One Little Word | 2017

Over the past few years, I've sought out One Little Word for the new year ahead of me. Sometimes the word comes to me almost immediately during the Christmas season, other times I have to really hunt for it in the midst of the chaos and beauty of life. It's a nice feeling to have a word that you can become grounded to or even toss aside entirely, but for it to still be there as you need it and learn through the seasons of a new year. I've learned a lot from my words in the past. 

Here is my word from 2015 and 2016. I love being able to choose a word, or even have a word choose me. It keeps me grounded but also moving forward. 

I had my word for this year probably about a month ago but I'm just now being able to share it with you all. Many of my mornings have been filled with this idea and I feel it's ready to share with the world. 

Leading up to this post, I feel like I have been wavering in many things in our lives. Being pregnant with our second child (see the adorable announcement video here) has sent me on an never ending loop of feeling super tired but knowing that I should be doing something worthwhile. I desire for my days to mean something, to be worth something. I desire to be able to look back upon this year and realize that we accomplished a lot, even with a little. 

My word for this new year is.....INTENTIONAL. 

As far as goal setting and New Year resolutions go, that word originally felt like a predictable choice, an easy choice. But, it kind of chose me. 

I read this quote early this morning on Pinterest and it soaked into me. Being INTENTIONAL to me is putting in the hard work. Creating the lists. Taking the chunks of time in your day that are usually wasted and doing something extraordinary with them. INTENTIONAL to me is finding the magic in the ordinary. Emptying the dishwasher. Changing the diaper. Reading the same book to the kiddo for the 100th time that day. Working on the work project that never seems to end. Crossing off the items on a to do list and continuing to move on. 

I like the idea of working hard in silence. I believe that's what INTENTION looks like, feels like, moves like. Many times in life, I want people to be aware of my hard work. I want people to think that I have it all together and that I work my tail off. But, in all reality, I don't think that matters. Yes, you have to do the work and put in ALL of the time, but your success will speak for itself. 

I want to approach this year much the same. Do the work, put in the hours, don't boast about the hustle. The success and end result will speak for itself as something of value and worth. 

It's the little steps, the little lists, the little moments that will add up to an life of INTENTION. 

These will be my areas of focus this year...a mind, body, and soul approach. 

HOME |  Purge. Home Projects. Weekly Cleaning Schedule. Clean Car. 

BODY | Move more often. CSA or Farmer's Market. Self-Care Weekly. Get Outside. Drink More Water. Essential Oisl. More Sleep. 

MONEY | Side Hustle. Meal Planning. Debt Free Goals & Plan. Budget Boot Camp. Spending Freeze. No Mindless Purchases. 

FAMILY & LOVE |  Family Meals. Date Night. Work Life Balance. Be Present. Take Vacations. More Husband Time. 

MIND | Less TV. More Books. Podcasts & TED Talks. Learn Something New. Brain Dump in AM & PM. 

SPIRIT | Wake at 5am often. Gratitude Journal. Morning Pages. The Artist's Way. Community Involvement. Church. 

I'm not sure where all of this will take me this year, but I'm willing to take the time to find out. 

Life Lately | An Update

Life has been such a whirlwind as of late. So many things seem to be occurring and coming into fruition. We seem to be in a good groove and I am alright with that. I haven't done  post like this in a long time, but as a bit of an update and some link love thrown into it....

 I am almost half way through my Whole 30, look for a post on that tomorrow.....I haven't felt this good and confident about myself in a very long time. People are starting to notice and comment and I'm only half way. I feel that is a good sign. Read my first post on my first week, if you haven't already. 

Work is in full swing as always and I'm just trying to live out a good "hustle." I've been editing photos like a crazy from a wedding the we photographed at the end of June. Any spare moment I have, during nap time, late at night: I edit. 

I've been loving the library as of late. A library card is literally one of the best things to happen to me. I can't even begin to tell you how much money I was spending on books that I would only read one time and then would fall back in place on a shelf, left untouched. The library is awesome. Currently on my nightstand, I am reading: this, this, this, and this.  I also am really into audio books and nerd up every time I am driving in my car. My current listen is this.  I read the book years ago but it's wonderful because it's read by the author and I like her vibe. How can one not love the library? My book list of things I have on hold is ever growing. I wish I had more hours in the day where I could get lost in a good book. Sometimes nap times allow me to do so but most of the time it's before I go to sleep at night. I read with the roar of the A/C in our room and the baby monitor humming next to me. 

Yesterday, we did something that we have been talking about for a long while but I never thought would actually happen. WE BOUGHT A NEW CAR!!!!! I no longer have to drive the mom mobile. The minivan was great for the years that we had it. We played a lot of shows with that car and crammed it full of music gear. I've driven Marin all over the place. I've fretted about how the van is running and whether or not it will make it to the next season. I have never in my life had a new car. My own NEW car. Dodge had some amazing deals out there and we spent the day at the car dealership. Overall, it was a great experience. I am not a big fan of dealerships but we had a great experience, albeit a long one. We drove home a new Dodge Journey, which is literally the bigger brother to my husband's car. I love it. I can't wait to go drive it today. 

That being said, I've also been researching ways to live more frugally in our lives. With a brand new car, comes a brand new car payment. We managed to get our payment in a decent range, but I need to tighten things up around here a bit. I won't be frequenting Starbucks per usual, that is for sure. Here's what I've been reading lately..... 

Keeping Our Household Budget Under $300 Monthly 

Tips on Living on Next to Nothing

Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps

Pinterest is full of ideas... 

And on a kind of related note...I found this article interesting: Take the 1000 Day Challenge!