So, I'm sitting here thinking about all the things I want to do for 2013 - and it dawns on me that there are a lot of great things that happened to me in 2012!
Let's reminisce shall we :)
In January, my Baby Girl turned 11. She officially became a "Tween". My Baby Girl, while she will always be my Baby Girl, is a Little Lady. And she has taught me A LOT this year - about listening, about being a friend, about being a parent, and about life in general. She is a wise young grasshopper! She had a big year, and learned a lot as well. We are very blessed to have this little girl in our lives every single day, love her to bits and pieces.
In February, I signed up to start teaching a Life Skills class to a local place for kids who need some 'help'. At first, I only wanted to be a part of the program where we teach them to grocery shop, use coupons, and cook. Really, who wouldn't, come on! But I started at the beginning, just like everyone else, and wouldn't ya know it - I LEARNED SO MUCH!! And I absolutely LOVE it! I am still involved in this program and go visit the kids once a week for an hour and we cover all kinds of topics. And true to my life and how it works - I've learned more from these kids than they have from me. I am a caring person, naturally. I am a nurturing person, naturally. And I want to put all of these kids in my pocket and take them all home. I am not cut out to do the kind of work that the folks who work here do on a daily basis. Yes, there are success stories, and I get to share in the joy that these kids experience when they get a good grade on a test, or when they learn a new skill, or show a new interest in going to college, or when they successfully leave the program. These are all amazing experiences to share in; but of course, there are the few who don't leave successfully, and I applaud the workers here because truly it is a special kind of person to be here and help these kids. This has been a great opportunity for me, and I am thankful that I have been able to meet and be a part of these kids lives for the last year.
In March, my sisters came to see me!! This was a highlight of my year! Not too many people have made the trek to visit me in my new Locale, but they did!! It was so nice to have both my sisters at my house and enjoy some Sister Time somewhere other than the "Black Hole of Drama" (that's my pet name for Mankato!). I love my sisters, it was definitely a highlight that they came down!
In April, my sweet girl, KV, went to the Rainbow Bridge to await my arrival and we shall cross together. This was definitely not a highlight, but it was definitely a momentous occasion as I had no idea how hard that would be. I thought I knew, but I had no idea. I do not look forward to having my heart broken like that ever again.
And the very next day, D and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. Again, a momentous occasion as this is a really freaking long time!! D is the Peanut Butter to my Jelly. And we couldn't fit together more perfect. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I want to punch him in the throat, but I don't. Mostly because I would miss him too much while I was sitting in jail ;)
In May, Miss A started playing softball. And she absolutely LOVED it!! We saw great improvement in her throughout the summer. And her attitude towards hard work, practice, and teamwork - while always a good attitude - improved to levels I would not have expected out of an 11 year old girl. Both of the girls finished up the school year with wonderful report cards and set out to have a great summer vacation!
In June, my littlest sister made ANOTHER trek to see me!! It is so nice to have my family come down and visit. Have I mentioned that? Cause it's one of my favorite things in the world. Like Ever. We didn't do a whole lot, she got to spend some time with the teenagers and also helped Miss A with her technological gadgets that we adults just don't get. She is a nerd, technology is a gift.
In July, well, let's just sum up July by saying that Gardening in 1 million degree summers is a nightmare. There was also unwelcome intruders that made a home in the garden this summer. We've not had to deal with bugs before, this summer, we did. And every bug I met out there, bit me. We had worked so hard getting together a bigger garden, mixing in fertilizer, building a dog-proof fence (that is not dog proof BTW), and getting in all kinds of fruits and vegetables that we had not previously tried. We had more room this year, we were going to spend so much time canning beans and tomatoes, and making strawberry jam and wine. But, alas, the heat (and my lack of motivation to get my behind out there in the sweltering heat to water, weed, and properly care for said garden) brought us low yields. So low in fact, that we really only ended up with tomatoes. This is not so bad, we made salsa, pasta sauce, stewed toms, diced toms, all kinds of tomato products - but not nearly enough to last through the winter as according to the original plan.
In August, we finally took a much needed family vacation. Our family celebrated Gramma's 'milestone' birthday and retirement, as well as Auntie L's 'milestone' birthday at Vacationer's Inn in Alexandria, MN. We had a great time relaxing and spending time together playing games and doing puzzles. My cousin even let us borrow 'Ol Red for the week so we could take our kids out fishing and make all kinds of new memories with them in the same boat that holds so many great memories for me.
In September, the 4th annual Cedar Rapids Walk to Defeat ALS was held. This was a huge year in terms of planning and preparations! As a small committee of 3 dedicated folks, this was a challenge, but nonetheless, the challenge was met and the outcome was INCREDIBLE!! We were able to raise $49,715.95 - just $284.05 short of our goal. While we didn't meet our fundraising goal - we had a record breaking number of walkers and new teams. The ALS Association needs the money for the research and for patient care. For me personally, it is about getting the awareness out there, bringing more people into the loop and letting them know about this devastating, fatal disease. ALS Warriors are my heros - I can not imagine waking up every single day, knowing that I was going to die. And these people do it with courage, grace, and dignity. Everyone I have met as a result of ALS, is truly a blessing in my life and I am Thankful for each and every one of them!
In October, my middle sister finally joined The Dirty 30's Club :) It's crazy to think that she is 30 now too, that just makes it that much more real that I am over 30! Miss A and I made the trip to the "Black Hole of Drama" to help her celebrate. We even spent a little extra drive time on Sunday so that we could see Grandma and Grandpa 'Arizona'. It was so nice to see them and spend a warm, fall afternoon at the park and cleaning up some leaves. I love my Gram and Grandpa, we will for sure make a point of coming to visit more in 2013!
In November, I had a personally difficult month. On the anniversary of my Dad's death, my good friend joined the "I've Lost A Parent" club. It's not a fun club, don't rush out looking for membership cards. Dealing with the time of year where we said goodbye to the BEST (I don't care what anyone says, MY Dad, Larry Kelly, truly was THE BEST DAD EVER!!) Dad that anyone could ever be blessed with is hard enough. We reflected on a lot of the life lessons that he taught me, directly and indirectly. This pain was doubled now by also adding in another wonderful "Nana" who welcomed our family into hers. She welcomed us all with open arms and an open heart. We were blessed to have her in our lives, and continue to have her wisdom come through to us as well. I know my Dad was up in Heaven waiting for her, to show her the ropes, and show her how to mess with those she left behind. Yes, mess with. Because they never truly leave us.
We also hosted Thanksgiving for D's family for the 2nd year. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having company and hosting parties!! Our house gets really small, really fast - but do I care? NO!! Being with family is what it's all about. And next year, we'll have a basement :)
In December, our Oldest Spawn turned 18. A real ADULT now. I don't like this one bit. Not because I am afraid of anything, she is the most level headed and dare I say responsible young lady I know!! She really is wonderful and has a great head on her shoulders. But, can't they just stay young and in your home forever?! Can't she just be our daughter for a while longer? I know, I know, she'll always be our daughter. It's the other titles (that I know I will be so proud of her for) that come along with being a grown up that I'm having trouble with. College Student, College Graduate, Doctor, Wife, Mother (although, I am super excited to have Grandbabies someday!) - you get the picture. We celebrated with Bingo. We lost. But, we had fun and that's all that really matters :)
So - 2012 wasn't such a bad year. And there were obviously things that happened that were wonderful and not so wonderful that I chose not to write about. But there's the summary - Here's to 2013 and a whole new list of memories and milestones.
No comments:
Post a Comment