Happy New Year!  Per HOMEFree asking what I'm up to, I thought it's about time for a blog post.

I love January.  I LOVE it.  Why?  Because from Sept. through Dec., I'm at such a pace ... school's kicking off in Sept., and I do love that.  But come November it really starts getting crazy, gearing up for Thanksgiving.  And Thanksgiving 2007 was difficult, because I was terribly sick just before.  I had not been that sick in years.  As soon as I was barely well, I had to work hard to cook for approx. 20 people.  Then, rush into Christmas preparations.  I have to say, my house never really did get decorated as I may have liked - nor even halfway straightened.  Sigh.  But I knew Christmas would come and go, ready or not, and so it did.  Nonetheless, everyone was happy with it, and it had it's special moments.

But JANUARY!  January, I love.  I love it every single year.  The craziness of the holidays is over.  Some people call it the winter blues.  I call it the winter calm.  Calm down and settle in.  OK, February is usually a different story - the kids are bouncing off the walls by that time, and I'm done with snow and cold.

I started off the year incredibly, by staying with my grandchildren for a few days while my daughter and son-in-law rushed off to an impromptu wedding in Tennessee.  My son-in-law's sister was planning a wedding for early May, but her fiancee (now husband) is being deployed to Iraq in April -- for a whole year.  So the wedding was quickly planned for last Friday.  All took place in approx. 46 hours for my daughter and son-in-law - leaving home and getting back home, and all that took place in-between.

Me - I was having special time with my grandchildren.  It was very special.  My daughter is doing an absolutely amazing job raising them.  Mikey (4) is a geo-wiz!

I'm about to turn 50, by the end of the month.  I can't believe it.  And I don't like it.  I am ashamed to say that, because I wanted to age gracefully.  But I have so much to do, and the time is flying much too fast.  I want to set the clock back several years, and we all know that is just not possible.  I want to squish my children down a few years, and hang onto them as tight as I can.

So Happy New Year everyone.  Looking to God for 2008 - and looking to the clouds for the return of the King.