2024!

It’s a new year and the fam and I are so ready for it. We’re still learning to move forward with our grief and some days are easier than others. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t talk about our Papa Joe and wish he was with us physically.

We decided to ring in the new year with a hike. Spending time outdoors is so healing for us and as the girls get older, (as long as we don’t forget the snacks), our hikes can be a little more challenging. Due to our mild winter, canyons that aren’t normally accessible this time of year, are perfect to explore. And we got to finish listening to book 5 of Harry Potter on the drive so a pretty successful day.

May 2024 be a good year for us all and be filled with experiences that make you happy. We’re hoping for more hiking and camping, traveling, spending time with loved ones, enjoying my sauna (and cold plunging for Josh), paddle boarding and river trips, Harry Potter, movie nights, cuddling, fostering pups, and remembering that those that have passed are always with us.

I have been thinking about blogging for many, many years now. I spent the majority of my twenties traveling and having adventures that I felt were blog worthy but I was still too attached to pen and paper and a virtual blog never happened. Last year, I was listening to NPR and heard a story of a blogger in Bangladesh who was hacked to death with machetes. It had been the third death of a blogger in Bangladesh in the past few months. This man was a self-professed atheist. He was critical of the influence of Islam and argued in science over religion. Heavy, controversial stuff indeed but deserving of death? Absolutely not. I believe freedom of speech should be a human right, something we are all born with no matter what country we are from. Whether people agreed with him or not, I believe he had every right to have a blog and express himself. That’s the beauty of blogging, a space to express oneself and other individuals can choose to follow it or not. The fact that people have been and will continue to be murdered for expressing their thoughts proves how powerful our words can be. I have been inspired to give blogging a try. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t plan to blog about things that will change the world or put my life in any danger. I love writing and have needed to do it for quite a while now. To be honest, I really have no idea what this blog will be about. Probably just a small glimpse into the simple life I share with my husband and daughters. Becoming a mama has been the greatest adventure of my life. It is such a difficult, tiring, loving and extremely beautiful experience. I have become a much more compassionate, patient and brave person. It’s the little things: no longer do I scream at the sight of a “scary” looking bug because I don’t want Linnea and Maya to grow up thinking they need to be afraid and kill every insect they see. The things I have picked up with my bare hands and thrown outside without cringing, surprises me, but to see sweet Linnea blowing them kisses and saying “bye-now,” makes it so worth it. (And I haven’t been brutally attacked or bitten- maybe these little things aren’t as scary and dangerous as they seem). It’s also the big things: I’ve always been against war but now more passionately than ever, I want my children to grow up in a peaceful world. I want everyone to respect each other regardless of our differences. No more hate. As an outdoorsy person, I want to help protect our planet. We only have one Earth and if we don’t all start doing something green and getting out there and exploring and connecting with nature, I worry for the future of our children and future generations.

Let’s see where this blog follows me…