2010, already? Hoping for a better year.....

Let's face it, 2009 was NOT my year. I am committed to making this year a better one by doing absolutely everything within my immediate power to making it better. I'm not really one for new year's resolutions, and even if I were, I would have so many to make that typing them out would give me immediate carpal tunnel syndrome, thus negating the whole "within my power" thing.

So, with this thought, one of the very first things I did in the new year? Slipped on the ice and bashed my back into the running board of my SUV. Outside of my kids' daycare. I'm pretty sure that a whole bunch of children learned a few new words that day. Seriously, though, it must've looked like a cartoon, you know, when the cartoon character's feet just FLY out from underneath them and they go careening through the air before ending up flat on their back? With little birdies flying around their head? Yeah, it went something like that. With a lot more F-bombs involved.

But, xrays all clear, I didn't break anything, and today I'm actually feeling much better. So, let's just let that little incident be my freebie for the year. Okay? We'll brush it under the rug as a leftover from 2009.

I realize, once again, that I haven't blogged regularly in a very long time, but here it goes again. Due in most part to the fact that my hubby of FIVE YEARS (as of yesterday) gave me a new, lightweight, highly portable notebook computer (and yes, it's pink, of course), I will have much more opportunity to blog and let you all know how things are going. I intend to download pictures to it too, so I'll have more opportunity to put up pics.

There are a few things I need to catch you up on that happened at the end of 2009. One of them, I wanted to write as a totally different blog post titled "And a baby was born in a manger, and they wrapped him in swaddling clothes and named him Stinky". Stick with me on this one, it's worth it.

So a few days before Christmas, I was giving the kids a bath in our bathtub and had sent them out of the bathroom, all clean and PJ'ed up, while I picked up towels and bath toys. I came out of the bathroom to find them both snuggled up in our bed under the covers. Anyway, it turned into a family snuggle-fest and story time. I was telling the kids the story of Christmas and we were discussing the true meaning behind the holiday and talking about the birth of Christ (just a little FYI, not even close to the first time they've heard it, they're cradle Catholics, after all), you know, telling the story as you can only tell it to children, with lots of inflictions in voice and making it entertaining, asking them a lot of questions to make sure they were paying attention. So I'd gotten to the good part:

Me: "So Mary and Joseph ended up in a manger, that's kind of like a barn, and there were lots of animals there, like cows and goats and..."

Maddie: "Chickens!"

Me: "Yes, and.."

Brady: "Dinosaurs!"

Me: "No, no dinosaurs, more like farm animals..."

Brady: "Giraffes!"

Me: "No, like sheep and stuff. Anyway, they had a BABY in that manger and do you know what the named him?"

Brady: "Stinky!"

(pause for laughter)


I just HAD to write that one down instead of losing it in my jumbled up memory forever. Great stuff, huh? What was that old show, Kids Say the Darndest Things or something like that? Perfect!

We had a great Christmas, Mom and Dad were supposed to come but due to our wonderful weather, they had to come the next weekend instead. So we had Christmas twice! It was nice to have them come a little later, I guess, because we got to celebrate twice!

Glynn and I are looking forward to this year because it marks the momentous occasion of us getting out of the Navy and starting our own practice. We've currently picked a location in Lee's Summit and just went to lease on the space. We still have to have our real estate attorney look it over before we sign anything (as well as us BOTH getting our separation from the Navy approved--Glynn got his this week but I'm still waiting), but we're so excited about building our own practice and not being at the mercy of the Navy anymore.

It's bittersweet, though, because we've enjoyed our time in together (except for this year, and that was largely due to my health issues, which have now reached the ONE YEAR mark. Jeez). I will never forget our time together in Japan especially, because that was a huge growing point for us, only having each other to lean on. I think it helped us grow closer together. This year has been wicked tough, not only because I've been out of commission for most of it, but also because we're stuck in jobs we don't really love because we're not practicing our speciality. On the rare occasion that I DO get to see a child as a patient (and even then it's only for an eval or referral), it makes my day and reminds me how much I DO love my "real" job, and how I can't wait to be practicing my specialty again. Also, being stationed stateside is a whole ballgame than being overseas. There's not such a sense of family or closeness with your co-workers, and you feel the stresses of life more over here, I think. I don't know why. Maybe it's because we felt so removed from everything overseas, but probably mostly due to the fact that we're getting out this year. That's wicked stress.

Anyway, it seems like I had more to talk about but it has escaped me for now. I'm feeling much better today than I was yesterday so this weekend's project will have to be taking down Christmas decorations and cleaning house. My mom really had us caught up (that woman never sits down) but even a two days without cleanup in this house=disaster zone. It's not that bad, but it does look like dinosaurs have taken over. Wonder why?

Right now the kids are making "beds" on the living room floor. They love to make little cuddly spaces with each other, and then they beg to sleep there. That never happens, though, because when they are together, neither one falls asleep. Maybe it'll happen tonight, though. (yeah, right). We haven't had a campout in ages, I think we're due for one. Especially since the kids have made their most recent spot on the floor. That means more couch for me and Daddy!

So hello 2010! Here's hoping for a great year.