The house is quiet, except for the steady hum of the dishwasher. Through my earbuds, Lauren Daigle sings “Light of the World”. This song. This silence. Yessssss! Little moments like this are so life giving to me and friends, simple stuff like this is what I want to fill 2017 with—Things that make LIFE so much richer, fuller and more peaceful. Not full as in busy, but full as in overflowing with goodness.
Close your eyes for a moment and picture the most gorgeous waterfall streaming over moss covered rocks, full to her maximum capacity, after a snowy winter. She has plenty to give. She has reserves! The things growing around her are flourishing. She is life-giving to everything she touches. That’s what I want. To be full with reserves! So as I approach 2017, and ponder what it has for me, I’m not creating a resolution list. Instead, I’m creating a Live List.
Just for fun, I thought I’d share some of what’s on my Live List:
Backpacking trip with friends: No words for how stink’n excited this makes me. I could pack right now! Can we leave tomorrow?!
Build our home: We’ve been living in major transition since we sold our home 1 1/2 years ago. It’s taken SO long to get a building permit and as we STILL wait, I go through times of peace and patience and other times, I just about go crazy. The big picture makes the wait worth it. We love our property, we love the road, the location and the school district, but waiting is HARD.
Grow this site: I love this area, I LOVE you guys, I love the local companies I get to work with, I love adventuring and sharing about it. Have I mentioned how thankful I am to be able to publish this site? I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this coming year!
Work more at my kids school: A few years ago, I never imagined I’d be working for the school district. At the time, we were contemplating homeschooling. So we tried it! No regrets, but after homeschooling for a few months, we knew it wasn’t for us. We were so glad we tried but happy to let it go. Being a stay at home Mom is something I’ve loved, but I’ve craved time away with other adults in more of a workplace environment, so I started working for the school district a few months ago! What FUN it’s been to be able to pick up days at my own kids school! I try to work only 1 or 2 days a week since life is busy, but this is something that’s been really fun for me and the schedule has been ideal for our family.
Ferry rides! The San Juan Islands, make me oh so very happy! Riding a ferry with my Mom or with my hubby and kids is one of the simplest, most wonderful days. 2017 needs ferry rides for sure.
Backpack to ShiShi beach. I’m thinking it’s time for our first family backpacking trip and ShiShi beach seems like the perfect place to go.
Camp! A lot! The more we go camping as a family, the more we love it. Last year we camped on Camano, at Deception Pass State Park and in Long Beach. Next year, we’d love to do all of those same places again, plus a few more.
Sleep more. Sleeping makes me happy, and less hungry and more kind. My kids sleep through the night. I have no excuses except for the fact that I stay up too late watching Insta-stories, which is a terrible.
Send my children’s book in to a publisher or two. Yes, I wrote a Children’s book. The story actually came to me one night when I was sitting in the bathroom with my girls. They were in the bath and we were playing a game where we each tell a story. They loved this story so much that after they were in bed, I hurried over to the computer and typed it all out. It’s a Christmas story actually and I love it, but something in me says that writing a children’s book is a nerdy thing. It’s time to silence that negative voice and get this thing published.
Dates with my husband. So you have 3 kids and life gets busy then before you know it, you’re both exhausted and you can’t even remember when you went on a date last. It doesn’t need to be big and fancy. We just need to DO THINGS together. Go out to lunch, adventure, watch Netflix, lay in the dark and cuddle. You get the idea.
Rock Mailbox Peak with the ladies hiking group. 5.2 miles with a 4000ft elevation gain! That’s a steep climb, but hey, isn’t training more fun when you have something you’re working for?
I hope this little glimpse of my Live List gets your wheels turning. What would be on yours? What makes your life full, in the very best way? Here’s to a great 2017!