happy trails 2010

The motto for scrapbooking was to always stay current. Don't try to scrapbook old pictures first, do the most recent pages and then work backwards. I thought of this motto this morning as I was driving back to work and trying to make mental lists of the things I need to do. Blogging instantly popped into my head. I've been meaning to write my Christmas blog since, well, since Christmas. I have made a list of the events, got pictures in folders ready to make collages but have not started with it. So, I am staying current with my thoughts and blogging about the new year first. Staying current. Maybe I should I apply this motto in several areas of my life and I would not drown in the things that haven't been done that need to be done. It's worth a try and it might even make it onto my resolution list, wait... I didn't make a list.



I was pretty excited about the new year. So many good things happened in 2010: the boy and I started dating, the house sold and I was able to build a new one, the kids and I adjusted to a new normal and I have an abundance of good memories. But, on the flip side of that, I did get divorced, have to sell the house, caused disappointments and heartache among some of the people I love most, was involved in an unhealthy relationship and shed many tears. 2010 got off to a rough, and I mean rough, start but it had such a happy ending ... much like the movies that I like to watch and the books that I like to read.


While out at deer camp this past weekend, I thought about coming up with some New Year's resolutions. Then I remembered how I am when I feel like I have to do something. Let me just put it out there - I tend to be a quitter.

Here's what I was able to come up with: live well, love much and laugh often. It's a quote that I want to live by this year.

Live Well:
I hope to live life to the fullest. I don't want to depend on others for my own happiness. I don't want to care too much about what other people think. I want to feel free to be me. I've made big progress in these areas over the last few months. My general response has become - it is what it is. And, I could expand that to say - I am who I am. I want to have fun and enjoy life and all that it has to offer. As George Strait sings, there's a difference in living and living well.

Love Much:
Almost nine months ago, someone walked into my life and thank goodness he has not walked out of it. In the beginning, we took things very slow, getting to know each other, having fun together and with our kids, keeping things open and honest and had lots of communication. We kept things real, kept things simple and kept things fun. And, we are still doing all of these things. We've learned that things can be "serious" and yet simple. We still have so much fun and make sure to always involve our kids. And, when those rare opportunities some along for us to be able to have a date night, we go out and make the most of it - any night of the week. All of our kids have adjusted to us and to each other (maybe too much, they all "fight" like brothers and sisters - ha!) The term, "brady bunch", fits us well. In the midst of chaos among our angels, we can still hold hands and smile at each other because we know that we are right where we want to be. We both love our kids, love having them with us and love the memories that we are making all together.

There is a Bible verse that says "...faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love." Coming out of a negative marriage and into a positive relationship has made all the difference in the world for me. I had lost faith in myself, lost hope for the future and was lookin' for love in all the wrong places. Now that I have found love, it has restored my faith in myself and hope for a brighter/ happier future. Joey made falling in love easy. I have never had someone that took a genuine interest in me - what I want, what I need, what makes me happy, where I want to go, what I want to do. He brought a smile to my face with his first text on March 31st and that smile has not left me yet. We don't fight, we don't argue. We communicate, we spend time together and we respect each other. It was hard for me to give my heart away again for fear of it getting broken but once I decided that I could trust him with it and gave it to him, I can clearly see that "the greatest of these is love".

Laugh Often:
They say that laughter is the best medicine. I love to laugh. Whether it is because of a prank, something crazy that has been said or done, or whatever - I laugh. I'm thankful that there are so many people in my life that make me laugh, some even by just thinking of them. I also love to make people laugh. I'd rather laugh than cry any day.

For 2011, my plan is to: live well because life is what you make it; love much - love my kids, love my family, love my friends and love my boy with all I've got; laugh often - don't take life too seriously because no one makes it out alive anyway.

I'm thankful for 2010 - it's made me the stronger, more carefree and more loving girl that I have become. I'm pumped about 2011 because I can see that things will just keep on gettin' better.

Happy New Year to all of you, may you be blessed.