The year 2008 is just about history. Never will we ever get a day, a minute or simply a moment back from the year 2008. Hopefully we all are happy with how we lived each moment of the past 365 days.
As I sit reflecting on the year that has passed I can honestly say it has been a year of changes, not only for me but for the entire world. Hopefully 2009 will bring wonderful things. As for the things that have stayed the same, I am hopeful that those things will change as well. I am definitely working on doing what I can to make sure we can live our lives in peace.
I was a lucky girl in 2008 on many accounts. I traveled to North Carolina for the first time with complete strangers to an event called inspired.08. This was an event I had been wishing I could attend but never, ever did I think I would be able to attend. Boy was I wrong! A trip to the doctor changed that for me. I gained me some wonderful friends whom I will again be traveling with to the event in 2009.
In September, I traveled to Phoenix, AZ to Creative Escape 08 with a friend who caught the scrapbooking/papercrafting bug in October of 2007 after she tagged along with me one too many times to ReCollections. We had a wonderful time meeting the awesome teachers (one of who is local, so inspiring and a complete sweethear, Janet Hopkins), being pampered like I never thought possible and drinking mojitos in the resort bar. This is where I learned to pack anything and everything under the 50-pound baggage weight limit and it was definitely something I took with me 15 hours later to Jamaica not knowing I would need this lesson on the way home from there as well. (Too many bottles of cheap but good alcohol can be a bad thing!) Dispersing the items between each piece of luggage is key. I think we were up until 2 a.m. that night trying to get our luggage in order. Let's not forget we had to be in the lobby by 5:20 a.m. to catch our shuttle to the airport so it was a short night for some zzzzz's. Incredibly crazy but tons of fun! I felt like a queen the entire time I was there. There may be another trip there this year but if the option is presented I will have some choices to make as I would certainly love to attend Silver Bella which happens in November in Omaha, NE. My legs get weak and wobbly when silver, glitter and vintage enter into the picture!
As I mentioned, I returned home from Phoenix and 15 hours later was on my way back to the airport to celebrate our 1-year anniversary at our honeymoon location, Couples Swept Away, Negril, Jamaica. It was a very laid back and restful trip. We were lucky to be able to go and return home literally in between hurricanes. Someone was definitely looking out for us! The packing of all the alcohol we brought home was a challenge after we got to Memphis. The things we didn't know but now do - priceless. This is the first time I even went through the photos and I am impressed with how they turned out. We took my Nikon D40 on this trip and I am completely in awe of these photos. As I look through them I yearn to go back. Now to figure out where our 2nd anniversary will take us. I guess I first need to get my 40th birthday plans figured out ~ that happens in a few months. *wink*One thing I did this year worth noting was that I got my 1-mile time down to barely under 10 minutes. I was so proud of myself that I finally got my speed up but now I will have to start working on it again. Nothing like starting off a new year with a goal!
The second half of 2008 was definitely eventful and sometimes scary. I was slated to be a return walker for the 3-day this year but life had other plans. My one surgery turned into two and several months of recovery plus some complications. I will say that things worked out very well considering the curve balls thrown at me and I am happy to report that I am feeling much better. In fact, today I went to my last follow up and I do hope that it will be a long time until I see another needle or operating room. I must divulge that when I was at the hospital today visiting the urologist for the last time (I hope), the hospital where I had my first surgery, as I was going up to visit the wonderful nurses who cared for me so well I sort of secretly wished I could visit again until I remembered my fear of needles and the post surgical pain I was in. I know, I am a weirdo. But in my defense, I wanted to stay in the hospital after I had both my babies as well so honestly it's not so strange that I feel like that, at least to me it's not weird.
There have definitely been many blessings this year, far too many for me to detail but most important and near and dear to my heart is the fact that I have my health and am feeling tons better, my son was not hurt (except a very minor injury to his shoulder/arm) during the football season, my daughter saw a second chance at life after a very silly lack of thinking clearly yesterday and my sweet and very sexy hubby has a job, the job he got for Christmas last year. With the economy the way it is we are so very thankful for each day he gets up to go to work and I am very thankful I have a job and that I can work from home and be here for the kids. I am grateful for our health, our home, our transportation and virtually everything we have. We are so very rich and blessed. Also, if would not be right if I did not mention the wonderful friends I have and the ones I have grown closer to over the past year who are so special to me. I find it very ironic to have found such wonderful friends in such wicked work conditions but alas, there is truly always a silver lining. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it.
Here's to 2008 and the blessings I have and to 2009 - may it be better than ever!
1 comment:
What a blessed year!
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