Lately, Chris and I have been talking a lot about what our "ideal life" is. How do we want to spend our days and years as a family? We have a very happy and comfortable life right now and we could continue this way and be happy, I'm sure of it. But could we make changes to get us closer to the "ideal life" that we want to be living?

Chris and I imagine our ideal life as one in which:

1. We are debt-free.

2. We have lots of time to spend together as a family.

3. Everyone in the family has time to pursue their passions. 

4. We are able to travel to Austin and stay for extended lengths of time (2+ weeks at a time).

5. We have one car and it's hybrid or fully electric.

6. We can walk, bike, or take public transit to our jobs and to see interesting things around our house.

7. We travel together as a family to a new place every year.

8. We spend lots of time outdoors and not a lot of time in front of screens.

9. We sit down for a homemade meal every night as a family.

10. Our home environment is uncluttered and filled with natural light and views of nature.

11. We have a kitchen that we love to cook in.

12. We are really passionate about the work we do.

13. We see family and friends on a weekly basis.

14. We feel a strong sense of community.

15. We live near a great coffee shop.

16. We are able to sleep through the night. (Haha, had to throw this one in there. I do dream about this though...hopefully it's not far off!)

There are quite a few things on this list that we already have or partially have, which is encouraging! And there's nothing on this list that we can't achieve - also encouraging! But some would certainly require trade-offs. As we consider changes in our budget and/or lifestyle we can review this list and evaluate whether the changes would get us closer to our ideal life or not. It's easy for me to dwell on how much I wish we could afford all new window treatments throughout the house or how much I'd love to get new flooring. But when I read over this list I'm reminded that those things don't really matter and that there are other, more important, priorities.