Happy New Year!
If you know me, then you know that I love to get all pensive around New Years. Thinking about all the things from the old year, hopes for the new one. I'm no different than everyone else on social media as I take a walk down memory lane. (and apparently this year I get to get all nostalgic about the past decade too! haha)
But really, truly, this past year was a real treat to look back on. I know it wasn't that way for everyone, and trust me, not all years are as sweet for us either, but all the more reason to appreciate it, right?
2019 was just so much better than 2018, so that's part of the reason why. I wasn't a postpartum depression mess, Buck didn't almost die from sepsis, I wasn't pregnant, and we weren't moving. Buck and I went on more dates again, I had the most balanced winter of my life, we got to go on some wonderful family trips together, the kids thrived and grew, Buck got a new, better job, we deepened new friendships in our neighborhood, I had a life changing trip to the Philippines for my Non Profit, and we added two new daughters to our family!
I don't say things to boast, because nothing is perfect and we certainly are not! But in this post I do choose to focus on the positive, happy moments. (But also, the hard, dark, difficult times are blessings too that give us the space to feel the contrasting happiness, so somehow- it's all good!)
Here's a little review!
Dates:
If you know me, then you know that I love to get all pensive around New Years. Thinking about all the things from the old year, hopes for the new one. I'm no different than everyone else on social media as I take a walk down memory lane. (and apparently this year I get to get all nostalgic about the past decade too! haha)
But really, truly, this past year was a real treat to look back on. I know it wasn't that way for everyone, and trust me, not all years are as sweet for us either, but all the more reason to appreciate it, right?
2019 was just so much better than 2018, so that's part of the reason why. I wasn't a postpartum depression mess, Buck didn't almost die from sepsis, I wasn't pregnant, and we weren't moving. Buck and I went on more dates again, I had the most balanced winter of my life, we got to go on some wonderful family trips together, the kids thrived and grew, Buck got a new, better job, we deepened new friendships in our neighborhood, I had a life changing trip to the Philippines for my Non Profit, and we added two new daughters to our family!
I don't say things to boast, because nothing is perfect and we certainly are not! But in this post I do choose to focus on the positive, happy moments. (But also, the hard, dark, difficult times are blessings too that give us the space to feel the contrasting happiness, so somehow- it's all good!)
Here's a little review!
Dates:
Chocolate making
Wicked
Cheese testing
Star gazing
Hiking
Fly fishing
Dinner and A Movie nights
Temple Trips
Haunted House
Paint Nite
Family things:
Butterfly pavilion
Celebrated Taiwan
Ice Castles
Museum trips
Boise Trips
Hot springs
Epic Animal farm
Tulip festival
Recitals and Graduations
Jo Jo Siwa Concert
Lagoon Amusement park
Lots of Daddy Daughter Camping
Service Summer Camp
Swimming
Mountains and bon fires
Mom and June in a play
Puppet festival
Raspberry picking
Panned for gem stones
Alpine coaster ride
Splash pads
Pumpkin patch
Scarecrow festival
Fed the ducks
Cornbelly's
Luminaria Lights
Went to several plays
Sang lots of Karaoke
Trips:
Lake Powell
With Buck's family
With Buck's family
Disneyland
With Anna's family
With Anna's family
The Beach
During our Disney week
During our Disney week
Classes:
Soccer
Musical Theater
Cooking
Hip hop
Tumbling
Dance
Piano
Hazel graduated Preschool
Hazel graduated Preschool
Parties:
Service activities
Earth Day Clean up
May Day Flowers
Fire trucks Wash
Animal toys for Shelter
Hospital kits for Kids
Bake sale for Refugees
Service Men Thank You's
Holidays:
Big Events:
In no particular order:
In no particular order:
Buck's New Job in March, now he mostly gets to work from home and it's been AWESOME
My friend Tracy lived with us for a few months. This was significant because one of the big reasons we moved was to get a larger home where not only guests could stay but also anyone who might ever need a place to live for a little bit could come too.
We added two new daughters to the family last month, and as I previously wrote about, I can't post all the details for the public but we love them very much and so far this has been a great life changing time for our family!
June got baptized! We were also so grateful for all the family support.
Our long time family cat, Miso, went missing. This was so sad for me because we've had him since he was a baby- we adopted him when were were first engaged! So it felt sad to move on. But our other cat, Luna, was so sad too that we got her a new friend and we have been loving Astrid as well!
Johnny turned one! It was a big deal because his first year of life had some hard moments! But then so much healing! And since he's our last baby it's all a little crazy to think about! (And this had a lot of exclamation marks!!)
Buck's grandpa passed away. We've lost so many grand parents these past few years. :(
Personal:
Since I'm the author of this blog, I get to make my own section of reflection, right? ;)
So somethings from this past year that stand out to me are:
Singing again in the community choir during the spring session. Fall was too crazy this year for me to join but I hope to get back into it soon!
Going to several sound baths (sessions with Tibetan and crystal singing bowls.) It's a funny thing because I mostly ended up at these just because they are a new interesting thing to do and then I kept finding out about them and so it seemed like a new interesting thing to take some friends to because sometimes life is boring and we need a little spice. But I wasn't like, ALL hard core into them or anything. But then my mom got me my own crystal singing bowl for my birthday and my sister got me a book about them and suddenly I was like "YES. I must get a whole collection of these and start hosting sound baths in my own home!" haha
So somethings from this past year that stand out to me are:
Singing again in the community choir during the spring session. Fall was too crazy this year for me to join but I hope to get back into it soon!
Going to several sound baths (sessions with Tibetan and crystal singing bowls.) It's a funny thing because I mostly ended up at these just because they are a new interesting thing to do and then I kept finding out about them and so it seemed like a new interesting thing to take some friends to because sometimes life is boring and we need a little spice. But I wasn't like, ALL hard core into them or anything. But then my mom got me my own crystal singing bowl for my birthday and my sister got me a book about them and suddenly I was like "YES. I must get a whole collection of these and start hosting sound baths in my own home!" haha
Making some of the most personal and life changing strides in my journey towards loving and accepting my body the way that it is. This is a topic I feel like I could write a whole book on, or stand on the worlds tallest platform, shouting the things in my heart but I'm also not so sure it's a message that everyone wants to hear. So for now, this is all I will write.
Getting to finally learn about, photograph and help to harvest honey might not seem that extraordinary but for me it was a significant moment. I used to be so gung-ho about checking off my life goal list but for the past few years that's all fallen by the way-side of motherhood. Harvesting honey was a long time goal. I just felt so alive and MYSELF being there, doing something unique and interesting and to once again, to be checking off a life goal. :)
I think 2019 solidified the trend of pink hair for me every January.
Friendships. Deepening new ones and continuing on in old ones. And losing a couple along the way. Learning the difference between takers and givers.
Keeping my Non profit afloat! This always feels like a triumph since it has been a difficult road. But I'm so happy it's still growing and going!
Spiritually I feel stronger and more resolute than ever before and it has been such a joy and source of tremendous peace for me. I understand that it's not the same road everyone will choose to go down and that's okay, but for me, it truly is the path I choose and it's given me my best life.
And of course there was the Philippines trip! This was my first step into the international sphere for my non profit and honestly, I had no idea how it would turn out. But God is good and kind in His gifts to us and this trip was so much more of everything that I ever could have dreamed or hoped it would be. I'm excited to see what can happen in the future!
So there it is, 2019. Another year in the books!
7 comments:
I can’t even begin to imagine ever having the physical, emotional, or monetary reserves for even like 3 of things to happen to me in the next ten years. Let alone all in one year haha!! Y’all are crrrrrrazy! No one can say you don’t live life to the fullest eh?
What Erin said...yep! When I read that line about putting life goals aside, I thought "what??" You do so many things that I think "I never would have even attempted to do that when I had 4 young children" (or even one young child, for that matter!) That's a unique talent you have...to not see barriers, but to jump into life with all your heart.
I'll be honest...I missed most of your 2019. I got swamped with weddings, and then with a sick dog, and then with taking a tax training course so I can be a volunteer tax preparer. (This is what I do for fun, really!! Pore over tax publications until I even dream about tax scenarios!) So I was glad to read your summary. (Maybe some day I'll catch up on all the posts I missed.) I have to agree with you, though...2019 was MUCH better than 2018, and I'm grateful for that. Hopefully I will keep up with you better in 2020!
Whatever. You were in a flute choir and taught piano, you sewed a million things, went to Disneyland, a friend couple retreat to a cabin, had a funeral for a grandma, dealt with way too many health issues for yourself and kids, went to bear lake, an over night getaway with dan, and deepened new friendships in your area. To name a few things. Seems like you had a full year too! ;)
A volunteer tax preparer?! For FUN?! That’s more insane than anything else I’ve ever heard! 😂😉
I love yearly recaps. Seriously. I do them still, too.
Please talk about your body self-acceptance! I think we NEED to have talks about this because we are all told to just love yourself as is, but dude, nobody does it overnight and we need to talk about HOW we get there.
I love your yearly reviews and they also make me so tired! hahaha! You are so good at making each moment count and your kids are getting a fabulous childhood. Also, I still haven't gotten over those beautiful caves from your Lake Powell trip. I think that needs to be one of my life goals! And yes, our 2019 was WAY better than 2018 also!!
Once again I enjoyed the recap. People comment about how you get so much done but hey when you have six kids your life is going to be busy and it’s going to seem like you’ve done more than maybe someone who doesn’t have six kids but all of us are busy and I think everyone needs to be OK with whatever path they are on. I know if we all journaled and kept records and wrote them down we would all realize that we have accomplished much in our lives, and as long as we’re doing good things in the world we’re on the same path together.
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