Welp, we have a problem here.. I have read many books read since my last book review post yet none shared with ya'll...let's fix that! All my book lovers let's give 3 cheers for 5 good books that will leave you with all the warm and cozy vibes.
Shades of blue and red for the win for this book round-up!
If you had asked me around 5 years ago if I goal planned I would have told you it just doesn't work for me. If you were to ask me today I would tell you goal planning has changed my life. How can I go from one extreme to the other? That answer is found in the WHY behind any goal.
Lara Casey, my "goal" debunker, puts it simply like this:
"Where do you want to be when you're 80--or 90 or 100? What will be important to you then and what won't?"
After lots of failed attempts at goal setting I quickly learned goals are not wishful thinking nor an adrenaline rush of productivity in January that falls wayside by February. Goal planning is taking small, tangible steps that leads to a life that matters to you in the big picture.
Deep down we all know life is short and it's eye-opening when we reflect and notice our lives were lost in distraction (mindless scrolling, the chase for perfection, finding significance or approval, or anything that hold us from really living). Just call me the approval police. I searched for it from anyone and everything. I traded dreaming and thinking for myself in exchange for living out anyone else's expectations of me.
Here's the truth about goals that the world likes to tell you otherwise:
It's okay to grow slow. Plant the seed, tend to it and with time you will reap a harvest.
It's okay to make imperfect progress. Small steps are still steps. Missed steps are an opportunity to grab ahold of grace and give it another go. Perseverance is a beautiful thing.
It's okay to re-route. This doesn't discredit the dream or plan you once had. You're human and you will go through circumstances that will reshape the way you see the world. Realigning your heart to God's will is the best thing any of us can do.
Proverbs 16:1-3 (TPT) says, "Go ahead and make all the plans you want, but it's the Lord who will ultimately direct your steps. We are all in love with our own opinions, convinced they're correct. But the Lord is in the midst of us, testing and probing our every motive. Before you do anything put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed.
If we approach this year with a surrendered heart and hope in God to direct our steps then what do we have to lose? Better yet what do we have to gain?
Typically I have goals thought through by December and laid out in January. This year I just wasn't there yet. Maybe, like me, you need to give yourself permission to process, pray and think about how to approach 2021. I needed to remind myself of what will bring me closer to the big picture.
Alas, here are my goals for the year ahead!
You know what's beautiful about reflection? You get to look at the past from a new perspective. To have perspective does not mean to have full understanding or completion. I'd be amiss to think because its the start of a new year that I now have some mountain-top views, when really I am trudging through the trails still. Heck, I know without a doubt I will be processing much of last year into this year.
And that's a great thing.
There's good soil beneath our feet if we just dig into it. It might not be the view or place we hoped to find ourselves, but were breaking ground for new things to bloom. Things that really matter to us. Things that will be lasting and beautiful because we didn't rush the process.
January was a month of innocence. I laugh now because little did we know we were counting down our time of "lasts". Like the last time going on a date without a mask (I schooled Mark in a game of basketball, btw). Peter turned half-a-year old and we played in any snow we got!
Ahh, the month of hearts and love. The boys received a homemade heart attack on their doors with notes of things we love about them. We gave the playroom a little spruce in décor with the addition of Aunt B's watercolor monkey. Spent galantines in good company with yummy food & vino!
In March we celebrated my sweet friend, Tori's, baby boy. And then the next day we went in full-quarantine mode. The timing is impeccable. Before quarantine we snuck in some fun outings like bowling (Jack's fav) and exploring Ann Arbor. I gave life-coaching a try and LOVED it. I also discovered a love for my Kindle.
I remember hoping by Easter we could be free of quarantine and even Covid but oh how little we knew. My sister-in-law's fam surprised us with an egg hunt in our front yard and baskets for the boys! It was the highlight of our month!! April has a special place in my heart because the sun finally sticks around and everything becomes more green and cheery.
Memorial day we decided to host an outdoor BBQ with our friends who we missed dearly. For Mother's day my siblings and I created a video of photos to the song "Perfect Fan" by BSB. The perfect combo for a tear fest. I also discovered kindness is still out there when an elderly lady handed my mom and I her umbrellas because we got stuck in a downpour while walking Peter.
June brought a wave of refreshment to our souls. I will never forget when my wild-woman of a friend, Cait, took 7 of us on the gator and we about died from hitting branches and falling into pot holes. It was the cheeks-hurt-because-we-laughed-so-hard kind of laugh that we all needed. Other highlights: celebrated daddy with donuts, picked strawberries and made jam, and got to spend a week with my brother in town.
All aboard the month of birthdays!! Peter rang in his 1st while sporting his first haircut! 4th of July was a treat as we watched fireworks light up the sky from our new patio. We capped off the month with a Colorado vacation with some of our best friends. Some of my favorite memories of the year were from this month!
A month of rich conversations and time well spent. Mark and I celebrated 5 years of marriage by taking a bike ride near our wedding venue. Rerouted our Boston trip for a girls trip to Houston. We went nowhere outside of our home for the weekend and had the BEST time. Oh, and this music video was born. :) My sister shared her life-coaching skills with my small group, and we wished her farewell as she started a new chapter in a new city.
Dreams were launched into existence after reading Bob Goff's book Dream Big. One of those dreams being this blog. :) Embraced all things fall like baked goods, orchard trips, and eating outside on the patio.
October was FUN. So much heart-warming, good stuff packed into a month. We trick-or-treated as team Pokemon, took a mini-trip away as a family, and had our annual fall day with 7 of our fav families (14 adults, 10 kids, 2 dogs).
Jack turned 4 and we started a new tradition, the Birthday Interview. We spent Thanksgiving visiting my brother. Peter splashed in the ocean for the first time. I binge watched the new season of Crown and loved every second of it.
Kicked off the Christmas season by reading Honest Advent. Did many fun holiday things like caroling, cookie baking, gingerbread house making and a Santa visit. We also did our first ever murder mystery party and it was a hoot.
That's a wrap! In the end beauty wove itself through the hardship. It always does if we have eyes to see it and take hold of it.
Well this is comical.. to wrap up 2020 this post was suppose to go live the week before Christmas but it never did. Instead of discarding this bright-spot of a post I am here to share it today!
Here's to a new year and claiming grace when things go sideways; the best lesson from 2020.
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Selecting a Christmas card is something I look forward to each year. I know when the kids are grown this yearly tradition will fall to the wayside so for now I fully embrace the headache of mailing cards. It's all fun until your hand is numb. :)
Before choosing any card option I like to look through photos of our family that best represent us from the year. Christmas cards also hold me accountable to book a family session so we have professional photos of our growing fam. This is a personal preference and not necessary, but I don't think I'll ever look back on getting photos done and say it wasn't worth it.
This year I had the idea of combining our fall vacation with a family photo session. Haley Harris, of Willow Acres Co., captured our fam perfectly. A nose touch here, a hand held there.. I adore organic moments and she sees them so well through her lens.
Enjoy a handful of my favorites that I had a hard time choosing from for our Christmas card!
Now you can see my 2020 Christmas card predicament... it was the hardest thing ever to choose a photo!
Merry Christmas from our fam to yours.
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