Emily Netz: A New Year, Goals, Dreams, & Family Pictures

ah, a fresh new year! this is when we let go of all that did or did not happen in the previous 365 days like one giant exhale. each day is a new start, but there's just something about the changing of the calendar year. i hope you are looking forward to whatever 2017 brings you.

2016 was such a good year for us. at the beginning of the year, i silently labeled 2016 our "sweet '16," and it really turned out to be just that. i can't even begin to try to explain how difficult of a year it was at the same time as well. but i really think we trudged through the hard things to help set us up for future successes.

this year, i decided to write out a few goals, but nothing too serious. we are welcoming baby no. 2 in a couple of months and that will be quite the adjustment for us for awhile i'm sure.

these family pictures were taken by abby rose back in october when i was in my second trimester. i am just now getting around to posting a few. getting pictures printed in little books and into frames is another one of my goals for the new year.

a lot of my goals for 2017 center around the words "rest" & "restore." i have recently discovered that i have a couple of blood disorders that require me to be intentional about my health. being told i was unwell was and is a difficult thing to come to grips with. i will find out next week if i have to switch from my midwife to a specialist for the last couple of months of this pregnancy. it's all quite nerve-wracking, but i know that God has everything under control. but it's given me adequate motivation to stick with whole 30 or possibly even whole 60 to help reset my body before the birth. i've only completed two full days, so don't ask me how it's going just yet :)

i'm always hesitant to share some of my bigger goals publicly, but at the same time, i think it can be a good practice as well. maybe it's the sliver of optimism in me that believes that there are more people rooting for and potentially with me than against me.

God has blessed us immensely with our home. i loved the process of organizing and designing the complete renovation over this last year. it was a dream come true and a confirmation to me that somehow i'll be doing more of this in the future. jeff and i have some crazy dreams around that whole idea, but my dream for this year is to have our renovation story picked up by a magazine. it sounds super vain when i write it out like that, but nonetheless, it's a wish i have been nursing for several years. but i would never want that dream to manipulate the tone of our home. i want to decorate and design for me and for our family - not for someone else who might think it is trendy or unique. i really have a passion to be myself and not let the worlds i see via social media determine the choices i make - inspire, yes, but not dictate. our homes are sacred spaces and should be a haven that reflects love and intentionality. that is my ultimate goal with our home.