Things I learned in 2014...

*my body can't do quite the things it could do five or ten years ago, but I can still push its limits and be grateful everyday that I can. *disappointments and bad days will always be part of life, but they don't have to define who I am or who someone else is. *People make bad choices, but that doesn't mean they are bad people. *Raising five girls is hard work. Period. *Having regular fun date nights with my husband is necessary for my sanity and marriage. *It doesn't matter how old I am, I still just need a girl friend to shop with, watch girl movies with, cry, vent, laugh cheer, workout, and stuff our face with chocolate and coke zero. *It is important to serve the Lord in my callings, but my family will and must always come first. *Personal daily habits of discipleship and worship are essential to my happiness and endurance. *Personal daily habits of physical exercise are also essential to my happiness and endurance. *Gray hair can always be covered up. *Children grow up way too fast. *The older my oldest gets the more I realize that my role as her mother is not to create her identity for her, but rather, to help her discover and celebrate the identity that is divinely hers and the gifts she was born to share. *I have always wished that I was more organized. I have dreamed and wished for a day when my pantries, shelves, and cupboards would be orderly, alphabetized, and highly functional. That may be a reality for some people, but this year I have learned that for me success in organization means that my time is organized well enough that I make time for all the essentials and still have leftover time to write, play with my kids, talk to a friend, serve, and just savor and enjoy all the moments that pass too quickly. Someday my shelves may be labeled and my towel closet featured in a Home and Garden magazine (or maybe even pinned on Pinterest), but if not, that's okay. As long as I learn to organize my life in order to make time for the things that matter most, then I can deal with the rest. I may continue to cringe when I open my towel closet because it was Makayla's turn to fold and put the towels away, or laugh as I open the silverware drawer because Hailey decided to rearrange everything when she unloaded the dishwasher, but when I lay in bed I will feel peace in knowing that there is a season for everything. :) *Saying "No" is not only okay, but crucial in my life because when I say no to something it is because I need to say yes to something even more important. *The Lord places people in each other's lives at certain times for specific reasons. *Self-discipline is very empowering. Here's to a new year filled with new lessons to learn.