It is going to take me a while to get used to this blog-journaling thing.
Happy New Year! John and I actually stayed up until midnight last night. I was surprised. There were a lot of fireworks going off. All I could think about was our dog, Gunner, who abhors fireworks. I miss him dearly. He is back in Florida with my parents until John and I PCS to our next location.
| Today I spent the first day of the year cleaning, doing laundry, putting away Christmas decorations, finishing a surprise crochet project for someone, and video chatting with my husband. I've been giving more thought to how I want to pursue my 2026 Goals. The goals are: |
- Walk 5k at least three time per week
- Slowly start transitioning my wardrobe to only all-natural fibers
- Finish at least two of my larger cross stitch WIPs
- Go to church at least twice per month
- Keep up with my planner
- Journal (document) more of my life.
I chose these personal goals for 2026 because they all feel attainable, even during a PCS year. I had a lot of other ideas too, things I would like to achieve, but I felt like I needed to limit the number so as not to overwhelm myself. And if I do more good things than what are on the list, then that is just fantastic.
On a more somber note, I did think about some sad things today. I was saying some prayers and ended up saying some for a family member who has really hurt me over the last year. Not physically, but emotionally. This family member has estranged herself from my husband and I, and we are at a loss for why. In today's terms, she 'ghosted' us earlier this year and we don't know what is going on with that while situation. It leaves us with nothing but assumptions, which may very well be worse than the reality. Either way, it hurt but I still pray for her all the time.
I know that may seem heavy, but this is my journal, my life, and when I look back to these posts, when my future children look back and read these, I hope that they can use them to understand me and our life a little bit more.
It's a very strange feeling to have something that hurtful happen, and still feel that 2025 was the best year of my life so far. I turned 37, married the love of my life, started a new job, moved to Europe, and traveled to multiple countries with my HUSBAND. It was just so incredible. We were able to fly my mother out here to spend Thanksgiving with us, which made me so happy, and we were able to take her to Ireland with us for John's birthday. What a world we are living in.
I did get the most recent email from my mom today. We send --somewhat-- weekly emails to keep each other updated on all the goings on in our lives. It's a wonderful system. I love emails. I would really enjoy doing this with a few of my other friends that I don't get to talk to very often, but most people don't enjoy the slower pace of a nice long email over short, abrupt, text messages. I long for a slower and more deliberately simple life. I like technology, but I don't want it to take over everything. I prefer to use it as a tool, or for fun. I have been working to limit my screen-time (mainly on my phone) when it comes to "doom-scrolling" or mindlessly scrolling through social media accounts. So much of the day can be wasted by doing that! I don't want to waste too much time. I would like to get to where I spend only about an hour on social media per day. I suppose I need to re-read "Digital Minimalism."
Well, it's late and I am tired. Until next time.
-Kaelyn
