The last ten years have gone by in the blink of an eye, but lots happened in those 3,652 days. When I think back to all that’s changed, I realize that a decade truly is quite a lot of time! In 2010, I was a young 30-year-old wife and mama of two kiddos. My world was simple. Easy. Organized. Predictable. Life fit into the boxes I constructed for myself. I thought I had everything figured out.

What a laugh!

As I reflect back over the last ten years, I’m sort of amazed at how my family has grown from our sweet foursome into our spectacular crew of six. And I’m thankful that I followed God out of my safe little boxes, because His version of my life is so much better. He has gently led me and helped me grow, using so many experiences and people to mold and transform me into a person that my 2010-self would barely recognize.

In this last decade, I’ve experienced quite a lot, personally, and together with my family. I love what we’ve become and am so thankful for the last ten years of growing:

• 2010
  • Zach and I discovered the beautiful gift of adoption and started the process to bring home our precious girl.
  • We gained an incredible community of friends/instant family that we didn’t know we needed.
  • I built my photography business and found a niche in newborn portraiture.
• 2011
  • Our girl came home and changed almost everything I knew about love and life.
  • She endured several cleft-related surgeries and worked relentlessly (over the next several years) through physical therapy and speech therapy.
• 2012
  • We officially became a homeschooling family and fully embraced that lifestyle.
  • We welcomed new resources and trauma education, which helped us discover the transformative power of connected parenting (after the hodge podge of traditional methods failed miserably with our new daughter).
• 2013
  • We said goodbye to one of our sweet fur babies, who had given us 13 amazing years.
  • We began making incredible memories at the family beach house.
  • Zach and I celebrated 10 years of marriage!
• 2014
  • I bought my Young Living essential oils kit, and got serious about being the gatekeeper of my home. I made it a priority to care for my family naturally by replacing household chemicals and toxins with plant-based products.
  • Zach and I humbly joined The Sparrow Fund‘s board of directors to help support other adoptive and foster families.
  • I had the honor of serving orphans and their caregivers on a mission trip.
  • We started the paper chase for our son, and went to China together as a family to bring him home, just in time for Christmas.
  • Sadly, I lost my Daddy very suddenly on Christmas Eve.
• 2015
  • After building up a thriving newborn photography business, I retired to be at home full time.
  • I started leading a classical homeschooling co-op with another adoptive mama.
  • We moved to the country, where we learned how to raise chickens and fell in love with front porch sitting.
• 2016
  • Zach and I became Empowered To Connect parent trainers so we could share the the parenting style and way of life that had been so transformative for us.
• 2017
  • I had the honor, again, of serving orphans and their caregivers on a mission trip.
  • We began hosting ETC parent training classes to empower other families to support their children’s healing from adverse childhood experiences.
  • I started fermenting everything and fell in love with kombucha, homemade yogurt, and sourdough bread.
• 2018
  • After putting my health on the back burner for so many years, I finally committed to taking caring of myself and embraced true wellness with natural and wholistic lifestyle practices.
  • Our family got serious about eating whole foods, home cooking, eating organic whenever possible, and avoiding chemicals and additives – it was a huge step in our health journey.
  • I enrolled in the Health & Wellness Coaching program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
  • Sadly, we said goodbye to our other fur baby after 17 incredible years together. She taught us so much about life, but we knew it was time.
• 2019
  • In an effort to simplify, I closed up shop on our classical homeschooling co-op.
  • I officially graduated from IIN’s Health Coaching program and became a Certified Health & Wellness Coach.
  • We welcomed our newest fur baby, Jackson, who has completely stolen our hearts.
  • We geared up for some exciting transitions in 2020 (more on that later!).

Through all of the years, I’m most thankful that God has used these experiences to shape me. I’ve grown so much over these years and look forward to whatever He has for me in the next ten.  I am anticipating big things and am so looking forward to pursuing a particular passion that God has so clearly laid on my heart.

He is the potter, I am the clay. I am trying to fully embrace His plan for my life, following where He leads. That’s a big change for me, as I used to be a person who needed to plan everything with no deviations. While I do still like to plan (hey, I’m an Enneagram 1), I’ve learned that my ideas pale in comparison to the Father’s.

That’s why I’ve chosen ‘vessel’ as my word for 2020.

Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus bring new wine out of me

-New Wine by Hillsong Worship

If you have chosen a word for the new year, please tell me in the comments.  May we all inspire each other as we pursue our hopes and dreams in 2020.  Happy new year, friends.