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Flashback to just over a month ago…I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror after a shower dripping in sweat when it hit me…the triple digits here in AZ were just around the corner which means pool season will be upon us before I know it. Yet here I am at my heaviest weight since giving birth to my son 4 years ago!!!

I grabbed my stomach flab, did a spin and fell to my knees. Tears rolling down my face I was sobbing uncontrollably. Sobbing out loud for only God to hear. I felt defeated. I felt weak. I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin. I did not recognize my own reflection any longer and that scared the shit out of me! So many questions came flooding in…How on earth did I let this happen? Why on earth did I let this happen? How in the world can I expect anyone to love me if I don’t love myself?

There were two questions that I DIDN’T have to ask…How did I get here? and What am I going to do to change things? I knew in that very moment what needed to be done. The excuses were no longer acceptable. I knew I was eating wrong and sitting on my ass every chance I had. I knew I had all the tools in the world right at my fingertips to be able change my life. So I picked myself up off the floor, dried my tears, swallowed hard and took the plunge. I made the decision to become a Beachbody Coach and couldn’t be happier!!!

For the first time in FOREVER I simply put myself first. Over the last 5 weeks I have given my all to focusing on eating right, working out, taking better care of both my body and mind and strengthening my relationship with God. I’m down 7.5lbs and I feel amazing!!! I’m becoming the absolute best version of myself that I can be. And guess what?!? My husband and son get to experience the best version of me every step of the way too!

A fire has been lit deep within and I feel unstoppable! I have found my passion. I have found direction. I’m kicking ass and taking names! My goal is to INSPIRE, ENCOURAGE, UPLIFT and EMPOWER each and every one of you to do the same. I’ve teamed up with one of the top teams in the country and I invite you to join me on my journey. WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER!!! Drop a 💪🏼 below if you’re ready to join me. Or simply click here!

These hands are the heart and soul of the family. Cracked, swollen and bleeding they show visible signs of the love and hard work that’s put in on a daily basis to make the household run smoothly.

The scrubber of toilets and floors. The cleaner of messes and spilled milk. The washer of dishes and clothes. The wiper of tears and the comforter of sorrows. The creator of crafts and doer of experiments. The washer of hands over and over and over again. These hands go through it all!

The responsibilities are endless but these hands never quit. Nor does the woman behind these hands.

I wear an abundance of hats and hold many different titles. My hands help me juggle it all. My hands are the heart and soul of our family. Cracked, swollen and bleeding they show visible signs of how much I love my family and how hard I work on a daily basis to make our household run smoothly.

As the end of a decade comes to a close I thought I would take a look back at the past ten years. A lot has changed for me that’s for sure!

Ten years ago I was unsettled, insecure, out of control and completely lost in my drinking. I had so many plans for the future that never seemed to come to fruition. I was spinning my wheels and going nowhere fast. I was a mess to say the very least. But the minute I gave up, and hit rock bottom I found new friends, true friends! And had my family by my side every single step of the way. I am forever grateful to my friend Alicia, and especially my sister Christina and Brother-in-Law Evan for taking the absolute brunt of my downward spiral. They picked me right back up and stood by my side through it all. The road was dark and scary.

But slowly I learned to stand on my own two feet. I learned that drinking away my sorrows only worsened my problems. I gained more confidence and strength. I learned that I was stronger than I ever thought before. I was capable of anything. I was no longer dependent on a man or any other person to fulfill me. I learned exactly what I needed and wanted in life, in a relationship and for my future to be truly happy. I found myself!!!

The very minute I stopped looking for a man to complete me was the minute I found my now husband, Justin. Now here we are present day, married and with a son living across the country and we couldn’t be happier! Motherhood has changed me immensely and it is hands down the most favorite part of my identity. This last decade has brought many ups and also downs and there have been far too many “greatest of all time” moments for me to select just one.

The past ten years have been tough guys I’m not going to lie or sugar coat it. But I have come so far from where I’ve been there is no looking back! I respect the past and all its lessons but I am ready to run forward and conquer! I wouldn’t change a single thing because I firmly believe I needed to walk the hard road to get to where I am at. I was meant to experience all I went through. Without it I wouldn’t be able to truly appreciate all that I have today.

If I could go back ten years and speak to my past self I would hug her tight, let her know how strong of a women she is and will continue to be. I would tell her she is loved and appreciated and even if she can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel don’t ever ever give up because all her dreams will in fact come true.

Trust the process. The path might not be what we hope for or expect but the end result is always worth it.

My word for the upcoming year is COMMITTED. I am committed to taking care of myself both mentally and physically. Committed to taking care of my family. Committed to being the best spouse and mother I can be. Committed to making our house a home and safe place from the stressors of the world. Committed to God. Committed to giving back to others. Committed to learning and growth. Committed to doing all that I can to prepare for homeschooling Hunter. Committed to strengthening friendships. Committed to adventure and new experiences. Committed to growing my blog. IN 2020 I WILL BE COMMITTED!

How about you? Can you pick a favorite moment, memory or trend from the past decade? What is your word for the upcoming year? Share in the comments below.

I absolutely love road trips! Always have. My very first experience with a cross country road trip was with my Dad. We drove to Florida for my high school graduation gift/trip. It was one of my favorite trips of all time! We drove from Wisconsin to Bonita Springs, Florida only stopping for gas and bathroom breaks and a very brief nap stop at a Rest Stop along the way. We packed loads of snacks and beverages and activities to keep us occupied.

Now here we are present day and my love for road trips remains the same. Unfortunately Justin does not share that same love and excitement and tends to be a bit grouchy and stubborn. But we still go on small road trips here and there to satisfy my enjoyment of them. Usually they’re just day trips to explore various parts of the state. We call them “adventure days” to add some extra excitement for Hunter and try to take them at least a couple times per month. But cross country trips are a whole different animal.

We’ve been on on multiple cross country trips to and from Wisconsin with Hunter. The first one being our move to Arizona. But this holiday season will be our first cross country trip that he will remember. Not even two hours in and we’ve been asked countless times “are we there yet?” and “why can’t we just fly to Wisconsin and get there faster?” We’ve also had to make our first emergency roadside potty stop because the first Rest Stop we came to was closed.

I should also mention that I’m an over-packer. To think that I thought that we could fit two weeks worth of stuff for all three of us into one suitcase is laughable. Between our stuff, the dogs stuff and all the Christmas gifts we are packed to the gills! But because this isn’t my first rodeo we are packed strategically and are well prepared for the unforeseen and unexpected. We’ve got loads of snacks, beverages and activities to keep us occupied.

Experience and overpacking will all come in handy as Justin is insisting that we drive straight through yet again this trip. It’s important to point out that any time we’ve tried to do this in the past has resulted in everyone being cranky and over tired. Not to mention resulting in the most grouchy form of a husband to ever have existed. But I being happily optimistic and extremely excited for the adventure am just going to go with the flow and enjoy the experience.

Arizona – Depending on the route you take there is so much to see. The varying landscape as you cross the state is just beautiful. But man does that temperature drop as you near the state line! Definitely need to be sure to have the winter jackets handy before entering New Mexico. We made the mistake of having our coats in the bed of the truck and only having light sweatshirts in the truck. Our first pit stop in New Mexico was so so so cold without jackets! Our bodies are not used to 32 degree weather any longer that’s for sure!

New Mexico – Not much to see until about Albuquerque. The city lights break up the monotonousness of night time driving. Unfortunately most rest stops are closed this time of year so truck stops are your best bet for a bathroom break and opportunity to stretch your legs.

Texas – Our time in Texas was brief. At this point we had been on the road for 12 hours. Hunter was hitting his limit and starting to spiral. It didn’t help that for some reason he and I got hit with random allergies out of nowhere so we were stuffy and sneezing something fierce throughout our time in the state. Thank goodness for my overpacking skills…saline Boogie Wipes to the rescue! Apparently according to Justin the towns we drove through smelled like pigs and piss but I was too stuffed up to smell a thing! Thank goodness!!! Shortly after Hunter’s meltdown he fell asleep. Coolest thing we saw was a Toot n’ Totum. Thought it was a unique name for a gas station. Never seen one before. Oh I should also mention that at this point of the trip Justin’s stubbornness really started to shine. He was still insistent that we drive straight though. Jesus take the wheel! We didn’t make it much further before Hunter started having night terrors.

Oklahoma – I slept through the Oklahoma panhandle but before I dozed off I did catch a glimpse of the moon. It was HUGE and shown brightly resembling the giant grin of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. After a couple of night terror episodes with Hunter we did end up parking at a truck stop at the Oklahoma/Kansas state line so we could all get some rest. Thankfully I packed plenty of blankets and some neck pillows so we could all snuggle up in the front seats of the truck for a few hours before hitting the road again.

Kansas – I was on point as driver and got to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of the sunrise all to myself while Justin and Hunter slept. Hunter woke up in such a great mood! He didn’t remember a thing from his terrible night prior and that made me happy. Justin and I were pretty grouchy at this point. The snacking and fast food stops were starting to hit me and made me feel like garbage. I don’t remember much of Kansas other than the sound of the radio playing softly in the background while we zoned out.

Missouri – By the time we hit Missouri I was starting to go coo coo for Cocoa Puffs. I was dancing and singing along with the radio and desperate to find a comfortable position. It didn’t work but I am certain that I gave the other cars we passed a good laugh at my crazy antics. Justin even cracked a smile here and there though he won’t admit it. Any and every stop we made was filled with a good old fashioned snowball fight and the occasional snow angel with what of any remnants were left behind from the previous snowfall all led by Hunter.

Iowa – We’re almost there! Nothing noteworthy to mention really. We were all kinda hitting our limit. Dubuque however was super cute and industrial. I wish we had driven through during the day so I could’ve seen more. The second our wheels hit the Dubuque/Wisconsin Bridge to cross the Mississippi River Hunter was cheering with excitement.

Wisconsin – We have arrived!!! We are exhausted and hangry and so beyond ready to get out of this truck but we are on the home stretch. Only about two more hours to go! Hunter kept Justin and I positive with his excitement that we were actually in Wisconsin! The lack of snow is a little bit of a bummer for little man. Thank goodness all our Missouri stops included snowball fights. Annnddd…we FINALLY made it!!! Oh my gosh I almost forgot…Athena!!! I haven’t mentioned her at all this entire trip because she did the BEST out of all of us! She slept the entire way. But we did have the BringFido app downloaded and ready to go in the event we did need to stop at a hotel during our trip. It’s the fastest and easiest way to find a place to stay that accepts pets of any kind. I highly recommend. Now to unload our stuff, get some much needed rest and enjoy the holiday festivities!!!

If you live in or have visited any of the states we drove through let me know in the comments below what things there are to do and see! We make this trip every other year for the holidays and would really like to include more stops along the way that involve some sort of activity to break the trip up a bit more.

This time of year is difficult for me. I tend to get a little homesick. I miss my family and friends back in Wisconsin terribly. I miss the family traditions that have been celebrated since I was very young.

Coming from such a large and close-knit family I miss a lot. It was important to me that when we moved to Arizona we took those old family traditions and added some new ones of our own to make the holiday season extra magical for Hunter; while selfishly making them therapeutic for myself.

I’d like to say that first Christmas was easy but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We decided to drive back to Wisconsin to celebrate with our family. Sounds great right? Not so much. Justin being the stubborn man he is decided to drive straight through, both there and back! You want to test your marriage folks? Simply take a road trip with a pickup loaded to the max (inside and out) across the country in the middle of winter with the dog and Hunter who was not quite two years old. To add more fuel to the fire, Justin was getting calls from work the ENTIRE time. We were also extremely limited on our time once we actually arrived in Wisconsin due to the continued demand at Justin’s work. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed every minute we had with our family and friends but that first Christmas was HELL! So much so Justin swore off ever going back to Wisconsin for the holidays ever again! We compromised and made the decision that going forward we would travel back to Wisconsin every other year for the holidays.

Year two was a little easier logistically but much much harder for me emotionally. We stayed in Arizona that year and I was a wreck! I was so incredibly lucky that Justin’s Dad decided to come to us for the holidays. It also didn’t hurt that he happens to resemble the one and only Santa Claus! I am forever grateful that he made that decision. It really helped me focus on the positives and focus on creating some brand new and exciting traditions for our own little family that I always dreamed about being able to create. I’m not sure he knows just how much his visit meant to me that year. But Dad, if you’re reading this, I cannot thank you enough! Your love and support during that difficult time meant so very much to me and I am so very lucky to have you as a Father-in-Law.

So what did those “new” traditions include you ask? Well to put it very simply, we were able to put Hunter to bed that year on Christmas Eve and experience him waking the next morning and finding that Santa had snuck in overnight. Santa ate the cookies, he drank the milk, and he left gifts under the tree! Sounds pretty common to most but to me, but to him, this was a first. You see, I come from a divorced family, as does Justin. so our own parents had to be extra creative in making the holidays special while faced with the common knowledge traditions of most other families. I do not recall a time in my childhood when I went to bed on Christmas Eve and awoke Christmas morning to all of that. I by no means missed out on the “magic” of Christmas. My parents all be it divorced, did an AWESOME job at making the holidays special for my sister(s) and I! I just experienced Christmas in a much different way than my peers. So to be able to not only create this experience for Hunter but to also experience it with him was a moment I will NEVER forget! Christmas magic is silent but boy can you see it when you look through your child’s eye’s!

Now here we are year three. I have never been more excited with the upcoming holidays. And I know most of you are thinking, “well duh, you’re going back to Wisconsin this year.” But this year is exciting for so many more reasons than just that. To say that I am in a much better place mentally and physically than that first year would be putting things lightly. So much has happened. There has been so much! So many experiences, so many struggles, so many mistakes, so many lessons, so much learning, so much love, so much friendship, so much growth. And I am thankful for it all! I wouldn’t be here today without it all. But I digress…

Our current family holiday traditions are a solid blend of old and new. They contain a lot of holiday “magic”. The memories that we create from this moment on are endless and will last a lifetime! I am so excited to celebrate this routine as our own and new family tradition and hope they last throughout Hunter’s lifetime. I cannot wait for him to pass all or some of these traditions down through his own little family some day.

December first marks the start of the holiday season for us. Christmas carols are on full blast, eggnog is on tap, and the decorations get pulled out of storage. The must-have Christmas albums include some favorites from my childhood: “The Gift” by Kenny Rogers, “Once Upon a Christmas” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, “A Jolly Christmas” by Frank Sinatra (specifically “Jingle Bells”), and something new, “Christmas” by Michael Buble. Blast those tunes and sing along while eating junk food and sweets until the entire house is decorated inside and out. Hunter decorated his own little mini tree and tree display this year. He’s been re-arranging that display since the first and hasn’t slowed down! He likes to mix things up.

Then we get to the rest of the house which includes lots of cardinals because they remind me of my Grandma Tucholka and of back home in Wisconsin.

And of course there is the good old Midwestern tradition of St. Nick deeply routed in the German culture and heritage that Justin and I and most of the Midwest grew up on.

And then we have the traditional “Advent Calendar” that I grew up with. A cute cardboard photo with punch outs for every day of December leading up to Christmas Day and each day is filled with a piece of milk chocolate and a part of the traditional non-biblical westernized story of Christmas.

This year we added reading the Bible to this nightly routine. Specifically the book of Luke. The instructions are to read a chapter per day up to Christmas and that the entire book of Luke gives the account of the life of Jesus. Hunter being a big fan of bedtime stories is really enjoying this year’s addition to family traditions.

Then we wait impatiently each year for the mail to arrive in hopes that our annual WE Energies Christmas Cookie Cookbook has arrived from Grandma Pedersen.

And last but not least we try to attend as many local holiday events and displays as we can.

“The magic of Christmas never ends and it’s greatest of gifts are family and friends.” Happy Holidays from the Stommel Family!

What are some holiday traditions you celebrate with your family? Let me know in the comments below.