New Year

I don’t have any specific goals for this year. It just feels like too much pressure. Rather, I have some inspiration. There are things I want to do, see, accomplish, and experience. Ultimately, I’m leaving what happens in 2017 up to God. He’s way better at planning than I am. I’m just going to follow His lead. Love God and love people. That’s what I want to do every single day.

I hopped on Pinterest and started an inspiration board for the upcoming year. Actually, I named it my 2017 Happy Board. I browsed around and wanted to see what would catch my attention. Some things surprised me (I didn’t pin as many travel pictures as I thought I would), and some things definitely didn’t (I pinned all kinds of dogs).

So, here’s a breakdown of my inspiration for 2017!

It appears that I want 2017 to include copious amounts of coffee, studying my Bible, and writing.

Really, though, I am determined to get on some sort of a writing schedule for my book. I’m thinking I may lock myself in our office for a few hours on my days off of work or head to a coffeeshop so I’m not tempted to do household chores. Either way, I don’t want to stress about it too much. I love the quote I pinned, too. I need to believe I can finish my book!

As for the Bible studying, I’m going to study the women of the Bible this year and seeing what God has to show me in their stories. I’m currently reading Ruth and really enjoying it. She was such an upstanding woman.

Ah, creativity. This didn’t surprise me one bit. Anything that involves a paint brush, camera, or any type of crafting makes me happy.

I’m inspired to use my camera and capture memories big and small. I’m also hoping to frame some of my watercoloring if I deem it acceptable, haha.

Gardening, yoga, campfires, and house projects. A random conglomeration, yes, but I’d like to make each of these things happen.

I’m already wistfully counting down the days until Jimmy and I can start our garden again. I’m hoping to paint a coral accent wall in our office, refinish a bookshelf in our living room, have campfires with Jimmy, and continue to practice yoga. Bonus points if Malcolm joins me 😉

Dogs. Always dogs. I don’t know if this means I’d like to have another (eek!), or if I just want to keep pet sitting as much as possible. Either way, I hope 2017 involves lots of dogs. The volunteer quote is so true. I’ve been in contact with an organization I applied to volunteer with in the upcoming year. Hopefully I’ll be able to share more details soon!

Oh, and how pretty is that bedroom? Jimmy and I might do a bedroom overhaul this year. We’re thinking of getting a headboard, maybe painting a peacock blue accent wall, and just updating our sparsely decorated bedroom. The top right picture reminds me that I want to have as many dates with my sweet husband as possible.

This last collage is totally random, haha. The cake is inspiration for Hannah’s bridal shower. Yes, I am making her bridal shower cake and I am so pumped! The kitchen is another renovation I’d like to work on this year. Mostly, I just want to repaint our cabinets and walls.

Hot cocoa reminds me of coziness, and I I’ll take as much of that as I can get this winter. The bottom right picture is from Washington DC. It has been a few years since I’ve visited and I’d love to go again. The top right picture is always what I hope to be. It reminds me to love others as much as possible.

While it may sound kind of silly, writing this post helped me have more of a focus for what I’d like this year to look like. I’m praying I will follow God’s lead for my life and do my best every day.

Happy New Year!

Ah, a fresh new year! There’s something about the beginning of a year that makes anything feel possible. Near the end of each year, I like to reflect on how it went, give thanks to God for another year of life, and begin to make a few goals for the coming year.

Typically, I split my goals into categories with titles like “life,” “fun,” and “spiritual” and list a few things I’d like to focus on in each category. For 2016, I did some thinking. I want to keep my goals simple instead of stretching myself in 20 different directions like I tend to do. When considering 2016, my knee-jerk reaction was to make goals to learn more about photography, decorate our house, make life special in little ways, go on a mission trip, visit downtown Pittsburgh more, and go on monthly date nights with Jimmy.

Just reading that makes me feel tired. All of those ideas are wonderful, and I may do some of those things in 2016, but I know where I want to keep my focus this year.

My goal for this year:

Know what I value and keep my priorities straight.

As a Christian, God should always come first in my life. That means serving Him, learning His Word and putting it into practice, attending church, and honoring my husband and our relationship. It is incredibly easy to let work, a house, hobby, social media, or even a person become an idol.

Last year, I noticed that I said yes to a lot of unnecessary things that burnt me out and left me with little of my best self to offer God. I was often tired, stressed out, and busy with things that weren’t truly important. Did I read my Bible, serve God, and go to church? Yes. Was my heart always in it and was I always present? Most of the time, but I could have done much better.

I struggle with taking on too much because I want to “be there” for everyone. I have trouble saying no to extra things that should come after honoring my relationship with God. Do I need to host that get-together, take on three extra pet sitting jobs, work as much as possible, and attend every. single. thing. I am invited to? Nope. I want to stop doing that this year. I don’t mean to say that I am going to become a recluse and not do anything, but I am going to truly analyze each commitment I make and decide if it lines up with my priorities and values.

I plan on asking myself questions like…

-Is this commitment absolutely necessary?
-Will it take me away from things that are more important?
-Will this commitment wear me out unnecessarily?
-Do I even want to do/attend this thing/event?
-Will this commitment stand in the way of my relationship with God, my husband, or myself?
-Is this going to make a positive impact on who I am and what I do for God, or will it hinder me and become negative?

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Right now, 2016 is a fairly blank slate for me. For the most part, I know that I will be working, Jimmy and I will be getting a puppy(!), and we will be involved with our church. We would love to grow another garden, I’d like to write more, and we want to spend time with our families and friends.

So, those things are going to be my focus this year. Loving God, loving people, working hard, and not doing too much of the extra things that take me away from my priorities. It sounds simple, but can be hard to stick with in the moment.

Here’s to focusing on the important things in 2016!

Living My Full Life

2017 Inspiration in Pictures

Happy New Year!

My Goal for 2016

Know what I value and keep my priorities straight.

Do you have any goals for this year?