Jon bought a house, and we have been working on it all year. It is a work of extreme love, and will be a work in progress for some time to come. We love it! I have a job that I love, and work for just about the best people in the world! They may be tied for first with the first job I ever had... I don't think I can rightly compare the two.
I was so lucky to be able to enjoy the summer with Shiloh. We worked on getting him ready for first grade, and really got to bond. Jon and I took him out of summer care since it is so expensive, and I changed my schedule to make sure Jon or myself was able to be with him. Every day was an adventure. He'd choose a theme for lunch, and we'd make it. Picnics in the park and museums. A summer I hope is in his memory for years to come. I know it is one of my favorite summers on record.
Christmas was a whirlwind! We took Shiloh skiing, and spent a week in Colorado with Jon's family before Christmas, and then after a 20 hour drive from Colorado to Lubbock, to Bastrop...we were at my parents' for Christmas Eve and Christmas. I think the holidays were spent in the best manner possible. With the ones we love. I was happy the whole family was together, my sister and her boyfriend, my brother, and my boys.
The three of us moved into our new house on New Year's Eve. It was quite an ordeal. Since I had broken my arm a few months before I wasn't able to help as much as I wanted to, but we got it done! By 3 am we were moved in. And had even fit in some fireworks and champagne with the neighbors.
This past year has not been all joy, however. It has had quite a bit of loss too. My Uncle Tom passed away quite unexpectedly. And has been hard on the whole family. He and my aunt Jan lived close to us, and are the part of our family that we have been able to see the most over the years. So many plans were crushed with his passing. Then soon after Christmas we also lost my Dad's biological mother. That has also left quite a void in our life. We were never too close to her, for matters that would take a few days to write about, but never the less. It was still hard to handle. I hope this coming year is filled with more joy than grief for all my loved ones, family and friends. The blue moon on New Years was something special that won't happen again until 2028. And for us it signals a new beginning. Not only our new house, a new year, and a new decade, but a new life together, one that is filled with joy, laughter, love, and happiness.