Another year goes by

All tuckered out.
Is it midnight yet? Nope...three hours to go.
Now? No....

Come on just turn midnight already.

The last one standing....she fell about 10:00.

Our New Years was relaxing and low key. We hung out and watched football followed by Dick Clark's rockin New Year. My sister and I were the only ones to stay awake until midnight. Dad dozed off and on and did actually see the ball drop. It was quiet and uneventful, but I am fine with that. It was nice to have a quiet night. I was actually thankful for that. I was able to sit back, relax, and reflect. Reflect on the last year and all that our family has been through. Reflect on the the things that we have lost and the people we have lost. We made it through the loss of Billy's job and the stress of finding a new one . The gratitude we feel towards my parents for all the support they have given Billy with his new job, for the bed they allow him to sleep in, and the food they feed him, when he stays there each week. We made it through the loss of his mother. Something which we would have never survived had it not been for the support of his family. His Aunt and his cousins were there every step of the way, every day holding our hands and keeping us together so that we could make it through that difficult time. I sat there watching my three sleeping angels and thought about the last year and realized that no matter how hard a year, how tough the times, how stressed the day, and how low you get, as long as you have family and love you can make it through anything. I was able to reflect upon another year passed and focus on what was to come.

I made myself several promises. I promise to make this year a better one. I promise that this year will be an adventure. An adventure filled with selling a house and finding one that we will continue to make a life and home for our family in. An adventure in which we as adults must promise to live a little lighter, love a little harder, stress a little less and laugh a little more.