I can't guarantee it will make for fascinating reading, but pop some popcorn anyway. That way, when you reach the end of this entry, at least you can say you had a snack. Time spent eating is never wasted, right?
Hmmmm.... Should I hit the lows first and end with the highs, or celebrate the highs and leave you depressed at the end by recounting the lows?
Choices, choices.
Hey! I think I'll alternate!
And thus, I present to you, in no particular order, highs and lows of 2007!
LOW: In February my best friend moved to Atlanta with her family. My daughter and I both lost a friend, because Camryn was best friends with my friend's daughter, Madison.
HIGH: I celebrate every day the friendships, both real and "cyber", that I have built through my favorite internet site, ScrapShare. I made new friends there and strengthened old relationships, and I renewed some real life friendships as well. I attended a ScrapShare retreat in Helen, Georgia and had a BLAST. Love those ladies!
LOW: My daughter lost another good friend (her first crush!) in January when he moved with his family back to Fort Worth, TX. The friend's dad had a serious accident that left him comatose from October 2006 until he passed away in May of 2007.
HIGH: I turned 34 in February. I've never been more confident in who I am and what I'm on earth to do than I am right now. Life is good. It's very, very good.
LOW: My mother-in-law moved closer to us in May. She's put us through some trying times with some of the choices she's made since moving.
HIGH: My mother-in-law no longer lives with us, and she has her own place to stay, so she will never, ever have to spend the night with us again. She's also regained her mobility and health after her bypass last year, and she is local so she can babysit in a pinch.
LOW: Our beloved kitty child, Harry, passed away very suddenly on February 11. That was some hard, hard stuff. Not as awful as losing one of my human children, but definitely not something I want to experience again anytime soon.
HIGH: We adopted sweet, vivacious, energetic Annabelle in May. She's got lots of spunk, and keeps 12 year-old Beeson (our other cat) on his toes!
LOW(s): Every time Quinn & Lillian got into mischief. There was the famous shampoo and body wash all over the bathroom incident, and the nail polish all over Lillian and the carpet incident, and the pouring my Chloe perfume all over Beeson incident, and the two times I had to call poison control because the kids ingested something they shouldn't have (once it was Correctol, and the other time it was zinc lozenges...) Ah, the joys of parenthood.
HIGH: My sweet hubby took me to see Billy Joel in concert in February, and I got to have a whole day at the spa with my sister in July. I guess that makes up for all the stuff I deal with on a daily basis. Love me some hubby!
LOW: Dry, hot, arid (did I mention HOT?) summer!
HIGH: We got a pool in June. I don't think we could've survived the summer without it. And, 3 of the kids can now swim confidently without floaties! Lillian is working on it. If she can conquer her fear, she'll be swimming unassisted next summer.
LOW: My maternal grandmother's health is steadily declining. We thought we were close to losing her in October, but she rallied. She can't speak, though, and with Alzheimer's, she can't remember much, either. It just seems like an unusually cruel way to exist. I don't think she'll hang on much longer, because since early December she's been getting steadily worse.
HIGH: I took my daughter to her first Auburn game in November. I may not always remember it when I'm old, but I know she will. It was an awesome day and a fabulous memory that makes me smile.
LOW: Our cats continued to poop on the carpet in the basement. They're healthy and have no reason to keep pooping (per the vet's assessment), but they did it anyway.
HIGH: My hubby ripped up the carpet himself and installed linoleum. We moved a desk and reorganized the entire basement. I really love the new layout and functionality of the basement, and without the cats' pooping, we would never have rearranged anything. Silver lining and all that, I guess.
LOW: I realized that our 2004 Chrysler Pacifica just wasn't working for our family, and I mourned having to give up my sporty SUV for yet another minivan.
HIGH: I love my new 2004 Toyota Sienna. It has storage space EVERYWHERE (no stuff rattling around in the van!), the kids and adults alike have lots of elbow and leg room, and the real bonus is that it smells just like the Monorail at Disney World. Cool beans!
I can't think of anymore Lows, but I do have a few more Highs left, so I'll wrap up with those!
HIGH: This was the year for milestones in our family. Not only did the kids learn to swim, but I officially changed my last diaper in 2007. My youngest, Lillian, is fully potty trained. Wahoo!
My older son lost his first tooth this year, too. The Tooth Fairy was more generous than I would've been, but hey, it was the first one! He lost another one on the bottom, and the top two are getting looser by the day. Won't be long 'til he loses his two front teeth!
HIGH: Being fortunate enough to get involved with helping produce the first ever ScrapShare cookbook. I got to know my friend Joanie a lot better, and she has become dear to my heart. Then there are all the great recipes that went into that book, and getting to pack them with love and send them all over the country and to Australia and Canada... it was a blast. Lots of hard work for me and the sacrifice of time with my family, but it was worth it to make so many people happy with a little ole cookbook. That book has become one of my earthly treasures, and it means so much more to me than recipes on paper. Part of my heart is in that book, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I got to help with it.
HIGH: Going to Disney World with the family this month. What a wonderful vacation we had. So many smiles and laughs and memories. I just love that place; it truly is the happiest place on earth, and now we own a piece of it through the Disney Vacation Club!
Looking back over 2007 makes me realize just how much living I've done. The time has flown, but I enjoyed just about every single minute of it. Everything I've done this year has changed me in some small way, and I am so happy with the person I am now. There's some stuff I could fix (I'd like to lose a lot more weight...) but I'm content. I can't imagine 2008 being much better, but I look forward to the highs and lows that the new year brings!
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