New Year. New Intentions.

Twenty-Seventeen has come and gone and I honestly can say I'm glad to see it go.  It devastates me to ponder on the previous year and recognize so much stress, fear, doubt and unhappiness when in reality I was so blessed.  How sad that my day to day recognition was clouded with so many negatives despite actually being surrounded by a sea of positives daily.  Never have I ever been more physically and emotionally exhausted as I was treading water for 365 days in 2017 because I kept looking for more.  How grateful I am for those special trips to California, Toronto and Cancun and the few responsibilities of my church calling and as a mother, that kept my head above the water.  Maybe it was turning 30 last month, or the possibilities and opportunities that lie before me and my family in this new year, but I'm feeling a love and strength within my mind and heart that this year will be a year of incredible purpose.  In the last few weeks my outlook on life, my goals, wants, desires and focuses have somehow shifted in a direction I never expected.  I have so much to share about my personal struggles this last year because I feel so strongly against this plague of self doubt, comparison and the always wanting more way of life that is polluting and restricting our lives as women, spouses, mothers, fathers and good human beings... But that's for another post so I can truly open my heart to you.  I will however share with you my WORDS for 2018 that have me refocusing and re purposing my life and our family lifestyle as well as my January Library Haul so you can see where I'm finding inspiration and encouragement for a happier and more truthful year. 
2018 Words: Intentional Purposeful  Simple Essential  Minimal Humble Faithful Present Less Breathe
January Library Haul 

If you can sense the theme between all these words and books, you'll recognize that our goals this year will include slowing down, de-cluttering our home and schedule and most importantly actively fighting the "keeping up with the Jones" disease that sickens and darkens every home. And trust me, that last part is what's going to be the hardest change with the insistent world of social media (which we absolutely have a love/hate relationship with) that is always telling us we'll be happier with more when in fact what we already have is more than enough.  We are anxious to learn and grow more about a purposeful lifestyle as we find a balance between what we really NEED and what we want.  We hope you'll stick around for some exciting and NEW things that are coming this way this year.  We're more excited than ever to share with you our journey as we make a shift in our lifestyle and focus of this blog in hopes for a happier and simpler life with more time for the things that matter most. 
What are some of your words, goals and books lists for 2018?