2022 Word of the Year

I hope your new year is off to a nice start!  Have you started a new planner, set any resolutions, made any goals or picked out a word of the year?  I've done a little bit of all of those things.  I love a fresh start and a chance to work on things in the new year.

This is my 10th year to pick a word of the year.  I look forward to doing it every year.  It helps me set goals and make plans for the year ahead.  Some years work out much like I imagined.  2013: Change - we moved from UT to AR and I was a first time mom learning to be a stay at home mom.  2016: Invite - We moved to a new city and I had to work hard to invite myself to new things.  2020: Family - While that year went nothing like I could have imagined, our family spent tons of extra time together and welcomed Baby Leo to the family.  2021 threw us a curve ball so I'm interested to see what 2022 has in store for us.

Here's a walk down WOTY memory lane:

2021: Focus

2020: Family

2019: Listen

2018: Grow

2017: Care    

2016: Invite

2015: Enjoy

2014: Thrive

2013: Change

 

2022: Home

We are living in a brand new HOME that we are anxious to make our own.  We've got projects and wish lists and are eager to make our house a home for everyone who enters.  The kids are missing things like a play set in our backyard and we are eager to put up a fence so that our outdoor space feels a little more usable.  The kids have big ideas and wish lists of their own. 

We are going to work hard to make Evansville feel like HOME.  We grew up about 20 minutes away so parts of Evansville are familiar, but our family has never lived in the area before.  We have lots to figure out, lots to learn to love and lots of favorite spots to establish.  We need all new doctors, libraries, stores, grocery pick up options and I can't wait to not have to plug every address into my van navigation system.  In my experience, that takes about a year to feel super confident navigating a new city.

Life outside of our HOME feels a bit uncertain with new things at every turn.  New schools.  New friends.  New jobs.  New cities.  New routines.  New stores.  Etc.  It's exhausting being the new person.  It's really important for me to work on making HOME our happy place just like it was in other cities.  We're setting up cozy family rooms.  Working on making bedrooms familiar to the kids and establishing our routines.

I want to do things at HOME like enjoy prepping food for my family, meal plan, grocery shop and bring back our familiar routines of home.  We have done fun things like family game night, movie nights, we eat together nearly every night and I think we are all craving those familiar routines again.  I'm eager to put down my phone more and scroll social media less.  I would love spend more focused time with my people at HOME.

We are working on finding a church HOME.  Luckily, we have several church options near us so we are trying to visit them to see which ones would be great for the kids and for the adults.

We will have more opportunities to do things with extended family now that nearly all of our family lives 20 minutes away.  They aren't all in the same spot, but all the little towns that they call home are all about 20 minutes from our HOME.

 

Fletcher helped me draw my word of the year this year :)

 

I would love to hear your word of the year, goals or plans for 2022.  I'm cheering for you!