December flew by in a blink, didn’t it? Between family time, work parties, school events, and the holidays themselves, the month was over almost as soon as it started. Add in a lovely round of the flu that wiped out most of our family, and we never quite managed to have a full family celebration together. Not exactly the Hallmark holiday we’d imagined, but still a full and meaningful season all the same.

With a new year comes fresh dreams and plans, and Audley and I are genuinely excited about what’s ahead. Some plans are simple and fun, like attending the Antique and Garden Show in Nashville this past weekend, which already feels like the perfect way to ease into January. Others are bigger and rooted in long-term vision, like continuing to grow our little farm. This spring we’ll be attending the International Pheasant Conference for a week in March, and it still feels a bit surreal that we are diving into this adventure. According to USDA guidelines, we officially qualify as a “farm” now, and that milestone alone feels like a quiet answer to many prayers. Of course, as small as we are, we will remain a “farmette” for a little longer. We’re excited to keep learning and continue being the caretakers what we’ve been given, and watching this little adventure grow.

Lambing season is also nearly here, and with it comes equal parts anticipation and prayer. We have four expectant ewes so far this year, and we’re already watching closely and preparing for the weeks ahead. We’re praying for minimal issues, smooth deliveries, and healthy babies. There’s something incredibly humbling about this season, being reminded how much of farming is trust, vigilance, and placing the outcome squarely in God’s hands. Each loss cuts deep.

The new year also brings change. After enjoying the gift of having all of our kids and their families within an hour of us, Gracie and Michael will soon be relocating to Augusta, Georgia, where Michael has accepted a new ministry position. I’ll miss our monthly pizza nights and seeing their girls so often. But as a wife who has relocated eighteen times for her husband’s job, I understand this season entirely … even if I still may have shed a few tears over it. We trust that God is leading them exactly where they need to be.

There are other changes on the horizon as well, but I’ll share those as they come to fruition.

As for 2026 itself, I’ve entered the year with a peaceful heart, a hopeful spirit, and a reasonable list of goals and visions. One of my biggest intentions this year is to continue embracing a slower pace of living, more depth in our days, more time at the table, more meals made from what we grow, more intentional rest, and fewer rushed moments. Less striving, more abiding. More listening, less noise. I’m so tired of being exhausted, especially when it is due to the busyness I’ve created myself. We were not meant to live this way.

My word for the year is quality.
This year, I want to focus less on doing more and more on doing things well. Quality time with the people I love. Quality relationships that encourage, challenge, and walk alongside us in faith. Quality thoughts, choosing gratitude over worry and truth over noise. On the farm, that means tending what we’ve been given with care: raising animals well, growing and sourcing quality foods, and honoring the work we carefully put in rather than rushing the process. It’s a reminder that a life rooted in faith isn’t measured by volume or speed, but by faithfulness, intention, and stewardship. If I can look back at the end of the year and say our days were marked by quality in how we lived, loved, worked, and trusted God, then it will have been a year well spent.

Stewardship has many definitions, but on the farm and in our home, stewardship looks like thoughtful care of the land, our faith, and the life we’re building, so we can pass something meaningful and lasting to the generations after us.

With God’s hand guiding our plans and our pace, I know this will be a good year, whatever it holds. I can’t wait to see what all 2026 brings.

I’m looking forward to faith-filled days, steady steps forward, and a year lived with purpose and grace. What is your 2026 looking like?