Hopes for 2021

 Well ladies and gentleman, we have finally made it to the end of 2020. I am interrupting my trip reports to celebrate this momentous occasion!   I, along with many others have found this year to be a challenge but also it will be remembered as a really special year. I mean, nobody is ever gonna forget 2020. In the midst of pain and life looking nothing like I expected, I can see so many blessings that have come from this year.  My word for last year was "simplify" and boy did that happen.  The year the world slowed down!  I have loved how simple life has been this year.  We took advantage of the time we were given and really focused in on our little family!  

This down time we have enjoyed these last couple weeks have allowed me to really focus in and dream for next year! Which brings me to the word I have picked out for 2021! It only took a little bit of time reflecting to instantly land on the word that felt right for this year.  This year is about "growth".  Growth in so many personal areas of my own life, enjoyment in watching the growth of my children, growth in our marriage, growth as a family.  I really want to push myself to grow this year!

Spiritually:

2020 Goals: Spend devotional time specifically seeking a desire to grow as a wife and mother.  Spend every day this year in the word. 

This year I didn't focus as much as I was hoping in this area.  I lost my focus to family life at times.  But we did make great progress with family devotions and I have some great ideas to expand on that into the new year. I also read several books and listened to several podcasts about marriage and family life that have really helped me.   I also have a plan for myself to really focus on my own spiritual growth this year which means I have to make myself get up before the kids so I have the time to learn and listen to God for all aspects of our future. 

2020 Goals: Focus on my own spiritual life, make time daily first thing in the morning to read my Bible and pray.  Help foster more devotional time in my kids lives. 

 

Marriage:  

2020 Goal:  Be honest communicators. Prioritize at least a little uninterrupted time each day to connect and some dates here and there!   

I'm not one to sugarcoat it, this year was really really hard!  But have no fear, we are not quitters and we continue to work hard and strive to do better and be better for each other.  We love each other and are committed to making our marriage the best it possibly can be.  It is really hard to admit when things are hard but I do believe as we both spend more time focusing on God that will inevitably benefit our marriage and family.  We have had zero opportunity to date or spend alone time together this year between a new baby, work, and then covid so we are purposing to go back to the basics this year and date one another and pursue our relationship with the same intensity we did when we first started dating!  

2021 Goal: At home date nights every week with at least one night out a month.  Really focus on the basics of quality time (when we can get a moment with 5 kids) to build our relationship. Communicate honestly.

Family Life
2019 Goal: Be Present More  

We crushed this one this year!  I am so excited about the opportunities our family was given this year to really just be present together and have fun.  The normal hustle and bustle became non existent and we have loved all this family time. I selfishly hope we can continue this well into the new year.  I also have some great ideas to continue to cultivate and make every moment count! 

2021 Goal: Travel together even more, eat dinners around the table together, Sunday Tea Time, Read a book a month as a family.

Finances:   

2020 Goal: Finish replenishing our savings, continue with retirement savings and hopefully start to contribute more to our mortgage (Baby Step #6).  Save for 2 large vacations and 2 small vacations to take place this year!

Well this was a bit of an odd year but we are still steadily making progress.  We crushed retirement savings this year and traveled far more than we anticipated.  We still haven't sped up on the mortgage but if all goes as we hope, we may have a quick path to paying off the mortgage!  But I won't get ahead of myself there.  2020 has set us up well to leap right into 2021.  We hope to continue to pad the retirement savings this year and then find the balance between traveling while we still can (fingers crossed Peter can continue to work from home) and the big home projects we want to complete. 

Home:  

2020 Goal: This year I hope to allow the boys to do a little remodel of their bedroom and then we debate whether we want to start on windows or I have dreams of updating our 80's stairs into a more modern look.

We accomplished the boys little bedroom remodel and towards the end of the year Peter learned how to replace the windows himself which is going to be huge for cost savings when we still have over 30 that need replaced. But we expect to make a huge dent in windows this year.  I think we have now decided to bypass the stairs and remodel our master bathroom next which depending on what we decide for travel this year, we might get to.  In general, I also am feeling the itch to kind of redo some of the decor around the house so I am planning to start a mini refresh of every room of the house. I also decided I want to be a plant mom and have several house plants arriving in the next couple weeks so wish me luck on that new endeavor!  Did I mention I want to grow this year?

2021 Goals: Replace a lot of windows, replace the deck and another yard project, at least start saving for a master bathroom remodel and do a mini refresh of all the other rooms in the house.   

Personal Health:  

2020 Goals:  Continue to keep carbs in check, for sure get back to strength training and run for enjoyment and stress relief this summer, not necessarily for rigorous exercise.  

I kept my 2020 goals very attainable because my goal was to make sure and be able to feed Ayla for the full 12 months and I am thrilled to have accomplished that goal because I was unable to with her big siblings! Over the course of the last couple months I have worked out consistently and am loving this routine, I am already feeling stronger than ever.  I will be adjusting my plans in the new year to make sure I get up early and can squeeze my workouts in and devotions in so that my evenings are free to spend with my husband and kids! I have also taken another radical step that I am so excited about!  I have talked for years and years about a desire to hire a personal fitness coach and now that I am done breastfeeding I took that step! I have spent a lot of time researching options and came across a team that I really think is going to be perfect for me to reach the goals I have for myself  and help me to become stronger and healthier!  It is not cheap but I know this is going to be soooo good for me this year and I am excited to have begun this journey!

2021 Goals:  Adjust routine to work out first thing in the morning.  Be open to learn and put my trust in my fitness coaches to help me reach my goals! 

Vacations:  

Ah 2020. This area looks nothing like what we expected this year but we gained some awesome new experiences and made the most with the lemons we were handed.  And now, I am not sure I would have changed a thing. The kids got to experience several new states and the lifetime memories made as we have traveled together make it so worth it! At this point, I am not really sure what to expect for 2021.  But I know we WILL travel!  We have a 15th Anniversary trip booked to Hawaii but I have a strong feeling we will be adjusting those plans and finding a new place to travel together, but it will still happen!  We would also like to reschedule Sabrina's trip that was cancelled last year but again, most things are up in the air at this moment but we will have fun and we will see some new places wherever that might be! 

So here's to 2021!  A year that I feel most of us are kind of tip toeing into.  I've become much better than I ever anticipated at being okay without a plan and living in the moment.  I don't even have an expectation as we walk into this next year, but it has been nice to spend time in reflection and anticipation with a rough outline of hopes and dreams and plans.  

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6