I read a lot of other people's blogs and I will readily admit that I will borrow ideas from their blogs when I hit a dry spell. I read one this morning about reviewing the past year. I find that I am currently in a very reflective mood, so this idea is quite suitable to me. So, I am going to review 2008 and the things I did and learned.
In January, I learned that "Breaking up IS hard to do" but it is necessary and sometimes it is harder when it is all in your head then when you actually do it. But maybe I could have done it in person rather than over Instant Messenger. For that, I admit to a moment of Chicken-ness. Actually, I did not break off with NY in person because I was becoming increasingly wary of him and his response to me. I was not sure what he would do, how he would react and I was growing afraid. It turned out that I did have good reason to be wary because a few months later, when I decided to move out of the Forest Lake house and sever that financial tie to him as well, he began to threaten me and leave me nasty messages on my cell phone. Then in October, he had me served with papers for a lawsuit for back rent, repairs and various other monies he feels I owe him. Some I would agree with and some I would not. So, I think that perhaps breaking up via IM was the wiser course of action.
I learned that my family loves me very much but have a very weird sense of humor when my mother declared that I would be on a "Man-atorium" until further notice and the details of this declaration were slowly being developed as she went along, the rules added as she saw fit. And I learned in October, as did my sisters much to their surprise, that they will be the ones who will decide that the Man-atorium is lifted and I will be free to date again.
My Grandmother surprised me several times throughout the year by helping me financially. She really wanted me to get out of the FL house, so she gave me the money I needed for a deposit and first month's rent. Later in the year, she paid off two of my school loans. She is a real inspiration to me. She too was married to an abusive man, divorced him and went back to school as an older adult. She has risen above her challenges and is a very remarkable woman.
My children surprised me by adapting quite well to changing schools at the end of the school year. We started at Oneka Elementary right after Spring break in April. I learned later that there was a lot of information I missed out on as far as my daughter's transition to middle school but it all worked out in the end.
We had a bumpy summer in which I had to really pinch pennies, make very tough choices and learn some tough lessons about the importance of budgeting. I am still recovering from that but I have learned a lot of valuable things from that experience and even as hard as it was, I can't ignore the changes that have been made in me. However, I have come to realize that changing yourself, developing new habits and breaking bad habits does not happen over night. It takes a long time. It is hard to be diligent and easy to be lazy.
In spite of that hard stuff, we had a lot of fun. We learned how to do a lot of exciting things that don't cost money. We explored several lakes, found some good ones, and some bad ones. We played in the pool. Peanut learned to swim and ride his bike. The kids earned free passes to Bunker Beach by reading books and we had a great time there.
I also learned that my children have great capacity for naughtiness and I have gotten to know the Sheriff's department a little too well. But there were blessings that came out of nightmarish situations even with that. I met resourceful people who helped me find a great babysitter for my kids, that all of my children adore and she is fair in her prices and flexible, as well as easy to talk to. I have made contacts within my office for resources to help me out with my ADHD son and getting help with some of his more difficult behaviors.
I have made new friends, strengthened old friendships, and gotten in touch with people from my past and have friendships that are rekindled. My sister has moved back to MN from Nevada and it is so nice to have all of my family within 15 minutes of my home.
My kids are growing and healthy. Only one needed surgery but that seems to have corrected the problem. He has had to learn how to eat slightly differently and we have discovered that the doctor was correct that he cannot burp or throw up, so this does cause him discomfort but if he slows down when he eats, eats smaller amounts of food and has a couple of snacks during the day, he is doing fantastic. My daughter has, as of last night, lost all of her baby teeth.
BB joined a basketball team and loves to go to practice and to his games and we are enjoying watching him play and cheer. He has the most cheerleaders on just about any given game day!
My baby sister got married. I played the triangles during her wedding march and read scripture during the ceremony. I missed her vows because Peanut had to "Go RIGHT NOW" but I got to see PH and Princess really cut a rug on the dance floor!
We were given two turkeys this year. One was HUGE and I remembered to take out the neck before stuffing it but I had to run it under hot water in order to get the neck out since it was so big, it was still partially frozen.
I learned how to make Turkey Wild Rice soup and Bullwinkle Chili.
I have laughed a lot. I have cried, thankfully, I have laughed more. Overall, it was a really good year.
No comments:
Post a Comment