Wrap it up and attach a bow

Well folks, its a wrap so lets put a bow on it and call it done! I pulled down the 2009 calendar and put it in the trunk. I have discussed my calendar love before, but if you don't know; I keep a calendar on the fridge. Everything gets recorded on it and it is like a mini-diary. I keep them in my trunk and love to look back and see what we accomplished through the year. Different dinners (and what failed that the dog wouldn't eat) birthdays, anniversaries, appointments, outings, potty training, really good days (marked with a smiley face) really bad days (frowny face) special things that the kids said, movie ticket stubs, receipts from a special dinner, etc. It's all there.

This past year has been a whopper of a year. I started off the year full of hopes, resolutions and so much optimism that sunshine and butterflies were dripping out of my ears. A few short days into the year my Nana passed away and the sunshine became very dim. I struggled to see it as a blessing considering her failing health and wishes to "go home" but the truth of it was difficult to accept at best. We traveled Grizzwold style down to Texas to her funeral (meaning did the family drive instead of flying) and grieved and fellowshipped with friends and family. We even stopped to see a special friend along the way who opened her home to us weary travelers and gave us brisket and beans. I considered moving back to Texas, right next door for that!

It seems strange to me that we started the year with the death of a loved one and then ended the year with the birth of a loved one.

We survived fear of lay-offs, economic struggles, a really bad meatloaf (that one was touch and go for a while) family arguments, health issues, potty training, putting our home on the market, home rennovation (that is where the bulk of the family arguments came from. One bucket of paint can cause a tremdous amount of emotional strain) and so much more.

2009 was a year of a lot of grief but judging by the amount of smiley faces vs frowny faces, there were many more good times than bad (although the meatloaf mishap seems to be a burden that I will shoulder for many more years)

I pray that as we go through this next year that the smiles and laughs outnumber the tears, that my friendships grow deeper and higher in number, that my children grow and learn, that my family always feels my arms around them, that we find our new home and color the walls with happiness and loving memories, that I continue learning and growing into the woman that He wants me to be and that when I put away the calendar for 2010, I look at all the blessings that He has bestowed on me and my heart is grateful and open.

Thank you to all of you who have entered my life through this blog and have shared my laughs and my tears. Thank you for opening your hearts to my family. Thank you for your advice. Thank you for all the imaginary hugs that have helped us through difficult times. Thank you mostly for listening and being my friends. I have enjoyed writing this blog not just to journal through the year but to bring us closer as friends.