The Best Things I Did in 2014
2014.
What changed my life this year? I want to share the things that made a difference in my happiness, life + abundance.
A really big deal for me this year was that I completed this new website and blog. Although it’s taking me a little while to get settled I love this new space so much. I started blogging in 2008 and was ready for an upgrade. My website was so out of date I took it down for a couple years before I completed this one. I had it in my head for at least two years that I wanted to take it up a notch and create something that I felt proud to show people and that I could grow with for the next few years. It feels good to begin again with a fresh new home on the web.
After a couple of years really concentrating on my health and wellness I got sidetracked. Towards the end of 2014 I began to come out of the fog and re-commit to eating healthy and moving my body. It hasn’t been easy or consistent but, it’s a step in the right direction and my mind is more on board with making the commitment then it’s been in some time.
I allowed myself to say no to business opportunities and projects that didn’t feel right. I spent more time at home, with my family and doing “mom stuff”. It’s been a huge transition year for our family schedule, finances and time management and one of the best things I did was acknowledge that a lot was changing and that I needed to let things flow and in some cases let things go and be totally okay with it.
I treated myself and our kids more. Our family has been on a very tight budget for what seems like forever and treating ourselves has been at the very bottom of the list. This year, I bought new clothes, art supplies, body care, high quality food, kitchen gadgets and home decor items – all of which were out of reach the last few years. I also did the same for our kids. When they needed something, I got it. When they wanted to play a sport, I signed them up. If we were out and they wanted something small, I said yes more often. My kids are really great about understanding the cost of things. They have only ever known us to be on a budget. If it wasn’t on sale it wasn’t likely to happen. It’s felt really nice to give a little more then they have been used to. I didn’t go crazy but, I loosened the reins and allowed all of us to enjoy some things “just because”.
Here are some notable events and things that happened this year:
– Participated in Inktober – 31 Days, 31 Drawings
– Changed my weekday work schedule to be off when kids get home from school
– Took my kids to help pack food at Feed my Starving Children
– Met my godson, Joseph Liam and painted art for his nursery.
– Refinished our dining room table
– Shared new art works in progress
– Took a family vacation to Disneyland
– Participated in the community art project, Mesa Street Art Love
– Family trip to New York, celebrated my sister’s baby shower, fun on Fire Island, visited the NYC and saw Phish.
– Collaborated with my youngest son, Hudson on our backyard art bench
– Participated in the Beads of Courage Jewelry Design Challenge
– Got a ton of dental work done, everyone in the family is all caught up
– Took a sewing class with my friend Amanda and learned how to use a sewing machine.
– Shared monthly jewelry tutorials
– Saw Ethan read his poem at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. He won Honorable Mention out of 600 entries
– Watched many dance performances with Hudson and his hip hop performance crew
– Supported my husband any way I could as he took on his own journey of growth and success.
This year has really been about giving my family as much support as I can to help them thrive as well as allowing myself to take a step back and be supported and cared for instead of doing it all by myself.
I hope your 2014 has been filled with wonderful lessons and that you’ve emerged from it stronger, wiser + more joyful than ever before.
