Happy New Year and A Year In Review

Well, 2015 is almost in the books and it has been a good year. There have been some times that I wasn't real happy about but I can honestly say "it was a very good year."

As I reflect back over 2015, I'd like to share a few thoughts. We started out (well really it started on 12/21/14) with our newest addition to the family....our 5th grandchild and 3rd grandson.

 

Weighing in a 9 lb. 4 oz. he was a big boy!   His big sister (shown above) has become his 2nd momma....she has been such a big help to her momma.    

And a year later at our family Christmas get together at the lake

 

January saw some good news and bad news:   Our son got a huge promotion but it meant they would be living further away from us.    For the past 10+ years they have lived in Birmingham which was only a little over an hour away but they would now be living about 3 hours away.    Of course, it could be a lot worse, like a plane ride away as he reminds me, but still....not as easy to visit like before.    They found a gorgeous home in a wonderful neighborhood with the perfect back yard...and the beach about 30 minutes away too!

This is the view from the 2nd den (yes they have 2!) the gazebo is fully fitted out with a great sound system and TV.....perfect for watching the kids in the pool and enjoying time outside .

My granddaughter said they will just have a stay-cation at their home....they have everything right in their own backyard!

February I had some fairly major surgery and the next few months were spent getting back on my feet.     

Early spring an old friend from school and I started putting the finishing touches on our class reunion that was to be held in May.    I won't say how many years but it's been a while!    I attended a very small private school and we only had about 25 in our graduating class.    I think 3 are deceased, some didn't attend the reunion, but the ones that did had a great time.    We combined our class with the class below us and the class above us so we had about 100 people there.    I know that sounds insane when some schools graduate upwards of 500 students that that wasn't the case for us.

That's me on the end in black and white....my friend that I worked on the reunion with is also in black and white!   It was a good thing we had name badges....that's all I'm going to say!   Funny coincidence....one of the guys is a local dentist that my daughter goes to!

Not much exciting happened during the summer.   We spent some time at the lake but most of our time was at home.    I spend a lot of time at my mom's nursing home with her, they play bingo 3 times a week and she wants me to play too.    Since she's been at the nursing home, a little over a year now, I've got to know a lot of the residents and they seem to expect me there too!    I help some of the residents that don't see well, don't hear well, and some that just don't have the capacity anymore to know their numbers and/or letters.    It's very humbling to me and honestly I can say they do more for me than I could ever do for them.    When she's not playing bingo, we sit outside on the huge porch or in the "living room" as momma calls it and she shares about old times and people that have passed in and out of her life.    She will be 96 in June and I treasure every single moment with her.   But don't let her age fool you....she is very much in the present and knows exactly what is going on!    In fact, when I have my monthly meeting with her social worker and/or nurse, they just laugh and say sign the sheet of paper showing she has nothing wrong with her that needs attention.

Of course, fall bring football season.   I can't say it was our best year but I love my Auburn Tigers!

Soon enough it was Thanksgiving.    My ex-mother in law passed away the day before Thanksgiving.    There is a long story of our relationship but its not worth going into.   Suffice it to say that I made my peace with her a while back and last summer at the twins' birthday party my former husband brought her.    Strangely enough she spent most of the day with me talking and recalling old times!    I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to her funeral but I really felt like I needed to go.    I saw some folks I hadn't seen in 30 years and it was closure for me with some of them that welcomed me with hugs and open arms.    Our divorce was very nasty (thankfully my ex and I get along great now) so I didn't know what to expect but I'm glad I went.    My ex recently told me he was glad I came.

We had our annual family Christmas get together at the lake.   

My grandson (in white and red) and my sister's grandson in red shirt and jeans....can you believe these two are a year apart?   My sister's grandson will be 2 on January 4th and Ryder was 1 on December 21st!   But they had a big time playing....this summer they will have a lot of fun at the lake!

This wasn't at the lake but at Ryder's birthday party....he is a carbon copy of his daddy!

We had a low key Christmas.   Christmas Day my sister and her husband met my husband and I at the nursing home to spend time with our mom.    Then we 4 went to Waffle House for supper!    How classy can you get (LOL)!   They're going back to Hawaii in October and invited us to go but we don't have Hawaii on our bucket list.....we haven't made up our minds whether or not we'll go.    We usually take a tropical vacation in February since my husband owns a landscape business and it's hard for him to get away from spring to winter....thus we go somewhere warm in the dead of winter!    

Yesterday my granddaughter Taylor and I had one of our "special days" together.....I'll take all I can get since she's 11 going on 15 and the time will get here soon enough that it's not "cool" to hang with Mimi!    We went to a movie then Starbucks for hot chocolate.    She had a gift card I had given her and she wanted to use it to buy her own drink.    She had another gift card to Zaxby's so she wanted to go there and get lunch.    I offered to buy her hot chocolate and lunch but she wanted to use her cards.      After I took her back to her mom's office, she told me she had one of the best days ever.    Now that my friends is priceless!

 

Well, I can't believe there were no decorating posts mentioned.   Maybe that's because nothing much got done.    I shared earlier this fall that the hall bathroom and one guestroom were getting done.....that's still on hold as I'm undecided on bathroom paint color and waiting on our handyman to put up a plank wall in the guest room.    I really hope both of those projects get done soon!

As 2015 draws to a close, I realize how blessed and thankful I am.    I have a wonderful husband, good kids who have great spouses and kids, and my 95 year old mom.     I have everything I need (my husband says I don't have everything I "want" - LOL) but really, I count my blessings every day.    

I also want to than everyone that visits my blog, although this year I have blogged much, much less than in the almost 8 years I've blogged!    I can't promise that 2016 will be better but I hope I can get back to blogging on a more regular basis.

Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!