Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009
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Jan 4, 2009
It has been a long while since I have written anything on here. It is January 4th in Auckland, New Zealand and I have been reflecting on the past year and thinking about the new year ahead.I can't say whether 2008 was a good year or a bad year...you know how we all do that, put our years in those categories. There were many AWESOME things about 2008 and then some INCREDIBLY difficult things too and to be honest...I am not sure what 2009 offers. Here's some of the things that I have reflected on about 2008.
Some highlights for me:
- Travelling around the USA seeing amazing history, appreciating the glorious scenery and visiting with wonderful friends and family.
- Visiting DisneyWorld 48 times in 10 months. So fun!
- Experiencing American life with my little Kiwi family. We loved it and felt loved by people we were living life with.
- Lake Hart Stint...what can I say!! A joy, a privilege, a never-to-be-forgotten experience.
- Beautiful sunny days of Florida and and New Zealand summer.
- Friends....I have amazing friends. I wish we were all in one place, but I am so thankful for them all.
- 20th wedding anniversary - what a joy to be married to Bryce for 20 years. He is my best friend, my confidante, my go-to guy, my hero and the list goes on.
- Family - I love my kids....I am so happy to be a mom to them and I am enjoying the teenage years with Laura. She is a delight and a treasure. I am sad to think the day is coming when she will be leaving home.
- High School Musical 3 - ok, this is a weird one, I know, but I am so happy that there is a fun, hip, cool, and totally clean movie that I can watch with my kids and we can listen to the music and just enjoy life. I saw it 5 times so I guess I liked it.
- Saying goodbye to the USA, to Orlando and most especially to my wonderful friends and family that live there.
- Dealing with thyroid disease when the meds weren't working right. That was scary and a very anxiety-ridden time.
- Uncertainty about our future - there was a real down time in Sept/Oct, but God has revealed a plan that is great, but it sure was stressful and difficult.
- Selling our house - we built this house 11 years ago and I love it. It suits us, it is everything we wanted in a house and now we are moving. It took awhile to sell which was stressful, but now it is a done deal. I am sad, but glad it is over.
- Packing and moving - I hate both!!! This year had a lot of packing and moving and we are just about ready to pack up our entire house.
- Being away from close family - it is hard that I am no longer living in close proximity to my parents or brother. I miss them lots!
- My friend, Kirstie, lost her mum to cancer this past week. I am so sad for her and her family as her mum was a wonderful woman of God, wife and mother. It has been difficult to see Kirstie have to walk through this journey and yet joyful at the same time. She is amazing!
Regarding 2009, well, I am thankful to be living another year of life. I turn 40 this year so that is kind of weird. I am looking forward to growing in my roles as a wife, mother, daughter, co-worker, friend, and lover of Jesus. Maybe 2009 really does have a lot of good things to come. edit
