Every year is different. Some years I plan goals and resolutions and other years I choose a “word” for the year. This year I have chosen the word JOY as my word for the year! 2018 was quite the adventure. We traveled to another state to visit friends, went camping with family, redid our roof, Daniel rebuilt our deck, shoot 9 weddings, shoot 20 family sessions, switched jobs, added additional jobs, visited family, and celebrated the fact that we are going to have a little boy this year! The beginning of the 2018 I was working at a museum, an hour away from our home and at the end of this year I had a 2 week Christmas break from teaching (from a school close to home) while being 6 months pregnant. A lot happened for us, as a family in 2018.

I feel like the word for 2018 was “hustle”. Daniel and I worked long hours, multiple jobs, and had a long season of no sleep (unfortunately that’s about to happen again-life with a newborn!). We hustled and hustled to pure exhaustion.

This year we are slowing down a little bit…well at least I am. And that is because I can’t physically move that fast anymore 😉 And I am deciding to choose joy every day. I am doing my best to remind myself that my to-do list is not always going to be completed. I am deciding to watch, play, and listen to my daughter and choose joy and delight in this season of toddler-hood instead of being annoyed and frustrated when things don’t go as planned. I am deciding to be joyful with our preparations for our son instead of being stressed that there is still a lot to do.

This year I am going to try to be joyful in all things. Joyful for the life that I have been given and all that the Lord has provided me/us.

What is your word for the year?