Cheers to New Years & New Beginnings
With a new year comes a new opportunity to pause and reflect on the past. Things you would do differently, things you did well, things you want to change for the future. It provides time to remember the good, bad, and the ugly.
If you have been following along over the last year, it was probably easy to pick up on the difficulty 2023 brought. I wasn't blogging as much, and when I did, our updates were not all uplifting. To add insult to injury, we very suddenly, and somewhat traumatically, had to put our beloved dog down in November. It just simply wasn't something that we needed to end the year with.
Bentley was our Border Collie/Australian Shepherd pup that Nathan and I got 4 months after we got married. He just turned 11 and was our first baby. He had seen us through every stage of life we have experienced together. Saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life, and I don't write those words lightly.
With the loss of Bentley came the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I dove head first in all the holiday activities. Looking back, it makes sense that I did this to avoid the deep level of sadness I felt. I forced happy experiences on everyone. It was fun, but guess who got burned out the most? Me. It was exhausting, and it took a serious amount of (probably failed) effort to enjoy the simple things the holidays are supposed to provide.
So, onward to 2024.
This new year has provided a much-needed moment of reflection. It has given me time to set goals for the future and see what I want to do differently this year. How can I be a more intentional mom for my kids? How can I be a more compassionate wife? Can I let loose and have a little bit more fun? I am ready to take things less seriously this year.
“This year I made you strong. Next year, I will make you happy”
HECK YES.
One more time, for the people in the back.....NEXT YEAR (2024) I WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY!!!
So, to kick off the list of things to change this year, travel tops it. I put so much on hold last year, hoping to get pregnant and have a third baby. What I didn't realize in the process of doing that was that we were missing opportunities with our kids right now, right? We LOVE to travel. We did so much before we had kids, and when Elliott was a baby. However, 2020 happened. COVID hit, Harper was born, we moved across the country, and travel just took a back seat. This year, we plan to take some big, fun trips with the kids, and I can't wait to share them here as we get closer!
The second goal I have is a HUGE physical challenge. In a moment of what I consider insanity, I had the thought to run a marathon. I mistakenly told this to Nathan, and if you know Nathan, you know he GETS.STUFF.DONE. I was signed up to run the Colfax Marathon before I even made dinner that same night. Training officially begins this month, and I could use all the prayers and well-wishes because this is going to be hard, to say the least.
Third on the list: more intentional time with my kids. Nathan and I decided that every day we would have a "no phone time" with Mom and Dad. We will make sure they know it is a time devoted entirely to spending time together as a family. I sit and watch my kids play and realize how true the old adage is: "The days are slow, but the years are fast." Soon enough, our kids will not want to spend as much of their free time with us. I am determined not to miss the years where I can still get on the floor and play games together as a family on a random Tuesday night, and the kids love it.
Fourth, have more fun. As positive as I try to be on a systematic level, there's no denying that gray clouds have loomed over our heads the last couple of years. Finding simple ways to make both mundane and profound activities fun is something I am going to strive for. I want to say yes to weekend ski trips, concerts, homemade pasta night, girls' weekends, yoga retreats, backyard BBQ games, outrageous ninja courses in the basement, cooking classes, letting my daughter put makeup on me... You name it, sign me up. This year, I don't want to take any opportunity for granted.
Finally, I plan to write more thoughts, perspectives, and updates on this little corner of the internet and see where a world of more writing in my life may take me. What are some goals you have this year? What would you do differently from last year? How can you be better and evolve into a stronger and more beautiful version of yourself?
I hope you take the time to reflect on it and make this year your best one yet!
Happy 2024, let’s go kick some butt!
