Here's to life and 2019!

The last 4+ weeks have been a little rough, okay A LOT rough. But instead of sharing all the bad stuff, I'm going to share all the wonderful things that made it all bearable. (in no particular order)
1. Family time, especially my brother who flew in from Philly to hang out with us for the holidays.
2. Friends. We truly have the bestest in the world.
3. Pajamas and hoodies.
4. My kids who found joy in little things, and kept saying, "this is the best day ever" even when I was sick or down, they didn't miss anything (and I was still able to make Christmas and birthday traditions happen!)
5. Time off and our own schedules so that we could just take it easy.
6. My husband. He was there when I was in a pickle, sick, hurting, and also when I just needed to have a really good ugly cry, for an hour.
7. God and my connections to all things spiritual. Scriptures sustained me, strengthened me and challenged me - and while it's been hard, I can see the way I have been preserved through it all. I will never forget the mini miracles that overcame big challenges. I found comfort and renewal in the Temple and even sitting in church pews for Sunday services.
8. Herbal tea, crio bru, and even some Dr. Pepper. (though I took some time off the good stuff while trying to heal my body, which was also good).
9. Treats and gifts that came from neighbors and friends even though I didn't do neighbor gifts or Christmas cards this year.
10. Games. We played a lot of Qwirkle, Oh Heck!, Hearts (I shot the moon 3 times!?!), Kingdoms, Spades, Blockus, Phase 10 and we even got a game of Settlers (which is one of my favorites, but my husband's LEAST favorite).
11. I had the best year ever in my business in 2018 and finished strong despite challenges, which leads me to: 
12. My clients. Last year I got to work with some cool people and this year I've already done 3 VIP days with my top clients and I can't wait to see what this year brings for them.
13. Massages.
14. A pedicure.
15. Essential Oils AND Doctors.
16. Insurance. All of it. 
17. The Hallmark Channel and cheesy Christmas Movies.
18. My house and the lights on my tree at night. In the midst of it all I spent a lot of time at home with people I love and I'm SO grateful for a roof over my head, heat and a pantry that has food in it.
19. My holiday wardrobe.
20. My very own bed. I slept a week hopping between the kids rooms for various reasons and getting back to my bed this week has been an absolute dream.
21. Disneyland. I was only there for one day and a night, but it was dreamy. I haven't even had a chance to post pictures of all the food I ate! Which leads me to:
22. Intention. I started December committing to not gain any weight so that I could start the new year off a smidge early. I said no to a few things and and still enjoyed the many treats and pies that came. (My mom was a little surprised when I turned down her rolls, but I was committed to fewer carbs...) I also upped my water intake with Green Mandarin oil in it. Which made it taste delicious (and it also has fat shrinking properties, who knew?!?). I moved a little more and tried to increase my steps. I'm pleased to report that not only did I not GAIN any weight, I lost 4 pounds in December, even WITH a trip to Disneyland and all the holiday parties in the land. I've been able to keep it up the first two weeks of the year and I'm down two more pounds for a total of 6. If that isn't the Sunshine in the Middle, I'm not sure what is! ;)

My new year's plan isn't in place. My goals aren't set, and while at times I feel behind, I've just decided to give myself this time to not just plan, but to renew, and for that, I'm right on schedule. Here's to life and 2019!