2017 : A Year In Review

2017 started out with a BANG!  No, literally, it started out with the bang of a hammer and other loud tools.  Our plans for remodeling our entire upstairs started a little sooner than I thought…the day after Christmas.  In January, the walls started coming down, my kitchen was taken out and we basically didn’t have an upstairs to live in so we squeezed our family downstairs in our basement and all of our belongings were packed up and moved to our garage.

While the remodel craziness was going on, we left for South Carolina on January 30th to attend my oldest son’s graduation from basic training.  He made it!  I was so excited to hug my boy but with the stress of the house remodel, my travelling anxieties,  and experiencing the struggles of an unhappy teenage daughter, my nerves were standing on end.  Graduation was amazing, hugging my boy and spending a few days with him was exactly what I needed and we all arrived home alive….the teenage daughter included.

Remodel….still in full swing.  My step-mom passed away at the end of March and watching my dad experience that pain was so tough but we came together as a family and did the best we could to help him through it.  Meanwhile, my calendar was full of track meets, birthday parties, cheer clinics, softball games, doctor appointments and I also started attending a book club!  I love my book club and the friends I have gained and I cherish my time with them every 2nd Wednesday of the month.

My daughter graduated high school in May and we had a huge graduation party for her.  My daughter moved out on her own a couple of weeks after that.  I now have two kids graduated and two still at home.   I also joined an amazing company called Fitteam.  I sell Fit Sticks and I have lost weight and I feel so much better since I started.  Side note: Remodel still happenin’…

July (my house is still torn apart but moving along) was filled with cheer camp, football camp and church camp.  One daughter turned 18 and my other daughter turned 12.  With these birthdays, I was reminded that time flies and in a blink of an eye, all my kids will soon be grown up and they will all have lives of their own.  I remember having a rough time in July and struggling emotionally with all the changes happening around me.  I was really missing the times when my babies were small and my only concerns were making sure that when I left the house, I didn’t have boogers in my hair and puked up formula running down my back.

I turned 43 in September….while still working on our home. We (husband and 2 younger kids) went to Branson, MO for my birthday weekend.  We had so much fun, but I was still in a light funk because I realized our family vacations now consisted of 2 kids and not 4.  But I had a blast at Silver Dollar City, going to a dinner show, swimming and just spending quality time with my husband and kids.  They really made me feel special and I will cherish those memories we made forever.

October flew by then November hit.  I will never forget November 2017.  The death of a friend that my husband and I graduated with rocked my world.  As we were mourning this loss, a couple of weeks later my friend lost her son, 21 years old and one week after that she lost her mother.  Our whole town has been heartbroken for this family and the family of my friend, Jeff.  I pray for both families daily and will continue to do so.

Now it’s December and we are trying to get ready for Christmas! My youngest son turned 14.  I still can’t believe this.  He was just a baby like 2 days ago.  We had a party for him last week with his amazing friends consisting of air soft wars and a bon fire.  We ARE DONE with our house and it looks fabulous!  This is such a relief.

It’s been a crazy, terrific, sad, heartbreaking and exciting year.  I have made new friends and have reconnected with old friends.  I have watched two of my babies grow up and am enjoying the precious time with my two babies that are still at home.   I’ve traveled to Texas to spend time with my son before his deployment to Kuwait and I sobbed the day he left on that plane headed overseas.  I can’t wait for 2018 to roll around and show me what’s in store.  I know I will see my son in September and I am so excited for that day!  Other than that, I have no clue.

I pray my family and friends stay safe and healthy,  I pray for our Country and the safety of our soldiers and I pray I will live each day as if it were my last.  I am so blessed with a husband who loves me, kids who are turning out to be amazing human beings, friends that have been by my side through laughter and tears, family that I cherish and love and I’m blessed with a house that is warm and filled with love and laughter.  What more could I ask for?  I hope each one of you have a very Merry Christmas and I pray you have a very happy and healthy New Year!