Happy New Year!

I can hardly believe it is 2010 already - and I'll be heading back to school from our holiday break soon.
I have really, really enjoyed the time off this year. I am one of those people who seem to have a hard time around the holidays. I don't go through the why am I here stuff, I just seem to be an emotional roller coaster. This year, I think I did better than in year's past. I hope I did.

I have gotten back into sewing. Made a blanket for, or in the process of finishing up, every one of our kids. Ker is really supportive of it, and it does seem to relax me. Do I get irritated when something doesn't go quite like I planned? Yes. But I know I can fix it. I am proud of the little creations that I can give them. Sounds nuts to some, but it means something. I have always been thankful to have something my grandmother made.

There is a "tradition" of resolutions for the New Year. I have never really taken them seriously because it seems those who go out of their way to make a resolution doom themselves to failure. It is as if they are only making the declaration to be public about it and not because it is something they truly intend to continue or truly need to do.

Before the New Year came about I proclaimed that I intend to live healthier, to watch my weight, to handle the stress of teaching better, and to be a better mom and wife. I am fortunate to have the family I have, as rough as things might get at times, they are my family and I am very blessed.

I have a great wife. She is loving, caring, cuddly, and puts up with my hijinks. I love to see her smile, truly smile and I have seen her smile more during these last few months than I can recall in the last year or so.

My marriage has had its share of up and downs. I am very thankful to be able to say we weather the downs together much better than we did before. We are a stronger couple, a better partnership, than we were just six months ago.

My own biological daughter is about to turn 13. I ask for the wisdom to see us through her teen years without putting a huge wall between us. I look forward to watching her grow as much as I cry at the thought of her growing up.

My New Year's resolution: keep going into the positive direction I have been working on going in. Don't forget where we were; I don't want to return there. Realize that no matter how difficult things may be outside this house, that when I come home it is all worth it.

My family, my life, my love, my wife.