How you entered the year and how that outlook changed:
Outlook #1: I started the year off feeling very social. In fact, I threw myself a birthday party! And then I had this thought that I need to make a stronger effort to bring people together. I decided I would try to plan and carry out a social experience every month - it could be a one-on-one outing with a friend, a girls' night, or a dinner with family.
I think I made it to March before I retreated back into my hole.
Outlook #2: My relationship with Nicky was really weird for the first half of this year. I knew he would be graduating high school and leaving on a mission. I could feel him pulling away from us, making his friends the priority, and getting ready to "launch," as they say. I had to stay on the outskirts of his life for a while - be there but be out of his way. Show up but stay quiet. Every time I went somewhere to support him, Nicky would seem annoyed. He would avoid me and turn his back to me. Despite his body language and the way he would dodge me, I kept chaperoning the dances, going to his performances, and showing up where he was even though his reaction to my presence stung a bit. I just kept having the thought, "Someday he will remember you were here, and it will mean something different to him." I also had some reassurance from the Spirit that it was only a developmental phase and that when Nicky left on his mission, his perspective would change. He would appreciate and understand Scotty and me better, and he would need us more than ever but also be closer to us that ever while serving the Lord. Having that outlook helped me survive his last year of high school from the sidelines. And now that he's been on his mission for nearly half a year, I have seen the Spirit's promises in action.
Outlook #3: At the beginning of 2025, I didn't know that we would lose Amber this year. When someone dies young and unexpectedly, you don't ever think, "This might be my last Christmas with her," or "This might be the last vacation we take together" (nor should you think that way). When you lose someone significant in your life, your outlook is never the same.
Goals you set that you made progress on:
I only made one goal this year, and that was to sneak these signs into as many of my friends' and families' bathrooms as possible:
I made a list of non-resolutions this year, which I define as "things I'll be happy to accomplish, but I'm not going to set it as an official goal." I did accomplish one thing from that list with certainty, and that was paying off our house.
What about the year surprised you?
Our medical things. We've had big medical years in the past, but it's been a while, so dealing with Nicky's leg, Zoe's broken arm, and Eva's dog bite made me want to lock Daisy in a rubber room because she was the “last man standing.”
Places you visited this year:
Orlando was our big trip, and we took some smaller trips to Strawberry Reservoir, Yellowstone, and Saint George.
What you’ve outgrown this year and are ready to leave behind:
Problems I can’t solve.
Also, the pressure to see things as problems when they’re really not.
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And this is where I quit.
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