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Bring it On 2011!

pic credit: smashingapps.com
Doesn't it seem like just yesterday we were celebrating the New Year 2010?  And now?  2011 is on it's way, and it just doesn't seem real.  What is real, I'll tell you, is the amazing bargains we found today while out shopping with my two youngest girls. 

We really only went to Target, but boy the deals were everywhere.  Brand new shoes for $4.00.  Christmas anything was reduced 75% off.  Many winter clothes on clearance racks for 30% or 50% off.  I was shocked.

We went from aisle to aisle, finding new little treasures at the fraction of the cost, and I truly felt, that I spent according to what I felt it was worth.  What a joyous feeling!  I actually left the store feeling like we found great deals, instead of miserable, having bought more than I wanted at twice the price I wanted it at.

But I digress, back to New Years.

As usual, HH and I have planned our annual feast of a New Years Eve dinner, this year, seafood is back, lobster, salmon and shrimp. Yippie!  We say good bye to 2010, and look for a fresh start.  Resolutions are silent this year.  Why bother.  I have accomplished a great deal this past year, and I never resolved to do any of them.  I simply saw something that needed to be done, and did it. 

But in retrospect, I evaluate the year:
Lessons were learned on all counts.
Trust in God has improved with us all.
A stronger marriage, a closer family.
Health, strength and healing continues to grow.
Weight loss, lifestyle changes and shrinking waists.
Purge the house, garage sale and exceeded donation tax thresholds.
Sewing, cooking and gardening, feels like farm life amidst the city.

And that's not all.  Who could sum up a whole year's worth in such a small space? Spending the lazy time with the children, making time to cuddle with HH, watching a comedy and laughing so hard it hurts.  How about times of inside jokes around the kitchen table...."What's that?  Ha, my baby book!"  How about the painful moments of disagreements, and the times of forgiveness and resolve for the better.  The bumped heads, skinned knees, the swimming goggles, the penny game, the sprinkler, the flowers, the butterflies, the raspberries, the tomatoes, the salsa and the list goes on and on.

I can't sum it up.  I see that.  What I can do, is sit back, today, and appreciate our life.  It's a glorious life.  It's a beautiful life.  It's one that I wouldn't trade for anything.  We say good-bye to one year and usher in the next....and I can't wait.  Each new year brings new and exciting adventures I never planned for....and I love that.  I love that about our life together.  It's an adventure, this thing called life, and I never want to be missing it.  We are only limited by ourselves.  And I love that too.

I guess that's probably the biggest lesson from this last year.  So much has been accomplished this last year, in the household and personally.  And if nothing else, I see that it is possible to make change...to do something difficult....to conquer a seemingly impossible task.  I have seen that willpower and God's grace are no match for any obstacle.  And I love that too.  2010 has showed me things that seem impossible really aren't, just difficult, just uncomfortable, just a  little painful, just slightly embarrassing, just a little work. 

I look forward to a brand new year of 2011....and it's this exact reason that I do.  I know things are not impossible if I try my hardest, if I ask for help...from God or otherwise, if I put my mind to something, it can happen.  That opens a lot of doors, let me tell you.  The possibilities are endless.  2011 brings excitement simply because now, there is a belief of 'It's Possible'. 

It's not over, yet, and I plan to make use of every minute you've given me, Lord, to live this life to the fullest.  Help me do your will, Lord.
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