First Hike 1/1/26 & Goals for 2026 (slightly updated 1/5/26)

This hike has become an annual tradition for our family. We were excited to participate for the third year in a row! I can’t remember the last time we’ve lived in one place long enough to do a thing three years in a row!

This hike was about a 2 mile loop on a flat dirt/sand/mud trail. It was a ranger-led group hike. We had an apple cider toast and doughnuts at the halfway point. It was colder than we expected, and we all were wishing we’d packed or worn an extra layer!

The first hike was a great way to kick off our New Year’s resolution to do at least one hike per month in the coming year.

Speaking of goals for 2026…

Physical – Physical goals are difficult for me to sustain, I’ll start strong and then lose motivation very quickly regressing to my old habits – at any rate, my goals are to drink more water, exercise, and limit sugar. In 2025, I quit drinking coffee and I quit chewing my nails! As a family, in 2025 we completed our goal of going on at least one hike per month (we did 16) and I’m going to make that a goal again for 2026. I’ll post blogs about our hikes.

Mental/Intellectual – In 2025, I read 9 and 1/2 grown-up books. This year my goal is to read one grown-up book per month and post blogs about them. As a family, we will attempt to complete an Extreme Book Nerd book list with read-alouds, Audible and Libby.

Mental/Creative – Sew a quilt block each month with my mom and post blogs about them.

Spiritual – I’m keeping the same goals I had last year: read the Bible every day, spend time praying each morning and evening and at I’m going to add a midday prayer goal as well. In 2025, I began a habit of saying The Lord’s Prayer each morning before getting out of bed and each evening before going to sleep. I love it! It’s gotten me into the habit of praying very regularly and then I can add to The Lord’s Prayer things that are on my heart. And if I don’t know what to pray about, I can just pray The Lord’s Prayer. Last year we attempted to read a chapter of psalms each evening during family dinner and we got to Psalm number 72. This year I’m hoping to pick up the habit again and stick to it so it becomes a real habit!

Emotional – Exercise fits here too. Exercise is the #1 treatment option for depression/anxiety. Another goal is to write in my commonplace journal 2x per week. I wrote quite a bit last year and this year’s goal is to restart that habit and sustain it.

Social – This is a difficult category as things really didn’t go well for us socially last year. We tried our best to join in with two different established church groups and ended up dropping out of both because we felt unwelcome/rejected. It’s difficult to want to jump in to another social situation when we have no way of knowing how it will go… The kiddos and I will continue going to chess club once a month and I will prayerfully seek other social opportunities but I don’t know what those might be yet…

🪩 Cheers to 2026 and any New Year’s resolutions or goals you are setting for the coming year!