This is a guest post by my friend, Angela Craig. She is an ordained minister and serves on staff with The Northwest Ministry Network as the Director of Women’s Ministry. She is also author of the Bible Study, Leah…When Life is Not What You Expected it To Be.  You can read her blog and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.  Her Bible Study will be FREE for your Kindle on February 14, 2013.

How are memories created?

Think about the past year. What are your fondest memories?

Some memories happen in the extraordinary. A marriage proposal, a wedding, a child, a miracle. Others, happen when we create something special out of the ordinary. A spontaneous dinner guest, a family game night during a busy week, a romantic picnic in the middle of your living room…just because.

When I look ahead at the next year, one of my goals is to be able to recount more times spent in making memories than I remember times checking off my to-do list. Here are some ideas I have to achieve this goal.

Act spontaneously:  If you haven’t noticed, routine and schedules are the killer of spontaneity. In the world we live in, if we are going to “act spontaneous” we will have to block out time in our schedule for it.

Plan a party:  Personally, I love hosting parties but not everyone does. You may cringe at the idea. That is okay. Plan a party that fits your style. Plan it at a friend’s house if you have too. Invite people you love or invite people you have been wanting to get to know. One of my favorite memories was when our electricity went out for four days. When ours was the first to return, we invited our neighbors (7-8 households) to come for a soup night. We were close to a few of our neighbors but many we only knew in passing. It was a wonderful night and knitted our neighborhood closer together.

Plan an adventure:  BIG or small. Some of my favorite memories have been made by visiting places I have never been before. This could be as simple as taking a free tour at a chocolate factory or saving your money for a family vacation. Get everyone in your home involved and the planning will become as much a part of the memory as the actual trip.

I will be excited to see what you add to the list!

NOTE FROM ME:  Now that Angela Craig has inspired us to get outside our routine I would love to be inspired by YOU!  How are you going to get off your “to do list” and make some memories?