New Year's 2020

Alternatively titled "the blurry photos have the best memories". Actually, there could be so many alternative titles to this. From "party boy Callum" to "a glimpse into our future" to "the best new year's ever". But I'll stick with "New Year's 2020". It's simple, to the point and factual. 

I've hit that point in blogging that it happens so little that at this point, I am at least trying to throw up some of the memories I want to remember forever. New Years is one of those times. Connor really wanted to stay up until midnight and we said yes. But, we did an east coast New Years celebration at 9pm so we could all celebrate together. We even managed to stream the ball dropping on our tv. For Christmas, Isla's teacher gave me a bottle of sparkling cider, so I threw it in the fridge for the occasion. Then I told Ian to bust out some fancy glasses. With everyone grasping a wine glass of martinellis, we rang in the new year at 9pm. Everyone clang their glasses together. Callum really, REALLY enjoyed that part and kept it going, yelling "cheers!" before throwing his glass at yours. It was a sweet, fun and joy filled moment...full of children in their pajamas, a fire in the fireplace and just a cozy family time. Then the younger three went off to bed...Willa was actually already in bed. Connor and Ian stayed up watching a movie and I watched some Netflix (I'm just not a fan of marvel movies...don't hate!). About 10 minutes until midnight, I went and joined Connor and Ian. We celebrated the new year once again. And Connor was shocked when I shooed him off to bed at around 12:10. He wanted to keep the party going!!!

If I had to imagine a new year celebration with children, it was just how I would imagine it. Stress free, fun, celebratory, and most importantly, done in pjs! 

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new year, new word

I honestly had no intentions in doing any sort of resolution this year. I've never really bought in to the whole new year, new you thing. I'm too much of a realist for that. I don't make lofty goals I can't achieve. That's also probably why I do like a word for the year. It's simple and attainable. It's more of a focus and less a strict set of goals that must be met. But I decided this wasn't the year for it. I'm not saying I don't have anything I should be working on, or growing toward, I just wasn't feeling the need or want for a direction (if one can even call picking a word for the year direction) for 2018.

But the last several days, actually even weeks, something kept popping in my mine. Two words actually - choose joy. As I've been mulling over these words, I keep being drawn back to how much of life is about choices. Choices in how we spend our money and time. Choices in if we want to see the glass as half empty or full. Choices if we want to eat healthy or indulge. So many choices.

It's easy to believe that life is out of our control, but that is simply not true. Sure, there are things out of our control. We can't control other people's actions. We can't control if our car breaks down or if our shower starts leaking. But we can choose how we respond. We can choose our attitude in spite of these things.

In all the choices that come my way this year, I want to choose what's right for that moment and choose well. I want to choose more time with my family and reconnecting with friends. I want to choose slow over fast and open time over full schedules. I want to choose to eat healthy most of the time, but to indulge without guilt. I want to choose joy even in the hard circumstances. But I also want to choose to be vulnerable and cry.

So there you have it, my word, my focus for the year.

choice. 

I want to spend time this year actually thinking about the choices I make, to think if they are the best choices or not and why. And to make the best choices more often than not.

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2017

The past several years, I have been on a journey of living life with more intention. Of really thinking about how I spend my time and money. Of learning to have boundaries. Of learning how I really want my life to be lived, and how to make that life a healthy one for me...both physically and mentally.

The past several months have been weird ones for me in terms of relationships. Connor going to school full time seems to have provided less time for me to see friends, rather than more. But, I think the reality of it is not as much full day school as it is the baby that needs his naps. This has left me in a weird spot. Friends who I once saw multiple times a week, now I'm lucky if I see them a couple times a month. I don't like talking on the phone, so it's not like I am connecting that way. I've been trying a little, but really, I need to try more. Which brings me to my focus for the year.

Friendship

I want to be a better friend. I want to be the friend that stops by to say hi. I also want to be the friend that always welcomes people into her home with open arms...not with reservations that people will judge me for toys being everywhere or the dishes from the last meal still on the table. I want to be the friend that makes an effort, even when it's not easy. I want to be the real friend that is there when things aren't so easy. I want to be the friend that is there to celebrate the victories. I want to be the friend that makes you smile over the little things, like an unexpected card in the mail. I want to be the friend that makes an effort. The friend that is praying for you behind the scenes, even when you don't know. I want to be the friend that is spontaneous with you. The one ready to do fun things. But also the one that will listen when you need to talk, and offer a shoulder to cry on when you need that too.

I have always believed in quality over quantity in my relationships. To be the type of friend I strive to be, I definitely plan on focusing more and more on the quality and less on the quantity. So, my friends (I think one or two of you still read this blog), just know...I'm coming for you!


And since I am a list maker, and a total nerd, I completely plan on making a list of the people that I plan on pursuing this year. Sure, this list won't be made public. But keeping a list of people will serve not only as a reminder to me, but will also let me really think about the type of friend I am truly being to the very people I am wanting to have a deep meaningful friendship with.

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2014, I'm Ready for You

I never have been one for a list of new year's resolutions. However, I like coming up with a couple general things I would like to see (or not see) in my life. Usually these are personality traits about myself I would like to see changed. Things that will stretch me and help me grow in the direction I want to grow.

Over the past few years, picking a word for the year has become popular. I like this idea, but have never really felt drawn to a word for the year. As I was thinking about ways in my life I would like to grow in 2014, I realized there was an overall theme and thus I came up with a word for 2014.

generous

I want to be a generous person. I want to be generous with my love. I want to be generous with my resources. I want to be generous with my home (inviting people over more often). I KNOW this word will stretch me. Durning 2013, I got better at being a generous person, but I want to take it to the extreme this year. I hope and pray that my heart and my life will stretch, grow and change as I start becoming a more generous person.


How about you? Do you have a word for the year or any new year's resolutions?

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2013

Though I'm not one for resolutions, I am one that likes to live life with hope and anticipation. So 2013, this one is for you.


My prayer is that everyday I get to see the world through my children's eyes. That I will slow down with them and notice things I haven't noticed in years. That I will say no to things that waste my time and say yes to more precious memories with my family.

I hope to keep on purging my life of the unnecessary and focus on the necessary. I don't want stuff and clutter to hold me down. I want to be a better friend. I want to be a better wife. I want to be a better mother.

I want to continue to hope and pray for others in my life. Even though they may not know that I do, I really do weep with them. And I want this to be a year of break through for so many of them. Heck, I want this to be a year of breakthrough for me.

And really, I just want my plumbing fixed. I want to be able to flush toilet paper down my toilet again and have two fully functioning bathrooms again. And, fingers crossed, no more issues with the house.


2013, I know you will be an amazing year. I expect no less from you. I expect more good than bad. And I pray that when the bad does come, that I can give it to the Lord and keep perspective.

So 2013, here is to a year of fun at the park, family coffee dates, long walks, good food, disneyland, and maybe a trip abroad. It's going to be great.

Goodbye 2011. Welcome 2012.

As I was getting Isla ready for bed last night, I had a tinge of sadness that we were leaving the year of her birth. I feel like her infancy is flying by and I want it to slow down a bit. Oh well. Such is life. In honor of the last night of 2011, I had her wear her "born in 2011" onesie. I'm not bias or anything, but she rocked that onesie!

Connor wasn't quite as excited about an end of the year photo session, but I did manage to get one good decent shot of him. 

We tried and tried to get a good one of them together, but it did not happen. We even bribed Connor with chocolate. Nothing. The kid just did not want a picture of him and his sister together.

After the kids went to bed, we headed out to a new year's party. We left the kids at home alone with Ian's parents. And of course both kids were well behaved and slept. Why can't they be that way for us when we are home?!?

We rang in 2012 in style. This party had props and everything! We played some fun games, rang in the new year with champagne in plastic cups, then ran home to our little ones.

Goodbye 2011. You were a great and eventful year.

Hello 2012. I can't wait to see what you have in store for me!

2011 in Review

Looking back on the year is always fun for me. It allows me to remember the ups and downs of the year. 2011 has been a busy year with us having just moved back to the states, buying a home, having a baby and still managing to have some fun. While looking back on the year, one month stood out to me - March. Nothing really exciting happened that month. We didn't go anywhere and nothing really worth reporting happened. I am going to blame it on being smack dab in the middle of Ian's busy season (he's an accountant). Because of March 2011 being such a mundane month, I am going to work on making sure March 2012 rocks!

And without further ado, 2011 in review:

January - Ian started his new job and I came to grips with living back in Modesto.

February - I found out I was pregnant with little miss Isla, though no one else (besides Ian) found out about it for a while. I also started house hunting . We took Connor up to the snow and were once again reminded, he doesn't like the snow!

March - Uhhh...

April - We went into escrow on our house and told everyone I was pregnant. I turned 30. And we went camping.

May - We got the keys to our house and moved in.

June - It was a bumpy road moving into our house...with ants moving in with us and all. And, Ian and I celebrated our 8th anniversary.

July - Those pesky ants came back. We got out of town . And also hit up the fair.

August - Our friends from Scotland came to visit!

September - We finished Isla's room. And I made laundry detergent for the first time, which by the way works GREAT!

October - I went to the pumpkin patch too many times (wrote about it here and here). Oh, and I had a baby!

November - We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and "saw" the US Capitol Christmas treewhen it passed thru Modesto. And my baby little boy turned two years old.

December -  Well December was filled with Christmas related things - like twelve dates of Christmas, visiting santa, Christmas parties and the actual day itself.

This year was filled with some great memories and a lot of happenings in our life. I am excited to see what 2012 has in store for me.

A Lesson for the New Year

Normally on New Year's day, one might want to reflect back on the year before. Or perhaps, share some resolutions. Or even, reflect on their hopes and dreams for the year to come. My dear readers, you are in luck. I will not be sharing any of that with you today, but instead will be talking about something close to my heart.

Gas Station Etiquette

Yes. You read that correctly. There is an unspoken etiquette for gas stations and when people don't follow it, it causes disarray...well, and for people to get pissed off.

I drove into a busy gas station the other day and picked a vehicle to wait behind. A mini van. Sure it doesn't matter what kind of car, but it just gives me another reason to dislike mini vans (sorry all you mini van lovers out there). This particular mini van wasn't pumping gas and everyone was in the car...all three of them, that is. So I sit and wait. About 90 seconds into the waiting, the driver side door opens and out pops dad. Dad opens the back door and gets out son. Then mom gets out and dad proceeds to walk son to mom and get them clear of the dangers of the gas station. Mind you, son looks about ten years old. Does dad really need to be protecting son and mom at the gas station? Then dad starts thinking about pumping the gas. At this point, I am totally committed to waiting for this pump and I am getting annoyed.

Now we will move on a little further in the story as you really don't need a full blow by blow of my gas station experience. Since dad was taking so long, I turned off my car. When dad finished pumping gas, much to my surprise, he turned on the mini van and drove off. I thought for sure he would wait at the pump for his wife and son. Three points for dad mini van for doing something good!

While turning on my car and beginning to drive forward an old lady tried swooping in from the other direction to steal my pump. Mind you, every single pump had a line behind it and every single line went the same direction as I was waiting. Old lady apparently didn't want to wait. Hands were thrown in the air, cars were not rammed (though I considered it) and I ended up pumping gas in my car a few feet away from the gas pump as old lady refused to back up her car and I refused to allow her to pump before me.

I say all this to teach a valuable lesson in gas station etiquette. Always think of others. Be quick at the pump when it is busy. It isn't a parking spot, but rather a place to get gas. Wait in line and don't try to steal pumps from other drivers. You don't want to piss off the wrong person around all that flammable liquid!

Oh, and Happy New Year!!!
2011 is bound to be a great one.