October 25th...

This date on the calendar since 2007 is always a struggle for me.

Let me explain the best I can.  I don't talk about this ever so my thoughts will probably be jumbled at times.  On October 25, 2007, I was finishing up my long stretch of work at both of my jobs.  At the time I worked two jobs, one in clothing retail and one at a law office in downtown Minneapolis. 

Once I finished working for the day, I was going to join some friends from seminary to hang out for a bit and then head back to my apartment to pack for my long weekend off of work for a friend from seminary's wedding that Saturday.

Unbeknownst to me, that same day, my new friend since the 4th of July, Katherine Olson had been lured to a crazy person's house under the pretense of a nanny job from Craigslist.  She was found the next morning having been shot in the back, shoved in the trunk of her car, bled out in an empty parking lot.

I did not find out about any of this until a few days later.

I was getting ready to drive to a meeting for the trip to the Holy Land I was going on through Luther Seminary in January 2008.  I was to pick up my friend Veronica on the way so I called her to figure out what time she wanted me to pick her up.

That is when I found out.  I mostly remember thinking "this can't be happening".  But it didn't take me long to understand what she was saying to me.  I sat in my car numb for a while and once I could convince myself to move again, I went inside my parent's house and said in monotone what Veronica told me about what happened to our friend Katherine.

My dad showed me the paper and there she was.  My friend smiling back at me.  But she was gone.  It took a while for it to compute.  When it finally all hit me, I was at the Fireside Apple Orchard just outside of my hometown with my mom and I completely fell apart.

The next few days were a blur, completely numb.  I know I cried a lot.  I went to work at the law office but called in at the clothes store and got off until Thursday.  But mostly it was like watching myself go through the motions but feeling nothing.  I stared at nothing a lot and tried not to cry at work, especially the Monday after when it was the hot topic of the office.

I wanted to scream and cry, but I also needed to hold it together.  It was for a long time one of the worst weeks of my life.

I spent a lot of time with people who were also grieving Katherine's loss because they were going through it with me and I with them.

How do you talk to someone about something so horrific, the murder of a friend, family member someone you know, who hasn't gone through it themselves?  So for the most part, I don't talk about it.

I don't talk about the misery and pain of October 25th - October 31st.  It doesn't help to talk about the horror of it, the evil way many of us lost our friend Katherine.

Instead, I think about the day I met Katherine, on the 4th of July a few months before her death.  She was asking me if I was dating anyone and I answered that I wasn't.  I said I had no interest in dating someone from seminary, especially someone who was going to be a pastor.

She laughed and said I bet you will end up marrying a pastor and having kids.  I said back, yeah right, never going to happen.

It's funny to look back now at how prophetic this conversation was.  I am married, to someone who is a pastor and we have two amazing boys.  These are the things I like to remember about Katherine.  Her little Facebook private and public messages of encouragement when I posted that I was having a rough day.  Those things are what I choose to remember about my friend most of the year.  Only during this week does the horror show it's ugly face and I am taken back to those dark days.  When it gets really bad, I make myself remember our 4th of July conversation and give my husband and boys extra hugs.

One other thing I think about is how people can form strong bonds when faced with such tragedy.  Not long after Katherine's death, I joined a small group of women to do a book study on the book Velvet Elvis.  Most of the ladies participating were acquaintances or friends of Katherine.  These women will forever be an important part of my life.  I love them like family even though we don't see each other anymore either do to distance, schedules or other reasons.  But the ladies in that group helped me heal and I will always be grateful for them.

And so today I quietly mourn the loss of my friend Katherine after 9 years of her being gone.  I know we will meet again, but until then I will carry on and live life to the fullest as I know she would be doing if she were still with us.

Sleep Deprivation and Sesame Street

Last night my oldest son slept like crap.  So today is another sleep deprived day.

He is emotional about everything.  He is set off by the smallest noise or action he deems threatening to his control.

He spent over 30 minutes in hysterics because his younger brother was scooting around the dining room in his walker and then rolling around on the floor.  This is nothing new but as parents my husband and I have decided to let our oldest freak out so that our youngest can get some good exercise daily and learn to get around on his own.

My oldest has control issues stemming from his speech issues and years of health issues.  He had RSV when he was 6 months old and since then a variety of health problems have appeared and made his life hard.  One of the biggest was delay of verbal communication.  Another one is constipation and he just recently in the past month had his tonsils and adenoids removed.

With all of his health issues, he has developed control issues on certain things, mostly these days dealing with his brother being mobile.  But unfortunately for our oldest son, he is going to have a hard time for a while as we allow our youngest to move around more.

We are hoping that as he sees his younger brother being mobile throughout the day, he'll just stop caring and it will just be part of normal daily life.  Hopefully this happens sooner rather than later.

After being in hysterics for almost an hour before lunch and throughout most of lunch, our oldest has finally calmed down.  Our youngest is napping and the oldest is watching Sesame Street calmly.

There is nothing like a little Sesame Street "Learning About Numbers" to relax a sleep deprived kid and momma after having a rough morning.

I pray daily that our oldest son is one day healthy and happy like the other kids he spends time with.  He is better than before he had his tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, but there is still a long way to go before he can be considered in the average health range. 

For now this sleep deprived momma and our oldest son are going to watch Sesame Street some more and maybe I will sneak in a quick nap while my kiddo is distracted.

Random jumble of thoughts...

Ever since I decided to try being a blogger again, I have had a lot of random jumbles of thoughts on what to blog about.

In my I'm back post, I wrote that I was going to blog about whatever was on my mind that day or at the time I sat down to type.

Since then, I have been musing about possible themes to blog on.

On idea I came up with is to blog about the scripture passage in my daily devotional.

Another idea was that I start another year long blog that I update once a week to show my progress.

I started doing a weekly gratitude challenge, but had to stop because I was in a really low place and couldn't fake feeling gratitude at that time.

Or I can just stick to my original plan and blog about whatever comes to mind when I feel the urge to post a blog update.

So many options to choose from.  I haven't fully settled on what I am going to do yet for the rest of 2016, but have some great ideas that I will share in my next post for 2017. 

I mostly just blog for myself anyway, but if I do have any followers out there, stay tuned for more updates as I figure out this whole blogging sphere all over again.

Transition is Not Easy...

Transition is never easy.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is foolish and lying through their teeth.

Transition with kids is even harder.

Almost two months ago my family packed up our stuff and moved from Fairfield, MT in north central Montana to Montgomery, Minnesota in southeast Minnesota.  We took four days to travel and during that time both of our kids got very sick.  A mix of stress and allergies to dust and pollen.

The one who took the move the hardest was our oldest son.  He is 4 years old and it was a very traumatic experience for him.  When he gets extremely upset he still says he wants to go home and I know he means our house in Fairfield.

He is getting better with the move though and is getting into a good routine here, especially now that he has started speech therapy again at the local elementary school.

Our youngest is handling the move well.  He will be 11 months old on October 30th. 
My husband and I are still working on getting settled.  So much has happened in the last two months that we haven't truly been able to get our bearings.  Well at least I haven't yet.  I can't speak for my husband.  The craziness of the last two months is a post for another time.

The emotional, mental, and physical stress of moving across country and then jumping right into a new work and life schedule with no real time to get our bearings was probably not the smartest thing my husband and I have ever done, but we are getting better at going with the flow in our new setting.

Our new church and overall community has been very supportive and welcoming to all of us.  I do miss many things about our former home, mostly the people. 

That is what makes transition so hard.  You miss some things about where you were but there are great things to come in your new situation.

And the nice thing about living in our time is that we can keep in touch with the people we had to leave easier and cheaper than ever before.  A text, a Facebook message, a Snapchat or even an email.  For those who still enjoy old fashion pursuits, a handwritten letter or post card every once in a while us the way to go.

Transition is never easy, but it leads us on new adventures in life, sometime wonderful, sometime bad, most of the time somewhere in between.

I personally am looking forward to feeling less like I am in transition and more comfortable in my new home, town and church in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

I'm Back.......

After a long hiatus from blogging, I have decided to try it again.

I have found that I use it as more of an ideas, thoughts, journal rather than what most bloggers do, which is to pick a topic and stick with that topic.  They become an expert on that topic and share their knowledge with their blog followers.

I am more of a blog what is on my mind at the moment or blog about something that I have been musing about kind of blogger. 

At one point, I thought about trying to make money by blogging.  It didn't work out so well.  But nevertheless, I continued to blog my thoughts and even spent a year blogging about living healthier.  That was fun to do and it kept me on track towards my healthier living goals.  I am working on doing it again for 2017.

There are so many blogs on the internet.  What would set mine apart from anyone else's anyway?  At this point in my life, not a whole lot.

I could blog about my parenting adventures, or life as a clergy spouse, or politics or history topics I am knowledgeable in that I would like to share with others.

But I think I will stick with my wandering thoughts, ideas and knowledge on various aspects of my life and if someone who reads my blog gets something out of it, I call that a win.

Blogging is harder than I ever thought it would be.  It is hard deciding how much I am willing to share about myself, my inmost thoughts.  It is scary and freeing at the same time. 

I have been inspired to blog again by reading several friends' blogs. 

I have no set agenda, no topics picked out before hand.  I will blog whenever I feel like it and about what is on my mind at the time.  It will be random and wandering and reflect my true thoughts. 

Needless to say, I'm back folks!

Now I better go see what my very quiet 4 year old son is up to.

Taking a hiatus from blogging for a while

I have been stressing myself out lately trying to do everything I have tasked myself to do. 

I have the kids to take care of, my husband to support, myself to take care of too.  I have a workshop to prepare for for Synod Assembly at the beginning of June. 

So I have decided to cut down my to-do list to only the most important things so I can be better to myself and my family. 

At some point I will start to blog again, but for now, I will be off the blogging grid for the foreseeable future.

Blessings to you all!

52 Week of Gratitude Challenge: Week 16

4/15/2016
Simple Things in Life

The simple things in life are the best part.  My oldest son sleeping through the night.  Snuggling with my youngest son when it is just the two of us at home.  Story time after lunch with my kids.  Watching a movie and snuggling with my oldest.

Moments alone with my husband when we talk without the kids around and no electronic devices on.  Any moment during the day I get alone time.  Stealing moments throughout the day to read a good book.  Cat naps.  Sunny, warm days.

Thank the Lord for the simple things in life that help a person get through the good and bad days. :)

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 15

4/8/2016
Things You Like about Spring

Spring time where I live now is pretty lame because the farmers are lighting their fields on fire to put nitrates back into the soil after a long winter.  I am allergic to any kind of smoke so I am stuck inside most days until they are done.

But, when I lived in a place where I could go outside and enjoy spring, the things I liked best were: the trees getting their leaves, the green everywhere that meant life was returning, and people being outside.  I used to walk around the lakes near by with friends in the spring.  It was not too hot, not too cold, but it was going to get warmer instead of colder.

I'm a warm weather fan.  I like that the days are longer because the sun sets later.  When I live somewhere that I can enjoy spring again, I will be very grateful and give thanks to God daily that I get to like spring again.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 14

4/1/2016
A Talent You Have

One talent I have been blessed and cursed with is being able to read people and know what they are feeling by paying attention to their facial, nonverbal communication and tone of voice.

This can be a good and bad thing because it can sometimes cause tension and anxiety for myself and the other person.

But most of the time it is a good thing because it allows me to know what kind of situation I'm walking into and I can move forward accordingly.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 13

3/25/2016
A Challenge You've Overcome

I have overcome many challenges in my life.  The most challenging time in my life was moving to Montana and leaving a lot of people and things I love behind.  But the hardest part of all that was finding out a month after we moved that we lost our first child through miscarriage. 

The only thing that got me through was God and my husband.  It was a very dark time in my life.  But I made it through and have two beautiful boys and have survived 5 years of being an outsider in a place that does not like outsiders.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 12

3/18/2016
Your Favorite Personality Trait

Writing about my favorite personality trait is humbling.  First of all, God and life circumstances have formed my personality since I was born.  To pick one thing is very hard. 

My favorite personality trait I have is my resilience.  I have been through a lot in my life so far but I have made it through it all because I am resilient.  My propension for being resilient is only possible because of my faith.  God is with me in all things and my faith in him gives me my favorite personality trait, resilience.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 11

3/11/2016
Week 11: Someone Who Inspires You

Someone who inspires me is actually a group of people.  My fellow stay at home moms inspire me.  I am in a situation where I often get help during the day from my husband who is a pastor and has a slightly more flexible schedule than most people.  Many of my friends who are stay at home moms do not have the kind of help I do and they are an inspiration to me for making it through the whole day and not going crazy. 

They are amazing women and I learn so much from each and every one of them.  They are truly a source of inspiration in my life.  God has truly blessed me with inspiring women in my life. 

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 10

3/5/2016
Week 10:  List 5 Things You Like about You

1) My perseverance
2) My intelligence
3) My loyalty to myself and others
4) My resilience
5) My adventurous side

These are just five things I like about me.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Weeks 8 and 9

2/19/2016
Weeks 8 and 9: Express gratitude to 3 people and how did it make me feel

This week I shared my gratitude with 3 people.  The first was my friend Michelle.  She has been my friend since high school and we have been through a lot, both good and bad, together.  We spent an hour talking on the phone last Monday and at the end, I told her how grateful I am to have her as my friend.  It was great to talk to her and it made me feel less lonely.

The second person I expressed gratitude towards was another friend of mine named Michelle.  She basically took over watching and chasing my 3 1/2 year old during Lenten service on Wednesday night so I could feed our almost 3 month old in the narthex in the middle of service.  It was a trifecta of crap and I can't even think about what would have happened if she wasn't there and willing to help me.  I couldn't find the right words to thank her, so I just said thank you and told her how grateful I was for her help.

The third person I expressed gratitude for was my friend Melissa.  She is my fellow pastor's spouse who is in a less than stellar situation being home all the time with young kids and trying to figure out how to do it while our husbands are off ministering to others.  We got together to visit on Friday and it was wonderful.  I thanked her for her friendship and for being mutual sounding boards for our frustrations.  I am so grateful to have gotten to know her better over the last 5 years.  I anticipate all of us being good friends for a long long time.

I had a lot of people to share gratitude with, but these are the three that really made my week better when I was down in the dumps, overwhelmed and needing some who understands to talk to.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 7

2/12/2016
Week 7: A Friend, Part I

This week I am to write about one friend I am grateful for.

Since I am a few days late in writing my post for week 7, I can write about one of my best friends on her birthday.

I am grateful for my friend Karen.  We have been through a lot together.  When I thought I would have to find a new place to live after one roommate just up and moved out of our apartment on St. Louis Park, Karen decided to move in with me.  We were roommates for 3 years. 

She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and I in hers.  She saw me at my worst and I at hers and we fought too.  Yet, despite that we are still friends.  Karen and I have been friends since high school.  It is her birthday today, Feb. 14th and even though we are s time zone and over 1000 miles apart we are still close and I am so grateful for her presence in my life.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 6

2/5/2016
Week 6: The City I Live In

This week I am to write about what I am grateful for about the city I live in. 

Well first off, I live in a small town surrounded by barley and wheat fields.  The population is around 700 people.  The next closest town is 17 miles north of us and only has a population of a couple thousand people.  The closest city is 35 miles away.  It is a decent sized city with some entertainment going on.  I'd like to explore that more at some point.

As for the town we live in, I don't have much to say about the town itself.  There isn't a lot going on here that doesn't have to do with school sports.  But I will say that most of the people who live here are good people.  The people, when I actually get out of the house are nice and friendly.  But I don't get out much these days with my 2 month old's sleeping schedule.  Winter here is torturous, especially with a very active 3 year old.

But I think what I am most grateful for is indirectly connected to living where we live.  My husband's somewhat flexibility to help out with the kids during the day and some nights.  In another town at another parish, he might not be able to be so flexible.  The people here have been very gracious with us in allowing my husband to take our kids to the office with him.  It gives our oldest son a place to move around more and get a change of scenery.  It gives our youngest son daddy time on Thursday nights and our oldest and I, mommy/son time which we don't get a lot of these days. 

My husband's flexibility in his schedule and time, is what I am most grateful for about where we live.  It also helps that we live across the street from the church office so he/we can easily go from one place to another.  And I am grateful for the gracious people who allow us to be family together in this place and being flexible themselves.

The town itself is boring and there is very little to do or places to go.  The town itself, I could take it or leave it.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 5

1/29/2016
Week 5: Something someone gave you

This week I am to write about something someone gave me.  This is going to be a hard one because some many people have given me so many things.

One of the best gifts I have ever gotten was my grandmother's pearl necklace that I wore for my wedding and wear now for special occasions.  My mom gave them to me to wear for my wedding.  They are the only thing I have of my maternal grandmother's and I cherish them.

I hope someday to pass them onto my granddaughter so she can wear them at her wedding.  My mom could have kept them for herself, but she gave them to me and I am grateful for her generosity and love.

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 4

1/22/2016
Week 4: A Family Member

For week 4 of the 52 weeks of gratitude challenge I am to write about a family member I am grateful for.

This week, I am going to write about my mom.  She always is willing to listen when I need someone to talk to and she gives good advice.  She is supportive and talks me down when I get too anxious.  She calls me out when I am being ridiculous.  She is my mom but also my friend. 

My mom has gotten me through a lot of tough times and has been with me through some of the best moments of my life.  She is a strong person in every way a person can be strong.  She is my role model and one of my heroes.  I love her more than words can express. 

I will forever be grateful that God gave me such a wonderful woman as my mother!

52 Weeks of Gratitude: Week 3

1/15/2016
Week 3: Family

The topic for week three of my 52 weeks of gratitude is family.  I am going to write about my little family that I created with my husband and two awesome sons. 

Our boys give me a reason to get up in the morning and my husband makes me smile, even when I want to throw my hands up and surrender to my anxiety and feels of being overwhelmed.

Our home is chaotic and the schedule is never the same from week to week, but our small family survives the chaos together. Sometimes we are a bit worse for wear. 

I am so grateful for our small family.  God has yet again blessed me with this gift of three amazing men that I get to live with and experience life with everyday.  I am truly grateful and blessed.

Week 52 of Healthier Living in January 2016

1/20/2016
For week of: 1/13 - 1/20/2016
Weigh in Weight: 149.6 lbs.
Previous Weigh in Weight: 150.0 lbs.

Goals for Week 52:
1) Crochet more scarves for custom orders
2) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
3) Make healthier snack choices
4) Nap whenever possible
5) Read 30-60 minutes daily
6) Get creative about getting exercise daily while still recovering from c-section

For the last week of my healthier living journey in 2015 and most of January 2016, I worked on and completed 5 out of 6 goals.  I still struggle to make the time to sit and crochet these days, mostly because once I start a project, I need a certain amount of time to work on it each time I sit down to do it.  With an almost two month old and an almost 3 1/2 year old, it's just not happening.  I really want to get started this week sometime though, maybe this weekend.

As for my other goals, I did much better with my water intake and making healthier snack choices during week 52.  I napped when I could and when I wasn't napping, I read.  I got creative about getting some form of exercise each day, but need to work on that more, especially now that I can do a little more intensive things now.  I'd like to get back on the treadmill and slowly work my way back to my speed walking exercising. 

Overall, besides the crocheting, my last week of my healthier living journey was a success.  I am proud of myself for making it through the entire year.  Many times I just wanted to quit, but I didn't.  I persevered and kept with it.  I didn't quit and now I have a story to tell of my year long journey of attempting to live an overall healthier life.

Next and final post:
What I've learned about myself over the year on my healthier living journey

Week 51 of Healthier Living in 2016

1/13/2016
For week of 1/6 - 1/13/2016
Weigh in Weight: 150.0 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 149.0 lbs, gain of 1 lb.

Goals for Week 51:
1) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
2) Make healthier snack choices
3) Crochet more scarves for custom orders
4) Nap whenever possible
5) Read 30-60 minutes a day

Even though I gained 1 lb. by the end of week 51, I did really well on my goals this week.  The only one I didn't work on at all was my goal to crochet more scarves.  I will have a little more time to work on those this weekend because my oldest son will be visiting my husband's parents and I will only have our youngest to take care of while my husband is gone all day Friday and most of Saturday. 

I did not get too many naps in this week, but when I had a chance I took it, even if it was only for a few minutes.  Sometimes I chose to read for part of the time I could have taken a nap.  So I was able to read and take naps.  It was wonderful. :). I was even able to read an entire book this week.  Albeit, it was a short book, but I was able to read the whole thing.  I have made a point of reading before I go to sleep every night the past week and plan to continue to do so, except on the nights I am far to exhausted to.

I had to remind myself to drink at least 80 oz of water daily.  I didn't drink that much everyday, but I tried really hard to do so.  I will continue to work on making sure I drink enough water each day.

I also worked really hard on making healthier snack choices with some success and some failure, but definitely progress.  I will continue to work on this too.

So overall, week 51 was a good week goal wise.  It was a bit rough emotionally and mentally for me and I desperately need to get back into a daily or at least a few times a week walking routine.  My body and mind are suffering from lack of movement.  I've had to take it very easy since I'm still recovering for my c-section.  I see my doctor for my 6 week post-op next Wednesday and will talk to her about the level of exercise I can start doing once she gives me the okay that things have healed nicely and that nothing is wrong.

So for my last week of my healthier living year long journey, I am not going to change my goals.  I currently have goals that will help me physically, mentally, and emotionally.  And that's all for now, so until next time, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for week 52:
1) Crochet more scarves for customs orders
2) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
3) Make healthier snack choices
4) Nap whenever possible
5) Read 30-60 minutes daily
6) Get creative about getting 15-20 minutes of some form of exercise daily while still recovering from c-section

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 2

1/8/2016
Week 2: Spouse/Significant Other

For week 2 of my 52 weeks of gratitude challenge, the topic is to write about my spouse. 

Honestly, I don't know where to begin.  I am beyond grateful that God put such a wonderful man in my life and that he is my husband.  I am grateful daily for all of his support as I recover from a c-section after having our youngest son.

Although we don't agree on everything and do to sheer exhaustion, we snip at each other a little more these days, I can't imagine my life without him anymore.

It has been a challenging almost 5 years for me.  Being a pastor's spouse in a small, rural town is hard, but even harder for someone like myself, who likes to go places and be among the masses sometimes.  I am a city girl!  My husband has been with me through it all, the wonderful, the good, the bad and the very ugly.  He is my partner in crime and I love him for it.  I will always be grateful and thank God daily for such an amazing spouse.

Week 50 of Healthier Living in January 2016

1/6/2016
For Week of: 12/30/2015 - 1/6/2016
Weigh in Weight: 149.0 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 148.4 lbs.

Goals for Week 50:
1) Read 30 minutes to 1 hour daily
2) Nap whenever possible
3) Crochet more scarves for custom orders and Etsy shop and post listings
4) Make healthier snack choices
5) Start 52 weeks of gratitude challenge blog on 1/1/2016

I am extremely tired tonight so I am going to be brief.  I worked on and completed 3 of my 5 goals for week 50.  I read for at least 30 minutes each day, which was awesome.  Taking the time to read each day, makes me feel human, it makes me feel like myself, my true self.  I started reading the book, The Nightingale, and it is good so far.  I am looking forward to catching up eventually on my TIME magazines as well.

I didn't get to take many naps because I had to take care of one or both of our boys each day.  There was one day I took a short nap while all of us watched a movie.  It was nice to take a nap.  I am hoping to get more naps in as we work on getting a routine down together.

I didn't crochet any new scarves, but plan to crochet two during week 51.

I did pretty well with making healthier snack choices.  I had more fruit and low carb snacks and cheese sticks.  I plan to continue working on making healthier snack choices from now on.  It is a life style choice forever not just for now.  Living a healthier is a life style not just a trend or short term goal. 

And despite my better judgement, I am taking on another year long journey with a 52 weeks of gratitude journal, which I will be blogging about during the whole year of 2016.  I posted my week 1 topic on 1/1, which was my goal.  I didn't know if I wanted to do another year long weekly blogging challenge like my healthier living journey, but decided to do it in the end because, this healthier living journey has been a great one and I am glad I did it.

Most of my goals for week 51 of my healthier living journey are the same as week 50.  I have somethings that I need to work on and get done so I am keeping those on my goals list.  Until next time, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for Week 51: 1/6 - 1/13/2016
1) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
2) Make healthier snack choices
3) Crochet more scarves for custom orders
4) Nap whenever possible
5) Read 30 - 60 minutes daily

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 1

Week 1: Why Start This Challenge

I don't make New Year resolutions because they can so easily go by the wayside by February.  But each year I give myself goals to work on throughout the year.  In 2015 and part of January 2016, I journaled and blog about my journey to be an overall healthier person, in mind, body and spirit.

I was having a hard time trying to figure out if I wanted to take on another year long journey, so to find some possible inspiration I looked around on Pinterest and found the 52 weeks of gratitude challenge, which I am starting today with this very post.

Why am I starting this challenge?  2016 looks to be a year of a lot of transition.  Learning how to be a family of four is going to be the biggest one, but there are also many other possible transitions that may take place and until they do, a lot of waiting.  For me, waiting causes anxiety, which in turn causes me to lose focus on the many things I have to be grateful for in my life.

That is why I have decided, even though it is hard at times to stay motivated, to embark on a 52 weeks of gratitude journey in 2016.  I will be using a prompt guide I found on Pinterest.  Each week I will focus on a different thing I am grateful for in my life or about myself.

So come follow along with my journey!  Until next time Keep on keeping on!