2022 Endings and Beginnings

I want to wrap up 2022 in a neat little bow before talking about my goals and word of the year for 2023. How is it 2023? I am still trying to wrap my head around it. 2022 was a very weird year for us so I am struggling a bit with how to write out my thoughts and have them make sense.

I will start with my goals and priorities for 2022 and how I did:

• people over things 🤷 I think I would say this would be about an even split...needs more work
  
• present over distracted I did better at this being present with the people I was with, but still a work in progress
  
• 🇽exercise 3x's a week (gotta have it, don't we?) Fail, I did this some but not at all toward the end of the year
  
• 🇽get down to my goal weight and maintain it um, nope, gained weight
  
• 🇽healthy eating -sometimes, but not as much toward the end of the year
  
• ✅attitude of gratitude-I do this decently well but always room for improvment
  
• maintain prayer journal (I have done this for years but 2020 hit and I slacked and 2021 hit and I slacked more), so I want to get back in the habit of keeping it up to date so I know who I am praying for (otherwise I tend to forget)-Needs work
  
• ✅Finish reading my Chronological Bible (I started last year and want to finish it this year) FINISHED
  
• 🇽Maintain budget (Matt is planning to start one again, we used to and then ya know 2020, 2021) Um, nope, failed here too...the move happened
  
• No emotional spending/splurges 😂
  
• ✅Get back into Zone Cleaning (this works SO well when I do it!!) Yes and then we moved
  
• ✅Read 200 books this year (you can see all my book goals here) Pulled it out at the end of the year
  
• 🇽Post 3 blog posts weekly (I wanted to do this last year and didn't) epic failure
  

My word of the year was focus. I followed it really well at the beginning of the year but toward the middle of the year I seemed to lose my focus. We had so many things hitting us at once and there were SO many distractions. I feel like I am still in a distracted/aimless state and trying to find my focus again. 

Here are some of our Endings and Beginnings of 2022:

I started a Little Free Library in my neighborhood.

Elijah learned to drive. 

Elijah became a kitchen coach at work.

I started baby-sitting through a nanny company.

I started a book club in my neighborhood.

Elijah ended his years of Bible quizzing.

We stepped out of youth ministry.

Kayla finished her second year of college.

 I applied for a job through Proverbs 31 Ministries and did not get it.

Elijah graduated high school.

I officially closed down our home school.

Matt and I celebrated 23 years of marriage.

Elijah bought a car.

We visited three new states this summer: Illinois, Wisconsion, and Missouri.

I started learning to crochet.

Elijah got his driver's license.

I had eye surgery (Superficial Keratectomy).

 Kayla began her third year of college as a second semester junior! 

We put the house on the market.

Matt got a job in Cleveland.

Multiple trips to Ohio over the year.

Elijah began inviting his friends over from work-which was so much fun!

Kayla turned 20, she is no longer a teen!!!

We found a house in Brunswick, Ohio.

Elijah had to quit his job at the Chick-fil-A in Monroe.

We moved in with my in-laws for 9 days.

We moved into our new house.

Elijah got hired at the Chick-fil-A here making $1 more than he was making.

We enjoyed our first thanksgiving in our new house. 

We went to Lake Erie for the first time (our only tourist activity so far!)

Lots of painting, cleaning, and organizing the new house.

Got the old carpet replaced with new.

I had an interview with a family to nanny-I did not get the job.

Matt rewired the fireplace so it would work properly. 

Kayla finished out her semester of school.

I put in an application for an online job-I did not get the job.

Our frig went out and three weeks later we got the new one.

We got our Ohio license plates and driver's licenses (not Elijah, yet). 

Kayla has a boyfriend (new beginning for her, and for us).

We ended 2022 mostly settled in our new house. Almost everything is out of the boxes, and most things are in the right places. It was an odd year but we made a ton of memories. Is it any wonder I couldn't keep my focus this year? While it was a year of ups and downs, we have all grown this year (Elijah in many ways, including continuing to grow taller 😂).

As we head into 2023 I would ask you all to pray for a few things that we need:

*Pray that God leads us to the right church, locally. We LOVE Kayla's church and go to it sometimes, but it is an hour away. I really want us to be able to really enjoy our Church community and make friends, and that will be easier if we find a local one. We have already eliminated one church as a possibility so we are making progress.

*Pray that we make friends here, especially Elijah.

*Pray that God leads me to the right job.

*Pray that I find a good ladies Bible study group (preferably in the right church that we will all attend).

*Pray for Kayla as she will be heading back to school soon. She is planning to work this semester which means she will be trying to balance school, work, and a relationship. 

If you are still reading, THANK YOU!

"To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Philippians 4:20

 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

What a difference a year makes!