Lara Casey's Blog, page 4

April Goals

Let us be thankful, Lord, for little things –
The song of birds, the rapture of the rose;
Cloud-dappled skies, the laugh of limpid springs,
Drowned sunbeams and the perfume April blows;
– Robert William Service

I am writing this in a torrential downpour, proving this poem true. The rain also is a bit of a metaphor for our last few weeks: we had a literal flood in our house a couple of weeks ago (yes, the third time this has happened in five years!) that kept me from writing this post on time. We woke to a waterfall in our bedroom at 1 am, heavens to Betsy. To add to our water fun, there was also an unfortunate meeting between a glass of water and my laptop. March—and this first part of April—was a wet one! April showers bring May flowers and peach buds, though. The deluge of water also brought proverbial growth and refreshment in the end.

Affiliate links are used in this post – enjoy!

The quarterly PowerSheets refresh was right on time, as it always seems to be. It’s encouraging to think back on writing those pages many months ago with Emily, not knowing how they would meet me when I did them myself. And, perhaps more significantly, not knowing I was writing the PowerSheets for the final time. Reflection reaps rewards. Looking back at the first season of this year, I saw progress in my 2023 goals, but also that I took on too much. In a season where the grief of losing my dad and transitioning from work kept telling me to slow down and do less, I was still unwinding from a full career and turning-point year. Wisdom often comes in retrospect, doesn’t it? I am still learning and looking at this new season with a shifted perspective toward rest. Not just rest from the last year but from a lifetime of frequently biting off more than I can chew.

As the garden begins to come alive again after a season of winter, I feel that myself. God sometimes uses winter seasons to prepare us for spring, changing the environment around us to get us to see what matters most. Ari and I celebrated 17 years of marriage in March and paused to discern what’s next for our lives, much like the mother and father do in the last chapter of Swiss Family Robinson. We just happened to finish the book with the kids as the month came to a close, and wow, what an ending. I won’t spoil it for you, but the mother and father choose the road less traveled. They choose a slower, unexpected, abundant life in the end. Even my 7-year-old son got choked up hearing the end; it was so beautiful. Much like the Robinsons on an untamed island, we’ve had a bit of a wild month here aside from the flooding. From our youngest’s special-needs school suddenly closing out of nowhere to a major foundation repair and breaking through grief roadblocks (more on that in a minute), we’ve had many opportunities to practice resilience in stress.

In the midst of it all, a long-time dream popped up. For several years, we wanted to find a piece of wild land and build a little house in the woods. Such a piece of land came up down the street from where we live. We went to hike it and fell in love. God works in mysterious ways. In this month of unexpected challenges, they were also unexpected clues about what matters that appeared around us: growing friendships between our kids and our new cul-de-sac neighbors, fully realizing I am at my midlife moment, new insight about our youngest’s needs with an Autism diagnosis, and knowing—after all the change of last year—we all need rest. Moving and building a house would take us in the opposite direction to a stressful transition. We decided to stay here, right where we are in the wild, with all the broken pipes and things that fall apart. And with wonderful neighbors and trust in God‘s plans. I read somewhere that unmade decisions are one of the most detrimental things to our health—they clutter your mind and keep you from being present. Every day since making this decision has felt sweeter and sweeter right here where we are.

My mom caught me this week with my new favorite bird seed from a small farm in New York and garden beauties from my local garden shop, For Garden’s Sake.

Also, in March: I did 7 things to improve my health, and we planned a trip to Iceland with my mom and brother. As you know, the thought of traveling this year has given me some anxiety. I spent so much time in airports when my dad was living his last days, and grief has a way of edging out your ability to take on complex logistics. After much prayer and family discussion, though, I knew this was important for the family and to honor my dad—and frankly, to let God work on my faith in grief. We will be gone around the day of Dad’s passing last year to celebrate his life and my brother’s 40th birthday. Now that the tickets have been purchased, I am, indeed, very excited. My brother is taking the reins with activity planning, which is a huge relief to me. We have the Blue Lagoon, a troll tour, and snorkeling in a cave on our list. Any other Iceland must-dos?

And now, onto April! Here’s to new habits, planting the garden, and REST. I continue to love my 2023 PowerSheets goals and am grateful for another month to learn and grow in faithfulness. Our Passover seder is tonight—one of my favorite nights of the year.

In this new month, and always, I want to be present, generous, and faithful. I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store, and I’m grateful for right now. Happiest April, friends!

Your turn! What are you focusing on this month? I’d love to hear.

The post April Goals appeared first on Lara Casey.

Cultivating Health, March Edition

Welcome back for my third installment of Cultivating Health. I shared my story with you in part 1, new breakthroughs in Part 2, and today I’m giving you practical tips and favorite products that have made a difference for us. What a journey this has been, with daily insights, new steps forward, and progress in a short time. A LOT can happen in a month, friends! In keeping with my goals for 2023, and knowing little by little steps add up, here are 7 top things Ari and I have done so far to improve our wellness—consider these spring cleaning for your health!

As always, while Ari is a doctor, I am not, and I’m sharing these recommendations that work well for us. Our bodies all have unique needs. Talk to a functional medicine professional, and do what you can where you are. Hopefully, these posts give you inspiration and a jumping-off point. Affiliate links are used in the post – enjoy!

My Top 7 Health Tips for Fitness and Wellbeing

1. Evaluate where you are. As the creator of the PowerSheets, this one should come as no surprise to you. Reflection reaps rewards and data can help determine your best direction. There are many ways to evaluate your health to lay a foundation for the right next steps—you will know what’s best for you depending on your health needs, budget, and time. For Ari and me, this has meant doing three things lately:

— We track our nutrition each day using MyFitnessPal. This app helps us know we are eating enough. For both of us, the main focus is making sure we’re getting enough protein. More about this in a minute.
— We got some basic biomarkers done at our local Restore Hyper Wellness while we waited for an appointment with a functional medicine doctor. This was super helpful! More in this post.
— We track our rest and recovery using our Whoop bands. WE LOVE THEM. Have you thought about getting a WHOOP? We used our friend’s code for a discount, so I’ll share mine here for you, too. Get a free WHOOP 4.0 and one month free when you join with my link. I also track and do my workouts through Trainerize – more on my exercise in a minute. All of these apps—MyFitnessPal, WHOOP, and Trainerize—connect together through Apple Health, which is fantastic! A win for technology.

2. SLEEP. All caps for a reason. Do not pass go, and do not collect your $200 until you dig into this one. Honestly, nothing affects us more than poor or great sleep. There’s an athlete I follow who said he tries to get good at just one thing each year instead of trying to do it all. I love this. After all these years together, you and I know about the power of little-by-little progress. The idea of focusing on one area of significant growth has stuck with me over the last month. Sleep, to Ari and me, is that one thing. It affects your recovery, hormones, mental acuity, mood, strength, longevity, ability to love others well, etc., etc. So, what do we do for sleep? We go hardcore. We’ve done this a little bit at a time over the last weeks. It has been uncomfortable at points to try new things, and it has been 1000% worth the effort.

— We got separate mattresses. Wild, I know! Stay with me for a minute. We were constantly waking each other up shifting around in bed. When one of us got up to go to the bathroom in the night, boom, the other was awake. We donated our mattress to Habitat Restore and got two of these Twin XL’s and put them right next to each other on the bed frame – super cheap compared to our King mattress. We have separate fitted sheets and still share the top sheet and comforter. Big win for sleep. The mattresses are CertiPur certified, but if I did it again knowing what I know now, I’d order this Eco Organic Mattress from Avocado. I’ve read great things about how comfortable they are, and it doesn’t get much more toxin-free than this.
— We raised the head of our bed by 6 inches to help our acid reflux while we work on healing our guts and systems from over a decade on PPI’s! We just used a few wood pieces to do this.
— We each have what I call our morning C.O.F.F.E.E. to get our circadian rhythms started well for the day:
C – cup of water with electrolytes – read this.
O – outside to see the sun – thank you, Huberman Lab. IYKYK!
F – functional warmup and workout
F – five-minute post-workout meditation – again, thank you, Huberman lab.
E – eat!
E – energize with supplements
Ari does a quick run with our neighbor in the morning before I get up and lifts weights after work. I lift weights at home after he leaves in the morning. He has a quick shake for breakfast, and I have the works: some sort of protein, maybe some collard greens from the garden, and oats.
— We eat dinner early and have our last snacks a couple of hours before bed. If your body is working on digesting food at night, it’s not working on restoring and clearing out your various systems. The kids are in bed by 7, and we are in bed by 8 and asleep before 9. This works well for us, with everyone needing to be up early. Ari runs at 5:30 before work, and I’m up at 6 to start breakfast for everyone. Now, let me just stop here for a minute. For the record, if I had read my own post just a few months ago, I’d say, “NO WAY, José!” How could I ever get to bed that early?? Friends, if you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired… and you know your days are numbered… you will be motivated to do just about anything to ignite change. I sold a business, finished a long and fruitful career, and had my dad pass away all in the span of a month last year. I’m at a turning point, knowing this life is in the Lord’s hands, not mine. I want to make the most of what we’ve been given. Going to bed at 8 pm didn’t take a second thought for us with the big picture goal: living for what matters while we have the gift of breath in our lungs! Ari and I are both in this for the long haul. Our brains and hearts are a whole lot happier. Besides, with all this new training and things we’re doing, we’re pretty tired by 8 and looking forward to good rest!
— We did some learning about EMFs. Many studies show that daily low-frequency EMF exposure decreases sleep quality, lowers melatonin production, and increases depression and anxiety symptoms. So, we unplugged the TV in our bedroom and don’t use it anymore. We’ll probably keep it here for a family movie now and then. I plug my phone in the bathroom and haven’t looked back. I turn it completely off at night. We also completely turn our internet off at night! Goodbye, nighttime EMFs. I got this helpful killswitch.
— We dim the lights all around the house around 6, and I wear blue-light blocking these glasses – even in the shower! I told you we don’t mess around with sleep these days.
— We breathe, meditate, or listen to scripture on Glorify. Ari even started doing nightly breathwork with our youngest to help her sleep. It works like a charm!
— We use a Dohm at night.
— Ari and I both take magnesium. Magnesium deficiency causes a whole host of complications (more in a future post, but start here), and it’s a low-risk supplement with a ton of upside. Ari loves Magnesium Breakthrough from BioOptimizers, and I’ve been adding Magnesium Glycinate from Pure Encapsulations before bed. We have both been sleeping better and recovering faster. I listened to two podcasts where health professionals I trust raved about Magnesium Breakthrough. My husband is such a fan that anytime someone has a booboo or really any problem in our house, he looks at me and jokingly says, “Magnesium?” with a smile. I’m always looking for discount codes on things, so here’s one for BioOptimizers. Use code LARA10 for 10% off.

There are hormones, life stress, and various sleep disruptors that happen. Over time though, we are accumulating more restorative rest. It’s all about the big picture. The results? SLEEP! Real, good sleep, praise the Lord. Last night…

3. Clean up your air and water. Air and water are foundations for life. This is something we invested in for our health and our children’s long-term health.
— We called the Doctor! The Air Doctor that is. I can’t say enough about how much we love our AirDoctor purifiers. I did a ton of research, and it has proved fruitful. We had a small construction project in our house this month to repair drywall and paint a few walls, and the AirDoctors went to town to get all the construction particles cleaned out of the air. When I do heavy cooking, they crank up, too—they sense everything. Between the pollen lately and general air pollutants, these have been well worth the investment.
— We filter our drinking and cooking water. After much research and MANY recommendations, we bought this AquaTru system. We aren’t ready to commit to a whole-house set-up, so this was a solid first step. This reverse osmosis countertop system is easy to use and comes with great reviews from people we trust. We add back trace minerals with Hi Lyte. Highly recommend the AquaTru! Clean water is the best foundation. We’ve tested both our air quality and water, and it’s a night and day difference now. Start with a free water report from the EWG Tap Water Database.

4. “Reduce stress.” I have to admit anytime I’ve seen this listed as a tip in a post like this, I have scoffed in the past. It feels presumptuous to suggest someone “reduce stress,” not knowing the weight of the other person’s daily responsibilities and challenges. So, let me flip this one on its head for you: gather tools to combat stress when it happens. We all know stress is going to happen, but you can regulate the degree to which it affects your long-term health. That might mean, like me, you have some catching up to do—some stress detox work. It’s been a month of “stress resilience education” in our house – i.e., lots of stressors to help us practice! Our nervous systems can become more resilient over time. Learning how cortisol works has been a turning point in stress management for Ari and me, especially learning how to calm it down in the later part of the day to prepare for sleep.

— We practice breathing. Ari likes Headspace, and I love the daily reflections in the Glorify app. Use this link for a free 30-day guest pass to Headspace.
— We learn about stress, why our society has more of it these days, and how to be more resilient. This new episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy is a great starting point for practical guidance. Here’s another great podcast about recovery – they talk about the science of cortisol (and when it’s a good thing!).
— I take cold showers and ice baths when I can. This always gives me a boost!
— I see a counselor weekly to heal my grief and learn resilience in stress.
— We move our bodies. A walk outside can turn a whole day around.
— We are serious about workout recovery, so we don’t over-train and stress our systems too much. OOFOS Recovery Slides were recommended by my podiatrist for recovery and to wear around the house.
— Most importantly, we pray. Prayer changes things.

A cup of mint and chamomile tea with Ari the other night.

5. Lift heavy things. The benefits of weight training are endless, and I think we all know by now it’s good for us. My guess is, though, like me, you may need a little motivation, knowledge, or accountability. Maybe all three?

— Let’s start with motivation and knowledge. Listen to Andrew Huberman and Andy Galpin’s exercise series on the Huberman Lab Podcast. It took Ari and me a solid 3 weeks to get through this epic series, starting with this episode, and they are all well worth the listen. We gained what feels like a lifetime of exercise and recovery knowledge, with one of my favorite episodes giving a balanced fitness and longevity plan that goes with the seasons of the year. This was right up my alley. Thank you, Dr. Huberman and Dr. Galpin! Ari and I loved every minute. Listen here.
— Now for accountability. There are so many ways to do this. You could join an exercise class with friends, set up a run time with a neighbor like Ari does now, or have a regular walking phone date with a friend (looking at you, Em!). After losing my Dad recently, I wanted to take back my health with some expert help. I joined a 6-month virtual group training program in January with Bradee and several other women in various stages of life. Bradee sets my workouts each month through Trainerize and has been so encouraging through my ups and downs with joint pains and injuries from having hypermobility joint syndrome. I don’t have a gym membership and haven’t for years, so this extra investment in my joints and longevity felt right on time. I use weights and bands we have at home. Most of the first weeks were body weight, so I didn’t need extra equipment to get started. Friends, I have benefited from this so much. We check in throughout the week, and Bradee monitors my lifting progress and needs. I love her balanced approach to nutrition and exercise – no diets or crazy plans. It has been SO much fun, and I highly recommend her group program if you need accountability. As a former trainer myself, this has been such a blessing to have someone knowledgeable help me get back into heavier lifting after a long hiatus. Having a solid program with accountability has led to crazy strength gains in these 12 weeks. It all started as all good things begin: small and slow. Trust the process, friends, and lift weights!

6. Fuel. Let’s talk about metabolism for a minute. If you don’t eat enough, your body adapts. Your metabolism slows down. You lose muscle. I’ve been so busy growing a company and raising kiddos over the last few years that I got into the habit of eating fewer and fewer whole foods and relying more on easy foods. Ari and I got a metabolism reset over the last 12 weeks by eating more mindfully and plentifully: whole foods, pasture-raised meat and eggs, wild-caught fish, veggies from the garden, and a variety of colors and spices. We generally don’t eat out, so our food budget goes to groceries. I’m eating twice as much as I was before starting this journey in January. About 2400/calories a day from whole foods (no bars or shakes for me right now), and I aim for 150g of protein to help me gain muscle at my age. I often joke that my full-time job is eating meat these days (sorry vegan friends!), and my other full-time job is cooking for the family. It’s a ton of cooking daily, but I’m learning to batch it, and our cookware makes it easier. Ari is in the same boat, eating more than before and gaining lean muscle. It’s been a bit of a revelation for us to eat so much and see the weight training do its thing. I’ll chat more about what we eat and our favorite recipes in a future post! Listen to Dr. Hyman’s podcast as a great starting point for functional nutrition.

7. Try new things. You’ll see “Have fun with fitness with Ari” on my Tending List this month. If we’re not having fun, it makes the hard parts of getting our health in order, well… hard. Trying new things is one way to keep things interesting and fun. There have been MANY things we thought we’re a little off-the-wall at first glance (hello, getting separate mattresses and wearing my orange glasses at night!). You never know if it works until you try, though! We have, more often than not, been surprised by the results of trying new things—and energized by the discovery process.

Let’s start with some new kitchen essentials, shall we? To reduce toxins in our home from plastic and chemicals, we substituted our traditional kitchen items for these clean alternatives:
— We swapped our metal and plastic spatulas for Non-toxic teak wood Spurtles. Friends, where have these been all my life!? They make cooking more ergonomic for my hands and more fun for everyone. Also, they are beautiful—so beautiful we decided to put them in a container on our kitchen counter for easy access.
— We got these sustainable salt and pepper mills.
— We recycled our plastic colander (that was likely melting every time we put hot pasta through it – yikes!) for a well-designed metal colander.

We’re trying new protocols. We continue to see the benefits of doing sauna, red light therapy, and compression at Restore each week to help detox and recovery. One thing both Ari and I added this month was immediately doing downregulation breathing or meditation following a workout. This was recommended in the Huberman/Galpin exercise series in the episode on recovery. It helps prime the nervous system to know it’s time to heal. Wow, we have loved this – and it has helped me push harder in my training, knowing I’ll have the reward of this nice little spot of mediation right after.

With guidance from our practitioner, we’re also taking new supplements unique to our needs. I am working on restoring my liver function after all the medications I was on previously. My personal favorites right now that are making a big difference:

— Creatine from Thorne – Ari and I both take this daily. It’s one of the most researched-backed supplements after all these years with a ton of upside.
— Nutrient 950 from Pure Encapsulations
— NAC from Thorne
— Vitamin D3 from Thorne
— Omega 3 Fish Oil from Nordic Naturals
— Magnesium Glycinate before bed from Pure Encapsulations
— Amino Complex from Thorne – Ari and I both take this daily around our workouts and love it!
— LMNT before or after a sweaty workout or sauna. I also keep one of these adorable mini Redmond Real Salts in every bag and in Ari’s lunch cooler, too. Perfect for eating on the go! We continue to love our Redmond Real Salt.
— Artichoke extract daily to help with estrogen dominance.
— Enzymes! I looooove Masszymes from BioOptimizers. I have had very few digestion issues since taking them. I have them with breakfast and dinner. They also smell good – like pineapple. Use code LARA10 for 10% off at my link.

Woosh! There you have it! I hope these recommendations and tips encourage you to try new things and choose what matters most for your health. I’m excited to keep learning and taking small steps forward. I’ll look forward to a quick check-in next month!

Your turn! How are you cultivating your health? Any favorites lately?

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March Goals

There is no time like Spring,
When life’s alive in everything.
– Christina Rossetti, ‘Spring‘

Hello, March! Ah, I love this month: blooming buds, catkins on the trees, tulips making their debut—it puts a spring in my step! This change of season has so much to teach us about hope. After winter always comes spring.

February was full of forward motion on my 2023 goals, waves of grief, and wildly exciting progress in my health.

Grief, as I’m continuing to learn, is often unexpected and all-consuming. It holds on and won’t let go until you do. Superbowl Sunday was a favorite of my dad’s. He would have called to see if we were watching the game. A few days later was Valentine’s day. He would have called to tell me how much he loved me. I couldn’t help the quiet tears pouring during my dinner date with Ari. I missed hearing his voice. My mom faced the daunting task of donating the rest of his clothing in February. The first year is filled with so many hurdles. She visited us last week, and it was just what we both needed. We shared memories, expressed our grief on morning walks, and I let the tears fall once again in telling her that I couldn’t think of getting on an airplane again this year. I took 64 flights last summer as dad was living his final days. I usually have several family trips planned by January, but I haven’t been able to do it this year for many reasons. I know this won’t last forever, and I’m trying to be easy on myself. Ari wants to take a weekend away for our anniversary, and we will drive somewhere local for that.

But time is ticking, and I want to make memories with our family. Grief is always a call to Psalm 90:12 for me: “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Moses’ request of God leads me to see that life is fleeting, and I want to make the most of the time I’m given. On my tending list this month, you’ll see “plan family travel.” It’s a task in which I trust my faith will grow as I let go and let the grief come once again.

What I loved in February:

—The flowers blooming and eating kale almost daily from our winter garden!
—Cultivating my health. More to come in my next update! I loved reading your thoughts on my last post.
— The Glorify app. I discovered this through someone I follow on Instagram and have loved doing this every day. Each day you use the app, you get more water to grow a “tree.” I’m a sucker for growing things, so you know I love this little boost. The narration is excellent, and the readings are simple. I’ve done several “reflections” as post-exercise cooldowns and with the kids at night.
—Time with my mom.
—In February, I dug into the Word more, learned how to better recover from workouts, and used my journal in new ways. I learned so much!

And now, onto March! Here’s to new habits, trying new things, and refreshing my commitment to what matters most. I continue to love my 2023 PowerSheets goals and am grateful for another month to learn and grow in faithfulness. Affiliate links are used in this post – enjoy!

What I’m looking forward to:

Celebrating 17 years of marriage! We hope to take a weekend away to celebrate. I’m also looking forward to digging into my March goals: planting our seeds, lots of learning (on my bedside table: Winter Swimming, Young Forever, Food: What the Heck Should I Cook, and Why We Sleep), cultivating my health, a focused month of physical therapy on my shoulder and legs, and making our 2023-2024 homeschool plans.

In this new month, and always, I want to be present, generous, and faithful. I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store, and I’m grateful for right now. Happiest March, friends!

Your turn! What are you focusing on this month? I’d love to hear.

P.S. Looking for the perfect spring gift? I just saw that Gracie’s Garden is on sale right now, and it’s perfect for the growing season – hurry, this won’t last long!

The post March Goals appeared first on Lara Casey.

Cultivating Health, Mid-February Edition

Welcome back for my second installment of Cultivating Health! I shared my story with you in part 1. What a journey this has been, with daily insights, new steps forward, and progress in a short time. A LOT can happen in a month, friends! In keeping with my word for 2023, and knowing little by little steps add up, here’s what happened over the last month.

February Steps Forward:

— First and most importantly, I got a new diagnosis on my neck. After years and years of being treated for degenerative disc disease, which I still have, a new doctor revealed my pain is coming from my left trap! This new orthopedist took a different approach, dug deep into all my records, and wooosh – a new and correct diagnosis! Finding out I’ve had steroid injections and unnecessary pain for years was not the most fun thing to hear, but you guys — in a way, GOD HEALED MY NECK. In a miraculous and sideways turn of events, this is the healing I’ve been praying for. Multiple doctors have told me that it was my disc pressing on a nerve in my spinal cord, and she saw a different picture. I walked out of her office like…

I cried, clicked my heels, and called Ari in shock. My upper back/trap imbalances are very treatable, and I am elated! The best thing that happened this month with my health was seeing a doctor who took the time to dig deeper. I’ve already started PT for this with a new therapist, which has been exciting!

We could just stop right here with this post. Nothing quite compares to this, but there was, indeed, much more this month. Affiliate links are used in the post – enjoy!

— Ari and I got our biomarker results and had a chat with the nurse and nutritionist from the lab. This included genetic testing specific to mutations in the methylation cycle, food sensitivities, antioxidant protection assay, and a panel of micronutrient levels. This has been insightful for both of us, specifically learning about the methylation cycle. I have the MTRR mutation, and Ari has COMT. Ari and I both have the MTHFR mutation, something we now know we’ve passed to our kids. These all significantly affect how we process (or don’t process) folate, B vitamins, and many other things. I’ve learned a ton from this podcast about MTHFR.
— Ari got hardcore. Before I go any further, let me note that I started this journey feeling like a sponge and so pumped about all I’m learning. I’ve been on a whole new path, one that feels full circle back to my personal training days. I did not expect Ari to take to any of this as someone who doesn’t love change. I’ve sometimes wondered if he’ll tire of me talking about functional medicine, but he outpaces me every time. He has been able to stop his blood pressure medication (huge!). He weaned off his PPI (proton pump inhibitor) for acid reflux, which he took for decades without a second thought till now – like me. And, if that wasn’t enough, he was convinced by our learning to stop drinking coffee. God has put a new spark in both of us to use the days we have here with our children as best we can – in the best health we can. We’re listening to podcasts at night, reading books, swapping notes during the day, and doing things we never thought we’d do (like going to get redlight therapy before our Valentine’s dinner date!?). I’m proud of Ari and amazed at the renewed energy he has already. The kids have even encouraged him, noting how much more energy he has. We’ve done as much as we can safely without more expert input, so we are talking to a functional medicine doctor we love soon. We can’t wait to hear what he says. We’re in this together!
— So, on that note, Ari wanted to get us WHOOP’s for Valentine’s Day. Our friend who owns the gym down the street has one and can’t say enough about it. I have wanted to track my sleep and recovery and considered the Oura ring, but ultimately went with the WHOOP for the added fitness features. We watched a lot of comparison reviews and asked friends who have both. You get better overall data with the WHOOP that has already proven useful in the two weeks we’ve been wearing them. I can track many factors (how much protein I get daily, morning sunlight, contrast therapy, stress levels etc.) and see how they impact my sleep and recovery each night. As I continue to gather data, I’ll let you know what patterns I see! Have you thought about getting a WHOOP? We used our friend’s code for a discount, so I’ll share mine here for you, too. Get a free WHOOP 4.0 and one month free when you join with my link.

— We swapped our salt out for Redmond Real Salt.
— We are taking several new supplements, which I’ll discuss in a future post. Ari is a fan of his morning AG1, and I’ve been piecing together what fits my body’s needs from Pure Encapsulations, Thorne, and others. If I were to pick the number one supplement Ari and I talk about the most, though, it’s magnesium. Magnesium deficiency causes a whole host of complications (more in a future post, but start here), and it’s a low-risk supplement with a ton of upside. Ari loves Magnesium Breakthrough from BioOptimizers, and I’ve been adding Magnesium Glycinate from Pure Encapsulations before bed. We have both been sleeping better and recovering faster. I listened to two podcasts where health professionals I trust raved about Magnesium Breakthrough. My husband is such a fan that anytime someone has a booboo or really any problem in our house, he looks at me and jokingly says, “Magnesium?” with a smile. I’m always looking for discount codes on things, so here’s one for BioOptimizers. Use code LARA10 for 10% off.
— I’ve continued lifting weights and making strength gains. I can finally do a plank-to-push-up with more ease.
— I changed to a savory breakfast after 20 years. Friends who know me well, you know this was a big deal! Ha! I’ve had everything from chicken with kale and avocado salad to eggs and purple sweet potatoes. It has been a whole new world for me in the mornings.
— Ari and I joined Restore Hyper Wellness. We are loving it! Our favorites are red light therapy, PEMF, and infrared sauna, and we recently had our first intramuscular injections. Again, a whole new world for us.
— I started taking ice baths at home to help with recovery and inflammation. Josh thinks this is especially cool (pun intended) and loves to help me fill the tub with a few pitchers of ice. Okay, mostly, he loves seeing me squeal when I get in the water! We call him “Ice Man Josh” as he also has taken the job of counting down for me when I plunge. Some favorite resources are this podcast and the book Winter Swimming.
— Ari and I have been a little blown away by learning about nose vs. mouth breathing.

Making a childhood favorite – artichokes with lemon and ghee!

— We swapped out our old Teflon cookware set for a few select Our Place and Caraway pieces. This has been a game-changer. First of all, we have far less cookware now. When you have just a few good pots and pans, you don’t need as many. I am cooking far more than I used to, and these non-stick surfaces make it easier and more fun. I rarely need to oil pans, and they clean like a dream. While the care instructions took some getting used to, this has been one of the best investments in our health. Our Lodge cast iron has also been an adjustment, but worth it. Oiling the surfaces after cleaning is second nature now, and the high heat capacity gives me some variety in cooking modalities, specifically for meat.
— Figuring out how to filter our water was a priority this month after looking at our local water report. Yikes! After much research, we got the AquaTru system. We aren’t ready to commit to a whole-house set-up, so this was a solid first step. This reverse osmosis countertop system is easy to use and comes with great reviews from people we trust. We add back trace minerals with Hi Lyte.
— I learned how to properly store my vegetables (video). Our fridge looks like a garden some days with asparagus, dill, and rainbow chard in water-filled mason jars!

Good Things This Month:
— I feel happier and more energetic. Learning about my neck, the needs of my genes, and starting new treatments has been a gift.
— Ari feels better and is happier, too. We’re having fun.
— All of this progress is spilling over to our children. They are enjoying the new foods we’re trying and how much more energy both of us have.

I’m excited to keep learning and taking small steps forward. I’ll look forward to a quick check-in next month.

Your turn! How are you cultivating your health this year? Any favorites?

The post Cultivating Health, Mid-February Edition appeared first on Lara Casey.

February Goals

A snowy path for squirrel and fox,
It winds between the wintry firs.
Snow-muffled are its iron rocks,
And o’er its stillness nothing stirs.

But low, bend low a listening ear!
Beneath the mask of moveless white
A babbling whisper you shall hear—
Of birds and blossoms, leaves and light.

– Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts

Those words whisper to the deepest part of my soul: spring is coming! As much as I long for spring, though, I know it’s made all the more refreshing by the glittering frost of winter. I have grown to love this gift of winter rest. The crisp air, the bulbs starting to push through the cold soil, and the resting garden tools give me space and time to dream anew. Each season prepares us for the next, and I feel that in life as well.

Hello from the Fearrington gardens!

Affiliate links are used in this post.

January felt like ten years of living in 31 days. It was a month of change, shifts, and trying new things. I made more progress on some of my 2023 goals than I ever thought possible (more coming in my mid-month Cultivating My Health post!), and some I’ll work on more throughout the year. The start of the year is always a time of testing and trying on new rhythms to see what fits and what doesn’t. Overall, I was grateful for the progress in my health, which also left me more tired at night as I acclimate. My body is getting used to all this weight training! I’m learning how to recover properly, and it’s slowly giving me more energy at night for the things I want to focus on, namely Bible reading with the In Every Season journals. I used this journal about 50% of the month and also got thrown off by Ari traveling to India for a week and various unexpected happenings. As I continue to learn, little by little is often best with goals! I had the best intentions to use the Gospels Collection alongside my New Testament reading plan each morning, but it was all a bit too much to start the year. I’ll integrate these new journals one at a time and plan to begin the Matthew journal on Valentine’s Day—no better way to celebrate God’s love. I have much more to share in my upcoming health post, but January was one for the books. It was a month of acclimating and getting ready to dig into the Word more in February, recover from workouts well, and journal.

What I loved in January:

—The library. I took many trips to the library this first month of the year and found several new favorites for the kids, too! One, in particular, is The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music. My dad loved Roberta Flack and got to see her in concert. I can’t help but lose myself when I hear her sing “Killing Me Softly.” The book is melodic and moving, illuminating what it’s like to be passionate about something and find joy in your gifts. I found myself in tears by the end and introduced our kids to Roberta’s music after we read the book aloud. Dad would have been proud. : )
—Cultivating my health. Ahhh, there’s so much to report here! More to come in my next update. I loved reading your thoughts on my last post.
—Josh’s karate class. I haven’t been a fan of many online classes since the pandemic began, but Sensei Jess is truly a special teacher. She teaches Josh about respect, integrity, and hard work—and they have a ton of fun! He takes class three nights a week now and loves every minute of it. I can’t recommend her classes enough! If you want a $20 credit, you can use my referral link.
—And perhaps my favorite of all favorites from January: introducing…. Bluebird Basil Whiskerkins, aka “Birdie” for short.

Friends, this is such a God story. We’ve felt it was time to get a cat for a few months now, but we just weren’t motivated enough to make such a big shift in our family after a year of so much change. Well, I had a dream one Wednesday night where God told me Josh needed a kitty. A weird and oddly specific dream, I know. I relayed this information to Ari with, “No pressure from me; I’m just telling you my dream!” Ari was more open to the idea, but we carried on with life that week. That Saturday morning, Ari takes the girls to gymnastics, and low-and-behold, a kitten is on the side of the building in a shopping bag. Someone (God??) had left it there to be picked up.

We took her to the vet to get checked and then to the pet store for all the supplies. It all happened so fast! God gave us a cat, and we love her. Her name is a family collaboration. “Bluebird” from me, “Basil” from Gracie the gardener, and “Whiskerkins” from Ari. Birdie is such a snuggler and loves to get in anyone’s lap and take a nap. She falls asleep with Josh each night, and he sings to her—it’s the sweetest. We see why God wanted us to care for her. She has brought so much love and peace to our kiddos. We think she is a Russian Blue. Has anyone had this breed before?

And now, onto February! Here’s to new habits, trying new things, and refreshing my commitment to what matters most. I continue to love my 2023 PowerSheets goals and am grateful for another month to learn and grow in faithfulness.

What I’m looking forward to:

A trip to see the Broadway tour of Cats (I’m tickled pink to take the kids and see it again myself!), several special birthdays to celebrate, starting PT for a new and hopeful diagnosis on my neck (!), my mom coming to visit for ten days and celebrating our 17-year engageaversary on Valentine’s Day.

Breakfast for one this morning on this rainy day.

I’m also grateful for today. I’m writing you from my quarterly grief retreat, part of one of my 2023 goals, at a very special place. I’ve made so many memories at Fearrington over many years, from photo shoots here for Southern Weddings to weddings of dear friends, team retreats, exploring the herb and flower gardens with the kids, visiting the cows on weekends, tea with Gracie, and bringing my dad here many years ago. It’s the perfect place for a quiet solo retreat night.

In this new month, and always, I want to be present, generous, and faithful. I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store, and I’m grateful for right now. Happiest February, friends!

Your turn! What are you focusing on this month? I’d love to hear.

The post February Goals appeared first on Lara Casey.

Cultivating Health, Mid-January Edition

I’ve never been able to predict the journey the Lord will take me on each year—He often surprises me! When I chose my word for 2023, I had no idea how much I’d learn about my health in even the first 17 days of the year. Summarizing what led me here felt a bit daunting, but this was important to write, even just for myself. Writing is one way I acknowledge change and accept it. I feel restless when words need to be written, so here I am, pushing myself to write them and welcome this shift in my health journey. This post kicks off a new mid-month series where I’ll give a quick update (this first post is longer to give you the backstory!) on things I’m trying with my health and progress/blunders along the way. Affiliate links are used in this post. Enjoy!

First, a disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional, and nothing shared in these posts is prescriptive or an endorsement for you to try. As I’m learning, our bodies have unique needs. I hope, if anything, this series encourages you to try new things and take care of your health in whatever ways are best for you. I know for sure I’ll make mistakes along this journey. I’ll likely look back on these posts, even a few months from now, and have made discoveries and adjustments. I’m sure there will be times I say to myself, “What was I thinking trying that!?” That’s part of the fun: digging into the process together. To close my disclaimer, 1 Timothy 4:8 says it all: ‘For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.’ My spiritual health is more valuable than my physical health, but they do intertwine. Cultivating a thriving relationship with God involves my physical, emotional, and environmental states. Looking at my overall health has given me new motivation to love others well and, hopefully, do more of what God wants me to do in this life. With all of this in mind, let’s do this. I’m grateful you’re here with me!

My first biking race with dad.

A little backstory. I’ve always thought of myself as a healthy person. I walk daily, try to eat well, and was a personal trainer for several years. My great-grandfather started a bit of a “health nut” legacy in our family as an early adopter of vitamins and exercise equipment. He was born before the turn of the century and lived to be 95 years old—incredible! My dad followed suit, eating superfoods all his life and teaching me about fitness. Close friends remember his daily 30+ mile bike rides in his signature yellow windbreaker. He took a trip to Alaska with my brother years ago to bike and see the wild salmon he loved to eat. Blueberry picking with dad was a favorite, and he ate them as often as possible. He was proud to be one of the founding members of our local co-op. Dad was a health enthusiast – emphasis on enthusiasm. He had such joy in it all! I took after him with a love for good nutrition and active youth, dancing ballet and jazz all through college, teaching yoga, running, and lifting weights. I got my training certification with NASM after college in 2002. It was a great fit. I loved helping people uncover what matters and reach their goals. I even met Ari while training clients in the gym.

Fast forward to starting a magazine, growing a company, and then becoming a mom 11 years ago, and somewhere in it all, I left the gym and stopped lifting weights. I’ve stayed fairly active, but it was tricky as a new mom and business owner to get to the gym. Five years after having Grace, in 2016, I experienced a turning point in my body’s capacity to deal with stress. We had another new baby, adopted six months later, and a few months after that, I injured my neck. I was digging up the old roots of a plant in our yard (yep, I was gardening, of all things!) and thought I just strained a muscle. It turned out to be a disc pressing on my spinal cord. The hardest part of it all was sleep. I was consistently up 10-20 times each night, unable to get comfortable. My gardening mishap turned into long-term chronic pain. I went to physical therapy, tried cervical pillows, had several intralaminar steroid injections, took NSAIDS, had MRIs, and was gifted heating pads from loving friends. I eventually saw a surgeon who told me surgery wouldn’t take my pain away. It seemed like there were no options. Ari and I paused after years of dead ends to simply pray and wait for God’s answers.

In 2020, seemingly unrelated, I developed heart pain. The cardiologist encouraged me to explore a few rabbit trails from the test results, just in case. Those rabbit trails led to an array of blood tests and hematology appointments. No one could make heads or tails of the results. I was severely anemic, had inflammatory markers, and there were puzzling findings on tests they don’t normally run. My doctor said, “Well, it seems like you have an autoimmune disease brewing, but we don’t know what it is yet. The next step is to do a bone marrow biopsy.”

My dad’s health declined around this time, and I was weary from the testing and chronic lack of sleep. Was any of it even connected?? My hip and hand joints were flaring up, too. Add normal life to this in running a growing business, homeschooling, and having a kiddo with extra sensory needs, and I was low on resilience. I focused on loving our family as best I could and trying to live numbered days. When I started losing my hair in handfuls at a time each day, though, it was another sign that something wasn’t right. I reached out to a couple of friends in the hair industry, and they both said, “You could try all these products, but… stress. Do whatever you can to reduce stress first.”

A comment here on a blog post from two years ago stuck with me from Ashley B: “I am a now retired family practice doctor (retired early to be a stay-at-home wife and mom). I remember well all the patients who had any kind of vertebral surgery when I was in residency. Those patients often did not fare well. If it were my body, I would do everything possible before surgery… whatever it took to avoid surgery. Many times people hold stress in their necks, so if rest goes up and stress goes down, neck pain improves.“

Ah, those last few words. I couldn’t put my discs back in place myself or understand what was happening with these blood tests, but various stressors in life were making the pain worse by causing inflammation. God used this time to humble me. I just couldn’t do it all—or even half as much as I could years ago. I needed to slow down more than I thought. I didn’t want to, but my body was telling me otherwise. As I shared with you many years ago, there’s the popular phrase, “She believed she could, so she did.” I know a deeper truth: “She believed she couldn’t, so God did.”

In all of this, as crazy as it may seem at first, the last seven years have been… a gift. I’ve been unable to do many of the things I want to do, experienced times I couldn’t feel my feet or hands, taking trips to the ER, and yet, in it all, my faith has grown. I’ve experienced the kindness of friends and strangers, more closeness with God and reliance on Him, and a deeper bond in our marriage. I’ve seen my limits and repeated this old hymn lyric to myself many times over: “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through.” Knowing this body of mine will be resurrected new one day gives me great comfort. This pain is temporary. Praise the Lord!

Getting all these tests and appointments, even with no answers, has also grown my gratitude. Staff members were often taken aback, wondering why I was so happy to be there getting blood drawn or a scan done. My response was, and is, always the same, “I’m just grateful to be able to do this.” Healthcare is something I do not take for granted.

In this time of testing, God also orchestrated things that weren’t about me. You never know how the seeds of joy and gratitude you plant will grow long after you’re gone. There’s always more than we can see on the surface—in our bodies and lives. I felt His nudge to encourage the nurses, docs, techs, front desk friends, and other patients at each appointment, and I have distinct memories of those interactions. God also allowed my children to see me suffer and rely on Him when I felt scared or exhausted. They’ve been gentle and understanding when I couldn’t pick them up or needed a few extra minutes to get out of bed in the morning. And I’ve been able to better understand when friends experience chronic pain. All of this, and more, is a gift.

I painted this history in broad strokes for you—there’s more—but this is what felt best to share. All of this has been the fuel to ignite the faith I have now and the learning I’m doing today. When you are tired of something for long enough, you will find a way to either live with it or change it. If the latter, change doesn’t always happen on our timetable. It can happen slowly, and sometimes it happens in what seems like an instant—from an unexpected life circumstance or, in my case, from a long journey that opened my eyes. What feels like a fast change over the first days of this new year is, in reality, seven years of sleepless nights and unexplained health conundrums that left me open at this moment to do anything that will help my body to heal. This openness could also be called a willingness to learn—a readiness to try new things at 43!

Friends with sensory challenges in your house will know what the red and yellow cards are!

If you and I had a secret handshake, it would have a not-so-secret meaning: little by little steps add up. : ) Each month, I’ll share some of my little steps forward and any good things I’m noticing. This month’s list will likely be the biggest, but who knows where the Lord will lead. All I know right now is I am learning, and I’m hopeful.

January Steps Forward:
—A conversation with my brother over Thanksgiving got me thinking about the inflammation throughout my system. It could be caused by an underlying disease or what I was eating or stress—or all of it. I’m not sure yet, but I’m getting closer to finding out. Till then, I’ve been devouring any information I can find on inflammation and how to reduce it. My brother suffered a spinal cord injury years ago and knows a thing or two about this. He noticed the pain I was in when caring for my dad last year, and we started swapping notes. He gave me a crash course in inflammatory foods and introduced me to my new BFF: turmeric.
—I made solid progress on my anemia last year with a diet overhaul and supplements. My ferritin finally reached a normal range, and I felt a difference in my energy. My brother, however, pointed out that parts of this high-iron diet were messing with my body’s inflammation and potentially flaring up my joint pain, namely red meat. With clearance from my doc, I was eating it almost daily. I increased my supplements and focused more on omega-3s while reducing omega-6s, which can cause inflammation. Through a ton of research, I changed my diet to antiinflammatory whole foods. I’ve incorporated fish, fermented foods, and immune-boosting phytochemicals using more veggies and spices.
—Those first two points would have been enough, but they go hand-in-hand with the most beneficial shift: I’ve taken a deep dive into functional medicine. I have learned, UN-learned, and it is all blowing my mind. I checked out a few books at the library and became a daily listener of The Doctor’s Farmacy podcast, The Huberman Lab, and others. I got on a waitlist with a local functional medicine doctor. She can’t see me till the end of the year, but I trust it will be worth the wait. I also got on a waitlist with a functional medicine/holistic gynecologist. I had biomarker testing done while I wait for my functional medicine appointment later in the year. I’m curious to see what these tests reveal.
—I joined a virtual group training program for women who love to hike. This has been way outside my comfort zone, but it’s exactly what I needed at this point in my life. I am lifting heavier weights three times a week, tracking my nutrients, and fueling myself differently for workouts. I laid a foundation with light weights at home last year, and this training program has been a great next step. I’m hopeful my strength training will further stabilize my neck and joints. The program includes bodyweight exercises, functional movements, power, and gradually gaining stability for heavy lifting. Exercises have been modified for my neck, and my trainer has been helpful with nutrition, too. I was so sore the first week that I couldn’t sit in a chair without wincing, but I. Love. It.
—I changed my supplements to help with inflammation and my gut health. I was already taking a 40+ multi and iron supplements. Through a ton of research, I included omega-3s, biotin, probiotics, turmeric with black pepper, MCT oil from coconuts, collagen powder, and elderberry with zinc when I feel I need it.
—Ari, the kids, and even my mom are trying new things, too. Our kids ate rainbow chard salad—by request—this weekend. Ari asked me to find him an omega-3 supplement and probiotics. My mom asked me to find her a cod-liver oil supplement (she has never even taken a multivitamin in her life!). And my kids can’t wait to take their omega-3s every day. Josh made a leap with his reading in school this week and said matter-of-factly, “Mom, it’s proooobably the fish oil.” I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m glad he’s enjoying it.
—We’ve continued to remove toxins from our house, artificial dyes, etc. We’ve also been more conscious of making environmentally sound and sustainable choices.
—I collected recipes and have continued to love cooking. For as long as she’s had a smartphone, my French chef mom has sent me daily pictures of what she’s cooking. I’m returning the enthusiasm with my own pics for her! She loves that I’m into it : )
—We swapped some of our cookware for healthier choices. I invested in a cast-iron grill pan, and my mom gave me a non-toxic dutch oven for my birthday. I’ve used it several times a week for soups.
—I glued magnets to the back of the Cultivate meal-planner notepad and have a plan for each day of the week. I use Pinterest to find recipes, and one, in particular, has become a new family staple. This Tuscan soup with fennel is incredible.
—I changed deodorant. I know I’m late to the no-aluminum party. In all of this, I feel like I’ve been under a rock of sorts, but I keep reminding myself it’s never too late to make better choices.
—We ate more from our winter garden (kale, chard, etc.). Grace is especially excited about our herb, tea, and veggie garden for the spring. We ordered new seeds to try from Baker Creek Seeds, Johnny’s Seeds, and Floret. I’ll share what we’re planting in another post.
—Recommended by friends, I’m giving red light therapy and cryotherapy a try. Have you ever tried these? I’m already cold thinking about cryo.
—Ari and I started listening to functional medicine podcasts at night instead of watching TV (a habit picked up in 2020). It has been fun to dig into this together.

The smoked paprika is the secret ingredient to the Tuscan Fennel Soup! Sooooo good.

Good Things This Month:
– I was able to stop taking Nexium after 12 years.
– I stopped all NSAIDs.
– I’ve gone from being up a dozen or more times a night with my neck to maybe five times (!!!).
– I have had far less inflammation in my other joints. My hips haven’t woken me up in the night lately. This is huge.
– I’ve gained physical strength. I couldn’t hold a 60-second plank before, and now I can. Baby steps.
– The Isaacsons are trying new things. My family is making healthier choices, enjoying our meals more, and trying new foods.
– To boot, I’ve had more energy and general happiness.

Phew! You guys. I am thankful. Thanks for sticking with me through the backstory that brought us here. And thank you to many of you who have prayed for me at various points in this journey. I’m excited to keep learning and taking small steps forward. I’ll look forward to a quick check-in next month!

Your turn! How are you cultivating your health this year? Any favorites??

The post Cultivating Health, Mid-January Edition appeared first on Lara Casey.

January Goals and a New Year

New Year, good-morning! Come and bring
Us days that smile and days that sing
Out from the drifts of swirling snow
That through the mirky midnight blow
And clutch with frosty hands and cling.
Hark! how the joy-bells chime and ring
Thy birth, and new hope set a-wing.
With hands outstretched you come; and so
New Year, good-morning!
– Alexander Maclean

My deepest conversations with Ari tend to happen in our walk-in closet. It’s a small space under the stairs, and, over time, two chairs somehow made their way in out of necessity. We often find ourselves there, tucked away from the ears of little ones, cozy in the hush of fabric around us. I had one such chat with Ari among the sweaters two nights ago.

In doing all of this end-of-year work of reflecting back, looking ahead, and setting new goals, sorrow grew without so much as a whisper of its presence. Grief sneaks up on me when I least expect it and comes out as feeling lonely, lacking a purpose, being bored, feeling like a failure in this new season of life, and, of course, missing Dad. Acknowledging what worked and what didn’t in the last year was, it turns out, a lot. I let the tears go with Ari there in our well-worn chairs. He reminded me, and as he does so well, that this had been an extraordinary and difficult year. I often need reminders as to why in the world I feel the way I feel. Oh yes, all of that happened – I somehow forgot! He told me to be easier on myself (I’m learning!) and have hope for the year ahead. I can’t lose my dad twice and transitioning my business this year can’t happen again either. I took comfort in that. There will be new challenges, but I learned and gained a new perspective in 2022. In the unexpected moments of sorrow that will inevitably creep up again, I trust I’ll grow stronger—and perhaps learn to see them coming.

Now you can see why the only place that came to mind for our prayer wall was in this closet. It’s the place of deep chats and denim. I’m excited to have reminders of God’s faithfulness there as we experience whatever the year ahead brings.

“2022 Was a Wild Ride” courtesy of Ari’s company Christmas party.

Affiliate links are used in this post. Enjoy!

Here’s a quick look back at December before we move to the new year. My Mom came to be with us (my best Christmas gift and hers), the kids learned how to ice skate, Ari and I celebrated birthdays, I learned how to use my sewing machine thanks to Mom, and our more minimal Christmas was a joy. We all loved our handmade presents. Sarah made a funny book for Josh, Grace and Josh put together a Lego set for Sarah, Ari wrote poems for the kids, and I gave them the puppet theater I made over many weeks. My mom’s gift to us was wonderful meals each night she’s been here – a delight for all of us!

I tucked oranges in each of the kids’ stockings, a tradition from my grandfather’s family. Ari put a LaraBar in my stocking, a tradition from my Dad.

This is Ari opening the painting Josh made for him…

We used the Cultivate Advent scripture cards on our Christmas table and read them as we enjoyed my mom’s pot roast. I look forward to continuing this as a new Christmas meal tradition. Our sunny yellow cups were gifts from the Cultivate ladies several years ago. They aren’t available anymore, but they are the same cups used in this grapefruit candle, another favorite.

It was a meaningful and peaceful Christmas, just as Dad would have wanted us to enjoy together.

And now, onto the new year! Ah, January, I love thee. This is always a favorite month for starting new habits, trying new things, and refreshing my commitment to what matters most. I am SO excited about my 2023 PowerSheets goals and setting up a new Tending List.

My first monthly goal is to break down my 2023 goals, a.k.a. have a List-Making Fiesta! Maybe with some mariachi music, which I love. Here’s my list of lists (!) to make:

—A 2023 To-Do list. Various things don’t necessarily fit into my goals that need to get done. I’ve never made this list before, but I just started it today, and it has already cleared some mental space!
—A life skills for each kid list. I am excited about this and plan to ask various people in our lives for their input.
—Cooking skills to teach each kid list. They are at varying levels and with different interests. For example, Grace loves to bake, Josh loves allll the spices for savory food, and Sarah is learning motor control with making her breakfast on her own.
—Date ideas with Ari list.
—2023 trips list.
—Europe planning list.
—Books for Ari to read with the kids at night.
—Books for Ari and me to read together.
—Books to read for just me.
—Family devotional plan.
—Meal planning ideas for this season.
—Supplements for my best health list.
—Quiet time ideas list.

I’m using the Fun List wildcard for dates with Ari!

January also kicks off a new fitness plan. I am upping my weight training and doing a group coaching program, something I’ve never done before. I’m a little nervous but ready to push myself to get stronger.

Most importantly, I’m diving deeper into daily time in the Word. This will be a lot and take time and planning adjustments, but I’m prioritizing this and seeing where God leads me. I’ll use the In Every Season journals in the evenings, going through the entire Bible, and the Gospels Collection from Cultivate, walking through the Gospels alongside my New Testament reading plan this year. If I had to choose another word for the year besides “Healed,” I’d choose “Learn!” I hope to learn and grow my love for the Word.

This will be my first year using a paper planner for just me. We’ve used a planner for daily household items and the kids’ schedules in the past, but I’m grateful to use this to savor (and organize!) a new season of life for me, too, now. I’ll set it up a month at a time, trying different things as I go to notice God at work in my days and intentionally use the time I’ve been given.

None of the above will be done perfectly, and it doesn’t have to be! Most of all, I want to be present, generous, and faithful in this new year. I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store, and I’m grateful for right now. Happiest new year, friends!

Your turn! What are you focusing on this month? I’d love to hear.

The post January Goals and a New Year appeared first on Lara Casey.

2023 Goal Setting: My Goals

Today is my 43rd birthday, and I am grateful for the gift of another year, friends! I started blogging when I was 26, and here we are, 17 years, 442 blog posts, 20,000+ comments, and a lot of life lived together later. Most importantly, friendships—real-life friendships—have been cultivated. Except for my long-time friend Jessie who I met in middle school advanced vocab class, I’ve met my best friends through this blog! Thank you, friends, for sharing your lives with me over these years. I’m stepping into this new year of life with gratitude and anticipation about the future.

As we chatted about together in Parts 1 and 2, I learned a few things in 2022. This year was hard. I saw what matters. I know this life is a gift, and I want to LIVE it right here, little by little, one small faithful step at a time.

Welcome back for Part 3 of my 2023 Goal Setting Series. In Part 1, we looked back. In Part 2, we looked forward. Today, I’m sharing my 2023 Goals! Affiliate links are used in this post. Enjoy!

Without further ado, here are my 6 goals for the year ahead. You’ll notice I’ve color-coded them. As a visual person, this helps remind me of the “why” behind each goal as I break them down on my monthly Tending Lists throughout the year. It helps visually organize my focus. Enjoy!

★ Goal #1: Make Space to think, rest, receive, and be with God.
This goal is about intentionally using the time God has given us by implementing rhythms/plans that harness our time. I consider this goal the “big shift”—planning our time in ways that move us in His direction instead of doing the same things we’ve always done.
Mini goals:
—Plan bi-weekly dates with Ari. We plan to spend a minimum of an hour and a half talking about fun friend things. No solving problems or talking about challenges; just fun. We agreed to spend an intentional 15 minutes every day talking about the various challenges of parenting and daily happenings to get that out of the way. Our dates are reserved for growing our friendship and fun! Part of this mini goal is making a list of date ideas with Ari—he is excited to do this, too. We’re thinking of doing something low-key for one of the dates and choosing an extra fun activity for the other date each month. Think going to a casual dinner vs. a local contra dance at the community center. I am dying to try this!
—Set quarterly finance dates with Ari. We plan to get a babysitter once per season on a Saturday morning and discuss a series of set check-in questions. Part of this mini goal is to write the questions. The hope for these meetings is to be on the same page about our finances and giving. We both felt like we couldn’t do this on a regular night at home or on a date and be successful. A Saturday when the kids are out at a park will give us the time and resources (computers!) we need to get it done.
—Plan quarterly grief retreats for me. My one-night retreat in October was healing. It’s easy to let so much build up in the daily hum of life, and eventually, it catches up with you. Ari is encouraging me to do this, too. I trust I’ll benefit from a collective four nights away during the year—one per quarter. I’ll stay close to home for these and dedicate the time to grief work, my quarterly PowerSheets refresh pages, and whatever else the Lord leads me to each season.
—Change things up for our family trips, focusing on long weekends where we can and exploring new close-to-home places in nature.
—We are saving for a longer time away: a week in England in the fall. We’ve wanted to visit the English countryside and chalk cliffs ever since watching Poldark. Throw in a few estates from Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice, and you have our dream trip. We are taking my mom, too, as a gift to her in this new season of life and my brother for his 40th birthday. This trip will be a lot to plan, so I’m all ears if you have advice or favorites we should visit.
—Renew our weekly family rhythms: Shabbat, family dinners (hello, meal planning!), nights where the kids make the meal, and other special celebrations throughout the year. Action steps include making a list of ideas for connected time together and a list of additional cooking skills to teach the kids.
—Dedicate daytime space for me to heal from grief, think, and process. I have been in the habit of filling my days out of necessity. I spent a couple of decades squeezing things in with work, and the habit carried over in its absence. I tend to go quickly through the day from chores to homeschooling to doctor appointments to picking up or dropping off kids to making lunches and lesson plans… and back to kids activities, wrangling everyone into the shower and dinner prep. You know the drill. You likely have your own version, as do we all. I need to unlearn this habit of filling my time so full without adequate margin, especially in this particular season of grief. I hope to plan my days before they plan me. This will look like using my Season by Season planner to block space for quiet time—and time between the quiet time and what’s next. I am productivity and action-driven. This goal means something will have to give in my days. I may need to learn some efficiencies and teach the kids new skills, too. This mini goal also requires making a list of quiet time activities I’ll try.
—Make a nightly devotional plan for the family.
—Make a nightly reading list for Ari to read to the kids. He reads to everyone before bed, something I love him dearly for.
—Make a meal plan plan : ) I’ll be using this meal planning notepad and my planner.
Books to read: Atomic Habits, The Common Rule, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, The Things You Can Only See When You Slow Down
Starting steps: I clearly need to have a list-making fiesta and get some dates on the calendar! You’ll see some of this on my January Tending List.
Encouraging words:
—Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)
—And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)
—Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

★ Goal #2: Grow What God Wants. Plant what God has given us to grow the Kingdom.
Admittedly, this goal was hard to put into words. In short: grow in generosity and serving. I want to listen to the needs God shows us and work together as a family to meet them.
Mini goals:
—Our quarterly finance meetings could go here as well. They will be a key part of this goal to pray about giving goals and our 2023 budget.
—Make a prayer wall in our closet with big prayers for using our time and talents to bless others as a family.
—Serve together as a family. Find one key place to serve and dig in together. I have an idea here already.
Starting steps: Make a budget date for me and the spreadsheet! Have our finance meeting together to talk about our goals. Create our prayer wall in the closet with index cards and washi tape. Email the retirement community near us to ask about consistent serving. I’m hoping to help in hospice in some way. The hospice volunteers for my Dad were wonderful, and I saw a great need for this.
Books to read: I’d love any recommendations here. So far on our list, recommended by friends: Entrusted, Retire to the Fullest (Encouraging words:
—As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace (1 Peter 4:10)
—But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)
—Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:8-8)

★ Goal #3: Be Healed. Accept and receive God’s power and live gratefully and joyfully.
In most facets of life, I instinctively see the things that need to be fixed instead of recognizing what’s already been made whole. My body has fallen apart in some ways over these last couple of years as I’ve grown older. I’ve also experienced stress that has exacerbated my neck and joint pain. It was a comment on my blog from a kind reader that became a catalyst for this goal last year. Her words helped me see I needed to do whatever I could to get my stress level down to help my neck pain. It was affecting everything: my parenting, my work, and my ability to function in daily life. This goal is a both/and goal: to recognize that God has already made me whole in the best way possible—and experience new health in mind, body, and soul.
Mini goals:
—Get stronger as a spiritual discipline. I’m upping my weight training after a little-by-little foundational year in 2022.
—Continue learning about health and anti-inflammatory foods.
—Be creative for fun and worship. I really want to make an embroidered Bible cover with flowers on it from our garden through the year, a quilt for our anniversary, and get my nature journal going this year after a start-and-stop effort last year.
—Be out in the garden. Be present. Enjoy the bees and the dirt, and the fresh air.
—Enjoy poetry and tea with our kids—and just me, too.
Starting steps: Set up my Kindle and reading space, do garden planning with the kids in January (and order seeds!), organize my art supplies away from the kids’ home school supplies, and… go to the gym!?! I haven’t gone to an actual gym until Christmas day this year with Ari when no one was in there. It was thrilling! For this former personal trainer, it felt like being in a candy store. I want to lift with Ari whenever I can there. My action step is to look up class times.
Books to read: Ancient Remedies, How Not to Die, Live Green, and all my favorite poetry books. I skimmed through How Not to Die years ago, and it’s on Kindle Unlimited now, so I’m giving it a deeper dive to see what I think.
Encouraging words:
—And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)
—Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (Philippians 4:4)

★ Goal #4: Clear it Out. Remove the stuff. Live with presence!
Stuff = more things to manage and, therefore, more time and energy expended. This goal is to uncomplicate our lives by removing stuff and mental clutter. Where my first goal is about adding intentional rhythms, this goal helps remove barriers to them.
Mini goals:
—Remove stuff from 5 key spaces.
—Uncomplicate my time by reducing the things I need to manage.
—Unschedule: it has been recommended in the first two years of grief to be in the habit of saying no.
Starting steps: Schedule decluttering, one room at a time. Make a list of all the things I manage daily – I trust this will reveal things I can systemize or cut. And finally, say no. Make a post-it for my planner with this reminder.
Books to read: I think I’ve read all the minimalism books, but I’ll keep my eyes open throughout the year! Any favorites?
Encouraging words:
—I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. (Psalm 119:15)
—And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”. (Luke 12:15)
—But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

★ Goal #5: Become Spiritually Mature. It’s time. Psalm 90:12.
This is a goal every year, but the challenges of 2022 revealed my desire to understand more of what it means to become spiritually mature. God graciously revealed many weaknesses this year and my need for Him. This goal flows into my next one as well, desiring to be faithful (my ever-present big-picture goal!) so I can help our family do the same.
Mini goals:
—Continue writing in my Bible and journal at night (continuing this habit I started last year) and study my word of the year – revealed below!
—Serve our church.
—Grow in my love for prayer.
—Express gratitude! See my various daily complaints as clues toward spiritual maturity. I want to praise the Lord instead and let go of past hurts from others.
—As listed above, have quiet time in the Word day and night.
Starting steps: Put a Word of the Year study evening on the calendar (I’m thinking New Year’s Day), read the first chapter of Sacred Fire, and add past hurts and PRAISES to the prayer wall.
Books to read: Sacred Fire, Your Mountain is Calling, Liturgy of the Ordinary, and re-read Practicing the Presence of God
Encouraging words:
—Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. (I Peter 2:2)
—Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:28-29)
—Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

★ Goal #6: Plant Seeds of Legacy. Be faithful with our children.
This, to me, is the ultimate goal. I want to make the most of the time we’ve been given by planting seeds of faith and wonder in our children.
Mini goals:
—Start family quiet time, teaching our kids how to spend time with God independently.
—Take a trip with just Grace.
—Make a life skills list for each kid to learn.
—Make our family yearbooks and family movies.
—Learn from others – read books.
Starting steps: Ask Grace where she would like to go on a weekend trip with just me, make a reading plan for the season (books to read first, how long it will take me, etc.), and space out the rest of my starting steps using my planner and Tending Lists. These mini-goals need a session all their own for breaking them down!
Books to read: Are My Kids on Track, Raising Worry-Free Girls, The Coddling of the American Mind, Parenting, The Whole Brain Child (or The Yes Brain), The Connected Parent, and Mother Culture
Encouraging words:
—You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 11:18-20)
—We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. (Psalm 78:4)
—Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. (Psalm 112:1-2)

My Word for 2023: Healed. While there will always be seeds I want to grow and good goals to pursue, there’s nothing more life-giving than recognizing God’s grace already present in our lives. It changes everything. Over and over, I’ve returned to the story of the woman who touched Jesus’s cloak. She had great faith and knew that even touching his garment would heal her. That is the faith I desire and want to cultivate with our family this new year. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)

My 2023 Vision Board was challenging to bring together this year. I kept feeling like I should include elements I’ve often incorporated in the past (a woman running up a mountain, bright bold colors in every image, etc.) and struggled with it being so different. Frankly, I just had to get over it and recognize the change I’ve experienced this year. I’m still a lover of bright colors and running up mountains, but I have changed a lot, and life has, too! You’ll see nods to new paths of peace, health, creativity, giving, nature, reading, new places to explore, marriage fun, and of course, birds! Always birds! I. Love. It. The sparrows brought to mind Matthew 6:25-27. My favorite two images are the Bible in the center, the one image faithfully carried forward from years past, and the oranges. My dad loved oranges – he rather famously emphasized the “J” in “O.J.” He would say it with Fred Astaire flair, and it always made us smile. The oranges reflect his bright spirit and the encouragement he gave to so many. I want to live this year with zest like Dad!

There you have it, friends! I’ll likely return to this post and add new ideas and action steps as I prepare for January. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on what you are focusing on in the new year ahead too. May the Lord give you peace and wisdom as you cultivate what matters right where you are. I am so grateful for you and this new year of life.

Next up: Breaking it all down on my January Tending List and how I’m setting up my planner and other new tools.

Your turn! What are your goals for 2023? Do you have a word for the year ahead? I can’t wait to hear!

The post 2023 Goal Setting: My Goals appeared first on Lara Casey.

2023 Goal Setting: Looking Forward

“Sometimes when you are in a dark place, you think you have been buried, but actually you have been planted.” – Christine Caine

Consider me nestled into some lively soil, friends. Do I know exactly what will grow ahead? No. But I trust it will be good. From all I experienced in 2022, I have faith. I learned and feel like I’m just getting started! Plus, I know the end of this story, and it’s a great one.

Welcome back for Part 2 of my 2023 Goal Setting Series. In part one, we looked back. In Part two, we’re looking forward!

Looking ahead is a different experience now than in years past. Usually, I’d be thinking of the new products, plans, and fun we’d have as a team in the year ahead. That was my rhythm for 15+ years, so it’s a hard one to break. I told Ari last night that I have a consistent feeling of something missing. It’s not the goals or the strategic planning or the products, though; it’s the people. I miss coming together to do something good in the big picture.

I can’t count the number of times friends have asked me “what I’m doing next” or what project or business I have in mind. “What’s your next move?” they ask.

This.
Learning. Growing. Listening.
This is my next move.
Loving our kids and Ari.
Loving my Mom in this new season.
Knowing there are still things missing and uncharted about the future, but trusting I’m where I’m supposed to be for this moment.

As much as I miss coming together for a common goal, I haven’t lost those relationships, just how they are experienced. I believe this longing will continue to lead me in His direction. This sense of something missing also shows me I had something worth celebrating. It’s nearly impossible to think of any other “next move” because I already did the things I’ve always wanted to do with the best team in the world. Cultivate was my dream come true a million times over. I got to help people live out what matters. I got to make beautiful meaningful things. I got to work with incredible women I admire, who grew and shaped my character. I got to make mistakes and learn from them. I got to see God at work. It was the journey of a lifetime. I didn’t deserve the journey, but He let me take it, and for that, I am profoundly grateful. I miss it every day, and this is where God has me now.

A next move? It has already been made for me.

My steps ahead will be small and, Lord willing, faithful.

I hope to experience a season of spiritual maturation, margin, connection, health, learning, and new creativity. I’m choosing new rhythms that help our family grow in faith together—and fill my tank so I can fill others. I will, with God’s wisdom, learn ways to slow down (I’ve packed so much into life over the last two decades!) instead of constantly doing, doing, doing. Most of all, I want to live gratefully right here. I learned this year that we don’t know how much time we have with the people in front of us. Quite simply, I want to be present. I want to see what’s mine to do and experience with God in each moment and do it—and see what’s mine not to do, too.

Going through the new PowerSheets process was eye-opening. It’s interesting to think back on the day Emily and I started writing these 2023 PowerSheets, not knowing where life would be when we filled them out ourselves at the end of the year. The changes we made this year were my favorite in all our years doing this!

The biggest benefit of the PowerSheets process, in my opinion, is to see and name reality. When you acknowledge your reality, you can do something about it. Otherwise, you expend energy in denial or distractions. I think we all know the feeling of veering in the wrong direction. It’s work to name reality and write it down in black and white (or pink or teal or green!), but it feels renewing to complete.

I had a colonoscopy two days before Christmas (stay with me here!). We have a family history of colon cancer, so I was grateful to get this done. More than ever this year, I was grateful for the gift of even being able to have this test in the first place. The nurses kept saying things like, “I know this isn’t pleasant…” but I couldn’t help but tell them I was grateful to get to do it, and I had zero complaints. My great-grandmother didn’t have the luxury of getting a colonoscopy that could have saved her life. It felt like my best Christmas gift to get this test. Perhaps it was my attitude about it in general, but it wasn’t as unpleasant as people have said, and the fasting was a pause to sit with my PowerSheets and think. I thought about the realities in our lives—and the many blessings in disguise this year. I thought about Dad. I thought about our kids and all I still want to teach them. I thought about God and my need for Him. I felt some fear about going into this test, knowing our family history and many friends who have found colon cancer too late. When they woke me up after the anesthesia, the doctor came in to tell me the results and… I didn’t have cancer. I burst into tears. He did too. He could see my relief, and perhaps my gratitude touched his life somewhere he needed it, too. I was grateful to simply be alive and, by the grace of God, get another chance to love people in this new season of life. I don’t know what will come our way this year, but I know I am grateful to be here right now.

My reality:
This last year was hard.
Good things grow out of hard things, though. Break out the trellis, there’s growth ahead!
As much as I wasn’t expecting it, this last year took me in a new direction.
In it all, I grew a desire for spiritual maturity.
I saw the genuine steadfast love of the Lord.
I saw the love of many friends.
I saw what matters.
My reality now is that I’m ready for the new year, and that surprises me.
I’m ready to leave this year in the dirt to become rich soil for the future.
I am alive! I know this life is a gift, and I want to LIVE it right here, little by little, one small faithful step at a time.

Life is so different in so many ways than it was just recently. I’m still trying to figure it out. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m grateful to be here. I felt weighed down when I first opened my PowerSheets, not wanting to look back and reflect. I didn’t know if I could do it. I’m thankful for what I learned in this process and for the hope I feel as we turn the page to a new year. To use my Dad’s favorite words, “Bye, bye, blues!”

Up next… my 6 goals and my 2023 vision board!

Your turn! What are you looking forward to in the year ahead? What’s on your mind for 2023? I’d love to hear.

The post 2023 Goal Setting: Looking Forward appeared first on Lara Casey.

2023 Goal Setting: Looking Back

What a year! Friends, I am SO grateful to have done my PowerSheets over the last few weeks. I wept, I prayed, I learned, and I feel energized by my goals for the year ahead. Before going through the process, I would have told you 2022 was the hardest year. Period. That’s where the sentence would have ended. I lost my Dad. I had a sleepless season with the business acquisition. Despite my best efforts, I experienced health challenges. There were layers of grief and pain. After writing and reflecting, I see a deeper truth: it was the hardest and best year because God was in it all. Reflection reaps rewards.

My spot the last few days with my PowerSheets…

I’ll share my goals in three parts this year: Looking Back, Looking Forward, and finally, my 2023 Goals. Affiliate links are used in this post. Enjoy!

Here we go!

Looking back at my 2022 Goals was encouraging. Even in a year with unexpected challenges, I made progress on all of them—some significant. I was shocked reading my list! Most of my goal progress didn’t happen the way I thought it would (hello, “Sabbatical Year” at work), but that’s the beauty of prayerfully setting goals and letting God direct our steps each day. I didn’t need to know the plan, just the direction. For more on God + Goals, see my YouVersion plan here. I recorded audio for you each day, too. Enjoy!

I experienced what felt like three years in one during 2022. These distinct periods of time held vastly different experiences. There was the first part of the year as Dad’s health began to decline, and God awakened us to the fleeting gift of time with our children and each other. Then, there was the second part in due diligence with Cultivate. God took me on a wild and unexpected ride that stretched me to my limits. All the while, Dad was dying, and I was fighting hard for time with him. And then came the third part: Dad’s homecoming and figuring out life after it all.

In 2022:
— I focused on small habits throughout the year. Little by little steps added up in a year I really needed it – quite literally. I took 14k steps each day. Many of my morning walks turned into times of prayer and tears.
— I read the Bible daily, finishing the Old Testament in 2 years plan we did with friends and moving on to the New.
— I got consistent with weight training after 10+ years of flailing. I did weights every other day and core on the days between. I was tired of feeling weak and determined to do whatever I could to help support my neck. Frustration can be good fuel, friends! When we traveled, I’d use whatever I had: cans of soup, rocks, anything.
— I went to what felt like 846 doctor’s appointments and had 5 MRIs, one neck injection, and a partridge in a pear tree.
— In January, Dad went to the hospital. He never quite recovered.
— Our kids got in a car accident, totaling our van. The other driver wasn’t looking and t-boned our car on the way home from school. The kids had whiplash and were quite shaken up. It was a hard experience for them.
— We felt God telling us that life is short. We sped up our timeline for getting an RV.
— Dad crashed his 1994 Tahoe, the end of driving for him and the end of a memory-filled legacy with our family car.
— Ari and I celebrated 16 years of marriage and spent it with my parents in Florida. This ended up being our last visit all together.
— The kids had many firsts: a sleepover and a special parasailing adventure with me for Grace; baseball, soccer, and karate for Josh; gymnastics and swimming for Sarah. They loved it all.
— The kids learned knife skills in the kitchen and how to cook. Josh is quite the kitchen whiz!
— Everyone took up rock climbing.
— In April, after a pivotal visit with Dad in the hospital and many years of prayer and counsel, we started the process of Cultivate being acquired. We spent an unprecedented 90 days in due diligence (most acquisitions take 6 months to a year, for good reason) and made it through by the grace of God.
— During this time, we somehow learned how to use an RV, made all the mistakes, and took trips to Gatlinburg, Roan Mountain, Williamsburg, Maryland/DC, Corolla, a horse farm in Aberdeen, and a state park near Charlotte. I missed much of these trips, spending them on Zoom or the phone, moving things forward. I knew in the big picture, I was going to get more time with my family, and it meant risking the sacrifice of time in the short term. This was one of the most taxing things I’ve done, but I knew it was what God wanted in the long run.
— I had my last Cultivate shoot. I savored that time creating with dear friends.
— Cultivate was officially acquired on June 30th.

My world changed.

— Dad went to the hospital for good.
— I helped my mom sell my Dad’s ophthalmology practice of 50+ years.
— The garden grew. A favorite: the brilliant blue forget-me-nots.
— Ari and I spent many days apart, juggling childcare with dad in the hospital. I spent most of the late summer going back and forth between North Carolina and Florida, most of the time with kids and some of the time without when Dad got very sick. It was a hard balance to keep their spirits up from the heaviness of it all and be fully present with Dad. There was a lot of spiritual growth that happened in our kids during this season. We decorated Dad’s hospital room, sang to him, told him jokes, and helped my mom. I took a total of 64 flights to be with Dad in the hospital. All the Skymiles I’d saved for many years went to the best use to have this time with Dad.
— I read Being Mortal. It changed how I experienced the last months with Dad and how we helped him live his best days in hospice.
— The kids learned how to fish, continuing a generational legacy in our family.
— The garden continued to grow in NC, thanks to the care of friends, kind neighbors, and my sweet husband. We had a “free flower stand” in honor of Dad one weekend.
— We went to Colonial Williamsburg and came home with colonial COVID.
— Days later, in August, Dad had several more strokes and seizures. We made the difficult decision to bring him home for hospice. Bringing him home was hard and a huge gift. There it is again – both/and. He wanted to come home, and we wanted to give him his best last days.
— I cleared my COVID test and flew back to Florida for the most memorable days of my life. I praise the Lord for the gift of this intimate time with Dad, my mom, and my brother.
— While Dad slept, my brother and I cleaned out his closet and books. It was eerie to do while he was still living, yet necessary to ensure my mom didn’t have to do it alone after he passed and we had all gone home. There wasn’t even a conversation about it – Stephen and I instinctively did it. We knew it was the next right thing. Dad didn’t have much stuff and never wanted material possessions of his own. He did have some favorite books, though: Mere Christianity, Don’t Know Much About the Bible, and several stacks of poetry and history. He wrote notes in the margins. I brought many of them home and treasure his scribbled reflections.

— We celebrated Dad’s 87th birthday on August 26th. He was surrounded by friends.
— Two days later, on a bright Sunday afternoon after church, I walked Dad home.

Life was different now.

— I wrote Dad’s obituary. I gave his eulogy.
— School started two days after Dad’s funeral.
— I tried to go back to normal life. Nothing was normal or the same, though.
— I couldn’t drive a car. I’d forget things. I’d lose track of my phone.
— I got mad at all the stuff in our house and grieved as I cleared things out. I took many trips to Goodwill.
— I pulled out the garden for winter and planted a new winter garden in honor of Dad.
— We grew lettuce for the first time and collards, kale, and rainbow chard. Somehow, it all felt healing in this season, going out in the garden to get food God grew for us for our meals.
— I tried to be easy on myself, yet was consistently unsuccessful. I did my best to lower my expectations. God is growing me here.
— We continued our homeschool journey. Some days felt impossible to teach in the midst of grief, and on others, I was given courage by our reading.
— I took a grief retreat. It was one night, and it was needed.
— I tried to help our kids grieve, too. We talked about Grandpa David and normalized grieving in our home. We took walks. We spent time in the sunshine. I took them to the fair. We did Halloween. They camped under the stars for the first time.
— I read books. I learned new things.
— I started listening to podcasts for the first time in my life. I never had brain space for it before. I am thankful for the gift of learning.
— Thanks to my reading, we got rid of several toxins in our home and kitchen. I thought we were a pretty healthy bunch, but we made some changes to help us all thrive (think sneaky food dyes and chemicals). A few new favorites: these dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, KOS organic protein + Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen instead of my beloved Vega powder I used for years, Molly’s Suds laundry powder, and these sprouted almonds are a hit in our house.
— I started cooking. I mean, really cooking. My creativity was often employed at work, and I transferred some of that to our family meals. I’ve learned new things and it has been worth it. For the first time in my life, I have been meal planning. Emily, I know you are proud My french chef mom is, too.
— With a diet and supplement overhaul, I got my iron levels in check after years of chronic anemia. This iron supplement has been a life-saver, and I even take it on an empty stomach. This has been a win for my energy in this second half of the year, and Lord willing, for the rest of my life.
— Our church family continued to be a blessing in our lives and the lives of our children.
— We had Thanksgiving without Dad. I read poetry in his honor at dinner.
— We planned a minimal Christmas.
— I started writing again here for the sheer joy of connecting with you. It has felt like the old days, and each encouraging comment has meant the world.
— We sold our RV to a wonderful couple who had also walked through a year of grief and loss. It was a gift to meet them and send our Wayfarer off to new adventures. What a blessing it was to our kids and us this season. We’re considering a trailer for a future season.
— Ari celebrated a year at his new job. His company was also acquired this year. My mom, Ari, and I have lived parallel lives this year with companies passed to new hands. I don’t think this was a coincidence – we were able to support each other through the challenges, and mom and I were able to thank God and grieve together. While it is a blessing to have a business move to new and wonderful hands, it’s also a loss of what we’ve known for so long. There has been a lot of both/and in 2022.
— Our kids lost a collective 13 teeth. The Tooth Fairy is ready to retire.
— I got a sewing machine. Generations in my family have sewn with great love, and I finally feel ready to learn. This sewing machine, and all it entails, is the marker of a turning point. My mom is coming for Christmas, and I’ve already asked her to teach me while she’s here.
— Ari and I enjoyed our annual holiday dinner with the local Cultivate ladies and their gents. 13 years and counting, I hope to continue this tradition forever and ever. This is a special time, recounting God’s faithfulness in our lives together, no matter what comes our way or what changes.

There’s so much more to write—so much I didn’t write. What I couldn’t capture in words is the living between these milestones: the faith grown, the life shared, and the love of generous friends. I am ending this year knowing more about my need for Him and His love for us. God was in it all. In that, I count this as the best year.

Next up in my PowerSheets goal series… looking forward.

Your turn! What were some of your challenges and good things from 2022? What rewards did you reap in reflecting? I’d love to hear!

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