2019 Word of the Year

Selecting my 2019 Word of the Year is something I’ve been doing for almost ten years now.  I have found that my word usually finds me and that was the case this year too.

I had actually been thinking of not choosing a 2019 Word of the Year. When a couple of my children asked me what my word was going to be I told them, I just wasn’t “feeling it.”  And then I received messages from several of you asking me if I had posted my Word of the Year yet.

I then realized I already had my word, and in fact I had had it for a while and had already been integrating it into my life the past few months.

How I Chose My 2019 Word of the Year

This past year I was in charge of a family history conference here in Portland, Oregon.  I have always had a love for family history and had developed a habit last year of working regularly on family history (See 2018 Word of the Year) . I spent a lot of time and prayer picking a theme/name for the conference and came up with the theme of CONNECT.  Through family history research we connect to those who came before us and also connect to those who come after us by preserving our photos, life stories etc.

TED Talk on Connection

I did a lot of research on the word connect and also connection in preparation for the conference.  I came across a TED Talk by  Johann Hari entitled “Everything you know about addiction is wrong.”  The talk is fascinating and although his focus was on people dealing addictions, his findings can apply to all of us.

He shares that we all have a natural and innate need to bond and connect.  It is when we don’t have anything or anyone to connect to that leads us to addiction, we will bond to something.  He also discusses how we are developing into one of the loneliest societies that has ever been, the average number of close friends Americans have has steadily decreased while the average square footage of their homes increases.  Social media and cell phones contribute to this lack of real, in person, connection.

Lack of Connection

I have experienced this in my own life.  I spend the majority of my day, alone, behind a computer working or in my kitchen.  Because I work from home I don’t have many connections with other people on a daily basis other than virtual ones.  Being an empty nester also contributes to my lack of daily connections.  As much as I love my husband, I have found that my daily interactions with him aren’t filling my need for connection in my life. There are days that I go to the grocery store, just so I can see another person.  I found that I definitely have a need for more connections in my life.

2019 Word of the Year

So my 2019 Word of the Year is:

How I plan to implement my Word of the Year:

My goal for 2019 is to have more connections in my life and to be more connected.  The last few months I have made more of an effort to invite people into our home (it’s a little easier during the holidays) but plan to continue to extend more hospitality to my friends and people I want to get to know better this coming year.  I will continue with the connections I am making in family history.  Make more of an effort to make eye connection with others as I am out and about, saying hi, talking to the cashier instead of being on my phone.

I want to reach out to some people I have lost contact with and renew those connections.  Connect  connect more spiritually this year and continue my commitment to connect each morning in scripture study.  I plan to connect more with my body and have joined a pilates studio where my goal is to workout 2-3 times a week.  Continue to help you connect with your family at the dinner table by offering weekly meal plans and delicious family friend recipes.  I’ve got a new meal plan in the works too that I’m excited about!

Making Connections

I am excited about my Word of the Year and will be sharing with you throughout the year some of the ways I am making more connections in my life.

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2018 Word of the Year

Every year I debate whether I am going to declare a Word of the Year and this year was no exception.  I had been thinking about my word for the last month and when I received emails from a few of you asking me what my word was I decided I better choose one and put it out there.

2017 was a good year but it was also a crazy busy year.  I did more traveling in 2017 than I think I ever have before.  I actually made this graphic to get a visual of how many different airports I was in!  All good things! Yes, there were a lot of trips to Utah!

A lot of this year was also spent finishing up my Holiday Slow Cooker Cookbook and preparing for it’s release – more good things!

One of the downsides to so many good things is that I stopped doing some “good” things I had been doing. I got out of the habit of my morning routine which included daily scripture reading, prayer, regular exercise, healthy eating, and the list goes on. I have always been a believer in good habits and the importance of them but when life gets crazy it’s easy to get out of the habit! So, if we change our habits (or lack thereof), we change our lives and I am ready for some change

If you haven’t already guessed it, my 2018 Word of the Year is HABITS. I’m getting back on the habit bandwagon! I’ve begun the year by studying the power of habits with Gretchen Rubin’s book “Better Than Before” and I have a few other books in my pile to read after that. Gretchen says that small, simple, consistent steps will get us anywhere we want to go.

Daily Habits

Now, lest you think 2017 was a total failure as far as habits are concerned I did have one habit victory. After attending Roots Tech (a family history conference) in February, I made a commitment to establish a new habit. To spend at least 30 minutes a day on family history using the Family Search website.  I can tell you that in seven months I never missed ONE SINGLE DAY until we traveled to Europe and I was on a cruise ship with no internet. When we got home I got back in the habit and have been going strong ever since. As a result, I have been able to locate hundreds of relatives! So, I know I can do this habit thing! Habits are simply Small Daily Choices!

I’ve set a lot of goals and attempted to start many different habits in my life time. I’ve done better on some than others but the family history habit is one I’ve got!

We had a quiet New Year’s Eve celebration this year due to sickness so I had a lot of time to think about and make a list of some different habits I want to master in 2018. I won’t bore you with the whole list but there are a couple I’ll share. I am a big believer in the power of the morning and for many years, when my children were little I would get up at 5:00 am and go through my morning routine (prayer, study, exercise). It’s amazing how much you can get done and how good your day will be when you start it the right way.

2018 Habits

So one of my top habits for this year is to get back into a morning routine.
For me that means, not getting on my phone as soon as I wake up but rather starting my day with reading scripture, general conference talks, prayer and some other motivational reading (right now it is Gretchen’s book and this book.)  I’ve also committed to walking 10,000 steps 6 days a week when I either walk with a friend or listen to motivational podcasts. Here is one of my favorites.  One other element I want to add in to my morning routine is meditation or mindfulness.

Drinking more water, eating less sugar and not eating after 7:00 pm are also on the habit list. (Three days down and going strong!) I know me and if I make the list too long I end up doing nothing so for this month I’m focusing on the habit of a morning routine, more water, more walking.  I’ll add in a few more habits next month.

In her book, Gretchen teaches that we all fall into one of four different kind of habit maker categories.  I am definitely an Obliger.  I easily meet outer expectations but resist inner expectations which means, if I make a commitment to someone else I keep it, I’m not as good at keeping commitments to myself.  So, in order for me to be a successful habit maker I need to share my goals/habits with others.  Like I just did above!

I’ll be sharing more about some of the other habits I’m working on throughout the year.  Wish me luck!

If you have picked a Word of the Year I’d love to hear what it is!  If you need help picking a word of the year check out this post.

Here are some of the books I am reading to help me with my Word of the Year:Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin The Morning Miracle by Hal Elrod Hello Mornings by Kat Lee.

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2017 Word of the Year

I’m a little late in sharing my 2017 Word of the Year.  I even debated whether I should share it or even pick one this year.  I started thinking about my 2016 Word of the Year and how I felt like I really hadn’t done a very good job in incorporating that word into my life.

2016 is a bit of a wild blur for me and I was feeling like I really didn’t accomplish much of what I had hope to do in regards to my Word of the Year, Create.

2016 started off a little rough for me with the unexpected death of my father.  My son was married about a month later and it was a wonderful and joyous occasion but very busy time.  My  daughter and I decided to start a new business together which was fun, exciting and a little scary all at the same time and then I accepted the opportunity to write a cookbook during the last quarter of the year.  This took a tremendous amount of my time and energy and brought along with it a lot of fears and anxiety as to whether I could really do it or not!!

I decided though that instead of focusing on all the things I didn’t accomplish like creating space in my home by getting it more organized (it actually got more disorganized), creating art by taking a watercolor and calligraphy class (neither of which happened), creating quiet in my life (I think I just ended up creating more noise!), I decided to focus on the things I did create this past year.

I helped create, along with my siblings, a beautiful and meaningful tribute to my father at his memorial service.

I created and put together a fun and memorable wedding rehearsal dinner for my son and his bride and put on a Barn Wedding Party  here in Portland for them later in April.

My daughter and I created and kicked off a new company and product line.  If you haven’t visited our store, 42 & Pine I’d love you to!

I created 100 new recipes for my cookbook which will be released later next year!

So even though I didn’t really create some of the things I set out to create, I did accomplish and create something.

So after a lot of thought, prayer and thinking about it, I did pick a 2017 Word of the Year.

My word is Thoughtfulness

1. showing consideration for others; considerate.

2. characterized by or manifesting careful thought : a thoughtful essay.

3. occupied with or given to thought; contemplative; meditative; reflective: in a thoughtful mood.

4. careful, heedful, or mindful: to be thoughtful of one’s safety.

I want to be more thoughtful in several different ways.  I want to be more thoughtful about choices I make, things I get involved with, purchases I make etc.  This last year has been so busy and crazy I feel like I just rushed through it, not really thinking sometimes, but making decisions and choices based on fear, anxiety, and needing to get it done.  I want to be more thoughtful, careful and mindful.

I also want to be more thoughtful of others.  I came across this quote from Mother Teresa and knew that my word needed to be thoughfulness.

I think in this crazy, wild world we live in that a lot of people are hungering for thoughtfulness.  It is so easy to ignore others, focus just on ourself and our own needs, to not be thoughtful of those around us.  Social media and all that goes with it makes it so easy to be and say thoughtless things.  I want people to know that I am thinking about them, remembering their birthdays and showing appreciation for them.

I want to be more thoughtful of the things I purchase and bring into my home.

I want to be more thoughtful and reflective and put those thoughts into a daily journal and continue to work on daily prayer and scripture reading too.

I hope that I can help change the world this year with small acts of thoughtfulness.

Did you choose a Word of the Year?  I’d love to hear what your word is.  Leave me a comment and let me know.

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How to Choose a Word of the Year

I am often asked how I select my Word of the Year.  Today I’m sharing the process I go through.

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”

Rudyard Kipling

Words can take our breath away, words can break our heart or melt our heart. Words can be simple things but yield great power.

One little word can change the world

I have loved words my whole life. I have always loved to read and my weekly visits to the library are some of my favorite childhood memories. In college I began collecting words , surrounding myself with words, posting them on my bulletin board, my mirror, filling file folders and note books full of words, quotes etc.

We can be inspired to do great things through words. It may be a simple word but it can have great power and hit the deepest part of our souls.

Words create impressions, images and expectations, they influence how we think, how we act. There is a powerful connection between words and actions and the results we get.

Resolutions vs. Words

Eight years ago, instead of setting new year’s resolutions that I most likely wouldn’t keep, I decided to choose a word for the year – A word that I wanted to embrace and focus on through the year. A word I wanted to incorporate into my life and who I was.

Usually resolutions or goals do little to inspire us. But a word can inspire us.

My Words:

There are lots of words out there – how did I begin the process of selecting the word that was just right for me?

The process in determining my word each year is always interesting and I look forward to discovering how my word finds me each year. Because it does just that – it finds me. I love to see how the word manifests itself through my year and how it grows and develops.

2009 Word of the Year – JOY It was a word that spoke to my heart, a word that just seemed to keep appearing in my life every time I turned around.

For me Joy was not just for Christmas but something I needed to focus on all year round. I actually put up some vinyl lettering at Christmas that said, “Joy to the World” and it stayed there for 3 years until we repainted.

My word came from this quote:

“Let us relish life as we live it, find JOY in the journey and share our love with friends and family.

Thomas S. Monson

I decided to find Joy in MY Journey. Life does not always go according to plan and in 2008/2009 we were in the middle of what would be 3 periods of unemployment in 4 years.

I worked hard that year to find my Joy – it wasn’t always easy but I think I am a happier and more joyful person as a result of it. I dealt with difficult situations better and found joy in the small, simple things of everyday life.

2010 Word of the Year – RE My word was not really a word – it was a prefix. I spent a lot of time thinking and praying about my word for 2010 I wanted to make sure I picked the right word. I had seen the impact and influence the word Joy had had on my year. The word or prefix actually came to me while I was sitting in church one day.

Re – meaning again, back, repeat.

You see in 2010 I was turning 50. I realized that there weren’t a lot of new things I wanted to try or accomplish. Instead I realized that there were things I wanted to return to, skills I wanted to refine or reclaim. People I wanted to reconnect with, things I wanted to rediscover about myself and places I wanted to revisit. And most important things I wanted to remember (I was turning 50 after all) And I wanted to learn how to relax!

See a theme – return, refine, reclaim, reconnect, rediscover, revisit, relax!

Most importantly I wanted to Remember to Recognize the hand of the Lord in my life on a daily basis. I decided to keep a journal where I write each night how I recognized the hand of the Lord in my life that day

I needed to remember and recognize the Lord’s hand in my life. Even during those difficult years when our life wasn’t going according to plan I needed to realize and recognize that the Lord’s hand was directing our life.

How to Choose Your Word:

Sometimes you will find your word and sometimes you word will find you.

Some of you will know immediately what your word is – others of you will need some time.

Sometimes you will think your word is one thing but then it becomes another. Give it a little time, let it grow on you.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you find your word:

1. What’s the thing you most want to achieve this year?
2. Think back over the last year– can you define it in one word? Now think ahead one year – what word would you like to describe it when it is over?
3. Make a list of words that come to mind and then sleep on it, think on it and even pray about it.
4. Look for it, listen for it. Remember this is your word and there is no right or wrong word. Choose a word that “fits” You.

Enjoy the process, have fun with it. Make it your word.

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2016 Word of the Year

I love choosing a Word of the Year each year and today I’m sharing my 2016 Word of the Year!

My 2016 Word of the Year

Quote from The Happy Scraps

I have never considered myself a “creative person”  My definition of creative being someone who can paint or draw beautiful art work, write amazing stories, or sing beautiful songs. But several years ago I heard a talk given by one of our church leaders which changed my definition of creative and the way I define being creative.  Dieter F. Uchtdorf explained that we each have the desire to create, that it is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.

 “No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.” Uchtdorf went onto say, “Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before – colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.”

After hearing that talk,  my definition of being creative changed.  I am creative, everyone is creative and we can all be creative.   I have loved this talk since it was given 7 years ago.  You can read the entire talk here.

2016 Word of the Year

So my 2016 Word of the Year is create!

The first book of 2016 I am reading is called Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I haven’t finished the book yet but I am loving it and it has given me lots to think about in my quest to be more creative.  She refers to having a “devotion to creativity.”

Be More Creative

This year I am going to devote myself to being creative.  Creativity means to bringing into existence something that did not exist before.  It may look like a smile I give someone, a note of appreciation to someone,  a new skill, or cleaning up and organizing a space in my house.  I want to think of creativity differently.

Try to create more service in my life by giving of my time and resources to others more often and  more willingly.

I want to create space in my home by organizing and dejunking.

Learn to create art by revisiting some old interests of mine such as watercolor and calligraphy.  I studied both years and years ago and I want to get back to that creative part of me.

Create quiet in my life by beginning my mornings with prayer, scriptures and meditation.  I want mind to be opened to new ideas and creativity instead of hoping on my phone and checking out what’s new on IG, Facebook or SnapChat.

Create Memories

Continue to create memories for my friends and family. We have a wedding coming up this year and I can’t wait to create what I like to call a “magical moment in time” for my son and new daughter in law!

Instead of being unhappy or complaining about the things I don’t have I want to create the things I wish existed, whatever that might be! I am going to create my own happiness.

I am making a commitment to doing something creative every day, devoting myself to creativity.  Somedays it might be practicing my lettering skills,  cleaning out a closet or somedays it may just be seeing how many people I can smile at!

We were created by an endlessly creative and compassionate God.  I believe that being creative is an innate part of all of us. We can find happiness through creating things and by bringing into existence something that did not exist before!

Have you picked a Word of the Year yet?  I’d love to hear what it is!

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2015 Word Of The Year

Happy 2015!  One of my favorite things about a new year is selecting a new Word of the Year.  I know a few of you have been waiting for my Word of the Year reveal as you’ve left me some messages on Facebook!  Today is the day.

This will be my seventh year selecting a Word of the Year.  

I love selecting a Word of the Year over making Year’s Resolutions.  I find it more empowering.  I love selecting a word I can focus on for the year and integrate into my daily life.  I always spend some time thinking, pondering and praying about what my word will be.

You can check out my past words here – 2009,  2010, 2011, 2012,  2013, 2014.

This year my word came from this quote:

My 2015 Word of the Year is Reflect.

I chose this word for several reasons.  I am a goer and a doer.  I wake up in the morning and plow my way through my day crossing things off my to do list.  Working as hard and fast as I can.  I don’t take time to Reflect.

One of the definitions of reflect is to think, ponder, or meditate.  I feel a need to think, ponder and mediate more in my life.  I don’t take enough time  to reflect on all that is good in my life, to reflect on what I have accomplished and what I want to accomplish.  I need to spend more time in my life reflecting, thinking, pondering and less time always doing! Instead of grabbing my laptop first thing in the morning and checking my email and social media I want to take time to reflect.  To pray, to read scriptures and reflect on my day ahead.  Reflect on what I have to be grateful for, what I want to accomplish that day, what His will for me is that day and what I want to reflect to others that day.

I want to take time at the end of my day to reflect and express my gratitude for all that the day brought.

The other definition of Reflect that I want to integrate into my year is that of giving back.  I want who I am to be reflected in my soul and my actions, not the reflection I see in the mirror because sometimes that is just plain scary!  I want to make sure that who I truly am and what I believe are reflected in my daily actions, the way I treat others, the things I do on a daily basis.

I want my life to reflect what is in my heart.Last year my Word of the Year was His Will.  I wanted to focus on what my Heavenly Father’s will for me was, not what my will was.  I did better some days than others and know that this is still something I need to work on. I hope that by taking more time to Reflect on a daily basis I can do that.  By doing this I hope that my life will then reflect His will, His light.

I’d love for you to join me in selecting a 2015 Word of the Year.  Leave me a comment and let me know what your word is.

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2014 Word of the Year

For the last six years I have chosen a Word of the Year.  Rather than setting a long list of goals (although I have set a few of those too) I like to choose a word to focus on each year.  The process in determining my word each year is always interesting and I look forward to discovering how my word finds me each year.  Because it does just that – it finds me.

This year my word has tried to make itself known to me three different times.  I finally listened the third time.  I am a pretty strong willed, driven, focused person. I am pretty much a control freak.  I like to drive fast but only when I am driving.  When I am in control.  I like to think that I am in control of my life – of  MY goals, MY plan, My to do list, etc.  I am always focused on what I need to get done, what I want to accomplish.  But then I had 3 separate experiences lately where I realized the following:

I had to stop and ask myself.  Do I truly KNOW what my Heavenly Father’s will is for me?  I like to think I have a good idea and that many of the things I have chosen to do with my life are a direct result of His will for me being made known to me.  But what about on a daily basis?  Am I living my life on a daily basis as He would have me live it?  I am sure I do better some days than other.

So, my word for this  year,  my 2014 Word of the Year is:

I guess technically it is two words but one in meaning.

I hope that I can begin each day this year inquiring what His will is for me that day and that more importantly I will listen.  That when he asks I will have the faith and confidence that he will also open the door, provide the means and resources that I will be able to accomplish His will.

I want to live my life, on a daily basis, striving to better know and follow my Heavenly Father’s will for me.  I know that my plan may not always be His plan but I hope that His plan can become my plan.

Do you have a 2014 Word of the Year?  I’d love to hear what it is!

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2013 Word of the Year

This is my fifth year of choosing a Word of the Year.  It has become a fun practice for me.  I love choosing a word each year that I can focus on and work on.  I love to see how the word manifests itself through my year and how it grows and develops.

I also love the process of selecting my new word, almost as much as having the word.  It is always an interesting process and I love to watch the selection of the word unfold in my life.

As I have said before, I don’t find my word – it finds me.  This year was no different.

I actually had several words I had been thinking about.  None of which I ended up choosing.  Then on December 14th we were all shaken to our core by the shootings in Connecticut.  It was a hard day.  There was a mass of emotion – anger, sadness, disbelief, the list goes on and on.   Several weeks later, I still can’t look at pictures of the faces of those whose lives were lost that day without shedding tears.   How could such a horrific thing happen and to children?  We will never fully understand what happened or why it happened.

That day I was reading through my Facebook feed, like many of you, I came across the quote from Fred Rogers.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”  —Fred Rogers

I love this quote. We can’t stop the ugliness that happens in life  but we can “look for the helpers.”  But more importantly we can be one of those helpers.  One of the many caring people in this world.

Later that day I came across the following photo in my Instagram feed.

There it was – my 2013 Word of the Year.  Or rather words of the year.

We can not rid this world of the bad and the ugly.  But we can be a source of Goodness and Light.  My word and goal for this year and the rest of my years is to always be a source of Goodness and Light to those around me, to those I come in contact with on a daily basis.  To do what I can to bring goodness and light to this world.

These words have a double meaning for me.  Not only do I want to be a source of Goodness and Light but I want to live my life so that I always look toward the true source of Goodness and Light.  That I live my life in such a way that I am worthy to partake of the blessings that come from the ultimate source of Goodness and Light.  My Heavenly Father.  I am grateful for the Goodness and Light that is in my life because of Him.

When I think of the word light and goodness I am reminded of a scripture in the New Testament that I love.

So this year, through this blog and with my daily encounters with people I will strive to always be a source of

Goodness and Light.

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2012 Word of the Year

I chose my very first Word of the year in 2009. My 2009 Word of the Year was Joy.

Joy has since become my Word for Life.  I want to remember daily to find Joy in my Journey.  Joy is a choice.

My 2010 Word of the Year was {re}.

A strange word, I know but it was my word.  You can read more about it here.

It was all about {re}turning, {re}fining, and {re}claiming.

My 2011 Word of the Year was Focus

I wanted to define and refine my focus.

I spend a lot of time contemplating and praying about what my word should be for each year.  I have discovered that when I do this my word finds me.  I don’t find it.

After much thought I had decided that my word was grateful. It was after I found the quote I used on my family Christmas card that my word found me.

I originally chose the quote because it had my Word for Life in it – Joy.  But I soon realized that you can’t have Joy without being Grateful.  The two are interconnected.  They are joined at the hip.

There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.
Ralph H. Blum

  So I thought my word was Grateful.

Then one day I was out for a run and I realized that my word needed to be TWO words.  It was suppose to be BE GRATEFUL.  Gratitude is not just an attitude.  It is an action.  My Word need to have an action word – BE.

So my 2012 Word of the Year is….

This year I want to Be Grateful.  I want to show my gratitude through the way I live my life, the things I say and think and the things I do for others.

I have been given much and am richly blessed.  I need to Be more Grateful for all that I have and to show and share my gratitude on a daily basis.

My sweet friend Meg gave me this for Christmas and it expresses what I want my word to be all about perfectly.  I want to be GrateFULL every day.

There are days when that is easier than others.  But I have learned there is always something to be grateful for.  Thanks to Pollyanna for teaching me how to play the Glad game!

So 2012 is going to be the year full of  Being Grateful.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie,
Quoted in “Simple Abundance”, by Sarah Ban Breathnach

I am going to BE more Grateful by recording each day something I am grateful for in this cute little journal I purchased here

I am going to Be Grateful by expressing my gratitude for others more through handwritten notes and by developing and improving relationships with people I love and those I want to get to know better.

I am going to Be Grateful by sharing my time, energy and means with others.  Even when I don’t think I have enough to share.

I am going to record through photographs the big and little things I am Grateful for. (more on this later)

When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears. – Anthony Robbins

My gratitude is not going to be silent gratitude – it is going to be a loud and important part of my daily life.

Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.
G. B. Stern

I have put little reminders around my house so I don’t forget to Be Grateful!

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