New Year, New Me??

Every year our family comes up with a slogan to live by for the new year. Something we’ve been doing since 2012. Well, for reasons beyond my understanding that DIDN’T happen this year. I feel like its partly because we weren’t all present for the exercises. It could have also been the exhaustion, we had been fishing and gallivanting that day. It was great fun and we made incredible memories! Respectfully, I think we consulted with the wrong crowd for ideas. More on this in a bit…

We spent the weekend with family and good friends on Avila beach. It was freezing and beautiful! Jameson went early on in the week with his Grandma Debbie, Papa  David and Uncle Noah. He got to roll in the dirt, run free, bird watch, play games and eat junk food. He also didn’t shower for 4 days which he thought was hilarious. I loved getting to watch him discover and enjoy himself. We hung out with a couple of my dad’s siblings (he has 13) and spent some well needed quality time together. I ate wayy too much but I’m not sorry about any of it!

Mom and Dad wanted to start a new tradition for celebrating New Years and it’s been amazing!! In 2016 we went to Doheny Beach and had a Double Tree all to ourselves, 2017 we were in Wrightwood in the snow and this year we made the drive to Port San Luis to celebrate on a campsite! We look forward to our New Year’s vacay more and more. Since mom and I are blessed to work at a church, Christmas is more like Game Day than it is a break. It is truly an exciting time and I can’t imagine celebrating Christ in a better way. Once the services are done, baptisms rejoiced, gifts are open and the kitchen cleaned we REST! This is the first year our trip lasted longer than a day and night. For mom and dad it was a week!! I was so proud to see them stop and enjoy life. They are both always working a million miles a minute so it’s nice to stop and fish. Share some memories and a bread bowl of clam chowder or terrorize the employees of the local Walmart! I am grateful to have these experiences with my family. I love to make lasting memories with my little ones. 

Back to the 2018 mantra…

Hub and I were discussing the amount of negativity seen on many N.Y.E social media posts on. Everyone talking about the suckage of 2017. If you haven’t noticed, the world needs Jesus. I have noticed negativity in posts even from fellow believers. Here’s my PSA-

Life is hard. There will be trials, it is promised. There will also be joy because that is also promised. No matter how bad things get, they can always get worse. The only way out… is through. 

Was that cliché enough for you?

In all seriousness, there is great power in a positive mindset. If we measure the quality of life by all the bad stuff that happens where would we be? It’s not about what happens to you, but how you react to it. Life cannot only be simple. It’s not just a bunch of ordinary days strung together. Life is a fight. We must battle for truth. We must labor for righteousness and cling to joy.  Its the trials that make moments of happiness special. They are reminders for us not to take things for granted. Reminders to kiss our husbands more, hold tightly to our children, tell people we love them and thank them for their impact on our life. Rejoice in the Lord always! It’s how we win. If every time a challenge arrives we praise God instead of panic, we win. The challenges help mold us into who we are called to be. Even this blog. It all started with fear. It began because of a “misfortune.” Look at us now! Look at how far we’ve come in a years time.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

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Cast your cares on Him. Give Him your pain and let Him turn your misfortune into a story of redemption. Its possible for everyone and God wants it for all of us. Also, be thankful. I am so tired of hearing about how crappy year 2017 was for people with a home, car, food on the table and a job. There are people even in our country with none of those things. Right now, there is a family with 2 small children in the hospital fighting a sever infection. Fighting for their little lives. Stop complaining about the laundry. Put down your phone and take your kids outside to play. There is power in a positive mindset. When your car breaks down thank the Lord for funds to get it fixed. When your kids get sick praise God for your insurance. When your spouse leaves the kitchen a mess thank God you don’t have to go to bed alone. Be grateful for every inhale. We are a selfish species yet God entrusted us to bring the light. Be a little reminder today for someone struggling. offer to help. Only speak edifying and if you cannot… don’t speak at all. So here’s MY 2018 creed:

Stand upon truth, Love everyone, Be grateful, Be positive, Bring the light and glorify the King in 2018.