New Year, Same Me

Yet another new year. . . a year full of possibilities, obstacles, friends both old and new, and promises made, promises kept, and promises broken.

I'm not one for making resolutions. Sure, there are things I want to change, but I don't feel the need for a holiday to make such decisions. (Also, I truly prefer the ancient custom of celebrating the New Year's at the beginning of Spring, a time of rebirth and growth. Seems more appropriate to me.)

This year I decided to chronicle my days here, gaining advice, insight, and encouragement. I do not seek validation. I've kept a journal for years, and this is merely an extension of that. Rather, I've found, through Facebook especially, that I work harder when others know what I'm doing. So that's what this is.

This is going to be a long post, much longer than typical, because I feel the need to provide some background to "catch you up," so to speak, before really getting going.

To start, here's a brief character sketch of my oldest son:
C is almost 11 and is in the 5th grade in the city school system. He plays lacrosse and loves video games. He is also a diabetic and has been since he was 17 mos. old. Oh, and he's actually my step-son, from my husband's first marriage. (this might end up being important, as we have to deal with his being gone on occasion.) He lives with us full-time.

My youngest son:
J is almost 5 and stays at home with me. He plays baseball (I coach) and loves to watch Thomas and Handy Manny on his iPod. He is my self-proclaimed best friend. He is smarter than any 5 year old should be and helps me around the house by picking up and cleaning up and turning off lights. He is a wonderful example of Attachment Parenting. (purely by accident - I did what felt natural, and it turns out it has a name and is quite the thing to do these days. Who knew?)

My husband:
D is older than I. . . by a few years (less than a decade). I won't announce his age, as it will give mine away somewhat. :-) He works hard to take care of us and does a wonderful job. He's my best friend. He loves college sports, particularly Kentucky, so we have lots of fun watching all the games. He is a fabulous father and a great husband.

Me:
I am me. . . straightforward and up front. I am a nerd - I love all things electronic and keep up to date on the newest toys coming out. I use Apple for everything I own. I'm trying to convert the world one laptop at a time. :-) I'm a Southern belle through-and-through. I watch college sports (even without D) and have my own favorite, Vandy. My sweet tea is thick enough to chew and I don't believe a meal is a meal unless there's one (or more) meat, two (or more) vegetables, and a bread on the table. . . all of it either fried or with butter. I love my animals and keep taking in strays. I love to read and can suggest a novel or two at any time. . . and probably let you borrow my copy of it. Same goes for movies.

I like to have a good time, but I'm a good girl to the core. You can't live in the Bible Belt and not have faith be as much of you are as the color of your eyes or your last name. D and I recently moved our family from a very large congregation that I grew up in to a much smaller congregation. We like that we are missed and we get to know the others there so much better. We can let our children go off with the other kids there and still see them. We can be as actively involved as we want to be without having to join committees and subgroups. It's a conservative group, and as traditional as we are.

I took a bit longer than I expected on setting this all up, so I guess this will have to be in two parts. I may post later this evening, or it may be tomorrow.
xoxo,
MAC