Happy New Year!

patience

Quote that Michael put on his 2014 vision board

How has your holiday break been? I hope that 2013 ended well for you. It was bittersweet for me. The “bitter” part was that a dear friend died unexpectedly the day after Christmas. Life is so random. One day you’re laughing and joking with a loved one and then the next day they are gone from your life for this side of eternity. Death puts life in perspective though. Tomorrow is not promised, so it’s important to LIVE each day to the fullest! Overall, we had a fun, relaxing time during the holiday break though. There was a lot of food, video games, movies and family time. Now, it’s time to embrace 2014.

During the week between Christmas and New Year, my family takes time to reflect and celebrate on the past year and make hopes and dreams for the New Year. It was really great to look back on our have, do, be, make and give lists for 2013 and see that many of our hopes had become reality. (On Sunday, Michael crossed off one of his “do” items – receiving a blue belt in jiu jitsu. It’s such a wonderful feeling to see your kids get things that they work hard to obtain!)

blue looks good on you

It’s also fun to see what everyone wants to work on for the upcoming year. A few of the things on our family’s list include the following:

-Find a great place to move

-Be more consistent with our “out of the home” date nights (Reggie and I)

-Michael wants to learn how to code

-Sean wants to start his own blog

-Reggie and I are starting a web design and development business together. (I’m ESPECIALLY excited about this!)

-On the charitable side, we want to continue working with God’s Love We Deliver. I also want to start a charitable “Healthy Eating” family program where I teach shopping and cooking skills to moms with low food budgets.

How about you? Do you or your family have any special hopes/dreams/prayers/whatever you want to call it for 2014?