Post Christmas Update

I'm sitting here on my floor, back in our house in Florida, after an amazing, whirlwind of a Christmas. Spending a whole week with my family was incredible. Getting to be back in my hometown with my friends and loved ones was such a breath of fresh air and truly rejuvenated my heart in a way that I didn't know I needed. I think it's easy to get caught up in life and just fall into a pattern that allows you get by but does nothing to feed your soul or excite you. One of my big goals for this new year is to make sure I fight that easy, yucky pattern and do things that take me outside my comfort zone and allow me to live each day in a fulfilling and passionate way. 

I don't know if it was being around my family and friends, or getting out of Florida for a couple of days, but it took this trip up to NC for me to jumpstart my mental enthusiasm again, and I'm not going to let go of that! So, with my heart a little fuller, my mind a little clearer, and my ring finger a little heavier (!!!) I am excited to jump headfirst into 2016! 

This year is going to be another doozy for a lot of reasons, but the best one being that James and I got engaged over the holiday! I am so happy and pumped for our life together. We have already been through so much and built such an amazing partnership that I can't even imagine the crazy, awesome things that lie in store for us. I can't wait to take this next step together and continue down this winding road of ours :)

As I write this post, I have a huge load of laundry going, a pot roast in the crockpot, there are four sleeping pups covering my furniture, I'm looking through my new cookbook that my parents gave us for christmas, and the only sound is Chef's Table playing in the background on Netflix. It is heavenly. Our home has been a little crazy the past couple of days because two sets of our good friends are moving in the next couple of weeks :( I want to spend as much time with them as possible before they PCS so we've been a home base for all six of us, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. It will be so sad to see them go off on their next adventures but part of the beauty and sadness of the military life is watching your friends leave but knowing they'll always have your back. 

So, while everyone is off running errands and doing last minute moving things, I volunteered to hang out with the pups and have a few minutes of quiet time to reflect on the past couple of weeks and try to get our home in order so we can move into the new year seamlessly. It's always crazy to me when the end of December hits! Where did this year go?? So much has happened and changed but at the same time all of the important things have stayed the same. You know, the things that truly matter like family, friendship, and love. We're all a little older, maybe a bit wiser, but still the people we were this time last year, just better! 

I hope that everyone has a beautiful New Year! See you on the other side...