I can’t believe we are at the end of the first month of 2023, however, I will say it always seems to be one of the longest months of the year. It’s that month where the post-holiday mode is on but the weather isn’t quite saying Spring yet. It always feels like this strange in between time of year.
With my 2023 word of Intention, I really wanted to reflect on the month and how I am doing with my goal of staying intentional with my time and resources. We definitely had some memorable moments, both big and small, this month that I am treasuring.
We kicked off the New Year with a quiet evening at home followed by our first family trip of the year to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We had this trip on our radar since our nephew was born last September but coordinating everyone’s schedules is always a feat around here. Our nephew ended up under the weather so it changed the trip a bit but we definitely made the best of it, combining both time venturing out and time relaxing and catching up at home with family. Anytime I can get my kids out of their daily element and spending quality time together, I will take. It is far too precious these days.
On our flight home, we had a big family meeting about my son’s desire to add a second dog to our home. Despite my husband’s and my hesitation, we let him meet the rescue dog he had his eye on and he fell in love right away. The minute she entered our home, we were all smitten with Mila. Surprisingly, our older dog, Myles, did really well with her. I never thought we would be a dual pet home but I have to say, the amount of love has doubled and filled our home with a void we didn’t know we had.
I really spent my weekends trying to be intentional with my time. It is so easy to get caught up in to do lists and things around the house, but I know the importance of balance. We spent a couple Saturday nights out with some of our favorite people and reunited with family over a Sunday night dinner. My daughter and I also went to the Long Beach Flea Market one Sunday and found some fun items.
We closed out the month by rescheduling our ski day up in Big Bear. My daughter really wanted to plan this day so we originally had it on the calendar right before Christmas but had to postpone. While timing is never perfect, we went for it and took the day off to enjoy the time together. The weather was incredibly beautiful and it was so nice to just escape for the day and appreciate the beauty of God’s creations while soaking up family time.
February already has a few events on the calendar but I really want to stay mindful of making sure I am balancing out my time and fitting in the things that really matter the most to me. While life is never perfect, it sure can be sweet along the way and that is what I am holding on to as we head into the new month.