New year - 8 things!

Happy happy 2017 - hope everyone had a great time celebrating last night.  We went to an old friend's wedding and it was literally the most beautiful wedding and by far one of the most meaningful ceremony's that I have EVER been to.  It was a such a great night catching up with old friends and celebrating those two and their new family.

With a new year, there is lots of reflection too!  I found this article on pop sugar and loved it.  This morning, Jimmy and I went out to breakfast sans kids after a NYE wedding and night in a hotel downtown (so fun!) and were talking about goals.  Goals for 2017.  He said he's not a big goal guy - but I challenged him to think about where he wanted to be this time next year - welcoming in 2018.  Where did he want our family to be?  What did things could we feel better about in 2017 than we did in 2016?

I LOVE conversations like that.  I'm a weirdo - I know.   But I feel like sometimes you can just get SO wrapped up in the day to day and then that turns into the week that went by and then the month.  For me, having that conversation with someone means so much.  And I'm so thankful we got to start the new year off like that!!  Talking about our individual and family goals.  Personal and professional.  Sharing our prayers and fears for 2017 as well.

In addition to personal stuff, I'm always looking for ways to simplify my personal and our family routine...so I'm sharing 8 ways that this article mentions (you can read it there) and add a few of my own comments.

1. Keeping a well stock pantry (I'm also going to add FREEZER to this one because you know my love of freezer meals).  But I totally agree with this one and what a better time to keep this up with our new pantry that we (meaning my dad!!) made in 2016.  While I feel like you need to be aware of your pantry and freezer inventory - meaning you're not stocking up on the same thing over and over again at the store - it's so nice when I meal plan that most of the meals I already either have the stuff in my pantry or it's a full meal already prepped and ready to go in our freezer.  (Check out some freezer meals ideas here and here that are healthy on my heath and fitness blog!)  Helps relieve so much of the stress on a weekly and daily basis and we never have to ask the question "what's for dinner?"
2. Commit to a Regularly scheduled toy purge.  Oh BOY.  We need to do this ASAP from all the Christmas toys - but this is a MUST on our quarterly to do list for 2017.  Plus when we involve the kiddos and give back to kids that don't have toys - we teach our kiddos about giving and I love that.
3. Do a better job of budgeting.  YES.  YES.  YES.  This was on top of my list of things that I feel like Jimmy and I didn't do a good job of this year.  Do we manage our money?  Yes.  Put money into savings?  Yes.  Did we just pay off our minivan and are finally car payment FREE?  YES (seriously I'm so excited about this!).  But what I don't like is not having the visibility and feeling of knowing at any time throughout the month where our money has gone, planning to go and how we are doing towards our plan.  I have a plan in action that I talked through with Jimmy and we are SET on this one.  I just hope we can keep it up!
4. Take the easy way out (sometimes).  Totally love this one.  We have a lot going on in our family.  I have a lot going on personally.  I don't like taking the "easy" way out, but sometimes it's just necessary.  Make my kids halloween costumes?  Not my thing - so just buy!  School parties?  Don't feel guilty about signing up to bring plates.  This means continuing to be conscious that there is not all the time in the world and sometimes it's needed to say no, keep your PJs on and just be with my family.
5. Only make time for the people who matter.  This one is hard for me and always will be.  I have friends from forever and all stages of my life - I love them all so much.  What I learned in 2016 was something that wasn't easy. Friendships change and evolve.  People that you thought were going to be your best friend forever - might not be.  And that's OK.  It was hurting me too much to keep holding on and it took lots of reflection and conversations with people smarter than me that had been through it before to realize that is really is OK.  I'm not a bad person and those people aren't bad people - but we just aren't the same as we were and the relationship isn't benefiting either of us.  Not a fun lesson to learn - one that was filled with sadness, anxiety, tears, etc.  But I'm thankful that I went through it in 2017 and know that with the limited amount of time, it's important to focus on those that you value the relationship with AND (the key) that they value the relationship with you as well.  Easier said than done, but I know I will continue to reflect on this in the upcoming year.  On the super positive side?  As folks funnel out of your life, some amazing people come into it.  I'm so thankful for all the friendships that have grown in 2016 - those with old friends and those with people that I just met this year.  It's quite an interesting circle (friendship is), but I'm thankful for my old, dear friends and all the new ones as well.
6. Make sure you can manage your extracurricular commitments.  Three kids.  Two old enough for activities.  Here's what I'm NOT doing in 2017.  Over scheduling.  Making our kids do things that they don't want to do.  I learned that in 2016 the hard way when I tried to be all strategic with doing indoor soccer for Charlie and Maddie in the fall.  Our Saturday mornings turned out to be WAY too stressful and just made for a horrible start to the weekend.  I'm nervous because I do have them signed up for gymnastics at 9AM (Maddie) and then basketball at 10AM (Charlie) on Saturday's - so I might already be off to a bad start on this one, but I learned that if it's too much - we can adjust and change and even quit as needed.  In addition to the activities for kids - being conscious of my involvement in things.  I manage a HyVee freezer meal group.  I like have regular girl's night.  I want to be a bible study.  I love my personal blog.  I am a health & fitness coach.  We are involved with a small group at church.  That's quite a lot.  Yes, I like busy.  I thrive on busy. But I also need time with my family to do nothing.  And be with Jimmy.  And my extended family.  I know this will just continue to get harder, but keeping this on the top of my mind is important to me!
7. Get your schedules in sync.  I'm hoping Google Home will help with this one :)  Ha.  But in all reality, we are pretty good with this one between Jimmy and I.  We use google calendars and then I also have a planner that I write stuff in - because I like that aspect of it.    
8. Consolidate your errands.  If only I could JUST go to Aldi, I would be one happy lady.  Haha.  I have professed my love of Aldi for grocery shopping and now that they have baby food, it is pretty much the guaranteed place you can find me on a weekly basis.  Most everything else we do subscribe and save via Amazon.  But the things I feel overwhelmed with are when I forget something for the kid's school, a birthday present, body wash (other personal items) - and I'm not able to get it off of Amazon prime.  #firstworldproblems right?  But seriously, I am trying to be mindful of sitting down each Sunday to plan this out and order from Amazon as needed and then stick to my weekly Aldi trips - because Aldi is the BOMB.

Other things I'd like to focus on in 2017:

1. Sticking with my morning workouts - I loved getting into this routine in 2016 and plan on keeping up with that in 2017.  While the 4:45 alarm is early - the energy and endorphins I get when I kick off my day with a quick sweat session is amazing and it's my time to myself that I'm investing back in me
2. Spiritual/reflection time - this is something I always TRY to keep up with and is one of the most important things, but I am going to be honest here - I seem to always have a reason why I can't take like 10 minutes in reflection everyday to pray, be thankful and just be with God.  It's only TEN minutes right?  I'd like to start there - maybe push my alarm 10 minutes early and reflect then?  I just need to find a time (and spot in my house - I think I have a good journal and this 3 minute devotion) and commit.
3. My marriage - this man that I married almost 7 years ago (in April).  He is the best.  Seriously.  Even when I want to hate him, I can't.  He was gushing to me last night how much he loves me and I almost started crying.  I'm so lucky to have him and I don't want him to forget how much I love him!  
   

OK - whew for lots of reflection.  What are things you are looking to do in 2017?  I'm ready to crush these goals and have an amazing year!!

Little miracles

It’s the weirdest thing how small this world is.  And also how great God is.

Case in point.  It’s been almost 5 months now since we laid my wonderful Grandpa to rest.  We’ve been through Thanksgiving and Christmas now and have started a new year without him physically on this planet.  But that doesn’t mean he’s not thought of and remembered every single day.  You know how they say some days you dwell on those that have passed then others?  This being my first immediate relative to die (we have been very blessed!) and we don’t live close enough to my grandparents to have seen them on a regular basis, his absence is not something I physically notice every day.  But there are days and certain times. When I want to pick up the phone and call my grandparents and here his cheery voice answer “Hello!!”  And then go through names of all his girl granddaughters and chuckle until he finally says “oh yes, Brittany, of course!!”.  (Oddly enough, I loved it and it always made me laugh).  And then have my grandma come on and say "who is it Orin?" and then talk to them both about what's going on and the weather.

On Saturday night I had a vivid dream and he was in it.  It was fun to get to see him laughing and talking in my mind (you know those vivid pregnancy dreams?  Yep, they are in full force).  When I woke up Sunday morning though, I was really sad and missed him a lot.  During church I sat there thinking about him and one thing that stood out to be that the pastor said in his funeral service all about how he would always bring candy for the kids at church and give it to them – and how much they all loved him.  That was just such a neat story to hear and was one thing I didn’t remember about his time on this Earth. What a joy he was.  But then it made me sad that he wasn’t here to do that anymore to all those sweet kids at church.

While thinking all these things during church and simultaneously listening to a wonderful sermon…which happened to be speaking about what the resurrection did for us as Christians and reaffirmed to me how much I know my grandpa is in heaven with no more pain and suffering and just joy.  The realist in me also told myself, such is the circle of life and made me say a small prayer to be thankful for just how much time we got to spend on this Earth together.

Then the service ended and we ran downstairs to pick Charlie up.  As we were walking back up, one of our friends we had met in the cry room when we first started going to this location of our church (our sons are 6 months apart) told us that his wife’s grandpa was upstairs and wanted to meet me.  You see – I happened to be in the cry room with this girl and her son because Charlie didn’t do so great in the nursery when we first made the transition.  We started talking about our kids and in my desperate (and awkward) attempt to make friends at church I asked her where they lived and where she was from.  When she said Iowa, I asked where…and she said a small town.  I told her to try me, because my family was from Iowa.  And guess what? Her hometown is where my grandparents are from – good old Storm Lake, IA.  What a small world indeed.  Ever since that day, we always talk to them in church and say hi and see each other when dropping off and picking up our sons in the nursery.  It’s nice to see a new (but familiar now) face at church every week! 

My parents have come with us to church a few times and my dad met this couple and actually knows her grandpa and her grandma, who just recently passed away, because they lived in the same senior living home that my grandparents lived and grandma still lives.  My dad loved talking to them about Storm Lake and they passed the test of staying engaged in the conversation with him!

So our worlds collided with Storm Lake, IA in common.  And then I have to think that it was God putting the thoughts of my grandpa so close to my heart that evening and morning because meeting her grandpa was just what I needed.  I was so excited and when I saw him, I almost burst into tears.  He looked almost identical to my grandpa in terms of attire at church – nice pants, shirt and tie with a  cardigan sweater on top and then he was wearing a farm trucker hat – every farmer’s perfect accessory.  His voice was even similar.  It was so fun to get to talk to him and he kept telling me how happy he was to meet Orin’s granddaughter.  Just hearing my grandpa’s name made me proud.  Our conversation with him and the rest of the group only lasted about 15 minutes, but it was the 15 minutes that my heart was longing for to bring back happy memories of my grandpa.  He made me feel good as well to say that he thinks my grandma is doing well and he’s looking out for her.  What a sweet old man! 

I couldn’t stop thinking about the whole situation all day.  And couldn’t help but think in this crazy world, how something as “coincidental” as this couldn’t be just a coincidence, could it?  Believe what you like, but I felt like it was part of God’s plan that started way back in September when I said hello to the girl I didn’t know in the cry room.  And I couldn’t have felt more blessed that day.  I felt as if my grandpa was right by my side the rest of the day!

Kind of deep I know, but I just had to share.  I’m sure many people have had instances where they feel as if their loved one is near and speaking to them and what a blessing that is.  So thankful that I believe.  And so thankful for the small blessings that some call miracles.

I found this awesome quote that I love!!

source

our last trip and picture with my Grandpa

Happy Tuesday - almost half way through the week!