"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one."
How simple is that? As with most things, it's easier said than done. However, it is nice to think that at the end of every year, my "book" ends and a new one begins. Some years are Best Sellers and some need to be in the bargain bin. No matter what was written on those pages in the past, it's comforting to know that I am forgiven and I am loved, thank you God!!!
Where does 2014 fit in for me? Amongst all the bad there was a lot of good so I think somewhere in middle fits just fine. I'm not sure if it's possible to do a recap but I will try (with the help of my trusty Facebook timeline!!):
Our year started out with a trip to the Humane Society. Our first. The kids and I delivered some blankets that were donated through the SGA at Heard. That place hurts my heart so badly. I have to keep a total blackout in my brain when it comes to thinking about the amount of neglected and abused animals in this world. Kudos to Ian Somerhalder for all of his work with ISF. I wish there was enough money in this world to take care of them all.
In February, Ethan FINALLY got contacts! He's been wearing glasses since he was 2 years old. OMGoodness did he bloom after he got them! He went from having a shaved head to a head FULL of hair. He's a totally different kid.
In March, Ethan and Emily performed in a Talent Show at Heard with their friends, Devin & Tonantzin. They did an awesome dance to Jailhouse Rock and ended up in 3rd place! Also in March, we took our first camping trip to Cape San Blas/Indian Pass, Florida. The beach was literally right outside of our camper AND it was completely empty. We were able to take Triggy with us and we even were able to take him with us into town at Appalachicola to eat dinner! We really had a great vacation together.
April brought a birthday for the E's. It was our first double digit birthday!! Mom was well enough at the time to go to church so we visited Southside with them. We followed that with our annual family birthday dinner at Outback.
In May, Ethan's Cub Scout den was promoted to Boy Scouts at the Arrow of Light ceremony. Webelos is supposed to take two years to complete but their den leader had them complete it in only a year. Ethan really enjoyed the aspect of Cub Scouts, and even Boy Scouts, but his interest diminished quickly and he withdrew from Scouts.
May also brought another school year to a close. Ethan was in his last year at Heard (a 5th grader) and earned Student of the Year, Valedictorian, straight A's for 5 years and winner of the Academic Bowl. He really is amazing to watch. For his accomplishments, his dad got him his own rifle. It turns out, hunting isn't really his thing but he enjoys shooting so at least he will be able to use it on clays.
In June, we returned to our home church of Ridgecrest Baptist Church. This was NOT an easy decision for us to make. We had made some wonderful friendships at Redeemer but ultimately we made the decision we thought would be best for our family. The kids also attended their first week-long camp at Camp Victory. They absolutely loved it and didn't want to leave when we picked them up!! Josh and I went to New Orleans for a couple of days while they were at camp. I can safely say that was probably our last trip to New Orleans for a while.
In July, we took a road trip vacation! Our first stop was to Akron, Ohio to visit my side of the family. We had Strickland's custard. This has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember!!!
We visited the Amish stores & restaurants and we attended the annual Powell family picnic!! From there we went to Monroe, Michigan to visit Josh's side of the family. We met them in Sandusky, Ohio and hit up Cedar Point Amusement Park. AWESOMMMMMME!!!!!!
On the way home, we stopped in Gatlinburg for a few days. Hiking is one of our most favorite things to do as a family. We collect medallions from each trail that we complete!
Josh always leads, followed by Emily, Ethan and then me. As Josh was walking around a small curve, I saw the bushes on his left move a little bit. I held the kids back because they moved a bit more. Out walked a bear not even 5 feet from Josh!!! The bear casually walked up the path a bit and then headed up into the mountain. Talk about an adrenaline rush!!!!
July was a big birthday for me as I finally joined the "40" club. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was bothered because I had not lost the weight I wanted to before I hit the age but at least I hit it!! I started writing this blog in the summer of 2014 as well. I would have NEVER believed it would become what it has. I wish I had taken the time to stretch out the stories instead of posting every day. I knew I would run out of things to say. Nevertheless, the words of encouragement have been amazing and I thank each of you that have expressed them to me!!! I haven't totally dismissed the book idea..... If you're wondering what Im talking about, feel free to start the "series" from the beginning here: The Introduction
August 2014 was a month I will never forget. After years of talks and questions, the kids finally sat down with Brother Lloyd and had the talk. Talk they did....for several hours! Ultimately, they both came to the conclusion to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and to follow it with baptism. SO proud of them for making that decision!
I am definitely not going to go into detail on the whys of it all, but Josh and I decided to pull Emily from school so she could be homeschooled as well. I pulled Ethan back a bit and sped Emily up so we could all be on the same page. It took a couple of weeks but we finally got there!
In September, we traveled to Children's Hospital for Emmy's annual heart check up. Everything looked good but most importantly, her doctor cleared her to FINALLY start taking gymnastics! She isn't allowed to be in competitive gymnastics though.
Ethan decided to start taking art lessons. I definitely think he found his hobby because he is fantastic!!! I'm proud for them to be able to do the things they love!
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| Drawing at 1st lesson |
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| The rest of these are after 1 month of lessons |
I started Advocare in October, thanks to Amanda and her sister-in-law, Haley. It's a last ditch effort since I seem to fail at everything else and the possibility of being on The Biggest Loser is non-existent!! At this point (January 2015), I've lost 16 pounds so apparently we're doing something right! I have 84 more to go but at least its a start!
At the end of October, I got braces. Yes, a 40 year old woman with braces. I don't know what I was thinking. I have to wear these for a year. Next Christmas I will have orthognathic surgery followed by another year of braces. Aside from the pain in getting used to them for the first few weeks, I can say that the worst part of braces for me is eating. Eating is absolutely disgusting now. Food gets stuck in cracks and crevices. I have to be conscious about every bite so I can make sure there's nothing left when I'm finished. Swishing food out afterwards is just gross. Bleh.
November & December brought the normal holiday fare. Josh is still flying back and forth from California and it really is going well. We were able to provide the kids with a nice Christmas without going overboard AND sticking to our rule on paying cash for everything. It's a pain some times but it's also very gratifying to be able to pay for something without the strings of debt attached.
We welcomed a new family member this year, Lincoln Godwin (our nephew by way of Whitney & Ryan). We celebrated birthdays and milestones together. Mom's health is declining but she's still with us and she still has that sassy streak in her.
My time with the PTO at Heard is also coming to an end as I pass on my treasurer duties. At first I was a little upset about not being in the day-to-day craziness but time has shown me that I made the right decision. It has been an eye opener to say the least. I don't know if teachers don't realize it or if they do it intentionally but things that are said in front of students are heard, and repeated. It stings a bit.
We've made a lot of new friends and built stronger relationships with those we already knew. We also lost several friendships but, it happens. Some are just seasonal I suppose!
So, what about your blank space, baby????
