2019 did not go anything like I expected it to and I don’t really even want to look back.

 

I know that sounds bitter but I still have some stuff to work through about last year. The fact of the matter is I did not reach hardly any of my new year’s goals except for the one about the 12 dates. I am really glad that at least that one I did stick with. That time alone together was refreshing and fun. It helped us to remember to value each other and tend to our relationship even in the midst of a stormy season.

An interesting thing happened while I was preparing for the 12 dates blog post. I scanned through all of my phone photos from January-December and I started to evaluate the year we had. I photograph almost everything so as I scrolled through the images I would have feelings of gratitude and joy while some photos triggered little pockets of anxiety. I decided to take inventory of how many times we intentionally spent together with us and the kids. I typed them all out as I went along and it was actually really encouraging.

I literally labeled the list “Fun stuff we did as a family in 2019” and ended up with exactly 24 things on my list. It turned out to be a fun packed year with things like…

Memorial day adventures.

Fall break excursion

Small beach vacay

Trip to Texas

Multiple hikes and campouts. 

Getting donuts and going sledding on a snow day. 

Going to Chick-Fil-A in our Reds gear on opening day. 

Picnic and icecream together. 

Cookout and boys vs girls water balloon fight.

Summer reading kickoff event for the library.

 

The list of 24 things isn’t the only time we spent together. There were lots of birthday parties, church activities, meals and projects that we did together too.

After reviewing the list I felt a peace about a year that seemed very restless and downright scary. I was so giddy about this spontaneous evaluation that I had to share it with J.

I took my notes to him and explained how even though it might feel sometimes like we are failing as parents or that we don’t do enough together I looked through the year and learned that we actually had some really great times.

We reminisced together about the activities and shared what our favorites were. We also talked about what we could plan out for the upcoming year. On top of that, there were some areas that we reflected on that felt a little TOO busy, or some trips and parties that didn’t go as planned. For the parts that could have been preventable, we made note of how to possibly tweak things for this year. Some struggles or dark times are unavoidable though and that’s okay. We trust Jesus with it all. He is our rock and we give Him thanks for all of the many blessings we have in life and he gives us grace for the times we don’t handle the obstacles well.

As far as this year’s goals, commitments, or resolutions I don’t have any. I am not anti-New Year’s List. I actually LOVE them. I just need to cut myself some slack this year and try to focus one simple thing. That one thing for me right now is family. Assuming Elle goes to Kindergarten (which is definitely the plan) she will start in the fall of 2021. I know that’s a long ways away, but what that means is this is the LAST year that I have a little one at home 24/7. So that’s why this year is all about home. I guess that’s my word for the year.