2009 ---> 2010

2009 held so many wonderful things for me, I feel truly blessed.

We bought a house. Our dream house. Even though we lost a house before we got that house, and bid on a house and was denied that house, we bought our dream house and say every single day, "I love this house." There is nothing about it that doesn't make us melt inside. Not even the kitchen sink that didn't work the first 5 weeks we lived there. This house brings our family great warmth and comfort and protection.

Loudoun started Kindergarten. One day, all of a sudden, he started reading and writing. Literally, overnight. One morning he woke up, and spelled out an entire sentence telling us "I-A-M-H-U-N-G-R-Y." Rick and I were shocked. He has continued to grow and blossom and it is exciting every day to see his spirit and personality and mind grow into the man he will someday become. We can already see glimpses of that man. Between all of the fart jokes. Oh wait, that doesn't really go away.

Avalon started preschool. When Loudoun was her age, he went to daycare. Daycare was a lady running a licensed aftercare from her home. We loved his daycare, but Avalon is in something totally different. Avalon is in a preschool center, with a classroom and structure and a daily schedule. They are assigned 1 teacher and have fun and do art and read books and play and nap. And she loves it. She is thriving there. She is the smallest kid in the entire school and because of that she gets extra special love from the teachers, the administrators and even the other parents when they pick up their kid. In 2009 she potty trained herself at under 2-1/2 years old, so that was a wonderful present to us. I wasn't expecting to have both kids out of diapers this soon, so I was floored when she did it herself.

Rick and I spent the year together, in a happy marriage, dealing with all that life had to throw at us, and came out the other end just as strong as when we went into 2009. We battled house buying, finance organizing, kid raising, extended family vacations, all while maintaining open communication and sensitivity with each other's feelings. It wasn't perfect. But we are just as happy to be married today as we were on 1/1/09, and that's comforting. I look forward to a lifetime with Rick.

I quit drinking. Now, this one is bittersweet, because in order to get to the place where I started my sobriety, I had to sink to a pretty low, guilty place about my over-consumption of alcohol. But the end result was a new life of sobriety, and as of right now, I have almost 4 months of it. Good stuff. The guilt disappeared. The time with my family became special and memorable. Don't get me wrong, it was always special. But I didn't always remember every detail. Now I remember right up to the time my kids put their heads on their pillows and Rick and I do the same. My mind feels clear. Clear to think, feel and comprehend. I'm loving sobriety.

I found God. I mean, really found Him. I spend everyday wanting to learn more about Him, about Scripture, about Christ and Salvation. I long to have an intimate relationship with Him, one that grows immensely everyday. I want to serve Him and Glorify Him with my life. This has got to be the best present of 2009, I mean really? Nothing tops a spiritual awakening. Nothing.

As 2009 comes to a close, I wish the best for you and your family in 2010. May your year be filled with love, joy, peace and good times.