I created a printable 2025 Wellness Goals Tracker for myself (buy on Etsy here!) and wanted to share in case anyone else finds it helpful! I will not be doing all of these every day - rather, I created this to help me stay on task with the things I'm already doing well, and adding in a couple things I want to improve on. My goal is not to check every box every week in every category, but rather to track my consistency. For example - Weights - I'd like to see myself doing 3-5 times a week. Quiet time - for me - I need this daily! In my quiet time, I write down 5 things I'm grateful for each day, spend time in prayer, and reading my bible. Protein - I plan to track my grams (see video) at least several days a week. Walk - I'd like to do this every day, but may track minutes each day - whether 5 minutes on the treadmill is all I could squeeze in, or a 30 minute walk, or more! I hope you find this helpful! Feel free to message me for customizations =) Here's the link to my Etsy listing: https://azcreativeworks.etsy.com/listing/1850881373/2025-printable-wellness-goal-tracker-pdf

My earliest memories of my grandma are from when I was probably around 3 years old. I'm unsure whether I remember these firsthand or have seen them in home videos over the years, but I can vividly picture the orchard out behind the home they lived in. I'd ride in a trailer she pulled behind her lawnmower, and we'd get out near the trees and walk around a bit, sometimes meandering into the woods. She was always pruning and weeding and that trailer behind the mower, when not filled with grandkids, was filled with trimmings for the burn pit.  I remember playing gnip gnop in the basement of their home, and having sleepovers. They had a waterbed, and I couldn't get over how cool it was to have a bed full of water. The precious moments knick-knacks on their mirrored headboard shelves were my favorite to play with. I remember the decor, especially the placement of two pieces that eventually were passed down to my husband and I in our first home... a big, heavy orange hide-a-bed couch, and a bathroom cabinet with wheat stamped into the tin on the door. My memories go on to when they moved 'up north'. That period of my life, from around age 5 to age 13, we lived a few hours south of my Grandparents, and there were frequent weekend visits and lots of driving. I'd come visit on the weekends, and I remember the rhythmic movement of keys in the ignition, her snoopy keychain clinking against her elongated metal circle - I think it said something about being a Grandma on it. I looked forward to my time with my grandparents, escaping the city for the country, where I was free to roam. We'd often stop at the buckhorn saloon for pizza [...]

Even Stronger   Sometimes I wish There was a magic button I'd press it and your troubles would subside It pains me to see your pain I don't want you to hurt   Sometimes I wish You could you yourself the way I see you A beautiful soul, a breathtaking young woman   Sometimes I wish I had strength to not wish easy on you I want to guard Shield Protect your heart   But I know that easy isn't worth it Easy teaches nothing   A wildfire takes out a forest New life sprouts from ashes Just like you will emerge from these depths Even stronger

Time - it's what we want most but use worst. - William Penn William Penn lived from 1644 - 1718, per Wikipedia. How much more applicable may this be today, then when he said it? I can't imagine what he'd think of the many "timesucks"... social media, video games, TV and movies, etc .... I'm spending a bit of time creating this blog. I see it as an investment into my future. Why? Because when I put this down "on paper", if you will, it reinforces what I've learned. It's an investment into my brain. A huge piece of my journey has been making sure I'm taking accountability for my part of my story, understanding that some things are out of my control and I will feel "wronged", and I may "wrong" others. But what is in my control now? How can I move forward? When a situation starts to give me great anxiety I like to think, what's within my power? What is under my control? In my life, I’ve had seasons where many things felt outside my control… others where I’ve had a false sense of control… and others where control was ripped away from us at the drop of a hat (pandemic anyone?)… but on my average day, I can look at things within my control and release my worry over things that are outside of my control. When I handle what is within my control, and release that which is not, I have peace that I have done my part in any given situation. Sometimes I want peace but we don't want to do anything about it. I don't have the time, the money, the resources whatever they may be, to enact the change I desire. I've got to have peace with that. Someone else will [...]