Dear Online Friends...

Yes, I'm still alive. Over the holidays a family friend asked me if I was still blogging. To be honest, I almost forgot I had a blog.

I posted a few times in 2015, but then - as always happens - life got busy. Work, projects, God's process of working on me: these are the things that took the place of my blogging.

And I'm okay with that.

And now it's a new year. 2016. If you follow my Busy Nothings Facebook page, you'll know that it has essentially taken the place of my blog. It has given me an outlet (correction: a QUICK outlet) for sharing my "in the moment" thoughts and photos. It's faster and easier than formatting a blog post and making sure everything looks just so. Maybe that means I'm lazy, or maybe it just means that I got tired of feeling the need to maintain a perfect blog - either way: please come join me on Facebook. I'd love to connect with you there.

If you haven't been following my Facebook page and you're wondering what happened in 2015 and what's planned for 2016, here's a brief overview...

2015

• My pesky gallbladder acted up one too many times and was removed
• I continued my work as a contractor with Weaving Influence as their Book Launch Director
• I freelanced as a copy-editor on the new Chicago Architecture Foundation website
• Speaking of Chicago - we spent 3 days there on a mini-vacation in September
• I got to meet a new doctor this fall as I had some issues with my heart checked out (all clear!)
• We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends and family - including new members from Ecuador
• I freelanced as a writer/editor on a really cool Advent Calendar project with a friend
• We closed out the year with a trip to the Biltmore... and Star Wars, of course!

2016

• Getting healthy - while the heart tests this fall showed no damage to my heart (yay!), they also brought home my total lack of self-control when it comes to exercise, eating well, and handling stress (mildly high blood pressure). This year, both the Hubs and I plan to change that, and since Christmas week we have both been faithfully using our treadmill and stationary bike to build our energy, increase our health, and decrease our waistlines! It's 2010 all over again (minus the South Beach portion)...
• Practicing #JoyfulStewardship - after we paid off our house in 2012, we let our financial discipline slip a bit (okay, okay - a lot). You don't have to be in debt up to your eyeballs to be a bad steward with what the Lord has entrusted to you, so along with our physical health, we've set some new financial health goals for 2016: saving for future needs, being mindful of where the money goes, stocking the freezer for those nights neither of us feel like cooking (rather than running out to grab a hamburger and fries - not good for EITHER health goal!)... and doing it all with JOY and the understanding that nothing belongs to us, but it's all been entrusted to us.
• Being content - along with being joyful and mindful in our stewardship, it's important that we learn what it means to be content in any and every situation this year. It's easy for us to give in to the desire for new things or an Amazon "deal"... but having those financial goals in front of us should help us say "no" to the now. But saying "no" isn't the same thing as being content - whether that's being content with what you have or being content with where you are or the job you do. This is a big one for us. But bigger still is...
• Maintaining an Eternal perspective - we're both INTJs, and most days we still struggle with our low tolerance for people. But God calls us to be lights for Him, and that means getting involved with people, diving into the messiness, being willing to get our hands and lives dirty and opening ourselves up to the jobs, situations, and people that God calls us to. We could have great health, flush saving accounts, and even complete contentment... but unless we have a love for people and a desire to die to self and live for Christ... we'll have missed the mark. 
• Following God's Story for our lives - in November 2012, God started writing a new chapter in our lives. We fought Him for a year, until we became more afraid of telling God "no" than of taking on the project He was clearly laying on both of our hearts. In November 2013 we took the first step out of gut obedience... and we've been baby-stepping in obedience for the last two years. During that time, God has broken us, mended us, shaped us, and opened us up to the idea that His plan for our lives - although it looks NOTHING like our plan - is far better. After two years of following in obedience, it's looking like 2016 could be the year that the next chapter of His story for us opens. We've been quiet and vague about it to all but a select few, but as soon as He opens the door, we'll let you in on it. This is most definitely the story GOD is writing, and it's been terrifying and exciting to be called by Him to do something we never would have thought to do on our own. In the mean time - pray for us. The future will change our little world as we have known it... but I wouldn't have it any other way.

What's new in your life?