Steady (a look at 2017)

 Maybe its cheesy, but I love picking a word for each new year. Not a big resolution, but instead more of a focus. It's always fun to look back and see how the word played out or how I did with keeping it at a focus throughout the year.   

My word for this year was Steady. Firmly fixed, supported or balanced, not moving. I spent 2015 and 2016 developing some great habits and I wanted this to be a year of maintaining them- of strengthening the roots I had put down.

Looking back at this year, I can see that it was steady. It wasn't full of new, big things. Instead, I (and we as a family) built on the things we've been working on for the past few years. Health-wise, we added more natural/clean recipes to our rotation and just exercised more. Financially, we had more and more conversations and planned more for our future. Relationally, we put in real work to keep developing community. Spiritually, we kept committing to our local church and to our habits in our walks with Jesus. 

 Overall, I would say that we just kept up with the idea that little by little, things keep growing. Small seeds planted in faith can increase abundantly!

  Here are the goals I set to go along with my word for 2017:

Read through the Bible. I did it! I say it a lot, but this is my favorite habit. You can read more about how I go about reading through the Bible in a year in this post.

Run a 10k. Well, I didn't exactly run a 10k. Instead I ran a half marathon and helped raised money for World Vision (with help from so many of you!)! See all about my race here. 

Date nights. Justin and I absolutely did a better job with prioritizing dates this year. Maybe we could be a bit more consistent with them (we average one a month right now) but overall we had a ton of fun dates (beach vacation, night away in Cincinnati, basketball game, dinners and movies, Christmas shopping, christkindlmarkt market, comedy show, soccer game, dinner party with friends, group dates and game nights). We've even tried to be creative with babysitting costs (it gets so expensive!) by swapping date night sitting with my sister and having friends over after our kids are in bed. 

Family bucket list. This was way less formal than my other goals. I did make small bucket lists for each season and it was fun to slowly work through them! (here are our winter and summer lists)

Ride out Noonday. This goal was the BEST surprise of 2017! I just wasn't sure if I was going to continue on as a Noonday ambassador. I decided to sit down, set intentional goals and truly work hard this year with my business. And it paid off! Literally and figuratively. I had the best season ever as an ambassador, which means my impact was bigger than ever! Financially, it also meant great rewards and support for our family. Plus, I just remembered how much I love the mission of Noonday, gathering women, and encouraging others to make a difference with their purchases. 

Girls trip. Didn't happen! And honestly, I didn't really try for it. So many of my girlfriends are in different stages of life (babies, job changes, moving, etc) that it didn't make sense to try to put a trip together. Maybe 2018 will be the year? 

Host. Justin and I both prayed specifically about ways to open our home in 2017 and two great things came from those prayers. We initiated First Fridays- where we invite anyone/everyone who is free on the First Friday of every month over for a meal. It is always a different group of people and the size always varies. But its also been so fun! I've also started doing a summer and winter Play Date with a Purpose- which has been a blast. (read more about those here and here) 

Can't wait to share about my word for 2018 and some goals I'll be working on!

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Steady. (a word for 2017)

  I've shared how 2016 was a year of being quiet and rooted (more on that here). And I feel like I could talk forever about how this verse has changed my heart and my pace. It probably has a lot to do with this season of life- home full time with two really little kids, but I honestly think it pertains to every person and every season. Being drawn into the folds of God, whether life is literally busy or not, is life changing. Learning to be more quiet and less concerned with what others are doing (not in an ignorant way!) is so good.

  So as I've thought and prayed and worked through my hopes for this new year, I keep coming back to one word. And I've sort of fought it because it isn't crazy exciting or cute. My friend Caitlin shared that her word for this year is Hallelujah and I so wanted to copy her! What a great focus for the year! But still, I keep coming back to this word- Steady. 

  Steady: firmly fixed, supported, or balanced; not shaking or moving. If 2015 was the year of diving into the Bible and 2016 was a year of committing to more prayer, I hope 2017 is a year of remaining steady in both. I hope 2017 is a year of remaining steady in loving Justin well, of working on being a better friend and family member, being more present and engaged with my kids. Of valuing my health and making it a priority. I hope 2017 is a year of continuing to say no to lots of things and yes to the best things. 

read through the bible. I don't think I can ever say enough about really, truly digging into the Bible. (this book is a great place to find direction on how to begin!) This has become really important to me and I'm excited to read through it again this year, and I'm trying a chronological plan. (It's on Jan. 10th- not too late to join me!!)

run one 10k. Pretty self explanatory :) 

date nights. It wasn't until mid-2016 that we realized how far out of date nights we had gotten. We made a real effort to spend more one-on-one time together these last few months and its been awesome. Babysitters are expensive, but 100% worth it. Now that Tyler is done nursing, its even easier to get out without the kids. So this year, I want to intentionally have monthly dates!

family bucket lists. Maybe this is silly, but lists help me be more intentional with the boys. I want to be more consistent about routines and actually doing the things we talk about doing together. More specifically, I'm writing a small list of big and little things we want to do together each month and then putting the activities on the calendar. (ie. go the the zoo, finger paint, work on shapes, make valentine's)

ride out noonday. Long story short, I love Noonday Collection and am passionate about its mission. But I go back and forth on whether I'll continue on as an ambassador bc I haven't quite gained traction with it. So we'll see!

read books. I'm shooting for 2/month, so 24 total by the end of the year.

girls trip. I don't know exactly what this looks like, but I'd love to go away with some girlfriends to just do something fun!

host. When we started just thinking about moving last year, the heart of it for me was to be able to host more. And we've done that a ton in the new house! A lot of it has been sort of happenstance (holidays, birthdays, etc) and this year I want to be prayerful and open to really opening our house to hosting in other ways too. Not sure what that looks like, but I think just being open about it is the best place to start.

Habits for the new year.

  Happy New Year! Are you making any resolutions or choosing one word to focus on or setting some goals for yourself? I'm sure I'll do some version of those (but I don't feel terribly pressured to do it by Jan 1st). I'm still thinking about 2017 and how I want to be intentional with it, still firming up all the thoughts floating around in my head.

But in the meantime, I wanted to share some fun things I'm hoping to take on and try this year. You know, in case you want some fun ideas for yourself!

.Courtney did a video diary with this app last year and I LOVED seeing her clips each week. Just downloaded the app (only $5!) and I'm starting today.

.Reading through the Bible is a goal again this year, and I'm using this chronological plan to help me. I like having it on my phone (in the YouVersion app) to track my progress and let me know the readings, but I typically read from my actual Bible.

.Having read through the Bible before, its not so daunting this time around. I know I can do it and how much I'll love it. So I'm adding another, bigger goal of memorizing more Scripture. I love Beth Moore's trick of buying one of these to keep track of your 24 verses throughout the year!

.I think I want to read more in 2017 (no real number of books, just a lot!) and this list seems like a good place to start (I'm sort of mostly anti non-fiction).

.Printing more photos. This deal for free prints definitely helps!

.I'm excited about being back in the swing of things at the gym, but for those mornings when I just can't make myself leave the house by 5am this (free!!!) website seems amazing!

Here's to 2017 and trying some fun things this year! What's on your list to try?

faith things: one word.

Its taken me some time, but I've settled on one word for 2011.

quiet.

Kind of a strange word to choose, no? But after circling around words like joy, discipline, and focus...this is where I landed. And for several reasons.

I've been praying Psalm 131 for 2 1/2 years now, and it really gets to me...

My heart is not proud, LORD, 

my eyes are not haughty; 

I do not concern myself with great matters 

or things too wonderful for me. 

But I have calmed and quieted myself, 

   I am like a weaned child with its mother; 

   like a weaned child I am content.

 Israel, put your hope in the LORD 

   both now and forevermore.

...and quieted stands out to me. So often, my heart and mind are just plain busy. quieted and weaned are two things I always strive to be, but rarely am. 

In the same way, my life is pretty loud. I love busyness. I love going and moving and doing. The trouble is, I get caught up in the loudness of life, and forget to be quiet.

And finally and more practically, I kind of despise quietness. I always have background music, tv, or noise of some kind. But solitude and quiet are some of the greatest joys of discipline.

So 2011, may you be a year of quiet things for me.

faith things: new year's resolutions.

Its that time of year again. where gyms memberships increase, diets begin, and smoker's everywhere vow to quit. Ah yes, new year's resolutions. 

I don't think I've ever actually made a resolution, but I always have thoughts or ideas of what I want to change/improve/achieve in the coming year. I'm probably not alone in saying that those thoughts/goals/ideas are pretty fleeting and most definitely do not last throughout the year. 

I was listening to kLove radio online the other (thankyouverymuch Pandora, for setting such a low listening limit. That I seem to reach every.single.month.) and hear about this neat alternative to new year's resolutions. 

Instead of making a specific goal or focusing on some deficit or negative thing and try to make it positive, you simply pick a word.

By choosing a word (like endurance, patience, prayer, discipline, hope) and making it your focus for the next year, you narrow down to a specific that can be applied across all aspects of your life.

Interesting. So, that's what I'm doing. I still haven't chosen a word, as I'm taking my time and trying to be purposeful in doing so. If you had to choose, what would your word for the year be?