Last year was a big year for me. It was a year full of love (not just from Chris though I do like that part of the year). There were challenges, yes. But all in all, a whole new view of the world was opened up to me. Sunday, this thought came to me:

I cracked the door of faith open just the tiniest bit. I opened it to the faith that God (whoever God is) had a man that would love me the way I needed to be loved and I because I had that tiniest bit of faith not only did my relationship with my boys grow, and the love with my friends grow, and the love of good man grow but the love of God also grew.

It was a year full of learning about growth and maturity and a lot of change from within. I am forever grateful to this community for inspiring me to be a better person and choosing to SHINE. :-)

You ladies are very cute together.... miss your videos!

I think the biggest change last year was sending off my oldest to college. I missed him terribly for almost two weeks, during which time my youngest got her drivers license. Acceptance.. in my year of BALANCE.

Although my husband and I have lots of different interests... nothing matched weekend volleyball tournaments out of state, hockey playoffs at the ice rink every night, carpooling pick-ups after band practice, tennis, track, football, dance, cheerleading..... Our involvement as active/involved parents seemed to change over night!

I obviously can't go back in time and change things.... but oh how cool it would have been to create instant memories with a digital camera or camcorder (our first one was a big black hand-me-down the big honkin' one that you had to turn a light on while you held it on your shoulder)... and send those baby milestones and smiles from Tennessee back to the grandparents back in Wisconsin and Indiana via facebook, skype... or even the internet. GPS.... OMG!!..... I had to find my way to parks and zoos using an actual map!!!! Long distance used to cost us $100 a month..... so we planned our phone calls......

I don't remember anyone telling me my life would change once they flew the coop.... as much as they said how you can't wait for them to talk, then you can't shut them up- you can't wait for them to walk, but then they run into the street - then they want to be a teenager, then they want to drive.... and then they become a legal adult!