The very first day of 2014, we decided to completely change our eating lifestyle. We started the Daniel Plan which is a clean eating lifestyle and were very successful. It was hard at first, but then became our new normal. Even though as summer rolled around, we allowed ourselves to "cheat" more often (thanks, Disneyworld!) I can honestly say that we have stuck to the basic principles of the plan. I have not had a single drop of soda since the night of December 31, 2013! That is huge to me. I have never gone that long without soda. I seriously never crave it anymore and the thought of it actually makes me nauseous. Weird, I know. Also, there has not been a single bag of sugar of any kind or any white flour in my house in a year. Even when we would cheat by going out to eat and splurging, my cooking and eating habits at home stayed the same. I learned how to change our favorite recipes into clean versions using natural ingredients and I have never gone back. I lost 16 pounds in 2013 and even with me being more relaxed about splurging, especially over the holidays, I have not gained any of it back. We are starting 2014 doing the Daniel Fast alongside our church and will continue on into strictly Daniel Plan territory (aka no splurges) until Spring Break to give our bodies a new start.
In February, we were blessed enough with our income tax return to pay off our only car debt and plan a trip to DisnegWorld for the summer. We had an amazing 10 days of family time in May there and would love to go again someday.
That summer we also decided to get serious about some extra debt we have. No longer wanting to be a slave to stupid credit card mistakes, we made a plan to pay off all our debt in about 2 years. Wes got a part time job a few days a week and we have already been blessed to pay off a chunk of our debt. It isn't an ideal situation to be away from him at night during the week sometimes, but God blessed him with an opportunity that allows us maximum family time together while also bringing in extra income. Thanks, Dave Ramsey!
Probably the biggest highlight of the year for us was Brian realizing his need for Jesus as his Savior. That is a parent's greatest desire for their children and I got to lead him in prayer myself. What a wonderful experience as a mom that was!
There are countless other small moments of praise that I could tell about where we had a blessed year. In the everyday life, we see an overflow of God's love and blessings on a daily basis.
We also experienced some dark times, too. I lost a few friendships that left me feeling blindsided and betrayed. When you try to be a true friend and be there for he people you care about and they disregard that and leave you behind, it can be devastating. I would like to say I'm completely over it but I am still working on it. One thing I've learned from all of it is that you can forgive someone, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to allow them back in your life. Sometimes God means for us to move on from relationships that aren't good for us. It's really hard when this happens and it affects your entire family, too. Even your children. But God has a reason! He also brought our family some new, deeper friendships that I am so thankful for. People that pour into our lives and our kids. I feel like for the first time in my adult life I have people I can call "true friends."
Wes and I started serving as Host Team leaders at our church in early spring and it changed our lives. Serving has become not a duty to us but something we feel privileged to do. We have met some wonderful people who we have gotten to know and love so much. We love our church and our so happy to be there.
The darkest moment of the year came in early November when my family lost my cousin Blaine. It was unexpected and to say devestating would be an understatement. You are never prepared to lose someone, but tragically and at such a young 26 years old shook me up. I still don't understand it and may never this side of Heaven. But I keep telling myself that God knows what happens and that is all that truly matters. I have to find peace in that. And also trust that he will heal our family from it. Especially Blaine's precious mom. I wear a blue bracelet on my right wrist every single day with his initials and not a single day goes by that I don't miss him and think of his beautiful smile.
Our pastor has encouraged us in the past to choose one word to focus on in the new year. Just one word. This is my first time to do it myself. My word for 2015 is NEW. A reminder that my old life is gone and I have a new life in Jesus. A reminder that each upcoming day is a new day for me to grow into something bigger than I think I could. New opportunities, new relationships, new experiences, new ways to grow as a person and with my family.
Happy New Year!
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