A New Year

It's a New Year!!! First off in my mind, where did the last year go. I remember Jim being gone on a project in Portland OR for the first 6 weeks of 2007. It was a very long, cold, icy, snowy winter. I remember that Spring did sneak in a little early in 2007. I planted all of my flowers in the ground and then it froze!! I remember thinking that I might actually wait until April 15th this year. (Perhaps?!) God opened the door at ConocoPhillips for my husband to start a new job in May/June of 2007. He stopped traveling for the first time in 10 years. Wow. We had to learn how to be together as a family all week. I know that sounds silly but it took some getting used to (in a good way).

As some of you may recall, my Fall of 2006 really had wiped me out. I broke my right ankle with a spiral fracture and tore all of the ligaments in my left. It was pretty humbling crawling/scooting on my bootie for 6 weeks to get to the bathroom, etc. Mind you that Jim of course was traveling and I had a baby, a 2 year old, a child recently diagnosed with diabetes, and a overly grown up 7 year old (who I rely on too much.) Did I also mention that I am rather independent and Don't like to ask for HELP!!! After getting that darn cast off I was very out of shape and out of balance. My ankle was unstable and muscles had atrophied. So I for the first time in my life got a personal trainer and actually got in shape for a couple of months. Honestly it was absolutely a miserable experience eating right and doing cardio :) But it does go down in my journal of 2007 as one of my own personal accomplishments that I didn't think I could do. I learned I can push myself pretty hard and get some good results. My overall BMI went from a 28% to a short lived 20.4%.

Next in our Spring, Carter played Tball and soccer and loved it. Jim was the assistant coach of the Tball team. We had the busiest summer of our lives with activities and I pledged NOT to have another summer like that. Emma danced all summer, the kids took swim lessons at ConocoPhillips, we played more Tball games due to rain makeups, and spent a lot of time at the Pool. We started piano lessons again and I tried to keep school going throughout the summer. That was pretty successful for us as far as math and reading went and something I will continue to do again. Somehow, summer quickly turned into fall and we were still going strong. Soccer started again with Jim coaching. Dance picked back up and we had piano and theory in full force. I started teaching half days on Thursdays at our homeschool enrichment program. I have Emma's class full of enthusiastic 8 year old kids who really love art and science. This of course makes me love it even more! We had Carter's walk in September and that was as always an amazing event as are dear friends rally around us to support our family and Carter as we raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. We still pray continually for a cure for our little guy. Thanksgiving time Jim has surgery...honestly I have lost track of what number this hernia surgery is for him but always hope it is THE LAST!!! So as of this New Year he is still unable to lift anything more than 10 pounds. I just make up for it by trying to schedule massages more frequently for my back!! :) Christmas was a great and actually peaceful experience for our family. Christmas Eve day was probably my favorite because we just relaxed and played games with the kids. We cooked dinner together and actually ate by candlelight for the first time in our dining room. The kids were so in awe they sat quietly for at least 10 minutes!!! So as 2007 closed I will look back and remember again how blessed we are to have our family and friends who love the Lord and love us.

My challenge for 2008 is to learn my computer. It is truly like learning a foreign language to me so at times I am frustrated that I just can't get it to do what I want. I am trying to learn how to scrapbook digitally and that is an experience all in itself. I keep losing things in the same folder and program. I am looking for the Scrapbooking digitally for dummies book! As you can tell I am trying to makeover my blogsite as well. It is not going as quickly as I had hoped but perhaps one day it will be a little more like the design I have in my head.