Bring it On!

Well, the holiday season has come and gone and it is now a new year. I learned a few things during my blogging break. First, my Nana has an amazing spirit. This isn't really news to me, but I've seen it shine through yet again as she is recovering from breaking her hip and having it repaired. Second, my Mom has the same spirit. She has done an amazing job being there for Nana and keeps her cool better than I ever could when things get challening. I hope one day my daughters will say I have that same spirit....I think it will take some cultivating though. Third, slinkies require constant maintenance. That may not be earth shattering news to you, but since Paris recieved 3 of those sproingy little toys in her stocking my world has changed a bit. The good news is that fixing a slinky can at times be so monotonous that it's almost like knitting. Rather, almost like I think knitting would be for me if I knew how to knit. Your hands are busy and your mind is not. Maybe I'm wrong about knitting.

So, now it't time to take on 2006. I say, bring it on! If there is one thing 2005 taught me it is that God's plan is better than mine could ever be and that He is always watching out for me and my family. We started the year off still adjusting to having our second child and looking for a job for Easy. He has been laid off just weeks before Tripp was born so it was starting to get a little rough. While we soon adjusted to life with two kids, the job hunt was seemingly fruitless. He picked up some jobs here and there, but nothing steady. We had to get private health insurance...everyone got approved except me. So, with lots of walking and re-learning what it is to let your stomach growl before you eat I lost enough weight to get added on around May. Good thing it was "baby weight" or there would have been a 1-year waiting period to see if I could keep it off! Right as we were nearing the end of our nest-egg that had been keeping us afloat - I mean literally, we only had a few weeks left before we were going to start asking family to help pay bills...all the bills - Easy got hired at a company in Houston. I was so excited to have a steady income that could hardly sit still. Turns out that the commute isn't too bad, our private insurance is cheaper than what we would pay to go through his new job (not to mention we are totally out of network in BCS), and I was still capable of being a stay-home mom without him around. (I had really gotten spoiled to his presence and help.) That was in July I think - maybe the end of June. We started working on getting everything in order to start building a new house - a dream God planted in our hearts back in February when we could hardly pay our light bill. We were able to secure THE lot we wanted in a new development on the Houston side of BCS. I know God was holding it for us. He's good like that. In August we found out that we were pregnant! Talk about surprises. To round the year out the process of getting started actually building our house took about 4 months longer than we expected. The loan finally closed on December 22nd. My Nana fell and broke her hip a few weeks prior to Christmas, so our holiday schedule went haywire. In the end, however it was a great time - this will be the only Christmas I have actual memories of being in Nana's house. It was a real treat to have her come home on Christmas Eve and celebrate together as a family.

So, here's 2006. We're starting off expecting our third child in a few months. We have income. We have actually started construction on our new house. We have the most amazing support system in our family, friends, and church home. We have SO much! Thing is, the things that are different are just details. Instead of a having a newborn, I'm pregnant. Detail. We'll have a new address soon. Detail. Money - detail. All the important things are exactly as they always are. (we just forget what's important sometimes) We are blessed by and amazing God who has already done more than I can fathom to better our lives. We are children of God and friends of God and there is nothing else that is more important.

So as the year procedes with it's own surprises, challenges, and blessings I say...Bring It On! My only resolution this year is to remember how gracefully God carried us through last year so that my peace, my joy, and my strength comes from Him alone. (Yes, I know that's easier said than done, but that's why it's a resolution.) I wish the same for each of you.