2024 Recap

One of my favorite authors, James Clear, has the brilliant idea of measuring success backwards. In my job with Success Team Coaching (STC), this is something I would say comes up probably 3-5 times per week in some way. It’s an incredible way to measure your success. Looking at what you’ve accomplished and seeing how far you’ve come is an amazing feeling, and planning out your 1% gains accordingly is how you continue to see progress.

2024 was such an incredible year, and particularly the last six months were so fulfilling for me. It sounds dramatic, but my life right now is different than I ever truly thought it would be. 

Athletically, I got out of my comfort zone and embraced not only taekwondo, but also tried my hand at activities such as step class, barre, Jazzercise, aerial yoga, Pound, and more! I went from a white belt in taekwondo to a senior green! I competed in two taekwondo tournaments and came home with medals both times. I continued my streak all year of working out five times per week.

In the beginning of the year, my goal was for Stephen and I to find time for four date nights. Midway through the year, my job schedule changed, and it’s now unusual for us to not go on at least two dates per month! We are really enjoying the extra time together and continuing to grow closer together. The years are flying by so quickly - I’m so thankful for any extra time I get with him.

My evenings are free due to my new job schedule, which means I’m intentional about how I spend my evenings. Our kids both have jobs now, so we all set aside one night of the week to put away phones, eat dinner together, do Bible study together, and play a game together (either board game, Wii Sports, or something outside). For the first time in years, I’m able to set aside Thursday nights every single week to go to Bible study at church, which has been huge for my social development and spiritual development.

I have more time to focus on my job at church, which is one of my top priorities. I was able to plan events in the fall of 2024 that I’ve never had time to sit down and plan before! I’m focusing way more on my personal Bible study as well as the time I put into studying for lessons I’m teaching at church, so my spiritual life is the best I’ve felt in years, and I have so much passion for teaching and continuing to learn what God has to say to me.

I did a podcast with an awesome friend (2 seasons!) and it stretched me and was so much fun! (Look out for season 3 in 2025!)

The kids and I discovered how much we enjoy going to concerts together in 2023, so in 2024 we made it a point to go see some of our favorites - Meghan Trainor, NF, and Olivia Rodrigo being the standouts. We have six events lined up for 2025 already, so I’m definitely looking forward to this trend continuing!

My friendships deepened with some of the most amazing women ever. These are the best friendships of my life and I’m so thankful for all of them. This year included everything from comforting each other to laughing until we cried. How blessed am I to have people like this to go through life with.

My job at STC is satisfying in a way that I didn’t even realize was possible. I spend every single day connecting with the most incredible, high-achieving people who influence me in so many ways. I learn something new every day. It helps me attain something I hadn’t quite put my finger on that I wanted - to be a part of someone else’s success. The feeling that I get when I talk to someone, give them an idea or am very direct with them about something they should be doing, and then they send me a message 20 minutes or 2 weeks later telling me this amazing outcome - I LOVE celebrating with them and knowing I was a small part of that. 

My mental health in general at the end of 2024 is stronger. I feel lighter. I feel more joyful. I feel more peace. I know all of that is due to the culmination of all of what I wrote above. I’m so excited about the future.

STC has this exercise called your predictable future. It’s what your future would look like if nothing changed. Over the past few years, when I’ve done this exercise, I’ve felt overwhelmed, stuck, and hopeless in certain areas of my life. The end of 2024 has been such a beautiful time because I’m seeing so much change in so many areas. 

God is so faithful. I can see His hand in so many things, not just in the last year, but in guiding my life. He’s given me quirks that work with certain friends. He’s given me certain gifts that work in my jobs. He’s placed people around me that balance me and help me self-reflect. I’m completely in awe. I’m not deserving, and I’m so thankful for all these amazing blessings. 

s completed it, or he reaches out to them if they haven't.

Store Nights and Holidays

I said I was determined to blog more, and then about four hours after making that proclamation I was the proud recipient of a stomach bug, and you know what they say about "best laid plans"...

Wednesday night the kids had store night at AWANA. AWANA is a program at our church that I never knew existed until a few years ago. I love it. It rewards the kids for learning scripture. (They also have recreation time and a small group counsel time). They earn "AWANA bucks" (think Monopoly money) and can spend it at store night which takes place about once every 6 weeks or so. One room in the church is set up like a store and they can spend their money on anything they want. It didn't take long for our kids to realize they could spend that money to buy us gifts, and it surprises me every single time they bring something home for me. It makes me thoroughly excited to find out what they decided I needed most!!

Hunter has been known to buy me jewelry that says "BFF" and makeup brushes. Brianna likes to buy me body spray and nail polish. They both frequently give me hand lotion, and I think their favorite thing is when they find funky socks they can buy for me! This past Wednesday they were both jumping up and down to give them their surprises. Brianna bought me a package of Valentine's Tootsie Rolls (one of my favorite candies!) and a very cool new pair of Valentine's socks! Then Hunter started laughing and handed over his gifts for me - more candy and another (different) pair of Valentine's socks! They know me so well!

Sometimes they will grab a jump rope for a friend at church who isn't in AWANA, or some coloring books or crayons for one of their friends in the toddler class. I can count on Hunter to come home with some type of Lego or Transformer toy, and Bri will always come home with some self-care item. This week it was a cooling eye-mask you can keep in the refrigerator. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to alleviate the bags under your eyes, but I love that she loves it.

They fill our stockings at Christmas with these items. They're so excited for us to open the stockings on Christmas morning and see what surprises they were able to get us. It's such a simple thing but it makes me so happy to see them so happy. I remember the thrill I got when I was a little kid and I could find some way to surprise my parents. My mom's best friend, Gail, started taking me shopping when I was probably 11 or 12 years old. I didn't think it was fair for mom and dad to have empty stockings on Christmas morning, so we'd go out together and get things to put in their stockings. I don't even remember the type of items I'd get, but if I had to guess it would look a lot like hand lotion... candy... funny socks... trinkets. It's so funny how you can see yourself in your kids sometimes.

It makes me smile when I know it IS possible for them to look outside of themselves every so often. These are the little things I don't want to forget about my kiddos. Sometimes the "big" stuff can take over - the athletic tournaments, the big test at the end of the school year, the major vacations - but this is the stuff that makes my heart happy just on an average day.

Thursday Thoughts

Another Thursday here and gone. This morning we were off to work bright and early, ready to see our young friends at Sandhills PCA. We had just four kids today, so we had a lot of fun with them. Brianna and Hunter are so helpful with the babies. I really don't think I could get through a lot of those work days without their help. And I'm ever so grateful on these days that God chose to bless me with two individual children, and no multiples!!

This afternoon I found out that Brianna started reading a new series. It is about a dog named Wishbone who travels in time and goes through classic novels, retelling them in a fun way for kids. She read Jack and the Beanstalk.

She came downstairs, so excited about this book, and telling me all about it, when I realized that when I was about 8 or 9 years old, I loved to watch the TV show of Wishbone! The kids had finished all their school work and chores, so that meant they were allowed to have electronic time. I hopped on YouTube and found the entire first episode of Wishbone, which went through the story of Tom Sawyer. They absolutely loved it. I think as we read through these books we will definitely watch the TV show that coincides.

After dinner we made a fire, which always means we roast marshmallows. The kids helped pile up sticks and limbs, and then played while Stephen controlled the fire. Then we got down to business eating marshmallows.

In one of those pictures you see the kids in a ditch in our woods. At our last family dinner night, that ditch was named "Four Cousins" by Brianna, Hunter, and (you guessed it) their two cousins. So when I came outside after cleaning up from dinner, I couldn't see Bri, and I asked where she was. She came running out of the woods, limbs in both hands, yelling, "I was at the Four Cousins! You couldn't even find me, could you, Mom?" They think it is the coolest thing ever.

Brianna's hair is in about a dozen tiny little braids tonight. She wants her hair to be fancy because our cousin Shannon is getting married tomorrow. Bri has a big part in the wedding (in her mind) because she gets to open the door for Shannon to walk out with her dad. She has her fanciest dress set out and she is ready to go!

June 2014 Pictures

 June 2014