Hopes for 2022

I don't know about you, but 2021 sure feels like it zoomed right on by. Do I say that every year? It was another odd year and I think we all might be a bit leery looking into 2022.   My word for 2021 was "Growth". I had very specific areas in life that I wanted to grow in and yet it didn't quite turn out the way I expected. I definitely did grow (figuratively and physically) but it was just different than I was originally thinking.  It was a year of some amazing highs and some really tough lows, but we made it through!  

As I look ahead to 2022, I think of "moments".  These last two years have taught me I can't necessarily plan how life is going to turn out, and that is okay. For someone who loves to have a plan, that has been a slow lesson to learn. But I think I have made peace with that and I am okay just thriving and living in the moment. I look forward to a year full of moments enjoying this family of ours, what a blessing to have these 6 children! I hope we get to travel and create special memories together. We look to the year ahead with very few plans set in place but many chances to make the most in the moments that will come!

Spiritually:

Spiritually I want to continue to cultivate a personal relationship with God.  I always want to grow in my understanding of the Bible which means I need to spend more and more time in the word.  One of my greatest goals now as a parent of 6 children is to help them know how much God loves them unconditionally. I hope they love God and love other people above any other goals.  We look forward to (hopefully) getting back to a normal church routine soon, we really miss attending church regularly.  The kids love their Bible studies and we want them to be able to attend again asap too.  We are just very ready after 2 years of virtual church to plant roots again.  We also hope that by continuing to study the Bible as a family, going chapter by chapter that we can cultivate a knowledge and love for The Word in them too.  

Marriage:  

Our marriage often takes a back seat to the rest of life. Not because we want that at all, just because life seems to move at such a pace that we literally don't have time! Between work, 6 kids, and just day to day being busy it has been really hard to prioritize marriage.  However, we check in often and we both feel like we are in a good place even if life gets in the way. We are communicating better than ever and just enjoying marriage during the little moments we have uninterrupted. We are in a really good and happy place! We celebrated 15 years of marriage this year and really can't wait to have more time together and we know that means we are going to have to find a way to make that happen. We joke that it won't  be long now before we will have built in babysitters and then we can date each other all the time! For this year,  I am hopeful that we can get out on at least some dates and really just have some fun together, talk without interruption here and there and eventually get the baby on a schedule so we can have a few hours to ourselves each day. We are definitely on the right path, just need to keep tending to it to make it the best it possibly can be! 

Family Life

I am so proud of this family of ours. We truly have amazing kids!  They have rolled with lots of hard punches and just keep on keeping on. We hoped to travel this past year but didn't quite get to very much because of pregnancy and this darn bug still going around.  We did get some local trips in though to our favorite places and any chance big or small to get away is a blast! We obviously added a new member to this family unit this year and these kids have been amazing in the adjustment, so patient, so loving and adoring towards him! They love having baby siblings and even ask for more! There is so much I look forward to doing with the kids in the new year. They are primarily the reason for my desire to enjoy the moments this year!  We have had a great opportunity through the pandemic to really tighten up as a family unit and simplify life. I do hope that things can loosen up a bit more in the new year so the kids can get back to some of their favorite things, but I love the time we have had in working on relationships inside our own home!  

Finances:   

This last year has propelled us forward in some pretty amazing ways and for that I am so thankful!  We didn't travel so we were able to do a ton of house renovation projects. But the biggest news of all, 13 years ago we started our Total Money Makeover. We were young newlyweds who wanted to be weird: thrive on one income and have a big family!  We have sacrificed here and there to make our dreams come true but through dedication and hard work we are blown away at the fact that we now have the cash in hand to pay off our house and hit Baby Step #7.  This will be such a blessing for our family.  God also blew us away in some circumstances that led Peter to accepting a new job that he will be starting in the new year!  I have to brag on this guy for a moment. He has a unique skill set that had the start ups circling like sharks! He was booked up solid with interviews, multiple competitive job offers and a massive blessing of a fully remote job leading the tax function for another up and coming tech company! Best of all he is super excited about this new opportunity and that makes me happy! We are entering a new territory with Baby Step 7 where we have the freedom to do whatever we want, but we still plan to follow Dave's advice - have some fun, invest for our future, and give more generously than ever!

Home:  

We really invested in the house this last year. A completely renovated master bath and bedroom. New windows, siding, and paint on the front of the house, an office renovation for Peter and the girls are getting a refresh in a new bigger room too! We aren't 100% sure how far we will get with projects this year but we would like to continue to replace the siding and windows around the house and hopefully get a complete remodel of the stairway in the house, upgrading to a modern look from the 80's look it currently has.  I am really feeling the itch recently (thank you HGTV) to just paint and lighten up the house. That is a big project we might not get to this year, but I guess you never know!  

Personal Health:  

I made some awesome progress in this department last year. I hired a personal trainer and learned so much that I can carry on into the new year amidst this post partum period.  I am still giving myself lots of grace as it was recommended that I wait to start working out until I am 3 months post partum but I can't wait to get back at it! Even though I spent most of last year pregnant and didn't meet my ultimate goal (but new baby was completely worth it!) I am confident that I can take everything I learned and get to where I want to be. I am already well on my way to getting back to where I was before baby and then will just continue the journey from there!

Vacations:  

We didn't get to do any of the things we hoped to do in 2021 but that is okay.  We still went away to the beach a few times, our happy place in Eagle Crest, and a special little hotel we love for our 15th Anniversary.  I have no idea what the entire year of travel will look like but for now, we do have a couple local trips planned to enjoy some snow and get the kids back on the mountain for skiing. The boys will continue to work on their skills while we also get Sabrina on ski's for the very first time!  

 The last few years have looked nothing like I thought they would when they started. I certainly had no idea we would be adding precious Leeland to the family or that Peter would be starting a new job.  It was a hard year in soooo many ways, we faced a ton of challenges but we kept at it and we are better for it!  I always hope for an amazing year ahead but I know that no matter what, we will be okay as long as we keep trusting God!  I sit here just counting every single blessing I have been given. We do not deserve any of what we have but I am so, so thankful for this life I have been given! I do not need to worry because God has this. No matter what, He never fails!  

 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.