End of another year. 2023 Thoughts.

 Things that happened in 2023:

We started off the year attending a Lions game in Detroit for our 6th anniversary. 

We went on a lot of winter walks and semi-regular hikes.

I pretty aggressively pursued sustainable solutions for my teeth (also gum/bite) issues and feel I am on the best path I have been on in my adult life. I start next week with a series of appointments to treat my gum issues and get Invasalign to help with my bite which should help with my airway which will hopefully help with my sleep... etc etc. You get the picture. Basic QOL (quality of life). :) In addition, one of my 2023 goals was to get a sleep study completed. It wasn't easy and it took the use of lots of self-advocacy on myChart messages, but we did it! 

What else? We celebrated Nora's 2nd birthday on a beautiful day with friends and family at a park pavilion. We went camping for Memorial Day weekend. We leaned in at church and for once (what feels like) we were the ones who stayed when others moved on. Faith remains a sticky, sometimes confusing task. But perhaps it has always been! Just as small as a mustard seed. 

We got professional family photos taken one not one but BOTH sides of the family! No small logistical task, but so happy to have the memories documented. 

I did a 3 month nutrition/work-out plan where I thought about protein, carbs, fats, and getting my steps in a big chunk of each day. It was really tough, I'm glad I did it, and I'm still trying to figure out how I am integrating what I learned into my current life sans weekly check-ins with my coach, personalized workouts, and invested money to keep me motivated. But it really made me proud to see  how my body responded by shedding pounds and toning up! Overall I learned that protein is important, not just in it's own right but in helping to curb sugar cravings. No food really is "bad." You CAN fit in the foods you like and you will likely enjoy them more in smaller amounts. Also- strength training is underrated, especially for women! 

We went to Colorado as a family of 3 for our first real weeklong vacation! It was beautiful, adventurous, strenuous at times, breathtaking, memory-making, all those wonderful things. However, it was NOT easy. Haha. We grew in our marriage and experienced high highs and some lows too. (Both symbolic AND literal elevation- hah). It made me realize the importance of experiencing awe together and how little we make time for it in our daily lives. It was an amazing week. 

I experienced the losses of both of my grandfathers. One was long-anticipated, one felt sudden but in reality I know it likely wasn't as much to those who saw him everyday. I really miss my Grandpa Milks and Grandpa Bell. I don't have a lot of words to say about it at this point, except to say grief has resurfaced even more recently than it did at the time of their passing. I just really miss them.

My work finally approved me down to a 3 day per week schedule in October. I have been wanting/asking for this for 1.5 years at least. So grateful for the shift toward more "balance" for me. 

In 2023 I read 20 books! It was a good reading year for me. I felt like I read some real quality books. 

We started a book/Bible study with another family every other Sunday night. They also have a two year old. We eat dinner together and chat about the chapters we read in a Bob Goff book. It's been great!

I remain a pretty over-thinky in a lot of areas of my life. Worried what people think of me. Worried if I'm doing "enough" in this area or "too much" in another. Wondering when I'll "arrive." (I know it's ridiculous). Last week, for example, I went to a community ballet class in which I was the oldest one in the room by several years. I was also the most challenged participant by a looong shot. And while the class did say it was for children AND adults, perhaps being the only member of the class to be hypothetically able to drink a glass of wine isn't for me at this point :) Do I love ballet? No. But somehow it made me feel sad to feel I will never learn it.... And thus I show that I can be a tad dramatic/over-feeling at times.

A lot happened in 2023! We grew in our marriage in really positive ways. I love being a mom. I love doing something else out in the community too, and right now that looks like a 3-day a week schedule with the Area Agency on Aging. 

I look forward to loving people better in 2024. I want to better love myself in the process too, for I think loving myself as God loves me goes a long way in not people-pleasing or reviewing every conversation I have after the fact, looking for my errors. 

I look forward to how God will meet us in 2024, and how we will experience his love and love him back too.