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Happiness+Adventure=2016

My new equation for the year...

happiness+adventure=2016

I've been using a word of the year for myself and the family for a few years now.  Last year's word was "Think", to direct one's mind toward someone or something...think of others, think about our actions, think positively, think and achieve.  Previous year's were Peace and Believe was my first word of the year.  Unfortunately, I didn't blog or write about those, as I wish I would have.  Last year I did at least post on Instagram.  I wanted to start documenting these word choices, but this year I didn't just want one word.  Facebook caught on to the Word of the Year and posted one of those games where based on your profile, it would select your word of the year.  I gave it a try and loved the choice it made for me...Happiness.  A few days later I saw a wonderful older post making the rounds again, from a Red Table talk with Jada Pickett Smith about being a wife and motherhood. She spoke about the paradox of being a wife and mother as being the most wonderful and most difficult thing at the same time.  Her main message is to find balance in our responsibility and to take care of ourselves first by creating our own happiness.  Her message about happiness is what really hit me the most.  I can't rely on my children and husband to make me happy...I have to make myself happy.  If I'm happy, then I'm full and I can then in turn, help others with their own happiness.  I just knew this had to be my focus of the year.

Flowers I bought myself...step one of many to make myself happy this year!


Now where does adventure fit in.  The Boyen Bunch are creatures of habit and home bodies, as you know.  This year...I want to seek out more adventures, to be more spontaneous and see the world! (or at least more of the US!)  Adventures can be with travel, taking new chances, finding new hobbies, the idea of adventure is almost limitless.

So...instead of just a word of the year, maybe I can start a new trend of an equation of the year! ;)

happiness+adventure=2016 started with a literal bang!

Kids...always lots of kids at our house.  We had a fun night full of food, photos, games and fireworks!






Charades was a great way to pass time waiting for midnight!



It was cold!  But the fireworks around town were amazing!  We are lucky to have such a wonderful view from our house.

Missing Maddie...technology keeps the in touch!









Cheers to 2016...


New Year's Day we spent with more food, family and football. 






Our first adventure came on January 2 and boy did we pack a lot punch into that one day.  

Stop one: Waco, Tx to Chip and Joanna Gaines store, The Silos at Magnolia Market!











IKEA was too close to not stop by! But we were in a huge hurry, because they were about to close!




Stop three was Dealy Plaza and a quick history lesson...





We should have got a hotel, but decided to pile in the car and drive back to our own beds and sleep in the next day. 

I can't wait to see where our next adventure takes us.  
And Happiness is ours for the taking...




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