Word of the Year 2014

Truth: I'm really just kinda kidding myself every January when I make any sort of resolutions.

I know full well I'm not great at even setting, let alone achieving, goals.

I just kinda put effort into what seems right, try to get inspiration in a decisive degree,

and then just... go with it. I think I try not to sabotage myself. I really hope. ;)

So I won't bore anyone, least of all my own self,

with any list of goals that I'm just pretending at anyway.

But, I do really like coming up with a word for the year.

Seems more solid to me or something.

Last year: control. Hmm... ya, let's just not really even go there...

This year...

My husband works a full time job and owns/ manages a full time business. He's away from home a lot. Maybe not on some business trip across the country or anything, but just gone from home, working right here in town at the retail shop, or answering pages to the hospital (he's a medical equipment technician). After he got a page on New Years Eve, I had the silly thought run through my head, "I'm just gonna pretend he's a doctor." Ha! No, it didn't solve anything, just needed something random to think of in that moment I guess.

The reason I mention it at all is because, as a result of his "spread-thin-edness," I found this year to be one of plenty of disappointments. Lots and lots of goodness and joy and success too, for sure. Just also a lot of defeated expectations mixed in. We can't plan on going to a movie, or having a a family game night. As sure as we do, Stephen gets called back in to the hospital or the shop has to be open late. I've cancelled enough babysitters and consoled bummed little boys enough this last year to know...

Of course, we still have date night and family play time... we just do it more on the fly, more impromptu. In this way and others, I've learned in the last year that I need to be more flexible during this next one. I don't want to feel upset, or at least not fan the flames of my upset, as a result of things that we can't change. The last thing I want is for Stephen to quit one of his jobs. Our business certainly can't go and the full-time job can't either... So I can't be getting down on him when I have to tell the boys they won't get to see their Dad until the morning again. Or when an activity has to be be cut short so we can turn around for him to go to the hospital that's a half an hour in the opposite direction. Or when he needs me to pick up an order at the airport because he simply can't be there himself after all.

I just need to be more flexible. We live in an area that several trips in and out of town really is no big deal. It's not like it's any massive drive really. And my boys truly seem no worse for the wear either- they still think their Dad hangs the moon somehow. These examples and lots more are the reason I chose this word for 2014- Flexible.

I've always been someone who just needs to 'lighten up.' Flexibility doesn't necessarily come easy to me, I wish it did. But I am capable of acknowledging when I need to be being flexible, even if I have to work myself down out of a tither to do it after the thought. I truly am grateful that our life, my husband's specifically, is so full, that as a result we are blessed more than ever before with the security I crave. With that gratitude needs to come more flexibility. And I know if I can be better at being flexible, I'll feel the measure of our blessings, and be able to play a part in increasing them even. Time to start stretching already...

If you have a word for this year too, I'd LOVE to hear it! 

Hello, 2013...

Source: etsy.com via Sky on Pinterest

Normally, January 1 comes around and I've had all kinds of illusions of grandeur

for how much better the year will be. For some reason,

this year I just... haven't so much.

Ringing it In

 

Woo hoo! Finally... we woke up to snow New Years Eve morning! We got on our snow clothes and drove to the church parking lot to soak it up :)

Socks for gloves and playing peek-a-boo :)  And Taron spent his every spare minute setting up the K'nex roller coaster he and Keaton got from my parents for Christmas- cool, eh? He was, impressively, able to keep it from getting destroyed by the little boys!

It ended up being super fun having our friends the Rogers' and Marvin and Kathy and family over for the night! I made pretzels bites following this idea and they were a huge hit! I also hung balloons with activities on them that the kids could pop on the hour (or so) through the night. I had seen this idea HERE. This ended up not being too effective in reality, but they did end up doing each of the activities anyway. In the last stretch before midnight, Stephen cranked up some tunes and it became a dance party!

Yes, yes, it's true: Stephen and Marvin couldn't help but try to do the worm again :) And everyone loved  the glowsticks as we counted down- really a fun night! Thanks to our friends and family for making it that way!

Word of the Year

For the past two years, as the year begins, I've chosen a word of the year. A word that I hoped would capture what I wanted to accomplish or be or do through that year. I've been thinking about it for 2012 and have decided to go with...

...prioritize. Truth be told, I'm not sure I feel any huge surge of motivation toward a specific resolution. I know, I know, a horrible admission given that it's New Years! The thing is, I have lots of changes and desires on my mind all the time. So much so that I can't figure out how to turn my mind off to be able to sleep most nights! Also, I think a word that would describe 2011 for us might be tumultuous. Two moves in four months, letting go of our business and taking on a new job- some big, tough changes. I don't want to be complacent by any means, but this might be the year to settle rather than tackle.

So here's just a few, everyday things I'd like to be priorities over this year..


Simplify. Here's the thing- I love frosting. Not like the cupcake kind (though, that's good too). Frosting is what I call the little "extras" or finishing touches in life. I can't just bake a loaf of bread and run it down to the neighbor. No, I have to wrap it smoothly and sew a ruffle to wrap around it and cut out a little tag to add with bakers twine... get what I mean? :P This applies to lots of areas of my life- overextending so that I only disappoint myself (and make my family miserable in the process)! I would really do well to just let the details go in favor of what matters more. 


Familiarity and friendships. I am loving where we live. Idaho Falls has been a great move for me and for our family. But one thing I really miss about Eden is how familiar it was. I valued knowing the names of people I saw in the halls at Church or feeling like I was part of the conversation among a group of people. I know familiarity takes time, years upon years upon years even. But I think if I work at gaining it here, then it can be possible even now, at least to a degree. Stephen is great at this kind of thing- I'm grateful I have him to make this much more possible!


Spiritual consistency. I daresay we are good people. We have righteous desires and try to make righteous choices. We are also very down-to-earth, surely to a fault sometimes. We can, and need to, do better. Solid consistency with going to the temple, scripture reading, FHE and tithing are priorities for this year. Plus, we recently got called to be Sunbeam teachers and I intend to be awesome at it! ;)


Menu planning. I really enjoy cooking and baking, but really don't enjoy coming up with what to make! For the longest time I've wanted to make weekly menus so that I don't have to face this ridiculous struggle every afternoon! See- why don't I take my creativeness and make a menu decoration already?!


Health. I truly believe that health is wealth. But you might not ever guess it. I really would like to take better care of mine and my family's wellness. Not necessarily with any grand change or upset, just with simple choices of good over bad, discipline over ignorance.

Good Luck with whatever priorities you have for this year, too!