Last Post of 2010

It has snowed at our house ALL day. It finally slowed down enough that I decided to shovel a path to the mailbox and take a picture of our BBQ. I think we must be the only spot left in the valley that still has snow falling. It's crazy. We went to Hires for our New Year's Eve Dinner and once we got past 4100 South, there was no more snow. What is "lake effect" anyway?

It's 8:30 p.m. and James and Molly are both sound asleep. Happy New Year came a bit early this year, I guess. James is exhausted. He really enjoys his job, but it is grueling - long hours, lots of phone calls once he gets home and tons of charting work. Lately, he falls asleep at his computer around 10:00 or 11:00 p.m., then gets up at 4:00 a.m. to finish his charting before his 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. appointment. It's this terrible cycle that never ends. I get on him a lot because he is such a grouch, but I am grateful for his efforts and I'm even more grateful that he put Molly to sleep and is now getting some much needed rest himself (even though he'll have to do his charting in the morning).

On to my year end wrap up . . .

Yesterday Willie had basketball games on his birthday. Unfortunately he was 0-3 on the day against Jordan, but oh well. While there, the Hunter girls were playing Taylorsville and we ran into Mr. Hymas who coaches that team. Mr. Hymas was my junior high math teacher and then my sophomore girls basketball coach. He remembered me and was asking me about some of the other girls on that team (most of whom I have no idea what happened to them). We were the first girls team he ever coached.

This got me thinking a little bit reflectively on this past year. When I was a sophomore in high school I never would have dreamed that I'd have a cute, curly haired little girl named Molly, been teaching school for 8 years, or be sitting watching my sophomore brother play Hunter basketball with my nephews running around the gym. Crazy! I guess I probably thought that I would be married and maybe have kids, but things like that are never a given (especially for anti-socials weirdos like me).

Anyway, it has been quite a year! Last year on New Year's Eve I was starting to get really fat and starting to get really swollen feet. We didn't even know if we were having a girl or boy because the modest little baby kept her legs crossed at the ankles during the ultrasound (which she still does, by the way). She was just a bump in my stomach and now she is this wriggling, crazy, yelling little girl. She finally has two teeth poking through. She was showing me earlier today, but then wouldn't cooperate when I got the camera out. (This is the best I got.)

She is starting to eat cheerios without choking, today had yogurt, and then ate some pieces of garlic bread at Hires. She kicks her feet when she gets excited and is, for the most part, a very pleasant and happy little girl. I am so glad she is a part of our family!

Happy New Year!!