Our New Anniversary Journal

 

One of my 2021 goals is to “love Jon well” by investing in my marriage. Honestly, 2020 was one of the most challenging years of our marriage to date. We had to navigate lots of transitions as we moved back to the United States after being in Hong Kong. On top of that, was added stress of a global pandemic, which made for a very overwhelming year. By God’s grace and to His glory, on December 17, 2020 we celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary!! I’m so thankful, God continues to hold us together even on the hard days.

With February being the month of love, I thought it was the perfect time to make this goal a priority in my life. As a result, I’ve been reading some incredible books about marriage. I just finished, “A Love Letter Life: Pursue Creatively. Date Intentionally. Love Faithfully.” by, Jeremy and Audrey Roloff. This was such an incredible book with lots of ideas about how to cultivate a healthy marriage. 

As a result, I was really encouraged by their story and decided to follow Jeremy and Audrey Roloff on social media, for continued encouragement in my life. While catching up on Audrey’s most recent posts on Instagram I noticed she had just recently made an announcement about a new project they had been work on. 

To my delight, I read about their new “Memories of Us” anniversary journal which has just been released by Jeremy and Audrey Roloff. It’s an incredible tool for couples to use, each year as they reflect on the current year of marriage and look ahead to the future. There are 50 anniversary sections, so Lord willing on your 50th wedding anniversary you can share the journal with your family and friends!!

I was so excited!! Seriously, this is the marriage tool, I didn’t know I needed in my life!!

I think this anniversary journal will be a great way to invest in our marriage and give us space to remember how God has been at work in our lives. We get to take time to write down how we met, our engagement story, our wedding story, and more!! This year, I ordered this anniversary journal as my Valentine’s Day gift to Jon. I’m excited to take time to fill this out and continue to work on this each year of our marriage!!

I’m boldly praying by God’s grace, Jon and I will be able to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary together on December 17, 2056 with our loved ones, taking time to recount all the Lord has done in our lives!! 

If you’re interested and want to check out this journal, I put the link below. This anniversary journal would be a great gift idea for yourself, young married couples, or you could give it as the perfect wedding gift for couples just beginning their marriage journey. 

Memories of Us Anniversary Journal

My Skincare Haul

 

At the beginning of January, I shared about, “My 2021 Cultivate What Matters: Powersheets”. I outlined my goals, word of the year, and more. One of my 2021 goals is to care for myself!! I’m a stay-at-home Mom with 5 young girls, who often take priority over everything else...including myself. This is why I frequently have goals focused on my own self-care, because more often than not it falls to the wayside. I’ve learned, I must be very purposeful about caring for myself each and every day.

As a result, one of my “mini” goals in 2021, is to cultivate my skincare routine. Honestly, for a while, I’ve felt like it’s time for me to cultivate a good quality skincare routine for myself. I started searching Google, Pinterest, and Instagram for great skincare routine ideas. Immediately, I was overwhelmed by all the different choices out there and as a beginner I felt very confused and unsure which routine would be the best for myself.

Feeling too overwhelmed, I put it aside until I was ready to try again. 

In November 2020, to my delight, Angela Braniff released her “Ultimate Skincare Routine” on her Angela Braniff YouTube channel. I watched Angela’s video over and over again, taking notes about her skincare routine. Then I added up the prices for her inexpensive skincare recommendations and unfortunately it was out of my budget. I was so sad, because this is a great skincare routine and once I get into a good skincare routine myself I can work up to these products. However, it would be too much right now for this skincare novice!!

Just a few days later, I remembered Jamie B Golden (a co-host of The Popcast podcast) has her own skincare routine. How exciting!!

Right away, I went to Jamie’s website and read her, “10-Step Skincare Routine” blog post. Then, signed up for Jamie’s email so I could receive her free skincare routine printables!! Quickly, I printed off Jamie’ skincare routine and laminated it, so it wouldn’t get ruined anytime soon. Jamie offers “more expensive” and “less expensive” skincare products options too. As I wrote out a list and added up the less expensive options, I was surprised to discover it was right in my budget!! What an answer to my prayers!!

Thankfully, it didn’t take long before I was able to find everything on my list. Please look below, for a list of everything I bought!!

My Skincare Haul

1. Cerave Hydrating Cleanser 

2. Cosrx bha blackhead power liquid 

3. Witch Hazel alcohol free toner

4. Cosrx advanced snail 96 mucin power essence

5. Loreal Vitamin C Serum

6. RoC Retinol Eye Cream deep wrinkle

7. CerVe PM facial moisturizer 

8. Australian Gold botanical tinted

9. Palmer’s Cleansing Oil

10. Sheet masks

.....

HELPFUL LINKS

Are you looking to cultivate your own skincare routine? Here are some helpful links to allow you to decide which skincare routine will work best for you!!! Below, I’ve listed links to both of the incredible skincare routines I talked about today. Both of these skincare routines are amazing and filled with so much wisdom!! 

1. Angela’s Ultimate Skincare Routine on YouTube

2. Jamie B Golden’s 10-Step Skincare Routine