Amazing Goals

These past few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind for us.  We were at one of the kids' schools almost every day.  They had Field Day, 4th Grade Play Day, many drama productions, special class projects and field trips, End of Year parties, and award ceremonies.

But each event was special.  Each event was memorable.  Each event was bittersweet.

I always get very nostalgic this time of year.  Even more so now since both kids will be going to different schools next year.

No more elementary school.  No more Room Mom duties.  It's something I don't want to end.

Yet, I do.

The kids are growing up.  It's hard to watch and it's amazing to watch.  They are becoming their own unique selves with completely different personalities and quirks.  They are changing before our eyes and becoming beautiful people.  But, we sure miss those baby faces and little chubby hands.

The tears come quickly because of these moments, not necessarily because we are sad, but because we are thankful.  There are so many memories and opportunities that await them.

And us, being their very blessed parents, get to continue to watch.

And it will be amazing.

Your Positivity Is Showing

Recently, Preston's AA baseball team was reclassified to AAA after achieving a winning record, including a 1st place finish in a tournament.  When I told him the news, the first thing he said was "that will make us better players." 

First, I was amazed at such mature insight coming from him. Second, I was proud that he recognized it as a challenge, and without second thought, was ready to take it on. 

Perhaps, it's because we've become much more focused and goal oriented this year or perhaps it's because our faith has grown by leaps and bounds in recent months, but we have been determined to keep our thoughts and words positive.  We are determined to face any challenge that comes our way and conquer it.  In doing so, our kids see and hear the positivity that is spoken in our lives and mimic what they see.

Not everyday has been easy.  Not every challenge has been easy.  There certainly have been times when I have to sit and talk with God about my circumstance and everything comes into perspective.  He always reminds me that "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed..."

Negative words can be powerful.  "I can" can easily turn into "I can't."  They can easily cause someone to feel defeated before they have even mustered up the courage to feel like they can become a conqueror.  It's not very fun to go through life feeling like all the roadblocks that are meant to simply detour you cause you to stop altogether.

We don't like negativity in our home or spoken amongst our family.  When one of us speaks about a goal or a dream, we encourage each other to follow through with it and do whatever needs to be done to achieve it.  We are constantly encouraging and building each other up, no matter the circumstance.  It's hard to be around people that speak only discouraging or negative words.  Negativity can be contagious.

Just as Preston's positive words encouraged me, I pray that he knows how much his positive words can also encourage others.  And I pray our faith, as a family, continues to grow.  Positivity is also contagious.

 

Health Goals

Thank you, Kroger, for providing amazing health insurance for your employees and their families!!!

We, as a family, don't get sick very often.  If anything, it's once a year.  However, these past few months have been a little challenging, medically speaking.  We have been dealing with new braces, a broken finger, and a minor health diagnosis.

Personally, I have not been feeling the greatest for awhile and could just feel something was not right in my body.  Sure enough, there are a couple issues I need to handle, hoping to feel better again.  Unfortunately, I do not think my doctor is looking deep enough and there is something else going on.  With all the many health issues I've had to deal with throughout my life, I know when something is off.

Until we can pinpoint exactly what is going on, I've decided to start my workout routine again.  It is true, exercise does make you feel better.  I will admit there are times I am kicking and screaming as I head out the door to go workout or go for a long run.  But, I always feel better, albeit sweaty, afterwards.

We have a big summer vacation planned and our family goal is to be strong, completely healthy, and ready to take it on. 

Professional Goals

So much has happened in March. It has been a super busy month, full of exciting things.

The biggest and most exciting news to share is the promotion Craig received to become Store Manager.  Again!

Some of you already know that Craig was previously a Store Manager for a couple years. The joy that it brought at that time soon turned tumultuous and the odds were stacked against him. Finally, after lots of prayers and tears, Craig decided to step down and regain his focus and renew his strength.

I watched Craig struggle professionally and wanted so desperately to take away his pain.  I heard the heartache when he felt as if he failed on many levels.  But, I also swelled with pride as I saw him reach every single goal he had made.  He never gave up and kept his focus on everything that was so important to him.
 

These past two years have been nothing but life lessons, not just for Craig, but for the whole family.  We rediscovered and maintained our center, which is our relationship with God, and we have newfound joy and positivity.  We have been so thankful for the happiness and success we've had this year by remembering to keep our faith and that God truly wants to give us the desires of our hearts.

We are reminded that it is always when we go through those cloudy moments, with our hearts full of pain and ache, that God brings out the sun once again. This time it is brighter and the skies are even clearer.

 

Financial Goals

I'm not going to go into a lot of details with our finances because it is extremely personal.  However,  Craig and I definitely had some financial goals that we made at the beginning of the year.  We knew for these goals to be met, it was going to take a lot of faith in God and we needed to leave it in His hands. 

That is exactly what we did.

God took care of everything. 

And He still is.

As my dear friend told me recently, "God's math doesn't add up."  We have seen financial provision so many times and it just leaves us dumbfounded.  It is impossible to figure out these situations through our human ways.

It just makes our faith grow stronger and the miracles of God seem even more realistic.

Spiritual Goals

To say this new year is off to a bang is an understatement.  We knew going into this year that there were specific goals we wanted to reach.  We also knew that it was going to take great faith to reach every single one of those goals.  Often times, the journey seems treacherous or even impossible.  You begrudgingly drag your feet, even though you want to get to the end.  It's just the "getting there" part that seems so tiresome and not always fun.

Craig and I had some spiritual goals.  Not really goals, per se, but we really wanted to grow spiritually, however big or small that may be.  We made some decisions last year that we felt God was calling us to make.  But since we are all human and can be hesitant, we tend to constantly ask God to show us a sign that we are still headed in the right direction.  We can be so unsure because of our human nature that we are blinded to see that our faith has already restored our sight!

These past few months, Craig and I have had some spiritual questions and concerns.  Slowly, God has provided the answer to each and every one of them.  The answers were like music to our ears. 

We had one final question for God and He answered it in such a big way today.  God's anointing was on the church service this morning, from beginning to end and even past that. The tears came to both of our eyes immediately and they never stopped.  The presence of the Spirit was so real that the usual church service was interrupted so we could all continue to experience Him and his goodness the entire time.

And there is nothing more special than seeing the father of your kids, your life partner, your best friend, cry out to God as he is praying over his family.

During this amazing moment of feeling His power, grace, and love over the whole congregation, we just knew we had the answer we had been seeking.

God is so good.  He is so faithful.  He will not tell us to go on a journey and then leave us.  He is guiding us, but we need to remember to keep those blinders off.  It may not always be easy, quick, or fun.  But it will definitely be worth it.

Ringing in the New Year

And with great celebration, we ring in 2016.  A new year.  A new beginning.  New goals to set and new adventures await.

2016 will be the Year of Goals for this family.  We have some big goals set for this next year that we are determined to reach.  By doing so, it will help us reach even bigger goals we have further in the future.

We went over our Goal List as a family and discussed what needs to happen in order to check these off.  Some sacrifices will be made.  There may be days it seems impossible.  But we know what needs to be done to reach every single one.  Overall, we are so excited to start reaching them, one check at a time.