It Starts at Home {naming 2015}

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a great December. It's been quiet around here, but it was a really good month. The semester ended a few weeks ago, so we've been spending a lot of time with family and friends and lounging around the house. :) We got to see all of our siblings over Christmas (a real treat since we're spread out across a few states) and just this past Monday, we came back to campus. Five days with family was awesome, but being home and settled into our space again is great too.

This year for Christmas, Luke and I are giving each other new offices! The word "offices" sounds so official - like we're accountants or something... creative spaces? Work spaces? Let's go with one of those. Luke's desk will go in a closet nook in our living room and mine will go in Bekah's room. We'll take the guest bed out and replace it with a desk, chair, and some other fun things. All within our set budgets, of course. :) I can't wait to share these projects with you as we get more done! Our goal is to have our new work spaces completed by the time Luke's spring semester starts in mid January.

Hey, do you remember last year when I wrote about naming my year? I called 2014 "Made for This". This time last year, we were living in a new town (for 4 months) and I was about 3 months pregnant. Remembering I was "made for this" when I felt afraid of the upcoming changes and challenges (like delivering a baby for the first time or making new friends) was such an encouragement to me. It reminded me to put my faith in God who made me and equipped me for this time and place. Through Jesus, He made me more than a conqueror, so I can face life's hard stuff filled with hope and already victorious. "Made for this" was a statement of faith. It was a great year. I tried new things, delivered a healthy baby, grew to love our new town, faced some challenging stuff but we made it through. God is good and I am very thankful.

Well now that January has started, I'd love to share my name for 2015 with you. I'm calling 2015 "It starts at home". I think the name might change a little... but that's the best I've got so far. ;) So what does "it starts at home" mean for 2015? Here's a little background for ya...

I really love blogging. The trouble is, it's easy to loose perspective and focus more on my blog life than my real life. Sounds silly, right? As 2015 approached, I started thinking about the name for my year. My very loose method for doing this is to think and pray through some of the themes that have been really prominent in my heart for the past month or so. I started to feel a strong pull towards home - serving and loving my family and all that goes with that. 

"It starts at home" is a little vague, but a really hopeful statement. Home is where the good stuff starts. Caring for my marriage starts at home. Playing with Bekah and building a relationship with her starts at home. Serving my family starts at home. My morning routine, and choosing my attitude for the day starts at home. Often evangelism can start at home - it's a great way to welcome people into our lives and care for them. Making healthy decisions starts at home. A whole lot of fun and laughter can (and should) start at home. So much good stuff starts at home. I think the thing that is really on my heart overall here is that it is worth investing in the stuff at home. Sometimes discontentment can pull me away from home. I don't want to be pulled away - this is my place and I'm going to care for it this year. 

Something else I love about this name is that it ties in so nicely with sharing more home design stuff. So in addition to sharing about the things that start at home, like relationships and fun family stuff, I'll keep sharing projects and home related things here. Home is all about bringing people together so we can invest in what matters. I look forward to sharing more home updates with you throughout the year!

Alright. Now it's your turn! Have you given 2015 a name? I've seen some people use just one word and others use a longer phrase like I chose this year. Whatever you choose, share away! It's going to be a great year. God will carry us through and give us strength, even through the tough stuff.

Love,
Bonnie