I still have not completely solved my clutter issues, but I am getting better. I think it was a good goal for me to have. It was a good year and time to focus on that.

I also discovered some things in the process. I have discovered some underlying issues that I have with my homemaking and personal habits, as well as my issues that continually come up in parenting. And with my New Year Theme, I plan to address them.

My theme for 2011 is a good one. I have studied and pondered and I really think I'm onto something that can be really great. I can see the benefits from changing my focus. I can see personal benefits and I can see how great it could be for my family, especially my children.

But I'm not going to tell you what it is. Not yet anyway.

The fact is, I am scared. I know how far I am from the goal I have in mind. I am afraid of the exertion - both physically and emotionally - it will take to change myself into the kind of person that I want to be. I am scared of committing myself to something that I'm not strong enough to do right now. I am afraid of looking back a year from now and feeling like I have failed. I am scared that my laziness will kick in and I'll stop trying and end up disappointing myself.

What I'm really saying is, I need more time. I need time to prepare myself, my home, my family to make a change. I can commit to that though, to the preparation, to the emotional training. A little more study and thought and prayer, and I think I'll be ready soon.