Reflecting on 2010...

Hi friends! On this second day of 2011, I couldn't help but think about all that has happened in the past year...it all went by so fast.

• January was a recovery from the holidays and catching up on couponing.
• February was surgery for two of our furry family members.
• March found us experiencing a strange weather pattern...short sleeves one week and a snow/ice storm the next. My boy saved us on the day of the storm...it moved in before we got home. And he shoveled the street 10 feet at a time to get us home, I was ready to park the car at the bottom of the hill and walk home. I was a PROUD mama!
• April passed by, and with it, another anniversary with my beloved - Happy Anniversary Honey!!
• May was full of flowers, fun and...trucks? Yep, my boy got a truck for his upcoming birthday. Thanks Papaw! And May was the beginning of many hospital stays for my mom - some were quite scary - and Mother's Day 2011 will be even more special to me.
• June was a month of slowing down and enjoying the summer - the kids were ready for a break.
• July - I found myself another year old...and another year wiser. And I watched my daughter's heart break as her BFF moved three states away...
• August - the dog days of summer - and going back to school.  What ever happened to going back to school after Labor Day? Track, wrestling, homework, workouts, projects...never ending school stuff...
• September - ah, September...you broke my heart.  My boy...my first born...turned 16. I remember a traumatic delivery that seemed to have taken place just yesterday - and now here you are, a junior in high school. And my man...turned another year older...and another year wiser - still looking good, babe!
• October...another heartbreaker...my baby girl turned a double digit - 10 years old. And a rare event...a family vacation. First stop in Virginia - at a drive thru safari - what fun!! I didn't realize llamas had such long eyelashes. Next stop - Washington DC. The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was the favorite, hands down - my kids really enjoyed the simulators. The night hike through the National Mall was awe inspiring - I have never seen the DC in person - and it was breathtaking. The Lincoln Memorial - yeah, you hear it's big, but until you see it for yourself...you have NO idea. For me - the most impressionable moment - had to be the funeral procession at Arlington National Cemetary. I thought it would be the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...but it wasn't.  Seeing the dignity that they preserve when bringing back our fallen heros...past and present...there are just no words...
• November...packing away Halloween and gearing up for Thanksgiving...and our annual trip to Blue Ridge for Christmas. I spend a lot of time in November figuring out menus, packing, finishing up Christmas shopping early - I don't want to leave it for December...I don't like the rushed feelings that come with waiting.
• And December - so full of fun. A trip to Nashville to spend a few days with family and friends. My dear friend Kim meets us there for a trip to see the Rockettes at Opryland Hotel. And WOW!!  They were awesome! We went to ICE! as well - it wasn't as good as the year before - but given what Nashville has been through this year, and all along the Opryland property - it was still fun. A quick ride home to pack for our Blue Ridge, GA trip - we look forward to this all year long. Last year we were fishing off of the dock at the cabin...but this year, Mother Nature had other plans. We were snowbound for 3 days - Blue Ridge got a record breaking 10 inches for Christmas - talk about a white Christmas! And a week later, we are home with the windows open.  Wierd weather indeed!

We had a busy busy year - thankful for the lulls. It won't be long and my kiddos will be gone - so I take each day as they come.  I am looking forward to the journey of the year, and I hope you will join me.

Happy New Year...and a Happy New Blog!!

Hi there, friends! With the start of a new year comes the start of new possibilities. This past year has been full of ups and downs - and each passing day, I am afraid that my memory just isn't what it used to be. Years ago - I wrote it all down, scrapbooked our lives...but there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day anymore. To help with that - I am starting this blog to help me remember the changes that we experience in our lives. To share with my family and friends all of the exciting...and not so exciting...events that take place with the Foxes. Life is too short to try to remember everything. So join me - as I get into the crafts, coupons, kids, cleaning, organizing, etc etc etc - that makes the world go 'round.

First on the list - have you seen this?  Goals and Priorities Diary 2011  I just downloaded it today - but it already is appealing to my need for lists, in pen and paper. While technology has brought us so far, sometimes I still feel the need to do it "old school". So - go to this site and grab your Goal Diary if have lots of goals and priorities for this year. I know I do, and to be able to joyfully check off each one of those "goals" and "to-do's" just makes my day.

Happy New Year to you all! Join me tomorrow as I face "the clutter monster"...he is alive and well at the Foxes...and I am going to evict him this year.