The Year in Review

Happy New Year! I hope this meets you in good health, with great memories of the holiday season and bright plans for 2008! I had a good 2007 and I know that great things are in store for the new year. Here's a quick recap of my last year and some goals for the one which lies ahead.

2007 started with a bang... well, a crash, actually. In mid-February, my minivan was totaled when I was hit from behind during morning rush hour traffic. Praise the Lord, my 8-month-old daughter and I were both physically not harmed, though I admit that the accident took an emotional toll on me that I was not prepared for. I spent the first part of 2007 struggling with the aftermath and I didn't reveal to many people how hard that time was for me. Thank God for my wonderful, supportive, loving husband (Craig) and a small group of amazing, close friends who helped me through that awful time.

March brought the birth of our first niece/nephew, with Baby Derek arriving about 3 weeks early. I was blessed to meet him when he was just 1 week old, due to a business trip I was taking to New York City. In May, my baby sister finished her 7th (and final) year of college, with her Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology. In June, my own baby (Jessica) turned one and in August my older daughter (Rachel) turned four. Jessie had a big party at home in Florida, and Rachel and my sister had a combined party with all our friends and family in Upstate New York, where we spent a week visiting in August.

This fall, Rachel started pre-K and we were blessed with the birth of another little cousin, Justin, in September. On September 14, my life as a non-smoker began. In October, we were saddened by the passing of Craig's grandmother at the age of almost 94 and Jessica moved from a private sitter (family member) to daycare. We've continued to struggle with weight gain issues for Jessie-Boo, but know in our hearts that "just little" is a perfectly valid possibility. At the end of this year, I received a big promotion at work and we made it through the holiday season with only 1 major meltdown (1 minor one, too, but hey -- details!). My parents and sister came from New York for Christmas and my parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on December 23rd with all 3 of their kids and both granddaughters. All in all, it was a good year, full of blessings and character-building challenges. I know that 2008 will be even better.

I stopped making New Year's Resolutions a few years back. I've never had much success with them and though the beginning of a brand new year seems like it should be a good time to wipe the slate clean and start anew, I think that change comes from within your heart, and the timing has to be when you're truly ready, not when the calendar page turns another year. Looking back at my goal to Be a Non-Smoker this past fall, no one could have told me that "today" was the day to make a change... I had to be ready, I had to be willing, I had to be able. Fortunately, that goal was met, and I feel like SuperGirl, pretty much.... but I learned (through dozens of previous, failed attempts to be a non-smoker) that you can't always make yourself ready when you're not. Every day is a new day and a new chance to make a change.

That said, I do have three goals for 2008, though they're more "theories for life" than actual resolutions. These are goals I've been thinking about and struggling with for a long time, but now I think I'm ready to take them all on.

1. Remain a non-smoker. This will be a life-long goal, but seems worthy of my list, especially for 2008.
2. Simplify. This means a lot of things, and I'm not attaching anything specific to this goal. I'm not necessarily out to reduce my worldly possessions by half or begin walking barefoot with flowers in my hair. However, I know that I'm the type of person (classic Type A) who will over-complicate things (unintentionally) or add unnecessarily (and unconsciously) to my own stress level, in a quest to have the perfect everything. My new goal is very Zen: Identify that which is most important to me and eliminate everything else.
3. Take better care of myself. This goes hand-in-hand with #2 and again, this could mean a lot of things and again, I'm not attaching anything specific. I'd love to loose a few pounds, drink 8 bottles of water a day, find a few hours of alone time each week to nap or read or do Kat Things. But, the goal is nothing specific... the goal is just to stop and think more about myself, about doing things for my body and my mind that take myself into account. I'm really great at trying to be SuperMom and SuperWife and SuperWorker and SuperEverything, and I always put myself last on the priority list. I have no plans to think only of myself, but this goal is to remember to consider ME in the equation along with everyone else, and give myself equal weight in my decision making process.

As 2008 gets underway, I hope that you find yourself blessed beyond measure and thankful in advance for the year that lies ahead... may 2008 be your happiest, healthiest year yet!