2010 - Review of My Year

Wow!! 2010 went by so fast.. I can't even believe it! It seems like we were just hooking up our Wii and enjoying ringing in the New Year at home and then I blinked my eyes and here we are again... 365 days later...doing the same thing! When did this happen? How did this happen?
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So, I want to review some of my more favorable and memorable moments of 2010!

January found me blogging a funny video of the Russian boys when one wife had enough of her husband drinking vodka...she poured the vodka out and swapped it with water! See their reactions here...too, too funny!

February I took possibly my favorite picture of Lena (favorite this year at least), took Mom out to Le Madeleine for a later birthday lunch and dedicated a blog post to Mom here.

In March I played hookie from work and spent the day outside with Lena helping her learn how to skateboard and blogged about it here. I love days like this and am so happy I was able to do it. I missed so much with my girls at my first job and was determined that at any future job my family would be put first. You can never get those moments back...and I couldn't bare to miss anymore!

April was a fun month for me...and possibly planted me to this house forever. I have always wanted a rose garden and looked longingly at all my neighbors who had rose bushes. So, for my 32nd birthday my Papa Bear and the girls planted me my own rose garden. The yellow bush succumbed to the Texas heat but the other four are doing great. I can't tell you how excited I was and how many posts I wrote about my beautiful roses. I can never leave this house now..my roses are here. So, when they were planted here, so was I!!! Read about my roses here and my wonderful birthday dinner here.

In May we welcomed a new family member....Toby. He was originally a Mother's Day present for my mother but we had to buy him a week early. By the time it was time to give him back we all fell in love with him and it was confirmed he wasn't going anywhere. We had a new family member and Mom got a new cell phone!! Meet Toby here.

In June we witnessed a really bad storm with wind force so high it broke fences and caved in roofs! Our electrical box stopped my neighbors metal gazebo from coming into my master bedroom. The fence between me and my "favorite" neighbor broke and I have to say...it is still broken, fallen down and crumbled today. He bought a 52-inch TV but couldn't fix the fence. See the storm pics here.

In all my years as a mother, almost 15 to be exact, I have NEVER been alone with my girls. Papa Bear has never left me for any period of time. Well, that changed in July. He went with his friend for four days to Galveston and I was devastated. I cried, I was scared, I cooked my first apple pie. It wasn't that bad... being alone and the pie! Our adventure those days are recorded here.

Ohhh August. August, you brought some major changes for me I honestly never expected...prayed for yes, but never expected. I was fired!! First time in my life ever being fired. I prayed for so long to not be at that job...it was literally sucking the life out of me. The honest truth is that my bank was losing business to it's competitors who offered the same business for free. We were told if we lost this particular account we would love a half person...equivalent of a part time person. Well, we lost that account, they moved my desk and took my four pages of notes for the new directions of a major account and then tried to put 23 errors against me. I stood my ground and didn't sign anything stating I was responsible. Instead, I told my assistant supervisor that she and the Supe moved my desk, made my notes disappear and they needed to sign because they are responsible. Sooooo.... a few days later my battery was dead and my car wouldn't start. I had to call in and they fired me at the end of the week. However, I had documented proof that I was not on probation for call ins, in fact I was in good standing. I won my workers comp appeal and will now start college classes to get me in nursing school Jan. 18. I totally believe in unanswered prayers. God knew when it was the right time for me to be let go from that job....I was patient and I listened. So.... that post is here. And by the way, I absolutely LOVE being a stay at home mom. It's challenging at times, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Being able to stay home with the girls allowed me to do many more fun things with them. I missed that so much when I was working. So, in September Lena and I met my friend Lisa at the Gunter Hotel for lunch. The hotel is haunted and Lena had never been. We had so much fun!! Lots of pics here!

October is one of my favorite months of the year, possibly my most favorite! Why? Because Nightmare on Grayson opens and then it's the Greek Festival! I didn't get many NOG pics but I did manage some GF pics. We took Mom this year. I always love the food and dancing at the Greek Festival. This year it didn't disappoint!!! See the post here. We also attempted to get rats as pets for CC this month. Don't ask... I can't believe I allowed it. They didn't work out, so instead we got a new family member...a lovely guinea pig named Tiramisu. She is now so rotten and spoiled. She yells, bites, demands....she fits right in in our home! I introduced her to my blog here.

November Lena rode a horse for the first time. We spent Thanksgiving in my nieces new house in Hallettsville, Texas. I love being in the country with my family. It's always nice to go home. See our pictures here. I also found a new passion..Praline Apple Bread. I make it quite often now. It is so good! Find pics and the recipe here.

And finally here we are in December. We had our annual visit from Abdelkrim. This year marked 25 years of friendship and we celebrated with a couscous celebration. It was so fun!
Our days lately have been visits to the dog park (Luigi loves it) and me trying out new recipes.

I don't know what 2011 might have in store for us. I certainly never expected some of the changes that we went through this year...but we survived them as a family. I learned how much I am in love with my family and how happy I am being a wife and mother. I feel so blessed for this time I have been able to be home with my girls. I don't take one second for granted. We live a modest life in a modest home and drive a paid off car. Sure I would love a bigger house (but what would I do about my roses?) and a newer car but those things don't measure the happiness and love we have here in our home. We love each other because we just love each other. Not one of us love the other because there is something we want or need from that person. There is no selfish love here. Just an honest, pure love. Maybe I will have to return to work, maybe my husband will have to look for another job. I don't know. But I do know I will be thankful for what ever may come our way and will be optimistically looking forward to the changes we may encounter. So, 2010 has given us some major ups and some drastic downs, but we stayed strong and stayed together and that is exactly how we will greet 2011... strong, happy and together!