Happy New Year!
This new year is full of 365 days of opportunity, and we are so excited for it! I hope you are too!
Looking back at the past year, we had tons of adventures and many “firsts.” We celebrated our first holidays together, rented our first apartment, went on many camping trips, and visited National Parks. In addition, we celebrated our one year anniversary, our birthdays, and enjoyed our first full year together! And finally, we paid off all of our debt, and started planning and saving for our world trip. Looking back, I can only smile and rejoice at all of these blessings!
Since 2012, I have been keeping a happy journal on my night stand. Every night before going to bed I write something that happened, a blessing, or something that made me happy/smile. A short word or sentence. It was always fun to go back at the end of each year and look at it. It helped me be thankful and stay positive. I have continued this hobby, and it was a lot of fun to read and reminisce together about all the fun we’ve had over the last year.
Another thing I’ve been doing and we started doing as a couple, is picking a theme for the year. Last year’s theme for the year was “GROW”. We grew in our marriage, our relationships with family and friends, in knowledge, and in our love for God. This year we came up with a new theme, “Extreme”. It will be a year of EXTREME savings, decisions, experiences, risks, and adventures! We will be embarking on an adventurous journey around the world in about 8 months, and there is much to be done before we leave. We have to work very hard to save money which means no extra spending on clothes, eating out, or expensive activities. In the summer, we will be doing a mini Around the World Trip Garage Sale. We will be packing our two backpacks, quitting our jobs and getting on a one-way flight into the unknown.
It’s easy to look forward and think about the future, but it’s just as important if not more so to be present in the moment with joy and fullness. I hope that in whatever season we are in we can always enjoy the present, the mundane moments of life. Life is composed of days that turn into weeks, weeks that turn into months, and months that turn into years. We live in the ordinary most of the time, the mundane, with just a few life-altering and special moments in our lives. Let’s make the most of it! I challenge you to live extreme. To fill the ordinary with whimsy, love, and joy.
One of my favorite quotes- ” Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different...” C.S. Lewis
Living in the present,
Katie
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