January...we survived!

It is no surprise to people who know me that I am usually not a fan of January. It is always cold, the holidays are over, the snow starts to get brown and ugly, and there is no paid holiday in sight for a while (how's that for negative?) 

However this January has been different. This month I've really done some reflecting on my life, what I'm doing, who I was last year, and improvements I'd like to make. I've decided to make a few changes in my life, and what has historically been a gloomy January for me has actually been pretty nice this year! 

In all honesty I've made a sincere attempt to focus on my fitness, health, and meditation (I feel so hippie-ish saying that but it's true). I've also focused on my spirituality and personal relationship with God. I've focused on my marriage, and putting my husband first. I've tried to focus on positives at work and in other daily situations. I'm trying to "unplug" more and actually went to the library to get back into reading! I read somewhere that asking yourself each day, "Did I like myself today? Was I my best?" can change your life. I am learning that daily self evaluations, stretching and meditation, can do wonders for stress, anxiety, and overall happiness.

I've realized it's exhausting to try and be perfect, and I am far from it. Some days I don't work out. Lots of days I still eat like an 8 year old child. Some days I have pity parties, and some days I'm just a grump. Looking back at last year I've learned that change doesn't come overnight, and the false thinking that it does gets me overwhelmed and I quickly give up on improving myself before I even start! Making gradual changes to my habits each day is slowly getting me back on track and focused on the person I want to become. In this month I've felt happier, more relaxed and more confident. I am truly, sincerely happy, and so grateful for all of the wonderful blessings I have in my life.

Nothing too crazy or exciting happened to us in January, but Andrew and I have really had a fun time getting back into the routine of work, school, and the simple joys that come along with the daily grind. We are currently watching The Office on Netflix and have enjoyed laughing our heads off every night. Jim and Pam are the best. Michael and Holly are great too. 

A few highlights from this month...

^^We've been diggin' Utah basketball this year. ^^

^^Pushing the couches together for weekend movie marathons^^

I am eating fruits and vegetables. This is huge! I've learned that if you put spinach in your smoothies you can't even taste it! It's fabulous. Try it, it will change your world.

We've really had bad luck with cars this month (it's part of my January curse). Both of our cars have had to be fixed and we are so over it it's not even funny. My hood latch broke, and after a few sketchy trips on the freeway with it flapping up and down we decided to take it to the mechanic and get it repaired. Andrew's car decided to be annoying as well and completely break down last week. We had it towed and found out the entire battery needed to be replaced (it's a 2010, seriously?). Super awesome. Naturally ice cream was in order. Only Andrew can take a sucky situation and turn it into something enjoyable. :) 

^^Sub-Zero is the bomb. Go there, it will change your world.^^

My second favorite boy in this world is my nephew Owen. He is seriously the most hilarious, sweet, curious little man. I can't get enough of him. Face-timing with him is always a good time and I love seeing him growing up and developing his awesome little personality. Serious stud in the making right there.

We finally caved and took our Christmas decorations down. After some of our neighbors stopped by to drop of some cookies (I think it was like the 16th of January or something...) I decided we needed to get it together. We ended up taking everything down and our house felt so empty! We put up our Christmas decorations right when we moved in so I didn't realize until now that once we took everything down we had nothing to replace it with. I'm not very good with this cutesy tutesy stuff but I ended up gathering some odds and ends from random places around the house to decorate our mantle. There are still things I want to change but we're getting there. We are loving our house more and more everyday and can't wait for this Spring to start working in the yard!

Lastly, we had a fun night babysitting this week. We got to hang out with Aaden and Kate while Ashlee and Sy had church obligations and it was a blast. We love being aunts and uncles and can't believe how much we love our nephews and niece! We had a good time making a sweet fort with Aaden and watching Emperor's New Groove while Kate slept! (sidenote: can you believe that movie is FOURTEEN years old? Yikes, I'm old) 

I also was able to go up to my sister's house and spend the night last night since Andrew and Danny were both busy boys. We had a fun time hanging out and I just love watching her be a mama! 

January has been fun and 2014 is already proving itself to be a great year. I can't wait for some of the adventures that lie ahead of us! 

xoxo

steph