After my company was gone and I was able to sit still for a moment I looked over my journal for this past year and made a timeline of the highlights for 2016.
What is sad is that I was sick for the majority of the year so when I asked myself what I thought about 2016 one word came to mind: WASTED
Not only do I feel like I wasted this year it was rough in other ways as well. I lost my grandmother, Dylan was diagnosed with diabetes, my mom had a cancer scare, and both my dad and sister had to have surgery. Praise the Lord that everyone is well right now but I think we can all agree that we are ready to say goodbye to 2016.
I thought it would be fun to answer some questions about 2016 to look back on the year and think about what I would like to see different in 2017 so here we go.
1. What was your favorite single day/single event of the year?
My favorite event of this year would have to be me becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and teaching my first Stampin' Up! class. That entire day was amazing and I had so much fun! Winning the November Verve Stamps challenge was a close second. I have wondered if getting back into stamping was a good idea or not but teaching that class and winning that challenge was a validation to me. I cannot wait to see what 2017 brings as far as my stamping journey.
2. What was the best thing you built/created?
I don't know if you would call it building but we did move our office to a different room of the house and now I am "building" my stamp room. I got a cute shelf from my wonderful husband for Christmas which is going to help with a lot of my current storage problems. He just put it up last night so I will be beginning 2017 getting organized!
3. What was the most impactful decision you made for you and your family’s future?
After Dylan getting sick our families lives were forever changed. We decided to become healthier together and are slowly working on ways to incorporate healthy changes into our lives. It's a slow process but one that will benefit us all in the long run.
4. What was your best financial achievement?
We have decided to become a debt free family. We have quite a bit of debt right now but we are working on a plan to get us closer to being debt free in 2017. One tool we have started using in 2016 was Quickbooks so we can get an accurate picture of where we are financially and it has been eye opening to say the least. Our plan is still a work in progress but one that we want to aggressively pursue in 2017.
5. Did you achieve any lifelong goals?
I can't say that I've achieved any lifelong goals this year but I can say I am more actively pursuing lifelong goals than I think I ever have in my life. The biggest pursuit at the moment is my book reviews which I hope will one day lead to my lifelong goal of becoming a writer.
6. What was the hardest lesson you learned over the past year?
Never take your children or your family for granted. With my grandmother, I always thought I had more time to go and visit her and before I knew it she was gone. It happened so fast. It's so easy to let every day life get in the way of your family, even those that are right in front of you. I'm not saying that I neglected my boys by any means but after Dylan got sick I realized just how much I pushed them off to do unimportant things. Now we do more things as a family. I play Legos and Pokemon with them and enjoy every moment I get to spend with them. I've learned just how precious life really is.
7. Did you develop any new hobbies or passions? Are there any new hobbies or passions you want to develop in the New Year?
I started stamping again!! For 2017 I would love to design for a stamp company again. I used to stamp for quite a few online companies and miss it so much. I also hope to have a monthly stamp class. I think I missed the community more than the stamping!
I also started jogging again this year even though I haven't been jogging much these past few months. I have a 10k coming up in March that I really need to start training for and hope to get back into strength training and FINALLY lose this hysterectomy weight gain. If I could get to 150 this year it would be amazing but honestly if I could get under 200lbs I would be happy.
8. What was the most humbling experience of the past year?
Experiencing all that I have with Dylan was definitely the most humbling experience of this year. I see my world with fresh eyes. Everything that has happened this year, both good and bad, has made me a better person. I am realizing that my world is bigger than what is past the end of my nose and am thankful for each experience that opens my eyes to the truth. My faith has grown more this year that it ever has and that humbles me. God continues to do an amazing work and I continue to be in awe.
9. What is the one thing you are most grateful for from this past year?
My family. I love my family so much. I don't get to see most of my family that often but when I do now I am present. I am in every experience with a thankful heart. I would never say that I am thankful for my son being diabetic but I am thankful for how God has used it to enrich our lives. My family closer now than we have ever been. I love it.
10. What are your personal goals for the coming year? Family goals? Religious goals? Health goals? Financial or career goals?
I haven't been able to sit down and think about what I want to achieve in 2017 so this will have to be answered in my first New Years post! :)
If you've stuck with me this long then KUDOS to you! I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years!!!
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