2023, Here We Go!

2022 started with Asa testing positive for Covid. His Facebook status (which he rarely EVER updates), read this:

For the new year, I thought I’d do something I’ve never done. Tested positive for COVID today. Is it 2023 yet?

To which I responded: 

Hey, don’t wish away our year. 2022 is gonna have crisis, heartache, drama, stress, tears and more. But it’s ALSO going to have laughter, hugs, newness, excitement, and JOY. I love you!!!! I am sooooooo sorry you are so sick and that this break has been prettyyyyyyy miserable. You and we’ve got this!

He responded, “Ashley, it better be good!” and I said (yes, this is a lot of back and forth)... “It might not be? But we can handle anything together.” 

Today was the memory of that status. He scoffingly said, “Boy were you right, Ash!” I remember how I felt this time last year. That 2022 was a new year, I was excited about it, but knew that like all years, there would be challenges that came our way. Did I ever guess that would include being diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease? Of course not. But NONE of us know the ‘hand we will be dealt,’ right? I feel like every single year for the rest of our forever (here on Earth anyway), is going to guarantee these things: 

Heartache. Laughter. Hope. Despair. Grief. Love. Friendships. Loss. Challenges. Accomplishments. Failure. Achievements. Smiles. Tears. And maybe it’ll all repeat, maybe not? 

And I also know this: If we stay united with Christ, and with each other, it will ALL be okay. So how about 2023? What’s next?

This year I didn’t set any MASSIVE goals. I don’t need to run a certain or set number of miles, I simply want to ‘increase my miles.’ Would I love to run 10-13 miles again without stopping? Sure! Right now I can do a solid 3-4 and I’m happy to maintain that for a little bit, and then I want to pick it up. Since finding out I HAVE MS, that alone has made my workouts way more doable and enjoyable. I find myself thanking God that I CAN do them, whereas before, I took a lot of runs and lifting workouts for granted. 

I also want to make more friends at our church (and really just in general, with Christ loving people.) We’ve attended our church a few years, since the Pandemic really, and while we know a handful of people, we aren’t fully plugged IN, if that makes sense. I am craving deep and meaningful friendship. I was never in a sorority, I don’t live in the same state I grew up in, and frankly since having to move churches several times throughout our marriage, that has made friendship hard! Oh and the fact that I got married as a sophomore in college / 20-year old…ha. Today a neighbor of ours texted, “I know it’s last minute but we are making a charcuterie board and some simple pasta. Would you guys want to come over for dinner?” and I died inside. Kidding–but I was so sad we couldn’t make it! I told my husband this was my dream friendship right in front of me. A charcuterie board, pasta, and amazing people!? YES, PLEASE! PS: Motherhood / Adulting / Friends = tricky to maintain and manage, at least for ME. 

My other hopes for this year are that I will read more, and that I will grow significantly in my walk with God. I want to read more books about Him, learning about His character and who HE is. I want to decrease screen time, and believe we should ALL be doing that. Today our pastor encouraged us that as a congregation, our goals should have rhythms AND restrictions, and I couldn’t agree more. For instance:

*Rhythms: daily prayerful engagement with Scripture 

*Restrictions: limit quality and quantity of screen intake 

Nothing was huge or out of the norm as far as setting my goals for 2023. I have seen how EASY it is to walk away, and I do not want to do that. I long for our family to be so deeply rooted in Christ loving friendships and community, and that together we will be rooted in Him. No one said the year will be easy, and it won’t be. But as I said above, if we stay united with Christ, and with each other, it will ALL be okay. (My dad loves to say, “It’ll all be good,” and it makes me smile.)

(Does this feel like a big, giant spoken ‘prove me wrong’ God, to anyone else?? I tend to be on the superstitious side sometimes, where I am scared to say things aloud because then they so freakishly HAPPEN?? That I’d be lying if I told you I haven’t kinda freaked myself out with this post.) 

What about you, Friend? Wanna share your 2023 goals with me? Feel free to email me or find me on Insta to connect and say hello! Whatever your aspirations are, I pray you well and thank you for sticking around in my little corner of the internet!

Don’t Let Derailed Plans Derail You

When we bought the house we are currently in, it was practically brand new. Well, five years old but that’s pretty darn new, especially since the one we moved OUT of was over 100-years old. I think for me, I assumed this house would be perfectly fine, a-okay, hunky dory, and really never cause us any ‘issues’ because it was so ‘new.’ But as I sit here reflecting, I’m reminded we didn’t have even a fraction of the problems in our old house that we do here… NEW doesn’t always mean better! I’m a big lesson person, and I believe there is generally a lesson to be learned from almost everything; so I want to share some that I’m learning in this current phase of life.

Things Don’t Go According to Plan

We all know this, right? We make plans and set goals and while sometimes things work out great, often they do not. Asa and I were so excited for the downfall of snow we got in February, never thinking twice about it damaging anything. I grew up in Michigan with feet of snow dumping on my childhood home every single winter. I know my parents house has had some leaking issues in the basement, but it never had ice damming on the roof! I never even knew that was a thing if I’m being honest, until now. We were hit hard with both snow AND ice, and very quickly we started to see water spots on the ceiling….we knew things were getting really not fun when the hardwood floors starting bowing and changing in texture—YIKES.

Thank the Lord FOR homeowners’ insurance, truthfully! We put in a claim and before we even had to time to think really, a crew was out looking at our house. And then REALLY before we knew it, floors were being ripped apart, drywall was getting replaced, and fans were blowing for 48 hours making sure everything was nice and dry. Our walls got a fresh coat of white paint (literally the whole entire first floor) and the last thing has been to get the hardwoods repaired and redone. Which is where we are currently…

Packers came and packed up our first floor, then movers came and moved it all out. We’ve had nowhere to sit for four days and we’ve been sleeping on our bedroom floor like poor college kids. ;) At the end of this though, imagine how incredible our house is going to look and feel? Things didn’t go according to plan but in the end, it sure will look better! (Please, God, no more needs for home owner claims……..) Don’t let derailed plans derail you, it’s 100% part of life and I think what makes the good SO good.

Take Things in Stride

I sat in my closet on the floor, in the dark, with the door shut, taking very deep breaths. It had rained ALL weekend long, the kids were so bored and their noise levels were echoing throughout the very empty first floor. This was Sunday night…after Asa and I had packed the kids suitcases, ours, and we were going through the house trying to figure out and gather what we would need for a week spent OUT of our house. Monday we would move into a rental home for the week, as our hardwood floors get finished.

I realized I had a deadline for a brand that was going to be very challenging to complete and I was starting to internally freak out. I grabbed one of my favorite essential oils, Valor, (if you don’t have it, you need it) and took deep breaths. Then, my sweet, sweet husband opened the closet door and closed it behind him. He sat WITH me there, and walked me through the next day. He encouraged me to email the brand and ask for a 24 hour extension (praise God they’re awesome and gave it to us!) and after I had that moment…I reminded myself that one, I am incredibly blessed and two, it’s okay to slow down and catch your breathe. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed and to stress ourselves out with the MANY challenges we may be facing, but when we take them in stride, it is so much easier to function!

Being Happy with Less

Our first floor has been empty for DAYS. No couch or chair in the living room, no dining room table, no kitchen table, no bar stools…so we’ve had to do life a little differently. Our meals have been either outside on the deck or upstairs in the family room. Our dogs and cats at first looked around, confused; but really, as long as they have their people, they are happy. And the same goes for us! We have had each other and while it’s looked really differently, we still have so much to be joyful about. Having a beautiful home is always something that means a lot to me, (a blog post about it here), but having less doesn’t mean our happiness has to be sacrificed. It was really eye opening to stand in our empty living room, with the bare walls, and to hug each other tightly knowing really, THAT was all that mattered—we have each other. Wherever we are, no matter what is going on, regardless of what life looks like—we are strong because we have one another.

Mama’s Mood Matters

I have never liked the phrase ‘happy wife, happy life,’ because I wholeheartedly agree the same can be said for having a happy HUSBAND. But what I’ve learned a LOT over the years, especially the older our kids are getting…is that my mood often sets the tone for the household. That sounds like a lot of pressure, doesn’t it? Ha. But you probably know what I mean. Negative emotions are contagious, but so are POSITIVE. Me, as a mom, realizes I may need to become more and more mindful of this. What kind of mood do we want to inspire in others? Being in touch with MY emotions and what I’m offering others…is one, another reason I’m thankful for my essential oils (ha) and two, another reason I’m thankful to have a husband who helps me stay in check!

What’s going on in your world right now? Have you done any house renovations that shook you? It’s hard to believe we are half way through April right now, isn’t it? I’m thankful for spring, for change, and I am looking forward to being back home!

Fall Traditions and How We are Still Keeping Them

How do you feel about Fall? Because by far, this is my absolute favorite season. It’s not TOO cold, it’s not too hot, and there’s no SNOW. The colors are beautiful (especially this year) and this is when we do ALL the festivities with our local family. We joke that we see each more than ever before in the Fall but come January, we’re all hunkered down in our homes ready to be recluses.

I think more than ever, keeping traditions alive is SO crucial to and for us. Especially with our KIDS. I mean sincerely, how sad a season has been the season of Covid?! They can’t go to school, they haven’t seen their classmates in over 250 days, and their life has been radically rocked—whether they can fully grasp it or not. Enter: all of this. Doing LIFE with some of our favorite people. Running and jumping and playing and being silly. Oh and indulging in ALL the apple cider donuts…And just to be safe, yes, all our kids (and us) wore masks, especially when around other people) and during all the activities. And there was plenty of hand washing afterwards ;)

This is the month we watched Hocus Pocus on a projector in our backyard, we all went to Boo at the Zoo together, we walked St. James Court in honor of the Art Fair that DIDN’T get to happen this year, and then obviously Gallrein’s Farm. It’s FALL, Y’all, and we are HERE for it. You know Asa is Buddy the Elf (except for all holidays, not just Christmas) so planning moments like this is his jam. Have you been to a pumpkin patch this season? What’s your favorite part? For me it’s the hay ride and just walking around the field admiring all the cute gourds. We go, we walk around, we snap some orchard photos, and then we buy all the donuts and enjoy every single bite. (I keep mentioning donuts but sadly I didn’t take a single picture of one this year?! Darn. It’s okay though, you know they’re freakishly delicious even if not photographed, right?)

“I am SO glad I live in a world where there are Octobers-” I mean, WHO cannot relate to Anne of Green Gables with this?!? SO much has been cancelled in our world. I am incredibly grateful the pumpkin patch DID NOT, and we were still able to enjoy these memories. We believe traditions are important. And we also believe being outdoors is a HUGE part of that. Kids need to breathe fresh air, they need to explore, and they need time with family. So what about you?? What things have YOU done this fall? Is there anything we need to add to our list of fun? Jot a comment and let us know! :) Oh and if you like looking back on memories like I do, you can see one of our previous Gallrein visits here! The kids have all grown SO much!!

A Nostalgic Christmas

Isn’t Christmas MAGICAL?! The lights, the colors, it is truly the most beautiful time of year in our home. This year we are so thrilled to have a Treetopia tree in our home. This gorgeous tree reminds both me and my husband of our trees from our childhood, well, except, this one is massive. As soon as it was up we couldn’t stop talking about how grand it felt, and yet so nostalgic of our childhood. We simply love that this is the tree our kids will remember. That it brings our childhood and theirs together in a beautiful way. 

This year decorating the tree was particularly special. The kids have grown fond of certain ornaments, and had to share their memories of many of the sparkly things now decorating our gorgeous tree. Reese must have said “Oh I love this one” or “I remember this because….” With each ornament she placed on the tree. Making this season magical is so important to us, and sincerely this beautiful 9-foot Fir has really helped create that in our home. Not to mention the super cute ornaments Treetopia also sent, how sweet and timeless are these??

Whether we are sipping coffee in the morning, or hot cocoa at night, sitting by this tree has sincerely brightened our spirits. It’s funny how something new, can bring up so many happy memories of the past and help me relive all of those great childhood Christmases from when I was a kid.

PS: Treetopia also sells wreaths and garland, so BASICALLY this brand is your one stop shop. You really can’t go wrong (especially if you order today on Cyber Monday, when they are having up to 60% OFF!)

Not only did I partner with Treetopia, there are also nine other amazingly talented women who are going to be sharing THEIR beautifully and uniquely decorated trees with you this week. Each day this week, there will be two of us sharing how we decorated to show you what Christmas means to US. That being said, go check out Kara’s AWESOME 80’s inspired tree on her blog!

This post is sponsored by Treetopia. Thanks for supporting the brands that help make all the sweet stuff we do as a family possible. All ideas and opinions are my own.