Goals

Month 2 of 12: Why Staying the Course Is Braver Than Starting

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”
— Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

How fitting as we step into month two of twelve.

It’s easy—almost exciting—to write goals down on paper at the start of a new year. Fresh pages. Big intentions. Hope feels abundant. But I recently heard something that stopped me in my tracks: by day nine of the new year, most people have already given up on their goals. Day nine. That’s barely enough time to break in a new planner.

There’s even a name for it.
The second Friday of January is known as Quitter’s Day.
Anyone else not know about this?

Only about 8–9% of people actually stick with their goals all year. That’s less than one out of ten!

Wow! That sounds exactly like the kind of courage Atticus Finch was talking about.

Real courage isn’t loud or flashy. It’s not the perfectly executed plan or the viral success story. It’s choosing to keep going when motivation fades, when progress feels slow, and when you already know this won’t be easy.It’s continuing—not because you’re confident—but because you’re committed.

You don’t have to be in the top 1%.
You just have to begin… and see it through.
Real courage isn’t rooted in confidence—it’s rooted in obedience. Scripture reminds us that perseverance is formed through endurance, not ease. We don’t keep going because we’re certain of the outcome, but because we trust the One who called us to begin.Say that last sentence again ,write it down and remember it❤️

Faithful steps—especially the unseen ones—matter. God honors consistency more than perfection, and He meets us in the quiet decision to stay the course, one ordinary day at a time.

As we step into month 2 of 12, I created a simple Courage Check-In Reflection Sheet to help you pause, reset, and gently refocus—without guilt or pressure.

It’s not about doing more.

It’s about staying the course in what truly matters.

[Download the Printable Reflection Sheet Below]

Still time. Still purpose. Still worth continuing.

Gathered thoughts, Goals

Starting the Year Slowly: Rest, Prayer, and Intentional Living

Is it ever too late to reset the year ?

Absolutely not.

Month one is behind us, and February arrives with pink hearts, quiet reflection, and space to breathe.

I’m thankful I chose rest over rushing—soaking in family moments, friendships, and prayer before jumping into plans and goals.

Instead of sprinting into 2026, I slowed down and asked God to guide every step. That pause changed everything.

Are you easing into the year… or racing ahead? Either way, may this year be filled with moments worth treasuring ❤️

Goals, hiking, pnw, travel

Colchuck Lake ~Gateway to the Enchantments ~Hiking in the Cascade Mountains

Colchuck Lake has easily become a yearly favorite . The first time I ever had the privilege of doing this hike it turned into a crazy day . We had an injury in our group, we experienced bouldering for the first time , many of us ran out of water , it took us way longer then we planned  , and we met our first skinny dippers at the lake 😂 Since then, we have had so many laughs looking back at that first time. 

Here is some of the first boulders we experienced.. but stay to the right and you will find a path that makes it easy to get through.

This hike is so captivating that when you first get the glimpses of the water you are in awe that you have just stumbled on this hidden gem . It is surrounded by two of Washington’s tallest peaks ,Dragontail and Colchuck Peak. Literally, I could stay there all day ! So beautiful and the water is so clear . 

Colchuck Lake is one of the two gateways to the Enchantments. It’s an iconic hike in itself but if you want to challenge yourself more ,you can continue on to Aasgard Pass, the door to the Enchantment Core. Makes me think of a portal to another world , which now after doing Aasgards ,it actually does seem like a whole different world you step into . Look for that post later! 

Here are our stats⬇️

📍Colchuck Lake

🧭 Leavenworth, Wa

🥾 8.7 miles RT ( we came in at 10.55)

🏔️ 2342ft elevation gain ( we gained 2491)

⭐️ Stats based on AllTrails and Apple 

And now for coffee ☕️

Check out the full reel of our adventure ⬇️

And check out our post of the cutest Bavarian Starbucks we went to after our hike

Goals, hiking

Mystery of the Climb

What does climbing mean to you?
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For me…There is something about each step I take on the way to the summit. There is a release of everything in my mental to do list or all the things in my life that are demanding my attention . Instead , my mind is filled with awe in all the beautiful details that I know my picture or video will not capture as accurately as I see it . Then the next step , the emptying of all my strength and full reliance on Gods strength, and constantly saying to myself “Oh my goodness , I can’t believe I’m doing this!! Praise be to God!”
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Wherever you are today in whatever journey your on , I pray that you will keep going …one step at a time. If you have any summit plans I would love to hear ..drop it in the comments below so I can be praying for you ⬇️

Goals, hiking, pnw, travel

Lake 22 Trail

View at the summit of Lake 22

Lake 22 was one of the most beautiful hikes we did in 2024 . The pics don’t even begin to do it justice or show just how huge the rocks are…Amazing!

This trail was not at all what I expected. With the elevation being under 2000 gained I was thinking easy but it was not. It was a great workout and the views were stunning! It was rocky which I wasn’t expecting and had some bouldering .
Definitely one of my top favs!

The stats for this trail are ⬇️

📍 Lake 22 Trail

🧭 Granite Falls, Wa

🥾 5.9 miles RT ( we came in at 8.38)

🏔️ 1446 ft elevation gain ( we gained 1526ft)

⭐️ Stats based on AllTrails and Apple

View on the opposite side of Lake 22

Check out our reel below ⬇️

Goals

Resolutions Check In ⏱️

Cultivate Planner

Resolutions checkin.. how are you doing for 2025?
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This year, I planned and scheduled a quarterly refresh of our resolutions to go along with my cultivate quarterly refresh . Yay! For already having it on the calendar 🙌 This way it lets me look at our year 3 months at a time instead of the whole 12 months at once which was great! Our family was able to see some goals we achieved for the year and to also remember what we were all working toward.
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Another fun way to stay motivated was making these vision boards with friends at the start of the year. I keep mine posted on the front door so I can see it everytime I leave . A good reminder of how I want this year to look and what I am working toward.

Vision Boards



Have you ever looked at your year as quarters or do you regularly review your goals /resolutions ? Share your tips below.. I would love to hear them.

Goals, hiking, pnw, travel

Hurricane Ridge Snowshoe

We were able to finally make it to Hurricane Ridge ✨The trail has eluded us for a few trips due to closures. The drive up was beautiful .The parking lot was quickly filling so once we parked , we geared up and set out on the trail . There were already several groups of snowshoers on the trail so plan to go early .


The trail was absolutely beautiful! Trees covered in snow and really perfect conditions when we started. After we let the more popular turnaround point to continue to the summit , the snow became softer and was harder to navigate with just spikes so we changed to snowshoes.The snow became less packed and even with snowshoes there was still some post holeing making it difficult to climb . The path was also getting hard to see because the snow was covering tracks and even with navigation it was difficult. With white out conditions, we turned around about 1/2 mile from summit . Sometimes knowing when to turn around is one of the hardest decisions when you are so close .



Trail Stats ⬇️
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📍 Hurricane Ridge
🧭 Deming , Wa
🥾 3.4 miles RT ( we came in at 4.58 )
🏔️ 826 ft elevation gain ( we gained 758 )
⭐️ Stats based on AllTrails and Apple


Hurricane Ridge is in avalanche terrain, so it is best to check the NWAC avalanche forecast before venturing out (updated every night at 6pm).

Check out our Snowshoe at Artist Point ~ Mt. Baker ⬇️

Goals

Goals

All starts with first spending time with God ❤️

Goals, hiking, travel

Columbia Gorge Hiking ~Shepperd’s Dell

View from the path ❤️

Shepperd’s Dell was one of the little stops on the Columbia Gorge that we literally could have driven right past and missed out on all this beauty!


I’m so thankful a friend told us about the trail from the road and that we stopped. It is a very short short hike down a beautiful path to the waterfall❤️ A bonus looking back up at the bridge and path .. I felt like we were in a whole different world

Check out our reel below and follow us for more adventures ❤️

faith, Goals, Review

Prayer Journal

One of my favorite gifts this year ❤️
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It has several things that I love . Prayer prompts for every day of each month, list of those I’m praying for , things I’ve learned this month , a place to record favorite passages, spiritual and personal goals ,answered prayers and what I’ve learned this month. It’s a great way to document my prayer life and see how God is moving over the year .
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One of my favorite things to do is to look back and see how God has answered prayer request that sometimes are months or years in the making.
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Do you use a prayer journal? I would love to hear what you use .. and If so, what’s your favorite thing about it?Drop a comment below ⬇️