I really love the fresh start of a new year and the opportunity to create goals and dreams for the year ahead. I always take a look back at the past 12 months and think about what succeeded, what could have used improvement, and what I want to carry with me going forward, in all aspects of life.

Flashback to over a year ago… by the end of 2024 I was feeling incredibly burnt out from years of stress, nervous system overload, and brain fog. I knew I was at a pivotal point in my life in which I needed to take a step back and slow down, or else my body would pay more serious consequences. 2025 was my healing era and I am so grateful for that opportunity and ability to focus on my mental health.

So let’s do a review, shall we?

Things that went well in 2025:

A “rest” year for my business. I did not plan any major new projects or infrastructure improvements. I really needed to take the year to rest my brain and body. That time absolutely paid off. I am walking into 2026 feeling healed and ready to dream big again.
Saving money, rather than putting it into farm improvements. I grew a great nest egg last year, was able to invest in retirement, and started an education fund for my son.
Hiring employees to help with daily farm rituals, like milking cows, bottling milk, feeding chickens, and boxing eggs.
Spending lots of intentional time with family and friends. This was the first year in my adult life that I felt like I had a really great balance between work and leisure.
Scaled back on egg production, and sold more chickens to other people for their own flocks. I never expected to shift the chicken business in this way, but it went really well overall!
Invisible electric fence collars for the goats. Completely revolutionized goat ownership and grazing on the farm.
In my personal life: I met a really incredible man who shows me all the ways it means to be truly loved and cared for. I never thought I would get to experience that in my life, and that feeling is indescribable.

Things that felt challenging in 2025:

Living off the farm. I live across town, and even though it’s just an 8 minute drive, that difference in locations felt like a growing hardship now that I have a toddler (sleep schedule, meals, play times, etc).
Getting cows pregnant. Something that is essential on a dairy farm and I’ve always struggled with. Still trying to find solutions to this.
Overgrazing. Feeling the effects of having too many animals on my land (the chickens especially have high impact, even with constant rotational grazing). I’d really like to focus on better pasture management practices this upcoming year.
2 goats that liked to head-butt children during goat hikes. Not cool!
Increasingly busy social schedule on weekends, which made scheduling goat hikes difficult.
Keeping up with correspondence. Even with an email manager (so grateful for Jess!!) I still struggle so hard with answering emails and customer inquiries.

Here comes the exciting part! Looking ahead to 2026.

A few times throughout the past year I was worried that I would enjoy “resting” too much and that I wouldn't want to go back to dreaming up big goals for the farm. Especially because I am in a season of motherhood where SO much effort goes into raising a toddler. I am really enjoying that time; teaching Elliott new things, guiding him towards civility, and exploring the great big world together, but it sure does require a lot of energy.

What I’ve come to realize now is that those worries came from a place of not yet being fully healed. I still wasn’t ready then to jump back into a growth mindset.

But… Something changed within me a few weeks ago. I started to feel truly inspired, like a fire had been reignited within my soul to start dreaming again. I felt creativity return and big ideas swirling in my head, something that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I am excited for this year ahead, even if I don’t know exactly how it will look.

Every year I create a “word of the year” for myself. Last year my word was joy. I spent the year intentionally seeing the joy in all of the big and small moments.

**My word of the year for 2026 is Evolve.**

I have reached a monumental moment in my agricultural career… I am at a point of no longer growing my farm business. If anything, I want to scale it back a bit. I do not have enough eggs or milk to keep up with demand in the farm stand, which often feels really frustrating to disappoint customers, but I have maxed out the barn and land with the livestock I currently have, and I don’t particularly want to make a massive investment in expansion, at least at this point in time. It feels really exciting to be at this turning point; a place of acceptance for what is, and immense gratitude for the community who shows up in support of our farm to keep it financially sustained.

So that brings me to an evolution. I am adjusting my priorities and focusing more of my energy on motherhood and creative projects.

I am really enjoying (and simultaneously exhausted by) leaning into toddlerhood and putting effort into allll aspects of fostering personal development of a three year old, which includes crafts, playtime, field trips, nature discovery, meal etiquette… the list goes on and on. I am really grateful to have the opportunity to spend so much quality time with Elliott throughout the week, even as I balance farm management.

I am really excited to dive into creative projects that I’ve been dreaming about for YEARS, but just never found enough time to see to fruition. With a fresh head space and reignited soul fire, I have been diving in head first to those projects over the last couple weeks.

As I accept that my farm will no longer grow in size, but recognize the continually growing desire for local food, I have a goal of teaching others how to farm. I am going to do this through online courses, which provide accessibility to people of all locations and schedules. My first course will be a how-to on starting your own flock of laying hens. I often call chickens the “gateway animal” into owning more livestock. They are easy to manage and offer quick gratification from eggs. Nothing compares to the flavor of a fresh egg from a free range chicken, and with the right tools and knowledge, people with even just a small plot of land can find great success in owning chickens. I hope to have this course finished and released by early March… stay tuned!

My second project, and admittedly the one I am most excited about, is snail-mail correspondence from the farm. I have always loved sharing stories and photos from the farm, and also personally delight in getting “old fashioned” mail from friends and family, a novelty that is increasingly rare in this modern age. I want to hone in on that joy and feeling of a slowed-down pace of life, and I think letters from the farm will do just that. I am still putting the finishing touches on this project, but you can read all about it (and subscribe if you wish) here.

Other things that I’m looking forward to in 2026 include:

Travel and adventures. As I lean in on balancing the farm and personal life, I look forward to exploring more of the world with Elliott.
Hiking in the White Mountains. I put this on my resolution list every single year, and seem to struggle with accomplishing it, but I’d be happy to even hike just one 4,000 footer this year.
Writing. With a clear brain, my desire to write and reflect on the world is back and I can’t wait to take pen to paper more often. Especially because I have pen pals to write to!
Culinary exploration. Encouraging myself to cook more, and encouraging Elliott to eat more (toddler pickiness is in full force).
1,000 hours outside. You’d think with a farm, we’d be outside all the time, but I’ve been amazed to realize just how much time Elliott spends indoors. This challenge creates the intentional space to be outdoors daily.

And finally…

My New Year’s Resolution to enjoy every full moon of the year in a celebratory way. January’s Wolf Supermoon set the bar high, with a trip to midcoast Maine. I stayed overnight in a cozy treehouse, and watched the brilliant moonrise over the ocean at Reid State Park. While some ideas are swirling in my head, I don’t have a set plan for the next 12 full moons of the year. If you have ideas on great ways to celebrate a full moon, drop them in the comments below!

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read about my reflections on the past and hopes for the future. I am so excited to see what 2026 has in store. As always, I am incredibly humbled and grateful for the people who show up in support of this farm, and who continually cheer me on through the crazy journey of life.