It's New Year's Eve and I am having a party of one. I've got my glass of wine, a fridge full of food and a tv ready to go to watch the ball drop in all four time zones. Hopefully E will get off work early so that we can have our new year's kiss!
I am not sweatin my party of one because I think new years is over rated and tomorrow we are hosting a brunch/open house. Taking a cue from
Linds and a dear friend from Chicago, I decided that we should start our own tradition of new year's day fun here in the bay. We have no idea if our neighbors or friends will show up but at least we can try. I am making a spinach and cheese strata, breakfast pizza, bagels with cream cheese and lox. Plenty of mimosas and bloody mary's for everyone or just me! :)
I loved
Platinum Rose's blog entry and how she recapped this past year so I think I will do the same. I am such a coppy cat these days and I love it!!! :)
2007, a year of change....E and I started this year in Orange County. At an April wedding in the bay, I started to feel like I could live in the bay area. The reason why we didn't move here originally is because I wasn't ready to leave my friends and family and immediately live where his friends and family are. The next month, May, while visiting his mom, we had a coming out conversation--meaning we both came out and admitted we weren't happy in the OC. Two days later I came to Eli and told him I was ready to move up there.
In Febuary, Eli embarked on the pathway to his dream of becoming a pilot. He started flight school at ATP in Riverside and Long Beach, CA. It took a lot of hours and his time away from me. Seeing him come home from flying and the big smile on his face had made the sacrafice so worth it. I also got to take a flight with him to
Catalina Island.. He finished his training in November and is now on his way to becoming a commercial pilot.
In March, I started this blog as we were all jumping ship from the nest. Do you all remember the nest?? I have met so many wonderful friends and I really believe you ladies got me through my lonley times in SoCal and still get me through on a day to day basis. If it wasn't for this blog, I would have never met in person
Jenny or
Rusti or reconnected with
Tracey, a friend of mine from Chicago, who has the cutest child ever! Nor would have "virtually" met anyone one of you. I am very, very fortunate!
My baby brother got married in July. While I had issues with his soon to be wife. From this
post after the wedding I truly have come to love her like my own sister. She is wonderful for my brother. When my grandfather past away, we had a total bonding moment in the limo. I literally cried in her arms as we left the grave side. I am helping her with her job change in Seattle. I know this is the start of many wonderful memories with us as SIL's as well as the four of us.
In August I received an offer letter to join an awesome company here in the bay. I am so lucky to be apart of this great company. I am constantly challenged recruiting for a skill set that is always changing. I truly feel apart of a great team and know the contributions that I have made thus far have not gone unnoticed. I am excited to see what 08 brings.
August 14th we made the move to the bay area. We also moved in with my MIL and lived with her for 12 weeks! I am so appreciative of this woman and how she opened up her home for us. While I had issues with her ability
to cook chicken, I love her to death. She is the coolest MIL ever. I also was given the opportunity to take a month off and go see my family back in the midwest. I was able to spend time in Des Moines. I saw my grandfather. This will always be a special memory to me. He still knew who I was and I was able to get past my own sad emotions about how much Alzheimers had taken him away to really get some quality time with him. I believe this is why I was able to get through his passing with such peace. I thank my husband so much for giving me this opportunity.
In September I turned 32. Now I know this isn't a big deal but in my world birthdays are big. I look at the year before and figure out how I have grown. I love being in my thirties and I can see how much I have changed for the better since my teens and my twenties. I am ready to take every year with grace and determination to be better then I was the year before.
In October we celebrated our year anniversary and buying our
first home.. I love it! I am so happy we are here and we had the guts to do this. Being a homeowner is my biggest accomplishment. I know without my husband I will would have never been able to do this. Our year anniversary was perfect. With all the change that took place, I am so happy we were able to stay on the same page. As year 2 moves I think our biggest challenge is to keep up the communication as our lives start to settle down and Eli begins his new career as a commerical pilot.
December was a bittersweet month. My best friend got married and my grandfather passed away. Both happend with in a few days of each other. It was amazing to go and celebrate a couple pledging their life together and then go be with my grandmother as she said goodbye to her life partner. They were married at 16, he was 78 when he passed. Both experiences taught me stop sweating the small stuff. Though my recent post still shows i am still sweatin it, I am trying each day to let the unimportant things roll off. I hope 2008 will give me the ability to grow in that pledge.
I also want to thank everyone for their advice on my desire to embark on the dream to become a career coach and starting a blog as a begining to that pathway. I have taken Mrs M's suggestion and started brainstorming on various topics..now all I have to do is start writing, well, actually start having the confidence to write. I am hoping to start doing so in 2008.
Cheers to a great New Year to each of you and I can't wait to see what 08 has in store for all of us!!!
Here are pictures from my front porch of the sunset for this new year's eve.
