I thought about pretending that January didn’t exist, but after yesterday — all the things feel a little more hopeful. My feeds are full of fireworks and beautiful dresses and poetry. It’s a far cry from the riots, attempted coup, and gaslighting we’ve been watching for the last few weeks. I’ve lost about 500 followers on Instagram in the last six months and my direct messages are hot. People seem confused that I would vote for a democratic candidate and still claim my faith is intact, but that might have to be a topic for another day. Instead, let’s talk about how great it is to wake up irritated with the government for less innocuous reasons than border walls and blantant racism, shall we?
beginning | Josh bought me a new photo album and pages with 4×4 photo pockets for Christmas this year. I used Chatbooks for awhile, but I honestly don’t care about the captions and I want my girls to have the experience of flipping through real photo albums. I’ve already started editing and cropping photos from Ella’s first year — this is going to be a big undertaking — and I’m planning to have a batch of images printed each month until I’m all caught up. Those were pre-digital days, so there won’t be nearly as many photos, but the last few years are going to be challenging!
feeling | I’d like to say I’m feeling hopeful (and I am!) about the state of our country today, but I’m still a little salty over the messages and comments I’ve gotten this week. I’m feeling confused that people think either political party perfectly aligns with Christianity and just doing the very best I can to vote for people that most closely align with the world I wish to see. It’s nuanced, complicated, and disheartening sometimes, but we can’t verbally assault people who have differing opinions — every single time they share their heart.
organizing | We are organizing all the things in our house this month. ALL OF THE THINGS. I finally packed up our Christmas decor last weekend and completely cleaned out the attic while I was at it. I eliminated three boxes of decor and created a much better system of storage and labeling, so I’m hoping Christmas will be a cinch to put up next year. I also made room for the girls’ memory boxes, art work, and childhood toys while I was at it. I need to make a run to the Goodwill drop off and start sorting the toys hidden under beds, but I’m making major progress.
resolving | I’m resolving to be easier on myself this year, but also more disciplined. I’ve learned that restrictions and hard goals often become discouraging for me, so I’m just trying to move my body, love my body, and feed it good food. No pressure, no failure, just one day at a time.
wondering | Honestly… I’m wondering if we’ll be able to pull off any family vacations this year. We miss the beach desperately and are currently booked for three and a half weeks in June. I can’t take that much time off work, but I’m hoping to work remotely for part of the month, so we can stay as long as possible. We’ve also booked a Disney trip for late April and I’m crossing all of my fingers and toes that COVID cooperates. I don’t expect it to be completely normal, but I would love to enjoy some Character Dining and for my two year old not to be required to wear a mask. What are the odds of that?!
