Our first trip of the year to our favorite beach spot was long overdue. We tend to avoid the crowds and head to our favorite spot on Port Bolivar Peninsula. The area is growing, but we enjoy the fact that you can pull your car right up on the beach and enjoy the day with a full cooler, a canopy and your favorite people. The girls stay busy with seashell hunting and building sandcastles that Ryan and I get to enjoy a workout together and even get to have adult conversations! We treasure our time here to reconnect with the girls. Our only worries are applying sunblock and keeping sand out of our eyes. #bestdayever

Earlier this week a friend of mine shared a quote with me that said “Our goals are written in stone, but our path to get there is etched in the sand.” A serious mind explosion right there. Our family is in somewhat of a transition period. We are currently living in a rental home north of Houston. We had been tossing around the idea of living and working out of an RV (camper) full-time to save money and take on a minimal lifestyle. RV life is still something that we have on our bucket list, but it doesn’t coincide with the goals that we set out for ourselves this year. So a few weeks ago we finally ironed out what we truly want.

It may seem a little late to have made our 2018 goals, but we have found out that any goal worth making is worth time and thought.

1. Buy a house at the end of the year- we really love our new town, our friends and not to mention my sister and her family recently moved close by. We feel like God is calling us to stay here and develop the friendships that we have made and grow some solid roots in our church.
2. Have baby number three- We thought that we were done with kids. Truthfully I’ve been trying to talk myself out of wanting more kids for the past three years. There is always the great money debate and the idea that they are a lot of “work.” I found myself busying myself with other things to distract myself from focusing on growing my family. As I think about it, we didn’t think that we could afford the children we have and it has been proven that we always find a way. God always provides and our renewed faith gives us confidence in having more children.
3. Homeschool our children- I have wanted to homeschool our children this past year and realized that I needed to work on myself and my business before I tackled a new challenge. I do not regret sending my oldest to kindergarten, we both learned many valuable lessons. It also has reaffirmed my reasons for wanting to homeschool. I feel empowered to be my daughters teacher of many things. I love that our curriculum can be paced to our lifestyle. More reasons as to why I homeschool here.
4. Start our Wedding Rental Business- we have a much larger 5 year goal that we would start tomorrow if we could, but we want to be smart and use what we have learned from marketing our bags and networking and apply it to our newest venture. We are so excited to invest in our future. Stay tuned to see our progress with Mari-Mac Designs Wedding and Event Rentals. We plan to have our first customer by the end of the year. This venture will grow us closer to a dream that we have had for the past five years.
5. Holistic and Minimalistic- Remember when I said I Needed to work on myself? I tend to be a pack rat and I am always afraid that I will need something. I squirrel away things as if I will use them later and end up holding on to 50 half used notebooks for just in case circumstances. I want my mind to be clear and organized for the the previous goals stated and I know the only way to be more productive is to limit distractions. I do not regret my tendency to create chaos in my life, it’s what has inspired me and fueled my entrepreneurial lifestyle. My chaos has given me ideas and shaped my personality. Now that I am zeroed in on what I truly want, I can remove the things that no longer service me and no longer bring me joy. My family depends on me to create a safe, stress free and toxic fee environment. I love that I can treat symptoms of our ailments naturally. I have worked in modern medicine for seven years and understand that medical intervention and prescription medication is needed in emergency and extreme cases brought on by an unhealthy lifestyle and lack of knowledge. Most people do not understand how our diet, exercise and mental state can affect our overall health.

I am so thankful for my amazing family and how beautifully we have grown. Our life thus far is a direct product of the goals we had laid out years ago. We are truly blessed beyond belief and know that we can accomplish anything with faith in God and trust in our plans. As long as we are intentional in growing our life and relationships with others and continue to live an authentic and positive life as a Catholic family we know that which ever way our path takes us that it will lead to our our true passion. A beautiful rest stop off I-10 on the way to Galveston. The kites just flew themselves. The girls found two hermit crabs. They named them Crabby and Crabriella. Our number one way to enjoy the beach with small kids: dig a big hole. Place the hole far enough away that it can be filled with water from a wave. Also make a wall so that the hole will last the entirety of the day. You are welcome. I bought this bathing suit last year and it has been my favorite. I had to alter it a bit, but it keeps me intact and confident. My summers include many trips to the pool and chasing after kiddos. Our dogs always join us on beach trips, they always have so much fun. Enjoying the sunset on the ferry from Bolivar to Galveston. We always take I-10 to Winnie and drive south to the beach to avoid Galveston and Ferry traffic. We hadn’t been on the ferry in a few years so we decided to brave the traffic. It wasn’t a long wait at all and we enjoyed every minute.

– Venice