2016 Reflections and Goals for 2017

I can not believe how quickly 2016 flew by! I've heard it said that as you get older, the years seem to go by faster and this seems to be so very true. Time needs to slow down!!

2016 was a bit of a difficult year for me as I struggled with deciding what I want to do for the rest of my life, career-wise, and with school, work, and home-life, I often felt like I was just drudging through each day and not really getting anywhere or truly living. But looking back through pictures from this year, I was reminded of the good times spent with family and the beautiful moments that made the year good.

I started the year off by going on a hike with my family, and it was so refreshing to be out it in nature, exploring.

We were able to make it out to the beach a few times this summer, which makes my heart so happy.

I took Avery to SeaWorld for some special sister time, and my best friend flew down from Northern California and took me to Disneyland! Oh, and we got four chickens! We're still waiting on those fresh eggs!

I made it out to the farmer's market a few times this year, which is my very favorite way to spend the day.

We threw a baby shower for my sister in April and I got to watch my first little nephew enter the world in May. Bring on all the babies!!

This fall, we woke up bright and early and headed to the wine country to watch the hot air balloons rise with the sun.

I've never been super big on making New Years resolutions, but I do enjoy setting a few goals that I would like to accomplish throughout the year. This year, I'm hoping to be enrolled in a teaching credential program and I know that I will be super busy trying to prepare for classes in the fall. So, rather than starting the year off already feeling stressed and overwhelmed, I really wanted to set some goals to motivate myself and start the year off with a positive mindset.

Some of the things I would like to work on in 2017 include:

• Getting to bed earlier and waking up earlier
• Spending more time in prayer and reading my bible
• Spending less time mindlessly scrolling through social media
• Taking more pictures! (I feel like this is always one of my goals that I never really accomplish, but hey, this could be my year!!)

And lastly, I wanted to choose a word for the year. Something that will inspire me and motivate me and help me work toward bettering myself. The word that I chose for 2017 is thankful. I know I'm going to go through some hard, stressful times this year, and it's so important for me to remain thankful through it all and to keep a positive mindset. It's easy to feel gratitude when things are going well and you're really enjoying the season you're in. But this is so much harder to do when the going gets tough and life just gets hard. So this year, no matter the season, I choose to be thankful. I'm thankful for a loving God who guides me and works all things for good. I'm thankful for my big, crazy family that I will miss when I eventually get to move out on my own. I'm thankful for big dreams that keep me motivated and give me hope. And for warm days that ease my soul and fill me with joy. I'm excited to see what this year brings!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

Happy new year!

xo

Thankful

Thanksgiving is only a day away and I am so excited to feast on all of the tasty food and treats. I can't believe how quickly November flew by! It seems like every year just seems to pass quicker than the one before and it kind of freaks me out! Where is the time going!?

This time of year, around the holidays, always leaves me feeling giddy with the twinkle lights and the decorations and the traditions. I love that I get to spend more time with my family just relaxing (and trying to stay out the cold!). And I always start to feel especially grateful during this season. Because even when I'm going through a rough season and my life isn't exactly how I hoped it would be at this point in time, I still have my family and my faith and so, so much to be grateful for. And I think that is so important to remember, not only during the holidays but throughout the rest of the year, too. That is something I really want to work on in this next year, being thankful all the time no matter the circumstances. Because I truly believe that there is always something to be thankful for and it is so nice taking the time to think about all of the things that are good and that bring joy and life.

Today, I am thankful for:

- time spent at home with my family and little siblings
- a handmade wooden recipe box given to me for my 24th birthday 
- Target trips to look at all of the holiday decorations!
- good books (currently reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and loving it!)
- a week of no homework
- friends who I can talk about anything and everything with, and who inspire me to have a more open mind without judgment
- pretty notebooks
- cozy slippers to keep me warm on these chilly mornings
- those late nights where I take some time to read my bible (even if only for 10 minutes - I'm working on this one!)
- people on social media that inspire the heck out of me
- fighting off a cold before it really got started
- Burt's Bees chapstick
- peppermint tea
- all of the food and pumpkin pie that I will be eating tomorrow!
- holding my baby nephew as he falls asleep
- dreams for my future that make me so, so excited!

I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving!

A Day at the Pumpkin Patch + Halloween

Doing all of the seasonal activities has to be my favorite part of fall. This year has been quite busy, so we almost missed our chance to go to a pumpkin patch! While we did miss out on apple picking this year, we were able to make it down to Bates Nut Farm before Halloween rolled around. This was my first time at this farm and it was so much fun and so much bigger than I had expected! They had a petting zoo, pony rides, food trucks, a pumpkin patch, and a corn field. I definitely want to make it a tradition to head back there every fall!

As for Halloween, my mom and I love coming up with themes for the kid's costumes. Last year, I came up with the idea of doing a Mary Poppins theme. We ended up running out of time to pull the outfits together, so we decided to try it out this year instead. It was so simple to put together and is now one of my favorite themes that we have done! I can't get over how cute they looked!

Mary Poppins, a sweet little penguin, and Bert the chimney sweep

I can not believe October is already over and we are heading into winter. But I am so excited to bust out the Christmas decorations!!

GOOD EATS: PUMKPIN PECAN SCONES WITH MAPLE GLAZE

I would say that I have a pretty big sweet tooth. Couple that with fall and all of the baked goods that come with it, and I am one happy camper. Generally, I try to limit the amount of gluten I eat, but it is so much more difficult to do when it comes to all of the seasonal treats!

My mom had this pumpkin pecan scone recipe saved onto her phone from Cookie and Kate's blog and we decided to give it a try. It is such a quick and easy recipe, which I am all for. And guys, it has the most amazing maple glaze layered on top (if you're anything like my family, you may need to make extra glaze to really saturate these puppies)! It is the perfect recipe for fall and I will definitely be keeping it around for years to come.


(To check out the recipe for yourself, head on over to Cookie and Kate).

HERE COMES FALL

Ever since Labor Day weekend has passed, I am in full on fall mode. Technically, fall doesn't officially start until the 23rd. And yes, it is still 100 degrees outside. But I am just so excited about the season this year.

I was in college the past four years, so I didn't feel like I got to fully enjoy the holidays. I always had midterms to study for on Halloween. I had classes leading straight up to Thanksgiving day. And let's not even talk about our Christmas break. This past year, we had finals the week before Christmas so I spent my time studying my butt off instead of joining in on the festivities. And I guess that is a part of growing up. Most adults are working full time and don't get to enjoy huge breaks for the holidays. But at least when the work day is over, it is over and everyone can go home and enjoy themselves instead of having to work on homework and study for the next test. Okay, this may not be true for everyone. But in any case, I am determined to squeeze every ounce of holiday goodness out of these next coming months.

We started thinking about Halloween costumes early this year for my three younger siblings. This never happens! We are on top of things this year! So yesterday, we went over to one of those Halloween stores that gets set up just for the season to see if we could find anything good. I love going to those places! We were going to go with the cutest theme ever this year (guys, it was going to be so good!). But, we decided it would be more economical to just use costumes that we already had at home. I mean, I have three other siblings (yes, that is 7 kids total, my friends) and my family has been a foster family for the past 5 or 6 years, so we have plenty of Halloween costumes to go around. And we were able to dig out some really cute ones from our boxes of Halloweens past.

Also, we bought some Costco pumpkin pie today. I wait all year for pumpkin pie season to come around because pumpkin pie is my favorite thing ever! So here's to apple picking, pumpkin carving, cozy flannels, falling leaves, and lots and lots of pumpkin pie.

XO, Lyssa Leann


*Photo from Pinterest (original source: Lexington Company)

NICE TO MEET YOU!

Hello + welcome to Lyssa Leann. I'm so glad you're here! I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog for a while but never actually committed to it because I was either too busy, didn't have anything to write about, wasn't all that creative... blah blah blah. But you know what? Life is short and I want to live every moment that I can enjoying myself and being inspired. And let me tell you, I get so inspired by the blogs I read and the Instagram and Pinterest pages I follow. It is unreal. I mean, someone can write about the simplest thing like going to the farmer's market that day or a mini tour of their kitchen and BAM! I'm inspired. I'm inspired to find something good in every day, even the not so great ones. Inspired to get out of the house and explore the place that I'm living in. Inspired to reach out to someone, to view the world from a different perspective, to plan how I want to decorate my future house some day. And I think all of that is so important. Finding things that inspire you in life, and hopefully inspiring others along the way. And that is what I hope to use this space for. A place for me to come and be inspired. To write about things that I'm loving or trying or thinking about. To document just everyday life stuff. And I hope that some of you will come away inspired as well. All that to say, nice to meet you and I'd love to get to know you!

Things you should know about me: I love Jesus. Neutral colors are my jam. I love photography and really want to pursue it, but I don't know the first thing about taking a good picture. I'm a sucker for birth stories (weird, I know). I love hiking but am terrified of heights (so really, I just love a good nature walk). I studied abroad in Leeds, England my Junior year of college and it was amazing (and Ireland is officially my favorite country ever)! I adore a pretty notebook/journal but never know what to write in them. I love learning about health (and you better believe that I google search the heck out of any illness or symptom I have. I won't step foot in a doctors' office unless I am deathly ill or am taken by force -- and this is mostly because I am terrified of needles. It's pathetic, I know, but just look at those suckers!). I would love to live on a little piece of land someday and spend my days tending to my garden. I love, love, love music (especially folk, country, alternative, acoustic type stuff). I loathe cold weather (unless I am snuggled up in the house with a good book/movie and a cup of hot chocolate).

That's all I got for now, but stick around and I'm sure you'll find out loads more than you really want to know.

Talk to you soon!

XO, Lyssa Leann


*Photo from Pinterest. Original source can be found here.